Herod and His Demise – Audio

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The Demise of Herod

Pride – The Downfall of Herod

“And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted (Matthew 23:12).” These words by Jesus soon rang true of King Herod (Acts 12) and we can see this in Herod’s demise.

Herod had been harassing some members of the Lord’s church (Acts 12:1-4). He persecuted an apostle [James, the brother of John], and even put another apostle in prison [Peter].

As Peter was in prison, the church prayed for him. Then, Peter was soon freed from prison by the Lord’s angel (Acts 12:5-17). This is an example of that shows “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16).” Now, compare the Church with Herod; obviously one is more righteous than the other.

Herod became angry after he could not find Peter. He was even angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. He later wore his royal apparel, and gave an oration to them. The people lifted him up and deemed him a god (Acts 12:18-22).

Give Glory to God

As a result of Herod being so elevated, the angel of the Lord struck him, and he died (Acts 12:23). The Psalmist wrote, “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but to Your name give glory, because of Your mercy, because of Your truth (Psalm 115:1).”

There are still some today who love the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 12:42-43). This will cause them plenty of grief. Notice that Jesus did not receive honor from men, and condemned seeking honor from one another instead of from God (John 5:41, 44).

As Herod and his opposition faded away, God’s word grew and multiplied (Acts 12:24). Likewise, we must be careful not oppose the word of God. In fact, doing so would be in vain. Instead, we must accept God’s Word and work to spread the good news of the Gospel.

Salvation:  Hear - Believe - Repent - Confess - Be Baptized - Live Faithfully