If you don't eat the entirety of the scroll, you don't have Truth, but an inadequate and erroneous view of salvation history.
Let's take one verse out of context.
Mt. 16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on
this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades [Or
hell] will not overcome it. [Or not prove stronger than it]
When Y'shua said up on this Rock did he mean Peter or did He mean Himself?
.
All the scriptures demand that the Rock is Y'shua
Ge. 49:24 But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed [Or
archers will attack...will shoot...will remain...will stay]
supple, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
Ex. 17:6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the
rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink”
So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.
Ex. 17:6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the
rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.
So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.
Ex. 33:20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no-one may see
me and live.”
Ex. 33:21 Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you
may stand on a rock.
Ex. 33:22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock
and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
Nu. 20:8 “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the
assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it
will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock
for the community so that they and their livestock can drink.”
Nu. 20:10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the
rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we
bring you water out of this rock?”
De. 32:3 I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the
greatness of our God!
De. 32:4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are
just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is
he.
De. 32:15 Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, he became
heavy and sleek. He abandoned the God who made him and
rejected the Rock his Saviour.
De. 32:18 You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the
God who gave you birth.
1Sa. 2:2 “There is no-one holy [Or no Holy One] like the LORD;
there is no-one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
2Sa. 22:2 He said: “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my
deliverer;
2Sa. 22:3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the
horn [Horn here symbolises strength.] of my salvation. He is
my stronghold, my refuge and my saviour — from violent
men you save me.
2Sa. 22:32 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock
except our God?
2Sa. 22:47 “The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God,
the Rock, my Saviour!
2Sa. 23:3 The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me:
`When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in
the fear of God,
Ne. 9:14 You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them
commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses.
Ne. 9:15 In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their
thirst you brought them water from the rock; you told them
to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with
uplifted hand to give them.
Ps. 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God
is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the
horn [Horn here symbolises strength.] of my salvation, my
stronghold.
Ps. 18:31 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock
except our God?
Ps. 18:46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my
Saviour!
Ps. 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my
Redeemer.
Ps. 28:1 To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to
me. For if you remain silent, I shall be like those who have
gone down to the pit.
Ps. 31:1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to
shame; deliver me in your righteousness.
Ps. 31:2 Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock
of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.
Ps. 31:3 Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your
name lead and guide me.
Ps. 40:2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he
set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
Ps. 42:9 I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why
must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”
Ps. 62:2 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I
shall never be shaken.
Ps. 62:6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I
shall not be shaken.
Ps. 62:7 My salvation and my honour depend on God; [Or God Most
High is my salvation and my honour] he is my mighty rock,
my refuge.
Ps. 71:1 In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to
shame.
Ps. 71:2 Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your
ear to me and save me.
Ps. 71:3 Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the
command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
Ps. 78:35 They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most
High was their Redeemer.
Ps. 89:26 He will call out to me, `You are my Father, my God, the
Rock my Saviour.Â’
Ps. 92:15 proclaiming, The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there
is no wickedness in him.”
Ps. 94:22 But the LORD has become my fortress, and my God the rock
in whom I take refuge.
Ps. 95:1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to
the Rock of our salvation.
Ps. 144:1 Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for
war, my fingers for battle.
Is. 17:10 You have forgotten God your Saviour; you have not
remembered the Rock, your fortress. Therefore, though you
set out the finest plants and plant imported vines,
Is. 26:4 Trust in the LORD for ever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the
Rock eternal.
Is. 30:29 And you will sing as on the night you celebrate a holy
festival; your hearts will rejoice as when people go up with
flutes to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel.
Is. 44:8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and
foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God
besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”
Hk. 1:12 O LORD, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy
One, we will not die. O LORD, you have appointed them to
execute judgment; O Rock, you have ordained them to
punish.
All the scriptures demand that the Rock is Y'shua
Then why did Jesus call Simon "Cephas"? What was the point of that?
The only reason "Peter" is referred to as "Peter" and yet again, the word "rock" in the same verse, is because the Greek transliteration of "Cephas" is to the feminine "petra" or "rock". Since Simon is a masculine figure, his name became "petros", or, little pebble. Thus, the Greek translation had "petros" (little pebble) and "petra" (rock) in the same sentence due to Greek literary convention. Simon should have been referred to as "petra", given the Hebrew original.
Indeed, the rock is Jesus Christ. Peter, however, is inextricably declared in unison with the "rock" that is Jesus Christ. The rock upon whom the Church is built is Peter. Peter, as stated, received the power to lead the Church in lockstep with the will of heaven. Thus, it is factual that Peter is the rock upon whom the Church is built. His confession that Jesus is the Son of the Living God (if you want to go deeper) is the "rock" of salvation in its own right. However, since Jesus clearly pointed out that Peter, in making his confession, was singled out by God to receive such wisdom, it is undebatable that Peter was made head of the Church.
If you also look to Matthew, you will read the story of the tax collector who approached PETER (not the other disciples) and inquired of whether his Master would pay the tribute as required. Peter comes to Jesus, but before he can even tell Him of the encounter, Jesus asks PETER what his thoughts are on what has happened. Jesus reasons that He is not required to pay the tax, however, in order not to offend the powers that be, He will.
What does Jesus do? He sends out Peter to capture the first fish he can, and inside would be the coin for the tax. Peter finds the coin. What happens next?
Jesus tells Peter to pay the tax for the BOTH of them. Not for the other disciples, just for PETER and JESUS.
Afterwards, the disciples become perturbed that Jesus paid the tax for He and Peter, but not for them.
What do they do? They come to Jesus and ask Him (kind of like the Pharisees), "who is the greatest in Heaven?" Why? Because they were jealous that Peter was singled out from among them.
So, yes, my friend - JESUS IS THE ROCK!
But in naming Simon "Cephas", Jesus made Peter His vessel on earth. Peter's shepherding of the Church doesn't come until Jesus tells Him, "feed my sheep", before He ascended into heaven.
So, here we are: Jesus gives Peter...
1) The keys to the kingdom of heaven
2) The power to forgive sins
3) A new name, "rock", after which, in the SAME SENTENCE,
He declares that upon this "rock" He would build His church.
4) Confirmation that Peter's words are from God, and not his own. (The Father speaking through the voice of Peter) 5) The responsibility of feeding and tending to His sheep (like Adam was expected to "tend to" the Garden of Eden).
6) Peter and Jesus do God's will by the same coin.
7) Also take into account the striking similarity between Moses and Peter --> Moses was a bumbling, uneducated man who could not speak in front of people. Thus, his brother Aaron, a much more charismatic individual, spoke on behalf of Moses. Peter, like Moses, was a bumbling, uneducated man who constantly put his foot in his mouth, and had a prominent brother, Andrew, who is sometimes referred to as "Jesus' PR man", since he always seemed to be introducing new people to the Lord. Moses fed the people by striking the rock and bringing forth water. Peter intended for the "rock" not to be struck (crucified) and was admonished for it. Jesus would, in turn, give Peter the responsibility of feeding the flock as the "rock" upon whom He would build the church. In the end, Peter would be crucified like the "rock" he emulated. No other disciple was crucified. No other disciple walked on water. Peter was undoubtedly the "rock" upon whom Christ built the Church.
My friend, I rejoice in God our savior! With Christmas coming, I pray that you and your family will have a blessed Advent. I enjoy our discussion and look forward to more of it!