5  And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.

6  Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power.

7  And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, attacked the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand.

8  Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven.

Written approximately 536BC, this prophetic word, when shown to Alexander the Great  by Levitical priests caused Alexander to spare Jerusalem (unlike the destruction he had caused to Tyre).

THE DESTRUCTION of TYRE 

Zech 9:3-4 “For Tyre built herself a tower, heaped up silver like the dust, And gold like the mire of the streets.

Behold, the Lord will cast her out; He will destroy her power in the sea, and she will be devoured by fire.”

Alexander destroyed Tyre. After wasting the newer part of the city, he ordered his troops to scrape the porcelain off of the streets and throw them into the harbor so that a rampart could be made for his troops could cross over to the older part of the city and to utterly destroy it by fire. No mention of Tyre is made again, only of its sister city, Sidon.

After Alexander’s untimely death at the age of 3, his empire was divided among his 3 generals (Alexander’s infant son, Alexander IV, Ptolemy who governed Egypt, Seleucid who governed Syria, Persia and Israel, and Antigonus who governed Macedonia)

From the Seleucids is descended a king who was particularly evil in his domination over Israel. Antiochus IV, (176 – 163BC) who took the title of Epiphanes (Epiphanes means :”God manifest”)(176-163BC) forced Greek culture on to the Jews. This Greek slaughtered a pig and sacrificed it to Baal Shaminin the Holy of Holies. This was known as the abomination of desolation (or the abomination that makes desolate).  

The king’s emissaries called upon Mattathias, a priest & head of the Hasmonaean family, to assist in another heathen offering. Mattathias drew a sword and killed one of the apostate Jews who had accompanied the Greeks. This began revolution in Israel. Mattathias, who was in his 70’s at the time of this incident, died and bequeathed the mantle of leadership to his son Judas (called Maccabaeus or “the hammer”). Judas inflicted one defeat upon the other to the followers of Antiochus. Since he was troubled with threats of war from his eastern front, Antiochus sought an armistice with the Jewish rebels. Judas kept his forces together and went into Jerusalem, cleansed the Temple  and destroyed Greek adornments that had been added to it. This event of the temple cleansing and dedication became the Feast of Lights or the Feast of Hanukkah.

The rebellion continued sporadically after Judas’ death. For a brief time John Hyrcanus ruled in Israel. To keep the Greeks at bay he dispatched envoys to Rome for assistance (122AD).

Two groups later developed in Israel, the Sadducees who were interested in maintaining political alliances in a worldly way and a smaller group, the Pharisees (from the Hebrew for “separate”) who taught and maintained the Torah, the Law. These Pharisees used scribes (lawyers) to interpret the Torah in light of oral tradition into applications in every day life. The Pharisees formed the group called “Rabbis” or teachers.

Under the Maccabaean kings, there was a group so dissatisfied with the worldly attitudes in their society that they withdrew into their own community – The Essenes of Qumran. Pompey conquered Israel along with Syria. He set up Hyrcanus as a puppet king through whom he established Roman rule. After Hyrcanus’ death the throne passed to an Edomite, Antipater, whom the Jews despised. His son Herod took the throne in 43BC and reigned until his death in 2BC. The people also hated Herod, an Edomite (or Idumean), however Herod, to win the favor of the people, had the temple rebuilt into its former splendor.

After his death the Romans installed Archelaus (who ruled Judea, Samaria and Idumea), Antipas received Galilee and Perea, Philip became “tetrarch” of Transjordan. Herod Antipas is the one referenced in the Gospels. This Herod ordered the death of John the Baptist at the request of his sensuous daughter-in-law, Salome who had been prompted to this by her mother, Herodius, formerly the wife of Antipas’ brother, Philip. A Roman Procurator or Governor actually governed the area from Caesarea Philippi, Pontius Pilate (from 26AD to 36AD).

Roman Emperors:

Pompey headed Roman legions as they conquered Syria and defeated Israel in 63AD thereby placing Israel again under the dominion of gentile power.

• Julius Caesar – 60BC formed a triumvirate consisting of himself, Pompey and Crassus. Later Caesar defeated Pompey – Caesar later moved against Pompey after the death of Crassus. January 11, 49BC Caesar crossed the Rubicon River as he advanced toward Pompey and the army he commanded. In 48 BC Julius Caesar defeated Pompey. – March 15th, (Ides of March) 44BC.

January 1, 42BC Caesar was declared divine in a proclamation entitled Divus Julius. Emperor worship was then established with its own temple and priests.

Octavian (Caesar’s great nephew) defeated Antony (aftermath Antony & Cleopatra committed suicide)

Brief periods of the rule of the Roman Senate and internecine warfare.

