hells gates in light of grace · 2018. 5. 25. · hells gates in light of grace-who you are, who i...
TRANSCRIPT
Hells Gates in Light of Grace-Who You Are Who I AM-
January 21 2018
Tom Shannon Pastor
Restored Life Church
wwwrestored-life-churchcom
Where Wersquore Headed
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
Who I AM
bull Matthew 1613-17 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull 14 So they said ldquoSome say John the Baptist some Elijah and others Jeremiah or one of the prophetsrdquo
bull 15 He said to them ldquoBut who do you say that I amrdquo
bull 16 Simon Peter answered and said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo
bull 17 Jesus answered and said to him ldquoBlessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but My Father who is in heaven
Who You Are-You Are Peter
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My churchhellip
bull You Are Peter
bull Peter 4074 Πέτρος Peacutetros
bull Peter meaning stone
bull The masc of the fem peacutetra (4073) a massive rock or cliff
bull Peacutetros always means a stone never a rock as referred to by Homer
bull It is a large stone a piece or fragment of a rock such as a man might throw(WSD)
bull An isolated rock or small stone (TDNT)
On This Rock
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Rock 4073 πέτρα peacutetra A projecting rock cliff
bull (I) In such cliffs rock sepulchers were hewn (Matt 2751 60 Mark 1546
bull (II) Distinguished from the masc peacutetros in that peacutetra is a mass of rock while peacutetros is a detached stone or boulder a stone that might be thrown or easily moved
bull Therefore when a type is sought to illustrate a sure foundation the word peacutetra an immovable rock is used (Matt 724 25 2751 60 Mark 1546 Luke 648
This Rock
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Three main views have been held on the interpretation of this passage
bull (1) That Christ himself is the Rock on which the Church should be built
bull (2) That Peterrsquos confession of Jesus Christ as Son of God or God incarnate is the Rock
bull (3) That St Peter is the rock
bull A possible 4th view will be explored shortly
Build
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Build 3618 οἰκοδομέω oikodomeacuteō bull building a house builder To build construct erect
bull to build (up from the foundation)
bull to found establish
bull Who will build
Church
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Church synagogue (place of worship) the body of Christianshellip
bull Church 1577 ἐκκλησία ekklēsiacutea noun from eacutekklētos (nf) called out which is from ekkaleacuteō (nf) to call out
bull from a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564
bull 1537 ἐκ ek Prep primarily meaning out of from of as spoken of such objects which were before in another
bull 2564 καλέω kaleacuteō
bull To call trans (I) To call to someone in order that he may come or go somewhere
bull Does it make sense that people would be called out of Christ Peter or Peterrsquos confession
bull What would people be called out of
Gatesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and
on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Gates 4439 πύλη puacutelē A door gate the large door or entrance of an edifice city
bull Defensive to keep out
bull Where those in authority would meet
Hadesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will
build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull 86 ᾅδης haacutedēs noun from the priv a (1) not and ideiacuten (eiacutedō 1492) to see
bull Homer and Hesiod obscure dark invisible Hades the region of departed spirits Elysium or Tartarus
bull Corresponds to Sheol in OT occurring 59 times In NT Haacutedēs occurs only 10 times
bull Is found only in Matthew Luke Acts 1 Corinthians and Revelation
bull Hades is associated with death
bull Expresses the general concept of the invisible worldabode of the dead
bull Unfortunately both the OT and NT words have been translated in the KJV as ldquohellrdquo (Ps 1610) or the ldquograverdquo (Gen 3735) or the ldquopitrdquo (Num 1630 33)
bull Hades never denotes the physical grave nor is it the permanent region of the lost It is to give up those who are in it (Rev 2013) and is to be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 2014)
Questions
bull What is ldquothis rockrdquobull Not Peterbull Not a confessionbull Not Jesusbull Something else
bull What are the people ldquocalled out ofrdquobull Out of Jesusbull Out of Peterbull Something else
bull What is ldquothe gates of hadesrdquobull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this
rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull This ancient city was built on and against a majestic rock formation with lush vegetation It served as the water source for the Huela Marshes that gave birth to the Jordan River
bull Located in Bashan regarded by Jewish belief as an evil otherworldly domain where the Sons of God had relations with the daughters of men (Gen 61-4) and home of their offspring the Rephaim and Anakim (Nu 1330-33)
bull Jewish theology believed the spirits of these giants were demons (1 Enoch 151-12)
bull The Canaanites believed this was the entry to the underworld the ldquoGates of Sheolrdquo the dwelling place of the dead and was a site of cultic worship
bull Heiser M S (2014) I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible (J D Barry amp R Van Noord Eds) (pp 118ndash119) Bellingham WA Lexham Press Bible Study Magazine
Locationhellip
bull In Old Testament times this area was the northernmost part of the region of Bashan When the Israelites took over the area from the Canaanites the tribe of Dan established a city there that they called Dan When it was given to Herod Philip in New Testament times he renamed it Caesarea Philippi
bull In both the Old and New Testaments it was a center of pagan worship Mount Hermon itself had been called Baal Hermon after the Canaanite storm god Baal who was said to live on the mountain (Judg 33)
bull Even after the Israelites took it over from the Canaanites an Israelite king set up a worship center there with a golden calf (1 Kgs 1225ndash33)
bull There was a temple dedicated to Pan there in New Testament times as well as a temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull The city was also dedicated to Zeus Pan a the center of cultic worship
bull It housed a cave and spring dedicated to the Greek god Pan
bull A temple to Pan was built in the midst of the city at the mouth of this cave where people would make sacrifices to him
bull According to a narrative at his temple Pan was one of the few gods who could cross into Hades and return to earth
bull As result this site was recognized as the gate of Hades in the disciplesrsquo day
bull Christrsquos declaration about the Church was given powerful significance because it was uttered here
bull Booher C (2012 2016) Jesusrsquo Declaration at Caesarea Philippi In Faithlife Study Bible Bellingham WA Lexham Press
Location
bull Caesarea Philippi which stood in a lush area near the foot of Mount Hermon was a city dominated by immoral activities and pagan worship
bull Caesarea Philippi stood only twenty-five miles from the religious communities of Galilee But the citys religious practices were vastly different from those of the nearby Jewish towns
bull In Old Testament times the northeastern area of Israel became a center for Baal worship In the nearby city of Dan Israelite king Jeroboam built the high place that angered God and eventually led the Israelites to worship false gods Eventually worship of the baals was replaced with worship of Greek fertility gods
bull In the cliff that stood above the city local people built shrines and temples to Pan
bull To the pagan mind the cave at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld where fertility gods lived during the winter They committed detestable acts to worship these false gods
Location
bull Caesarea Philippis location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed At one time the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff
bull The pagans of Jesus day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring They saw water as a symbol of the
bull underworld and thought that their gods traveled to and from that world through caves
bull To the pagan mind then the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld the gates of hell In order to entice the return of their god Pan each year the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats
bull When Jesus brought his disciples to the area they must have been shocked Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there
bull It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell
Jesus Challenge
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples Who do you say that I am Peter boldly replied You are the Son of the living God The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus the true and living God and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in dead gods
bull Jesus continued You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (see Matt 1613-20)
bull Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words it seems clear that Jesus words also had symbolic meaning His church would be built on the rock of Caesarea Philippi a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols where ungodly values dominated
Jesus Challenge
bull Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked
bull Standing as they were at a literal Gate of Hades the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus challenge They had studied under their rabbi for several years and now he was commissioning them to a huge task to attack evil and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull httpswwwthattheworldmayknowcomgates-of-hell-article
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Where Wersquore Headed
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
Who I AM
bull Matthew 1613-17 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull 14 So they said ldquoSome say John the Baptist some Elijah and others Jeremiah or one of the prophetsrdquo
bull 15 He said to them ldquoBut who do you say that I amrdquo
bull 16 Simon Peter answered and said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo
bull 17 Jesus answered and said to him ldquoBlessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but My Father who is in heaven
Who You Are-You Are Peter
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My churchhellip
bull You Are Peter
bull Peter 4074 Πέτρος Peacutetros
bull Peter meaning stone
bull The masc of the fem peacutetra (4073) a massive rock or cliff
bull Peacutetros always means a stone never a rock as referred to by Homer
bull It is a large stone a piece or fragment of a rock such as a man might throw(WSD)
bull An isolated rock or small stone (TDNT)
On This Rock
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Rock 4073 πέτρα peacutetra A projecting rock cliff
bull (I) In such cliffs rock sepulchers were hewn (Matt 2751 60 Mark 1546
bull (II) Distinguished from the masc peacutetros in that peacutetra is a mass of rock while peacutetros is a detached stone or boulder a stone that might be thrown or easily moved
bull Therefore when a type is sought to illustrate a sure foundation the word peacutetra an immovable rock is used (Matt 724 25 2751 60 Mark 1546 Luke 648
This Rock
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Three main views have been held on the interpretation of this passage
bull (1) That Christ himself is the Rock on which the Church should be built
bull (2) That Peterrsquos confession of Jesus Christ as Son of God or God incarnate is the Rock
bull (3) That St Peter is the rock
bull A possible 4th view will be explored shortly
Build
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Build 3618 οἰκοδομέω oikodomeacuteō bull building a house builder To build construct erect
bull to build (up from the foundation)
bull to found establish
bull Who will build
Church
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Church synagogue (place of worship) the body of Christianshellip
bull Church 1577 ἐκκλησία ekklēsiacutea noun from eacutekklētos (nf) called out which is from ekkaleacuteō (nf) to call out
bull from a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564
bull 1537 ἐκ ek Prep primarily meaning out of from of as spoken of such objects which were before in another
bull 2564 καλέω kaleacuteō
bull To call trans (I) To call to someone in order that he may come or go somewhere
bull Does it make sense that people would be called out of Christ Peter or Peterrsquos confession
bull What would people be called out of
Gatesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and
on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Gates 4439 πύλη puacutelē A door gate the large door or entrance of an edifice city
bull Defensive to keep out
bull Where those in authority would meet
Hadesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will
build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull 86 ᾅδης haacutedēs noun from the priv a (1) not and ideiacuten (eiacutedō 1492) to see
bull Homer and Hesiod obscure dark invisible Hades the region of departed spirits Elysium or Tartarus
bull Corresponds to Sheol in OT occurring 59 times In NT Haacutedēs occurs only 10 times
bull Is found only in Matthew Luke Acts 1 Corinthians and Revelation
bull Hades is associated with death
bull Expresses the general concept of the invisible worldabode of the dead
bull Unfortunately both the OT and NT words have been translated in the KJV as ldquohellrdquo (Ps 1610) or the ldquograverdquo (Gen 3735) or the ldquopitrdquo (Num 1630 33)
bull Hades never denotes the physical grave nor is it the permanent region of the lost It is to give up those who are in it (Rev 2013) and is to be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 2014)
Questions
bull What is ldquothis rockrdquobull Not Peterbull Not a confessionbull Not Jesusbull Something else
bull What are the people ldquocalled out ofrdquobull Out of Jesusbull Out of Peterbull Something else
bull What is ldquothe gates of hadesrdquobull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this
rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull This ancient city was built on and against a majestic rock formation with lush vegetation It served as the water source for the Huela Marshes that gave birth to the Jordan River
bull Located in Bashan regarded by Jewish belief as an evil otherworldly domain where the Sons of God had relations with the daughters of men (Gen 61-4) and home of their offspring the Rephaim and Anakim (Nu 1330-33)
bull Jewish theology believed the spirits of these giants were demons (1 Enoch 151-12)
bull The Canaanites believed this was the entry to the underworld the ldquoGates of Sheolrdquo the dwelling place of the dead and was a site of cultic worship
bull Heiser M S (2014) I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible (J D Barry amp R Van Noord Eds) (pp 118ndash119) Bellingham WA Lexham Press Bible Study Magazine
Locationhellip
bull In Old Testament times this area was the northernmost part of the region of Bashan When the Israelites took over the area from the Canaanites the tribe of Dan established a city there that they called Dan When it was given to Herod Philip in New Testament times he renamed it Caesarea Philippi
bull In both the Old and New Testaments it was a center of pagan worship Mount Hermon itself had been called Baal Hermon after the Canaanite storm god Baal who was said to live on the mountain (Judg 33)
bull Even after the Israelites took it over from the Canaanites an Israelite king set up a worship center there with a golden calf (1 Kgs 1225ndash33)
bull There was a temple dedicated to Pan there in New Testament times as well as a temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull The city was also dedicated to Zeus Pan a the center of cultic worship
bull It housed a cave and spring dedicated to the Greek god Pan
bull A temple to Pan was built in the midst of the city at the mouth of this cave where people would make sacrifices to him
bull According to a narrative at his temple Pan was one of the few gods who could cross into Hades and return to earth
bull As result this site was recognized as the gate of Hades in the disciplesrsquo day
bull Christrsquos declaration about the Church was given powerful significance because it was uttered here
bull Booher C (2012 2016) Jesusrsquo Declaration at Caesarea Philippi In Faithlife Study Bible Bellingham WA Lexham Press
Location
bull Caesarea Philippi which stood in a lush area near the foot of Mount Hermon was a city dominated by immoral activities and pagan worship
bull Caesarea Philippi stood only twenty-five miles from the religious communities of Galilee But the citys religious practices were vastly different from those of the nearby Jewish towns
bull In Old Testament times the northeastern area of Israel became a center for Baal worship In the nearby city of Dan Israelite king Jeroboam built the high place that angered God and eventually led the Israelites to worship false gods Eventually worship of the baals was replaced with worship of Greek fertility gods
bull In the cliff that stood above the city local people built shrines and temples to Pan
bull To the pagan mind the cave at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld where fertility gods lived during the winter They committed detestable acts to worship these false gods
Location
bull Caesarea Philippis location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed At one time the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff
bull The pagans of Jesus day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring They saw water as a symbol of the
bull underworld and thought that their gods traveled to and from that world through caves
bull To the pagan mind then the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld the gates of hell In order to entice the return of their god Pan each year the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats
bull When Jesus brought his disciples to the area they must have been shocked Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there
bull It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell
Jesus Challenge
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples Who do you say that I am Peter boldly replied You are the Son of the living God The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus the true and living God and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in dead gods
bull Jesus continued You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (see Matt 1613-20)
bull Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words it seems clear that Jesus words also had symbolic meaning His church would be built on the rock of Caesarea Philippi a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols where ungodly values dominated
Jesus Challenge
bull Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked
bull Standing as they were at a literal Gate of Hades the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus challenge They had studied under their rabbi for several years and now he was commissioning them to a huge task to attack evil and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull httpswwwthattheworldmayknowcomgates-of-hell-article
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Who I AM
bull Matthew 1613-17 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull 14 So they said ldquoSome say John the Baptist some Elijah and others Jeremiah or one of the prophetsrdquo
bull 15 He said to them ldquoBut who do you say that I amrdquo
bull 16 Simon Peter answered and said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo
bull 17 Jesus answered and said to him ldquoBlessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but My Father who is in heaven
Who You Are-You Are Peter
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My churchhellip
bull You Are Peter
bull Peter 4074 Πέτρος Peacutetros
bull Peter meaning stone
bull The masc of the fem peacutetra (4073) a massive rock or cliff
bull Peacutetros always means a stone never a rock as referred to by Homer
bull It is a large stone a piece or fragment of a rock such as a man might throw(WSD)
bull An isolated rock or small stone (TDNT)
On This Rock
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Rock 4073 πέτρα peacutetra A projecting rock cliff
bull (I) In such cliffs rock sepulchers were hewn (Matt 2751 60 Mark 1546
bull (II) Distinguished from the masc peacutetros in that peacutetra is a mass of rock while peacutetros is a detached stone or boulder a stone that might be thrown or easily moved
bull Therefore when a type is sought to illustrate a sure foundation the word peacutetra an immovable rock is used (Matt 724 25 2751 60 Mark 1546 Luke 648
This Rock
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Three main views have been held on the interpretation of this passage
bull (1) That Christ himself is the Rock on which the Church should be built
bull (2) That Peterrsquos confession of Jesus Christ as Son of God or God incarnate is the Rock
bull (3) That St Peter is the rock
bull A possible 4th view will be explored shortly
Build
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Build 3618 οἰκοδομέω oikodomeacuteō bull building a house builder To build construct erect
bull to build (up from the foundation)
bull to found establish
bull Who will build
Church
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Church synagogue (place of worship) the body of Christianshellip
bull Church 1577 ἐκκλησία ekklēsiacutea noun from eacutekklētos (nf) called out which is from ekkaleacuteō (nf) to call out
bull from a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564
bull 1537 ἐκ ek Prep primarily meaning out of from of as spoken of such objects which were before in another
bull 2564 καλέω kaleacuteō
bull To call trans (I) To call to someone in order that he may come or go somewhere
bull Does it make sense that people would be called out of Christ Peter or Peterrsquos confession
bull What would people be called out of
Gatesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and
on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Gates 4439 πύλη puacutelē A door gate the large door or entrance of an edifice city
bull Defensive to keep out
bull Where those in authority would meet
Hadesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will
build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull 86 ᾅδης haacutedēs noun from the priv a (1) not and ideiacuten (eiacutedō 1492) to see
bull Homer and Hesiod obscure dark invisible Hades the region of departed spirits Elysium or Tartarus
bull Corresponds to Sheol in OT occurring 59 times In NT Haacutedēs occurs only 10 times
bull Is found only in Matthew Luke Acts 1 Corinthians and Revelation
bull Hades is associated with death
bull Expresses the general concept of the invisible worldabode of the dead
bull Unfortunately both the OT and NT words have been translated in the KJV as ldquohellrdquo (Ps 1610) or the ldquograverdquo (Gen 3735) or the ldquopitrdquo (Num 1630 33)
bull Hades never denotes the physical grave nor is it the permanent region of the lost It is to give up those who are in it (Rev 2013) and is to be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 2014)
Questions
bull What is ldquothis rockrdquobull Not Peterbull Not a confessionbull Not Jesusbull Something else
bull What are the people ldquocalled out ofrdquobull Out of Jesusbull Out of Peterbull Something else
bull What is ldquothe gates of hadesrdquobull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this
rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull This ancient city was built on and against a majestic rock formation with lush vegetation It served as the water source for the Huela Marshes that gave birth to the Jordan River
bull Located in Bashan regarded by Jewish belief as an evil otherworldly domain where the Sons of God had relations with the daughters of men (Gen 61-4) and home of their offspring the Rephaim and Anakim (Nu 1330-33)
bull Jewish theology believed the spirits of these giants were demons (1 Enoch 151-12)
bull The Canaanites believed this was the entry to the underworld the ldquoGates of Sheolrdquo the dwelling place of the dead and was a site of cultic worship
bull Heiser M S (2014) I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible (J D Barry amp R Van Noord Eds) (pp 118ndash119) Bellingham WA Lexham Press Bible Study Magazine
Locationhellip
bull In Old Testament times this area was the northernmost part of the region of Bashan When the Israelites took over the area from the Canaanites the tribe of Dan established a city there that they called Dan When it was given to Herod Philip in New Testament times he renamed it Caesarea Philippi
bull In both the Old and New Testaments it was a center of pagan worship Mount Hermon itself had been called Baal Hermon after the Canaanite storm god Baal who was said to live on the mountain (Judg 33)
bull Even after the Israelites took it over from the Canaanites an Israelite king set up a worship center there with a golden calf (1 Kgs 1225ndash33)
bull There was a temple dedicated to Pan there in New Testament times as well as a temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull The city was also dedicated to Zeus Pan a the center of cultic worship
bull It housed a cave and spring dedicated to the Greek god Pan
bull A temple to Pan was built in the midst of the city at the mouth of this cave where people would make sacrifices to him
bull According to a narrative at his temple Pan was one of the few gods who could cross into Hades and return to earth
bull As result this site was recognized as the gate of Hades in the disciplesrsquo day
bull Christrsquos declaration about the Church was given powerful significance because it was uttered here
bull Booher C (2012 2016) Jesusrsquo Declaration at Caesarea Philippi In Faithlife Study Bible Bellingham WA Lexham Press
Location
bull Caesarea Philippi which stood in a lush area near the foot of Mount Hermon was a city dominated by immoral activities and pagan worship
bull Caesarea Philippi stood only twenty-five miles from the religious communities of Galilee But the citys religious practices were vastly different from those of the nearby Jewish towns
bull In Old Testament times the northeastern area of Israel became a center for Baal worship In the nearby city of Dan Israelite king Jeroboam built the high place that angered God and eventually led the Israelites to worship false gods Eventually worship of the baals was replaced with worship of Greek fertility gods
bull In the cliff that stood above the city local people built shrines and temples to Pan
bull To the pagan mind the cave at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld where fertility gods lived during the winter They committed detestable acts to worship these false gods
Location
bull Caesarea Philippis location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed At one time the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff
bull The pagans of Jesus day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring They saw water as a symbol of the
bull underworld and thought that their gods traveled to and from that world through caves
bull To the pagan mind then the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld the gates of hell In order to entice the return of their god Pan each year the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats
bull When Jesus brought his disciples to the area they must have been shocked Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there
bull It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell
Jesus Challenge
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples Who do you say that I am Peter boldly replied You are the Son of the living God The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus the true and living God and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in dead gods
bull Jesus continued You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (see Matt 1613-20)
bull Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words it seems clear that Jesus words also had symbolic meaning His church would be built on the rock of Caesarea Philippi a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols where ungodly values dominated
Jesus Challenge
bull Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked
bull Standing as they were at a literal Gate of Hades the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus challenge They had studied under their rabbi for several years and now he was commissioning them to a huge task to attack evil and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull httpswwwthattheworldmayknowcomgates-of-hell-article
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Who You Are-You Are Peter
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My churchhellip
bull You Are Peter
bull Peter 4074 Πέτρος Peacutetros
bull Peter meaning stone
bull The masc of the fem peacutetra (4073) a massive rock or cliff
bull Peacutetros always means a stone never a rock as referred to by Homer
bull It is a large stone a piece or fragment of a rock such as a man might throw(WSD)
bull An isolated rock or small stone (TDNT)
On This Rock
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Rock 4073 πέτρα peacutetra A projecting rock cliff
bull (I) In such cliffs rock sepulchers were hewn (Matt 2751 60 Mark 1546
bull (II) Distinguished from the masc peacutetros in that peacutetra is a mass of rock while peacutetros is a detached stone or boulder a stone that might be thrown or easily moved
bull Therefore when a type is sought to illustrate a sure foundation the word peacutetra an immovable rock is used (Matt 724 25 2751 60 Mark 1546 Luke 648
This Rock
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Three main views have been held on the interpretation of this passage
bull (1) That Christ himself is the Rock on which the Church should be built
bull (2) That Peterrsquos confession of Jesus Christ as Son of God or God incarnate is the Rock
bull (3) That St Peter is the rock
bull A possible 4th view will be explored shortly
Build
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Build 3618 οἰκοδομέω oikodomeacuteō bull building a house builder To build construct erect
bull to build (up from the foundation)
bull to found establish
bull Who will build
Church
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Church synagogue (place of worship) the body of Christianshellip
bull Church 1577 ἐκκλησία ekklēsiacutea noun from eacutekklētos (nf) called out which is from ekkaleacuteō (nf) to call out
bull from a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564
bull 1537 ἐκ ek Prep primarily meaning out of from of as spoken of such objects which were before in another
bull 2564 καλέω kaleacuteō
bull To call trans (I) To call to someone in order that he may come or go somewhere
bull Does it make sense that people would be called out of Christ Peter or Peterrsquos confession
bull What would people be called out of
Gatesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and
on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Gates 4439 πύλη puacutelē A door gate the large door or entrance of an edifice city
bull Defensive to keep out
bull Where those in authority would meet
Hadesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will
build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull 86 ᾅδης haacutedēs noun from the priv a (1) not and ideiacuten (eiacutedō 1492) to see
bull Homer and Hesiod obscure dark invisible Hades the region of departed spirits Elysium or Tartarus
bull Corresponds to Sheol in OT occurring 59 times In NT Haacutedēs occurs only 10 times
bull Is found only in Matthew Luke Acts 1 Corinthians and Revelation
bull Hades is associated with death
bull Expresses the general concept of the invisible worldabode of the dead
bull Unfortunately both the OT and NT words have been translated in the KJV as ldquohellrdquo (Ps 1610) or the ldquograverdquo (Gen 3735) or the ldquopitrdquo (Num 1630 33)
bull Hades never denotes the physical grave nor is it the permanent region of the lost It is to give up those who are in it (Rev 2013) and is to be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 2014)
Questions
bull What is ldquothis rockrdquobull Not Peterbull Not a confessionbull Not Jesusbull Something else
bull What are the people ldquocalled out ofrdquobull Out of Jesusbull Out of Peterbull Something else
bull What is ldquothe gates of hadesrdquobull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this
rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull This ancient city was built on and against a majestic rock formation with lush vegetation It served as the water source for the Huela Marshes that gave birth to the Jordan River
bull Located in Bashan regarded by Jewish belief as an evil otherworldly domain where the Sons of God had relations with the daughters of men (Gen 61-4) and home of their offspring the Rephaim and Anakim (Nu 1330-33)
bull Jewish theology believed the spirits of these giants were demons (1 Enoch 151-12)
bull The Canaanites believed this was the entry to the underworld the ldquoGates of Sheolrdquo the dwelling place of the dead and was a site of cultic worship
bull Heiser M S (2014) I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible (J D Barry amp R Van Noord Eds) (pp 118ndash119) Bellingham WA Lexham Press Bible Study Magazine
Locationhellip
bull In Old Testament times this area was the northernmost part of the region of Bashan When the Israelites took over the area from the Canaanites the tribe of Dan established a city there that they called Dan When it was given to Herod Philip in New Testament times he renamed it Caesarea Philippi
bull In both the Old and New Testaments it was a center of pagan worship Mount Hermon itself had been called Baal Hermon after the Canaanite storm god Baal who was said to live on the mountain (Judg 33)
bull Even after the Israelites took it over from the Canaanites an Israelite king set up a worship center there with a golden calf (1 Kgs 1225ndash33)
bull There was a temple dedicated to Pan there in New Testament times as well as a temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull The city was also dedicated to Zeus Pan a the center of cultic worship
bull It housed a cave and spring dedicated to the Greek god Pan
bull A temple to Pan was built in the midst of the city at the mouth of this cave where people would make sacrifices to him
bull According to a narrative at his temple Pan was one of the few gods who could cross into Hades and return to earth
bull As result this site was recognized as the gate of Hades in the disciplesrsquo day
bull Christrsquos declaration about the Church was given powerful significance because it was uttered here
bull Booher C (2012 2016) Jesusrsquo Declaration at Caesarea Philippi In Faithlife Study Bible Bellingham WA Lexham Press
Location
bull Caesarea Philippi which stood in a lush area near the foot of Mount Hermon was a city dominated by immoral activities and pagan worship
bull Caesarea Philippi stood only twenty-five miles from the religious communities of Galilee But the citys religious practices were vastly different from those of the nearby Jewish towns
bull In Old Testament times the northeastern area of Israel became a center for Baal worship In the nearby city of Dan Israelite king Jeroboam built the high place that angered God and eventually led the Israelites to worship false gods Eventually worship of the baals was replaced with worship of Greek fertility gods
bull In the cliff that stood above the city local people built shrines and temples to Pan
bull To the pagan mind the cave at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld where fertility gods lived during the winter They committed detestable acts to worship these false gods
Location
bull Caesarea Philippis location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed At one time the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff
bull The pagans of Jesus day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring They saw water as a symbol of the
bull underworld and thought that their gods traveled to and from that world through caves
bull To the pagan mind then the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld the gates of hell In order to entice the return of their god Pan each year the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats
bull When Jesus brought his disciples to the area they must have been shocked Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there
bull It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell
Jesus Challenge
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples Who do you say that I am Peter boldly replied You are the Son of the living God The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus the true and living God and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in dead gods
bull Jesus continued You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (see Matt 1613-20)
bull Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words it seems clear that Jesus words also had symbolic meaning His church would be built on the rock of Caesarea Philippi a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols where ungodly values dominated
Jesus Challenge
bull Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked
bull Standing as they were at a literal Gate of Hades the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus challenge They had studied under their rabbi for several years and now he was commissioning them to a huge task to attack evil and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull httpswwwthattheworldmayknowcomgates-of-hell-article
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
On This Rock
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Rock 4073 πέτρα peacutetra A projecting rock cliff
bull (I) In such cliffs rock sepulchers were hewn (Matt 2751 60 Mark 1546
bull (II) Distinguished from the masc peacutetros in that peacutetra is a mass of rock while peacutetros is a detached stone or boulder a stone that might be thrown or easily moved
bull Therefore when a type is sought to illustrate a sure foundation the word peacutetra an immovable rock is used (Matt 724 25 2751 60 Mark 1546 Luke 648
This Rock
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Three main views have been held on the interpretation of this passage
bull (1) That Christ himself is the Rock on which the Church should be built
bull (2) That Peterrsquos confession of Jesus Christ as Son of God or God incarnate is the Rock
bull (3) That St Peter is the rock
bull A possible 4th view will be explored shortly
Build
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Build 3618 οἰκοδομέω oikodomeacuteō bull building a house builder To build construct erect
bull to build (up from the foundation)
bull to found establish
bull Who will build
Church
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Church synagogue (place of worship) the body of Christianshellip
bull Church 1577 ἐκκλησία ekklēsiacutea noun from eacutekklētos (nf) called out which is from ekkaleacuteō (nf) to call out
bull from a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564
bull 1537 ἐκ ek Prep primarily meaning out of from of as spoken of such objects which were before in another
bull 2564 καλέω kaleacuteō
bull To call trans (I) To call to someone in order that he may come or go somewhere
bull Does it make sense that people would be called out of Christ Peter or Peterrsquos confession
bull What would people be called out of
Gatesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and
on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Gates 4439 πύλη puacutelē A door gate the large door or entrance of an edifice city
bull Defensive to keep out
bull Where those in authority would meet
Hadesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will
build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull 86 ᾅδης haacutedēs noun from the priv a (1) not and ideiacuten (eiacutedō 1492) to see
bull Homer and Hesiod obscure dark invisible Hades the region of departed spirits Elysium or Tartarus
bull Corresponds to Sheol in OT occurring 59 times In NT Haacutedēs occurs only 10 times
bull Is found only in Matthew Luke Acts 1 Corinthians and Revelation
bull Hades is associated with death
bull Expresses the general concept of the invisible worldabode of the dead
bull Unfortunately both the OT and NT words have been translated in the KJV as ldquohellrdquo (Ps 1610) or the ldquograverdquo (Gen 3735) or the ldquopitrdquo (Num 1630 33)
bull Hades never denotes the physical grave nor is it the permanent region of the lost It is to give up those who are in it (Rev 2013) and is to be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 2014)
Questions
bull What is ldquothis rockrdquobull Not Peterbull Not a confessionbull Not Jesusbull Something else
bull What are the people ldquocalled out ofrdquobull Out of Jesusbull Out of Peterbull Something else
bull What is ldquothe gates of hadesrdquobull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this
rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull This ancient city was built on and against a majestic rock formation with lush vegetation It served as the water source for the Huela Marshes that gave birth to the Jordan River
bull Located in Bashan regarded by Jewish belief as an evil otherworldly domain where the Sons of God had relations with the daughters of men (Gen 61-4) and home of their offspring the Rephaim and Anakim (Nu 1330-33)
bull Jewish theology believed the spirits of these giants were demons (1 Enoch 151-12)
bull The Canaanites believed this was the entry to the underworld the ldquoGates of Sheolrdquo the dwelling place of the dead and was a site of cultic worship
bull Heiser M S (2014) I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible (J D Barry amp R Van Noord Eds) (pp 118ndash119) Bellingham WA Lexham Press Bible Study Magazine
Locationhellip
bull In Old Testament times this area was the northernmost part of the region of Bashan When the Israelites took over the area from the Canaanites the tribe of Dan established a city there that they called Dan When it was given to Herod Philip in New Testament times he renamed it Caesarea Philippi
bull In both the Old and New Testaments it was a center of pagan worship Mount Hermon itself had been called Baal Hermon after the Canaanite storm god Baal who was said to live on the mountain (Judg 33)
bull Even after the Israelites took it over from the Canaanites an Israelite king set up a worship center there with a golden calf (1 Kgs 1225ndash33)
