“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? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.  He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.  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.  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.” Matthew 16:13-18.

The Roman Catholics use this scripture to claim Peter was the first pope.  However, Paul was the Apostle to Rome, not Peter.  The Romans are actually the one’s who would eventually kill Paul because of his preaching and teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.  Judaism was a tolerated religion by the Romans.  However, when Christianity broke away from Judaism, Christianity soon became illegal and there were thousands upon thousands killed by the Roman Empire.  The Roman Catholic church was established calling themselves “the church” but it was and is not “the Church” of the Apostles…it was the Roman Catholic church with their traditions, rituals and religion added to the Cross of Jesus.

Eventually the Protestant Reformation would take place where the original church of the Apostles, the church where Jesus Christ is the Rock and the Head of the church with no “merits of the saints”, the church where the Word of God is the supreme authority (sola scriptura) and the church where we are justified by faith and faith alone in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross (sola fide) would emerge from the oppression of the Roman Catholics and the gates of hell indeed did not prevail.  If left to the Roman Catholic church, they would have one believe they were the “original” church with neglecting to mention their suppression of the original church of which the Apostles teached and preached, the Church of Jesus Christ.

“And I (Jesus) say also unto thee, That thou art Peter…” Matthew 16:18.  In this verse Jesus changed Peter’s name from Simon to Peter.  Peter in the Greek is “petros” which means a fragment of a rock.  Petra in the Greek is an immovable stone, which is Christ Himself.

” And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church;…” Matthew 16:18.  So how do we explain this?  Does Jesus not say “…That thou art Peter, and upon THIS ROCK I will build my church;…”?  Please allow me to give you this scripture to further explain:  “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy THIS TEMPLE, and in three days I will raise it up.” John 2:19 (emphasis added).  We would all agree that Jesus is referring to “this temple” as Himself…just as He was referring to “this rock” as Himself.

Peter was one of the builders of the church of Jesus Christ but He is not and was not the builder, the rock or the foundation – Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone is the Chief Cornerstone of the Church.

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;”  Ephesians 2:19-20. 

The Church was built upon the foundation the apostles laid with Jesus as the Chief Corner Stone…not the foundation of the Roman Catholic church and it’s traditions.  Please understand, it is not the people I am attacking but the doctrine I am trying to expose.  I have many Roman Catholic friends (or I did have 🙂 ) that I don’t want to offend  but if it gets you out of the harlot and into the Body of Christ then I will continue to declare the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ because the fact of the matter is, it is His Word that is offending your traditions…not me.  – Donna Clark Warren.