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Leavening the Rock...

...with the Antichrist Spirit

by Phil Maxwell July 1997

A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. (Ga.5:9)

The Leaven

Who am I? This was the question the Lord focused on before He began preparing His disciples for His departure in Matthew 16. Who is Yahshua (Jesus)? Nearly 2,000 years later, this question still begs a clear answer.

Interestingly, this passage starts with, "Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." (Mt.16:6) Such warnings are intended to be taken seriously. With a little help, His disciples finally figured out that the "leaven" He spoke of was their doctrine.

What was the point to this? Was the Lord concerned about these disciples joining these religious sects? No. If this had been His concern, He would have told them to beware of their bread, not their leaven. He had been and was going to continue teaching them true doctrine. The leaven of the religious leaders of that day wasn't that they were devoid of the truth, it was that the truth they had was artificially enlarged by their own teachings, just as bread, with no increase in substance, is enlarged by leaven.

He didn't want the truth that He was giving them to be so infected. Shortly after this, Yahshua showed them that unleavened bread, which had long been a very significant part of their faith, represented His own body, which was about to be given for them. He is the "bread of life." (Jn.6:35,48)

Continuing in Matthew 16, the next recorded dialogue between Yahshua and His disciples is regarding His own identity:

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. (Mt.16:13-14).

Note that after all that had occurred, including several direct declarations of exactly who He was, no one knew the truth!

This point is made to set the stage (for our learning) as He turns the same question to His disciples, "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." The unleavened truth! Peter's answer was perfect, complete, and needed nothing added.

We should all hope for the Lord to affirm our testimonies as He did this one statement by Peter. First, He declared that (in contrast to the misperceptions by everyone else) that is was given to him directly by the Father:

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. (Mt.16:17)

Then, Yahshua declared that He would build His church upon this truth,

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church;

and followed with the promise of eternal endurance,

and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Mt.16:18)

As if that were not enough, Yahshua concluded promising the authority to fulfill the task,

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. (Mt.16:19)

So exclusive was this divinely inspired knowledge, and so key to all that was happening and about to happen, Yahshua also put a seal on it,

Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. (Mt.16:20)

This seal was lifted in Acts 2 upon the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, when Peter's sermon led to the salvation of about 3,000 people.

The Rock

It was generally taken for granted, before and during Yahshua's day, even by those who ultimately were born again into the New Testament Church, that the Pharisees and/or Sadducees were the spokesmen for the truth. They weren't. Their doctrine was based in the truth, but was leavened.

One can search books, periodicals, radio, television, and churches today, and find many who have an authoritative, knowledgeable bearing. But their doctrine is leavened, just like the religious leaders of 2,000 years ago.

This is best exemplified by comparing the doctrinal statements of virtually all "orthodox" churches/denominations today to the passage in Matthew 16. Today's religious leaders are quick to acknowledge that Yahshua is the Messiah (Christ), and that He is the Son of the Living God, but this answer, that was more than sufficient to Yahshua Himself, isn't sufficient for today's religious leaders. In addition, according to them, He is also God Himself. Friends, this is leaven. It adds to the pure, perfect truth presented in the Bible. In so doing it corrupts the truth, just like the Pharisees and Sadducees had corrupted the truth they held.

Now let's turn back to Matthew 16, verse 18, where the Lord Yahshua draws a line through time to us:

upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Upon what rock? The truth of who Yahshua is, the Son of the Living God, the Messiah. At the risk of sounding redundant, He will build HIS Church upon this ROCK, and though the gates of hell shall come against it, His Church will prevail!

In order to grasp the significance of this statement we need to look at Matthew 7, where the same "rock" is discussed, only this time in a prophetical context:

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (Mt.7:21-27)

Here we see many people who call upon Yahshua Himself who believe they are saved, are spiritually active, apparently righteous in the sight of others, but who will not be allowed into the kingdom of heaven. Why? Because the Lord Yahshua doesn't "know" them, they haven't done the will of the Father. Simple reason would declare that a fundamental, necessary element of "knowing" someone would be rightly knowing who they are, as Peter and the other disciples exclusively knew in the passage in Matthew 16.

