Thread by @GuyInco15542744

“… and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” - Matt 16:18

Let’s expound on what this means a bit. First, definitions: /1

#ChurchofJesusChrist

https://twitter.com/TONYBRO26281992/status/1631206540634996737

What does it mean by “hell”? It comes from the Greek “Hades” or the Hebrew “Sheol” which is the place the dead dwell after death but before resurrection. /2

This is already a point in favor of the #ChurchofJesusChrist which is one of the few Churches who recognize that the dead dwell in a place between the death and resurrection. Catholics might see this as purgatory, but EVs largely ignore the Biblical verses suggesting this /3

This place consisted of paradise & prison. Which Jesus discusses in the Parable of Lazarus. He also promises to meet the thief there the day they were crucified. /4

Peter discusses prison in 1 Peter 3&4 where he said that Christ went to visit the Spirits in prison who were trapped there after dying in the flood. “for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead” (1 Peter 4:6)

Let’s talk about what the gates of hell do: /5

Gates serve 1 of 2 purposes:

1) they keep things in

2) they keep things out

So the gates of hell are designed for 1 of 2 things:

To keep things in hell or keep them out of hell. If the gate prevails, it’s fulfilling its purpose. /6

Now let’s talk about it in the context of purpose 1:

Jesus promises the Gates of hell would not prevail and keeping His Church in.

This would mean the #ChurchofJesusChrist is in hell or has died already /7

In other words, the Lord would be promising that the #ChurchofJesusChrist would be restored to life. Either by a Restoration of the Church or a restoration of life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ which ensures that everyone who dies will live again /8

Either way you interpret purpose 1, it a point in favor of the #ChurchofJesusChrist of Latter-day Saint which preaches the restoration of the Christian Church and the resurrection of the dead /9

So let’s look at purpose two. The gates of hell are meant to keep the Church out of hell or death. Which means to prevail they would keep the Church from dying.

So Jesus would be promising that the Church would die and enter hell. /10

This doesn’t make much sense as a promise without taking into account Matt 16:19

“And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: & whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: & whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” /11

The sealing power binds in heaven what we bind on earth. As far as I can find, only the #ChurchofJesusChrist of Latter-day Saints claims to have & use this sealing power.

And it makes Jesus promise here make sense /12

The sealing powers enable the Saints to do the work for the dead. The gates of hell can’t stop #ChurchofJesusChrist from entering hell & freeing the dead.

Because of these powers we can reach into hell or death, bind our dead to Christ ensuring their redemption through Him /13

So either way, this verse doesn’t hurt the #ChurchofJesusChrist. Quite the opposite, it promise that:

The Church and it’s members would be restored to life

That the Church can free the dead from hell through Christ’s power

Only one Church can fulfill this promise /14

Thank you for the opportunity to expound on this verse