Divinity Proofs

• Divinity of Christ  

Luke 1:46
And Mary said: “My soul exalts the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

Luke 2:11
for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Titus 1:3
but at the proper time manifested, even His word, in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior

Isaiah 43:10-11
“You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord,  “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. 11 “I, even I, am the Lord, And there is no savior besides Me.

Mary rejoiced in the birth of the Savior- that Isaiah says is YHVH
Christ is God. 

• Divinity 2 

Deuteronomy 6:16 
“You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.

LORD = YHVH
The same quote of this verse in the New Testament in

Matthew 4:7
Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written: ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’”

LORD = Kyrios
YHVH = Kyrios

So when we read Acts 2:36 where it says

Acts 2:36
Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both LORD and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.

.... It is saying that God made Christ YHVH and it is consistent with John 17:5 where Christ says He had Glory before the World was.

John 17:5
5 Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

• Divinity 3

Isaiah 48:11- 16
“For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another. 12 “Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last. 13 “Surely My hand founded the earth,  And My right hand spread out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together. 14 “Assemble, all of you, and listen! Who among them has declared these things? The Lord loves him; he will carry out His good pleasure on Babylon, And His arm will be against the Chaldeans. 15 “I, even I, have spoken; indeed I have called him, I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful. 16 “Come near to Me, listen to this: From the first I have not spoken in secret, From the time it took place, I was there. And now the Lord God has sent Me, and His Spirit.”

If verse 11 is Christ saying that He does not share glory with another, why does He spend so much time glorifying the Father? If verse 12 is to be interpreted as meaning the Father, then why would He refer in verse 16 to "the Lord God who sent me"

• Divinity 4 

John 4:13-14
13Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again;
14but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

 Christ is the one giving living water 

Revelation 21:6
Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.

The Alpha and Omega is God who gives living water, and Christ is the one giving living water. 

Revelation 21:7
7“He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.

Christ is God

• Divinity 5 

Revelation 22:13
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

In Revelation we see the statement of the Alpha and Omega 

Revelation 22:16
 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

3 verses later we see that it is Christ who is identified as the Alpha Omega  

Revelation 1:7-8,
7 Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

The Alpha and Omega is the Lord God who is the Almighty who was pierced.  

Revelation 1:17-18
17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

The same Alpha and Omega was the one who was Pierced and was dead but is alive forevermore.  

Christ is God, and the Alpha and Omega. 

• Divinity 6

Jude 1:5 Esv
5 Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.

1 Corinthians 10:1–4
For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.

Hosea 13:4-5
Yet I have been the Lord your God Since the land of Egypt; And you were not to know any god except Me, For there is no savior besides Me.5 I cared for you in the wilderness, In the land of drought.

Hebrews 11:24-28
24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

Isaiah 43:10-15
10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. 11 I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no Savior.I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God.13 Also henceforth I am He; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?” 14 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“For your sake I send to Babylon and bring them all down as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships in which they rejoice.15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.”

Christ is God

• Divinity 7 

Revelation 17:14
14“These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.”

The Lamb, Christ, is Lord of lords and King of kings. 

Mark 12:29-30
29Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD;
30AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’

Mark12:32
The scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM

John 10:30
“I and the Father are one.”

God is Lord and there is one Lord. 

Christ is God

• Divinity 8

Isaiah 43:14-15
Thus says the Lord your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “For your sake I have sent to Babylon, And will bring them all down as fugitives, Even the Chaldeans, into the ships in which they rejoice. 15 “I am the Lord, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King.”

Colossians 1:16-17 
 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Christ is God the Creator of Israel and King. 

• Divinity 9

Hebrews 1:2-3
2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high

Christ is the EXACT representation of God's nature. 

John 1:1-3
 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being

Christ is in the beginning WITH God and IS God and agrees with Hebrews, that all things came to be through By Christ 

John 1:14
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Word that was with God and was God became flesh and dwelt among us. 

Colossians 2:8-9
 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form

The Word that was God and with God became flesh, and the FULLNESS of God dwelled in Him. 

Christ is God 

• Divinity 10 

"The author of Hebrews presents God as commanding the angels to worship the Son: “And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship him’” (Heb. 1:6). This quotation comes from Deuteronomy 32:43 (cf. Psalm 97:7), where the recipient of the angels’ worship is YHWH. Thus, in Hebrews 1:6, the author of Hebrews calls upon the angels to offer unto the Son the worship that belongs to YHWH. As Amy Peeler writes, “Through this scripture, the author brings forth not a human command to worship God, but God’s command to worship his Son…By his command, God shares the worship due to him with his Son.”- David Wilber

Only YHVH is to be worshipped, 
God commands the Son to be worshipped 
Christ is God 

• Divinity 11

Isaiah 54:5-8
“For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the LORD of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth. 6“For the LORD has called you, Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,” Says your God.7“For a brief moment I forsook you, But with great compassion I will gather you.8“In an outburst of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,” Says the LORD your Redeemer.

The Maker's name is YHVH.
God says Christ is the Maker

Hebrews 1:8-12
8 But of the Son He says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, And the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. 9 “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.”10 And, “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of Your hands;11 They will perish, but You remain; And they all will become old like a garment,12 And like a mantle You will roll them up; Like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.”

The Maker is Christ, Christ is YHVH. 
Our Husband is the Maker- who is the LORD/ YHVH.

Revelation 21:2
2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband

Revelation 21:9
 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

We are the Bride of the Maker who is YHVH who is the Lamb. 
Christ is the Holy One of Israel

Mark 1:24
24 saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” 

Acts 3:14
 14 But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you

Christ is our Husband, Maker, Redeemer, and the Holy one of Israel Ergo, Christ is God 

• Divinity 12

Acts 20:28
28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

God Purchased us with His own blood. 

