On this last day before Christmas I’ll discuss King Herod.

Herod provides symbolism for several different aspects. These are the persecution of the Church, the deceivers who act like Christians but are really not and lastly he represents those who will never believe.

Let’s start with the persecution of the church. Herod felt threatened by the birth of a new King. Herod ruthlessly set out to destroy this King. Herod’s persecution was against all boys under the age of 2 in and around Bethlehem. Even though this was not the church per se, it was an attempt to kill Christ. The persecution of Christians has continued right up to today. It will continue until Christ comes again. Christians are perceived as a threat to some. They believe there power will be encroached upon if people are converted to Christianity. Some of these people want to eliminate Christians to they can continue in their sin without having to confront it as wrong.

Herod was conniving in his pursuit of power. He acted like he was helping the Wise Men. He told them he too wanted to worship this new King. He was trying to deceive them. He had not intention of worshiping Christ. He had other plans, but would not reveal them to the Wise Men. There are Christians and Christian leaders today that do the same thing. They have personal agendas and visions of self grander. They tell us what they know we want to hear and not what their ultimate goal is. They deceive us. This is also how Satan attacks us; he deceives us. You wouldn’t listen to him if he told you he was going to destroy your life. You will listen to him if he sneaks up on you gradually by convincing you this one little thing is ok; it’s not that bad. You continue to wander further and further away from God because of this deception.

Lastly, Herod was self-center and had already made up his mind he was not going to worship anyone other than himself. He was King and he didn’t want another. No amount of good news about the new King and who he really was would have made a difference to Herod. His mind was closed to any other evidence. There are many people like this today. They have their mind made up the God is a myth. They have closed their eyes, mind and hearts to the evidence around them that point to Him. They are blinded by their own will.

I hope you have enjoyed this series. These are my views from my own studying and praying. I am not a theologian, but I love the Lord. Feel free to point out any fallacies in my views.

Merry Christmas to all! And to all a goodnight!