Standing near the Hermon River bed at Caesarea Philippi—where Peter made his great confession to Jesus (Matthew 16:16)—a modern-day visitor can look up and see the pagan site called the “Gates of Hell.” In the first century, the whole area of Caesarea was filled with immorality. The nearby grotto on the side of Mt. Hermon was devoted to worshiping the Greek god Pan. Acts of debauchery were perpetrated at the cave, which was supposed to be the underworld’s entry point.
The irony of where Peter made his confession is apparent: he declares Jesus as the Christ in direct view of this site of false worship. Jesus’ location choice gives His disciples (us, too) an illustration of the diving line between spiritual good and evil.
Biblical scholar, tour leader, and teacher Ray Vander Laan shares, “Interestingly, Jesus chose to deliver a sort of “graduation speech” [sic] to his disciples at Caesarea Philippi. In that pagan setting, he encouraged his disciples to build a church that would overcome the worst evils.”
The passage of Matthew 16:13-20 reveals Jesus asking His disciples who people said He (the Son of Man) is. Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16).
Jesus affirmed Peter’s confession:
“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it” (vv. 17-18).
Mark 8:27-30 and Luke 9:18-20 repeat the narrative but do not include Jesus’ statement about the gates of Hell. Hell is better translated as Hades, the realm of the dead. Hell is the place of final judgment. According to Pastor Don Stewart, Hades is like Sheol, an intermediate place.
Hades can be interpreted in three different ways in the New Testament (some see these as different levels of Hell):
- The grave, where our flesh decays (Acts 2:29-31)
- A place of temporary punishment for the unsaved (Luke 16:23-26)
- A possible holding place for the dead in Christ (yet separate from the unsaved, as seen in the Luke 16:19-31 parable of the rich man and Lazarus).
Two Old Testament verses use this phrase, Job 38:17 and Isaiah 38:10.
Pastor Kevin DeYoung notes the Jewish definition of “gates of hell” is pulai hadou, meaning “realm of the dead.” In both passages, the meaning is clear; gates of hell “represents the passageway from this life to the grave.”
Peter had just professed Jesus as the Christ—the Son of the living God. And on that confession, Jesus would build His church (something He continues to this day, as shown in 1 Corinthians 3:6).
Peter, as did all the Apostles, proclaimed Him as Lord and built on the foundation laid by Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:6-14). We Christians abide in Christ, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), and He is the One who has defeated death (2 Corinthians 2:14).
Therefore, death no longer has any hold on us (Hosea 13:14; 1 Corinthians 15:55, 57). Death’s sting never bites a person who loves, obeys, and calls Jesus Lord, as outlined in the below section about the church (John 11:25). In short, we stand and abide confidently in Christ.
1 Peter 3:17-4:6 is the narrative passage describing Jesus’ descent to proclaim victory to the captives. The term “Harrowing of Hell” suggests Jesus descended into Hell (as stated in the later version of the Apostles’ Creed) between His burial and resurrection. Church tradition asserts Jesus went there, triumphed over “those below,” and freed the captives in Hell (including Adam, Eve, and the Old Testament righteous people).
Except in the theme about spiritual death no clear correlation exists between Jesus’ statement about the gates of Hades (Hell) and the passage in 1 Peter 3:17-4:6. The dead are either spiritually dead (as were we before Christ) or those who are physically dead. These two passages speak of spiritual death. Albeit a difficult text with a few different interpretations, Peter—when he mentions “the living and the dead”—is addressing those throughout time who have never been reconciled to God.
In the spiritual realm, the place of restraint (Tartarus) is not the place of judgment, according to what Scripture says in 2 Peter 2:4 about God sending rebellious angels to Tartarus “to be held for judgment.” Hell is reserved for Satan and his demons, where they will meet their final demise (Revelation 20:10). Hades is the place for which the Lord Jesus has always had the “keys” (Revelation 1:17-18). Hell is also reserved for those who stand before God at the great white throne judgment—those unrepentant sinners not written in the Lamb’s book of life (Matthew 8:12; Revelation 20:12-15).
Prison in the Peter passage is just that, prison—a type of restraint or holding place, wherever in the spiritual realm it is—those who are dead in their trespasses. The passage in Matthew 16 deals with Hades, which is a place of death here and not judgment. Properly translated, the phrase Jesus uses in Matthew 16 is the gates of Hades (Hell is the place of the final judgment of God; the judgment of God does not threaten the church). It all relates to death—spiritual death.
The dead are either spiritually dead (as were we before Christ) or those who are physically dead. Those two passages speak of spiritual death. When Peter speaks of Christ as Judge of the living and the dead (2 Peter 2:4), He is addressing those throughout time who have never been reconciled to God. He went there (Tartarus), not Hell. The place of restraint is not the place of judgment, based on the biblical narrative.
Jesus anthropomorphized the “gates of hell” when he said they would not prevail against the church. In the article noted above, Kevin DeYoung deeply looks into this and asks, “How do gates prevail?” He reminds us gates are defensive edifices. The church, conversely, is offensive—spiritually, as it goes forth as disciple-makers (Matthew 28:19-20) and ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20)—and physically, as the Gospel often offends people (John 15:18-21).
We, as the church, do not defeat the enemy or his minions (Satan and his demons) because Jesus has already defeated them (Colossians 2:15). We hold fast to our Head, Jesus Christ, and to His Word (Ephesians 1:22; Ephesians 5:23; 1 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Corinthians 15:2; Hebrews 3:6).
As we ponder Ephesians 6:10-18, our chief command is to stand against the wiles of the evil one. We are to be strong in the strength of His might as we put on the full armor of God. The armor is defensive for the most part, and yet we can use it for offensive purposes (shoes for the readiness to share the Gospel, and the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God). Our stand is in Christ.
There’s more good news. Nothing and no one will ever be able to separate us from Christ, not even death (Romans 8:1, 10-11, 31, 35).
The same Peter who proclaimed Jesus as the Christ, in fear denied Him (Luke 22:54-62), and was restored by Jesus (John 21:15-17), later went on to boldly and fearlessly preach the Gospel starting on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-40). About “three thousand souls were added” to the church that day. Peter went forward with the truth and shared the truth of Jesus Christ. Peter joins the other Apostles as examples for us to march onward with the Gospel, holding fast to Jesus Christ as He builds His church.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Pavel_Chag
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