Today is a day of hope for many as our new President, Donald
Trump, takes office.
Donald Trump was never supposed to become the president of
the United States. He was considered a clown, a blowhard and
an entertainer with no political expertise. He was opposed by
Republicans, Democrats, and the media. In fact, he was given
no chance of winning the presidency.
But against all odds, he went on to be victorious on November
8, 2016. When many of us went to bed on that evening, we
doubted he would be the next president. I know I was sleeping
soundly when my wife came in and told me that Mr. Trump
had won Wisconsin. As I was falling back to sleep, I thought
he might really win. On Wednesday morning, I learned that
his victory in Pennsylvania had put him over the top in the
electoral tally.
We might ask, “Why did Donald Trump win the presidency?”
It seems that Mr. Trump latched onto themes that resonated
with the American people. He promised to make America
great again. Why would people latch onto this promise?
Because many people feel that America has lost its greatness
and unless we turn from the path we are on national greatness
will be lost forever.
It is my hope that the new President, the Congress and the
Cabinet can make some progress toward restoring many of the
values that have made our country truly great for the last two
hundred years. Our greatness over that time has come about
because of God’s grace and mercy extended to our land.
Greatness can only be regained as we turn to the God of the
Bible. The prophet Joel spoke of the need for a return to God
and God’s mercy, “But even now," says the Lord, "repent
sincerely and return to me with fasting and weeping and
mourning. Let your broken heart show your sorrow; tearing
your clothes is not enough." Come back to the Lord your God.
He is kind and full of mercy; he is patient and keeps his
promise; he is always ready to forgive and not punish.” (Joel
2:12-13).
One of our greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln, was not
renowned for being overly religious when he took office.
However, the magnitude of being president as the nation was
divided in Civil War drove President Lincoln to turn to God in
a way he had not done in his earlier life. I believe that if our
president and other leaders turn to God then we can turn things
around. But will our leaders and our nation humble
themselves before God and seek his wisdom in the years
ahead?
President Trump faces a divided nation similar in many ways
to the time before the Civil War. There was no reconciliation
between the aggrieved parties in 1860 and it seems to be a
most formidable challenge to heal the breaches that exist in
2017. Healing the breaches in the present day are especially
formidable because there no longer seems to be a fixed
standard of right and wrong. Most sadly, if decisions are made
that are in harmony with God and His word the outcome will
likely be outrage among many in our land.
In Paul’s time, the Roman Emperors reigned supreme and
during the last part of his ministry, Nero ruled. Nero was an
abominable ruler and yet Paul requested prayers for him in 1
Timothy 2:1-4: “Therefore I exhort first of all that
supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be
made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that
we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and
reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God
our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the
knowledge of the truth.”
Paul gives us good instruction in regard to how we should
pray for the new president. Mr. Trump faces a formidable
challenge ahead of him. Not only should we pray for all men,
but we should pray that God would make it possible for us to
“lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and
reverence.”
We can be thankful this Sabbath day that we worship a God
who will be with us regardless of how things work out in the
political world.
Have a pleasant Sabbath,
Gary Smith
Showing posts with label Roman Empire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roman Empire. Show all posts
Friday, January 20, 2017
Friday, April 1, 2016
Prophetic Geopolitics Crucial to Christ's Crucifixion
The Passover is less than a month away. On that date, we gather in order to remember the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ to redeem us from our sins.
At Passover, we are reminded of Christ’s body that was broken by scourging and His crucifixion which led to his death at the point of a Roman spear.
The question we might ask: What does the death of a Jewish man by crucifixion in a backwater Roman province have to do with geopolitics? The answer is that without the necessary geopolitical alignment Christ would never have been crucified.
Going back to the time of Alexander the Great and the generals who succeeded him, the land of Judea was a geopolitical football. Judea was a first dominated by the Ptolemies of Egypt. Next it came under the dominion of the Seleucid Empire. In the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, Judea gained some degree of independence.
In time a third power, the Romans, entered the power struggle for the land of Judea. In the time when Augustus Caesar was gaining control over the Roman Empire, a man we known historically as Herod the Great rose to power. He through his own financing and military prowess took possession of the province of Judea and was able to rule that territory as a client king from 37 BC to approximately 4 BC. During this time, Jewish law governed and death sentences were carried out according the Jewish regulations. If one were condemned to death, the sentence would not have been crucifixion.
With Herod’s death around 4 BC, he was succeeded by his son, Herod Archelaus. He was approved as ruler by the Romans, but they did not rule directly. They gave Archelaus the lion’s share of the Herod the Great’s territory. They gave him Judea, Samaria, and Idumea. They also allowed him to enjoy the title of ethnarch of Judea with the idea if he proved his capabilities and loyalty they would allow him to be called king of Judea later.
Unfortunately for Archelaus, he did not do well and the Romans removed him from power and exiled him to Lyon in what we know today as France.
