“And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus1 answered and said unto him, … upon this rock I will build my church [?]; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:16-18)2
Old Covenant Foreshadowing
The difference between ecclesia and church is prefigured in Zechariah, Zephaniah, and Haggai:
“I [Yahweh3] am very angry with the nations who are ease; for while I was only a little angry, they furthered the disaster.: (Zechariah 1:15, NASB)
“And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees [stagnant in spirit, NASB]: that say in their heart, Yahweh will not do good, neither will he do evil.” (Zephaniah 1:12)
Not only were Zephaniah’s Judahites lukewarm (Revelation 3:15-16), they also accused Yahweh of the same. Moreover, instead of heeding God’s displeasure when He was still only slightly agitated with them, the Judahites fell asleep on God. They allowed God’s enemies to become further entrenched while they rested on their lees.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised to discover Edmund Burk’s renowned quotation was inspired by Zechariah 1:15:
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”4
Zechariah was a prophet at the same time as was Haggai, who also preached concurrently with the return of Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Judahites from the Babylonian captivity. The returning Judahites were commissioned with not only rebuilding Jerusalem but also restoring the Temple—the house of God, representing the Kingdom of God.
Haggai’s condemnation of the resting-on-their-lees Judahites was the same as Zechariah’s, albeit more protracted:
“Thus speaketh Yahweh of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that Yahweh’s house should be built. Then came the word of Yahweh by Haggai the prophet, saying, Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled [paneled, NASB] houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus saith Yahweh of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith Yahweh of hosts; Consider your ways … build the house [of God]; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith Yahweh. Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it [blow it away, NASB]. Why? saith Yahweh of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.” (Haggai 1:2-9)
For Our Admonition
As with most everything in the Old Testament, this was written as much for our admonition as for those living at the time of Haggai. Today, not only are most people focused on themselves and their own pursuits rather than Yahweh and His house, the bulk of today’s Christians are likewise focused more on building their own churches than they are God’s kingdom.6
Worse yet, the bulk of today’s alleged Christians are adamantly opposed to building the kingdom—at least as it pertains to the kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven:
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven … seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness….” (Matthew 6:10, 33)
What do you think God expects of His subjects here on earth? These are instructions for Christians here and now. There’s no need for seeking or advancing the kingdom in heaven. There’s nowhere in heaven where Yahweh is not already Sovereign and His morality supreme. In turn, the phrase “as it is in heaven” reveals how much is yet to be done here on earth, which, in turn, requires we work toward creating ecclesias.
Tragically, today’s churches are communal paneled houses, while the house of God—the kingdom of God here on earth—is laid waste by God’s enemies. What’s going on in today’s churches is tantamount to Christians hiding their light under a collective bushel basket.
This is not to say some of these church attendees don’t take their light and venture out to gain proselytes. But to what end? They again retreat with their converts to their four-walled church buildings to sing and praise the King while the kingdom languishes because the alleged subjects have deserted it to the King’s enemies.
These enemies couldn’t be more thrilled that today’s Christians have abandoned their biblical ecclesias for their churches. At the same time, the King’s enemies have been busy beavers building their own secular ecclesias, by which they have dominionized society and reduced today’s Christians to begging for scraps under the table of their secular masters.
That’s Not How It’s Supposed To Be!
Someone is certain to declare, “That’s not how it’s supposed to be! Christ declared in Matthew 16:18 that He would build His church and gates of hell would not prevail against it!”
But that’s not what He said!
The gates of hell have easily prevailed against those at ease in their four-walled churches. The more churches, the quicker America has gone to “hell.” Perhaps instead of picketing infanticide clinics, we should be picketing new churches.
When translated correctly, Matthew 16:18 declares the gates of hell will not prevail against Christ’s ecclesia—that is, His kingdom here on earth as established in communal ecclesias in the fullest sense of the term.
In other words, when you look around and see the wicked bedlam in which we find ourselves in America, it’s not because God has failed us. It is because we have failed Him by erecting churches when we were commissioned to establish biblical ecclesias.
The Tragedy
The tragedy here in America is we could have built upon our ecclesias in the 1600s and ruled society under God’s laws. Tragically, what we had was squandered. We therefore need to look to do it again:
“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3)
This question begs an answer. In fact, the question is not so much what can we do, but what should we do? Get off our lees and our knees (after fervently praying) and rebuild the foundations!
In America’s present rebellious state of affairs, we find ourselves once again at the very beginning of this process, as depicted by the Apostle Paul:
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh [carnal], but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations [including the deception regarding church] and every lofty things raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. and we are ready to punish all disobedience whenever your obedience is complete.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6, NASB)
The battle begins with bringing our minds into harmony with God’s word and law, especially as it concerns ecclesia. How? With the double-edged sword of God’s word:
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, NASB)
Thrilling Prospect
Although we’re at the very beginning of taking back the kingdom, this could be—depending upon our faithfulness—the beginning of the most exciting paradigm shift in America’s history.
