I want to talk about the antichrist persona for a few minutes.

I pay a lot of attention to conversations about eschatology (end times events as they relate to scripture.) Everything going on around us is related to biblical end-times events; this includes Israel at war, the breakdown of our governmental systems, the collapse of global economies, and the coming of a man – the antichrist, that will shortly step up to take control over practically everyone and everything.

A large portion of scripture speaks in terms of “everyone” when clearly not everyone was there. One of the blatant examples comes from the narrative surrounding the three Hebrews who were brought into Babylon at the same time as Daniel, and they are the same ones who were thrown into the fiery furnace. 

Daniel was not included with them; why?

When you read the account dealing with Daniel and the three other Hebrews, you find that Daniel, after giving the King the dream and the interpretation, was promoted and made the ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel's Hebrew brethren were included among the wise men, and Daniel requested that the king appoint Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (their Babylonian names) to manage the province of Babylon while Daniel was busy elsewhere. Logic tells you that Daniel had an entourage while he was doing business in various regions of Babylon, so obviously, there were a number of others not there to bow before this statue. Read the narrative in Daniel 2:46-49.

So, let's not assume that everyone, as scripture denotes, is always in compliance. Certainly, Samson was not, yet God deems him a fine example of an upright man. (You can read about Samson's adventures and sordid love life in Judges chapters 13 – 16.

If I want to get a firm grasp of this man, the antichrist/beast, I think it best to initiate this quest in Daniel chapter two. The saga sort of begins with Nebuchadnezzar during the second year of his reign.

“One night ... Nebuchadnezzar had such disturbing dreams that he couldn’t sleep.”
Daniel 2:1 NLT

So Nebuchadnezzar calls the people he depends on for answers to help him. But!!!

“He called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers, and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood before the king, he said, “I have had a dream that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means.”
Daniel 2:2-3 NLT

Nebuchadnezzar, speaking about Daniel and the three others who came from Israel, had this to say.

“Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.”
Daniel 1:20 NLT

Why then would you choose anyone else to tell you what your dream was, and yet look who he chose.

• magicians,

• enchanters,

• sorcerers,

• and astrologers.

If you are one who does not put your faith and hope in God, then this probably seems like a good idea. My father, with his sense of humor, would always make a comment about the tellers of fortunes and futures, how that if he were to go in there, the first thing he would say is, you tell me why I am here. Well, when you think about it, it makes sense.

After making a plea before the King, Daniel is given a chance. He gives all the credit to God, and this is what Daniel said.

“While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets has shown you what is going to happen.”
Daniel 2:29 NLT

The details.

“In your vision, Your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining statue of a man. It was a frightening sight.”
Daniel 2:31 NLT

What made this thing so frightening?

“This image's head was of fine gold, its chest, and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.”
Daniel 2:32-33 NKJV

• The head was of fine gold,

  “You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold.”
  Daniel 2:37-38 NKJV

  Consider this as you make judgments about those who are giving Israel grief right now. Clearly, God uses whom He chooses to be His firebrand. Some He deems to be gold. So this head was the Babylonian empire.

• Its chest and arms were made of silver,

  Silver is a pliable metal, just as gold is; however, it is notably less valuable than gold and will tarnish. Daniel 2:38a merely says,” But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours...” Historically we know this to be the Medes and the Persians. All of these are known to be the basis of the Assyrians.

  “The empire of the Medes and Persians, whose union was denoted by the breast and two arms of silver; and which was established on the ruins of that of the Chaldeans on the capture of Babylon by Cyrus, B.C. 538” (The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury)

• its belly and thighs were made of bronze,

  “...then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.”
  Daniel 2:39b NKJV

  Here is another of those over-the-top statements, and it is such because Alexander only controlled the majority of the then-known world, and the Roman Empire never held reign over the territories that Alexander did.

  This belly and thighs of bronze is “the empire of the Macedonians, or "brazen-coated Greeks," aptly denoted by the belly and thighs of brass, founded by Alexander the Great, who terminated the Persian monarchy by the overthrow of Darius Codomanus at Arbela, B.C. 331.” (The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury)

  Let's pause here for a moment. Bronze as a material for making weapons has advantages and disadvantages, strength, depending on the material integrated by the refiner's fire, and it often has an attractive quality like gold.

  The oddity is that it is difficult to separate the thighs from the legs, and nobody does that. So, from the belly to the toes, the fourth kingdom is an ever-weakening and fragile kingdom until the end when Jesus comes back and crushes it completely.

• Its legs were made of iron,

  Therefore, the legs are vital. In this case, they are of practical material, iron, but iron, like a cast iron pan, can shatter if dropped on a hard surface from mere feet away; I know this because I broke a covered pot in just such a manner. So the strength is only temporal.

