Matthew
The Gates of Hades
Because Adam and Eve chose to rule God’s Kingdom their way
God drove them out through the gates of the Garden of Eden
All mankind has had the opportunity to prove their way is better than God’s way
Every person who has ever lived, every leader, every family
Every nation has failed
There is a way that seem right to a man but the end is destruction
The wages of sin is death
All have failed to bring a perfection
All have missed the mark and gone through the Gates of Hades, the Grave
And those who are still alive will someday go through the Gates of Hades
But Jesus said
On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
We must not forget Jesus said, “I” will build my Church
That means you and I must not try to build the Church our way
We must submit to His way to get back to the Tree of Life
Only Jesus Christ, the Perfect One, rules in righteousness
And the grave could not hold Him, His body did not see decay
Our only hope is to be apart of what Jesus is building, His Church
Because Hades will not overcome it
The Gates of Hades
What Jesus was building was not to withstand
or conquer Romans, Jews or Gentiles.
What Jesus was building was to withstand
the Gates, the entrance of Hell…
Hell, the grave or place of departed souls.
Studying gates in the Bible is very interesting.
We find the first Gate in Genesis 3.
Even though the Bible does not use the word Gate…
God placed Adam and Eve
in the midst of the Garden of Paradise
where the eternal Tree of Life flourished.
Because Adam and Eve chose to be god,
like their tempter, Satan…
Rather than being satisfied with being like God,
so there had to be a separation.
God could not let Adam and Eve
rule with authority over Him…
So God drove them out of
the Garden where they could rule.
The Kingdom of God,
the Paradise of God,
was contaminated.
Eternal life, the ability to rule as god for ever
could not be allowed.
The price for doing what is right
in our own eyes…
Is death.
Death, in the physical form, did not
come immediately upon Adam and Eve.
But it would come.
After he drove the man out,
He placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim
and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:24
God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden.
The Hebrew word “drove” means..
To drive out from possession,
especially to expatriate or divorce
The word expatriate means…
A person who lives outside their native country.
The Gates to the Kingdom of God,
the country where man and woman were created
to live, was closed and guarded by angels and swords.
It is important we see this Gate of eternal paradise,
eternal life, and God’s original plan for humanity.
From the time Adam and Eve were drove
from their native land…
Mankind has been given the opportunity to play God.
Adam’s family grew and became other families.
These families became Nations and Kingdoms.
Every one born has had the opportunity to rule as God,
to do what seems right in their own eyes.
Not one kingdom…
Has been able to rule in perfect peace.
No race…
Not even the Jewish people of Abraham
were able to create a land
and people of harmony and peace.
For 7000 years every man, every woman,
has failed in their attempt to be God.
The ultimate end for every person
from Adam and Eve has been death.
They all died or will die
because our works, our thoughts, our solutions
fall short of the Glory of God.
The greatest to the worst leaders
fall short and die.
No one has conquered death,
all die and go to the grave.
The gates of the grave, Sheol
or Hades, overcome everyone.
There is one exception.
Only one person escaped the grave…
Enoch who walked with God 365 years.
Enoch walked with God;
then he was no more,
because God took him away.
Genesis 5:24
All others from Adam and Eve
were overpowered by the grave.
The wadges of Sin is death
Romans 3:23
The Gates of Hades swallowed them all.
Abraham…
The great man of faith and friend of God, died.
David…
The great king, a man after God’s heart, died.
These great men could not conquer death.
They could not change their own lives
or the lives of others.
No one has come close to ruling
in such a way as to get back to paradise,
or create a perfect kingdom.
Instead of turning back to the Lordship of God…
We continue to do things our way.
Our way has created a way of suffering and pain,
Hell on earth, a rebellion against God.
This rebellion…
The struggle to live our way,
instead of God’s is in all of us.
It is destroying everything.
But Jesus said…
On this rock I will build my church,
and the Gates of Hades will not overcome it.
We must not forget Jesus said…
“I” will build My Church.
That means you and I must not
try to build the Church our way.
We must submit to His way
to get back to the Tree of Life.
King David ruled and brought great blessing
to the people of Israel, but he still died.
"For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation,
he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed.
But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.
Acts 13:36-37
No one who ever lived is worthy
to rule the Kingdom of Heaven.
Not even the great King David is worthy
to rule the Garden of Paradise.
David entered the Gates of Hades,
the grave, and his body decayed.
Only God, Himself, is worthy.
Jesus, who did only what
He saw the Father doing…
Jesus who was tempted in
every way as we are…
Yet, He did not allow His heart
to become contaminated…
But produced in every situation
the fruit of the Spirit of God
Jesus, the only One worthy…
Died, but His body did not see decay.
A new gate, a new door, has been opened
to everyone who will make
Jesus Christ, Lord of their life.
Every person who gives back to God
what He rightfully owns…
Has the opportunity to enter
into the Kingdom of Heaven.
But to enter in requires a personal sacrifice.
A commitment to take up
our cross and follow Him daily.
This commitment will not rescue you
from Hades or the grave…
Because you and I can’t live perfectly
carrying our cross each day.
These bodies are not suitable for eternal life.
So, what does it mean…
The Gates of Hades will not prevail?
Those who make Jesus Christ Lord
and look forward to living in His Kingdom
filled with righteousness, peace, and joy…
Their names will be written into
the Lambs Book of Life.
The grave or Hades is not the end.
The ground or sea holds
the physical body after death
when the soul and spirit depart.
According to the parable of Jesus
there is a dividing of departed souls.
Those whose names are in the Lamb’s Book of Life
are taken to a place of bliss…
Abraham’s bosom.
Those whose names are not in the Book
will be taken to a place of torment.
Both wait for a final judgment of their works.
There are no works we can do to save us.
But our works are still important.
If our name is in the Book of Life…
We will be given rewards for the good things
we have done in this life.
It would also seem logical to think
the reason those who are not found
in the Book of Life have their works judged
to determine the degree of eternal punishment.
Jesus’ Church will prevail against the evils of Hades,
the works of evil at work in us.
Jesus has conquered death.
The fulfillment of that victory for us
will be seen in the future when He establishes
the New Heaven and New Earth.
But in keeping with his promise
we are looking forward to a new heaven
and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
2 Peter 3:13
We all get concerned as the evils
of our doing increase.
But remember…
Where sin abounds
God’s grace abounds more.
Jesus will have a glorious Church,
without spot or wrinkle.
The Church will rise up triumph.
So don’t focus on the Gates of Hades.
Repent and turn around to see
the Gates of the Garden of Paradise,
the Kingdom of God.
Don’t compromise.
Press toward the mark
of the high calling of God
for your life, Eternal Life.
Scripture Reading
Matthew 16:17-28 NIV
17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." 20 Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 28 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.
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