Has anyone wondered what happened to the child John the Baptist at the time King Herod put forth his decree to kill all the male children age two and under? For John was born about six months or so before Jesus to Elizabeth and Zacharias. How did he survive that evil time?
And did you ever wonder in Luke Chapter 11 when Jesus was giving the Pharisees a lashing with Woes unto them and held them responsible for all the blood shed from Able to Zacharias? Luke 11: 50 KJV “That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; 51. From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.”
Did you ever wonder about who the Zacharias was that they were talking about? I sure did. The scripture didn’t clarify it, and generally when it doesn’t, it is something most all knew about at the time. Or a book explaining it was omitted for some decision or another. So as I had always wondered and it wasn’t in the footnotes of my study Bibles. I was supposed to just accept it was a prophet and be satisfied with that answer.
Instead, I kept it in the back of my mind as I kept searching for answers to all my little questions and decades later I eventually found an answer in the writings of James. Which is one of the writings the council of Nicaea or someone along the way didn’t deem orthodox, or felt didn’t need to be read. Yet, Jesus held the blood of this man Zecharias on the hands of the Pharisees and the entire generation of vipers. Oh, and depending on what Bible you are reading from, the name may be spelled as Zechariah. I’m using the King James Version and the forbidden book uses the same spelling Zacharias.
For those curious…please enjoy this most intriguing account of James on the departure of Jesus out of Bethlehem and John the Baptist out of Jerusalem. The part presented is verses 21 thru 24 and the author James, gives his oath that he wrote it at the end.
From the Protoevangelium of James
21. And, behold, Joseph was ready to go into Judea. And there was a great commotion in Bethlehem of Judea,
for Magi came, saying: Where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and have
come to worship him. And when Herod heard, he was much disturbed, and sent officers to the Magi. And he sent
for the priests, and examined them, saying: How is it written about the Christ? Where is He to be born? And they
said: In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written. And he sent them away. And he examined the Magi, saying to
them: What sign have you seen in reference to the king that has been born? And the Magi said: We have seen a
star of great size shining among these stars, and obscuring their light, so that the stars did not appear; and we
thus knew that a king has been born to Israel, and we have come to worship him. And Herod said: Go and seek
him; and if you find him, let me know, in order that I also may go and worship him.
And the Magi went out. And, behold, the star which they had seen in the east went before them until they came to the cave, and it stood over the top of the cave. And the Magi saw the infant with His mother Mary; and they brought forth from their bag gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by the angel not to go into Judea, they went into their own country by another road.
22. And when Herod knew that he had been mocked by the Magi, in a rage he sent murderers, saying to them:
Slay the children from two years old and under. And Mary, having heard that the children were being killed, was
afraid, and took the infant and swaddled Him, and put Him into an ox-stall.
And Elizabeth, having heard that they were searching for John, took him and went up into the hill-country, and kept looking where to conceal him. And there was no place of concealment. And Elizabeth, groaning with a loud voice, says: O mountain of God, receive mother and child. And immediately the mountain was cleft, and received her. And a light shone about them, for an angel of the Lord was with them, watching over them.
23. And Herod searched for John, and sent officers to Zacharias, saying: Where hast thou hid thy son?
And he,answering, said to them: I am the servant of God in holy things, and I sit constantly in the temple of the Lord: I
do not know where my son is. And the officers went away, and reported all these things to Herod. And Herod
was enraged, and said: His son is destined to be king over Israel. And he sent to him again, saying: Tell the
truth; where is thy son? for thou knowest that thy life is in my hand.
And Zacharias said: I am God’s martyr, if thou sheddest my blood; for the Lord will receive my spirit, because thou sheddest innocent blood at the vestibule of the temple of the Lord. And Zacharias was murdered about daybreak. And the sons of Israel did not know that he had been murdered.
