Jehoshua is on the throne of David in New Jerusalem and He is the King of a New Israel
This is one of the better known and referenced passages of scripture by what is callled "the church", however the depth of what this passage means is almost always overlooked. This is done either ignorantly or on purpose. There is a seldom if ever talked about truth here in Matthew 16 that behooves the mainstream church to not understand.
In this study, I am only going to focus on the phrase "I will build my church; and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it". When this statement by Jehoshua is discussed in the churches it is always over spiritualized. It is taught in the churches that the gates of hell refers to a literal burning hell where Satan rules and/or Satan's spiritual kingdom where he rules over his demons. While certainly Satan's kingdom is the gates of hell, however his kingdom has physical subjects who are the enemies of the people of God. It is not just a spiritual kingdom but a very real physical kingdom with subjects who are living breathing beings. There is no literal burning spiritual underworld where Satan rules called hell so we can eliminate that from the discussion. This will be a study that the churches will stay away from with a ten foot pole as it upsets their politically correct doctrine of Universalism. They don't want to admit that the church has real life and blood enemies that they (the church) are called to assault. They want to over-spiritualize everything and make the enemies of the church some generic philosophical idealogy. Let's look at Matthew 16: Matthew 16:13-20 13 Now when Jehoshua came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Who do men say that the Son of man is? 14 And they said, Some say John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. 15 He saith unto them, But who say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Messiah, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jehoshua answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also 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. 19 I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 20 Then charged he the disciples that they should tell no man that he was the Messiah. Jehoshua tells Peter that he will build his church (assembly of called out ones) on the confession that he (Jehoshua) is the Son and Messiah of the living God. This in itself is vital in understanding Jehoshua's following words "that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (the church)". There is so much that can be said about Jehoshua being the Son and Messiah of God but for now let's look at the statement that is the subject of this study. It's easy to look at Jehoshua's statement as a generic statement that Satan will never destroy his church, however there is a deeper truth here and it is prophetic. Let's go back to the book of Genesis: Genesis 22:15-18 15 And the angel of Jehovah called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said, By myself have I sworn, saith Jehovah, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, 17 that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. 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. This is the well known passage where Abraham offers up Isaac his only begotten son (Hebrews 11:17) to Jehovah as a sacrifice as commanded. We know that Jehovah stopped Abraham from doing this. Due to Abraham's faith and obedience, he was blessed with Jehovah reiterating the covenant promises of Genesis 12 that in Abraham's (seed) shall all nations of the earth be blessed. In verse 17 of Genesis 22, Jehovah adds something to the covenant blessings in that Abraham's seed would possess the gates of their enemies. This was definitely implied in Genesis 12 but here it is clearly stated. This is where Jehoshua drew from when he said the gates of hell would not prevail against his church. Often times, we think of Jehoshua's statement as the church being in a defensive posture against the devil, however it is the very opposite. Gates denote trying to keep something out and it is hell that is putting up it's gates against the church not the other way around. This means that the church is to be on a continuous assault against Satan's kingdom which is manifested in human beings and human organizations. Jehovah doesn't just tell Abraham that his seed will possess the gates of some spiritual enemy but rather that they will possess the literal gates of literal enemies. What's amazing about this prophecy is that it wasn't just told to Abraham but also it was said to his son Isaac's wife Rebekah. The title "only begotten" denotes being the son of inheritance which applies to Isaac even though Abraham had other son's and even an older son (Ishmael). This is important to remember as Jehoshua is called the only begotten Son of God. Genesis 24:55-60 55 And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us [a few] days, at the least ten. After that she shall go. 56 And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing Jehovah hath prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master. 57 And they said, We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth. 58 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. 59 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham`s servant, and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of ten thousands, and let thy seed possess the gate of those that hate them. Abraham sent his servant to go get a wife from his kindred for his son because he didn't want Isaac to marry one of the Canaanites. The servant of Abraham asked Rebekah's family if she could go with him right away so that he could present her to Isaac. After Rebekah agrees to go with Abraham's servant instead of delaying it her brother blesses her by telling her that she will be a mother of millions and that her seed (descendants) will possess the gates of those that hate them. Obviously, these that would hate the descendants of Rebekah would be actual people and not just evil spiritual beings. The Abrahamic blessing is confirmed to Rebekah who would be his son Isaac's wife. There is an obvious connection to what Abraham and Rebekah are told to what Jehoshua tells Peter. Jehoshua is outright stating