  The point I am making is that the kingdom(s) represented, from the belly of this giant statue down to the toes, is, in essence, an integration of one kingdom along with all the others.

• And the feet – including the toes, were made of a mixture of iron and of clay.

  The toes are ten, and they, too, are a mixture of iron and clay. The implications are that this kingdom, by the time it has reached this era, has gone through multiple leadership transitions, but from the thighs down, there is a common – deadly, yet fragile thread.

  Clay can be used to make a nice model but has no strength at all.

  A brief history. The bronze is Alexander. Dead, his empire is split into four and then two. The two start well – the bronze but finish poorly integrating with the Assyrians, descendants of the Babylonians, and Japheth, the father of Gomer, Magog, to say the least.

"You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth." 
Daniel 2:34-35 NKJV

That stone is Jesus – He is God, and He is an aspect of the Father's wrath that is being poured out upon the earth when this destruction happens. Jesus will shatter all the final ruling empires and kingdoms upon the earth when He returns. Nebuchadnezzar didn't need to know all that as it would not affect him.

Who are these people, because I see them everywhere in scripture?

Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams. His spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. So the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans(?) to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. And the king said to them, "I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream." (Daniel 2:1-3 NKJV)

Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation." The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, "My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap. However, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation." (Daniel 2:4-6 NKJV)

Where is Daniel while all this is going on? 

Obviously, Daniel was not a part of any of these groups. Because of their attempts to save their lives, as they did not have answers for the king, everyone, including Daniel and the other three Hebrews with him, are under a death threat from a king that has demonstrated how serious he is about his decrees. 

Daniel goes before the king, buys a little time, and comes back with the dream and what it means.

Daniel answered the king, saying: “The mystery about which the king inquired is such that neither wise men, astrologers, magicians, or sorcerers can disclose it to the king. But, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar the things that will happen in the latter days. The dream and the visions that went through your head as you lay on your bed are these." (Daniel 2:27-28 TLV)

Daniel tells the king what the dream was.

“You looked, O king, and behold, there before you stood a huge statue—an enormous and dazzling image whose appearance was awesome. The head of that statue was of pure gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, and its feet partly iron and partly clay. While you were watching, a stone was cut out, but not by hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together and became like chaff from summer threshing floors that the wind blows away. Not a trace of them could be found. Then the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth." (Daniel 2:31-35 TLV)

"Wherever mankind, beasts of the field, and fowls of the heaven dwell, He has given them into your hand and made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold. “Now, after you, another kingdom will arise, one inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over all the earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron shatters and breaks everything—and just as iron smashes everything, so will it shatter and crush all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly potter’s clay and partly iron, so this will be a divided kingdom. It will have some of the strength of the iron, for you saw the iron mixed with clay. As the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle." (Daniel 2:38-42 TLV)

• "You are the head of gold." The first kingdom in the equation. The head of gold is Babylon under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar.

• Now, after you, another kingdom will arise, one inferior to yours. The second kingdom in this equation is The empire of the Medes and Persians, whose union was denoted by the breast and two arms of silver, and which was established on the ruins of that of the Chaldeans on the capture of Babylon by Cyrus, B.C. 538.

• The third kingdom. The kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. The UCRT dictionary tells us that "The empire of the Macedonians, or "brazen-coated Greeks," aptly denoted by the belly and thighs of brass, founded by Alexander the Great, who terminated the Persian monarchy by the overthrow of  Darius Codomanus at Arbela, B.C. 331" To put this plainly, the Grecian Empire. This is not a quiz, but do you know who the remaining two generals were and what regions they controlled? Seleucid in the North and Ptolemy in the South.

• The fourth and what seems to be the final kingdom, represented as iron, which many believe to be the Roman Empire, does not show up until almost 255 years after the remains of the Grecian Empire. Considering the closeness of all the others in terms of time, bringing the Roman Empire into this dream seems odd at best. Biblically we are told about the Babylonian, the Medo-Persians, and finally, the Macedonians or Grecians, but nothing is said about the Roman Empire. Do you know what Empire causes the most grief and plays a role in affecting both the Seleucid and Ptolemaic Empires?  The Assyrians. Do you realize that one of the names of the Antichrist is the Assyrian? Yeah, we seem to ignore that aspect when we are ranting about how the Roman Empire will rise up again in the last moments of time. And, since the Assyrians have been so influenced by Islam, we ignore their potential through Jihad, of bringing as many as possible under the influence of Islam; hence, a global religion.

• Note: there is no mention of who makes up these toes of iron and clay, but it is obvious that there is an attempt at integration, which clearly fails. Do Sunnis and Shiites get along? Have paid attention to what Isis, coming from Afghanistan, is preparing to do to Iran as of 5/29/2023? They have threatened war over water, and they are backing it up with army tanks and heavy equipment.