24. But at the hour of the salutation the priests went away, and Zacharias did not come forth to meet them with
a blessing, according to his custom. And the priests stood waiting for Zacharias to salute him at the prayer, and
to glorify the Most High. And he still delaying, they were all afraid. But one of them ventured to go in, and he saw
clotted blood beside the altar; and he heard a voice saying: Zacharias has been murdered, and his blood shall not
be wiped up until his avenger come.
And hearing this saying, he was afraid, and went out and told it to the priests. And they ventured in, and saw what had happened; and the fretwork of the temple made a wailing noise, and they rent their clothes from the top even to the bottom. And they found not his body, but they found his blood turned into stone.
And they were afraid, and went out and reported to the people that Zacharias had been murdered. And all the tribes of the people heard, and mourned, and lamented for him three days and three nights. And after the three days, the priests consulted as to whom they should put in his place; and the lot fell upon Simeon. For it was he who had been warned by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death until he should see the Christ in the flesh.
And I James that wrote this history in Jerusalem, a commotion having arisen when Herod died, withdrew myself
to the wilderness until the commotion in Jerusalem ceased, glorifying the Lord God, who had given me the gift
and the wisdom to write this history. And grace shall be with them that fear our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be
glory to ages of ages. Amen
Link: The Protoevangelium of James (sthermanoca.org)
THOUGHTS ON FORBIDDEN WRITING
When we read all the different accounts to the events of that time, everyone has their own perspective, and their own manner of recalling the things they see or were foretold to them. I read these types of historic documents with that in mind. In my discernment of reading a lot of these forbidden writings. I find it as a story told from memories of those recalling. And I admit…if we were to have been presented a Bible with all of the different variations of accounts of the time of Jesus, we would be very confused. I do not take these writings as the Word Of God, but I do take them as a historic account of what happened based on the author who wrote it (which ever one I read) and how they perceived or recalled or documented the events. In these writings I find nuggets of answers and a pleasure to read what the person saw or accounted for.
From reading this particular piece, I believe that the anger from Jesus toward the Pharisees who allowed the King to do such murderous things without challenging the decree for their children is now more vivid for me in hearing the story with a deeper perception. For some of them were witness and part of the culling. He was very justified in what he said of all their woes. Remember this was a very political time and Herod wasn’t in line to be King (neither of the Herod Kings) and Caiaphas was not in line to be priest and Jesus had both the lineage to be king and High Priest in Jerusalem. In the book of McCabbees it tells us that Herod was appointed King by Caesar as favor to Mark Anthony. Josephus Flavius tells the whole account with many detail in his books of the Antiquities of the Jews.
I can also understand the anger and saddness Jesus felt in the entire state of affairs in Jerusalem. For they had a stolen kingship, a stolen High Priest, a fortress named after a Roman and everything about their fine array of architecture stunk to high heavens. Herod’s Antonia was now the Garrison for the Roman Guard and home to Pontius Pilot the new Roman Governor. The Temple mount was surrounded with Roman Armed Guard. I imagine he looked upon this new Fortess of Antonia with the same distain and saddness that patriots now feel when they look at the Capitol and all of Washington, D.C. And both have the blood of innocent children on their hands.
In the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus, he tells us that in return for being appointed King, Herod rebuilt the Temple with a grand fortress and temple wall, where the priests and temple guard stayed and named it Antonia Fortress after Mark Anthony. He also built a coliseum as grand as the one in Rome. Antonia’s Fortress was located south of a moat and on a rock 25 meters high. It was located exactly where the Dome of the Rock is today. The Temple would have been located 17 meters below the Al-Kas fountain.
Josephus Flavius born AD 37/38 died AD 100, was a Jewish priest, scholar, and historian who wrote valuable works on the Jewish revolt of AD 66–70 and on earlier Jewish history. He wrote the History of the Jewish War from AD 75 to 79 and The Antiquities of the Jews and other great writings.
