Hell Doesn’t Stand A Chance
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Matthew 16:13-When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
Have you ever noticed how certain places can have great significance to us?
I think about this when I remember the home where I was raised in West Virginia. Going back to the town I grew up in always brings back memories: some good, some bad, some kind of in between. That’s how people are: we are attached to the memories of places that we have been.
Not only is that true with us individually, but collectively as well. Think of what these places mean to you as an American: New York City, Ground Zero, Philadelphia PA, Lexington KY (for all of us UK fans), etc.
Places are important!
The same is true in the Bible.
In the Gospel of Matthew, we read about how Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38). What is interesting is studying the geography of the places where Jesus travelled to in His ministry. Many of those places were well known as religious centers and places of spiritual significance.
Take Matthew 16:13 as an example.
Caesarea Philippi.
This was located in the area known as Bashan, at the foot of a mountain called Mount Hermon. Before the Romans took control of the region, it was called Paneas. The Greeks worshipped the goat-god, Pan, from this location, believing that the cave at the mouth of the Jordan River was the entryway to Hades (the realm of the dead). Before the Romans and the Greeks, the Canaanites worshiped El, the god of their pantheon, and his wife, Asherah, along with their seventy sons.
Of course, long before the Romans, the Greeks, or the Canaanites, the area of Mount Hermon was also well-known to the Jewish people. In Genesis 6:1-4, we are told about a time when some of the rebellious sons of God (angels-see how this phrase is used at that time to reference angels in Job 1:6; 2:1-2; 38:4-7) had children with the daughters of men. These half-angelic and half-human beings were the “giants” (Hebrew, Nephilim) that began to terrorize, enslave, and destroy mankind, leading to the great Flood of Noah’s time. One uninspired Jewish history book, 1 Enoch (6:1-8), names the place where the fallen angels chose to enter into their covenant together against God.
It was Mount Hermon!
Long before the time of Jesus, the Jewish people believed that Mount Hermon was literally the location of the gates of Hell.
Now, with that background of this area in mind, consider carefully what Jesus says:
Matthew 16:18-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.
Notice two things with me.
First, Jesus brought His followers to what was recognized in His time as the gates of Hell. This was, in essence, the capital of Satan’s empire in the world! The Lord had led His followers to the very heart of Satan’s kingdom. Beloved, please consider here that the Lord will often take us out of our individual and group comfort zones. He will place us where He wants us to be, even if that is in a very difficult area. Sometimes that is for us to reach others, and sometimes that will be for us to grow into what He wants us to become. After all, He is the vine and we are the branches, while the Father prunes us to help us grow (John 15:1-8). Often the best environments for us to grow and flourish are the ones that are the most difficult to endure. We follow Jesus, even when He leads us to the gates of Hell. He does not call us to conform to the world: He calls us to conquer the world (1 John 5:4).
Second, ours is a call to warfare, not only to defense. Matthew 16:18 does not picture the church as being under attack, with the hordes of Hell charging us and being unable to defeat us because we are holding the line. Instead, the church of Christ is shown to be on the offensive, marching against the very gates of Hell, and those gates will not withstand our assault! As Michael Heiser has pointed out:
“The theological messaging couldn’t be more dramatic. Jesus says the “gates of hell” will not prevail against the church. We often think of this phrase as though God’s people are in a posture of having to bravely fend off Satan and his demons. This simply isn’t correct. Gates are defensive structures, not offensive weapons. The kingdom of God is the aggressor. Jesus goes to ground zero in biblical demonic geography to announce that Bashan will be defeated. It is the gates of hell that are under assault—and they will not hold up against the church. Hell has no claim on those who align themselves with Jesus. He will reverse the curse of death and His own will rise on account of Him.” (Michael S. Heiser, Reversing Hermon: Enoch, the Watchers, and the Forgotten Mission of Jesus Christ, 95-96 (Kindle Edition): Crane, MO: Defender Publishing)
For far too long, the church has often merely been holding the line. It is time for us to actively engage the enemy, share the Word in love, be set for the defense of the Gospel, while encouraging and bearing each other’s burdens as the family of Christ. So we march on, confident in the certainty that when Jesus leads us to a place occupied by the enemy, He will lead us to ultimate victory.
That doesn’t mean that the battles will be easy, or that we may not encounter some defeats along the way. But it does mean that you and I are going to win the war!
My friends, Hell doesn’t stand a chance against Christ and His church.
Father, thank You for leading us today wherever we go. Guide and help us to find some troubled soul that needs Your Word. Help us not to move in fear, but in faith. If there are places in our life where the enemy holds sway, help us to face and overcome them. All of our hope is in You. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.