Excerpt from the book The House of God:

Christ the
Spiritual Rock

By Todd Pekel

The metaphorical use of a rock to symbolize Christ is found throughout the Holy Scriptures. In dealing with the subject of the building of all time and eternity, the House of God, we will see the importance of this figure as it is used to show our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as the Spiritual Rock upon which the House of God is founded. Like the wise man who laid the foundation of his house upon a rock so that when the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, it fell not: so too has God laid His foundation on a rock, the spiritual Rock that is Christ.

Let us not forget that the main thing in the building of eternity, is just that: it is ETERNAL. Man is born in a lost state of sin (as a result of Adam’s transgression) and do not have eternal life. In fact, man's days are numbered. He can get eternal life by the only means available to him. That is, man must be born again. Jesus Christ said so.

Now in this brief discussion we learn that a man cannot enter the kingdom of God, except he be born again. Accordingly, Nicodemus asks the question we would all ask if we were talking to the Lord. "How can a man be born when he is old?" Jesus Christ’s reply says it all. "Except a man be born of water [the first birth from one’s mother] and of the Spirit, he cannot the kingdom of God." Nicodemus then logically asks our next question.

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up." Jesus Christ was not speaking of His resurrection here, but rather His CRUCIFIXION. He was speaking of His sacrifice, His death on the tree; the payment in full for the sin that has passed from Adam to every person born under the sun since time began. (with the exception of Jesus Christ)

Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12)

Remember the serpent that Moses put on a pole so that whosoever looked at it would live? It was a picture of our Lord’s crucifixion.

And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. (Numbers 21:8-9)

Above, as Christ said, "whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." This answered Nicodemus’ question, "How?" Remember our Lord said, "Ye must be born again." How does this happen one asks? The following exchange between Jesus and His disciples supplies the answer.

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 Bar-jona: 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)

Upon which rock will He build His church? Is it Peter, (literally a small stone or pebble) as some claim? Does our Lord point to Himself and claim Himself to be the rock as even others attest? Or is there more here than meets the eye? Remember the question, "but whom say ye that I am?" How was it answered and what was our Lord’s response? Peter responded by saying, "thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Jesus Christ then said, "blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." The very rock upon which Christ will build His church is none other than the revelation of who He is. In a moment, in an instant of time, a man goes from being dead in trespasses and sin to being born again and having eternal life. This is accomplished by a revelation from the Father, a realization of one’s lost estate and the need for Salvation plus the faith to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the only way to the Father. This is God’s gift.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Ephesians 2:8)

Like the wise man whose house was founded upon the rock, God’s House is built upon nothing less than the Spiritual Rock that is the revelation of Christ. We can see this pictured unmistakably one night as a weary Jacob stopped to sleep on the road from Beer-sheba to Haran.

And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: (Genesis 28:10-18, 22)

This stone represents none other than the spiritual Rock upon which God’s house is founded. God Almighty has anointed Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ. Hear His own words:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, (Luke 4:18)

As well as the testimony of others:

How God anointed Jesus of Nazarethwith the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. (Acts 10:38)

Jesus of Nazareth, the anointed; Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. God’s house rests upon nothing less than the spiritual Rock that is Christ. Remember that Jacob set those rocks up as a pillar, then he anointed them. "This stone", said Jacob, "shall be God’s house."

But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. (1 Timothy 3:15)

Yes, the House of God is not a building made with hands, it is the church of the Living God. Regarding His church, we read the following as touching the spiritual Rock upon which it is founded.

Do you recall the dream that King Nebachadnezzer once had?

Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone [Rock] was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 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 threshingfloors; 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. (Daniel 2:31-35)

Indeed, that stone (Rock) cut without hands is becoming a great mountain that will soon fill the whole earth. This kingdom shall stand forever.

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. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake 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. (Daniel 2:44, 45)

How sure is the interpretation thereof? As certain as the spiritual Rock that is Christ. One needn’t look past a few verses in the book of the Acts of the Apostles to see its surety.

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:41, 47b)

And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.... (Acts 5:14)

And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, (Acts 6:1a)

And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly (Acts 6:7a)

Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied. (Acts 9:31)

Yes, born again, [those that have ETERNAL LIFE] men, women and children make up the House of God. This House of God continues to grow until it shall fill the whole earth. Most importantly, the building of God, the house made without hands, shall stand forever. It is eternal.

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

Like the wise man who digged deep and laid the foundation of his house upon the earth’s bedrock because he wanted it to last, God too has laid the foundation of His House on nothing less than the Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ.

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; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:1-4)

The building of God, this house made without hands, will last forever because of the Spiritual Rock upon which it is founded. Even the very gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

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 16:18)

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever (Hebrews 13:8)

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