I Will Build My Church

[Anthony Pritchard]

Psalm 118 as well as all the psalms is a prophecy.

Lk 6:12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;
14 Simon, (whom he also named Peter) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
15 Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes,
16 And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.
17 And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;
18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.
19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.



46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. (see Eph 2:19-22)
49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

One should read this whole chapter because the instructions he is giving these men he has chosen reflects the spirit and attitude that he has ministered with. This is very near the end of his earthly ministry and he will be leaving shortly to go to the Father to receive for himself a kingdom. But he is leaving stewards to care for his possessions while he is away. He is giving them the very kingdom powers that he has ministered with so they can do all the miracles that he has done. Jesus according to several passages in the scriptures ministered from his conception with the power of the Holy Ghost. Late on resurrection day Jesus met with these men and breathed the Holy Spirit into 10 of them (John 20) and the authority to bind and loose even to the raising of the dead. The Spirit would be in full control of their work as he had been the power of Jesus during his incarnation.

There is much I can say about this but I want to bring your attention with the remainder of this post to a parable of Jesus on the day he came to Jerusalem a week before his crucifixion. This is important. Notice the ten's in this parable which is also a prophecy.

10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they (his disciples which included the apostles) thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman (Jesus) went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
(See Acts 1-7 here)
14 But his citizens Judah) hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.

Lk 19:15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, [thou] wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give [it] to him that hath ten pounds.
25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds)
26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

Jesus here is giving what he knows will be their response to these apostles, not what he sovereignly predetermined for them. Every man will give an account for his own actions and those actions will be the tell tale evidence for others to see. His divisions of the ages are set in eternity and will take place on time .In this age justification is believing that Jesus Christ is the virgin born son of God and his death, burial, and resurrection saves us from the penalty of our sins, which is the second death in the lake of fire and gives us hope of our own resurrection and glorification. The eye witness testimony of the apostles and the 70 elders that Jesus chose in Luke 10 and what they wrote and God preserved for 2000 years in his Bible is the foundation of our faith. In this way they are the foundation of the church and these men could not have written a word about the gospel of salvation before the events of the cross because not a one them believed when they heard that Jesus had risen from the dead. Before the cross they believed what at their time brought justification and that is clearly presented in John 20:30-31 as being that "Jesus is the Christ the son of God and that believing they will have life through his name."

I am on solid ground here and the apostles link the gentile church to the kingdom of God.

JD, none of the passages you quoted address the point I made. Psalm 118:22 identifies the Messiah as the cornerstone, and Jesus Himself applies that text directly to His own person during His earthly ministry in Matthew 21:42. Peter applies the same text to Christ again in Acts 4:11 after the resurrection. The cornerstone is Christ Himself in prophecy, in His ministry, and in His exaltation. That is the point under discussion.

Your appeal to Luke 6, Luke 19, and the parable of the pounds does not interact with the cornerstone texts or with the timing Christ gives for the beginning of His building work. Luke 6:13 records the moment He constituted the apostles: “He chose twelve, whom also He named apostles.” Ephesians 2:20 identifies these men as the foundation stones of the assembly Christ promised to build. The laying of the foundation is the beginning of the building. Pentecost is the empowering of the assembly, not the beginning of its formation.

Psalm 118 does not present Israel collectively as the cornerstone. Jesus applies the psalm to Himself, not to the nation, and He does so before His death. Peter applies it to Christ again after His resurrection. The Scriptural sequence is straightforward: Christ is the cornerstone, the apostles are the foundation, and the building work begins when He lays those foundation stones in Luke 6.

 

[percho]

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1 Cor 15:51,53

Is the above inclusive of those baptized into, "the church"? Is it inclusive of say, Simon Barjona?

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
----------------- “O Death, where is your sting?[fn]
----------------- "O Hades, where is your victory?”[fn


Does that saying that is written sound a lot like, " the gates of Hades shall not prevail of her"?

When is then? When will be brought to pass that saying?

1 Cor 15:52 NKJV in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

How many future tense verbs are in that verse? Future?

 

[Anthony Pritchard]

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1 Cor 15:51,53

Is the above inclusive of those baptized into, "the church"? Is it inclusive of say, Simon Barjona?

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
----------------- “O Death, where is your sting?[fn]
----------------- "O Hades, where is your victory?”[fn


Does that saying that is written sound a lot like, " the gates of Hades shall not prevail of her"?

When is then? When will be brought to pass that saying?

