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Most of us have heard this verse our entire Christian life:

“I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)

It’s usually preached as encouragement. A reminder that hell can’t stop what God is doing.

And that’s true, sure, but what most people don’t realize is Jesus wasn’t saying this in a vacuum. It was an extremely strategic, “5-star General” type of statement.

He spoke while standing somewhere very specific.

And once you know where, the verse changes forever.

Jesus wasn’t in a synagogue. He wasn’t in Jerusalem.

He was in Caesarea Philippi. This was a Roman city filled with pagan worship.

One of its most famous features was a massive cave carved into the rock, with water flowing out of it. To the ancient world, that cave wasn’t just scenery. It was believed to be the entrance to the underworld.

The Gate of Hades!

People believed spirits and death flowed from it.

It was a place that gods feared, not conquered.

This was not a neutral location; it was clearly ENEMY TERRITORY.

And there, of all places, Jesus asks His disciples a question.

“Who do you say that I am?” (v15)

Jesus did not ask this in the temple, the garden, or in any of their familiar places.

He asked them in the place where people believed the doorway to Hades was.

In enemy territory, Peter answers:

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (v16)

And Jesus responds with words we’ve heard for years, but maybe haven’t understood the full weight of them:

“On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” (v18)

Standing there, in front of what people feared most, JESUS DECLARES IT POWERLESS!

Brothers and sisters, did you catch what Jesus said?

“...and the GATES OF HADES WILL NOT PREVAIL”

WELL, GUESS WHAT, GATES DON’T ATTACK!!!

GATES DEFEND!

Jesus wasn’t just saying, “Hell will try to attack you but do not fret, it will not win.”

He was saying:

“THIS FORTRESS YOU THINK IS UNMOVABLE, YEAH, IT'S ABOUT TO BE OVERRUN!”

This was invasion language! Jesus wasn’t retreating from darkness. He was calling His shot right at its front door. Glory to GOD!

So, why in the world does this matter for us?

It gives us another view of Jesus as He walked the earth

He does not avoid the places we label:

  • “too dark”
  • “too far gone”
  • “off limits”
  • “impossible”

He didn’t speak this from a distance. He stepped into the very place everyone else feared and declares that, IT WILL NOT STAND! HALLELUYAH!

Now, If the gates of death couldn’t hold their ground against Him, then guess what?

No stronghold, no personal battle, no generational chain, no demon, no molecule of darkness, gets the FINAL WORD!!!!

I’ve read this verse many times as a follower of Christ but when the Holy Spirit revealed this to me (through applying hermeneutical rules as I study), it OPENED up my eyes!

Jesus wasn’t speaking in theory. 

He was standing at the gates of death and announcing that they were already losing.

And family, that’s not just comforting for us, that is TERRIFYING for everything that opposes him.

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So family, what does this mean practically, for us?

If Jesus stood right in front of what everyone thought to be the actual gates of Hell and said they would be destroyed…

HE IS NOT INTIMIDATED BY THE GATES WE FACE RIGHT NOW.

Some of us are standing in front of a gate that seems terrifying and/or immovable:

A report from the doctor that blindsided you.

A past you can’t outrun.

A wound so deep, you’ve aligned with it.

A relationship you believe is too damaged to be healed.

…and the lie is always the same: “This one won’t move.”

But friends, please, if anyone is reading these blogs, don’t forget this:

JESUS IS NOT STANDING BEHIND YOU ASKING YOU TO BE BRAVE.

HE STANDS AHEAD OF YOU, ALREADY AT THE GATE!

JESUS DOESN’T SAY, “GOOD LUCK!”

JESUS SAYS, “FOLLOW ME!”

So, brothers and sisters, let us follow THE KING of GLORY wherever HE LEADS us! (not where we desire to be led!)

He is and will always be the main character AND HE HAS NEVER LOST A BATTLE!

GLORY TO GOD!