that the Abrahamic promise of possessing the gates of his (Abraham's) enemies now applied to the church (ekklesia) that he (Jehoshua) would build. Just as Isaac was the only begotten son of Abraham and thereby entitled to the covenant promises, Jehoshua's claim of being the Son of the living God entitled him to those same blessings. This is why Jehoshua linked Peter's confession of his (Jehoshua's) Sonship and Messiahship with it being the foundation of the church because as the only begotten Son he inherits the Abrahamic blessings. John 1:51 "And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man" This statement by Jehoshua is connected to his affirmation of Nathanael's confession that he (Jehoshua) is the Son of God and King of Israel. Jehoshua's statement above is lost on most Christians in terms of prophetic significance. Jehoshua is obviously referring to Genesis 28: 3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a company of peoples. 4 And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee. That thou mayest inherit the land of thy sojournings, which God gave unto Abraham. This is the passage of scripture that Jehoshua is referring to in John 1:51. This is where Jacob has the dream of the ladder with angels ascending and descending. The prophetic truth of Jacob's dream is lost on most Christians. The dream given to Jacob by Jehovah is a confirmation of what is stated above in that Jacob is the inheritor of the blessing of Abraham. The Abrahamic covenant blessing is that the seed of Abraham would multiply and be fruitful and to possess the gates of their enemies. Just to verify that Jehoshua is now the recipient of the Abrahamic covenant let's go to what the apostle Paul stated in Galatians 3:16 "Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ" The many seeds that Paul is mentioning is the other sons of Abraham such as Ishmael and his sons from Keturah. The one seed that Paul mentions isn't Jehoshua as popular taught but rather Isaac. Paul mentions "thy seed which is Christ". This seems to indicate that Jehoshua himself as being that one seed spoken of in the above passage and that anyone in covenant with him is recipient of the Abrahamic covenant blessings. However, as stated the comparison of many seeds to the one seed can only be about Isaac since the many seeds are his half brothers. When Paul says "And to thy seed, which is Christ", surprisingly he doesn't mean Jehoshua Messiah. Many Christians often forget that the word "Christ" is not a proper name for Jehoshua but rather it describes a spiritual condition meaning that he is the anointed of God. Basically, Paul is saying that the Galatians seed is anointed (Christ). This means that Paul is identifying the Galatians as the seed of Abraham and Isaac. This may shock most Christians because of hand me down doctrine that the Galatians were non Israelite gentiles, however chapter 4 indeed proves that the Galatians were Israelites as does Peter's epistle. Galatians 3:26-29 26 For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ. 28 There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female; for ye all are one [man] in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye are Christ`s, then are ye Abraham`s seed, heirs according to promise. Verse 29 is the verse I want to look at here. Paul says that if ye are Christ's then ye are Abraham's seed. Many read this as meaning if you are Jehoshua's meaning your in covenant with him then you are Abraham's seed. However, the word"Christ" simply means "anointed" and doesn't necessarily mean Jehoshua everytime it is used. This should be understood as Paul saying that if you are anointed (Christ) then you are Abraham's seed, heirs according to the promise. So the word "Christ" in verse 29 applies to the Galatians themselves and not Jehoshua. Again, this is Paul identifying the Galatians as the literal seed of Abraham through Isaac. The evidence that the seed being spoken of in Galatians 3 is Isaac and not Jehoshua is in Romans 9: 6 But it is not as though the word of God hath come to nought. For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel: 7 neither, because they are Abraham`s seed, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh that are children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed. 9 For this is a word of promise, According to this season will I come, and Sarah shall have a son. The passage above is rich with prophetic truth. It is often misunderstood among Christians. In verse 6, when Paul says not all Israel is Israel he is not distinguishing between believing Israelites and unbelieving Israelites but the context shows that he is distinguishing between those who claim to be Israelites but are not because they are not of Isaac. An Israelite who does not believe in Jehovah's Messiah is still an Israelite as Paul says they are his kinsmen (kinsmen of the womb) according to the flesh that he has a burden for. There are people who are Abraham's seed yet they are not all children of Abraham. This is because Abraham had other sons namely Ishmael. Jehoshua told this to the pharisees: John 8:37 "I know that ye are Abraham`s seed: yet ye seek to kill me, because my word hath not free course in you" Jehoshua acknowledged that the Pharisees were Abraham's seed, however this doesn't mean they are of Isaac as they could still be of the seed of Abraham and be descendants of his other sons and even they could be of Isaac but not Jacob. Being of Esau would disqualify them from being Abraham's children. John 8:39 "They answered and said unto him, Our father is Abraham. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham`s children, ye would do the works of Abraham" Jehoshua acknowledges the Pharisees as Abraham's seed which includes all Abraham's children and also Esau as well. However, to be a child of Abraham you must be of Isaac and Jacob. This is what Jehoshua is telling them that they may be the seed of Abraham but they certainly are not his children otherwise they would do the works of Abraham. The works of Abraham are to have faith in the promises of Jehovah God. Jehoshua is the evidence of those promises as He is the only begotten Son of God. The hatred of the Pharisees was evidence to Jehoshua that they were not of Isaac and Jacob because even those who rejected Messiah would still be considered children of Abraham as Paul states the gifts and calling are without repentance and that the unbelieving Israelites are the elect for the father's sake. Much of the religious establishment in Jehoshua's day were from the line of Esau most notably Herod the Jewish client king of Rome. In Galatians 4 Paul makes it clear that the seed of promise is through Isaac: Galatians 4:24-26 22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the freewoman. 