1 Peter 1:18–19
18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.

The blood of God which we were purchased with is the blood of Christ, Ergo Christ blood and God's blood are the the same as Christ is God.  

• Divinity 13

Revelation 5:9
9 And they *sang a new song, saying,“Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

We were purchased for God
 

Titus 2:13-14
13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

Christ redeemed us for Himself as His own possession.
Christ purchased us for God for Himself, Ergo Christ is God 

God and Trees

Lets start this one in Genesis 3 and then bring it back.  

 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

The adversary takes the essence of good and applies it in another context that is not good. "Indeed, has God said". He steals from God and misapplies His words in order to justify something that is contrary to God. 

 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

The adversary seeks to deceive by saying that the prohibition by God can be redeemed for "good". That the thing which is forbidden- by our hands and our will, can be made into something pleasing and "good" 

6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

The fruit of twisted doctrine is to take from the tree which God forbids and to call it good. To take what God forbids and say that it is "redeemed".  The distortion is to call "holy/set apart" that which God calls Evil. 

 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.”

Consider  symbolically verse 7, that the eyes being opened is the conviction of sin and the truth of the rebellion that they had just committed. They were just looking at the tree, and now they are seeing themselves as naked- uncovered. God was their covering and they walked in His covering, but they removed themselves from that covering by rebellion and became aware that they are naked. They sought to cover themselves. Nakedness, in sin, is shame to the eyes. Just as they looked to the tree to make themselves like God, they were now exposed. 

8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?

Adam who had walked in the cool of the day in the closeness and bond with God, hides from sight behind the trees. Adam, who had eaten from the forbidden tree and was naked, hid his lack of covering behind trees from God who was to be his covering. After correction and judgement ensues, God covers their nakedness. 

21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

Now lets look at another passage in Numbers 21 with these same elements that we went over:

 2 So Israel made a vow to the Lord and said, “If You will indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.” 3 The Lord heard the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites; then they utterly destroyed them and their cities. Thus the name of the place was called Hormah. Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey.

Israel is walking with God, they make a vow with God and they are looking at Him. He is covering them on their journey against the Canaanites. The Canaanites worshipped a goddess named Asherah who's symbol is the tree. She was a false goddess who was said to be the wife of Eland said to mediate with Him. 

“Various pieces of iconography indicate that the tree was the Canaanite symbol of the goddess and represented her presence. K. Galling compared the asherah to a stylized tree on a clay model of a cultic scene from Cyprus. O. Negbi has published drawings of several pieces of Canaanite female figures, often considered divine, with trees or branches etched between their navels and pubic triangle.” - Smith, Mark S. The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel, 2nd ed., William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002, p. 128.

"When not implying a goddess, the terms asherah/asherim in the Bible refer to cultic objects which were wooden poles, images, or trees associated with pagan worship and were supposed to have been destroyed by the Israelites. The verbs connected with asherah/asherim in the Bible are words often associated with wood, such as “fell”, “smash”, and “burn by fire.” It is possible that the asherim were originally living trees from which the wooden pole developed as a symbol of asherah to be placed beside an altar. In extra-biblical contexts as well, the goddess Asherah was often represented as a stylized sacred tree. In the Bible, there appears to be a functional difference in the singular and plural forms of the word, with the singular being set up by altars and the plural in association with trees in high places. The following two verses demonstrate the distinction. Deuteronomy 16:21 commands: You shall not plant any tree as a sacred pole [asherah] beside the altar that you make for the Lord your God and 1 Kings 14:23 states: For they also built for themselves high places, pillars, and sacred poles [asherim] on every high hill and under every green tree.These are just two examples out of several which consistently relate separate locations for the singular and plural forms. " - https://www.worldhistory.org/Asherah/

 Israel was sent to destroy Canaanites who were not looking at God for covering, but were looking at a woman with tree symbolism. Canaanites were also known for committing all forms of sexual immorality - nakedness as outlined in Leviticus 18. Continuing on in Numbers 21:

 5 The people spoke against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.”

Israel at the time they're supposed to go against this wickedness that is against God, complain about what they're eating. They're complaining that the food that they do have is not pleasing- what God has already provided is not "good". What happens when we turn from God's instructions?

6 The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded for the people. 

We give occasion for the serpent to operate. 

8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” 9 And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.

Moses who is a archetype of Christ is being called in to intercede because they were dying by means of the serpent for their rebellion against God by turning their attention from Him and unto themselves in regards to eating.  Moses is told to place a bronze serpent on a standard- standards were wooden poles. God has them physically look at the symbol of the totality of the situation which is reflecting the garden. The serpent attacks when we look away from God's command to our own fleshly desires and decide for ourselves what is "good". 
 
Christ is God as the FULLNESS of Deity dwells in Him as Colossians 2:9. That fullness that is Divine walked with Adam in the Garden and that Divinity that spoke the commands on what is good and evil, that Fullness of Deity still wants our focus. He still seeks to be our covering. He still desires to cover our nakedness. 
The curse in the garden from  eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil is that death must occur. Christ, took that curse

Galatians 3:13  “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’”

We deserve the death by the serpent, but God has allowed us to look upon Christ and be spared. 

Acts 5:30 “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a tree.”
Acts 10:38-39 “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree.”

We are to have our eyes opened and see what we have done against our innocent God and creator.  

Acts 13:27-31 “27 For those who live in Jerusalem, and their rulers, recognizing neither Him nor the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning Him. 28 And though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that He be executed. 29 When they had carried out all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the  tree and laid Him in a tomb. 30 But God raised Him from the dead; 31 and for many days He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now His witnesses to the people."

