For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. (Acts 4:27-28)

The Purpose Of God

Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great by Malthake, a Samaritan. It was Herod Antipas, under the influence of his wife, Herodias, who killed John the Baptist. During the ministry of Jesus, Herod desired to meet the man from Nazareth to see some miracle performed. The first meeting between Herod and Jesus is when Pilate sends his prisoner to Herod for examination. Jesus refused to say anything to Herod. Before sending the Lord back to Pilate, Herod and his soldiers began mocking and ridiculing Jesus. They put a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.

Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea. Luke tells of Pilate’s massacre, where the Jews were sacrificing at Jerusalem. Pilate came suddenly upon them and killed them, and their blood was mingled with the blood of the animals that they were offering for sacrifice. Like Herod, Pilate was a sadistic narcissist who ruled his subjects with force. The Roman Empire was the greatest nation on earth. No army could stand against the might of the Roman Legions. The Gentile world held a powerful grip over the subjects in hundreds of countries and subjects, including the Jews.

Israel had been under the rule of bondage for nearly six hundred years. Babylon had first subjected the people when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C. When Jesus was born, Israel was ruled by Caesar Augustus. Thirty years later, when Jesus began His ministry, Tiberius Caesar reigned. The Romans allowed Israel to exist with its rituals and leadership, but Roman law governed everything. Jesus worked within this system to declare God’s kingdom and show the world He was the Son of God.

In the early days of the church, the Jewish leadership arrested Peter and John because they preached in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. This greatly disturbed the Jews and the impact it was having on the people. Releasing Peter and John, the leaders warned them not to preach in the name of Jesus or teach in His name. Undaunted, the apostles returned to the brethren to proclaim the joy of suffering for Christ.

The message of the early disciples facing persecution was there was nothing the world could do to stop the will of God. Quoting from the psalmist David, the brethren rejoiced that nations raged and the people plotted vain things. Herod and Pilate were the two most powerful men in Palestine, and there was nothing they could do to stop the work of Jesus, which was to die for the sins of the world. The Roman Empire and Israel became the tools God used to bring about His will to offer His only begotten Son to redeem man. Pilate thought he had power over Jesus, but the Lord reminded the governor that his power came from God.

There is nothing the world can do to change the will of God. Men have tried to corrupt the Bible, but it remains true. Satan has tried for two thousand years to destroy the church of Christ. It stands firm. Right and wrong are challenged by the immorality of the human heart. Righteousness always prevails. In a dark world, evil forces seek to take hope away from the faithful’s hearts. Hope reigns. Everything Herod, Pilate, the Romans, and the Jews did was determined beforehand according to God’s will. The earth will pass away, but the word of the Lord endures. Man serves the will of the Lord God Almighty.