Matthew 16:18 (ESV)
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
What a divine promise. Satan is actively trying to crush the church. But he can’t! That is a promise by God to the church. Peter was the recipient of the promise. Peter had just expressed deep faith in Christ and that solicited Jesus comment about the church. Peter had confessed that Jesus was, indeed, the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living God:
Matthew 16:15-17 (ESV)
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
This revelation to Peter, by the Father, gives us the formula for being established in Christ, via His church. The Father gave the servant (Peter) the knowledge of the Son (Jesus) and that faith would be the basis and security of the church. That gates of hell can’t prevail against us. The church is based upon the faith given to us by the Father. The world prevail is often translated from the Greek word, nike, but not this time. In Greek mythology, Nike, was the conquering, victorious god. She represented triumph in all contest. That could be the word here, with Jesus stating that the gates of hell will not nike. But Matthew uses a stronger term here but using the Greek word katischyō. In the Greek, kata, means against. The second half of the word, ischuo, means powerful. So the translation means that the gates of hell can’t be powerful enough to fight against the church of Jesus Christ. That is a promise we can hold to in times of feast and famine. This does not mean Satan won’t try. This does not mean that churches won’t close. This does not mean churches will be successful in every aspect of God’s work. Of the seven church’s in Revelation, Jesus commended them all for something, but five of them He stated, I have this against you. So, even churches Jesus highlights have flaws. But the church will never be defeated by Satan’s attacks. It can be limited and/or diminished in the eyes of man, however. But we have this promise that in the end, we will prevail.
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