We are to look at His work, to Him, not the trees. 

1 Peter 2:21-25 “21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

What are we looking at? What are we grumbling against? What fruit are we telling God that He needs to accept? What are we, like Eve and Adam saying is a delight to the eyes but is contrary to God's word? 
Christ on the tree is placing HIMSELF in view in front of the tree of knowledge of good and evil that we might see that HE as God is who defines good and evil and HIS fruit is what is good and pleasing. 

Deuteronomy 16:21 “You shall not plant for yourself an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of the Lord your God, which you shall make for yourself. 22 You shall not set up for yourself a sacred pillar which the Lord your God hates.

Why would we say it is honor and worship to our God to delight in the things which He says He hates, which are a curse, which are an echo of the moment that caused Him the greatest pain?

Deuteronomy 12:2 You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3 You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place. 4 You shall not act like this toward the Lord your God. 

Colossians 2

 A Biblical understanding of Colossians 2:

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge

Paul opens chapter 2 with this greeting to the gentile Colossian church and immediately points to the things that are in Christ as wisdom and knowledge of God. For citations on what wisdom and knowledge are Biblically, here are some proof citations. 

Deuteronomy 4:5-6 “See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it.  So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 

Psalm 19:7 “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”

Psalm 119:98–100 “Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies,For they are ever mine.”“I have more insight than all my teachers,For Your testimonies are my meditation.”“I understand more than the aged,Because I have observed Your precepts.”

 Psalm 119:130 “The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.”

Psalm 119:142 “Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,And Your law is truth.”

Nehemiah 8:8“They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.” 

Hosea 4:6 "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children."

Romans 2:20  " a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth 

Paul contrasts the wisdom of God as revealed in the Law of God - in which is the mystery of Christ, with the worldly teachings and in philosophy of men. 

4 I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument.

Pervasive argument being that of men, and even people in the church.

Mark 12:13-17 Then they *sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Him in order to trap Him in a statement. 14 They *came and *said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay a poll-tax to Caesar, or not? 15 Shall we pay or shall we not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a denarius to look at.” 16 They brought one. And He *said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.” 17 And Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were amazed at Him.  

 Matthew 22:34-40 34 But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. 35 One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets. 

Matthew 12:9-14 Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse Him. 11 And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

Living the way Christ example shows us to live is in obedience to the Law of God in response to salvation by the work of Christ alone. Pharisees presented worldly arguments to try and trap people and sway them to man made traditions and Rabbinical decrees. Paul had lived as a Pharisee when he was putting to death Christ followers thinking himself justified in doing so. 

5 For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ. 6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Paul is telling us that we are to walk like Christ, who is in perfect obedience to God's law and without sin which is the breaking of the Law of God according to 1 John 3:4. By faith we are saved, but then comes obedience to Christ and the conforming of our lives to His example. As Paul mentions stability of faith in Christ, we should take note of what instability is as Peter in 2 Peter 3 remarks about the ways people misinterpret the writings of Paul

2 Peter 3:14-18  Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Peter is warning that those who are unstable take Paul's writings to mean Paul is writing against God's law and those people are unstable and distort scripture. Those people break through the restraint of God's law and gratify their lusts. This is in line with Paul writing that we are to live like Christ- who is our example of obedience to God's Law which is truth. 

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.

Paul continues on in the contrast of the traditions of men being contrary to the Christ. We see this very contrast between Christ and the traditions of men in Mark 7 

Mark 7:3-9 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thus observing the traditions of the elders; 4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.) 5 The Pharisees and the scribes *asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?” 6 And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:‘This people honors Me with their lips,But their heart is far away from Me.7 ‘But in vain do they worship Me,Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’8 Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”9 He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition"

This encounter shows us that there is a direct contrast from the teaching of the Pharisees and religious leaders who were following the philosophies and traditions of the world- Instead of the commands of God which are not based on the world but come from God and how we live like Christ. The matter Paul addresses is who we follow in authority. 

9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;

Paul affirms that Christ IS God in human flesh. This is an essential element for context because there is no greater authority than God, and the commands of God- are from this highest authority rather than the world. The fullness of Deity dwells in Christ, not part of Deity- the fullness. Christ states outright that His teaching is the commands of God. 

 John 7:15-19 The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?” 16 So Jesus answered them and said, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me. 17 If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. 18 He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.19 “Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law? Why do you seek to kill Me?”

Again the contrast as shown here by Christ in John, is that these Pharisees and religious elite were not obeying the commands of God, they were not following God's law, and that Christ' teaching IS God's law. The obedience to the God's instructions is what has shown Christ to be wiser than the Pharisaic elite and that is the very point that Paul made in Colossians 2:1-3. Continuing on... 

11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Paul in this section is again addressing specific Pharisees who were telling Gentiles that they couldn't even be saved unless they underwent ritual conversion to rabbinical authority by way of circumcision as we see shown in Acts. It is essential to understand that this heresy was something that began in Acts 15 that stated that Rabbinic authority was what deemed a man saved rather than faith. 

Acts 15:1  Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

 Acts 15:5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”

The matter addressed is salvation, not sanctification. Paul's statement is that we have already been circumcised in heart by Christ as salvation is by faith, it has always been by faith- it has never been something done in our flesh. What was nailed to the cross is the debt as a lawbreaker having transgressed against God's law. Christ, by His grace has nailed that to the cross. Proverbs 13 states that when we despised the Word of God ( obedience) then the debt is owed by us. We should fear the word of God and tremble at it. 

Proverbs 13:13 The one who despises the word will be in debt to it, But the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded.

