Jesus said, “I will build My
Church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
What does that statement mean to you? We were told that it meant that
Satan would attack the Church; but he would never be victorious over it. That
in itself is true and of great comfort and assurance to the Church facing ever
increasing persecution; but is that the full meaning of that statement? Picture
a walled city under attack by an army. Which is the Church? Are we the ones who
are on the defensive or on the offensive? Do gates attack or are they attacked?
Our position to date has been defensive. I remember an old
song which says,
“Hold the fort, for I am coming,” Jesus signals still;
Wave the answer back to Heaven, “By Thy grace we will.”
Wave the answer back to Heaven, “By Thy grace we will.”
All very heroic! but is that the extent of what Jesus intends for the
Church – to be merely holding the fort?
The Bible tells us that Jesus is building a Church that will rise “to
the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” [Ephesians 4:13]. We are
“being built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.” [Ephesians 2:22].
We are “His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” [Ephesians 1:23].
Such a Church is not to be merely on the defensive but on the offensive.
Against what? – The gates of Hell. Satan is the ‘god of this age’ who
has blinded the minds of the people of this age. Jesus said that he is a
murderer and a liar and the father lies. He holds people in bondage in darkness. If the prince of darkness is the god of this age, then Hell has
invaded the earth. His minions are the principalities and powers over every
nation that are dedicated to preserving extending hells grip on the earth. We
see the results all around us. The strongholds of hell appear to be firmly
entrenched in the earth and growing in strength day by day.
Jesus is building a Church that will bring down the gates of hell and
set people free to receive the gospel. It will prepare the way for the Lord to
come and reign. Jesus has defeated satan [the accuser of the brethren] at the
Cross by removing all grounds of accusation. Satan no longer has legal authority in the earth. He operates by default. All authority in heaven and earth
has been given to Jesus and He has delegated it to His Church. In His name we
are commissioned to bring the nations into the kingdom. It can be done! God has
shown us how in the Old Testament type of Israel’s deliverance from bondage and
their possession of the Promised Land – their inheritance. Our inheritance is
the earth [Romans 4:13] It is ours but we have to possess it. We need to come
out of our siege mentality and get pro-active for the Kingdom. When the Church
comes into the full knowledge of what the Cross accomplished, it will rise up
in power and dispossess the powers of darkness that hold our world in bondage.
Jesus has won the victory over satan; but it is a victory which has to
be enforced. The outcome is certain; but we must rise up in faith and claim
what Jesus has purchased by His blood. This is a big subject and of the utmost
importance. I have written about it in my books “The Other Bible Code” and “End
Time Insights.” I hope you will obtain a copy and be challenged and encouraged to
rise up in believing prayer for the nations.