The Lord Jesus made a statement that I had never fully understood until a few days ago when He revealed to me the true meaning of the following statement: “I will build My church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Mat. 16:18). Since the first time I read the statement I had wondered what He meant by “the gates of hell?” As I read that statement for the ?th time, that “voice” I have come to rely on so much reminded me of several passages of Scripture that, when used together, explained the meaning of the statement.

As I learned years ago, God always provides caveats (conditions that I call His “fine print”) that He requires us to meet before He will do what He has promised to do. The church hates and rejects His caveats because they involve more than simply believing His “headlines.” An example of His “promise-condition principle” is seen when the Lord makes a promise (“headline”) such as “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Satan has blinded church people to the Biblical Truth that there are two conditions (“fine prints”) that must be met in order to receive the promise (“headline”). The conditions concern the Words “believe” and “Lord,” each of which revolves around the Bible’s most powerful word: “IF.” Read the series concerning “IF” using that word as the key. Simply put, unless one truly believes what He has said and has made Him their Lord, the promise will not be fulfilled. Let it be known that some conditions have other conditions connected to them which also must be met. For example, true BELIEF (faith) requires WORKS relative to that faith (Read James 2:10,14,17,18,20,24,26). God’s LORDSHIP requires total obedience to His Word. In order to obey His Word one must study and learn His Word. Unless those conditions are met, He is not obligated to save the believer’s soul. The “IF” series explains this Truth in more detail and is a must-read series.

Each of the key Words (“believe” and “Lord”) involves a relationship with God that the church masses not only do not understand, but reject when the Bible Truth concerning them is presented. The result of this deadly error is that Church “truth” long ago replaced Bible Truth as parishioners “cast God’s Truth to the ground,” as had their ancient Israelite ancestors before them (Dan. 8:12). Another example of the promise-condition connection involves the episode that took place when Jesus told His disciples that He would die for His friends (a “headline”). Then He added a “fine point” when He added: “You (disciples) are My friends, IF you do whatsoever I command you” (Jn. 15:13,14). The IF connection cannot be made any clearer than that.

The information provided above is designed to remind you to ALWAYS LOOK FOR GOD’S “FINE PRINT.” Most people ignore this vitally important aspect of the Holy Bible, which explains why the masses of church people are not Bible-defined Christians, but rather church-defined Christians, making them Christians in name only. The two group together God refers to as “My people who are called by My name.” Read the series by that name using the key word “Called.” Simply put, CHURCH PEOPLE IGNORE GOD’S CONDITIONS RELATIVE TO HIS PROMISES BECAUSE THEY “KNOW” THAT FAITH IS ALL THAT IS NECESSARY. They “know” this church “truth” because they are told the lied every sun god day–Sunday–the day the sun worshipers pay homage to their god–the sun–on his day. The promise-condition connection involves ALL of God’s promises, including salvation. Now let us examine the focal passage of this series.

In Matthew 16:13-18 we find Jesus asking His disciples whom the people were saying that He (Jesus) was? Peter replied that people were wondering if He might be the reincarnation of Elijah, or John the Baptist, or possibly Jeremiah. When asked whom he (Peter) believed that He (Jesus) was, the disciple replied: “You are the Christ (anointed one), the Son of the living God.” In verse 18 Jesus blessed him and called him a rock (petro–small pebble). He then said: “… upon this rock (petra–boulder, mountain–meaning Himself) I will build My church, and the gates of hell will not prevail (succeed) against it.” Let us conduct a “fine print” investigation in order to gain the true meaning of the Lord’s statement. To learn how to study His Word so as to find His “fine print” truths read Isaiah 28:9-13 and apply the Lord’s study formula He commands to be used when studying His Word. Put down the plastic idiot box, turn off the t.v., put the book and magazine away and study God’s Word. Carefully read what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Evangelist Timothy in Second Timothy 3:14-16. Note that Paul tells God’s anointed evangelist that he needs to study God’s Word “WHICH IS ABLE TO SAVE YOUR SOUL.” Neither Timothy, nor Paul, nor you, nor I are saved and born again in this life. These promises will be awarded to God’s true saints upon the return of Jesus Christ to earth to establish His Father’s eternal kingdom. Read Born Again. Key word–Born for Biblical proof of this Spirit-breathed Truth.

Notice in Matthew 16:13-18 that Jesus is the one and only “Builder” (not builders) of His one and only “church” (not churches). Notice also that He referred to His church as “it,” not “them.” Continuing with this theme for a moment, notice that the one and only name by which Christ or the apostles called the Lord’s one and only church is “The Church of God.” In one instance it is referred to as “the churches of Christ,” meaning the home meetings of His one and only church over whom Christ was (is) the head. He is the Lord; He does not change. He has only one church which He governs by His one Law (Genesis to Revelation) which He condensed into Ten Commandments then wrote them in stone. Not one jot or tittle can be added to, removed from or changed relative to that Law as long as heaven and earth exist (Mat. 5:18). But what about the “gates?” What are they? Why do they come against the Church of God?

One of the Scriptural passages the Lord reminded me of relative to my gates of hell question was Matthew 7:13,14. Here Jesus prophesied that “few” people would search for and “find” His strait (difficult, restrictive) gate (door) that opens into His church. Many, He lamented, would simply “go in” the other, (easy, nonrestrictive) gate which would be numerous and in plain sight, whose door (gate) would be open wide so that one could simply walk through without having to be searched for and found. Many salvation seekers, Jesus warned, would enter the church through that gate. The narrow, difficult, restrictive gate that God seekers choose to enter leads to life. The wide, easy to find, easy to enter gate that the majority of seekers choose leads to death. Together, the “few” and the “many” comprise those whom God refers to as “My people who are called by My name.” Read Who Are God’s People? Key word–People.

