gates of what?

Anguspure said:

This is the "gates of hell":

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To the pagan mind, the cave at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld, where fertility gods lived during the winter. They committed detestable acts to worship these false gods.

Caesarea Philippi's location was especially unique because it stood at the base of a cliff where spring water flowed. At one time, the water ran directly from the mouth of a cave set in the bottom of the cliff.

The pagans of Jesus' day commonly believed that their fertility gods lived in the underworld during the winter and returned to earth each spring. They saw water as a symbol of the underworld and thought that their gods traveled to and from that world through caves.

To the pagan mind, then, the cave and spring water at Caesarea Philippi created a gate to the underworld. They believed that their city was literally at the gates of the underworld, the gates of hell. In order to entice the return of their god, Pan, each year, the people of Caesarea Philippi engaged in horrible deeds, including prostitution and sexual interaction between humans and goats.

When Jesus brought his disciples to the area, they must have been shocked. Caesarea Philippi was like a red-light district in their world and devout Jews would have avoided any contact with the despicable acts committed there.

It was a city of people eagerly knocking on the doors of hell.

Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi: He didn't want his followers hiding from evil: He wanted them to storm the gates of hell.

Standing near the pagan temples of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples "Who do you say that I am?" Peter boldly replied, "You are the Son of the living God." The disciples were probably stirred by the contrast between Jesus, the true and living God, and the false hopes of the pagans who trusted in "dead" gods.

Jesus continued, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" (see Matt. 16:13-20).

Though Christian traditions debate the theological meaning of those words, it seems clear that Jesus? words also had symbolic meaning. His church would be built on the "rock" of Caesarea Philippi, a rock literally filled with niches for pagan idols, where ungodly values dominated.

Gates were defensive structures in the ancient world. By saying that the gates of hell would not overcome, Jesus suggested that those gates were going to be attacked.

Standing as they were at a literal "Gate of Hades," the disciples may have been overwhelmed by Jesus' challenge. They had studied under their rabbi for several years, and now he was commissioning them to a huge task: to attack evil, and to build the church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption.

Jesus presented a clear challenge with his words at Caesarea Philippi: He didn't want his followers hiding from evil: He wanted them to storm the gates of hell. (Gates of Hell)

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Galilee63 said:

Thousands of Saints/Nuns of whom God our Heavenly Father mentions in His Holy Word Old Testament and His New Testament.

Thousands of Gods Saints with their writings of Jesus Himself - directly reflect Gods Holy Scriptures, Gods Holy Word.

As you say, keep on reading Gods Holy Word/Holy Scriptures, our Divine Holy Word, pray to Jesus Holy Spirit God for Holy Spirit to illuminate hearts souls and minds more continually, repent sins to Jesus as Jesus requests in His New Testament "Repent and Believe in The Good News" and continue to receive Him in His Holy Blessed Sacraments - most of all Love Jesus God Holy Spirit and our Blessed Holy Mother with all our hearts, all of our souls, all of our strength and Trust in Jesus completely daily receiving Jesus into our hearts and tell Jesus I Love You, I Trust in You giving Jesus as much time as possible and praying for Holy Reparation of His Blessed Holy Sacred Heart and praying for Holy Reparation of our Blessed Virgin Mother Marys Holy Immaculate Heart.

The Catholic Saints prayed, offered up, sacrificed for Jesus God Hoy Spirit and Holy Mother Mary and for the world at large whom all benefited from their Prayers and Sacrifices...in Jesus God Holy Spirit and our Heavenly Holy Mother Mary spreading Gods Holy Word, doing the works of Mercy with compassion in their hearts, all indescribably rewarded in Heaven with God our Heavenly Divine Majesty.

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OrthodoxyUSA said:

What if, from the EO pov, its all metaphoric.

So that the sentence alludes to the fact that "The Church" is indestructible. The gates of hades being the entrance of decomposition.

Forgive me...

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OrthodoxyUSA said:

For the EO hell is being in front of the ever burning fire of God with our sins burning. Not a seperate "place".

We are eternal either way.

Forgive me...

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Bible2+ said:

It's the current, temporary hell.

That is, there are two literal hells, one temporary and one eternal. The temporary hell, called Hades in Greek (Luke 16:23) and Sheol in Hebrew (Psalms 86:13), is where the souls of non-Christians go when they die, and where they're tormented by flame (Luke 16:23-24). Before Jesus Christ's first coming, Hades was also where the souls of saved people went when they died, but the part of Hades for the saved was a place of comfort (Luke 16:25).

After Jesus Christ fulfilled the Gospel by suffering and dying for our sins on the Cross and rising physically from the dead on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), He went down into Hades and preached the fulfillment of the Gospel to the souls there (1 Peter 3:19; 1 Peter 4:6), and then drew the souls of obedient believers there who had died in faith (Hebrews 11:13) up with Him when He ascended into heaven (Ephesians 4:8-9, Hebrews 12:22-24). Since then, the souls of obedient Christians go directly into heaven to be with Jesus when they die (Philippians 1:21,23; 2 Corinthians 5:8, Revelation 6:9-11).

At Jesus Christ's future, Second Coming, He will bring with Him from heaven the souls of all obedient Christians who have ever died (1 Thessalonians 4:14), and their bodies will be physically resurrected into immortality at that time (1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 15:21-23,52-53). They will then reign on the earth with Jesus for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 5:10, Revelation 2:26-29). After the 1,000 years and subsequent events (Revelation 20:7-10), all non-Christians of all times will be physically resurrected out of Hades and judged (Revelation 20:12-13), and then cast into the eternal hell, called the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15, Revelation 21:8), where they will be tormented along with Satan and his fallen angels in fire and brimstone forever (Matthew 25:41,46, Revelation 20:10,15, Revelation 14:10-11). This eternal hell is also called Gehenna in Greek (Luke 12:5, Mark 9:45-46) and Tophet in Hebrew (Isaiah 30:33).

Tophet was also the name of a place in ancient times called the valley of Hinnom (2 Kings 23:10), just outside the southern wall of Jerusalem (Joshua 15:8). "Gehenna" literally means "the valley (ge) of Hinnom". Just as the ancient Tophet/Gehenna was outside the wall of ancient Jerusalem, so the eternal Gehenna, the lake of fire, will be just outside one wall of New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:15, Revelation 21:8) on the future, New Earth (Revelation 21:1-8). Christians will go forth from New Jerusalem to witness the eternal torment of non-Christians in the lake of fire (Isaiah 66:24, Mark 9:46, Matthew 25:41,46, Revelation 20:10,15, Revelation 14:10-11).

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