Paul is directing us to walk in the security that our salvation has already been paid for by Christ, who has given us grace for all sin and the debt we incurred as people who  had walked contrary to God's laws when we were walking by the flesh in rebellion to Him. 

15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.16 Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— 17 things which are a shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. 

John 9:22  His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue

 Verse 15- 16 are speaking together about those gentiles who are being kicked out of the churches for professing and walking according to Christ and His example. In these following verses we see evidence that the Pharisees were angry at Christ and His disciples because they were plucking heads of grain- a violation of rabbinical interpretation, but something that the word of God shows is permitted as gleaning and harvesting are different things. 

Luke 6:1-2 Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating the grain. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 

Deuteronomy 23:24-25  “When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, then you may eat grapes until you are fully satisfied, but you shall not put any in your basket.25 “When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, then you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not wield a sickle in your neighbor’s standing grain.

There were Pharisees who were removing from the assembly anyone who held to Christ and refused rabbinical authority. Paul is encouraging gentiles to hold to obedience and keep the commands regardless if a pharisaic pastor was judging them for observance,  regardless if they were being told to stop, or if told that they cannot keep the commands of God unless they do it the way the Pharisees state it must be done. The substance belongs to Christ, which as several passages already listed have shown, is the one who is God who commands them, and is the example of how to keep them and the definition of what they mean. Christ is contrary to the rabbinical authority and pharisees that are telling people to NOT obey the sabbath and the new moon.  Christ tells us to keep the Sabbath. 

Matthew 24:9 “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12 Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. 14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. 15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18 Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.

Again, Christ is preaching obedience to the Law of God as His example of what love means, and that we are to pray that literally the tribulation not be in winter or on the Sabbath- meaning that as it pertains to Colossians 2, The Pharisees telling people that they can't keep the Sabbath unless they convert to rabbinical pharisaic authority is contrary to Christ. Gentiles being told not to follow the Sabbath is contrary to Christ, and it is a man made tradition based on the world instead of Christ. 

18 Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.

Paul here is making a case against gnostics and some of the order that were among the body who were introducing doctrines of asceticism which though rebuked, found their practice in the Roman Catholic Church anyway in defiance of apostolic succession. Valentinians and Basilideans were gnostic sects that worshipped angels and were reasoning with deceptive philosophies. Justin Martyr lists these gnostics as being in the church and professing in name only having been believers. When we hold to the head which is Christ, we do the things of Christ, and what Christ shows us is what obedience to God's law looks like in perfect application.  It is also of note that in heaven, we will be keeping Sabbaths and New moon festivals - this is what is to come. 

Isaiah 66:22-24 “For just as the new heavens and the new earth which I make will endure before Me,” declares the Lord, “So your offspring and your name will endure. 23 “And it shall be from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the Lord. 24 “Then they will go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched; and they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.”

Paul continues to showcase examples of the man made traditions of the Pharisees that were contrary to God's commandments, as he wrote about Peter being led astray by the Pharisees in his letter to the Galatians

 Galatians 2:4 But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage. 5 But we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you. 6 But from those who were of high reputation (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me. 7 But on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised 8 (for He who effectually worked for Peter in his apostleship to the circumcised effectually worked for me also to the Gentiles), 9 and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 They only asked us to remember the poor—the very thing I also was eager to do.11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. 

20 If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, 21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” 22 (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? 23 These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.

Matthew 15:1-9   Then some Pharisees and scribes *came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” 3 And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother is to be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” 6 he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: 8 ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. 9 ‘But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”

So whenever you hear or see someone attempt to cite Colossians 2 as a means to judge you for holding to the commands of God or telling the truth about the Sabbath, know that they're unstable in doctrine and they're not holding to the example of Christ, they're distorting the writings of Paul, and they're like the Pharisees in rejecting obedience.  The arguments based on the world are rejecting obeying God's law and are not based on Christ. 

Matthew 7:15-29 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”28 When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29 for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

Dont Pig Out

"but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. 21 For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”- Acts 15
"But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.”- Acts 21

In acts 15 and 21 we see this command from the Apostles that those gentiles who are turning to God to avoid meat sacrificed to Idols. While there is meat that was clean, like sheep and bulls, the primary sacrifice for the major false gods is pig. 


Greek deities

• Demeter and Persephone: Pigs were an especially important offering for these goddesses of fertility and the underworld, particularly during the Thesmophoria festival. The rituals were linked to agricultural fertility, with the remains of buried piglets mixed with seeds to ensure a good harvest.
• Chthonic deities: Pigs were a common offering in purification and fertility rites for gods associated with the earth and underworld, which were also considered "unclean". The entire pig would often be incinerated in a holocaust, where the offering is wholly burnt.
• Zeus: As king of the gods, Zeus typically received more prestigious offerings, such as a bull. However, specific cults of Zeus, such as Zeus Meilikhios, could receive cakes baked in the shape of pigs or goats.
• Hermes: Cakes shaped like pigs were traditional offerings for Hermes, the messenger god. 

Roman deities

• Mars: The most distinctive and traditional Roman offering to the war god Mars was the suovetaurilia, a triple sacrifice of a pig (sus), a sheep (ovis), and a bull (taurus). This rite was used to purify land and ensure victory in battle.
• Household gods: A suovetaurilia was also offered to household gods at the agricultural festival of the Ambarvalia to ensure the fertility of the fields.
• Other uses: In a Roman context, a pig was a common victim for a piaculum, a sacrifice meant to atone for a sacrilege. 