Let’s hone our skills in wielding this double-edged sword and then go out and put it to use for King and kingdom. One day, we will see the enemy’s fortresses topple. Their world will be turned upside down and ours right side up. If not for ourselves, then we must do it for the sake of our posterity.
Praise God! What a glorious commission we’ve been called to—not just to church, but to ecclesia and thereby to dominionize society on behalf of our King.
When we are obedient to this mandate (instead of building four-walled sepulchers) and, in turn, when we have once again established ecclesias, it will be impossible for the gates of hell to prevail against the King’s subjects in either death or life. The ecclesias of God will rule over the gates of hell and its minions, punishing all disobedience by means of God’s perfect law and altogether righteous judgments, per Psalm 19:7-11, Romans 13:4, 2 Corinthians 10:6, and 1 Timothy 1:8-11.7
May God hasten the day by awakening His New Covenant remnant to their ecclesia commission!
Related posts:
Ecclesia vs. Church (Two-part audio series)
Law and Kingdom: Their Relevance Under the New Covenant
A Biblical Constitution: A Scriptural Replacement for Secular Government
End Notes
1. Yeshua is the English transliteration of our Savior’s given Hebrew name, with which He introduced Himself to the Apostle Paul in Acts 26:14-15. (Jesus is a twice-removed transliteration: the English transliteration of the Greek Iesous, which is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew Yeshua.) Because many people are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with Yeshua, I have chosen to use the more familiar name Jesus in this article in order to remove what might otherwise be a stumbling block.
2. All scripture is quoted from the King James Version unless otherwise noted.
3. YHWH, the English transliteration of the Tetragrammaton, is most often pronounced Yahweh. It is the principal Hebrew name of the God of the Bible and was inspired to appear nearly 7,000 times in the Old Testament. It was unlawfully deleted by the English translators. In obedience to the Third Commandment and the scriptures that charge us to proclaim, swear by, praise, extol, call upon, bless, glorify, and hold fast to His name, I have chosen to memorialize His name, per Exodus 3:15, in this article.
For a more thorough explanation concerning important reasons for using the sacred name of God, see Thou shalt not take the name of YHWH thy God in vain, the third in a series of ten free online books on each of the Ten Commandments and their respective statutes and judgments.
4. Edmund Burke, Letter to Thomas Mercer, Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents, pp. 82-83 (1770), quoted in Select Works of Edmund Burke, vol. 1, p. 146 (Liberty Fund ed. 1999)
5. Not everyone claiming to be a Christian has been properly instructed in the biblical plan of salvation. Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:36-41, 22:1-16; Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:26-27; Colossians 2:11-13; and 1 Peter 3:21 should be studied to understand what is required to be covered by the blood of Jesus and forgiven of your sins.
For a more thorough explanation concerning water immersion and its relationship to salvation, the book Baptism: All You Wanted to Know and More may be requested from Bible Law vs. The United States Constitution Ministries, PO Box 248, Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69363, for free.
Additionally, listen to audio series “I Had a Dream: Judgment’s Coming. Are You Under the Blood?” Part 1 can be found here. Or a MP3 CD, containing all ten messages, can be requested from Bible Law vs. The United States Constitution Ministries, PO Box 248, Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69363, for free.
6. For more on the kingdom’s present reality here on earth and how the King’s immutable moral law applies and should be implemented today as the law of the land, see free online book Law and Kingdom: Their Relevance Under the New Covenant.
See also free online book A Biblical Constitution: A Scriptural Replacement for Secular Government.
7. See free online book The Romans 13 Template for Biblical Dominion: Ten Reasons Why Romans 13 is Not About Secular Government.
Excellent, Ted! This series on Ecclesia v. church is exactly what is needed.
Thanks, Charlie!
The Kingdom of God on earth is a no-brainer; not speaking of outright enemies, but even the common man should be able to see (after hearing the gospel) the perfection of God’s way as being most beneficial to all inhabitants of all nations…even as non-believers!
Amen, Jeff!
I sometimes wonder if presently it might not be easier for the non-believer to see the kingdom benefits then today’s alleged brain-dirtied Christians.
I’ve been reading on this and it’s very good. But we need to disband Govt all together not support some smaller form of it.
Exousia means liberty as well not Power. More needs to be done to allow us better religious liberty through what dictates to the individual, not a collective. Church has truly lost its way.
Liberty was officially lost in America when the 18th-century Enlightenment and Masonc founders made liberty a goal (almost a god) instead of a corollary of implementing Yahweh’s perfect law of liberty (Psalm 19:7-11, 119:44-45, James 2:12) as the supreme law of the land.
“[B]ecause they have … trespassed against my law … they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind….” (Hosea 8:1, 7)
Today’s America is reaping the inevitable ever-intensifying whirlwind resulting from the wind sown by the constitutional framers and fanned by today’s hoodwinked Christians and patriots who have been bamboozled into believing today’s whirlwind can be dissipated by appealing to the wind responsible for spawning the whirlwind.