1 Cor 15:52 NKJV in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

How many future tense verbs are in that verse? Future?

You are combining three different subjects that Scripture treats separately.
1. 1 Corinthians 15 is about resurrection, not about the church.
Paul is describing the future transformation of believers:
“this corruptible must put on incorruption” and “this mortal must put on immortality.”
That includes all believers, including Simon Bar‑Jona, but it is not defining the church or its timing. It is explaining the resurrection of the body.

2. Matthew 16:18 is not about resurrection; it is about Christ’s building.
Jesus says, “I will build my church,” and He speaks of the gates of Hades not prevailing against it.
That is not a resurrection text.
It is Christ’s promise concerning His assembly, the people He calls and constitutes.

3. “The gates of Hades” in Matthew 16 is not the same as “O Hades, where is thy victory?” in 1 Corinthians 15.
Paul is quoting a resurrection prophecy fulfilled at the last trumpet (1 Cor. 15:52).
Jesus is speaking of His church in the present age.
Different contexts, different verbs, different doctrines.

4. The future tense in 1 Corinthians 15 does not change the meaning of Matthew 16.
Paul is describing what happens “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.”
Jesus is describing what He Himself will do in calling, naming, and constituting His assembly.

These are not parallel passages.
They are not describing the same event.
They are not addressing the same doctrine.

 

[Anthony Pritchard]

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
----------------- “O Death, where is your sting?[fn]
----------------- "O Hades, where is your victory?”[fn

The translators, likely the finest team of linguists ever assembled, rendered the term as “grave” in English. That alone shows that Matthew 16:18 is not speaking about resurrection language. The passage is not addressing the last trumpet, nor the transformation of the mortal body, nor the swallowing up of death in victory. It is Christ’s promise concerning His assembly, not Paul’s resurrection teaching in 1 Corinthians 15.

When Scripture speaks of resurrection, it uses resurrection terms. When it speaks of the grave, it uses grave terms. When it speaks of Christ building His church, it uses building terms. These passages are not interchangeable, and they are not describing the same doctrine.

 

[JD731]

JD, none of the passages you quoted address the point I made. Psalm 118:22 identifies the Messiah as the cornerstone, and Jesus Himself applies that text directly to His own person during His earthly ministry in Matthew 21:42. Peter applies the same text to Christ again in Acts 4:11 after the resurrection. The cornerstone is Christ Himself in prophecy, in His ministry, and in His exaltation. That is the point under discussion.

Jn 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Anthony, Your argument makes no sense. It is illogical. It is unreasonable. The OT does not prophesy an assembly, it predicts a kingdom. The gospel accounts are about the kingdom of God, which in Luke 6 `had not been rejected as yet by the builders. He is choosing officers of the kingdom. Twelve apostles and seventy elders. He is not choosing members of the church.

28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

The gospels records the time of the harvest.
Luke 10:2
Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

It is in the end of the old age, not the beginning of the new.

Ga 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

He 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days (of one of these ages (aions) spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; (Aions)

He 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world (kosmos): but now once in the end of the world (aion) hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Romans 10:4
For Christ is (present tense) the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Your appeal to Luke 6, Luke 19, and the parable of the pounds does not interact with the cornerstone texts or with the timing Christ gives for the beginning of His building work. Luke 6:13 records the moment He constituted the apostles: “He chose twelve, whom also He named apostles.” Ephesians 2:20 identifies these men as the foundation stones of the assembly Christ promised to build. The laying of the foundation is the beginning of the building. Pentecost is the empowering of the assembly, not the beginning of its formation.

These powers these apostles had are kingdom powers and there has never been a man perform a miracle outside the kingdom context. When Israel lost her national identity in 70 AD and was dispersed into the nations, one should think "graveyard and national burial" and men have performed no miracles since.

Psalm 118 does not present Israel collectively as the cornerstone. Peter applies it to Christ again after His resurrection. The Scriptural sequence is straightforward: Christ is the cornerstone, the apostles are the foundation, and the building work begins when He lays those foundation stones in Luke 6.

I sure did not apply the nation Israel to the cornerstone context. This is a prophecy and a prophecy must have a demonstrable fulfillment or it is proven to be a false prophecy according to the scriptures themselves.. Jesus Christ fulfilled this prophecy by his burial and resurrection when he actually became the cornerstone.. If the gospel work of Jesus Christ was the fullness of time, then the resurrection was the beginning of the new age with the birth of the firstborn from the dead. That is what we are told.

