The following article is part of the "Biblical Obscurities" blog series by Mike Velthouse, author of Journey Through the Psalms. For years, Mike has been writing articles for his church's monthly newsletter on a number of "obscurities" within the Bible. We will be reprinting many of those articles in the next few months here on the RFPA blog. Join our email list here to receive a notification in your inbox for new additions to this blog series!

Sometimes the location of an event in the Bible is as important as the occurrence itself. There is no more outstanding example of this than the city of Caesarea Philippi, considered the Roman empire's epicenter for worshipping pagan gods.

Here, the scene is set for Peter’s great confession of who Christ is.

Jesus and his disciples had just traveled 30 miles north, a two-day journey from the Sea of Galilee to Caesarea Philippi. Jesus led them here for an important reason. Before heading south on the final trip to Jerusalem, Jesus had one last test for the disciples.

After hearing that the people of Israel thought Jesus to be either John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets, Jesus had this question for the disciples: Whom do you say that I am? Jesus didn't ask this question on a whim or to get information he didn't already have. The disciples were being prepared for their future mission.

Jesus quizzed them at this specific location because the place held some incredible monuments of Roman and Greek pagan worship.

First, Caesarea Philippi received its name from Herod Philip in honor of Augustus (Caesar worship) and himself (ego-idolatry). To the far left of where Jesus and the disciples stood was located a white marble temple built by Herod the Great in honor of Caesar Augustus. This 60-ft-by-30-ft monument facilitated the worship of the Caesars, who declared themselves gods. 

Second, here at the foot of Mount Hermon was located one of Israel's most extensive rock formations. Carved into that craggy, limestone mountain cliff were niches, fourteen mini-temples, that contained statues of Greek gods, such as Hermes, Nemesis, and Echo. On the ground below was a large platform where several pagan and humanist shrines had been constructed. In the middle stood a sanctuary dedicated to the Greek god Zeus.

The most essential "divinity" worshipped in Caesarea Philippi was Pan, the Greek god of nature, livestock, and fertility. Carved into the cliff face was a grotto that contained a statue of Pan, with the legs, rear, and horns of a goat, and the upper body of a man. The goat was the sacred animal of this god, so the platform below included a section called the Temple of the Goats. Worshippers would dance there with live goats before choosing one as an offering to Pan. Also on this platform, the pagan citizens of Caesarea Philippi worshipped Pan through prostitution and other grotesque sexual acts. 

With this backdrop representing all the false religions in their world, Jesus poses the question to the disciples, Whom do you say that I am? The significance of their location could not have been lost on the disciples!

Peter answered, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus affirms Peter’s answer by declaring his confession to be the rock on which he would build his church.

Then, he adds the phrase “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The inclusion of this phrase was not just some hyperbole or a clever line used by Jesus.

Following the disciples’ gaze, you might have seen water rushing out of a cave located behind Caesar's temple and next to the statue of Pan. In that cave, seventy-two springs inside Mount Hermon converged into a wild and tumultuous current that flowed down and gushed out onto the mountainside. The gathered waters in the cave were so deep that no one could explore inside. This cavern became known to the people of this region as the “Gates of Hell.” They believed Pan and other gods of the underworld lived inside. It was into this cave that the pagan people threw their sacrificial goats. If a goat survived the currents and the cave swallowed it up, that was a sign that Pan had approved the offering. But if the waters spewed out the goat, Pan had rejected the offering. A scary place, indeed!

Jesus used the imagery of these "gates" to promise his church that nothing would ever prevail against the proclamation of the gospel. No Gentile city would prevail. No Greek or Roman god worshipped in any of those cities would prevail. No Roman Caesar would prevail. No persecution of the church by Christ's enemies would prevail. 

The disciples had to hear that promise in this location because, soon after, they would find themselves at the forefront of the mission to spread the gospel. The disciples needed this encouragement as they headed to Jerusalem with their Lord for the last time.

Let us remember this promise in our lives also. The gates of hell have no chance against the faithful preaching of his word throughout the world, or even against the personal witnessing we are called to perform in our individual earthly journey. How encouraging that is!

Isaiah 45:5: "I am the LORD, and there is none else; there is no God beside me."

Isaiah 41:10: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed, for I am Thy God: I will strengthen thee.”

Like what you've read? Click the image below to read more from author Mike Velthouse in the thirty-day devotional Journey Through the Psalms, available now on rfpa.org and in Christian bookstores near you!