Bethlehem Massacre Scheme Massacre Beef Scheme
Question
What is the Massacre of the Innocents?
Answer
Soon after the fourth dimension of Christ's birth, King Herod the Great fabricated an unsuccessful attempt to destroy the infant Jesus past ordering the slaughter of all male person children age two and younger. The ecclesiastical name given to this killing of babies in Bethlehem and its surrounding regions is the Massacre of the Innocents.
The event is recorded in Matthew 2:16–18: "Herod . . . gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years former and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 'A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to exist comforted, considering they are no more.'"
At the sign of the star, Magi from the East had come to Jerusalem asking for "the one who has been born king of the Jews" (Matthew 2:2). Consulting with the Jewish priests and scribes, Herod told the Magi that Bethlehem was the prophesied birthplace of the Messiah (verses 4–5). He and then sent the Magi on their way with an order to return to Jerusalem and give him the exact location of the newborn king. When it became apparent that the Magi had ignored his directive, Herod put his heinous program into action, ordering the Massacre of the Innocents.
The Massacre of the Innocents was the result of King Herod's farthermost paranoia and cruelty. Herod would do anything to protect his own interests, including murdering all the little boys in Bethlehem. The wise men had alerted Herod to the arrival of a new king in Bethlehem. In his fear and morbid suspicion, Herod could not permit a rival king to alive. Not knowing how erstwhile Jesus was, only certain the wise men had said they'd start seen the star less than two years earlier their visit, Herod took no chances and had all male children under two in Bethlehem killed.
Matthew 2:17–18 cites the prophecy of Jeremiah 31:15. In its original context, Jeremiah'due south prophecy relates to State of israel'south menstruum of captivity in Babylon and the murder of children during the invasion of Judea. The mothers of Israel, portrayed as Rachel, are weeping for their sons who were led into exile. Rachel was considered a matriarchal figure to the nation of Israel, and her tomb is nearly Bethlehem (Genesis 35:nineteen). Matthew links the prophecy by Jeremiah to the Massacre of the Innocents, and the parallel is striking. Eerie similarities too exist betwixt the Massacre of the Innocents and Pharaoh's order to impale all Hebrew male infants at the fourth dimension of Moses' birth (Exodus 1:fifteen–16).
Herod'south Massacre of the Innocents was carried out, but his plan to rid the globe of the Messiah was thwarted when God intervened to protect Jesus in yet some other fulfillment of prophecy. When the Magi left Bethlehem to return to their homeland, Joseph had a dream: "An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. 'Get upwardly! Flee to Arab republic of egypt with the child and his mother,' the angel said. 'Stay there until I tell you to return, considering Herod is going to search for the kid to kill him.' That dark Joseph left for Arab republic of egypt with the kid and Mary, his mother, and they stayed there until Herod's expiry. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: 'I called my Son out of Arab republic of egypt'" (Matthew 2:13–fifteen, NLT; cf. Hosea 11:1). God the Father saved His Son to fulfill His purpose of securing our salvation.
Some ancient Christian traditions claim that the Massacre of the Innocents involved tens to hundreds of thousands of children. However, based on the population of the pocket-sized hamlet of Bethlehem, the annual birthrate, and the high baby death rate at the time, about biblical historians and demographers approximate the total number of male children under the age of two to be no more than twenty to 40. The lower number makes the crime no less of an atrocity. The death of even one child is a tragedy.
The Massacre of the Innocents is non mentioned in secular histories of that era. The killing of 40 Hebrew children in an insignificant village did non grab the attention of secular historians. Also, Herod's acts of tyranny and cruelty were numerous, including the execution of some of his wives and his ain children. The Massacre of the Innocents, involving a relatively pocket-sized number of Jewish children, was just some other ruthless deed in a long list of ruthless acts by this ruler.
In Roman Cosmic, Eastern Rite, and Orthodox churches, the Feast of the Holy Innocents commemorates the Massacre of the Innocents with the slain boys honored equally Christian martyrs and saints. The feast is observed on December 28 in Western churches and on Dec 29 in Eastern churches. An old Christmas hymn, the Coventry Carol, was written as a lullaby for the children who died in the Massacre of the Innocents.
The Massacre of the Innocents was Herod's endeavour to thwart God'due south plan and cease a biblical prophecy from beingness fulfilled. Of course he failed, and in the form of his failure he added to the misery and sin of the globe. "The kings of the globe take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed I" (Psalm two:2, BSB). But their fight is futile. The Christ is victorious. "Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. . . . Osculation his son, or he will be angry and your mode will atomic number 82 to your destruction" (verses 10, 12).
Questions about Christmas
What is the Massacre of the Innocents?
Subscribe to the
Question of the Calendar week
Get our Question of the Week delivered correct to your inbox!
© Copyright 2002-2022 Got Questions Ministries. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy
This page last updated: January 4, 2022
Source: https://www.gotquestions.org/Massacre-of-the-Innocents.html
0 Response to "Bethlehem Massacre Scheme Massacre Beef Scheme"
ارسال یک نظر