This message has taken some while to come forth to writing being that one must wait until it matures, as I believe this series for me personally has been a major discovery. I look forward to next Christmas that we can go on a similar discovery. For me to look at the various elements we then begin to see a consistency where the story of Jesus’ birth, the Christmas story has other significant elements for our day, and for end times events. The thing that struck me from Matthew right down to Acts we see a “Herod” a major factor of persecution and opposition to the ways and workings of God. This Herod, the Great appears in history and all the others being sons of the former. Herod represents a earthly kingdom in confrontation with the phased transitionary heavenly Kingdom whose Kingship manifests in phases until He comes into Fulness through His people.

The Herod who has a gloryless house seeks out the King of Glory to kill

One must research the history of Herod the Great to understand the reason why God steers Christ away and all those who were invited to His Birth by God, through a star, through angelic visitation. Herod is a King imposed on the Jews by the Romans, he is illegitimate because he is not of the line of David, has no spiritual claim to the throne. He tears and demolishes the 2nd temple and raises up another which takes 46 years to build. Contemporary historians give account of this building project. Yet it is not accounted for in any Scripture, and no prophet prophesies this temple as they did in the time of Ezra. It is a house built with a self perceived glory of man, Herod’s own perceived status. It is exposed as gloryless on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion as the curtain is torn. This is not a Temple to God as much as it is a Temple in the image of a king. And earthly kingdom and an earthly system.

Does this not surprise you that this foundation is at best at odds with what God guided through His prophets? Would it not surprise you that from that foundation that when the King of Glory is born, this Herod wants to seek Him out to kill? There is a birthing taking place now through the world and the earthly political systems are wanting to seek Jesus the King out today. Herod does not last long after the killing of the babies, and he is dead…the only thing left is a monument of self. There are monuments to self throughout the political system, yet God still brings about the birthing of His plan, and God causes angels and divine visitations to avoid any interaction with that earthly structure because God will enact judgment on it one day.

Luke 2 recites that Anna is there in this temple praying for 84 years preparing the way for the birthing of Jesus, she was being prepared that the Messiah was coming, allowed that vision, that conviction to live within her heart, and when the Baby was entering the Temple, the gloryless house, she recognised Him straightaway. Whilst all the 46 years of building was this prophetess praying, quietly, fasting, making Isaiah 54 her watchword, God being her husband. That is what I sense in that life of prayer. Men can build their buildings, their systems, but God’s Kingdom has the last word. Jesus is taken away in the night to Egypt and kept there until Herod is killed off and He is safe to go to reside in Nazareth. Joseph is so sensitive to God that he dreams every step God wanted him to take and he obeyed.

The second Herod, kills off John the Baptist and James, wants Jesus and wants Peter. He is the murderer of leaders…

It really surprised me that this “Herod” spirit accompanies the history of Jesus’ mission, kills off his forerunner, and wants to kill the leaders of Jesus’ Ecclesia. This Herod is a fascinated man with miracles yet desires to kill off those who do God’s miracles. We have many modern day politicians who pay lip service to Jesus and His Ecclesia yet want to kill off the workers of the supernatural through undermining holy fellowship. Jesus calls him a “fox” and with good reason. He hunts out the saints and mauls them like a sly fox. Jesus saw within his heart and saw what was motivation. We have to conclude in our modern day that power corrupts however it is given to us. The true wielders of Divine Power become targets to be killed off, and be imprisoned. When James is killed, so Peter is a target to undermine the power of the Church. The Holy Spirit had empowered them a second time: Acts 4. They move in judicial power, Acts 5, and now a fear settles on the peoples, but Herod must try to break this power. Peter is imprisoned, yet the Church learned the power of prayer to get Peter free. The prayer of the Church moves angels. Who knows if in this season we can see a global mobilisation of prayer to see prisons opened for leaders, persecuted peoples, and Herod confounded.

Herod is one day seated and the people gave him adoration, but he gave no glory to God, and the same angels that got Peter out of the Prison, struck him down. He died very quickly. The Church must recover this power of prayer. This next year coming will be a great opportunity to recover the power of prayer.

The Third Herod, Agrippa hears Paul almost steers him away from Rome, yet his appeal to Caesar foils this human attempt. This Herod is a man of self justification

I have to say I was so surprised that Herod accompanies Early Church and Jesus’ history. I would not be surprised if this same spirit has not come upon kings and governments till today. This Herod hears Paul, admires him even, wants to divert the purpose of Paul to speak before kings. God’s purpose was to take Paul and take Peter later, to Rome, because in Rome change would bring the downfall of the strong Roman Empire. This Herod has no notion to God’s plans. God desire to use a prisoner, to plant a foundation for the Church at the centre of the Empire so that this empire embrace the Gospel and fall from its pride. The sacking of Rome by the Barbarians is no chance matter, it is brought into being by the power of the Gospel, that establishes the Kingdom not made with hands.

We see Paul taken to Rome, no more to hear of Herod Agrippa, as he went the way of all kings, and the Eternal King would prevail over this empire. The way was to see planted a strong Church in the centre of power. Is that not an indication what needs to happen? We need in this context of government overreach, to see a manifestation of Jesus’ Kingship and His Kingdom.

The Key to this defeat of our “modern Herod” today.

I was looking out of interest of my prayer journals. I came across a key in which we will see the downfall of this world political class when it comes against the normal expression of the Ecclesia.

In the above Journal in the picture, I found a entry for 7th February this year, which gave me the answer I was looking for. You cannot just expound the Herods of Scripture without bringing a insight of what Scripture tells us concerning our role in seeing the downfall of evil. We cannot simply say that Jesus will overcome political opposition without scripturally showing it and applying it.

And the King of glory shall come in.Psalm 24:7 was entered there, with another reference.

Open ye the gates,

That the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Isaiah 26:2

I thought how curious? Lord what does this have to do with my message. Then God spoke to me,

For the people to enter into the fulness of their eternal calling they must allow the King of Glory to enter in to His Kingdom, so that in entering in, we may also enter. This is a Key to what we are talking in this message. The earthly political systems are fearful, being draconian, being corrupt, but our prayer first must be that the King of Glory take His Throne and enter in in fullness in His People first. Then once this takes place, so we shall enter in that place Jesus has prepared for us: John 14.

The strategy is prayer, mobilisation over the world, to call for Jesus, our King of Glory to come in! The Christmas message is definitely part of this Coming! We need a new Christmas! We need to see not a baby come forth, but call forth for our King. He is birthed in our hearts in fulness so that the Kings of this world bow the knee, so that He may rule with a rod of iron.

The Message of Christmas is not one of fear, but of faith, that Jesus will be birthed in this generation. Until Jesus manifests as He is, we won’t come into our eternal estate. It is conditional. It is pivotal, it is crucial. What we know if we pay attention to the media, is a tightening of hearts, a darkness, but Isaiah 60 promises a new light!

Precisely tonight the same conjunction of planets from the birth of Jesus, will present itself again! Is not that significant? It means our Christmas Parallel is not about welcome a baby, but welcoming our King!

Shalom!