Dianne
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On Wed, 12 May 2021 at 17:45, THE MARSHALL REPORT wrote:
> The Marshall Report posted: ” Has anyone wondered what happened to the > child John the Baptist at the time King Herod put forth his decree to kill > all the male children age two and under? For John was born about four > months or so before Jesus to Elizabeth and Zacharias. How did he sur” >
It is slowly becoming apparent that you should publish a “new” Bible. You could call is the Marshall Plan, oh wait, that one is taken. How about the New Marshall Version???
“…And you’ll know they are Christians by their love, by their love.. Yes, you’ll know they are Christians by their love.”. I love this song… And, it’s so true!!
debjbalk says:
“…And you’ll know they are Christians by their love
debjbalk
Thanks for your love and support that you give to all of us here today and everyday
My God keep you and your family safe and also all that gather here in his Name
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyIzASQtRTY
They’ll Know We are Christians by Our Love
42 views •Nov 29, 2020
RGB
Thank you, Robert. I loved hearing this God-honoring song. It’ll be playing in my mind all weekend, reminding me of our mission. Blessings to you and yours.
PS. Robert, I saw your post saying you’ve been a farmer for decades. My husband grew up on a small farm. We inherited 80 acres and continue to reap the joys & blessings of God’s awesome land. Just wanted to share that connection with you. There’s nothing like God’s incredible creation. Hope you enjoy it as well. ;+)
http://fourwinds10.com/siterun_data/bellringers_corner/writings/news.php?q=1545508172
http://fourwinds10.com/siterun_data/bellringers_corner/vital_articles/news.php?q=1548772094
The Bible barely held truth. Esu “Jesus” Immanuel Sananda was “not of this world” citizenship is in Heaven.
He was a truthbringer and he did not die from the crucifixion, he lived to be 107 and had children. God did not give his only begotten son to be murdered [Thy shall not kill] so everyone could commit crimes and disobey the commandments [there’s more than ten] and claim “Jesus died for me” 🤷🏻♀️ Everyone is responsible for their own doings. They are coming back the way he left, a Pleiadian starSHIP. He ascended to a starSHIP. Easter is like celebrating Jesus attempted murder. Bunnies don’t lay eggs either. Satanic hunts of trafficked children and their adrenochrome [cells shaped like a bunny] are the only things. Santa bringing gifts is like Satan expecting his child offerings. The AWAKENING is going to blindside the masses. Hopefully I just helped cushion the disclosure. It doesn’t stop there.
God gave us all free will, we allowed that to slip away so easily. Masses had no problem muzzling themselves. Took the kill shot, we have earthquakes, volcanos, solar flares happening that is of epic proportions and the MSM isn’t reporting, why? The Khazarians [false jews] owned everything, they’re the government, judges, bankers,teachers, CDC, NIH, Hollywood, Elites, Leaders etc. Unfortunately Israel is home of the “serpent people” BUT innocent people live there as well, there’s nothing they can do. Netanyahu is gone, doesn’t take much work to put pictures side by side.
Research, don’t use Google.
We are seeing a bunch of look alikes, clones, CGI etc. I had 63.6K views on what they do and to say I awakened many is an understatement. Dark forces have their hold on way too many. It’s horrible to watch. Hopefully when our Heavenly Father comes, he shakes masses awake.
I agree that it’s a touchy topic, of course it is. Nobody needs to change their beliefs but information is available if you seek it, End times…love to all.
🙏💫💞⏳🕊🎺
You on P or something there Yaycee73?
Josephus also said when Jerusalem was destroyed around 70 Ad that there was so much blood in the streets that the blood in some parts in Jerusalem that the blood was as high as the horses bridle!
Dianne, There is a reason I am drawn to the Marshall Report. There is a reason why many who have different interpretations of historical (biblical) information are posting their thinking and their interpretations. You have a gift of curiosity and discernment. ( I am reminded as a child I was told there were 3 Kings that brought gifts when Christ was born but in reality there were 3 types of gifts and no mention of the number of kings who came to honor the birth).
