Biblical Logos Blog

I was preparing a study last year for an Israel tour our church is taking soon. When I came to the Biblical events that happened at Caesarea Philippi, and the mountain behind it (Mt. Hermon), I was exploring the depths of spiritual darkness these places represented during Jesus ministry.

Caesarea Philippi is a cave structure which leads to a deep pit and well. It was believed to be a gateway to the underworld. The Greek god Pan was worshiped there in New Testament times and the Canaanite god Baal was worship there during the Old Testament times. Mt. Hermon which is directly behind it was also the place where 200 fallen angels descended down and corrupted Earth leading to the flood of Noah’s time. That event is recorded in detail in 1 Enoch (not part of Biblical cannon), but referenced in Genesis 6, Peter’s Epistles and the book of Jude.

In studying this area’s significance, I also found some commentaries and references that Mt. Hermon is believed by some to be the Mt. of Transfiguration. This is the mountain Jesus took Peter, James and John to 6 days after they first came to Caesarea Philippi.

Matthew 17: 1-3: After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ² There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. ³ Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

That blew me away! Traditionally, another mountain in Israel (Mt. Tabor) was revered as the “Mount of Transfiguration”. Early church fathers and Emporor Constantine’s mother Helena determined it based on location to Jesus main ministry. The text of this passage however, leads many scholars to challenge that tradition as Jesus was up North in the Caesarea Philippi region when this happened and the largest mountain, Mt Hermon, is right in this location.

The spiritual battle scene could not be more thick if Mt. Hermon is the location for the Transfiguration. This is precisely where the fallen angles came to Earth as referenced in 1 Enoch and Genesis 6. As we also mentioned, this was considered “the gates of Hell” at Caesarea Philippi which is also at the base of Mt. Hermon. Even the Old Testament worship of Baal at this location was worshiping Baal as Lord of the underworld. Jesus, by coming here and unveiling himself in all his glory, was making a statement. I am Lord over this region of darkness! What was Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi?

Matthew 16:15-20: “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.  And I tell you that you are Peter,^[b] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades^[c] will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be^[d] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be^[e] loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

I believe if it is true that the Mt. of Transfiguration is Mt. Hermon, Jesus was declaring he is Lord the “Messiah, the Son of the living God”, over all the Earth and fallen spiritual rhelm. Since finding this out, I have run into other teaching consistent with what I had discovered. Here is a video from Dr. Michael Heiser on the topic as well.