Christmas messages sorry for the laxity in posting over the fall

The initial idea and much of my source material comes from the incredible teacher Ray Vander Laan and his great videos "That the World May Know" Check them out you will be greatly blessed.
Herod? I am not sure what you think about Herod when you hear his name. But it probably rates right up there with other infamous people. Your first thought is all the babies he must have killed in Bethlehem.
There is something more to this man.
Matthew 2:1
Herod’s building plan: Did you know that Herod was instrumental in building an amazing fortress and palace at Jericho, Masada, and near Bethlehem. He built an incredible palace in Caesarea along with a huge theater. He also rebuilt the temple and did incredible building in Jerusalem. The man was an incredible builder and engineer. He built the largest swimming pools in the middle east at the time. The temple in Jerusalem was the one of the largest enclosed buildings in the world. His palace at Caesarea had a fresh water swimming pool that extended 100 yards into the ocean. He built an incredible sea port at Caesarea. The guys was phenomenal. Near Bethlehem he built the Herodian which was an incredible fortress palace. To see some of the pictures of the ruins of this time check out community.gospelcom.net
The fortress palace called the Herodian was an incredible structure that dominated the scenery around Bethlehem. Herod had a huge palace fortress built and then built a mountain around it. It is awesome and would overshadow everything in the area. All built by herod and his money. Herod had captured the spice trade of the time. He was a shrewd businessman as well as builder. He was a visionary and powerful leader. He let nothing stand in his way of accomplishing what he desired and was willing to take anyone out who stood in his way. He was an awesome man with incredible skills.
Jesus birth and entrance in comparison to Herod> While Herod is sitting in an incredibly powerful fortress/palace at the Herodian Jesus is being born in a manger down in the little backwater town of Bethlehem. The manger was not some neat nice clean place. It would be most likely a cave with inches of soot on the roof and possibly feet of manure on the ground. Inside were the sick and decrepit of the animals. It was not the most appealing or amazing place to be born. Especially while the king of the earth is sitting in an amazing palace.
Challenge: can you take Jesus as King when Herod is so overwhelmingly amazing? Can you accept a king in a manger when the present ruler is in an awesome palace?
Herod’s background (Herod is from Idumea making him an edomite which means he is related to the Israelites. Genesis 25:21-24 “Isaac pleaded with the LORD to give Rebekah a child because she was childless. So the LORD answered Isaac’s prayer, and his wife became pregnant with twins. But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the LORD about it. “Why is this happening to me?” she asked. And the LORD told her, “The sons in your womb will become two rival nations. One nation will be stronger than the other; the descendants of your older son will serve the descendants of your younger son.” From Esau comes the Edomites of which Herod is one.
Edom=evil Herod being an edomite is representative king of evil. He is the king of wickedness while Jesus is being born in this humble place as the king of Righteousness.
It would appear that the king of evil has won the day as he sits in the powerful fortress while the king of righteousness is being born in a lowly stink pit in a backwater no place town. How can the shepherds, wisemen and people of Israel choose Him over Herod? What an incredible challenge to their understanding of the way things appear versus the way things are.
Challenge to us is can we live for Jesus as our king when all around us it seems as though evil is winning the day?
God has a promise for them and for us.
Obadiah 21 “Deliverers will go up to Mount Zion in Jerusalem to rule over the mountains of Edom. And the LORD himself will be king!” Obadiah 2-4 “The LORD says, “I will cut you down to size among the nations, Edom; you will be small and despised. You are proud because you live in a rock fortress and make your home high in the mountains. ‘Who can ever reach us way up here?’ you ask boastfully. Don’t fool yourselves! Though you soar as high as eagles and build your nest among the stars, I will bring you crashing down. I, the LORD, have spoken!”
Revelation 21:1-8 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband.
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his
people. God himself will be with them. He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making all things new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give the springs of the water of life without charge! All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. But cowards who turn away from me, and unbelievers, and the corrupt, and murderers, and the immoral, and those who practice witchcraft, and idol worshipers, and all liars—their doom is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
Can you choose Jesus as King even though it appears the world and evil are winning the day?