“…and upon this rock I will build my church; and
the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18
The rock that Jesus was referring to was the truth that Peter had
just uttered: “Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God.” The
church is built upon that simple stated truth. It is not founded on
man or on man’s principles but upon the divinity of Jesus Christ.
That which is founded on Christ will endure through every difficulty
and opposition of the enemy.
Jesus said the “gates of hell shall not prevail…” The devil has
battled hard to destroy the church through the ages, but truth has
endured. Since the time of Christ, the church has been through many
struggles and battles, but there have always been people who stayed
founded on the rock; and the enemy was unable to destroy them.
C.E. Macartney says the following: “The old Reformed churches of
Europe, and some of their successors in this country, with
scriptural and historical appropriateness chose for their motto a
phrase referring to the burning bush – ‘Nevertheless, it was not
consumed’ (Exodus 3:2). That is the sentence with which you must
conclude every chapter of the history of the church. After every
fire of false teaching, of schism, of persecution, of corruption and
apostasy, that is the record: ‘Nevertheless, it was not consumed.’”
The gates of hell have been opened in these last days and the battle
against the church is escalating. The devil is doing all he can to
bring confusion, compromise and fanaticism. He is unleashing in a
greater way the spirits of lust, greed, etc. But with all of that,
let us be encouraged to remember that the gates of hell SHALL NOT
PREVAIL. As we humbly follow Christ in all things, although the
enemy strives hard for our souls, we will be victorious.
