Real Gates Of Hell

[Christopher]

Locallegends suggest Satan has several hellholes on Earth, including a blazing gas crater in Turkmenistan and a skull-littered cave in Belize. Some locations, such as the unassuming town of Hellam, Pennsylvania, supposedly contain seven gates of Hell that one must pass through in the correct order to pay the Devil a visit.

No one knows if this man went to The Gates of Hell or not but anyone without Christ is headed there. Rob Bell aside, there are only two destinations for people; heaven or hell. The way to get to the real gates of hell is truly to walk past Calvary. But if you go to Calvary first, the gates of hell will not prevail against you nor will it ever prevail against the church; the Body of Christ. You see, Jesus went through it for this young man, He went through it for me, and He went through it for you. But we can not pass by Calvary. We must stop at its foot. Pass by Calvary and you pass by your only way out of the gates of hell.

As a pastor, I don't think I could have kept my mouth shut. I am not judging the young pastor, I am only saying that we have divine opportunities placed before us everday. We must be in the business of snatching people out of the path to hell. I pray I would have been faithful enough to witness to this young man although I can not say with certainty I would have been.

My name is Jack Wellman. I am a pastor, a Christian author, and have been a freelance writer for ten years & have 4 books listed on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, etc. to raise funds for the homeless and for missions.

The gates of hell are various places on the surface of the world that have acquired a legendary reputation for being entrances to the underworld. Often they are found in regions of unusual geological activity, particularly volcanic areas, or sometimes at lakes, caves, or mountains.

Legends from both ancient Greece and Rome record stories of mortals who entered or were abducted into the netherworld through such gates. Aeneas visited the underworld, entering through a cave at the edge of Lake Avernus on the Bay of Naples.[1] Hercules entered the Underworld from this same spot. In the middle of the Roman Forum is another entrance, Lacus Curtius, where according to legend, a Roman soldier named Curtius, bravely rode his horse into the entrance in a successful effort to close it, although both he and his horse perished in the deed.[2]

Pluto's Gate, Ploutonion in Greek, Plutonium in Latin, in modern-day Turkey unearthed by Italian archaeologists is said to be the entry gate to the Underworld; it is linked to the Greco-Roman mythology and tradition.[7]

Auguste Rodin was commissioned to make a pair of bronze doors to symbolize the gates of hell. He received the commission on August 20, 1880, for a new art museum in Paris, to exhibit at the 1889 Exposition Universelle, which ultimately did not open; however in 1900, some of them were part of his first solo exhibition in Paris. Rodin spent seven years making the doors, with over 200 figures appearing on it. He was first inspired by Dante's Inferno but focused more on universal human emotions. During his lifetime the model was never cast and it was first cast in 1925. The Gates of Hell was described as one of the defining works of Rodin.[9][10] Having hoped to exhibit his Gates at the 1889 Exposition Universelle, but probably too busy to finish them, the sculptor stopped working on them circa 1890.

In 1878, Rev. Thomas De Witt Talmage delivered a widely reprinted sermon titled "The Gates of Hell" at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, based on the scripture Matthew 16:18, message by Jesus to Peter "...on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it." Talmage's gates were metaphorical, including "infamous literature," "dissolute dance," "indiscreet apparel," and "alcoholic beverage".[22][23]

In ancient Indian Hindu tradition the Orion constellation where the vernal equinox is stated to occur, the Milky Way and the Canis were considered to form the border between Devaloka (heaven) and Yamaloka (hell); the Milky Way forming the dividing river between heaven and hell and the Canis Major and Canis Minor representing dogs that guarded the Gates of Hell.[24]

From the ancient religious texts to the myths of the Ancient Greeks, the legends of the Ancient Egyptians, and the tales of the Ancient Romans, humans have always believed in the existence of a life other than the physical one humans live on earth. The underworld is one of such places believed to be in existence. According to myths and religious beliefs around the world, the underworld is the place where the souls of the dead go and it has always been believed that this destination is under the earth or below the world of the living. It is however important to note that the underworld in many cultures is not entirely evil but just destinations where the dead go to receive judgment for their lives on earth. The most popular of these cultures are those of the Greeks and the Egyptians. In Greek mythology, Hades ruled over this underworld and delivered judgments to the souls that ended up there while in Egyptian myth, Duat was the land of the dead and Osiris was the lord of this Egyptian underworld.

In many religious beliefs, however, the closest resemblance to this world of the dead is a place called hell and in this case, it represents the destination for the souls of sinners. Seeing these similarities in various myths and teachings around the world, one cannot help but get curious about where exactly this so-called underworld is located. Since it is the place where the dead goes, it certainly must be colossal and have many gates. With the quest to know more and hopefully locate this interesting destination, humans have chosen to believe that these locations are actual gates to the underworld. Even though one can visit them, there are severe and sometimes deadly risks involved in trying to discover more than the natural in these locations. Remember - the underworld is an invincible realm and only the dead can enter it.

Fengdu, also known as the city of ghosts, is a place in China located north of the Yangtze River. According to Chinese legend, this location is the gateway to hell. The town consists of several temples dedicated to the underworld serving as the boundary between the living and the dead. The tales tell that the souls of the dead are led to this location to pass through a series of tests which then separate the pure souls from the wicked souls who are then taken to the underworld.

Houska Castle sits at the top of a cliff in the Czech Republic and its history is just as frightening as its creepy appearance. Its location in a dense forest in one of the most remote parts of Czechia and its lack of occupants makes it even scarier to visit. According to Folklore, there was a large bottomless pit on the spot where the castle now stands. This pit was believed to be the gateway to the underworld and strange creatures would emerge from it in the dark to capture people who were out of their homes during these dark hours and drag them into the pit. The castle was eventually built above this alleged gateway to prevent demons from escaping and torturing locals. Several centuries after the building of the castle, locals revealed that strange sounds and scratching noises could still be heard from within the castle. History also has it that the Nazis occupied the Houska Castle to carry out occultic practices so that's one more thing that makes this place extremely bizarre.

Cape Matapan was once regarded by the Ancient Greeks as a gateway to the underworld. Located in Mani Peninsula, the cave was said to have been the passage used by Hercules and other ancient characters to enter the Underworld. This site also appealed to the Spartans as a place of worship and they built several temples in the area for their various gods. The ruins of many of these temples can still be seen at the site today and the scenery characterizing the site makes it even more appealing to visit.

In Old Testament times, the northeastern area of Israel became a center for Baal worship. In the nearby city of Dan, Israelite king Jeroboam built the high place that angered God and eventually led the Israelites to worship false gods. Eventually, worship of the baals was replaced with worship of Greek fertility gods.

Years later, when Romans conquered the territory, Herod Philip rebuilt the city and named it after himself. But Caesarea Philippi continued to focus on worship of Greek gods. In the cliff that stood above the city, local people built shrines and temples to Pan.

Interestingly, Jesus chose to deliver a sort of "graduation speech" to his disciples at Caesarea Philippi. In that pagan setting, he encouraged his disciples to build a church that would overcome the worst evils.

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%u2014the 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.

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.

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