Norse deities

• Frey: In Norse mythology, the god of fertility Frey is associated with the magical boar Gullinbursti ("golden-bristled"). Historically, a "sacrificial boar" was used in Yule celebrations, and the boar was a symbol of power and royal lineage.
• Æsir and Einherjar: In Valhalla, the boar Sæhrímnir is killed and eaten every night by the gods and fallen warriors, only to be resurrected the next day. 

Egyptian deities

• Osiris and Set: In ancient Egypt, pigs were offered to the gods. In particular, pigs were sacrificed to Set, the god associated with Upper Egypt. 
  
  

Scripture has several mentions about those who eat abominations and follow their appetites rather than obeying God.  

Psalm 141:4

"Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice deeds of wickedness With men who do iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies.  

Romans 16:17-18

"Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.

18For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

Philippians 3:18-19

18For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, 19whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.

Isaiah 65:1-5
“I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts, 3 A people who continually provoke Me to My face,Offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on bricks; 4 Who sit among graves and spend the night in secret places;Who eat swine’s flesh, And the broth of unclean meat is in their pots. 5 “Who say, ‘Keep to yourself, do not come near me, For I am holier than you!’ These are smoke in My nostrils,A fire that burns all the day."

Isaiah 66:15-17

"For behold, the LORD will come in fire And His chariots like the whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire.  16For the LORD will execute judgment by fire And by His sword on all flesh, And those slain by the LORD will be many. 17“Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go to the gardens, Following one in the center, Who eat swine’s flesh, detestable things and mice, Will come to an end altogether,” declares the LORD."

In fact, It's Nicolaitan doctrine to disregard God's prohibition against unclean meat. The deeds of the Nicolaitans are specifically rebuked by Christ in Revelation 

Acts 6:5
The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.

Revelation 2:2-7
 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent. 6 Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’

Revelation 2:13-17
‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. 15 So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’

They were a people who used Christian liberty as an occasion for the flesh, against such Paul warned (Gal 5:13). The enticement to such a course of action was the pagan society in which Christians lived where eating meat offered to idols was common. Sex relations outside marriage were completely acceptable in such a society. The Nicolaitans attempted to establish a compromise with the pagan society of the Graeco-Roman world that surrounded them. The people most susceptible to such teaching were, no doubt, the upper classes who stood to lose the most by a separation from the culture to which they had belonged before conversion.- Encyclopedia of the Bible, Biblegateway

"The sect of the Nicolaitans had its apostles' and prophets like the great church. The Apostles were the missionaries. In Ephesus the members of the church had experienced their influence and had driven them out with scorn and shame. In Thyatira a certain woman, who seems to have been particularly dangerous, is attacked as a prophetess.2 John had already given her one warning and granted her time for repentance. Now he threatens her and her followers with judgment of death if they persist in their sinful ways.3 5. This is all the information concerning the Nicolaitans which the Apocalypse of John furnishes. From the writings of the church fathers, however, we gain some further knowledge: (a) Irenaeus of Asia Minor describes them as "a branch of the movement falsely called 'gnosis"' (iii. i i. ), and regards them as forerunners of Cerinthus. This he did not learn from the Apocalypse, but from tradition. Probably he knew more about them and their teaching than he felt it necessary to tell. That they were still existing in his time is implied in i. 26. 3 (cf. also Clement of Alexandria). b) Tertullian also knew more (on the basis of tradition) than he tells. This is evident from the fact that he classes them with the satanic sect of the Cainites (de Praescr. 33.4 Cf. also Adv. Marc. i. 29; de Pudic. 19). In the epistle of Jude, also, the false teachers are described as going "in the way of Cain." c) The gnostic system of the Nicolaitans, which is referred to in the Apocalypse, in Irenaeus, and in Tertullian, is described in its main features by Hippolytus in the Syntagma.s It was a thoroughly dualistic"

 In his treatise ad Miannaeam Hippolytus says further that the Nicolaitans taught that the resurrection had already taken place in faith and baptism, and that there was no resurrection of the flesh; that they laid the greatest stress upon faith and baptism is shown by their particular type of Christianity.2 From Hippolytus' account we see that he must have had in his possession a good fund of knowledge concerning the Nicolaitans. d) Clement of Alexandria, who gives us information concerning the person of Nicolaus which does not appear elsewhere (see the exposition below), says nothing concerning the teaching of the Nicolaitans because the particular connection in which he mentions them gives no occasion to speak of their doctrine (questions of asceticism). However, he does say that these "lascivious goats" justify their wicked actions with a word of their teacher, Nicolaus: "It is proper to abuse the flesh." They no longer existed in his day. e) We have a striking statement from Victorinus of Pettau. He says that the Nicolaitans had taught "that food offered to idols might be exorcized and eaten and that anyone who might be a fornicator might obtain peace on the eighth day."

 So, the idea that through prayer "God made all the unclean animals now clean" is not Biblical, its a doctrine that Christ Himself rebuked. Christ states that He hates these deeds. As the aforementioned verses from Isaiah show- regarding the return of Christ in judgement- Those who are eating the swine's flesh will experience steep consequences. 