WE believe Jesus was a prophet during the days of his earthly ministry. We are told he was. Here.

Acts 3:22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.

I am springing forward for my last point in this post. Jesus gave this prophetic parable on Wednesday of the crucifixion week in the temple at Jerusalem. He would be crucified on Friday. This prophecy begins during the first 7 years after Jesus was killed, buried, and rose again and only those of Jerusalem and Judaea were preached to. Everything was ready for the wedding to take place and he sent heralds to those who were bidden. That would be the Jews. It was his perfect will for them to come and be the bride but they refused and the offer to them ended at the end of Acts 7.


Mt 23:1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
V7 is a reference to Titus the Roman and his army in 70 AD)
7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with (gentile) guests. (Jews cut off from their covenants bt being out of their land are considered to be gentiles by God).
11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

 

[Ascetic X]

These powers these apostles had are kingdom powers and there has never been a man perform a miracle outside the kingdom context. When Israel lost her national identity in 70 AD and was dispersed into the nations, one should think "graveyard and national burial" and men have performed no miracles since.

You claim that miracles ended with what you call the kingdom. This assertion ignores the miracles in the book of Acts, the gift of working miracles mentioned in Corinthians, and the records of miracles throughout church history.

 

[Anthony Pritchard]

Jn 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Anthony, Your argument makes no sense. It is illogical. It is unreasonable. The OT does not prophesy an assembly, it predicts a kingdom. The gospel accounts are about the kingdom of God, which in Luke 6 `had not been rejected as yet by the builders. He is choosing officers of the kingdom. Twelve apostles and seventy elders. He is not choosing members of the church.

28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

The gospels records the time of the harvest.
Luke 10:2
Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

It is in the end of the old age, not the beginning of the new.

Ga 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

He 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days (of one of these ages (aions) spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; (Aions)

He 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world (kosmos): but now once in the end of the world (aion) hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Romans 10:4
For Christ is (present tense) the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.



These powers these apostles had are kingdom powers and there has never been a man perform a miracle outside the kingdom context. When Israel lost her national identity in 70 AD and was dispersed into the nations, one should think "graveyard and national burial" and men have performed no miracles since.


I sure did not apply the nation Israel to the cornerstone context. This is a prophecy and a prophecy must have a demonstrable fulfillment or it is proven to be a false prophecy according to the scriptures themselves.. Jesus Christ fulfilled this prophecy by his burial and resurrection when he actually became the cornerstone.. If the gospel work of Jesus Christ was the fullness of time, then the resurrection was the beginning of the new age with the birth of the firstborn from the dead. That is what we are told.

WE believe Jesus was a prophet during the days of his earthly ministry. We are told he was. Here.

Acts 3:22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.

I am springing forward for my last point in this post. Jesus gave this prophetic parable on Wednesday of the crucifixion week in the temple at Jerusalem. He would be crucified on Friday. This prophecy begins during the first 7 years after Jesus was killed, buried, and rose again and only those of Jerusalem and Judaea were preached to. Everything was ready for the wedding to take place and he sent heralds to those who were bidden. That would be the Jews. It was his perfect will for them to come and be the bride but they refused and the offer to them ended at the end of Acts 7.


Mt 23:1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
V7 is a reference to Titus the Roman and his army in 70 AD)
7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with (gentile) guests. (Jews cut off from their covenants bt being out of their land are considered to be gentiles by God).
11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

JD, you are now quoting a wide range of passages, but none of them address the point under discussion. Psalm 118:22 identifies the Messiah as the cornerstone. Jesus applies that text directly to Himself in Matthew 21:42 during His earthly ministry. Peter applies the same text to Christ again in Acts 4:11 after the resurrection. That is the Scriptural sequence.

Your appeal to “kingdom officers,” “harvest timing,” “end of the age,” and the parable of the wedding feast does not interact with those cornerstone texts. They are different subjects. The question is not whether Christ is a prophet, nor whether Israel rejected the kingdom, nor whether miracles ceased in AD 70. The question is: When does Scripture say Christ began His building work?

Luke 6:13 records the moment He constituted the apostles: “He chose twelve, whom also He named apostles.” Ephesians 2:20 identifies these men as the foundation stones of the assembly Christ promised to build. The laying of the foundation is the beginning of the building. Pentecost is the empowering of the assembly, not the beginning of its formation.

You have not addressed Psalm 118, Matthew 21, Acts 4, or Luke 6. Until you do, your objections are not interacting with the argument being made.