‘I will build my church upon this rock’ Did Jesus lie?
In the Old testament, before the flood, Jehovah God made Himself known to men such as Enoch and Noah. Before the flood, the earth had become populated by demon worshipers. After the flood, God made Himself known to Abraham, and promised him that he would father a great Nation. Israel is struggling today, but she will arise to her zenith in the Millennium earth, under Christ’s Kingship. The O.T dealt with Israel, as a nation, believing in Jehovah; while they were surrounded by gentile nations who served idols and demonic spirits.
In the New Testament, Jesus encountered those who believed in Him as the Messiah, and those who didn’t. The Samaritans, Essenes, Pharisees and Sadducees were all groups of Jews who believed in the Law of Moses but interpreted the Law differently. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees often for their unbelief in Him, for their self-righteous lifestyles and for demanding others to keep an impossible set of rules. There were many Jews and Gentiles who believed in Christ as the Son of God.
Jesus called 12 disciples; training them to preach the Gospel to the whole world, including all the Jewish sects and all the gentile nations. He promised them the Power of the Holy Spirit to help them accomplish this task, and told them to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with this power. (Luke 24:49)
There were 120 gathered together on the Day of Pentecost and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. This gathering of 120 included Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Mary needed the Holy Spirit Baptism just like the others. (Acts 1:4, 2:4)
A crowd gathered, to see and hear what was happening, and Peter stood up to preach to them, causing 3,000 souls to be added to the church. All through the Book of Acts we find many people being added to the church. The church spread into all the world from the Acts of the Apostles. (Acts 2:38-42)
The word ‘church’ in the Greek is ‘ekkesia’ meaning ‘a group of called out ones’; called out from the world and to God. Jesus said, I will build my church upon this rock and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matthew 16:18)
The apostles were taught and trained by Jesus for 3 years. Peter received the revelation, that Jesus was the Son of God, before the others. Peter, James and John were always closest to Jesus in His daily life, and they were used in the developing of the church after it was founded on the Day of Pentecost. All the disciples were so convinced of the divinity of Jesus and His teachings that they all died a martyr’s death, except John. The Romans tried to kill John, but God wouldn’t let him die until he had written the book of Revelation.
Jesus said that His Gospel would be preached in all the world before the end came. (Matthew 24:14)
Today, 83% of Americans identify themselves as Christian. Over 2 billion people, worldwide, call themselves Christian. There are over 7 billion people on planet earth today, with some 130,000 being born each day, and some 55,000 dying daily. 1/3 of the population is Christian and 2/3 believe in other gods, or none at all.
Have the gates of hell prevailed? Is Jesus a liar?
While the unbelievers and the skeptics say a definite yes, Bible believing Christians say the answer is in the Bible.
The end has not come yet; although the signs of the end, which Jesus gave us, are being fulfilled more and more each day.
During the last seven years of time on this planet, Jesus showed Apostle John that He would seal ‘144,000 Jewish believers’ to preach His Gospel, and then He would send ‘two witnesses’ to also preach His Gospel, and then He would send an ‘angel’ to preach the Gospel. After that, He would return to reclaim the earth as His own and set up His earthly kingdom for 1,000 years of peace.
Revelation 7:4 “And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God–144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel:”
Revelation 11:3 “And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will be clothed in burlap and will prophesy during those 1,260 days.”
Revelation 14:6 “And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world–to every nation, tribe, language, and people.”
It is still imperative for believers to pray for God’s Kingdom to come, daily, and to do so with hope and expectation; for Jesus never lies and He never foretells something that will never come to pass. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)
Today and the end of time will be the same, with those who believe and those who don’t.
C.S. Lewis said:
“There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.”