Church Fathers Call Rome Babylon

 Irenaeus (c. 130–202 AD) – Against Heresies

“The legs of iron are the Romans, among whom is partition of the kingdom, for the kingdom is divided, and yet the iron rules.” — Against Heresies V.26.1
“In the last times, a kingdom shall arise, more fierce than any before it… this is plainly the empire which now rules, the iron kingdom which Daniel saw.” — Against Heresies V.26.2
“The fourth kingdom which Daniel foresaw is plainly the Roman Empire, which still exists, and which the Revelator calls Babylon.” — Against Heresies V.30.3

Tertullian (c. 155–240 AD) – Against Marcion / On the Resurrection of the Flesh

“In the fourth kingdom, which is that of the Romans, the iron legs are strong; thus the empire which now holds the world is signified.” — Against Marcion V.16
“We Christians are under no delusion; we know that the empire must be crushed and divided, as Daniel foresaw in the image of iron and clay.” — On the Resurrection of the Flesh 24
“Babylon in the Apocalypse is none other than the great city ruling over the kings of the earth—this can only be Rome.” — Against Marcion III.13

Lactantius (c. 250–325 AD) – Divine Institutes

“The fourth kingdom is that of the Romans, which, having subdued all nations, possesses the world itself. This is the iron which broke in pieces and bruised all things.” — Divine Institutes VII.15
“Rome is that Babylon which the Apocalypse of John foretells shall fall, because she made all nations drink of her fornications.” — Divine Institutes VII.25
“As the iron is strong, so the Roman empire is most mighty; yet it is mingled with clay, for it is divided and cannot stand.” — Divine Institutes VII.16

Jerome (c. 347–420 AD) – Commentary on Daniel

“The fourth kingdom, which clearly refers to the Romans, is the iron which breaks in pieces and overcomes all things.” — Commentary on Daniel II.40
“Babylon is a figure of Rome, which in John’s Apocalypse is called the harlot seated upon seven hills.” — Commentary on Daniel VII.7
“The city which rules over the whole world is none other than Rome; therefore, John rightly called her Babylon, signifying her confusion and idolatry.” — Commentary on Daniel VII.25

You Aramaic-ing a Mistake There

 Recently I did a breakdown of the point where Christ is referring to the fact that the Revelation of Him as the Rock of our Salvation, the Chief Cornerstone which the builders rejected- is what He is basing the church on. While I mentioned the play on words in the greek "kai" meaning "But" rather than and in this expression, one objection is that this doesn't work in the Aramaic .The argument is this: In that region they spoke Aramaic, and in Aramaic it doesn't translate into greek as this:

 "you are a pebble/ petra [But] on THIS Rock I will build my church" 

They say that it has to be that the inference is that the "rock must be peter"  based on the Aramaic in which it reads

"You are called rock, and on this rock I will build my church"

 I can understand the confusion. It's not unreasonable to think "They're Jews, Jews speak Aramaic. Therefore, They Spoke Aramaic." To use an example, If you were to go into a kitchen of a family owned Mexican restaurant in the southern part of California, everyone in that place would likely be speaking spanish- even though the dominant language in America is English. While "Peter" in this analogy might be expected to speak "English" because the Nation speaks "English", him speaking the cultural "Spanish" would not be unreasonable at all. So Peter speaking Greek because the culture is very Greek would not be unreasonable despite the national language being Aramaic. This analogy would work for a lot of construction workers too.  Lets look at some facts that substantiate this idea rather than the notion that they innate speaking Aramaic. 

1.  The Hellenistic Jews were all over the place after the conquest of Judea in 332 BC  by Alexander the great, and they exposed the area to Greek cultural fusion for centuries. Jewish and Hellenic cultures merge into Hellenized Jewish culture in their practices and the use of the Greek in Jewish communities
2.  We would have to insist that Christ and Peter weren't speaking Greek to each other at the time and it was later retroactively recorded into Aramaic. 
3. The Septuagint is the scriptures written in Greek for those in the Diaspora that didn't speak or read Hebrew but were Jewish, like Peter. 
   
   

Those are pretty significant points and I'll explain the spiritual implications in a moment after I continue to set up context. There are some things that we need to understand regarding Peter in the context of Greek and his use of the language 

• Galilee was multilingual: In the first century, Galilee was a culturally mixed region where Aramaic was the primary language of Jews, but Greek was widely spoken, especially in trade and administrative contexts. 
• Peter was a fisherman by trade, and fishing was often an export business, likely involving Greek-speaking customers or Roman administrators. 
• Peter preached in Greek-speaking areas, including:
• The Day of Pentecost (Acts 2): Jews from all over the Roman world were present. While the Holy Spirit enabled the apostles to speak in various tongues, Peter gives an explanation of the events that have been Greek 
• His interactions with Cornelius, a Roman centurion (Acts 10), would almost certainly have involved Greek as the common language
• Peter wrote 1st Peter to Gentile churches Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia

• Early Church Fathers—like Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen—accepted Peter as the author of 1 Peter, despite modern critical skepticism
• Proponents of traditional authorship argue that Peter’s decades of missionary work among Greek speakers (e.g., among Hellenistic Jews and Gentiles) would naturally improve his Greek competence

Peter knew Greek as a fisherman that caught and sold fish. 

• Archaeological and historical findings show that Galilee had a high proportion of Greek speakers; inscriptions and ossuaries frequently featured both Greek and Hebrew, suggesting a bilingual environment 

• Jerome Murphy-O’Connor observes that Galilean fishermen like Peter likely had basic Greek competence, useful for trade with Gentiles and diaspora communities

• Peter was from Bethsaida, a town notably adjacent to a Greek-influenced city, Julias—making exposure to Greek highly likely in his upbringing 

The Septuagint (LXX) was created around 250 BC. The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible,produced for the Jewish diaspora living in Hellenistic (Greek-speaking) regions, who no longer spoke or read Hebrew fluently. Am I saying that Peter was hellenistic and didn't know Hebrew? Not at all! What I am saying is how much context there is for speaking greek and the magnitude of the effects of the Gentile Greek culture had on the area. 

Now, what about the other person in that conversation? What about Christ?  Christ examples of speaking Greek ?