When the country sees the “real” election results , the military will reveal the evil cabal (indictments and tribunals) .Many people will be “lost” when they realize all the lies ( propaganda) by the Main Stream Media. (NASA especially) A lot of healing will need to take place. (I’ll be reading the Marshall Report!)
Your comparison of Washington D.C. to the Fortress of Antonia both governments having “the blood of innocent children on their hands” speaks volumes.
I believe our country was chosen by God and our constitution has its foundation inspired by the Great God Almighty.
D.C. is/will be destroyed as was Antonia. I believe a new “Republic of the United States” government based on the existing constitution will emerge with new elections (no 2 parties) of Patriots.
The new Nesara/Gesara ( Real reason JFK was killed) financial system -Quantum Financial System will/ is taking over the old banking system that funded the cabal. I believe the Quantum computer (QFS) technology is not of this earth. (Internet- Smart phone technology is not of this earth) God is revealing his plan for mankind.
I await The Hebrew Holy Day of Pentecost.
WWG1WGA
Jfk was killed because he refused to allow every man, woman, and child to be enslaved by satan and the luciferians aka government, Israel- Khazars[false jews] reptilians/dracos/grays…the beasts. They’re satanic pedo baal worshipping cannibals from Canaan and Edom. God is coming for them because nobody takes our children. Kennedy’s are here as well. Don’t count on any media except very few to find anything. 💞
It’s all about money, JFK was killed because he was going to restore the US money system to a gold backed Nasara banking system. (One of the components of Nasara is a sales tax on new things doing away with income tax ( which we are currently paying to the cabal. ) George HW Bush killed JFK, Bush was in Dallas that day. JFK Jr. named his magazine “George” as he knew who killed his father. JFK Jr. is Q. (The Kennedy memorial in Arlington cemetery is in the shape of large Q when seen from above. ) It is all out there if you look for it.
WWG1WGA
C says
A lot of great points you bring up
Its interesting how many lives one person can live and disciplines and facts they can know is true
I started out just being a young farm boy working out in the fields with my dad when i was just 13 years old in 1971
and in 1983 my farm life was over
The places one can find themselves in leads me being a first hand witness of so many actions
that man has done against this planet to the worlds people to each of the countries and to each other
I know Today we are well past the point of no return .And everything living on earth is in the balance.
It’s going to be biblical just like the flood that is spoken of in the bible teachings
God said he would never destroy the people again
The day is here the question is will we unite and save our selves
or are we going to perish from the internal strife among us
Our actions or lack of will lead to our____________
It’s only days away
RGB
Look at my posts starting here
https://themarshallreport.wordpress.com/2021/03/08/manifesting-the-wrath/
RGB
RGB, Thanx dude 4 the John the Baptist vid….I always luv 2 c the Bible stories (new and old testament) bein’ played out by real ppl…it brings the bible 2 life 4 me…knowin’ these were ppl who had real life xperiences rather than jus read it…I can c it unfold!!
LUV IT!!!
Any more clips from the bible dude?!?!
irisheyes17
Any more clips from the bible dude?!?!
If you address me as RGB there is one less letter to type?
To days a great day here at this blogg
I can truly say I like all the posts
If the people are here as clay and not stone
Then it is a spiritual gathering of his followers all with a difference point views
Because all of Gods creations are interacting and the frame of references
the writings and scriptures were wrote and re written so many times
God is truly being entertained watching this play out today
There has been so many Gods before the old testament was written
and now man has complied ________ to worship ____called the new testament
I had a conversation yesterday with one of my elders about the following
King James Version
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+23&version=KJ21
or
Ezekiel 23
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+23&version=NRSVCE
Who here would vote for spending a whole day or may be a week on who would be right in their interpretation of this message
verse 20 seems interesting
should we consult a vet
RGB
Daniel 13
The missing Book from most Bibles
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+13&version=NRSVCE
Susanna’s Beauty Attracts Two Elders
I love the teachings in Daniel
And I Believe that he was one of the early Gods that people followed before the old testament was complied
So simple So brave and lived in a perfect logical world
Understood the difference between right and wrong
and clearly saw what God was seeing in front of him
and never stood by but stood up for all of Gods people and teachings
RGB
Another great post. If you can get the Ethiopian Bible; get it. It’s the oldest bible and it has all the missing books. The Orthodox Greek Bible has a lot of the missing books as well.
