[metmom]

Christ told us “The gates of hell will not prevail against it.”

Gates are defensive, not offensive. Gates never attack anyone.

What Jesus means there is that when His body, the TRUE body of born again believers, presses forward and engages in spiritual warfare, the enemy will be defeated. They cannot stand against the offensive actions of the church waging spiritual warfare in power.

It is NOT a promise that some church would be protected for all time an eternity and therefore Catholicism will stand forever. Catholicism by its actions, has forfeited the right to call itself the body of Christ.

God has called us to holiness and the only way someone can operate in spiritual power is in holy living. Allowing sin in the camp WILL result in the loss of that power.

Catholicism is NOT prevailing against the gates of hell. For many people, too many, it has become the gates of hell.

Until and unless Catholicism cleans house dramatically and radically, and calls people to holiness and repentance, it will continue it's fall.

Jesus never spared the seven churches in Revelation which did not take care of the issues He confronted them with.

He's not going to spare Catholicism either.

[ealgeone]

Borrowing from another thread....Roman Catholicism has an opportunity every 500 years to reform and get it right. The last one was the Reformation. They did not get it right.

Now, it's the sex crisis.

Roman Catholicism needs to renounce all of the false marian dogmas, among others, and return to a saving faith in Christ and Christ alone.

[Salvation]

http://blog.adw.org/2013/03/what-the-lord-means-when-he-says-the-gates-of-hell-will-not-prevail-and-why-the-traditional-catholic-understanding-is-more-likely/

[Luircin]

I wonder. What would it take for them to realize how rotten things have gotten and finally leave?

Their Pope is protecting child rapists. Their cardinals are covering it up. They’re STILL selling indulgences. Their priests are having sodomy cocaine orgies in the Vatican itself.

Why don’t they just LEAVE? Make a church in exile! Lay claim as the REAL Catholics? What on earth is chaining these people to the Satanic morass that is becoming more and more obvious every day?

[Elsie]

Gates never attack anyone.

And ol' St. Pete has NO key to any of the Pearly Gates; no matter WHAT you've been told!

[boatbums]

Gates are defensive, not offensive. Gates never attack anyone. What Jesus means there is that when His body, the TRUE body of born again believers, presses forward and engages in spiritual warfare, the enemy will be defeated. They cannot stand against the offensive actions of the church waging spiritual warfare in power.

Exactly! Plus...the Gates of Hell will never be able to keep in the souls that are seeking to know the truth. The Gospel will penetrate those gates and break them down, freeing everyone that wants to follow Jesus Christ.

[daniel1212]

Catholicism is NOT prevailing against the gates of hell. For many people, too many, it has become the gates of hell.

Indeed. Along with liberal Prot churches (which tend to be closest to Rome) and cults (which presume elitism and ensured veracity like Rome).

And after that as many black churches which subscribe to the demonic victim-entitlement mentality, and after that prosperity churches which basically preach Jesus Christ a means to that end, as well as "evangelical" churches in which mere coaxed profession of faith in some historical facts and a promise of salvation - abstract from the person of the Lord Jesus and His character who provided the work of redemption - means one can live like the devil and still be saved.

If looked at as a set of concentric circles the prima NT church would be at the center, having the soundest Scriptural leadership and doctrine and the greatest % of true believers, followed by churches of increasingly lesser quality.

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