Jesus traveled to and healed people in the Decapolis, Tyre and Sidon, and other Hellenized regions documented in Mark 7:24-30.The Decapolis cities were centers of Hellenistic pagan culture: Temples to Greek and Roman gods, Greek-style architecture. We see this exchange with Christ and this woman. 

Mark 7:24–30 
24 Jesus got up and went away from there to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it; yet He could not escape notice. 25 But after hearing of Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 And He was saying to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered and *said to Him, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs.” 29 And He said to her, “Because of this answer go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30 And going back to her home, she found the child lying on the bed, the demon having left.

A Greek-speaking Gentile woman begs Jesus to heal her daughter. Jesus replies, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.”She replies, “Even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.”

The woman is from Phoenicia (modern Lebanon), where Greek was the dominant language and No interpreter is mentioned. While some argue that Matthew 16 is naturally Aramaic due to location, Greek would be the argument for this location. Plus the back and forth between Jesus and the woman flows naturally in Greek; this would be problematic and difficult in translation.  Many argue this interaction was likely in Greek, as it's the only plausible shared language. These regions were predominantly Greek-speaking. Interactions with locals like the Syrophoenician woman would have required some Greek, or an interpreter which isn't mentioned in the Gospels. Matthew 15:21–28 — The Syrophoenician woman speaks with Jesus in what is recorded in Greek; she is a Gentile, and Aramaic would be unlikely. This also shows examples of Christ using this witty wordplay with the dogs and the table, just as He does in Matthew 16 with the Pebble/ Rock pun. 

The centurion’s dialogue

Matthew 8:5–13
5 And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” 7 Jesus *said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 10 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. 11 I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; 12 but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed that very moment.

I doubt the Centurion was fluent in Aramaic. In Matthew, the centurion speaks directly to Christ. Greek would be the shared language here. Furthermore, Christ is mentioning to the Gentile believer about how he will be welcomed at his table while other "sons of the kingdom" will be broken off. This is a parallel to Isaiah 56, which is also a connection to Peters vision in Acts 10 when Peter was refusing to eat with Gentiles and God had to rebuke Peter by sending him with Gentiles to other Gentiles so that he'd see that Christ cleansed the Gentiles, and gave Gentiles the revelation of Christ and they're allowed to be part of the Church since they have had this revelation. 

Lets look at the points regarding Pilot, as they're pertinent in the context of speaking Greek and Latin 

• As a Roman official, his native language was Latin, and this was the administrative language of the Roman Empire. Inscriptions from his time, such as the famous Pilate Stone found in Caesarea Maritima, are in Latin. 

• Greek – The Lingua Franca of the Eastern Roman Empire 

• In the eastern Mediterranean (including Judea), Koine Greek was the common spoken language across cultures and ethnicities—even among Roman officials. 

• Greek was used in commerce, governance, and everyday cross-cultural communication. 

• Roman governors in the East needed Greek to administer their provinces. 

• The Gospels were written in Greek, and Jesus' dialogue with Pilate is recorded in Greek—no translator is mentioned, suggesting Pilate could speak and understand Greek.

Even look at the evidence when Pilot made the sign on the cross he includes greek showcasing the fact that Greek was a prominent language in usage. Pilate made it known to the Greek public along with everyone else, that Christ is the King of the Jews. 

John 19:19–20
19 Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 20 Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin and in Greek.

So its reasonable that Christ spoke Greek. Its reasonable that Peter spoke Greek. Its reasonable that the area spoke Greek. Its more reasonable due to linguistics and word play. Lets look at that Spiritual significance I mentioned earlier. 

John 1
40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He *found first his own brother Simon and *said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter). 43 The next day He purposed to go into Galilee, and He *found Philip. And Jesus *said to him, “Follow Me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip *found Nathanael and *said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip *said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and *said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael *said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.”

What do all of these people have in common? Christ is assembling those who will follow Him on the revelation of Him, Christ, being the Messiah. Christ has begun building His church on the revelation of Him as the Rock of our salvation, The stone which the builders rejected. Nathanaels revelation is the same as the one that peter would eventually have- even though Andrew already had it. Christ, at the calling of these men and the revelation of Himself as the foundation which they're to build upon as the Rock. In fact, we can see that in Matthew 7 

Matthew 7
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”28 When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29 for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

The revelation of Christ is the Rock, just as He is the gate, just as He casts out those that don't obey Him. Peter tells those Greek churches in 1st peter this same thing, that Christ is the Rock. 

1 Peter 2:2-8
2 like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.” 7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,  “The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone,” 8 and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed

Peter is saying the EXACT point that Christ is making in Matthew 16 regarding the revelation of Christ and obedience to Him as the Rock of our Salvation. That Christ is the Stone, and we as imitators of Christ are in salvation, are to be like the Stone which the builders rejected. That we, when we believe in HIM and obey, we build upon the Rock and will not be disappointed. 

Now, lets break down that fishing element. 

Mark 1
Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

Matthew 4
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Why is it important to note that the Greek speaking fisherman was told by Christ that He would make them "fishers of men"? 

Revelation 17:15
15 And he *said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues

Because Christ is making a clever play here with the purpose of sending Peter to the Gentiles. A fisherman who was casting nets into the sea was drafted to be a fisher of men by casting a proverbial net into the nations and multitudes of tongues with the revelation of Christ who is the Rock of our salvation.


Lets put this all together now. 

• Peter was a Jew who was a fisherman who knew greek, 

• He has an encounter with Christ while Christ sees He is a fisherman and Christ is heralded as the Son of Joseph= Messiah, The Rock of our Salvation and the Stone which the builders rejected.  

