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Re: Gleanings from the "Gospels" [message #11915 is a reply to message #11906]

Sat, 12 December 2015 13:32

Gary
Messages: 1025
Registered: August 2008
Location: Indiana

Senior Member

There's quite a contrast; what we see supposedly done in the name of Christ in our modern times and what took place back when Jesus was born. Today people are spending multi millions of dollars buying cheap material goods all in the guise of celebrating the birth of Christ. When in reality the minds of most are centered on what they can get versus the fact that God has come to deliver men from their sins.

The Lord never intended that men would rush out to buy each other gifts concerning His birth. God has made a way for men to have eternal life through repentance and turning to Him.

After the birth of Christ, tragedy struck quickly in the land of Israel. As I had mentioned before Herod destroyed hundreds of young children over the birth of Christ. Its surprising that a man in the Roman government could commit such an atrocity and no one in the government raised a voice.

The Bible only tells us that he had fulfilled a prophecy given by Jeremiah and we see in scripture where he lies to the wise men because he has ulterior motives.

Quote:

7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

God who knows all things warned Joseph in a dream to take the child and leave and to go to Egypt.

Shortly thereafter Herod dies and his son rules in his place. What we don't see in scripture is the horrible death that Herod went through shortly after murdering the children.

Josephus tells us that: Herod heard his first son was plotting to have him poisoned so he changed his will and made his youngest son Archelaus ruler in his place. He gave millions of dollars to various relatives and even sent valuable items to Caesar and his wife Julia.

Herod was also troubled because he thought the Jews would rejoice after he was dead. Herod in his last days took a large number of prominent Jewish men and had them locked up in a building under a Roman guard. He then left instructions telling others to execute the Jews upon his death so that they would be mourning the loss of their family members when he died and they would not feel like rejoicing over his death because of their own loss.

What happened after Herod killed all the innocent children? Josephus tells us that he suffered because of Gods swift vengeance.

Josephus wrote:

Quote:

But now Herod's distemper greatly increased upon him after a severe manner, and this by God's judgement upon him for his sins: for a fire glowed in him slowly, which did not so much appear outwardly; for it brought upon him a vehement appetite to eating, which he could not avoid to supply with one sort of food or other. His entrails were also exulcerated, and the chief violence of his pain lay on his colon; an aqueous and transparent liquor also had settled itself about his feet, and a like matter afflicted him at the bottom of his belly. Nay, further, his privy-member was putrified, and produced worms; and when he sat upright he had a difficulty breathing, which was very loathsome, on account of the stench of his breath and the quickness of the returns; he had also convulsions in all parts of his body, which increased his strength to an insufferable degree.
It was said by those who pretended to divine, and who were endued with wisdom to foretell such things, that God inflicted this punishment on the king on account of his great impiety: yet was he still in hope of recovering, though his afflictions seemed greater then anyone could bear.

The Jewish men were later released without Herod's knowledge a few days before he died.

Shortly before Herod had this horrible disease come upon him we see him having innocent children put to death in his quest to destroy God's Son:

Quote:

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

18
“A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”

After the birth of Christ families were weeping and crying over the loss of their children, and later picking up the pieces and going on with their lives.

But God did not allow Herod to continue in his evil arrogant ways. In Matthew it only tells us he died.

Quote:

19 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” 21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Joseph was afraid when he heard Archelaus (Herod's son), was reigning in Herod's place so being warned in a dream he went to dwell in a city called Nazareth.

Even though the Roman government turned a blind eye to Herod's atrocities, his sin did not go unpunished.

God's Son coming to the earth was never intended for the purpose of men striving to give gifts with a party atmosphere going on under the guise of celebrating Christ's birth, but that men would turn from their sins and accept the work provided at the cross.

Gary

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