Octavian became Caesar Augustus  30BC – 14AD

It was Augustus who called for the census which required Mary & Joseph to register in their native Bethlehem.

• Tiberius Caesar – 15AD – 36AD during the period of Jesus’ ministry. Tiberius was perverted and described by historians as “profligate”.

•  Caligula (37-41AD)

• Claudius (41-54AD)

• Nero (54-68AD) murdered his mother who had obtained the throne for him through intrigue. Nero sought to construct beautiful new buildings in the older part of Rome. To engage in this urban renewal, a fire was started that burned the older part of the city built with homes of wood. The Christians seemed to represent a convenient excuse for Nero, who ordered their persecution 64 – 68AD. Both Paul & Peter were martyred during this persecution. Nero had Christians impaled on large poles, dipped in tar and lit on fire. Christians were tortured and killed in this manner. Some were put to this death in Nero’s own garden so he could enjoy their torment. Nero finally committed suicide

 Period of conflict for the throne with three emperors in one year, 69AD.

• Vespasian, who had begun to put down the rebellion in Judea (66AD) became emperor. He needed a stunning victory to solidify the confidence of the Roman people. Therefore he ordered his son, Titus, to raze the city of Jerusalem and thoroughly destroy everything in it. This was accomplished 70-72AD)

• Titus followed his father to the throne 79-81AD.

• Domitian (82-96AD) persecuted Christians, had John the Apostle boiled in oil. When he did not die, through a miracle, Domitian exiled the last Apostle to Patmos, a desolate island off the coast of Asia Minor.

 Unlike the Greek Hellenizers, the Romans brought law & order (Lex Romana), roads, and aqueducts. Roman law was enforced by the invincible Roman Legions. The Romans required only two things:

a.      loyalty & obedience to the law

b.     taxes collected by Tax Farmers (who received no pay. They collected a certain percentage for Rome and got to keep any excess that they could get.) The Apostle Matthew came from this despised group.

Capitol of the empire was Rome. 

Greek society: three prevalent philosophies of the time were Epicurean, Stoic and Gnostic. Center of Western culture was Athens.

 Jewish Society at the time of Jesus

         1.      Sadducees – did not believe in the literal meaning of the Word of God, denied the resurrection, angels and miraculous interventions                   of God in the daily affairs of men. These were the wealthy majority of the Sanhedrin.

2.     The Pharisees: believed in and taught the Torah, added to the Law of God with oral tradition, were anticipating the Jewish Messiah who would lead them in victory over the hated Romans.

3.     Scribes were in the employ of the Pharisees. These codified Jewish Law taking from both the Torah and the oral traditions. They compiled the Midrash, a collection of 613 Jewish laws.

4.     The Zealots: a political party of revolutionaries who wanted to overthrow Rome. One of the Apostles, Simon, had been a Zealot.

5.     The Herodians who favored compromise, political alliances such as that with Rome and opposed actions of the radical zealots.

6.     The Essenes, a separated group that lived in Qumran and who devoted their lives to the Scriptures and to keeping unstained from the world around them.

7.     The Sicarii would develop more numerously during the early ministry of Paul. These were assassins with the knife. Acts 23:12-14

“And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy.

They came to the chief priests and elders, and said, "We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul.”

Theophanies

Jesus told the religious leaders of His day: "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." John 5:39 (KJV)

As a contrast:

John 5:43 “I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me. If another shall come in his own name, him you will receive.”

The Lamb of God was prophesied by Abraham in Genesis 22:8 “And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself  a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.”

Fulfilled

John 1:29 “The next day John saw Jesus coming unto him, and said, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

The Offices of Prophet, Priest & King could never be filled by the same man. For example David was a prophet, however, since David was King of Israel, Nathan was the acknowledged prophet. Note that  Saul did not obey God and offered a sacrifice to God on his own without going through the priests. In 1SAM 15: 23 “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idol-worship. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king!”

Fulfilled Matt 23:37-39 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

38        Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

39  "for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, `Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!”

Matthew 24 the Mount Olivet Discourse

Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ.

“The LORD has sworn And will not relent, "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek."

fulfilled in           “But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”Hebrews 9:11-12

2 Samuel 7:12  "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.”

To be fulfilled in Rev 19:11-16 “And I saw Heaven opened. And behold, a white horse! And He sitting on him was called Faithful and True. And in righteousness He judges and makes war.

12  And His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head many crowns. And He had a name written, one that no one knew except Himself.

13  And He had been clothed in a garment dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

14  And the armies in Heaven followed Him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

15  And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, so that with it He should strike the nations. And He will shepherd them with a rod of iron. And He treads the winepress of the wine of the anger and of the wrath of Almighty God.

16  And He has on His garment, and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.