bull There was a temple dedicated to Pan there in New Testament times as well as a temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull The city was also dedicated to Zeus Pan a the center of cultic worship
bull It housed a cave and spring dedicated to the Greek god Pan
bull A temple to Pan was built in the midst of the city at the mouth of this cave where people would make sacrifices to him
bull According to a narrative at his temple Pan was one of the few gods who could cross into Hades and return to earth
bull As result this site was recognized as the gate of Hades in the disciplesrsquo day
bull Christrsquos declaration about the Church was given powerful significance because it was uttered here
bull Booher C (2012 2016) Jesusrsquo Declaration at Caesarea Philippi In Faithlife Study Bible Bellingham WA Lexham Press
Location
bull Caesarea Philippi which stood in a lush area near the foot of Mount Hermon was a city dominated by immoral activities and pagan worship
bull Caesarea Philippi stood only twenty-five miles from the religious communities of Galilee But the citys religious practices were vastly different from those of the nearby Jewish towns
bull In Old Testament times the northeastern area of Israel became a center for Baal worship In the nearby city of Dan Israelite king Jeroboam built the high place that angered God and eventually led the Israelites to worship false gods Eventually worship of the baals was replaced with worship of Greek fertility gods
bull In the cliff that stood above the city local people built shrines and temples to Pan
bull To the pagan mind the cave at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld where fertility gods lived during the winter They committed detestable acts to worship these false gods
Location
bull Caesarea Philippis location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed At one time the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff
bull The pagans of Jesus day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring They saw water as a symbol of the
bull underworld and thought that their gods traveled to and from that world through caves
bull To the pagan mind then the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld the gates of hell In order to entice the return of their god Pan each year the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats
bull When Jesus brought his disciples to the area they must have been shocked Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there
bull It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell
Jesus Challenge
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples Who do you say that I am Peter boldly replied You are the Son of the living God The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus the true and living God and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in dead gods
bull Jesus continued You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (see Matt 1613-20)
bull Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words it seems clear that Jesus words also had symbolic meaning His church would be built on the rock of Caesarea Philippi a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols where ungodly values dominated
Jesus Challenge
bull Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked
bull Standing as they were at a literal Gate of Hades the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus challenge They had studied under their rabbi for several years and now he was commissioning them to a huge task to attack evil and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull httpswwwthattheworldmayknowcomgates-of-hell-article
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
This Rock
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Three main views have been held on the interpretation of this passage
bull (1) That Christ himself is the Rock on which the Church should be built
bull (2) That Peterrsquos confession of Jesus Christ as Son of God or God incarnate is the Rock
bull (3) That St Peter is the rock
bull A possible 4th view will be explored shortly
Build
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Build 3618 οἰκοδομέω oikodomeacuteō bull building a house builder To build construct erect
bull to build (up from the foundation)
bull to found establish
bull Who will build
Church
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Church synagogue (place of worship) the body of Christianshellip
bull Church 1577 ἐκκλησία ekklēsiacutea noun from eacutekklētos (nf) called out which is from ekkaleacuteō (nf) to call out
bull from a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564
bull 1537 ἐκ ek Prep primarily meaning out of from of as spoken of such objects which were before in another
bull 2564 καλέω kaleacuteō
bull To call trans (I) To call to someone in order that he may come or go somewhere
bull Does it make sense that people would be called out of Christ Peter or Peterrsquos confession
bull What would people be called out of
Gatesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and
on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Gates 4439 πύλη puacutelē A door gate the large door or entrance of an edifice city
bull Defensive to keep out
bull Where those in authority would meet
Hadesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will
build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull 86 ᾅδης haacutedēs noun from the priv a (1) not and ideiacuten (eiacutedō 1492) to see
bull Homer and Hesiod obscure dark invisible Hades the region of departed spirits Elysium or Tartarus
bull Corresponds to Sheol in OT occurring 59 times In NT Haacutedēs occurs only 10 times
bull Is found only in Matthew Luke Acts 1 Corinthians and Revelation
bull Hades is associated with death
bull Expresses the general concept of the invisible worldabode of the dead
bull Unfortunately both the OT and NT words have been translated in the KJV as ldquohellrdquo (Ps 1610) or the ldquograverdquo (Gen 3735) or the ldquopitrdquo (Num 1630 33)
bull Hades never denotes the physical grave nor is it the permanent region of the lost It is to give up those who are in it (Rev 2013) and is to be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 2014)
Questions
bull What is ldquothis rockrdquobull Not Peterbull Not a confessionbull Not Jesusbull Something else
bull What are the people ldquocalled out ofrdquobull Out of Jesusbull Out of Peterbull Something else
bull What is ldquothe gates of hadesrdquobull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this
rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull This ancient city was built on and against a majestic rock formation with lush vegetation It served as the water source for the Huela Marshes that gave birth to the Jordan River
bull Located in Bashan regarded by Jewish belief as an evil otherworldly domain where the Sons of God had relations with the daughters of men (Gen 61-4) and home of their offspring the Rephaim and Anakim (Nu 1330-33)
bull Jewish theology believed the spirits of these giants were demons (1 Enoch 151-12)
bull The Canaanites believed this was the entry to the underworld the ldquoGates of Sheolrdquo the dwelling place of the dead and was a site of cultic worship
bull Heiser M S (2014) I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible (J D Barry amp R Van Noord Eds) (pp 118ndash119) Bellingham WA Lexham Press Bible Study Magazine
Locationhellip
bull In Old Testament times this area was the northernmost part of the region of Bashan When the Israelites took over the area from the Canaanites the tribe of Dan established a city there that they called Dan When it was given to Herod Philip in New Testament times he renamed it Caesarea Philippi
bull In both the Old and New Testaments it was a center of pagan worship Mount Hermon itself had been called Baal Hermon after the Canaanite storm god Baal who was said to live on the mountain (Judg 33)
bull Even after the Israelites took it over from the Canaanites an Israelite king set up a worship center there with a golden calf (1 Kgs 1225ndash33)
bull There was a temple dedicated to Pan there in New Testament times as well as a temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull The city was also dedicated to Zeus Pan a the center of cultic worship
bull It housed a cave and spring dedicated to the Greek god Pan
bull A temple to Pan was built in the midst of the city at the mouth of this cave where people would make sacrifices to him
bull According to a narrative at his temple Pan was one of the few gods who could cross into Hades and return to earth
bull As result this site was recognized as the gate of Hades in the disciplesrsquo day
bull Christrsquos declaration about the Church was given powerful significance because it was uttered here
bull Booher C (2012 2016) Jesusrsquo Declaration at Caesarea Philippi In Faithlife Study Bible Bellingham WA Lexham Press
Location
bull Caesarea Philippi which stood in a lush area near the foot of Mount Hermon was a city dominated by immoral activities and pagan worship
bull Caesarea Philippi stood only twenty-five miles from the religious communities of Galilee But the citys religious practices were vastly different from those of the nearby Jewish towns
bull In Old Testament times the northeastern area of Israel became a center for Baal worship In the nearby city of Dan Israelite king Jeroboam built the high place that angered God and eventually led the Israelites to worship false gods Eventually worship of the baals was replaced with worship of Greek fertility gods
bull In the cliff that stood above the city local people built shrines and temples to Pan
bull To the pagan mind the cave at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld where fertility gods lived during the winter They committed detestable acts to worship these false gods
Location
bull Caesarea Philippis location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed At one time the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff
bull The pagans of Jesus day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring They saw water as a symbol of the
bull underworld and thought that their gods traveled to and from that world through caves
bull To the pagan mind then the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld the gates of hell In order to entice the return of their god Pan each year the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats
bull When Jesus brought his disciples to the area they must have been shocked Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there
bull It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell
Jesus Challenge
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples Who do you say that I am Peter boldly replied You are the Son of the living God The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus the true and living God and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in dead gods
bull Jesus continued You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (see Matt 1613-20)
bull Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words it seems clear that Jesus words also had symbolic meaning His church would be built on the rock of Caesarea Philippi a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols where ungodly values dominated
Jesus Challenge
bull Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked
bull Standing as they were at a literal Gate of Hades the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus challenge They had studied under their rabbi for several years and now he was commissioning them to a huge task to attack evil and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull httpswwwthattheworldmayknowcomgates-of-hell-article
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Build
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Build 3618 οἰκοδομέω oikodomeacuteō bull building a house builder To build construct erect
bull to build (up from the foundation)
bull to found establish
bull Who will build
Church
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Church synagogue (place of worship) the body of Christianshellip
bull Church 1577 ἐκκλησία ekklēsiacutea noun from eacutekklētos (nf) called out which is from ekkaleacuteō (nf) to call out
bull from a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564
bull 1537 ἐκ ek Prep primarily meaning out of from of as spoken of such objects which were before in another
bull 2564 καλέω kaleacuteō
bull To call trans (I) To call to someone in order that he may come or go somewhere
bull Does it make sense that people would be called out of Christ Peter or Peterrsquos confession
bull What would people be called out of
Gatesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and
on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Gates 4439 πύλη puacutelē A door gate the large door or entrance of an edifice city
bull Defensive to keep out
bull Where those in authority would meet
Hadesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will
build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull 86 ᾅδης haacutedēs noun from the priv a (1) not and ideiacuten (eiacutedō 1492) to see
bull Homer and Hesiod obscure dark invisible Hades the region of departed spirits Elysium or Tartarus
bull Corresponds to Sheol in OT occurring 59 times In NT Haacutedēs occurs only 10 times
bull Is found only in Matthew Luke Acts 1 Corinthians and Revelation
bull Hades is associated with death
bull Expresses the general concept of the invisible worldabode of the dead
bull Unfortunately both the OT and NT words have been translated in the KJV as ldquohellrdquo (Ps 1610) or the ldquograverdquo (Gen 3735) or the ldquopitrdquo (Num 1630 33)
bull Hades never denotes the physical grave nor is it the permanent region of the lost It is to give up those who are in it (Rev 2013) and is to be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 2014)
Questions
bull What is ldquothis rockrdquobull Not Peterbull Not a confessionbull Not Jesusbull Something else
bull What are the people ldquocalled out ofrdquobull Out of Jesusbull Out of Peterbull Something else
bull What is ldquothe gates of hadesrdquobull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this
rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull This ancient city was built on and against a majestic rock formation with lush vegetation It served as the water source for the Huela Marshes that gave birth to the Jordan River
bull Located in Bashan regarded by Jewish belief as an evil otherworldly domain where the Sons of God had relations with the daughters of men (Gen 61-4) and home of their offspring the Rephaim and Anakim (Nu 1330-33)
bull Jewish theology believed the spirits of these giants were demons (1 Enoch 151-12)
bull The Canaanites believed this was the entry to the underworld the ldquoGates of Sheolrdquo the dwelling place of the dead and was a site of cultic worship
bull Heiser M S (2014) I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible (J D Barry amp R Van Noord Eds) (pp 118ndash119) Bellingham WA Lexham Press Bible Study Magazine
Locationhellip
bull In Old Testament times this area was the northernmost part of the region of Bashan When the Israelites took over the area from the Canaanites the tribe of Dan established a city there that they called Dan When it was given to Herod Philip in New Testament times he renamed it Caesarea Philippi
bull In both the Old and New Testaments it was a center of pagan worship Mount Hermon itself had been called Baal Hermon after the Canaanite storm god Baal who was said to live on the mountain (Judg 33)
bull Even after the Israelites took it over from the Canaanites an Israelite king set up a worship center there with a golden calf (1 Kgs 1225ndash33)
bull There was a temple dedicated to Pan there in New Testament times as well as a temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull The city was also dedicated to Zeus Pan a the center of cultic worship
bull It housed a cave and spring dedicated to the Greek god Pan
bull A temple to Pan was built in the midst of the city at the mouth of this cave where people would make sacrifices to him
bull According to a narrative at his temple Pan was one of the few gods who could cross into Hades and return to earth
bull As result this site was recognized as the gate of Hades in the disciplesrsquo day
bull Christrsquos declaration about the Church was given powerful significance because it was uttered here
bull Booher C (2012 2016) Jesusrsquo Declaration at Caesarea Philippi In Faithlife Study Bible Bellingham WA Lexham Press
Location
bull Caesarea Philippi which stood in a lush area near the foot of Mount Hermon was a city dominated by immoral activities and pagan worship
bull Caesarea Philippi stood only twenty-five miles from the religious communities of Galilee But the citys religious practices were vastly different from those of the nearby Jewish towns
bull In Old Testament times the northeastern area of Israel became a center for Baal worship In the nearby city of Dan Israelite king Jeroboam built the high place that angered God and eventually led the Israelites to worship false gods Eventually worship of the baals was replaced with worship of Greek fertility gods
bull In the cliff that stood above the city local people built shrines and temples to Pan
bull To the pagan mind the cave at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld where fertility gods lived during the winter They committed detestable acts to worship these false gods
Location
bull Caesarea Philippis location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed At one time the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff
bull The pagans of Jesus day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring They saw water as a symbol of the
bull underworld and thought that their gods traveled to and from that world through caves
bull To the pagan mind then the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld the gates of hell In order to entice the return of their god Pan each year the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats
bull When Jesus brought his disciples to the area they must have been shocked Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there
bull It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell
Jesus Challenge
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples Who do you say that I am Peter boldly replied You are the Son of the living God The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus the true and living God and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in dead gods
bull Jesus continued You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (see Matt 1613-20)
bull Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words it seems clear that Jesus words also had symbolic meaning His church would be built on the rock of Caesarea Philippi a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols where ungodly values dominated
Jesus Challenge
bull Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked
bull Standing as they were at a literal Gate of Hades the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus challenge They had studied under their rabbi for several years and now he was commissioning them to a huge task to attack evil and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull httpswwwthattheworldmayknowcomgates-of-hell-article
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Church
bull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Church synagogue (place of worship) the body of Christianshellip
bull Church 1577 ἐκκλησία ekklēsiacutea noun from eacutekklētos (nf) called out which is from ekkaleacuteō (nf) to call out
bull from a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564
bull 1537 ἐκ ek Prep primarily meaning out of from of as spoken of such objects which were before in another
bull 2564 καλέω kaleacuteō
bull To call trans (I) To call to someone in order that he may come or go somewhere
bull Does it make sense that people would be called out of Christ Peter or Peterrsquos confession
bull What would people be called out of
Gatesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and
on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Gates 4439 πύλη puacutelē A door gate the large door or entrance of an edifice city
bull Defensive to keep out
bull Where those in authority would meet
Hadesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will
build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull 86 ᾅδης haacutedēs noun from the priv a (1) not and ideiacuten (eiacutedō 1492) to see
bull Homer and Hesiod obscure dark invisible Hades the region of departed spirits Elysium or Tartarus
bull Corresponds to Sheol in OT occurring 59 times In NT Haacutedēs occurs only 10 times
bull Is found only in Matthew Luke Acts 1 Corinthians and Revelation
bull Hades is associated with death
bull Expresses the general concept of the invisible worldabode of the dead
bull Unfortunately both the OT and NT words have been translated in the KJV as ldquohellrdquo (Ps 1610) or the ldquograverdquo (Gen 3735) or the ldquopitrdquo (Num 1630 33)
bull Hades never denotes the physical grave nor is it the permanent region of the lost It is to give up those who are in it (Rev 2013) and is to be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 2014)
Questions
bull What is ldquothis rockrdquobull Not Peterbull Not a confessionbull Not Jesusbull Something else
bull What are the people ldquocalled out ofrdquobull Out of Jesusbull Out of Peterbull Something else
bull What is ldquothe gates of hadesrdquobull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this
rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull This ancient city was built on and against a majestic rock formation with lush vegetation It served as the water source for the Huela Marshes that gave birth to the Jordan River
bull Located in Bashan regarded by Jewish belief as an evil otherworldly domain where the Sons of God had relations with the daughters of men (Gen 61-4) and home of their offspring the Rephaim and Anakim (Nu 1330-33)
bull Jewish theology believed the spirits of these giants were demons (1 Enoch 151-12)
bull The Canaanites believed this was the entry to the underworld the ldquoGates of Sheolrdquo the dwelling place of the dead and was a site of cultic worship
bull Heiser M S (2014) I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible (J D Barry amp R Van Noord Eds) (pp 118ndash119) Bellingham WA Lexham Press Bible Study Magazine
Locationhellip
bull In Old Testament times this area was the northernmost part of the region of Bashan When the Israelites took over the area from the Canaanites the tribe of Dan established a city there that they called Dan When it was given to Herod Philip in New Testament times he renamed it Caesarea Philippi
bull In both the Old and New Testaments it was a center of pagan worship Mount Hermon itself had been called Baal Hermon after the Canaanite storm god Baal who was said to live on the mountain (Judg 33)
bull Even after the Israelites took it over from the Canaanites an Israelite king set up a worship center there with a golden calf (1 Kgs 1225ndash33)
bull There was a temple dedicated to Pan there in New Testament times as well as a temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull The city was also dedicated to Zeus Pan a the center of cultic worship
bull It housed a cave and spring dedicated to the Greek god Pan
bull A temple to Pan was built in the midst of the city at the mouth of this cave where people would make sacrifices to him
bull According to a narrative at his temple Pan was one of the few gods who could cross into Hades and return to earth
bull As result this site was recognized as the gate of Hades in the disciplesrsquo day
bull Christrsquos declaration about the Church was given powerful significance because it was uttered here
bull Booher C (2012 2016) Jesusrsquo Declaration at Caesarea Philippi In Faithlife Study Bible Bellingham WA Lexham Press
Location
bull Caesarea Philippi which stood in a lush area near the foot of Mount Hermon was a city dominated by immoral activities and pagan worship
bull Caesarea Philippi stood only twenty-five miles from the religious communities of Galilee But the citys religious practices were vastly different from those of the nearby Jewish towns
bull In Old Testament times the northeastern area of Israel became a center for Baal worship In the nearby city of Dan Israelite king Jeroboam built the high place that angered God and eventually led the Israelites to worship false gods Eventually worship of the baals was replaced with worship of Greek fertility gods
bull In the cliff that stood above the city local people built shrines and temples to Pan
bull To the pagan mind the cave at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld where fertility gods lived during the winter They committed detestable acts to worship these false gods
Location
bull Caesarea Philippis location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed At one time the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff
bull The pagans of Jesus day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring They saw water as a symbol of the
bull underworld and thought that their gods traveled to and from that world through caves
bull To the pagan mind then the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld the gates of hell In order to entice the return of their god Pan each year the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats
bull When Jesus brought his disciples to the area they must have been shocked Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there
bull It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell
Jesus Challenge
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples Who do you say that I am Peter boldly replied You are the Son of the living God The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus the true and living God and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in dead gods
bull Jesus continued You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (see Matt 1613-20)
bull Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words it seems clear that Jesus words also had symbolic meaning His church would be built on the rock of Caesarea Philippi a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols where ungodly values dominated
Jesus Challenge
bull Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked
bull Standing as they were at a literal Gate of Hades the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus challenge They had studied under their rabbi for several years and now he was commissioning them to a huge task to attack evil and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull httpswwwthattheworldmayknowcomgates-of-hell-article
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Gatesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and
on this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull Gates 4439 πύλη puacutelē A door gate the large door or entrance of an edifice city
bull Defensive to keep out
bull Where those in authority would meet
Hadesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will
build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull 86 ᾅδης haacutedēs noun from the priv a (1) not and ideiacuten (eiacutedō 1492) to see
bull Homer and Hesiod obscure dark invisible Hades the region of departed spirits Elysium or Tartarus
bull Corresponds to Sheol in OT occurring 59 times In NT Haacutedēs occurs only 10 times
bull Is found only in Matthew Luke Acts 1 Corinthians and Revelation
bull Hades is associated with death
bull Expresses the general concept of the invisible worldabode of the dead
bull Unfortunately both the OT and NT words have been translated in the KJV as ldquohellrdquo (Ps 1610) or the ldquograverdquo (Gen 3735) or the ldquopitrdquo (Num 1630 33)
bull Hades never denotes the physical grave nor is it the permanent region of the lost It is to give up those who are in it (Rev 2013) and is to be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 2014)
Questions
bull What is ldquothis rockrdquobull Not Peterbull Not a confessionbull Not Jesusbull Something else
bull What are the people ldquocalled out ofrdquobull Out of Jesusbull Out of Peterbull Something else
bull What is ldquothe gates of hadesrdquobull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this
rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull This ancient city was built on and against a majestic rock formation with lush vegetation It served as the water source for the Huela Marshes that gave birth to the Jordan River
bull Located in Bashan regarded by Jewish belief as an evil otherworldly domain where the Sons of God had relations with the daughters of men (Gen 61-4) and home of their offspring the Rephaim and Anakim (Nu 1330-33)
bull Jewish theology believed the spirits of these giants were demons (1 Enoch 151-12)
bull The Canaanites believed this was the entry to the underworld the ldquoGates of Sheolrdquo the dwelling place of the dead and was a site of cultic worship
bull Heiser M S (2014) I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible (J D Barry amp R Van Noord Eds) (pp 118ndash119) Bellingham WA Lexham Press Bible Study Magazine
Locationhellip
bull In Old Testament times this area was the northernmost part of the region of Bashan When the Israelites took over the area from the Canaanites the tribe of Dan established a city there that they called Dan When it was given to Herod Philip in New Testament times he renamed it Caesarea Philippi
bull In both the Old and New Testaments it was a center of pagan worship Mount Hermon itself had been called Baal Hermon after the Canaanite storm god Baal who was said to live on the mountain (Judg 33)
bull Even after the Israelites took it over from the Canaanites an Israelite king set up a worship center there with a golden calf (1 Kgs 1225ndash33)
bull There was a temple dedicated to Pan there in New Testament times as well as a temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull The city was also dedicated to Zeus Pan a the center of cultic worship
bull It housed a cave and spring dedicated to the Greek god Pan
bull A temple to Pan was built in the midst of the city at the mouth of this cave where people would make sacrifices to him
bull According to a narrative at his temple Pan was one of the few gods who could cross into Hades and return to earth
bull As result this site was recognized as the gate of Hades in the disciplesrsquo day
bull Christrsquos declaration about the Church was given powerful significance because it was uttered here
bull Booher C (2012 2016) Jesusrsquo Declaration at Caesarea Philippi In Faithlife Study Bible Bellingham WA Lexham Press
Location
bull Caesarea Philippi which stood in a lush area near the foot of Mount Hermon was a city dominated by immoral activities and pagan worship
bull Caesarea Philippi stood only twenty-five miles from the religious communities of Galilee But the citys religious practices were vastly different from those of the nearby Jewish towns
bull In Old Testament times the northeastern area of Israel became a center for Baal worship In the nearby city of Dan Israelite king Jeroboam built the high place that angered God and eventually led the Israelites to worship false gods Eventually worship of the baals was replaced with worship of Greek fertility gods
bull In the cliff that stood above the city local people built shrines and temples to Pan
bull To the pagan mind the cave at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld where fertility gods lived during the winter They committed detestable acts to worship these false gods
Location
bull Caesarea Philippis location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed At one time the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff
bull The pagans of Jesus day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring They saw water as a symbol of the
bull underworld and thought that their gods traveled to and from that world through caves
bull To the pagan mind then the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld the gates of hell In order to entice the return of their god Pan each year the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats
bull When Jesus brought his disciples to the area they must have been shocked Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there
bull It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell
Jesus Challenge
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples Who do you say that I am Peter boldly replied You are the Son of the living God The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus the true and living God and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in dead gods
bull Jesus continued You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (see Matt 1613-20)
bull Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words it seems clear that Jesus words also had symbolic meaning His church would be built on the rock of Caesarea Philippi a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols where ungodly values dominated
Jesus Challenge
bull Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked
bull Standing as they were at a literal Gate of Hades the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus challenge They had studied under their rabbi for several years and now he was commissioning them to a huge task to attack evil and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull httpswwwthattheworldmayknowcomgates-of-hell-article
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Hadesbull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this rock I will
build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
bull 86 ᾅδης haacutedēs noun from the priv a (1) not and ideiacuten (eiacutedō 1492) to see
bull Homer and Hesiod obscure dark invisible Hades the region of departed spirits Elysium or Tartarus
bull Corresponds to Sheol in OT occurring 59 times In NT Haacutedēs occurs only 10 times
bull Is found only in Matthew Luke Acts 1 Corinthians and Revelation
bull Hades is associated with death
bull Expresses the general concept of the invisible worldabode of the dead
bull Unfortunately both the OT and NT words have been translated in the KJV as ldquohellrdquo (Ps 1610) or the ldquograverdquo (Gen 3735) or the ldquopitrdquo (Num 1630 33)
bull Hades never denotes the physical grave nor is it the permanent region of the lost It is to give up those who are in it (Rev 2013) and is to be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 2014)
Questions
bull What is ldquothis rockrdquobull Not Peterbull Not a confessionbull Not Jesusbull Something else
bull What are the people ldquocalled out ofrdquobull Out of Jesusbull Out of Peterbull Something else
bull What is ldquothe gates of hadesrdquobull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this
rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull This ancient city was built on and against a majestic rock formation with lush vegetation It served as the water source for the Huela Marshes that gave birth to the Jordan River
bull Located in Bashan regarded by Jewish belief as an evil otherworldly domain where the Sons of God had relations with the daughters of men (Gen 61-4) and home of their offspring the Rephaim and Anakim (Nu 1330-33)
bull Jewish theology believed the spirits of these giants were demons (1 Enoch 151-12)
bull The Canaanites believed this was the entry to the underworld the ldquoGates of Sheolrdquo the dwelling place of the dead and was a site of cultic worship
bull Heiser M S (2014) I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible (J D Barry amp R Van Noord Eds) (pp 118ndash119) Bellingham WA Lexham Press Bible Study Magazine
Locationhellip
bull In Old Testament times this area was the northernmost part of the region of Bashan When the Israelites took over the area from the Canaanites the tribe of Dan established a city there that they called Dan When it was given to Herod Philip in New Testament times he renamed it Caesarea Philippi
bull In both the Old and New Testaments it was a center of pagan worship Mount Hermon itself had been called Baal Hermon after the Canaanite storm god Baal who was said to live on the mountain (Judg 33)
bull Even after the Israelites took it over from the Canaanites an Israelite king set up a worship center there with a golden calf (1 Kgs 1225ndash33)
bull There was a temple dedicated to Pan there in New Testament times as well as a temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull The city was also dedicated to Zeus Pan a the center of cultic worship
bull It housed a cave and spring dedicated to the Greek god Pan
bull A temple to Pan was built in the midst of the city at the mouth of this cave where people would make sacrifices to him
bull According to a narrative at his temple Pan was one of the few gods who could cross into Hades and return to earth
bull As result this site was recognized as the gate of Hades in the disciplesrsquo day
bull Christrsquos declaration about the Church was given powerful significance because it was uttered here
bull Booher C (2012 2016) Jesusrsquo Declaration at Caesarea Philippi In Faithlife Study Bible Bellingham WA Lexham Press
Location
bull Caesarea Philippi which stood in a lush area near the foot of Mount Hermon was a city dominated by immoral activities and pagan worship
bull Caesarea Philippi stood only twenty-five miles from the religious communities of Galilee But the citys religious practices were vastly different from those of the nearby Jewish towns
bull In Old Testament times the northeastern area of Israel became a center for Baal worship In the nearby city of Dan Israelite king Jeroboam built the high place that angered God and eventually led the Israelites to worship false gods Eventually worship of the baals was replaced with worship of Greek fertility gods
bull In the cliff that stood above the city local people built shrines and temples to Pan
bull To the pagan mind the cave at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld where fertility gods lived during the winter They committed detestable acts to worship these false gods
Location
bull Caesarea Philippis location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed At one time the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff
bull The pagans of Jesus day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring They saw water as a symbol of the
bull underworld and thought that their gods traveled to and from that world through caves
bull To the pagan mind then the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld the gates of hell In order to entice the return of their god Pan each year the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats
bull When Jesus brought his disciples to the area they must have been shocked Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there
bull It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell
Jesus Challenge
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples Who do you say that I am Peter boldly replied You are the Son of the living God The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus the true and living God and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in dead gods
bull Jesus continued You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (see Matt 1613-20)
bull Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words it seems clear that Jesus words also had symbolic meaning His church would be built on the rock of Caesarea Philippi a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols where ungodly values dominated
Jesus Challenge
bull Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked
bull Standing as they were at a literal Gate of Hades the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus challenge They had studied under their rabbi for several years and now he was commissioning them to a huge task to attack evil and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull httpswwwthattheworldmayknowcomgates-of-hell-article
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Questions
bull What is ldquothis rockrdquobull Not Peterbull Not a confessionbull Not Jesusbull Something else
bull What are the people ldquocalled out ofrdquobull Out of Jesusbull Out of Peterbull Something else
bull What is ldquothe gates of hadesrdquobull Matthew 1618 (NKJV) And I also say to you that you are Peter and on this
rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull This ancient city was built on and against a majestic rock formation with lush vegetation It served as the water source for the Huela Marshes that gave birth to the Jordan River
bull Located in Bashan regarded by Jewish belief as an evil otherworldly domain where the Sons of God had relations with the daughters of men (Gen 61-4) and home of their offspring the Rephaim and Anakim (Nu 1330-33)
bull Jewish theology believed the spirits of these giants were demons (1 Enoch 151-12)
bull The Canaanites believed this was the entry to the underworld the ldquoGates of Sheolrdquo the dwelling place of the dead and was a site of cultic worship
bull Heiser M S (2014) I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible (J D Barry amp R Van Noord Eds) (pp 118ndash119) Bellingham WA Lexham Press Bible Study Magazine
Locationhellip
bull In Old Testament times this area was the northernmost part of the region of Bashan When the Israelites took over the area from the Canaanites the tribe of Dan established a city there that they called Dan When it was given to Herod Philip in New Testament times he renamed it Caesarea Philippi
bull In both the Old and New Testaments it was a center of pagan worship Mount Hermon itself had been called Baal Hermon after the Canaanite storm god Baal who was said to live on the mountain (Judg 33)
bull Even after the Israelites took it over from the Canaanites an Israelite king set up a worship center there with a golden calf (1 Kgs 1225ndash33)
bull There was a temple dedicated to Pan there in New Testament times as well as a temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull The city was also dedicated to Zeus Pan a the center of cultic worship
bull It housed a cave and spring dedicated to the Greek god Pan
bull A temple to Pan was built in the midst of the city at the mouth of this cave where people would make sacrifices to him
bull According to a narrative at his temple Pan was one of the few gods who could cross into Hades and return to earth
bull As result this site was recognized as the gate of Hades in the disciplesrsquo day
bull Christrsquos declaration about the Church was given powerful significance because it was uttered here
