The Gates of Hell

It’s disconcerting when one looks at prophecy concerning religious activities in the last days: prophecies such as ‘there will be a falling away’; ‘many false christs shall arise’ and ‘the love of many will wax cold’. You may even wonder, “God, are there any true Christians left in this world?” Elijah must have felt the same way because he told God ‘I only am left’; however, God told Elijah that He had seven thousand who had not bowed their knees to Baal (I Ki. 19:14-18). There has always been a remnant that believed and trusted in God. Will there be a true church, the body of Christ, when Jesus returns?



Matthew 16:18 “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”.



Notice that the builder and maker of the church is Christ himself. Jesus said ‘I will build my church’. Zechariah 6:11-13 “Then take silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest; And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is THE BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord. Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both”. Jesus, a carpenter’s helper on earth, is very capable of building His church. Hebrews 12:2 states that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. Jesus started this building and He will finish this building.


Jesus is the foundation upon which the church is built. Isaiah 28:16 “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”
Jesus promises to preserve and secure His church when it is built. The gates of hell shall not prevail against it. This assures us that the enemies of the church shall not gain their point. While the world stands, Christ will have a church in it, in which His truths and ordinances shall be owned and kept up, in spite of all the opposition of the powers of darkness; They shall not prevail against it. Psalms 129:2

“Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me”. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken, cast down, but not destroyed; Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time”.


The devil may tell you that the church is a useless institution; he may tell you that God won’t take care of you; he may tell you that God’s power is not the same; he may tell you that you can’t make it; he may tell you all sorts of evil decrees. However, the word of God tells us that the devil is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).



God is here to tell you that: He is still on the throne (Rev. 5:6); He loves you (Jer. 31:3); He will perform what He has promised (Rom. 4:21); He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8); and, He will fight for you (Deut. 3:22). Jesus has His true witnesses on this earth. The church does not stand or fall because of or in relation to the condition of the world. It doesn’t matter if a loaf of bread cost a day’s wages. It doesn’t matter if the stars fall from the sky. It doesn’t matter if the ocean dries up. The church stands because of the Rock it is built upon. Romans 8:37-39 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”.