And Jesus was no longer an infant when the wise men found him. He was a “young child” living in a house, not still in the manger (Matt. 2:11). It would have taken them quite a long time to get to Israel from the time they saw the star and started traveling there, hence the reason Herod ordered the killing of all boys under 2 years old.
Beth H. That is correct. He was a young child living in a house. And so far no text in existence has verified that the little drummer boy was there either ….. 🙂
God Bless
The Future Revealed
We are nearing the end of the USA as we have known her! This should be obvious to anyone familiar with history and the fall of great world nations of the past. Alexander Tytler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh during the 18th century, has often been credited for saying: “A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.” Tytler and others are also credited for declaring the following: “The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years. During those years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence: 1. From bondage to spiritual faith; 2. From spiritual faith to great courage; 3. From courage to liberty; 4. From liberty to abundance; 5. From abundance to complacency; 6. From complacency to apathy; 7. From apathy to dependency; 8. And from dependency back into bondage.” A study of the rise and fall of great nations in the past appears to confirm it is so. Thus, it seems the USA has reached the seventh step of this sequence.
The majority of the citizens of the USA and their political leaders seem to have forgotten that the USA was founded upon the Judeo/Christian principles and teachings found in the holy Scriptures. Therefore, history will soon repeat itself and the USA will be judged by God and destroyed by Russia during World War III (Ezek. 39:6-7) in the fall of 2022. Prior to that, the prophetic significance of the Feast of Trumpets will be fulfilled with the Rapture on September 9, 2021 (Lev. 23:23-25; Jn. 4:35; 14:1-3; 1 Cor. 15:51-57; 1 Th. 4:13-18; 2 Th. 2:1; Ti. 2:13; 1 Jn. 3:1-3; Rev. 3:3, 10-11; 22:7, 12, 20). The Lord Jesus declared, “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass (Mt. 24:34a; Mk. 13:30a; Lk. 21:32a) away (Lk. 21:32b), till all (Mt. 24:34b; Mk. 13:30b; Lk. 21:32c) these things (Mt. 24:34c; Mk. 13:30c) be fulfilled (Mt. 24:34d; Mk. 13:30d; Lk. 21:32d).” The generation that will witness His Advent to earth began with the rebirth of the nation of Israel on May 14, 1948 (Mt. 24:32-33; Mk. 13:28-29; Lk. 21:29b-31g). Since we are now in the early months of the year 2021, this must be a generation of eighty years (Ps. 90:2, 10), which will end with the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to planet Earth on the Feast of a Day of Atonement [Yom Kippur] on September 30, 2028. The horrendous twenty-one judgments of God upon a Christ-rejecting world are described in Revelation 6:1-19:21. They will begin with the signing of a seven-year [2,520 days] (Dan. 9:27; Rev. 11:3; 12:6) defense treaty between the leader of the EU [Antichrist] and Israel in May 2023 and be fulfilled on September 30, 2028 (Mt. 24:29-31; 25:31-46). Thus, we are now living in the period of time the Lord Jesus described as the beginning of sorrows (Mt. 24:4-8).
A complete explanation of all the above warnings and much more may be found, read and confirmed on http://www.endtimewarnings.org. Now is the appointed time (Rom. 13:11; 2 Cor. 6:2)!
I understood your country, the USA was a Republic not a democracy!
RGB, Re: Fatima….that was a dmonic dception…how do we know?!!!
