The CHURCH??? is not what Christianity thinks it is.
Matthew 16:18
Simon said to Jesus,
“You are the Christ” thereby identifying him for the first time.
Jesus replied,
“You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church (ekklesia) and the gates of hades will not prevail against it.”
Jesus changed Simon’s name (which means to listen) to Peter (rock) because the portal of intuition for hearing and perceiving revelatory information had opened and would no longer be subject to intellectual or linear methods of discernment.
In the Old Testament account of Exodus 32:22 Moses was put into the cleft of the rock to see the “hind parts of His robe” (meaning a time yet to come) of God as he passed by Moses hidden in the cleft.
Moses and Elijah saw the day of the manifestation of the Divine transfiguring himself from mortal to immortal as they appeared suddenly in the New Testament records, thousands of years later as seen in Matthew 17:2. They were apparently transported through time to see the transfiguration of Jesus on the mount along with Elijah. Now that is revealed knowledge! From within the “rock” we are able to see the unseeable.
So what is the “church” that is being built? It is not a building with a steeple, nor is it the Christian faith.
Ekklesia from Ek and Kaleo
Ek = From the interior outwards, out from and to
Kaleo = summoned outward
If we develop our intuitive sense of hearing like Simon did then our name (nature) changes to that of “rock” where we are able to “see” the totality of the I AM that dwells within the human frame. Moses and Elijah saw this occurrence happen before their eyes as they beheld a time yet to come.
Peter declaring that Jesus was the Christ heralded the advent of a new age where the developing human species would now be able to “intuit” information. This was the coming of the Kingdom within man.
And the “gates of Hades” is internal within man, just as the kingdom of heaven is within.
In other words, Matthew 16:18 says this paraphrased:
Peter says, You are the Christ. You are that which we have waited for. As Christ, you are a man that is also God.
Jesus replies, You are hearing and discerning from a place within you that is not intellectually based! You are able to intuit or to hear the Christ nature that is developing within you! The pearl within you, this great treasure within “earthen vessels” is forming. The mustard seed within the garden is beginning to mature! It is coming from within you and expressing itself outward from you! Divinity is within you and your physical body is a helpmate, utilizing your mind to reason and your tongue for speaking! At last! The hellish nature of limited mortal man has been eclipsed by the Divine presence that dwells within you! No more will you be subject to mortality! Your being, your physical, spiritual and emotional nature is being established by revealed knowledge as a dwelling place for I AM!