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By the resurrection life of Christ in our spirit, we can be victorious over the attack of death upon the church—Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:24; 2 Tim. 1:10:
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Death is the characteristic of Satan’s work; the ultimate goal of his work is to saturate man with death—Heb. 2:14-15.
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Matthew 16:18 shows us from what source the attack upon the church will come—“the gates of Hades,” that is, death:
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Satan’s special object is to spread death within the church, and his greatest fear with regard to the church is her resistance to his power of death—Rev. 2:8, 10-11.
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The church that is built upon “this rock” can discern between death and life, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against the church—Matt. 16:18.
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If we would overcome the attack of death, we need to know Christ as the First and the Last and the living One—the One who became dead and lived again and the One who has the keys of death and of Hades—Rev. 1:17-18; 2:8.
Morning Nourishment
Matt. 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.Rev. 1:18 And the living One; and I became dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever; and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
The riches of God are in Christ, and the riches of Christ are manifested through the church….Since the church is the testimony of the riches of God, its characteristics must be the characteristics of Christ….The characteristics of Christ are encapsulated in the words He said when He raised Lazarus from the dead, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25)….Since the church is the vessel of Christ on earth, it should express this life and resurrection. God intends for the church to manifest the life of Christ. Hence, the church must be full of life.
The main goal of the Lord coming to earth is for man to have life (John 10:10), that is, for man to receive God’s life….God’s Christ is life, and God’s Christ is resurrection, and the church is the vessel of this life and resurrection. (CWWN, vol. 44, pp. 881-882)
Today’s Reading
Since God’s goal today is the church, Satan’s attacks are directed specifically against the church. Satan does not necessarily stumble Christians or the church with the enticement of sin or the world, because these things are too obvious….The ultimate weapon Satan uses to attack the church is death. Death is not easily identifiable; it can creep secretly into the church. This does not mean that Satan will not use the world and sin to attack the church. It means that Satan can use refined and moral things, not just filthy and treacherous sins to attack Christians. Many refined and moral things are filled with death, and Satan can easily utilize these deadly things to attack the church.Matthew 16:18 says that the foundation of the Lord’s church is Christ the Rock, and the gates of Hades cannot prevail against this church. Hades is death….The only reason that death cannot prevail over the church is that the church is built upon Christ the Rock….If the church is built on Christ the Rock, it will distinguish between death and life, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
Romans 8:10 is on the body and the spirit, while John 12 is on the soul, both the preserving and the losing of the soul….Everything that issues from the body or from the soul results in death, which is Hades, whereas everything that issues from the spirit results in life. A man may be very talkative; he may be very wordy and may love to speak vain and improper words. A man also may be clear in logic and excellent in eloquence. All these things are but the products of the flesh, the soul, and the natural life. None of them is of the spirit or of Christ. Hence, there is no life; there is only death. A Christian should not ask whether a thing is good or evil but should ask from where a thing originates. Does it originate from the natural life, the flesh, the soul, or does it originate from the spirit? Of all the things that a Christian possesses, only those that originate from the spirit are of life, and only they can give others life. Nothing else—no matter how good, profitable, or nice—gives life.
The church does not need good doctrines, good theology, or wonderful expositions. The church needs life, the resurrection life of Christ. No doctrine, idea, theology, or exposition can replace the life of Christ. Only the life of Christ and that which issues from it will prevail against the gates of Hades. Everything else is just disguised forms of death and cannot withstand the attacks of Satan. May the Lord be merciful to us, and may He keep us from touching death or bringing death into the church. May God fill the church with life, and may Satan find no opening to attack the church. (CWWN vol. 44, pp. 882-885)
Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 44, chs. 113-114