JESUS asked His disciples one day who they thought He was, and it was Peter who answered the question.
When He asked, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” the disciples answered, “Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.” For people then were much like people now, and some said one thing, and some said another.
But when Jesus asked, “But whom say ye that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus had called Himself the Son of man, and He was indeed Man; but Peter knew that He was the Christ, the Messiah for whom they had been waiting, God’s chosen and anointed Man, truly Man — and yet, the Son of the living God.
Peter had not found this out for himself; he had been with Jesus and seen the wonderful things He did, but even so, Peter could never have known that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, if it had not been revealed to him. Jesus said to him, “Blessed art thou, Simon son of Jonas; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven.”
And then Jesus said to him, “And I say 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.”
Peter’s name meant a stone, and Jesus tells him the wonderful secret that He is going to build His church, not with stones, like those men use in building, but with stones like Peter himself, with men, women and children who confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
When Jesus told Peter He was going to build His church upon “this rock,” He went on to say, “And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
When Jesus went down into death, He died, and it looked as though Satan had gained the victory, as though the Rock of Ages had been overthrown. But the power of hell was broken by Jesus’ death, and on the third day He arose.
He rose from the dead, and ascended up into heaven and sat down at God’s right hand as the mighty Victor over death and Satan’s power.
This is why the gates of hell can never, never prevail against the church which He is building on the Rock.
ML-05/02/1976