Daniel 2:43 KJV And whereas thou saw iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

Notice how "they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men."

Mingle means to mix or combine. The word mingle and the word mixed are the same Aramaic (Strong's concordance calls this language Chaldean) word ărab. H6151 ‛ărab, enunciation: ar-ab'. (Chaldee); corresponding to H6148; to commingle: - mingle (self), mix. Total KJV occurrences: 4.

Seed: - z^era‛: An Aramaic noun meaning seed or offspring. This word is used only once in Dan_2:43 in the idiomatic phrase "with the seed of men" (KJV).

The question is, offspring of whom?

The Word Study Dictionary tells you this “This mixing of people with the seed of men is a reference to other people groups joining a community or nation.” The implication is that they are trying to join themselves to Israel, but that is not the case, and we see it going all the way back to Ishmael and Esau.

Just a short heritage listing from Ishmael begins to show you the beginnings of the nations.

Isn't it fascinating that Abraham was able to produce nations of Gentiles and then Jews? Just for the fun of it, here are the names of the twelve princes that came from Ishmael. Many have associated regions to go along with their names.

“These were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and their settlements, twelve princes according to their nations.” (Genesis 25:13-16 NKJV)

The firstborn of Ishmael, 

Nebajoth, and or Nebaioth. From Nebajoth sprang the Nabatheans, who inhabited Arabia Petraea (Petra.)

Kedar. From Kedar, the Cedreans, who dwelt near the Nabatheans. The name means darkness or dark-skinned.

Adbeel, Disciplined of God.

Mibsam, A fragrant, sweet odor.

Mishma, A report, a hearing.

Dumah, Silence. A town of Judah ten miles southwest of Hebron.

Massa, Gift; burden, a prophecy; enduring.

Hadar. More than 300 Manuscripts and printed editions read Hadad, as in 1 Chronicles 1:30.

Tema, South desert; Southerner.

Jetur. An enclosure; defense. The Itureans, who inhabited a small tract of country east of Jordan, which afterward belonged to Manasseh

Naphish, Refreshed; recreation; taking breath. :Note: These are evidently the same people mentioned in 1Ch_5:19, who, with the Itureans, assisted the Hagarenes against the Israelites, but were overcome by the two tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.” 1Ch_1:31; 1Ch_5:19. The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury

Kedemah. Eastward.

But they shall not cleave to each other. As you can see from the Amplified version below, they will not hold together.

Cleave is the Aramaic verb meaning to cling to, stay together, to adhere together.

"And as you saw the iron mixed with miry and earthen clay, so they shall mingle themselves in the seed of men [in marriage bonds]; but they will not hold together [for two such elements or ideologies can never harmonize], even as iron does not mingle itself with clay." (Daniel 2:43 AMP)

As you can see, the Amplified Bible implied that their mingling could be seen in marriages. This idea of marriage should have a familiar ring to it, as Balaam told Balak, the king of Moab, how to defeat Israel. Dr. J Vernon McGee points out that Balaam is mentioned three times in the NT.

"Balaam is mentioned three times in the closing books of the New Testament. In 2 Peter it is the way of Balaam. In Jude it is the error of Balaam. And it is the doctrine of Balaam in the Book of Revelation."

The Old Testament also helps to define what Balaam did.

"And Moses said to them: "Have you kept all the women alive? Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the incident of Peor..." (Numbers 31:15-16 NKJV)

In spite of God's clear admonition that Balaam should NOT speak a word against Israel, he did so by telling Balak how to destroy them subtly by bringing in foreign women, and they would cause the children of Israel to collapse from the inside out.

In relation to these people who mingle with the great sea of people are words from Ecclesiastes.

"And I discovered (something) more bitter than death, the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her." (Ecclesiastes 7:26 NASB)

This takes us back to Daniel, where the mixed have but one intention, to destroy from the inside out.

What does that mean to us? 

They start with small demands, then they get themselves voted onto your governing bodies - like school boards and city councils. They then begin to change the rules and laws to suit their ideological teachings. Some call this a religion. All of this is Jihad to the group of people I refer to, the Islamic religion. 

Did you know that the followers of Islam, under the guise of the Ottoman Empire, almost overtook the world?

Thankfully, the British were able to squelch and, in a sense, deliver a mortal wound to the Ottoman Empire in 1924 by forcing them to disband and making the empire illegal by international agreement. While the "civilized" world began rebuilding after WW1 and enjoying the Roaring 20's, the Ottoman Empire, shortly thereafter, began reorganizing under the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. 

Did you not notice that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey has, on several occasions, espoused that he would resurrect the Ottoman Empire?

