By all historical accounts, Herod was a vicious man. He killed anyone he perceived to be a threat to his reign. And Jesus, whom the wise men referred to as the “king of the Jews,” was a threat.

Herod was just the first of Satan’s pawns. Jesus would face a lifetime of social and political enemies.

Today Christian values are seen as a threat too. Birth gender is no longer accepted as fact. Sex is not seen as a gift reserved for a married husband and wife, but rather as a pastime, casual entertainment, and acceptable experimentation for any age. The name of Jesus has little to do with prayer, praise, and thanks. Instead, it’s a favored and acceptable curse word on prime-time TV and in many workplaces.

Lest we think we are living in an unusually anti-Christian society, the apostle Paul’s words remind us it has and will always be this way: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12).

The Bible serves as a witness: it was just as evil in the days of Noah and Abraham and Joseph. Spend time in the books of Judges or 2 Kings, Esther or Daniel if you think maybe things were better then. Nebuchadnezzar and Xerxes were unusually cruel, and yet God caused these ruthless men to act favorably toward Daniel, Esther, Mordecai, and the remnant they represented.

Some rulers are more favorably disposed to Christianity than others. “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice” (Proverbs 29:2, EHV).

And when the Herods and the Hitlers and even the slightly cunning and somewhat malicious rise to positions of authority, then we do what Christians have always done. We worship, we pray, and we remember our home is in heaven.

Noah preached while he built the ark. Joseph worked hard in a heathen land for heathen rulers. Paul and Silas praised in chains. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked with the angel in the fire. Daniel prayed in the lion’s den. Stephen died at the hands of men of power and watched heaven open to welcome him in.

It is no surprise when we feel alienated from the world. This is not our home.