Deuteronomy 32: 3 Because I will publish the name of the Lord: ascribe ye greatness unto our God.
4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
The Rock spoken of in the above passage has always been Christ, who is very God. The Rock represents a permanence, stability, longevity, dependability, and unwavering which is not to be found in mortals. It is also representative of His Kingship, Creatorship, and His power to legally redeem those who have been born under the law.
In our first passage, one of the descriptions of The Rock is that His work is perfect which would literally preclude any interpretation of a mortal man being The Rock. Everyone of us who were born to Adam is riddled with imperfections, the only Perfect One, in whom there was no sin, being Christ.
Again, the passage specifies that The Rock is A God, and therefore, using the process of elimination, any person resembling Peter must of necessity be now scratched off the list, for frail humanity cannot rise to the level of The God-head.
The passage also ends with these words: “Just and right is He”. How on earth can any person reach the conclusion that a mere mortal man could be The Rock being spoken of, is a mystery beyond rational fathoming.
Christ, as The Rock is also figuratively referred to in the scriptures, for He is written of by all writers of the Old Testament, and the New Testament, even though at times those representations may not be readily apparent to the cursory reader. Moses, and David wrote extensively of The Rock, and in other books of the Bible Christ is represented by the same symbol.
For instance, we find in the New Testament, Christ stating emphatically that Moses wrote of Him, yet, when the scriptures are studied closely, Christ is seen mostly in shadows and symbols, and for this reason, many persons who read the Bible, may be entirely missing the point, whenever Christ is to be found in otherwise dark sentences. Let’s read:
John 5:46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me.
47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?
When Moses smote the rock, and the water gushed forth, it was Christ who was being prefigured, as He would be smitten on the cross for our sins, and out of His side would flow not only blood, but water, as per the soldier thrusting his spear into His side.
But to an individual who was only focused on the human agent, it was Moses who stole the show. Hence the reason why in the book of John, the Jews referred to Moses as the one who had supplied the manna in the desert.
In fact, the main reason why the Hebrews took up stones to slay Moses on many occasions, is because they were dead focused on the mortal man, whilst the Rock, who was responsible for their well-being was often left out of the picture.
Similarly in our day, the icons of Mary and Peter and the other saints, are made the focus of attention to many minds, and as a result, persons would pray to various dead saints asking for forgiveness, while the living Rock is barely seen or heard. In fact, the dead saints are often given more weight, and importance than Christ, who is the only Rock.
The problem with this form of interpretation, is that it venerates imperfection, which is an integral part of fallen humanity, and as a result, the floodgates are opened wide for a plethora of imperfections to be incorporated into one’s faith and practice, just as it was with the Jews, who had looked to Moses for everything, as if he were The Rock. Let’s read:
John 6:30 They said therefore unto him, What sign do You show then, that we may see, and believe You? what do You work?
31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is he which cometh
down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
John 5:45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuses you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.
Again, when David slew the Philistine Goliath, that rock which he used represented Christ, but many persons only see David with his sling, as if someone can use a slingshot to shoot a stone that would then penetrate a helmet of brass and sink deep into the forehead of some giant.
For this to occur, the stone David used would have to be travelling faster than the speed of a bullet, in order to shatter the brass helmet, and fracture the giant’s skull, and no slingshot, whether from the Caribbean, or any other place for that matter, can ever come close to doing so. It was Christ, The Rock who killed Goliath, and David was only the visible human agent.
Yet most songs and nursery rhymes, which treat on the incident in question, put the focus on David and The Rock is hardly, if ever mentioned. But when the Scripture is studied line upon line, and precept upon precept we would discover the real, and only Rock, working in the shadows, to defeat satan’s purposes, as represented in the giant. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 17: 49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
1st Samuel 17: 45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
46 This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands.
But we are not done yet with the interpretation, for the scriptures should be studied line upon line and precept upon precept, and therefore we must focus on where the Rock that David used, did the damage that took down Goliath. Let’s read:
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Obviously, That Rock was Christ!