This apparition told those kids, who btdubbs had been taught all their lives 2 pray 2 an idol (Mary) that they were 2 build a church n her honour…WOAH!!
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!!!
The apostle Paul said, Though I or AN ANGEL of heavn preach un2 you any OTHER GOSPEL, let him b ACCURSED!!
YESHUA said, I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH AND THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT!!
This apparition was preachin’ a false gospel…I bleve it told the kids it was holdin’ bck YESHUA, or sum such stoopid thing…
If I had been 1 of those kids, and saw that thing, I wud hav shoutd, “B gone n the name of YESHUA!!!…and jus like the UFO that Kevin Zadai commanded 2 leave (and it fled!) , it wud hav gone shriekin’ n2 the night!!
I read a while bck there was a huge monunent 2 Mary sumwhere (dont remembr where) on a high hill that had been struck by lightnin’ and came topplin’ dwn off that mnt and the arms were brokn off…hahaha…
The ppl of that twn (sumwhere n US) pickt that idol bck up, repaird the arms and stuck it bck up on that mnt…
WTH?!!!
When I hrd of that the Holy SpiritI immediately reminded me of the story n the bible abt the Ark of YAH bein’ capturd and set up n the temple of a false god namd doggone…and they placd the Ark n front of old doggone and closd the temple doors… the next mornin’ when they came 2 worship doggone, the idol had fallen off it’s pedestal and the arms were brokn off…hahaha..
They pict their god up off the floor (without his arms!) and placd him bck on his pedestal…and shut the temple drs again…
The nxt mornin’ they opnd their temple drs 2 worship their god doggone and this time he had falln off n front of the Ark and was jus a stump…hahaha..
There was a reason YASHUA nevah calld Miriam (Mary) mother, but always calld her woman…
The bible says, There is ONE MEDIATOR btween YAH and man, the man YASHUA.
If y’all r prayin’ 2 a bunch of dead snts or Mary…y’all r off n2 idolatry and will b dceivd…there is a reason there is no more mention of Miriam after Pentecost…and she was n the upper room cuz she recognized her need of the Savior…she was not immaculately conceivd nor ascended bodily n2 heavn as Catholics teach…she was a mere mortal woman obedient 2 YAH!!!
She can’t pray and ntercede 4 any1, nor can any of the dead snts…there is only ONE ntercessor… YASHUA!!!
If y’all r prayin’ 2 any1 else, y’all r idolators!!
The apostle Paul said, Have I offended you cuz I hav told you the truth?!?!..
YASHUA said, You shall know the truth and the truth shall set u free!
Thank you.
+++ Question +++
a new Dance Date ??? Scroll down to this post
Up date.
One time line I came across is there is 120 days in which to Install a New President
https://themarshallreport.wordpress.com/2021/04/11/what-has-really-taken-place-obviously-not-what-they-told-us/#comment-60626
____________________________
Could It BE
+++
RGB
Irisheyes17, AMEN! Agree! The 2nd Commandant, tells us not to worship Images, nor pray to them!
Regarding this discussion thread from IrishEyes on down… I just wanted to address those who might read this and be struggling with the information.. Perhaps it angers you, scares you or frustrates you. You are not alone. In these last few weeks, many of us have been hit hard with new facts, new information, new truths that go against everything we’ve believed for years. I certainly have been. We’re having to weigh it all out, see how the Holy Spirit wants us to integrate it into our current understanding. This is a process. It’s a very difficult one, especially when it shakes our foundation to the core. So if you are out there, and you’re seeing things here that hurt, that haunt, or that you hate… Please know, you are loved, you are not alone, and we are in this together.. Growing, changing, and becoming one with our faith in Christ. May God helps us all to replace the enemy’s false teachings with Christ’s truths. Let’s take the time we need with the Holy Spirit, who is our teacher and guide. God bless you in your journey. Amen!
