When Jesus promised that He would “build My church” (an immutable guarantee of the establishment of a single church within the lifetime of His disciples [Mark 9:1] that would belong to Christ), He also promised that “the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). There is an interesting parallel that Jesus’ promise has to the prophecy of Daniel, in which was stated that the Lord’s kingdom “shall never be destroyed” (Dan. 2:44). The gates of death or the power of death would certainly never wipe the church from the face of the earth.
However, the words of Jesus seem to point more toward Himself and His own death. After making this promise, Jesus began to speak of His crucifixion and tied that to His coming kingdom (Matt. 16:21-28). The “pains of death” and the gates of “Hades” could not hold the Son of God (Acts 2:24-31). He would be raised and His church would be established, and there was NOTHING that the devil could do about it! Jesus said, “I will build My church/kingdom now, and I will keep it alive, and there is no one who can overpower it!” What a thought!