23 Howbeit the [son] by the handmaid is born after the flesh; but the [son] by the freewoman [is born] through promise. 24 Which things contain an allegory: for these [women] are two covenants; one from mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar. 25 Now this Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to the Jerusalem that now is: for she is in bondage with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is our mother. Isaac and Ishmael are the focus here. Ishmael was born after the flesh and represents the sinai covenant genders unto bondage. This is because the Sinai covenant was not of promise meaning it wasn't an unconditional covenant. The covenant made with Abraham was unconditional and Isaac is the inheritor of that covenant. Those who are of the seed of Isaac are of the free woman (Sarah). The children that descend from Hagar are of bondage and are a type of the earthly Jerusalem which became a city of bondage with the arrival of the Messiah and Jehovah's program of worship moving to new Jersuslem New Jersuslem is the mother of the seed of Isaac (the church). Those of the seed of Ishmael via Hagar are still in bondage. Paul compares the Judeans who are still worshipping according to the old covenant as being likened unto Ishmael's seed. Many of them actually were the seed of Ishmael and Esau hence Paul says they are Hagar's children. Galatians 4:28-31 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him [that was born] after the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 Howbeit what saith the scripture? Cast out the handmaid and her son: for the son of the handmaid shall not inherit with the son of the freewoman. 31 Wherefore, brethren, we are not children of a handmaid, but of the freewoman. Just as it was in the times of old testament Israel, it was in Paul's and our time where the children of the flesh persecute the children of the spirit. The context of this clearly shows that the children of the flesh are the descendants of Ishmael and Hagar. This would also appy to the descendants of Esau. Many spiritualize these verses away, however Paul gives no hint at all these verses are not literal. Many of the so called Jews, who were still practicing the old covenant, were of Ishmael's and Esau's descendants. Therefore according to Paul they are children of the flesh and persecute the true children of Israel who are through Isaac. In verse 30 Paul says the handmaid and her son will be cast out and have no inheritance with Sarah and Isaac. This is an obvious reference to Hagar and Ishmael. Is this literal or can we spiritualize it away? Malachi 3:6 says that Jehovah is the same yesterday, today and forever. Should it surprise us that He favors His ethnic people Israel over other ethnic nations just as He did in the old testament? Malachi 1:1-4 1 The burden of the word of Jehovah to Israel by Malachi. 2 I have loved you, saith Jehovah. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob`s brother, saith Jehovah: yet I loved Jacob; 3 but Esau I hated, and made his mountains a desolation, and gave his heritage to the jackals of the wilderness. 4 Whereas Edom saith, We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places; thus saith Jehovah of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and men shall call them The border of wickedness, and The people against whom Jehovah hath indignation for ever. This pasaage is within the context of Jehovah saying He changes not (Malachi 3;6). Remember, there were no chapter's in the bible until the translations were put out. What does Jehovah say above about Esau? He says that he hates Esau and His seed. Is this a temporary hatred? No, verse Jehovah says He has indignation against Esau forever. See Isaiah 63 for a brief description of Messiah destroying Esau's descendants at the second advent. Jehovah says that whenever and wherever Esau builds, He (Jehovah) will throw down. Jehovah still hates Esau in the new covenant era: Romans 9:13-14 13 Even as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. 14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. Paul proves that Jehovah is the same in the new covenant as He is in the old covenant which in this case is Him (Jah) rejecting (hating) Esau. It is the Edomites and Ishmaelites that Paul is discussing as being children of bondage and cast out in Galatians 4. Both Ishmael and Esau mixed with the Canaanites which Jehovah says will have no place in the temple of Jehovah in the age to come: Zechariah 14:21 "Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holy unto Jehovah of hosts; and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and boil therein: and in that day there shall be no more a Canaanite in the house of Jehovah of hosts" Unlike what the Universaliats teach not every group of people will have a chance at salvation as both the Cannanites and Edomites are rejected by Jehovah God. This should not surprise us in light of the prophecy that Jehovah's holy seed (Israel) would posses the gates of it's enemies. No evidence of the enemies of Jehovah's holy seed being allowed in the gates of the city of Jehovah God: Revelation 21:10-12 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God: her light was like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal: 12 having a wall great and high; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written thereon, which are [the names] of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: The 12 gates to the city of New Jerusalem are named after the 12 tribes of Israel. No Canaanite or Edomite will possess these Israelite gates but Israel will possess theirs. ReplyForward
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
November 2021
Categories |