What really makes this passage relevant to Matthew 16, however, is the parable that follows (verses 21 -23 are literal). The one's who are admitted into the kingdom of heaven are declared to be wise, having built upon the ROCK. Matthew 16 tells us what the ROCK is that Yahshua's Church would be built upon, again, the unleavened truth of who He is, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

Matthew 16 also says that the Church built upon this ROCK will prevail against the gates of hell, while here in Matthew 7, the house built upon the ROCK prevails against descending rain, floods, and wind beating against it

Consider the imagery drawn by the parable the Lord offers here. This passage in Matthew 7 is dealing entirely with works done in the Lord's name. These buildings all stand in whatever glory the builders have put into them. They represent the works done in the name of the Lord, collectively and individually. Even a close view, inside and out, can't detect the difference between those built on the ROCK and those built on the sand.

The rain, floods, and wind from the gates of hell, however, shall reveal the truth. They will all be tested. According to the Lord, the fall of some will be "great." An interesting sidebar to this point can be found in the story of the great flood of Noah's day, which is applied by the Lord Yahshua as an analogy of the end times:

And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. (Lu.17:26-27)

Without any speculation on particulars, it is interesting that the very same rains and flood that destroyed the wicked in Noah's day also carried Noah and his family to safety.

The Antichrist Spirit

The religious leaders of 2,000 years ago rejected Yahshua as the Messiah. The reason was because of their hardened hearts, but only the Lord saw this clearly. The justification they used to convince themselves and others was primarily Scriptural, though distorted. Even Satan used Scriptures to tempt Yahshua.

No one is suggesting that the deity of Christ doctrine does not have any Biblical basis. It is far easier to explain passages that seem to allude to His deity in the light of His humanity and distinction from God the Father than vice-versa, however. (Not that ease of explanation is a valid means of deducing absolute truth.)

Be that as it may, the concept that the Son of God is also God (being, then, a part of His own parentage) is untenable, as is the notion that God Almighty is three "persons" while still being only One God. Likewise, the tenets of such beliefs like that Christ is "both fully God and fully man" are ridiculous. (Can a bottle be full of wine and full of water?) The seemingly endless voices who propose such things do not make such double-speak nonsense any less nonsense.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2Ti.3:16)

Scripture ultimately serves both to edify the righteous and to testify against the wicked. We are even told that

God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2Th.2:11-12)

Are some passages of Scripture difficult, perhaps impossible, to understand? Of course they are. When mixed a certain way with the truth, they serve to leaven the pure bread of life for those who simply cannot be satisfied with unleavened bread. They can be, when misappropriated like the Pharisees and Satan commonly did, "strong delusion" to the end result of damning those who refuse the truth.

We are told that we can identify the good trees from the corrupt by the fruit they bear in Luke 6:43-44. This is followed by the same parable about the house built on the rock and the one built on the sand, as we looked at in Matthew 7.

How do we judge the fruits, though, especially considering that Matthew 7 and many other passages make it clear that the wicked can have all appearance of being righteous?

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. (Lu.6:45)

John adds another dimension in some strong warnings, and offers clear guidelines for discernment, also based on the words that are spoken

BELOVED, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. (1Jn.4:1-3)

The term, "in the flesh," used in this passage means Yahshua's humanity. In other words, the unleavened truth of who He is.

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (1Ti.2:5)

We need Yahshua the Messiah to be a mediator between ourselves and God. As the only begotten Son of God (Jn.3:16), He fills that role. If Yahshua is God, as most say, He cannot also be the mediator between God and us, the unleavened bread of life, and we are completely without hope.

This is the work of the antichrist spirit that defies Yahshua the Messiah's humanity, that declares Him to be "more" than what He is, leavening the truth spoken clearly in Matthew 16. This is the "mystery of iniquity" that started a long time ago and is nearing fruition in our day. The "strong delusion" we face is the virtual unanimity of error, the leavening of the whole lump, that has occurred in what we know as the church today.

The truth is not subject to popular vote. If we must choose between conforming to the doctrines of the churches or cleaving to the Lord Yahshua, may we have the fortitude and faith to "love the truth and so be saved." (2Th.2:10)

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