In the New Testament it is worthy of note that even Peter acknowledged the fact that the only Rock to have ever existed was Christ. And therefore, we are to hear from the proverbial horse’s mouth what the same Peter, who millions of Christians now worship, has to say concerning Christ. Let’s read:
Acts 4: 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel;
10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Again, in writing to the Hebrews Paul had to remind them that it was The Rock who had guided, shielded and protected them, during their wanderings in the desert. The tendency to focus on mere mortal man, instead of Christ triggers gross misunderstandings, and divergent interpretations of what God is saying to us in His word. Let’s read:
1st Corinthians 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they
drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
When Moses was commanded by God to smite The Rock the first time, that signified the death of Christ on Calvary, when He would be smitten for our sins. Thus, He was to be smitten once, and not twice, for He was to die only once, to make the atonement for us certain.
After Jesus died, the way was opened up for all of humanity to simply speak to Him, and thus, when in anger, Moses struck The Rock twice, the symbolism was greatly distorted. That this single act of Moses caused the revelation of God to humanity as it was to pertain to The Rock, to be damaged, can be seen in the reaction of God to the double smiting. Let’s read:
Numbers 20: 7 And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying,
8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice …..
12 And the Lord spoke unto Moses and Aaron, Because, ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
God commanded Moses in this instance to speak to The Rock, and it would bring forth water, but again, the scriptures must be studied line upon line so that the true meaning may be made manifest.
When The Rock, even Christ, was speaking with the woman of Samaria at the well, it’s worthy of note that He used the very same symbolism, which God had formerly instructed Moses to use. Let’s read:
(John 4:9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, asks drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; you would have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again.
14 But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
However, for some unknown reason, The Rock who represents to us permanence, security, salvation, and indeed eternal life, was as a general rule, not recognized or accepted as such by the world, or the overwhelming majority of the people back then. It is evident from the scriptures, that The Rock was seen more as a cause for stumbling, rather than a cause for great rejoicing. Let’s read:
Isaiah 8: 13 Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.
Romans 9: 32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling-stone;
33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
The reason for this perspective of offense is given in the Bible for it was and would always be, those who refuse to listen and obey the voice of God, who will ultimately become offended at The Rock. When one surrenders to Christ and His word, there is no more any animosity and bad feelings against God, for the former things are all passed away and The smitten Rock provides atonement {AT-One-Ment}. Let’s read:
Matthew 7:24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Because of the very grave nature of venerating frail and faulty mortals it has become necessary for us to address one of the most serious errors pertaining to Peter, and his supposed role in the Christian church, regarding authority. When Christ spoke the words: “Upon this rock will I build my church” He was not referring to Peter, but to Himself, for as we have seen before, The Rock is A God.
Furthermore, it could never be Peter, for when one reads further down in the narrative, we discover a man subject to passions like as we are; one who can get riled up in a moment when interfered with, one who, before conversion, would curse out persons in public, and one who would resort to violence, when threatened. Thus, The Rock could never be Peter. Let’s read:
Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 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.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
In the passage above we discovered that Christ gave to Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven, so, we must of necessity find out what are those keys. The passage gives us a clue, for it specifically states that the keys would enable the binding or the loosing of things in heaven and earth. So, we ask the question again: What are those keys? Let’s read:
Luke 11:52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.
The next obvious question is: Where are the keys of knowledge to be found? Beyond the shadow of any doubt, in the word of God. Thus, if Christ is giving to Peter “The keys” of heaven, and if the Keys refer to knowledge, and since true knowledge is to be found in God’s word, then the keys are literally the word of God, as written in the Bible. Let’s read:
Proverbs 1:2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
5 A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Psalms 119: 98 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.
[The Desire of Ages pp 413] The keys of the kingdom of heaven” are the words of Christ. All the words of Holy Scripture are His, and are here included. These words have power to open and to shut heaven. They declare the conditions upon which men are received or rejected. Thus, the work of those who preach God's word is a savor of life unto life or of death unto death. Theirs is a mission weighted with eternal results.
Of critical importance is the fact that it wasn’t only Peter, to whom was given the keys of the kingdom, for everyone who is called by God, and who accepts The Rock as Savior and Lord, are also given a set of “Keys”. Thus, it is an absolute misnomer for anyone to place Peter on a pedestal of authority, because of one misunderstood, and misinterpreted passage. Let’s read:
Matthew 18: 19 Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
John 20: 20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
23 Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever sins ye retain, they are retained.
