The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail Against the Church

Matthew 16:18-19 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. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven…

The rock that the church is built upon is Jesus. It is built upon Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, which is the gospel. (1Corinthians 10:4 the smitten Rock, 1Corinthians 15:1-4)

The “gates” of the larger sort were found in the wall of a city, a palace, a town, the temple, the wall of a prison, and of Hades. It is for access or entrance.

Jesus said the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church. “Prevail” means “superior in strength” or “able to overpower”. Thus, the gates of hell shall NOT be superior in strength or able to overpower. In other words, the gates of hell cannot stand when the church comes against them.

Hell has no power to keep the souls it is claiming. The keys that release souls and bring them into the kingdom of God is the gospel. Jesus paid the price to set souls free by his death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus has the keys of hell and death.

Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

When a person repents of their sins, is baptized in Jesus name for the remission of sins and receives the gift of His Spirit with the sign of speaking in tongues as the Spirit gives them utterance, they are set free from hell. (Acts 2:4, Acts 10:44-48, Acts 19:6, 1Corinthians 15:1-4, Romans 6:1-11, Romans 8:9, Acts 2:38)

The keys Jesus gave to Peter of the kingdom of heaven were given to the church when Peter preached the gospel message on the Day of Pentecost.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

By the gospel, the church has the keys to release souls from hell and death.

Jesus suffered and died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. Through repentance, baptism in Jesus name for the remission of sins, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost, hell has no hold on a soul. Hell’s prisoners are released by the gospel.

The gates of hell shall not prevail against the church.