The rock referred to in Matthew 16:18 is Christ Himself, not Peter.
Les Feldick explicitly teaches that when Jesus said 'upon this rock I will build my church,' He was speaking of Himself, not the apostle Peter. Scripture consistently identifies Christ as the Rock; the spiritual Rock from which Israel drank was Christ. Peter had just confessed that Jesus is 'the Christ, the Son of the living God,' and Jesus said His Father had revealed that truth to him.
Matthew 16:18 — Jesus directly uses the phrase 'upon this rock' after Peter's confession, and this is the verse in question.
1 Corinthians 10:4 — Paul explicitly identifies the rock from which Israel drank in the wilderness as Christ, showing the biblical pattern for 'rock' language.
In Matthew 16:13-16, Jesus asked His disciples, 'Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?' After hearing different opinions, He asked, 'But whom say ye that I am?' Simon Peter answered, 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus replied that this revelation had come from His Father in heaven. Then, in verse 18, Jesus said: 'That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.' The apostle Paul later identifies the spiritual Rock in Israel's wilderness journey in 1 Corinthians 10:4: 'And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.' Scripture itself, therefore, uses 'rock' as a title for Christ in other passages.
Les Feldick consistently teaches that when Scripture uses 'rock' or 'stone' symbolically, it always refers to one person: Jesus the Christ. In Matthew 16, after Peter made his great confession — 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God' — Jesus told Peter that flesh and blood had not revealed it, but the Father in heaven had. Then Jesus said, 'Thou art Peter' (which means a stone), but added 'upon this rock' — with a capital R-O-C-K — 'I will build my church.' Les says Jesus was speaking of Himself, 'upon Christ,' He would found the Church. He further points out that all through Scripture, from Daniel's stone cut out without hands to the wilderness rock that Moses struck, the rock is always Christ. Therefore, the rock in Matthew 16:18 is not Peter but Christ the Rock of our salvation.
Les Feldick explains that the name Peter means 'a stone.' Jesus then immediately spoke of 'this rock' with a capital R-O-C-K, meaning a different word and a different person. According to Les, Jesus was speaking of Himself — 'upon Christ' He would found the Church. So while Peter is a stone, the Rock on which the church is built is Christ.
Peter answered Jesus' question with the words, 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Les notes that Peter did not add anything about the cross or the resurrection — he did not yet know about those events. The confession that mattered at that moment was Who Jesus was, and that knowledge had been revealed by the Father in heaven.
Les Feldick points to Daniel chapter 2, where a stone cut out without hands smites Nebuchadnezzar's image — that stone, he says, is Christ at His Second Coming. He also references 1 Corinthians 10, where the wilderness rock that Moses struck is identified as Christ. All through Scripture, the symbolic 'rock' or 'stone' points to Jesus.
Christ the Rock in the Wilderness
Les says that all through Scripture, whenever 'rock' is used symbolically, it always refers to one person — Jesus the Christ. This establishes the hermeneutical rule that 'rock' means Christ.
Peter's Confession and the Rock in Matthew 16
Les explicitly teaches that when Jesus said 'upon this rock' He was speaking of Himself, upon Christ, and that He would found the Church. He distinguishes Peter (a stone) from 'this rock' (capital R-O-C-K).
Christ as the Rock and Stone
Les repeats the principle that all through Scripture the stone or rock is Christ, from Daniel's stone to the wilderness rock struck by Moses.
The Rock of Our Salvation
Les directly answers the question: when Jesus said 'Thou art Peter, upon this rock I will build my church,' the rock was Christ. He also calls Christ the rock of our salvation.
Peter's Confession Revealed by the Father
Les reads Matthew 16:16-17, showing that Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ came from the Father in heaven, not from flesh and blood.
The Setting at Caesarea Philippi
Les places the event at Caesarea Philippi and emphasizes that Peter's confession was simply 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God' — he did not mention the cross or resurrection.
Peter Didn't Yet Know of the Cross
Les points out that Peter said nothing about the cross or resurrection in his confession; he did not know about them yet. The confession was about Jesus' identity.
Peter as Spokesman
Les recounts Matthew 16:13-16, showing that Peter, as the spokesman, answered, 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God' — the answer required at that time.
Matthew 16:16: And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Peter's confession immediately precedes Jesus' statement about the rock, so it frames who Jesus is.
Matthew 16:17: And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Jesus attributes Peter's confession to the Father's revelation, which Les says opens the way for the rock statement.
Matthew 16:18: And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
This is the key verse in question, where Jesus speaks of 'this rock' upon which He will build His church.
1 Corinthians 10:4: And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
Paul explicitly identifies the wilderness rock as Christ, showing how Scripture itself uses 'rock' as a title for Jesus.
Daniel 2:34: Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
Les refers to Daniel's stone as a picture of Christ at His Second Coming, another symbolic use of 'stone.'
According to Les Feldick, the rock is Christ Himself. Jesus used Peter's confession to pivot to the truth about His own identity and promised to build His church on that reality, not on Peter.
Les notes that 'Peter' means a stone, but when Jesus said 'upon this rock' He referred to Himself, Christ. Peter is a stone, but the Rock on which the church is built is Jesus.
Peter said, 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God' (Matthew 16:16), and Jesus said that the Father in heaven had revealed that truth to him.
Watch the Teaching: Christ the Rock: Spiritual Warfare & The Battle with Amalek