They were kicked off of YouTube – Found them here – Interesting perspective – Thanks for listening…
Two Jarheads & A Tulip: The Hour of Compassion – LIVE
This event ended at 4:01 PM on May 10, 2021
Hi Dianne
I find the last number of articles on the Bible and Bible doctrine quite interesting and will still check the videos of today. Thanks!
BTW, what is your opinion regarding the Nicaea version of the Apostle’s Creed?
On the topic of Bible truths: I have come to the conclusion that what the “church” have been telling us about what happened at the ‘Fall’, as described in Genesis 3, is actually not true. I have concluded that we have been told 5 lies of things that the Bible is not saying or implying in this chapter. I would like to share this with you if you can give me an e-mail address to send this summary of mine to.
God bless
Lood
Pretoria, South Africa
There was no need for John the baptist to hide. Because Herod commanded to kill all the children that were in Bethlehem. Not in all Israel. See Matthew 2:16 KJV
“Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.”
John the baptist was not in Bethlehem. House of Zacharias was in a city in the hill country of Juda. ( Luke 1:39 KJV)
Luke, It was a bloody mess and Herod was mad in the head. Zacharias was High Priest by the Levitical Priesthood, and he was of the direct lineage of Levi, which put him as of the Priesthood of Aaron/Moses. The politics of the day were chaos. Herod was appointed by Caesar to be King. Rome was governing them. Zacharias’s son, John, was next in line to be High Priest…and imagine Herod unsure of who this King was that the Magi were seeking…to the point of killing all boys two and under…and having Zacharia’s son in that category…yes..it makes perfect sense he would go after his child. Just to be sure. Josephus speaks of the upheaval in all the land… and the fact that Zacharias did not tell where his son was, in and of itself angered Herod. So they killed him. So often we read the scripture and it flows to the next thing…and in our generation we are used to movies, films, where everything moves along at a rapid pace … and forget the lengths of real time the horrid things took place. We see a few dramatic scenes and then it’s off into the next segment of events. Reading fast, it goes past even quicker without much thought. Especially when it is covered in a few sentences. I imagine it a great horror as those said it was. Now, that being said, it’s just my opinion and we see that historically, that Zechariah was a High Priest is testified to us not only by the early Protoevangelium of James, but also by many Church Fathers and writers, such as Origen, Chrysostom, Augustine, Ambrose, Theodoret, Dionysius the Areopagite, Venerable Bede and Theophylact among others.
The importance of who he really was and why he was chosen to father John the Baptist becomes more important when we see the blessings that John was to annoint (as heir to the high priesthood) the priest by the order of Melchelzedec Jesus the Messiah, and baptise him with the water (symbolic of the washing and submerging of the High Priest in Levitical tradition). The true symbolism of the levitical cleansings was a shadow of things to come and our baptism as set forth by the Messiah was our outward acceptance of the priesthood given to us. (see Hebrews) Not just merely a washing away of sins. An annointing of our new mission as priests with the Lord.
When Aaron was ordained to be the Priest, the ordination service included the “washing” of Aaron, and his sons. The particular Hebrew word for wash that is used in the ordination of the Priest is not a word for rinse, or for sprinkling, or for pouring, but it’s a word that means to get all the way into the water. In Judaism, the Mikva served as the baptistery. A Jew would go into the Mikva and be completely submerged into the water. When the law says that the Priest was to be washed when he was ordained, it is likely referring to a Mikva experience; that is, a baptism by immersion. And when Jesus was ready to begin his ministry, he said, “Let it be, this is for righteousness sake.” John, the last of the High Priest, according to the order of Aaron, baptized Jesus, the High Priest according to the order of Melchisadek! In other words, John was transferring the authority over to the new order of Priesthood; the old order of Aaron was passing away, and now transferred to Jesus, who is our Priest according to the Priestly order of Melchizedek. (John said, I must diminish so he may increase).
