Upon this Rock
“And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.” Judges 6:20
“And I say also 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.” Matthew 16:18
In building the church, the cross is central, as much as it distresses us and makes us flinch. The heavenly city is always founded on blood, on a rough cut altar stone like Jacob’s pillow. It is a rock anointed with oil and blood and fire, a miniature Sinai. It smashed the political kingdoms of the Gentiles to pieces and is now filling the earth. The Land is always purified with blood. The kingdom is only ever bought with blood.
The Gates of Hell
The gate of the city is where judgment takes place. The bars of Sheol (Jonah 2) keep the captives under lock and key, and justly so. Satan is a liar, but his accusations are based on truth. It was the bloody rock of priesthood that gave Jesus the keys to death and Sheol to set the captives free. It was a white stone that gave him the key to the bottomless pit to bind the strong man in order to spoil his vessels. [1]
And now He gives the same key to us. It is a rock to lay down our head at the foundations of the city. The blood goes up and the Spirit comes down. When the body of flesh is broken and the broth poured out and the jars of clay are shattered, the flaming eyes of Pentecost surround the enemy. The enemy is blinded, his troops slaughter each other in the confusion, and the people of God are freed. But it begins at a lonely rock.
The foundation of any church is a blood covered rock, an altar stone with our heads on it. If the Midianites, Amalekites, Herodians and Romans are running the show, it’s because the rocks are dry.
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[1] See The Binding of Satan (PDF)
See also Twelve Thrones.