With the removal of Archelaus the area that Archelaus had ruled became a Roman province. It was known as the Roman province of Judea. The only part of Herod the Great’s territory that came under Roman rule was the part ruled by Archelaus.
This change in the political situation was crucial. It was crucial because the change was necessary to fulfill prophecy. Without Archelaus losing control of Samaria, Judea, and Idumea, prophecy could not have been fulfilled. Judea remained a Roman province from 6 AD to 41 AD
We might ask, “Why is it important that Judea was a Roman province between 6 AD and 41 AD? In what way did it pave the way for prophecy to be fulfilled?”
If Archelaus had been an independent ruler of Judea, then Christ would not have been crucified. He would have died in some other way: either by stoning, beheading, or some other fashion favored by the Jews. The most likely form of execution would have been stoning.
What’s the problem with stoning? Stoning would have violated the prophetic word found in Psalms 34:20, “He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken.” The Apostle John refers to Psalm 34 to buttress the fact that Jesus was the Messiah in John 19:35-36, “And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken."
If Judea had been under rule by any of the descendants of Herod, he would have been most probably executed by stoning. The problem with stoning is that during the execution Christ would have suffered multiple broken bones. If executed by decapitation, bones would have been broken.
It was necessary to fulfill prophecy for Jesus to be crucified. A crucifixion would only have taken place if Judea had been a Roman province at the time of the Messiah’s death.
Geopolitical events insured that at the time when the death of the Messiah became necessary he would die by the uniquely Roman form of execution, crucifixion.
We can rejoice that Christ died on our behalf and we can be reassured that Christ’s crucifixion fulfilled the prophetic word.
Have a most enjoyable Sabbath.
Gary Smith
At Passover, we are reminded of Christ’s body that was broken by scourging and His crucifixion which led to his death at the point of a Roman spear.
The question we might ask: What does the death of a Jewish man by crucifixion in a backwater Roman province have to do with geopolitics? The answer is that without the necessary geopolitical alignment Christ would never have been crucified.
Going back to the time of Alexander the Great and the generals who succeeded him, the land of Judea was a geopolitical football. Judea was a first dominated by the Ptolemies of Egypt. Next it came under the dominion of the Seleucid Empire. In the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, Judea gained some degree of independence.
In time a third power, the Romans, entered the power struggle for the land of Judea. In the time when Augustus Caesar was gaining control over the Roman Empire, a man we known historically as Herod the Great rose to power. He through his own financing and military prowess took possession of the province of Judea and was able to rule that territory as a client king from 37 BC to approximately 4 BC. During this time, Jewish law governed and death sentences were carried out according the Jewish regulations. If one were condemned to death, the sentence would not have been crucifixion.
With Herod’s death around 4 BC, he was succeeded by his son, Herod Archelaus. He was approved as ruler by the Romans, but they did not rule directly. They gave Archelaus the lion’s share of the Herod the Great’s territory. They gave him Judea, Samaria, and Idumea. They also allowed him to enjoy the title of ethnarch of Judea with the idea if he proved his capabilities and loyalty they would allow him to be called king of Judea later.
Unfortunately for Archelaus, he did not do well and the Romans removed him from power and exiled him to Lyon in what we know today as France.
With the removal of Archelaus the area that Archelaus had ruled became a Roman province. It was known as the Roman province of Judea. The only part of Herod the Great’s territory that came under Roman rule was the part ruled by Archelaus.
This change in the political situation was crucial. It was crucial because the change was necessary to fulfill prophecy. Without Archelaus losing control of Samaria, Judea, and Idumea, prophecy could not have been fulfilled. Judea remained a Roman province from 6 AD to 41 AD
We might ask, “Why is it important that Judea was a Roman province between 6 AD and 41 AD? In what way did it pave the way for prophecy to be fulfilled?”
If Archelaus had been an independent ruler of Judea, then Christ would not have been crucified. He would have died in some other way: either by stoning, beheading, or some other fashion favored by the Jews. The most likely form of execution would have been stoning.
What’s the problem with stoning? Stoning would have violated the prophetic word found in Psalms 34:20, “He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken.” The Apostle John refers to Psalm 34 to buttress the fact that Jesus was the Messiah in John 19:35-36, “And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken."
If Judea had been under rule by any of the descendants of Herod, he would have been most probably executed by stoning. The problem with stoning is that during the execution Christ would have suffered multiple broken bones. If executed by decapitation, bones would have been broken.
It was necessary to fulfill prophecy for Jesus to be crucified. A crucifixion would only have taken place if Judea had been a Roman province at the time of the Messiah’s death.
Geopolitical events insured that at the time when the death of the Messiah became necessary he would die by the uniquely Roman form of execution, crucifixion.
We can rejoice that Christ died on our behalf and we can be reassured that Christ’s crucifixion fulfilled the prophetic word.
Have a most enjoyable Sabbath.
Gary Smith
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