I have been thinking about the subject of Messiah who is the rock and foundation stone for quite some time now, and I thought it would be a good study to do. I wished to study this in part because I have heard and read that some believe Peter is the rock, or foundation, so I wished to look through it and see if I could outline some things.
Here are scripture passages that clearly indicate that God is the Rock and our salvation (Messiah).
Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”
Deuteronomy 32:18 “Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.”
2 Samuel 22:47“The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.”
Psalm 61:2 “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”
Isaiah 17: 10-11 “Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips: In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.”
Isaiah 51:1 “Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.”
Isaiah 8:14-16 “And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.”
Luke 8:13 “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.”
Now we come to this passage that speaks of Simon Peter :
Matthew 16:13-19 “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. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Here in the disciples’ answers, Simon professed that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah) and then Jesus blessed him, and spoke saying, “flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” Christ who we can see is the Rock of Salvation cannot build upon anyone’s life except they be drawn by the Father and acknowledge and confess the Messiah for themselves. Here Simon did this, and Messiah named him Peter. Some information from this website explains well the meaning of the name “Peter” that Messiah gave to him:
[The names Peter (petros) and Petra (petra) are regular Greek words, or even the same word if the genders are disregarded, which they shouldn't be; the feminine variant petra meaning rock and the masculine variant petros meaning stone.
We should note that the word petros could mean rock in Homer's time but in the time of the Bible, the word petros is always used to indicate "a piece or fragment of a rock such as a man might throw," as Zodhiates' Complete Wordstudy Dictionary New Testament explains, "Distinguished from the masculine petros is that petra is a mass of rock while petros is a detached stone or boulder, a stone that might be thrown or easily moved."] Peter | The amazing Greek name Peter: meaning and etymology
So "Peter" is pretty much a chip off the Rock, and if you can remember reading earlier in Isaiah 51:1, it mentions something similar: "Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn,"
By this we see that because of Simon’s acknowledgement of Jesus (Yeshuah) being the Messiah, the power of salvation would go with him. Though the keys of the kingdom were given him, remember that man is not the one who gives salvation, but Messiah, and the understanding of truth is brought by the Spirit of Truth that dwells with those who are of God. Peter was used of God though to bring many others to Christ the Messiah.
Here are some verses relating to this showing Spirit and its working:
John 14:17 “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
John 3:8 “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”
John 6:63 “It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
So we see that the Spirit is the one who leads and guides into Truth. The Spirit is the key to the kingdom, the living and wonderful Truth. No man can come unto the Father except he be drawn, and he must be drawn by the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Ghost.
Here are verses showing that those who are led of Christ and the Spirit should seek to witness to others of the gospel, perchance others may obtain mercy also:
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Jude 1: 21-23 “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”
Romans 11:30-32 “For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.”
The Spirit of Truth can speak nothing but what is right and true, and it is equal to the Words of God, because it is the Word of God:
Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Messiah is the Rock, He is the way, the Truth and the Life. He is one with the father. He was there at mount Sinai, he was the one who led His people out of the land of Egypt, God is our Messiah!
1 Corinthians 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
Keep seeking Messiah's Word, for it is the key of knowledge and His Words bring understanding and Life. The devil is the father of lies, he does not want us to hear or speak the truth, and as Jesus spoke here in Luke 11:52 "Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered." We must not let the key of knowledge go, but keep seeking God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
2 Timothy 1:13 "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."
Revelation 3:11 "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown."
Psalm 62:6 "He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved."
If you got down this far, thank you for taking the time to read through everything, and if you would like to comment, I would appreciate any more thoughts on this!
Here are scripture passages that clearly indicate that God is the Rock and our salvation (Messiah).
Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”
Deuteronomy 32:18 “Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.”
2 Samuel 22:47“The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.”
Psalm 61:2 “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”
Isaiah 17: 10-11 “Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips: In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.”
Isaiah 51:1 “Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.”
Isaiah 8:14-16 “And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.”
Luke 8:13 “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.”
Now we come to this passage that speaks of Simon Peter :
Matthew 16:13-19 “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. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Here in the disciples’ answers, Simon professed that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah) and then Jesus blessed him, and spoke saying, “flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” Christ who we can see is the Rock of Salvation cannot build upon anyone’s life except they be drawn by the Father and acknowledge and confess the Messiah for themselves. Here Simon did this, and Messiah named him Peter. Some information from this website explains well the meaning of the name “Peter” that Messiah gave to him:
[The names Peter (petros) and Petra (petra) are regular Greek words, or even the same word if the genders are disregarded, which they shouldn't be; the feminine variant petra meaning rock and the masculine variant petros meaning stone.
We should note that the word petros could mean rock in Homer's time but in the time of the Bible, the word petros is always used to indicate "a piece or fragment of a rock such as a man might throw," as Zodhiates' Complete Wordstudy Dictionary New Testament explains, "Distinguished from the masculine petros is that petra is a mass of rock while petros is a detached stone or boulder, a stone that might be thrown or easily moved."] Peter | The amazing Greek name Peter: meaning and etymology
So "Peter" is pretty much a chip off the Rock, and if you can remember reading earlier in Isaiah 51:1, it mentions something similar: "Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn,"
By this we see that because of Simon’s acknowledgement of Jesus (Yeshuah) being the Messiah, the power of salvation would go with him. Though the keys of the kingdom were given him, remember that man is not the one who gives salvation, but Messiah, and the understanding of truth is brought by the Spirit of Truth that dwells with those who are of God. Peter was used of God though to bring many others to Christ the Messiah.
Here are some verses relating to this showing Spirit and its working:
John 14:17 “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
John 3:8 “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”
John 6:63 “It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
So we see that the Spirit is the one who leads and guides into Truth. The Spirit is the key to the kingdom, the living and wonderful Truth. No man can come unto the Father except he be drawn, and he must be drawn by the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Ghost.
Here are verses showing that those who are led of Christ and the Spirit should seek to witness to others of the gospel, perchance others may obtain mercy also:
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Jude 1: 21-23 “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”
Romans 11:30-32 “For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.”
The Spirit of Truth can speak nothing but what is right and true, and it is equal to the Words of God, because it is the Word of God:
Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Messiah is the Rock, He is the way, the Truth and the Life. He is one with the father. He was there at mount Sinai, he was the one who led His people out of the land of Egypt, God is our Messiah!
1 Corinthians 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
Keep seeking Messiah's Word, for it is the key of knowledge and His Words bring understanding and Life. The devil is the father of lies, he does not want us to hear or speak the truth, and as Jesus spoke here in Luke 11:52 "Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered." We must not let the key of knowledge go, but keep seeking God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
2 Timothy 1:13 "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."
Revelation 3:11 "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown."
Psalm 62:6 "He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved."
If you got down this far, thank you for taking the time to read through everything, and if you would like to comment, I would appreciate any more thoughts on this!