“I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.”—Matthew 16:18-19, NLT
The disciples must have been uncomfortable and shocked when Jesus led His group to the equivalent of “the red-light district.” Devout Jews would never be seen going to such a place.
Caesarea Philippi was a place of idol worship and fertility rites, which included prostitution. Four altars had been established: one to Caesar, whom they worshipped as a god; another for Zeus, the prince of gods; one for Pan, where we get our word panic (tells you something about this god); and finally, “the Gates of Hell.”
The location contained a deep spring, flowing from a rock. The Jews believed this was the portal for demons unleashed by Israel’s disobedience to God. They called it the “Gates of Hell.”
Jesus took the disciples to this deep darkness and asked them, “Who do men say that I am?” (Matthew 16:13). Then He asked, “But who do you say that I am?” (v.15).
Simon Peter replied, “You are the Messiah, the son of the living God.” Right at the Gates of Hell, Peter declared Jesus’ deity.
Forget Caesar, Zeus, Pan, and the devil. The real God showed up. Jesus is putting hell on notice.
Bad news for the devil. Jesus stood at the Gates of Hell and announced, I’m coming here to build My church. And guess what? The gates of hell are going down.
Gates were defensive weapons of warfare in Jesus’ day. The stronger they were, the better a village could withstand an assault.
Gates are the only thing Satan has left, and Jesus has all the keys. He didn’t stop there. He turned the keys over to us. I’ll be in heaven sitting at the right hand of the Father. I’ll be praying and interceding for you. But you’re the ones with your voice, your feet, and your hands that will go to the gates of hell, uproot the devil’s nonsense, and plant My kingdom. You have the keys.
How amazing is that? We have spiritual weapons and the armor of God, mighty for pulling down strongholds. We have the authority to use His name. And we have the keys to the Kingdom.
We can begin a new year strong and ready.
Jesus promised victory, and we can claim that!
Don’t forget your keys.