• Christ who is the Rock of our Salvation, at this time changes the name of this Jewish fisherman who speaks Greek to the word that means "little rock" right after the declaration of Christ as the Rock when Simon/Peter begins following Christ the Stone. 

• Christ, takes this Jewish "little rock" and teaches him as Peter struggles to understand things and holds to a bunch of self reliance. 

• Christ again asks "who do people say that I am?" and Peter says "you're Christ". 

• Christ says right you are simon -the original hebrew name- using the linguistic variant to show he's making a play on words here. 

• Making that play on words He says  "you are called pebble, but , on this revelation [ That Christ is the Messiah] I will build my church" as a call back to the moment they met and Peter was fishing, and Christ made him a fisher of Men, 

• Christ drafted Peter to preach to the gentiles who speak greek in order to teach them how to be followers of the Rock which is Christ.

• Christ is taken before the Greek and Latin speaking Pilot. Christ speaks with this Gentile leader without mention of an interpreter ( and lets be honest here, Christ inventing speaking so I have no doubt that if He wanted to He could speak in any language- but He grew up in the area where Greek was common) and is Crucified and Resurrected. 

• Even Peters denial of Christ and the restoration after the Resurrection is a testament of the preaching to the gentiles as All gentiles came from Noah ,spreading out and rejected the ways of God to become separated from God- After the Resurrection, Christ has allowed the restoration back to God to commission them to be imitators of Christ- The Gospel, that by faith and the Revelation that HE is the Messiah you can be saved. Just as was promised to Abraham.  

• Peter then goes to gentiles and preaches in greek. He goes to Romans and preaches in greek. He writes an epistle ... in greek. 

Read all of Acts 10 in this context that the Revelation of Christ is the Rock on which we build, not Peter. Cornelius the Greek speaking Centurion has the revelation from God. Peter is sent to his HOUSE.  Peter's apprehensions are due to Pharisaic rabbinical law that said not to do so, as Peter was refusing to even eat with the gentiles. Peter has this whole vision at the time he would have been refusing to eat with gentiles and  would have called them unclean. God tells him to not call unclean the people that He by His word calls clean which is found in John and is saying the EXACT SAME THING ABOUT THE REVELATION OF CHRIST

John 15:1-11
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9 Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

Peter who was confused because I think he might have been a little slow to be honest, is standing there and who showed up? 2 servants of the Gentile Centurion requesting that Peter defy the Rabbinical authority's man made rules and come preach the Revelation of Christ to the Gentiles as Christ kept emphasizing. Peter goes because God told him to. Peter shows up and does he say something like "Hey Cornelius and all you Romans, I'm the supreme Pontiff, you must now obey my infallibility!"
No. What does He say? 

34 Opening his mouth, Peter said:

“I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, 35 but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him. 36 The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)— 37 you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. 38 You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. 39 We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. 40 God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. 43 Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” 44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. 45 All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, 47 “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” 48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.

The Peter confession scene at Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16; Mark 8; Luke 9) — where the famous Greek wordplay between Πέτρος (Petros) and πέτρα (petra) only functions in Greek. Matthew 16:18 in the greek has this wordplay like the Syrophoenician woman 

“You are Peter (Πέτρος), and on this rock (πέτρα) I will build my church…”

In Greek, the wordplay between Petros (Πέτρος, a masculine name) and petra (πέτρα, feminine, “rock”) is clear and deliberate. In Aramaic, both would have likely been kepha (כיפא), which doesn’t preserve the pun or contrast.This suggests the Greek version reflects the original wording—or that Jesus made the pun in Greek.

As I mentioned on the greek cultural influence, there are examples of the Greek Kai meaning "but" as linked at the start of this post and listed here. 

Examples of "Kai" being used in the ancient Greek:

Clytemnestra

In the night, I say, that has but now given birth to this day here.

Chorus

280 But what messenger could reach here with such speed?

Clytemnestra

Hephaistos, from Ida speeding forth his brilliant blaze.- 

Aeschylus, Agamemnon- 5th century B.C. 

Contrasting the night giving birth to day with a speedy messenger. 

Teucer:

...When he died, he left a conflict  over his armor to his allies. 

Helen:

But then what trouble is this to Ajax? 

In Euripides' Helen (line 102 in Perseus edition), the Greek for Helen's line "What harm if he did?" is: καὶ δὴ τί τοῦτ᾽ Αἴαντι γίγνεται κακόν

Transliteration: kaì dḕ tí toût’ Aíanti gígnetai kakón

It means roughly "And indeed, what harm does this become to Ajax? - Euripides' Helen Perseus edition

Contrasting Trucer's statement over armor to Helen's question about the trouble to Ajax. 

Shall I leave the station of the ships and the Atreidaealone, and go homeward across the Aegean sea ? BUT what face shall I show to my father Telamon when I  appear before him ? how will he ever endure to look upon me when I appear ungraced—without meed of valour, of which he himself had a great crown of fame ? That cannot be endured -Sophocles, Ajax 462 καὶ ποῖον… “But what…?”

Contrasting the idea of heading home with being looked at ungraciously 

“Dikaiopolis: But who has ever seen an ox so vaunting—such a kritanites?”

“But who has ever seen an ox like that—a kritanites—of all the vaunting deeds?”

Here, καὶ initiates a rhetorical question that underscores incredulity—effectively performing a contrastive/adversative function: “But who ever saw...?”

Aristophanes, Acharnians 86 καὶ τίς εἶδε πώποτε βοῦς κριβανίτας

....all of that is to say  that the Greek rendering of "you are Peter/pebble BUT on this, I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not overcome it" DOES linguistically and credibly refer to the Gospel and NOT the establishment of Peter as the rock in the place where only Christ should be.