You want to see the forces of hell stirring then proclaim a gospel which cannot be hijacked but a gospel which bids us to come and die. The biblical gospel will always make Herod’s uncomfortable. If it doesn’t then it’s either not the biblical gospel or your Herod’s dragon scales are starting to peel.

Herod’s temple was glorious. Built from quarried stones and spanning some 1600 feet, the Western wall of Herod’s temple is still standing to this day. It was his crowning achievement.

In the time of Jesus, Jewish people from all over would have traveled to this holy site to worship, offer sacrifices, and celebrate Yahweh. With Herod’s massive renovations they had a splendid temple with which to worship God.

Herod built the Jews a beautiful temple.

Let that sink in for just a moment.

Herod was a tyrant. This is the same guy who slaughtered babies when he heard the Christ was born. This temple wasn’t out of dedication to YHWH, it was a political strategy. Some historians even believe that Herod pretended to convert to Judaism to gain even further advantage from the Jewish people. His actions were motivated by politics…but the Jews had a beautiful temple because of it.

⁹But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, ²⁰Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison. –Luke 3:19-20

This is a different Herod than the one who had built the temple. This is one of the sons of Herod the Great, this is Herod Antipas. But the guy is cut from the same cloth. Powerful. Politically expedient. Great at building stuff. But even though a little more tolerant he was just as murderous. John the Baptist would end up beheaded by this Herod.

This is why I say that Herods will build you temples but they cannot endure the authority of the word of God. John was prophetically speaking into Herod’s life and rather than change he labored to shut John up. This same Herod would do the same thing to Jesus. And the Herods of our day will do the same.

Read More