When Empires Tremble

In Week 2 of An Apocalyptic Christmas, we explore the deeper spiritual world unveiled in Revelation 12 and Matthew 2. On the surface, Herod appears to be the villain—a paranoid ruler threatened by a newborn child. But Scripture invites us to see Herod not simply as a historical tyrant but as a mirror reflecting our own instinct to cling to control and resist Christ’s Lordship. His fear exposes something in all of us: a desire to maintain our own little kingdoms rather than surrender fully to the true King.

Revelation 12 explains the spiritual dimension beneath this resistance. The dragon—Satan—is not all-powerful, but he is powerful, cunning, and deceitful. His influence is real and his hostility is fierce. Though defeated by Christ, he continues to wage war against God’s people with fury precisely because he knows his time is short. Herod’s rage is the earthly expression of this cosmic battle. And while Satan cannot overturn Christ’s victory, he works relentlessly to undermine, deceive, and intimidate.

Yet the deeper confrontation in this passage is not only external but internal. The same fear that drove Herod’s hostility whispers within us: “If Jesus is King, then I lose control.” Advent unmasks the ways we protect our autonomy, hide our idols, and resist Christ’s claims on our lives. When the true King draws near, every false king—within us and around us—begins to tremble.

But this unveiling is ultimately hopeful. Revelation 12 declares that God’s people overcome “by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.” Our victory does not come from our strength but from Christ’s. As we surrender the “inner Herod,” we discover that Jesus’ Lordship is not a threat to joy but the very source of it.

This week we are reminded that Advent is both confrontation and invitation: Christ exposes the powers that enslave us and invites us into glad allegiance to His liberating reign.