Love is the deciding factor which determines which gate a believer chooses to enter God’s church. Jesus equated loving Him with keeping (obeying) His Law (Jn. 14:15,23; 8:31; 15:10). KEEPING GOD’S LAW BECAUSE THEY LOVE HIM identifies His true saints. All others prove their lack of love for Him by rejecting His Law while going through man’s prescribed motions in order to receive salvation–or so they are led to believe. Entering the wide gate proves that those who enter it (reject His Law) hate God (Deut. 5:1,9; 7:9,10). Jesus used another word–“despise” (Lk. 10:16) to describe the attitude of those who reject His Word/Law/Truth/Gospel but claim to have received salvation and rebirth. Note that both gates open into the same church. With that in mind, let us now turn to another passage which will shed more light on that situation.

In John 10:1-14,26-28 Jesus is speaking about His sheepfold (church), Himself, His ministers, etc. using symbolic language. Here He calls Himself the “door” (gate) of His church. Those who go in through Him (by obeying His Word/Law) are His true “sheep” who hear the “voice” (Words) of the “porter” (true minister) and follow him because he speaks the Words of the owner of the sheep–Jesus. His sheep know His voice and will not listen to the voice of strangers (false ministers in the church). Jesus is referring to the church that would eventually be established throughout the earth.

The question is, how did false ministers gain entrance into the church? Jesus tells us in verse 1: “THEY CLIMB OVER THE WALL AND DO NOT COME IN THROUGH HIM–THE DOOR (GATE). In this passage Jesus is referring to a sheepfold which had a high wall but no roof. The walls were normally made of brush, rocks, etc.–anything that would protect the sheep from wild animals. In verses 7-9,11 Jesus calls Himself the door who will save any “man” (vs 9) who enters the church by obeying His Word (food–“pasture”) which His shepherds (teachers, pastors, evangelists, etc.) “feed” (teach) them. In verse 14 He calls such obedient people His sheep who “know” Him–believe His Word and obey it.

In verses 10 and 12 He talks about other church leaders whom He calls “thieves” and “hirelings” who flee (give in) when the wolves (false prophets who lead the majority of the sheep) pressure them (hirelings and thieves) to get in line with them and their church “truths.” Such leaders do not stand on the Rock and protect His congregation against those who hate the Owner of the sheep and want to rule over His flock. In verses 27 and 28 Jesus says that His true sheep know His voice (Word/Law), listen only to Him and obey what He says through His apostles. To them He promises eternal life (vss 9,28/ Mat. 10:22).

In the John 10 passage Jesus tells us that within the group He calls His people there are those (the few) who are truly His sheep who follow His true apostles. However, there are also those (the many) who have been seduced by false prophets into following them by believing and obeying their “truths.” As Jesus said, sheep who follow the false prophets greatly outnumber the Lord’s sheep, just as their ministers far outnumber His ministers. Their churches also greatly outnumber God’s churches. This can be proven by checking a phone book, looking under the heading: CHURCHES, and counting. How many of those churches are Law-keeping churches that meet on God’s Sabbath AS HE COMMANDS US TO DO? According to Jesus, all churches that do not obey His Sabbath Law are in rebellion against Himself and His father. These are those in the church who in fact hate/despise both the Father and the Son (Lk. 10:16/ Deut. 5:1,9; 7:9,10/ Exo. 20:8-11/ Gen. 2:2,3).

The “gates of hell” Jesus was referring to are the cults that make up the hundreds of churches, denominations, faiths, etc. of professing Christendom. From early on the majority within professing Christendom have rejected God’s true saints. In the future the Catholic/Protestant Religious System (“the church”) will unite with their national governments to persecute God’s people in an attempt to eliminate His church completely. This church-state effort will gradually grow in intensity and scope. In order to save His people the Lord has promised to take them to a place of safety. At that point the persecution of the Lord’s “firstfruits” (1 Cor. 15:23) will end and the Tribulation Period will officially begin. Read the series concerning that soon-coming 3 1/2-year time of terror, death and destruction using the key word Tribulation. Jesus describes this period in Matthew 24:21. I believe that the church-government persecution of God’s people will begin several years before the official Tribulation begins. I believe that the counterfeit church will gain political power and will lead the various world governments in an orchestrated, all-out, legal attack on God’s Very Elect. The question is, why? I believe it will be because His true apostles will exercise power over those who come against them just as Elijah did at Mt. Carmel. Read about the episode in First Kings 18:19-39. Another example of the use of such power in Acts 13:7-11 when caused a man to go blind for trying to interfere with His ministry. Read the series concerning my grease gun and God’s Words to me relative to the true church’s use of Godly power. Key word–Grease.

Satan has been using false Christianity in an attempt to destroy the Church of God since the early days of her existence. Within a generation of her founding the apostles were at war with the servants of Satan who had infiltrated God’s church. The Apostle Paul mentions this internal warfare in Galatians 1:6-9 and Second Corinthians 11:4. Over the years the vast majority of those within the church have embraced “another Jesus” who has introduced a perverted gospel and led the people to believe and obey it. The Catholic Church came into existence in 33 A.D. and quickly began to infiltrate the Body of Christ. The war for the souls of believers has been raging ever since. For an extensive study on this subject Read Simon of Samaria: The Legacy for an historical view of the war between God’s church and Satan’s church that has resulted in the mass apostasy that we see taking place today within professing Christendom. L.J.