John chosen to prepare the way of the Lord, because he was the end of the line for the Aaronic Priesthood legitimately passing authority to the new Priesthood, forever held in Jesus Christ!
Here is also an interesting link showing the account of the matter of the children being slayed.
https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2010/12/29/103682-14000-infants-the-holy-innocents-slain-by-herod-at-bethlehem
If we truly take on our baptism to be born again into the priesthood of our Messiah Jesus, it is a humbling to understand that we are to reign with him as priests and kings and our baptising is a cleansing that enters us into the priesthood of the order of Melchizedek!
So when Jesus said you must be born again. And it was confusing to the Pharisees, they understood not….those who believe are born again into the order of Melchizedek. The priestly line of the Messiah Jesus our savior. Let us take on that priesthood as he gave it and in time, we shall reign with our Lord as Priests and Kings as he promised.
The Flight into Egypt – Herod was King of Judea and he ordered all the male children two and under in Bethlehem and in all its districts. Zechariah and Elizabeth did not live in Jerusalem, in the priestly enclave. They lived in a little town out in the hill country of Judea
Mattew 2:13Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
(They did not live in Bethlehem, they went there to pay the tax.)
14When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
Massacre of the Innocents
16Then 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.
Luke…. Just from a human perspective… If I’m a parent of a child in the age range which Herod has ordered to murder…. Well, let’s just say… If I live in Tim Buck Two, or elsewhere, my guard would be fully up, and I’m going to hide my young child… Why? Just to be on the safe side, like any protective parent would do.
Deb, I am glad that you pointed out the human element. People often leave that out when reading the scriptures. When you leave that out…you miss many things. To hear it stated…”The King ordered all the Children in Bethlehem and the coastal regions”… Knowing the crazy king is in your city…and knowing he is not a Hebrew Jew but a mad man appointed by Caesar and an imposter what would we do with our children? Hello? Look what we did with friggen toilet paper and what they are doing on the south east coast because someone in fake news said the Colonial Pipeline was hacked. Gas shortage. What cities may follow? Why….because people are reacting to what fake news said. Now how would we react if the Biden…issued all kids two and under in the state of X YZ to be killed because of some COVID thing? Every mother accross the land would be in fear for their children. Especially if the guard was already going house to house.
Deb, when I researched and wrote the Spear of Destiny….I put myself in each character and lived it all over. That experience opened my eyes to so many things. The humaness, the ways of Rome. The evil of Nero, the heart of Mary, the dangers in the city. They went house to house looking for the body of Jesus. We don’t hear about that…we have a sentence about that. But that went on for a long time….so putting yourself there in thoughts, writing, or watching a film as someone else had mentioned…makes you see what you weren’t seeing in the sentence. And sadly, many a Hollywierd has taken the liberty to recreat things a bit skewed. And people, because they know not…believe what Hollywierd puts out. Read the scriptures for ourselves and maybe imagine…what would it have been like to be in that culture, with the customs at that time. What would I be doing. When Jesus was being nailed to the cross and they made the PLUNK as they raised his wooden beam up and into the ground with him shaking on it…he had to be shaking that process has no other way…even though it is not written ….descriptive…imagine it. There was no gentle way of doing it. And at the same time…people were in the road off beyond the hill coming and going in and out of Jerusalem like nothing was taking place. They were about their business. To many it was just another crucifixion…as the Romans do. Imagine it.
Yes, Dianne! Absolutely! Our human perspective gives us a whole new layer of insights to understanding God’s word. The Holy Spirit teaches me a lot through this viewpoint. I’m grateful and will continue to explore this avenue.
A good analysis..
https://www.oca.org/reflections/fr.-lawrence-farley/the-feast-of-the-entrance-and-the-protoevangelium-of-james
No. That Zechariah is the son of Jehoiada the priest. Not the father of John the baptist. See 2 Chronicles 24:20-21. KJV
“And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you.
And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD.”
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