bull Booher C (2012 2016) Jesusrsquo Declaration at Caesarea Philippi In Faithlife Study Bible Bellingham WA Lexham Press
Location
bull Caesarea Philippi which stood in a lush area near the foot of Mount Hermon was a city dominated by immoral activities and pagan worship
bull Caesarea Philippi stood only twenty-five miles from the religious communities of Galilee But the citys religious practices were vastly different from those of the nearby Jewish towns
bull In Old Testament times the northeastern area of Israel became a center for Baal worship In the nearby city of Dan Israelite king Jeroboam built the high place that angered God and eventually led the Israelites to worship false gods Eventually worship of the baals was replaced with worship of Greek fertility gods
bull In the cliff that stood above the city local people built shrines and temples to Pan
bull To the pagan mind the cave at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld where fertility gods lived during the winter They committed detestable acts to worship these false gods
Location
bull Caesarea Philippis location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed At one time the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff
bull The pagans of Jesus day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring They saw water as a symbol of the
bull underworld and thought that their gods traveled to and from that world through caves
bull To the pagan mind then the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld the gates of hell In order to entice the return of their god Pan each year the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats
bull When Jesus brought his disciples to the area they must have been shocked Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there
bull It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell
Jesus Challenge
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples Who do you say that I am Peter boldly replied You are the Son of the living God The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus the true and living God and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in dead gods
bull Jesus continued You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (see Matt 1613-20)
bull Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words it seems clear that Jesus words also had symbolic meaning His church would be built on the rock of Caesarea Philippi a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols where ungodly values dominated
Jesus Challenge
bull Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked
bull Standing as they were at a literal Gate of Hades the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus challenge They had studied under their rabbi for several years and now he was commissioning them to a huge task to attack evil and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull httpswwwthattheworldmayknowcomgates-of-hell-article
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull This ancient city was built on and against a majestic rock formation with lush vegetation It served as the water source for the Huela Marshes that gave birth to the Jordan River
bull Located in Bashan regarded by Jewish belief as an evil otherworldly domain where the Sons of God had relations with the daughters of men (Gen 61-4) and home of their offspring the Rephaim and Anakim (Nu 1330-33)
bull Jewish theology believed the spirits of these giants were demons (1 Enoch 151-12)
bull The Canaanites believed this was the entry to the underworld the ldquoGates of Sheolrdquo the dwelling place of the dead and was a site of cultic worship
bull Heiser M S (2014) I Dare You Not to Bore Me with the Bible (J D Barry amp R Van Noord Eds) (pp 118ndash119) Bellingham WA Lexham Press Bible Study Magazine
Locationhellip
bull In Old Testament times this area was the northernmost part of the region of Bashan When the Israelites took over the area from the Canaanites the tribe of Dan established a city there that they called Dan When it was given to Herod Philip in New Testament times he renamed it Caesarea Philippi
bull In both the Old and New Testaments it was a center of pagan worship Mount Hermon itself had been called Baal Hermon after the Canaanite storm god Baal who was said to live on the mountain (Judg 33)
bull Even after the Israelites took it over from the Canaanites an Israelite king set up a worship center there with a golden calf (1 Kgs 1225ndash33)
bull There was a temple dedicated to Pan there in New Testament times as well as a temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull The city was also dedicated to Zeus Pan a the center of cultic worship
bull It housed a cave and spring dedicated to the Greek god Pan
bull A temple to Pan was built in the midst of the city at the mouth of this cave where people would make sacrifices to him
bull According to a narrative at his temple Pan was one of the few gods who could cross into Hades and return to earth
bull As result this site was recognized as the gate of Hades in the disciplesrsquo day
bull Christrsquos declaration about the Church was given powerful significance because it was uttered here
bull Booher C (2012 2016) Jesusrsquo Declaration at Caesarea Philippi In Faithlife Study Bible Bellingham WA Lexham Press
Location
bull Caesarea Philippi which stood in a lush area near the foot of Mount Hermon was a city dominated by immoral activities and pagan worship
bull Caesarea Philippi stood only twenty-five miles from the religious communities of Galilee But the citys religious practices were vastly different from those of the nearby Jewish towns
bull In Old Testament times the northeastern area of Israel became a center for Baal worship In the nearby city of Dan Israelite king Jeroboam built the high place that angered God and eventually led the Israelites to worship false gods Eventually worship of the baals was replaced with worship of Greek fertility gods
bull In the cliff that stood above the city local people built shrines and temples to Pan
bull To the pagan mind the cave at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld where fertility gods lived during the winter They committed detestable acts to worship these false gods
Location
bull Caesarea Philippis location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed At one time the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff
bull The pagans of Jesus day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring They saw water as a symbol of the
bull underworld and thought that their gods traveled to and from that world through caves
bull To the pagan mind then the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld the gates of hell In order to entice the return of their god Pan each year the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats
bull When Jesus brought his disciples to the area they must have been shocked Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there
bull It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell
Jesus Challenge
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples Who do you say that I am Peter boldly replied You are the Son of the living God The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus the true and living God and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in dead gods
bull Jesus continued You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (see Matt 1613-20)
bull Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words it seems clear that Jesus words also had symbolic meaning His church would be built on the rock of Caesarea Philippi a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols where ungodly values dominated
Jesus Challenge
bull Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked
bull Standing as they were at a literal Gate of Hades the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus challenge They had studied under their rabbi for several years and now he was commissioning them to a huge task to attack evil and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull httpswwwthattheworldmayknowcomgates-of-hell-article
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Locationhellip
bull In Old Testament times this area was the northernmost part of the region of Bashan When the Israelites took over the area from the Canaanites the tribe of Dan established a city there that they called Dan When it was given to Herod Philip in New Testament times he renamed it Caesarea Philippi
bull In both the Old and New Testaments it was a center of pagan worship Mount Hermon itself had been called Baal Hermon after the Canaanite storm god Baal who was said to live on the mountain (Judg 33)
bull Even after the Israelites took it over from the Canaanites an Israelite king set up a worship center there with a golden calf (1 Kgs 1225ndash33)
bull There was a temple dedicated to Pan there in New Testament times as well as a temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull The city was also dedicated to Zeus Pan a the center of cultic worship
bull It housed a cave and spring dedicated to the Greek god Pan
bull A temple to Pan was built in the midst of the city at the mouth of this cave where people would make sacrifices to him
bull According to a narrative at his temple Pan was one of the few gods who could cross into Hades and return to earth
bull As result this site was recognized as the gate of Hades in the disciplesrsquo day
bull Christrsquos declaration about the Church was given powerful significance because it was uttered here
bull Booher C (2012 2016) Jesusrsquo Declaration at Caesarea Philippi In Faithlife Study Bible Bellingham WA Lexham Press
Location
bull Caesarea Philippi which stood in a lush area near the foot of Mount Hermon was a city dominated by immoral activities and pagan worship
bull Caesarea Philippi stood only twenty-five miles from the religious communities of Galilee But the citys religious practices were vastly different from those of the nearby Jewish towns
bull In Old Testament times the northeastern area of Israel became a center for Baal worship In the nearby city of Dan Israelite king Jeroboam built the high place that angered God and eventually led the Israelites to worship false gods Eventually worship of the baals was replaced with worship of Greek fertility gods
bull In the cliff that stood above the city local people built shrines and temples to Pan
bull To the pagan mind the cave at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld where fertility gods lived during the winter They committed detestable acts to worship these false gods
Location
bull Caesarea Philippis location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed At one time the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff
bull The pagans of Jesus day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring They saw water as a symbol of the
bull underworld and thought that their gods traveled to and from that world through caves
bull To the pagan mind then the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld the gates of hell In order to entice the return of their god Pan each year the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats
bull When Jesus brought his disciples to the area they must have been shocked Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there
bull It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell
Jesus Challenge
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples Who do you say that I am Peter boldly replied You are the Son of the living God The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus the true and living God and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in dead gods
bull Jesus continued You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (see Matt 1613-20)
bull Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words it seems clear that Jesus words also had symbolic meaning His church would be built on the rock of Caesarea Philippi a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols where ungodly values dominated
Jesus Challenge
bull Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked
bull Standing as they were at a literal Gate of Hades the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus challenge They had studied under their rabbi for several years and now he was commissioning them to a huge task to attack evil and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull httpswwwthattheworldmayknowcomgates-of-hell-article
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Context Location Caesarea Philippi
bull Matthew 1613-20 (NKJV) 13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi He asked His disciples saying ldquoWho do men say that I the Son of Man amrdquo
bull The city was also dedicated to Zeus Pan a the center of cultic worship
bull It housed a cave and spring dedicated to the Greek god Pan
bull A temple to Pan was built in the midst of the city at the mouth of this cave where people would make sacrifices to him
bull According to a narrative at his temple Pan was one of the few gods who could cross into Hades and return to earth
bull As result this site was recognized as the gate of Hades in the disciplesrsquo day
bull Christrsquos declaration about the Church was given powerful significance because it was uttered here
bull Booher C (2012 2016) Jesusrsquo Declaration at Caesarea Philippi In Faithlife Study Bible Bellingham WA Lexham Press
Location
bull Caesarea Philippi which stood in a lush area near the foot of Mount Hermon was a city dominated by immoral activities and pagan worship
bull Caesarea Philippi stood only twenty-five miles from the religious communities of Galilee But the citys religious practices were vastly different from those of the nearby Jewish towns
bull In Old Testament times the northeastern area of Israel became a center for Baal worship In the nearby city of Dan Israelite king Jeroboam built the high place that angered God and eventually led the Israelites to worship false gods Eventually worship of the baals was replaced with worship of Greek fertility gods
bull In the cliff that stood above the city local people built shrines and temples to Pan
bull To the pagan mind the cave at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld where fertility gods lived during the winter They committed detestable acts to worship these false gods
