Matthew 16:13, 18, Caesarea Philippi…gates of hell. This Roman city (also known as Caesarea Paneas) was located at the southwest base of Mount Hermon. After the death of Herod, and during the rule of the Roman procurators and up to the time of the Jewish revolt, Caesera became the capital and residence of the rulers (Golden Jerusalem, by Menashe Har-El, p. 52). It was here that the ancients built temples to various deities. The heathens typically built altars and temples on high places, which they considered to be gateways or portals to heaven, and Mount Hermon was the highest high place in the entire region with an elevation of 9,232 feet above sea level. At this place, the Greeks worshipped their god Pan. In the same area at the base of Hermon, the Canaanites worshipped Baalgad (Josh 13:5; cp. Josh 11:17).
It is interesting to note that according to the modern Book of Enoch touting to be the one referred to in the Bible, purportedly 200 fallen angels descended upon Mount Hermon and there made a pact to seduce the beautiful daughters of men the result of which, allegedly, were the nephilim or giants (Enoch 7:1–11), thus corrupting the genetics of the human race. These hybrids were destroyed in the flood. These demons apparently taught their offspring sorcery and incantations (v. 10).
It is at Caesarea Philippi that Yeshua proclaimed his messiahship, as a prophetic declaration of war or a form of spiritual warfare against Satan and his demons at the very spot the heathen demon worshippers venerated as their highest high place.
Moreover, some biblical scholars believe that Yeshua’s transfiguration occurred on Mount Hermon, since the account of this event occurs immediately afterwards in Matt 17. At that event, the three disciples with Yeshua received a vision of his glorious appearance, which was another finger in the eye of the devil. HIs second coming is when Yeshua will destroy the devil’s kingdom and and capture him and confine him in chains to the abyss.
The tribe of Dan settled at the foot of Mount Hermon in the area of Tel Dan where they erected a pagan temple dedicated to golden calf worship. Jacob in his final prophecy to his sons connects Dan to a serpent (a biblical metaphor for Satan). Additionally, Moses prophesies that Dan would be a lions whelp or offspring who would inhabit Bashan, which is an area to Mount Hermon in the north (Deut 33:22; see notes on this verse). Some Bible researchers speculate that when these two prophecies are combined, it is revealed that Dan will be the serpents seed and from him will come the false, demon-inspired antichrist who claims to be the lion of Judah. Perhaps this is why the tribe of Dan isn’t mentioned in Rev 7, since this tribe has defected to Satan.
It is also interesting to note that at this spot Yeshua proclaimed that the gates of hell would not prevail against his saints (v. 18). If Caesarea Philippi was or is a portal to the demonic underworld, as some believe, then this could be a portal through which the end time demons will emerge from the bottomless pit in the last days to torment men as part of YHVH’s end time judgments as John writes about in Rev 9:1–11. Whatever the case may be, it is encouraging to have Yeshua’s assurance that the end times saints will have nothing to fear from the hellish demonic spirits that will be roaming the earth seeking to kill, steel and destroy just before his second coming. Moreover, YHVH promises in Rev 9:4 that his saints who have his seal on their foreheads will be protected from the unleased demonic hordes that will torment the earth in the end times.
I have a recent story to tell of what happened to me in Sept. I have yet to write it all down but I was in a local hospital when they decended upon me. I felt like little David with his sling shot but my weapon was Y’shua and His Word! Praise YAH , they are all gone!
THE GATES OF HELL
Yeshua said “upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”.
This means that the demons cannot win the battle against the church in the spiritual world.
Pan’s cave at the foot of Mt Hermon is the mouth of the underworld in this instance. But why is there a gate to hell? Obviously not a physical gate, rather a spiritual gate.
In other words – What is this gateway to hell? Let’s consider this issue.
The 200 ‘Sons of God’ were aware of this ‘gate to hell’. i.e. They knew that it wasn’t to be breached and its because of this they summoned their courage by making a pact.
They knew that the ‘daughters of men’ were taboo to them. But why?
Why were the daughters of men beautiful and why were they taboo?
They were humans just as the ‘sons of God’ were human. 23 chromosomes made them HUMAN and capable of reproducing.
The reason may lie in the preceding generations.
One character stands out as flawed – It was to this man God said “If you do well surely you will be accepted” meaning despite his shortcomings he would be accepted by the community if he remained committed to God’s commands.
God did not make this kind of statement to any other person, so this must indicate that his character was already flawed.
Furthermore God said “but if you do not do well, sin croucheth at the door”.
This is a particularly damning statement.
Cain took the gamble and slew his brother anyway.
Worse still he lied when questioned re the whereabouts of his brother Abel.
His character had led him to become covetous, disobedient, a gambler, a murderer and a liar and through him the earth (all creation) was cursed.
This was the corrupt character who became a vagrant in the land of Nod.
He no longer had the guidance of God and was left to his own devices, finding a wife amongst the hunter gatherers who lived in the caves.
It was his corrupt DNA which several generations later caused the hunter gatherer community to become the target for the ‘Sons of God’.
For the hunter-gatherer’s women were indeed physically beautiful because of Cain’s DNA, but conversely they equally carried the seeds of evil from Cain’s corrupt DNA.
These seeds of evil were precisely the reason why the two species mating was an anathema to God.
The one would corrupt the purity and holiness of the other – i.e.The hunter-gatherer women would corrupt Seth’s descendants.
Because of the flagrant disobedience of the ‘Sons of God’ the flood gates of hell fell open and the corrupt DNA of Cain became a curse upon all humanity.
I question letting this comment in, since it seems to have racist overtones in that it infers that all hunters gatherers (usually non-whites) are cursed with mutated DNA. This, frankly, is a hypothesis the cannot be proven from the Bible, and common sense and a basic knowledge of human history tells us that there have been hunter-gatherers among all races of people, and that many have become “civilized” and come out of that background to become very productive, intelligent and even godly, Christian people. Therefore, if I correctly understand the assertion you are trying to make in your comment, I have to respectfully and firmly disagree with you. I think you are reading a lot into Scripture re. Cain that is simply not there and also have some facts mixed up. Blessings!
I hadn’t mean All hunter-gatherer communities.I don’t think that Cain;s influence was so extensive that it reached outside his domain. So I should like to amend it to:-
It was his corrupt DNA which several generations later caused that particular hunter gatherer community to become the target for the ‘Sons of God’.
Yes, Cain was a sinner, just like every other human who has ever lived. But where does the Bible say that his DNA was corrupted, and if him, then why not every other sinner who has ever lived as well including you and me?