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The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail

December 09, 2007

 

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
 
The disciples were questioned by Jesus
Matthew 16:13-15 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He began asking His disciples, saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
 
Peter’s Enigmatic confession
Matthew 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
It was Divinely revealed knowledge
Matthew 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
 
Upon this rock I will build my church
Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church…” 
The rock defined as “the christ”
1 Corinthians 10:4 and all the same spiritual drink did drink, for they were drinking of a spiritual rock following them, and the rock was the Christ (YLT)
 
the promise given to Abraham’s seed
Genesis 22:17-18 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;  18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. 
 
The king had a throne at the gate
2 Samuel 19:8 Then the king arose and sat in the gate. And they told all the people, saying, "There is the king, sitting in the gate." So all the people came before the king.
 
The rulers of the city sat at the gate
Ruth 4:1-2 Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, "Come aside, friend, sit down here." So he came aside and sat down. 2 And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, "Sit down here." So they sat down.
 
The singular seed of Abraham is Christ
Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ.
 
Christ shall rule over his enemies
1 Corinthians 15:25 For he [Christ] must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
 
He shall rule over all the nations
Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
 
The plural seed of abraham is the Lord’s church
Galatians 3:27-29 For as many of you [“the churches of Galatia,”1:1] as were baptized into Christ (disciples – are baptized Mt.28:19) have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's [“now that you belong to Christ” NLT], then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
 
Disciples are water baptized
Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them
 
Disciples of Christ gather together in churches
Acts 11:26 “…a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.”
 
Christ body is the church
Colossians 1:24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church
 
The gates of hell will not prevail against the church
Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it [my church]. 
 
The gates of death
Job 38:17 Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?
 
"the gates of death" hold the dead in death
Psalm 9:13 Have mercy upon me, O LORD; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:
 
Drawing near the gates of death
Psalm 107:18-19 Their soul abhorred all manner of food, And they drew near to the gates of death. 19 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. 
 
Some clear points about the use of SHEOL in the OT
 
1.      Sheol is referred to as being downward in the earth – 55 times!
2.      The word death or dead is associated with Sheol – 39 times!
3.      Sheol is entered into by physical death – people did not look forward to go to heaven at death but rather death meant sheol.
4.      It is used some times as a synonym for the condition or state of being dead.
5.      The righteous and wicked went down to sheol at death. 
6.       14 times the word SOUL is associated with sheol.  Sheol is a place for the soul never the body.
7.      Sheol is not the same as the grave!
8.      Sorrow is associated with going down to sheol because it is the condition of death
9.      In 1 Samuel 2:6 it clearly says only the Lord can bring some one up from sheol.
10.There is a possibility of sheol having sections – the psalmist speaks of the lowest part of sheol (Ps.86:13) – depths of sheol – it may have some dimension to it.
11.Sheol was not the end for some – they looked forward to coming out of sheol to live again – hints of resurrection – being delivered out of it!
12.Sheol has power over those that are in it.  They cannot release or redeem themselves from it.
13.There is no activity in sheol, Job likens it to rest – it is a condition of death not a new kind of existence or life.
 
Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.
 
14. Isaiah 38:10 speaks of sheol as having gates!
 
“The Gates of hell” is from the Old Testament
Isaiah 38:10 I said, "In the prime of my life I shall go to the gates of Sheol; I am deprived of the remainder of my years."
 
Sheol has power of those that are dead
Job 7:9 “When a cloud vanishes, it is gone, So he who goes down to Sheol does not come up.
Psalm 89:48 What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?
 
Hades did not hold Jesus – God raised him up in resurrection
Acts 2:24-32 "whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 25 "For David says concerning Him: 'I foresaw the LORD always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. 27 For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.' 29 "Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 "Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 "he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 "This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.
 
Christ has the keys of hell and of death
Revelation 1:18  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
 
By entering into death He became Lord over the dead
Romans 14:9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
 
Jesus shall unlock the gates of death and Hades
Revelation 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one  of them according to their deeds.
 
At the resurrection the dead shall come forth
John 5:28-29 Jesus said, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
 
The gates of sheol will not have power over the saints
Psalm 49:15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of sheol: for he shall receive me.
 
the first resurrection
Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
 
The church will be completely free from
“the gates of hell”
1 Corinthians 15:50-55 Now this I say, brethren [“the church of God which is at Corinth…we were all baptized into one body” 1:1;12:13] , that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 55 "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?"
 
the end of death and hell is in the lake of fire
Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.