Location
bull Caesarea Philippis location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed At one time the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff
bull The pagans of Jesus day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring They saw water as a symbol of the
bull underworld and thought that their gods traveled to and from that world through caves
bull To the pagan mind then the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld the gates of hell In order to entice the return of their god Pan each year the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats
bull When Jesus brought his disciples to the area they must have been shocked Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there
bull It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell
Jesus Challenge
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples Who do you say that I am Peter boldly replied You are the Son of the living God The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus the true and living God and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in dead gods
bull Jesus continued You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (see Matt 1613-20)
bull Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words it seems clear that Jesus words also had symbolic meaning His church would be built on the rock of Caesarea Philippi a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols where ungodly values dominated
Jesus Challenge
bull Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked
bull Standing as they were at a literal Gate of Hades the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus challenge They had studied under their rabbi for several years and now he was commissioning them to a huge task to attack evil and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull httpswwwthattheworldmayknowcomgates-of-hell-article
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Location
bull Caesarea Philippi which stood in a lush area near the foot of Mount Hermon was a city dominated by immoral activities and pagan worship
bull Caesarea Philippi stood only twenty-five miles from the religious communities of Galilee But the citys religious practices were vastly different from those of the nearby Jewish towns
bull In Old Testament times the northeastern area of Israel became a center for Baal worship In the nearby city of Dan Israelite king Jeroboam built the high place that angered God and eventually led the Israelites to worship false gods Eventually worship of the baals was replaced with worship of Greek fertility gods
bull In the cliff that stood above the city local people built shrines and temples to Pan
bull To the pagan mind the cave at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld where fertility gods lived during the winter They committed detestable acts to worship these false gods
Location
bull Caesarea Philippis location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed At one time the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff
bull The pagans of Jesus day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring They saw water as a symbol of the
bull underworld and thought that their gods traveled to and from that world through caves
bull To the pagan mind then the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld the gates of hell In order to entice the return of their god Pan each year the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats
bull When Jesus brought his disciples to the area they must have been shocked Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there
bull It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell
Jesus Challenge
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples Who do you say that I am Peter boldly replied You are the Son of the living God The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus the true and living God and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in dead gods
bull Jesus continued You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (see Matt 1613-20)
bull Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words it seems clear that Jesus words also had symbolic meaning His church would be built on the rock of Caesarea Philippi a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols where ungodly values dominated
Jesus Challenge
bull Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked
bull Standing as they were at a literal Gate of Hades the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus challenge They had studied under their rabbi for several years and now he was commissioning them to a huge task to attack evil and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull httpswwwthattheworldmayknowcomgates-of-hell-article
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Location
bull Caesarea Philippis location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed At one time the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff
bull The pagans of Jesus day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring They saw water as a symbol of the
bull underworld and thought that their gods traveled to and from that world through caves
bull To the pagan mind then the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld the gates of hell In order to entice the return of their god Pan each year the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats
bull When Jesus brought his disciples to the area they must have been shocked Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there
bull It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell
Jesus Challenge
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples Who do you say that I am Peter boldly replied You are the Son of the living God The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus the true and living God and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in dead gods
bull Jesus continued You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (see Matt 1613-20)
bull Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words it seems clear that Jesus words also had symbolic meaning His church would be built on the rock of Caesarea Philippi a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols where ungodly values dominated
Jesus Challenge
bull Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked
bull Standing as they were at a literal Gate of Hades the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus challenge They had studied under their rabbi for several years and now he was commissioning them to a huge task to attack evil and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull httpswwwthattheworldmayknowcomgates-of-hell-article
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Jesus Challenge
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked his disciples Who do you say that I am Peter boldly replied You are the Son of the living God The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus the true and living God and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in dead gods
bull Jesus continued You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (see Matt 1613-20)
bull Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words it seems clear that Jesus words also had symbolic meaning His church would be built on the rock of Caesarea Philippi a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols where ungodly values dominated
Jesus Challenge
bull Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked
bull Standing as they were at a literal Gate of Hades the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus challenge They had studied under their rabbi for several years and now he was commissioning them to a huge task to attack evil and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull httpswwwthattheworldmayknowcomgates-of-hell-article
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Jesus Challenge
bull Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked
bull Standing as they were at a literal Gate of Hades the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus challenge They had studied under their rabbi for several years and now he was commissioning them to a huge task to attack evil and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption
bull Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi He didnt want his followers hiding from evil He wanted them to storm the gates of hell
bull httpswwwthattheworldmayknowcomgates-of-hell-article
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Gristbull Jesus called it the gates of Hades
bull In Matthew 1613ndash23 Jesus took his disciples up to Caesarea Philippi There he asked them who people were saying he was After they listed a few options (John the Baptist Elijah Jeremiah) he asked him who they thought he was Peter never one to hesitate said ldquoYou are the Christ the Son of the living Godrdquo Jesus responded ldquoAnd I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome itrdquo (Matt 1618)
bull What are the gates of Hades There have been many different interpretations After we took a look at the site and then found some shade our guide Tim pointed us back to the grotto that had been associated with the worship of Pan A stream used to come out of the grotto but an earthquake has stopped it up It was believed in ancient times that this grotto contained access to the underworld
bull If the ldquogates of Hadesrdquo might well have referred to their physical location then what about ldquothis rockrdquo The two most common interpretations of ldquothis rockrdquo are Peter himself and Peterrsquos confession in verse 16 The first interpretation is embraced by Catholics who regard Peter as the first pope and also some Protestants who regard this as a reference to Peterrsquos prominence in the early church The second interpretation instead says that the confession ldquoJesus is the Christrdquo is the foundation of the church
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Gristbull Tim argued that the ldquothis rockrdquo Jesus spoke of was neither Peter himself
nor his confession but the place where they were standing at the time This interpretation is also set forth in the Lexham Geographic Commentary (a resource from my employer that came out this year but is currently only available in some Logos Bible Software base packages)
bull In light of the massive rock scarp against which Caesarea Philippi was built and into which were hewn images of dead gods and goddesses Jesus may have been using petra [ldquorockrdquo] to refer to the worldviews represented in that rock face They appeared to be insurmountable but here Jesus was declared to be the Living God In other words this encounter represented a stinging condemnation of all forms of pagan worship This is even more dramatic in light of the layers of religious history that had accumulated here hellip
bull For Jesus to own in Caesarea Philippi the titles Son of the living God as well as Son of Man would upend all of the pagan notions associated with the location Further Jesus soon commenced teaching them about a radically different death and resurrection from the myth that enshrouded the Baal narratives (Matt 1621)
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Gristbull According to this interpretation Jesus was standing with his disciples
in a center of pagan worship and fascination with deathmdasha focus of demonic activity
bull He was claiming that his church would be built on (or ldquoagainstrdquo) such places
bull Despite the pressure to conform to the ways of the world Jesus is saying his church would thrive
bull It is even viewed as the aggressor coming against the gates of Hades to rescue people from its grip
bull Even places like Caesarea Philippi would not be able to prevail against his church
bull Caesarea Philippi and the Gates of Hell httpselliotritzemacom20161112caesarea-philippi-and-the-gates-of-hell
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
A Summation
bull Jesus and the disciples are literally standing at the place known in ancient times as the gates of Hadesthe Underworld
bull Jesus is saying in other words that He will conquer the forces of darkness associated with the Underworldmdashand that the power of the Church will overcome them
bull In Paulrsquos words Christ ldquodisarmed the rulers and the authorities he made a display of them in public triumphing over them by itrdquo (Col 215) and ldquoAscending on high he led captivity captive he gave gifts to menrdquo (Eph 48)
bull This line from Ephesians 48 is made even more powerful with the knowledge that Paul is quoting Psalm 6818 in Psalm 68 the mountain God ascends and conquers is none other than Mount Bashan (Psa 6815)
bull Psalm 6815-16 (NKJV) A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan 16Why do you fume with envy you mountains of many peaks This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in Yes the LORD will dwell in it forever
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Thishellip
bull ldquoTHIS is where I want you to build my church
bull I want you to go out into the repugnantly degenerate places where God is not even known
bull I want you to go out to places that make Caesarea Philippi look tame and THAT is where I want you to build my churchrdquo
bull That is exactly what they did
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
Not Prevail
bull Prevail 2729 κατισχύω katischuacuteō from kataacute (2596) against and ischuacuteō (2480) to prevail To be strong against someone prevail against or over Used in a hostile sense meaning to overcome vanquish (Matt 1618) to prevail get the upper hand used in an absolute sense (Luke 2323)
bull 3956 κατισχύωc to prevail over something or some person so as to be able to defeat with the implication that the successful participant has greater strengthmdashlsquoto defeat to prevail over
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out
This RockhellipThe Rock on which We Stand
bull Matthew 1618 (The Message) And now Irsquom going to tell you who you are really are You are Peter a rock This is the rock on which I will put together my church a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out