Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. Today we're going to look at one of the darkest passages in the Christmas story—one that most Christmas pageants skip over, one that makes us uncomfortable, one that reminds us that the birth of Jesus wasn't met with universal celebration, but with violent opposition from the very beginning.
Matthew 2:16 tells us: "Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old and under, according to the time he had ascertained from the wise men."
The massacre of the innocents. Herod's slaughter of baby boys in a desperate attempt to kill the Christ child. It's horrifying. And it raises a question that theologian Sinclair Ferguson asks in his book "The Dawn of Redeeming Grace": "Couldn't we linger longer on the birth of Jesus, the shepherds and wise men worshipping Him and the angels praising Him with glorious song? Why speak of these ghastly details, Matthew?"
[Why Matthew includes this - the bigger picture]
Ferguson answers: "If we skipped these verses, we would be missing something that Matthew wants to tell us." And what Matthew wants to tell us is this: From the very beginning, Jesus came to build His church among all nations, and from the very beginning, Satan has violently opposed Him.
Ferguson writes: "Embedded in Matthew's Gospel from the very beginning is the message that Jesus the Savior is for all the nations. Matthew begins with the Savior's family tree punctuated by Gentile women, tells us about Gentile scholars from the East seeking Him, and then records Jesus Himself being carried to the land of Egypt. And the Gospel ends with Him sending His apostles to make disciples of 'all nations.' His birth has worldwide significance."
This is spiritual warfare on a cosmic scale. Jesus came to accomplish what Revelation 20:2-3 describes—so that "Satan...might not deceive the nations any longer." And Satan knew it. That's why Herod's massacre happened. That's why persecution has followed Christ and His church from that day to this.
[Satan's long strategy - opposition throughout Jesus's life]
Ferguson continues: "It is against this background that Matthew records how Satan tempted Jesus (Matt. 4:1-11); how one of His own disciples sought to divert Him (16:21-23); how religious leaders plotted against Him (21:45; 26:3-5); how another of His disciples betrayed Him (26:14-16); and eventually how His enemies, spiritually blinded, crucified the Lord of glory."
Do you see the pattern? From Herod's infanticide to Satan's wilderness temptation, from Peter's misguided rebuke to Judas's betrayal, from the religious leaders' plots to the Roman crucifixion—Satan waged war against Jesus throughout His earthly life. Herod's murder of those innocent boys was just the opening salvo in a war that would continue until the cross.
But why? Why such violent opposition? Because Satan knew what Jesus came to do. Matthew 1:21 tells us: Jesus came to "save His people from their sins." Satan's entire kingdom is built on enslaving people in sin. If Jesus succeeds in saving people from their sins, Satan's power is broken. So Satan fought with everything he had to stop Jesus.
[Jesus's vision statement - storming the gates of Hell]
Now here's where Ferguson's insight becomes powerful. He writes: "At the center of Matthew's Gospel stands Jesus' vision statement: 'I will build my church!' (Matt. 16:18). He does this on enemy-occupied territory in the face of the 'gates of Hell.'"
Think about where Jesus said these words—at Caesarea Philippi, at the base of Mount Hermon. This was one of the most pagan, wicked places in the ancient world. There was a massive cave there that the ancients believed was the entrance to the underworld—literally, the "gates of Hades." Pagan worship, including child sacrifice and sexual immorality, was practiced there. It was a center of demonic activity.
And Jesus stood there, looked at His disciples, and said, "On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." He was saying: "I'm not hiding from evil. I'm not avoiding the darkest places. I'm going to build my church in the very strongholds of Satan's kingdom, and his gates will not withstand my assault!"
Ferguson writes: "Jesus didn't want His followers hiding from evil. He wanted them to storm the gates of Hell. He was commissioning them to a huge task: to attack evil, and to build the Church on the very places that were most filled with moral corruption and wickedness. And He assures us, the gates of Hell 'shall not prevail.'"
[Satan's opposition continues - but he cannot win]
But Ferguson adds this crucial point: "But it will not be for want of trying. Herod's murder of these little boys tells us how vicious Satan's opposition to Jesus is...Herod himself was but a lieutenant in the history-long strategy of Satan to prevent Jesus accomplishing what He came into the world to do."
Satan has tried with everything he has. He tried to kill Jesus as a baby through Herod. He tried to tempt Jesus to sin in the wilderness. He tried to get Jesus to avoid the cross. He inspired Judas to betray Jesus and the religious leaders to crucify Him. And when that didn't stop Jesus—when Jesus rose from the dead—Satan turned his fury on Christ's church.
[Persecution from the beginning - the early church]
And persecution has followed the church from its birth at Pentecost. The Book of Acts is a record of constant persecution. Peter and John were arrested for preaching (Acts 4). The apostles were beaten and ordered to stop speaking about Jesus (Acts 5:40). Stephen became the first martyr, stoned to death for his testimony (Acts 7). James was executed by Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:2). Paul was beaten, stoned, imprisoned, and eventually martyred. Tradition tells us that all the apostles except John died as martyrs.
The Roman Empire launched wave after wave of persecution against Christians. Under Nero (64 AD), Christians were burned alive as torches to light his gardens. Under Diocletian (303-311 AD), the most severe persecution happened—thousands were tortured and killed, churches destroyed, Bibles burned. The enemies of Christ tried everything to wipe out His church.
