Caesarea Philippi (Banias), Israel - Peter's Confession of Christ, Upon this Rock Church Built

See an inspirational video showing the actual place where Christ asked His disciples, "Who do you say that I Am?" Learn some fascinating truths for us today related to Peter's statement from Matthew 16:18.
Location
1. Few other places in Scripture will provide so much meaning by understanding the location.
2. It was here that Peter made the divinely inspired declaration the Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God.
3. Caesarea Philippi was an impressive Greco-Roman city near a huge spring that comes out of a cave and is one of the main sources of the Jordan River.
4. It’s about 30 miles (48 km.) north of the Sea of Galilee and is at the foothills of Mount Hermon.
5. It was close to a High Place where Jeroboam set up a golden calf for the northern tribes of Israel to worship, which led to their downfall.
6. In around 1000 AD there was an earthquake that collapsed part of the cave and changed the water flow. Now the water comes out of the ground below the cave.
Historical Background
1. This place has been associated with intense false god worship and evil for many years.
2. Baal worship took place here during the period of the kings of Israel.
3. King Jeroboam set up a golden calf not far from here and commanded all the Israelites in this area to worship it.
4. Later, under the Greeks, it became the key place of worship to the fertility god, Pan. Pan was a half human, half goat looking, creature.
5. Then the Romans incorporated it into a place of false god worship as well.
6. Caesarea Philippi was originally called Panion or Panias, after the Greek god Pan. Later it became known as Banias.
7. Herod the Great’s son, Philip, established it as the capital of his territory and named it Caesarea to honor the emperor of Rome. It became a large, flourishing Roman city.
8. It was known as Caesarea Philippi to distinguish it from other cities with the same name.
9. During the time of Christ, there were 5 main areas of worship to false gods that took place here.
• Herod the Great built a temple right at the mouth of this huge spring to honor Augustus Caesar.
• A courtyard area to the worship of Pan.
• A temple dedicated to the false god, Zeus.
• An upper Tomb Temple of the Dancing Goats.
• A lower Tomb Temple of the Dancing Goats.
10. It was a worldwide gathering place of worship to numerous false gods.
11. It was literally considered the “Gate of the Underworld (Hades)” by the known world at that time.
12. Children would be thrown alive into the entrance to the cave as a sacrifice to the god of Pan, believing this would appease the gods and bring fertility to their crops.
13. Some even believe that men would mate with goats in the courtyard of Pan and on the Tomb Temples in ritualistic fertility acts believing this would help their crops. They would also have goats mating with goats as well in these areas.
14. It was a sick cesspool of evil and represented the worst Satan and sinful humanity could offer.
15. The disciples were very uncomfortable coming to this eerie, demonic, dark place, and no good Jew would have even considered coming here.
16. However, Jesus purposefully brought His disciples here to embed within their hearts the imperative truth of who He was, what the mission of His church would be, and the astounding power His church would have over evil through Him.
Places of Interest
1. Cave Entrance (place the large spring was located)
2. Temple of Augustus
3. Courtyard of the false god, Pan
4. Temple of Zeus
5. Upper Tomb Temple of the Dancing Goats
6. Lower Tomb Temple of the Dancing Goats
7. Hermon Stream (flows from the cave entrance)
8. Byzantine Church
9. Cardo
10. Moat
11. Church
12. Crusader Church
13. Palace of Agrippa II
14. Flour Mill
15. Roman Bridge

Видео Caesarea Philippi (Banias), Israel - Peter's Confession of Christ, Upon this Rock Church Built канала HolyLandSite