Again, if we were to read further down in Matthew chapter 16 it becomes all the more obvious that the Rock referenced by Christ could never be Peter. In one of the sternest rebukes to any disciple, Christ said to Peter: “Get thee behind me satan”, thereby addressing the invisible foe who had temporarily taken control of Peter’s mind.
Therefore, if in one breath Jesus refers to Peter as The Rock, and in the next breath He says get thee behind me satan, there is an absolute disconnect in interpretation, in those who espouse the erroneous view of Peter being the Rock. It can simply make no sense whatsoever. Let’s read:
Matthew 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Let’s fast forward to our day, when The Rock is once again going to visit this earth; not now as a Man of sorrows, but as The Supreme Divine Royalty, to not only set the record straight, but also to establish His Kingdom on a permanent basis of security once and for all.
God is speaking directly to you and me, that we stay as far away as possible from the dangerous error of venerating any mortal man, whether they be Peter, Mary, Paul, or even Musk. Let the glory, the praise, and thanksgiving ascend to God alone, and let poor mortals put their little tails between their legs, so that the correct relationship between God and man can be established.
The habit of Making God subject to a mere mortal is never good, for doing so robs us of the majesty and grandeur, power and salvation that belongs to God alone. Furthermore, neither Peter or Mary died to save anyone, and as such, it is high time that these errors be relinquished, in favor of The Rock. Let’s read:
Matthew 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
This leads us to the last, and final manifestation of The Rock, before His eternal kingdom is ushered in, as stated in the scriptures, and since we are now living on the very brink of eternity, it would do us well to consider with a humble heart, what God is saying to all of earth’s inhabitants in the following cryptic verses. Let’s read:
Daniel 2:31 Thou, O king, saw, and behold, a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
34 You saw till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them to pieces.
35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
The interpretation as given by Daniel indicates to us that there are vestiges of each kingdom, referenced in the image. In our day there are remnants of the pride, affluence, and arrogance of ancient Babylon, which was represented by the head of Gold.
There is also the looming threat of coerced worship, on the horizon, just as when the three Hebrew boys were thrown to the flames, because of their refusal to bow to the image. In fact, Revelation chapters 13 and 14, depict a duplication of the use of force in a mandated form of false worship, contrary to what is written in scripture just as it was in ancient Babylon.
There is also to be found in our day, the cruelty and ferocity manifested in the second kingdom of silver, Medo-Persia to be exact. Violence of every kind can be found everywhere on our planet. Even the once serene islands of the Caribbean are not so serene anymore, because the influx of drugs and arms have turned many streets, cities, and towns into virtual war zones.
Then there is the debauchery of the third kingdom of brass, just as when Alexander the great became addicted to drinking alcohol at a young age. The indiscriminate, unbridled use of alcohol, and other addictive drugs in our day, mirrors all to accurately the characteristics of the third kingdom of brass.
Then there are the ghosts of the dark ages, where pagan, and then papal Rome, the kingdoms of iron and clay ruled the world with a tyranny that caused nations to shudder. During that time when the Bible was chained to monasteries, folks could not read or study the word of God for themselves, but instead had to depend on priests and prelates to render the interpretation, which in most cases was private.
And although we now have the Bible at our disposal it is seen that an era of great light can lend itself to an era of great darkness, because of the multitude of versions and perversions of the scriptures, which now exist. Added to the toxic mix are the plethora of false prophets with their smooth words, which give to the people a false sense of security, even as the crises on earth deepen daily.
Therefore, The Rock, even Christ Jesus, is saying to all who would listen, that His everlasting kingdom of righteousness is soon to be established, in the not too distant future and because of this an urgent call is going forth to all of earth’s inhabitants to believe, repent, and be saved whilst the opportunities still linger.
The upheavals in nature, and the intransigence of leaders around the world, together with the rapid uptick of infectious diseases, and the soaring temps are all harbingers of Christ’s soon coming kingdom, and as such, we should avoid the snare of burying our heads in the sand, as if things will go on just the way they are forever.
Hence the reason why we will end with the passage from Daniel, which declares with certainty, that the stone represented in the dream will do as is stated, for He is fully God, and that Rock was, and still is Christ. Let’s read:
Daniel 2:45 Forasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
God Bless!