But what happened? The church grew! Tertullian, an early church father, wrote: "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." Every time Rome killed Christians, more people converted. The courage of martyrs witnessing to Christ as they died moved pagans to ask, "What do these Christians have that they would die for it?" And the church that Satan tried to destroy became the dominant religion of the Roman Empire within 300 years.
[Persecution continues - medieval to modern]
After Rome fell, persecution continued in different forms. Islamic conquests persecuted Christians across North Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Europe. We've talked in previous episodes about the Coptic Church in Egypt enduring 1,400 years of discrimination and violence under Islamic rule. We've discussed the Korean church suffering under Japanese occupation. We've covered North Korea, where Christians are imprisoned in labor camps for three generations.
Throughout church history, Satan has raised up enemies to attack Christ's people. The Communist regimes of the 20th century—Soviet Union, China, Cambodia, North Korea—killed more Christians than all previous centuries combined. Some estimates suggest 70 million Christians were martyred under Communism alone.
And today, persecution continues. According to Open Doors' 2025 World Watch List, over 365 million Christians face high levels of persecution worldwide. That's one in seven Christians globally. In North Korea, owning a Bible means three generations in a labor camp. In Nigeria, over 3,000 Christians were killed in 2025 alone. In Afghanistan, there are no open churches—all believers must practice faith in secret. In China, churches are demolished and pastors imprisoned.
[But the gates of hell do not prevail - current trends]
Yet despite 2,000 years of Satan's fury, despite Herod's massacre and Nero's torches and Diocletian's systematic persecution, despite Islamic conquests and Communist slaughter and modern extremism—the church not only survives, it thrives!
Statistics show Satan's failure, in fact…the church in regions that have faced the most severe persecution is growing the fastest!
Africa had about 10 million Christians in 1900—less than 10% of the continent—but today has over 685 million Christians, nearly half the continent, despite Islamic extremism and groups like Boko Haram. Kenya has gone from 10% Christian in 1900 to about 85% today.
In Asia, China went from 1 million Christians in 1950 when Communists expelled missionaries to an estimated 70-100 million today—possibly the world's largest Christian population after the United States! South Korea has gone from virtually zero Christians in 1900 to 30% today, now sending over 27,000 missionaries worldwide. Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim nation, has 28 million Christians (10% of population). Even in closed Iran, estimates suggest 1 million converts in recent decades.
Latin America has seen evangelical Christianity surge—Brazil now has over 50 million evangelicals (25% of population), and Brazilian missionaries serve in the world's hardest fields.
[Why persecution doesn't work - three reasons]
So why has Satan's persecution failed to destroy the church? Three reasons. First, martyrs inspire conversion. When people see Christians willing to die for their faith, it raises the question: "What do they have that's worth dying for?" The courage of martyrs becomes a witness more powerful than any sermon.
Second, persecution purifies the church. When following Christ costs everything, only genuine believers remain. Nominal Christianity disappears under persecution, but authentic faith deepens and strengthens. The church in persecuted regions often has far deeper spiritual maturity than the comfortable church in the West.
Third, and most importantly, Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church. It's not that the church is invincible because of human strength or clever strategy. It's that Jesus Himself is building His church, and what Jesus builds cannot be destroyed. Satan has been trying for 2,000 years and has failed every time because Jesus is more powerful than Satan.
[The promise stands - gates of hell will not prevail]
Ferguson concludes: "And He assures us, the gates of Hell 'shall not prevail.' But it will not be for want of trying." Satan will keep trying. Persecution will continue until Jesus returns. But every attempt to destroy the church has backfired. Every drop of martyr's blood has produced a harvest of new believers. Every closed church has resulted in house churches multiplying. Every imprisoned pastor has inspired dozens more to boldly preach.
[Our responsibility - continuing the advance]
So what does this mean for us? It means we're part of this same battle that began with Herod's massacre. Satan still opposes Christ's church. He still seeks to deceive the nations. He still inspires persecution. But we serve the One who has already won the victory!
We're called to do what Jesus commissioned—to storm the gates of hell, not to hide from evil. We're called to take the Gospel to the darkest places, the most dangerous places, the places most filled with moral corruption. We're called to pray for persecuted believers, to support them financially, to speak up for them, and some of us are called to go ourselves to the hardest mission fields.
And we do all this with confidence, because Jesus promised: the gates of hell shall not prevail. The church that began with a baby in a manger, whose first enemies tried to kill Him, whose followers have been hunted and killed for 2,000 years—that church is still standing, still growing, still advancing. And it will continue until Jesus returns!
[Closing challenge and prayer]
This Christmas season we don't just celebrate the baby in the manger. We celebrate the invincible King who survived Herod's massacre, who defeated Satan's temptations, who conquered sin and death on the cross, who rose victorious, and who is building His church despite all of hell's opposition!
Let me pray:
Thank you for joining me today. These reflections are based on Sinclair Ferguson's "The Dawn of Redeeming Grace." May we never forget that we serve a King whose church cannot be defeated!
Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations and join the unstoppable advance of Christ's kingdom!
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