(AMP) “And as you saw the iron mixed with miry and earthen clay, so they shall mingle themselves in the seed of men [in marriage bonds]; but they will not hold together [for two such elements or ideologies can never harmonize], even as iron does not mingle itself with clay.”

All this should have a familiar ring to it if you have read about God's promise to Abram/Abraham. Abraham, in an attempt to move God's plan along, at the prodding of his wife, produces a child, Ishmael.

“ And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.” Genesis 17:20

Does anybody want to venture a guess as to who that nation is?
If you said the Arab nation(s) are descendants of Ishmael, then you would be right.

I can hear the religious as they say, how dare you speak in that manner?

Look at what the Strong's concordance says about the simple word “nation.”

Nation is the Hebrew word gôy or gôyim. It is a masculine noun meaning nation, people, Gentiles. a foreign nation; hence a Gentile. This noun is also used to describe anyone other than Israel, whether they be pagan, Gentile, or heathen.

The term Goiim, to my understanding, is a very negative word applied to outsiders.

My thoughts.

Daniel was given the interpretation and perhaps the understanding; that alone should move the context into an Israeli, or at the least a Middle Eastern one. Regardless, you should never read the Bible without considering the context of God's people and the promised land.

Some may say that the dream was meant for Nebuchadnezzar exclusively and, therefore, should be seen as one that is primarily a Babylonian context. The problem with that thinking is how quickly the story moves off Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians and onto the Medo-Persian Empires and then the Grecian, and that the Babylonian empire, though a conquering one, was also one that protected and helped to develop God's people.

In trying to convince you that the narrative is about global rule, many have tried to argue that the statue shows us the Roman Empire. In pushing that argument, they ignore that the Grecian empire, during the time in which they conquered the Holy Land, was under the command of Alexander (one man) the Great. Sadly, he died, and the kingdom was divided four ways (between four Generals). That did not last long and ended with two Generals ruling a somewhat divided kingdom, with Seleucid in the North and Ptolemy in the South (Egypt.) I can easily see then how the thighs of bronze and legs of iron would continue to represent the Grecian empire to a degree.

But what happens when I get to the feet of this statue?

Historians tell us that the two remaining Grecian generals clashed with each other for control. In the North, the Assyrians - the same violent people group that gave us the Ninevehites, that Jonah was sent to with a message of destruction. The Assyrians, also known as Chaldeans, were part of the Babylonian and Medo-Persian Empires; they also joined with the Egyptians in the South to fight against Israel. The Assyrians, descendants of Ishmael and Esau, are an integral part of the events we are seeing in the Middle East and news related to Israel today.

See how that sort of ended there, and it worked without including the Roman Empire, which also had two branches or legs to it. If you must insist that the Roman Empire is glued to Daniel's explanation of the statue because of Daniel 9:26, then I suggest that you pay attention to the role that recorded history plays in this belief.

Josephus, (the Jewish historian that worked for the Romans), told us that Assyrian conscript troops, with an open and violent hatred of the Jews, even though they knew that their punishment would probably mean their death, disregarded commands from Titus to cease their actions and destroyed Herod's temple primarily to obtain the gold that was melting and running between the cracks. They did not know that they were fulfilling prophecy and showing us what was to come.

But what do we do?

We follow religious traditions and loudmouth teachers who tell us that because Daniel 9:26 was fulfilled in 70 A.D., while Jerusalem was under the control of Roman soldiers, tells us that, “the people of the prince that is come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” are going to be a part of the Roman empire, once again. These teachers will convey to you that they don't need to pay attention to Josephus or Tacitus (a Roman historian) because these "people" were doing all this damage under the Roman flag, and the coming actions of the followers of the Antichrist can be blindly attributed to the Roman Empire and, therefore, indicative of the Antichrist and the followers of his global religion.

I added global religion as the scripture tells us that they “worship” the beast – the antichrist; and, because of this term “worship,” that there will be a global, unifying religion.

Worship means nothing close to my grateful, heartfelt love for the Father because of what He has done for me through Jesus' death and resurrection.

Thayer's concordance gives us this.

"Worship is to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence. Among the Orientals, especially the Persians, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence. And, in the NT (worship is shown) by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication. And finally it is used of homage shown to men and beings of superior rank."

In many of these instances, the alternative is often death for non-compliance.

The understanding that I apply to the Roman empire, unlike the others, is that it is NEVER specifically mentioned in the narrative about the giant statue, and this is a narrative that effectively takes us all the way out to the catching away of the church and the entrance of the antichrist - a leader that will have an influence on the Islamic nations.

"Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly potter’s clay and partly iron, so this will be a divided kingdom. It will have some of the strength of the iron, for you saw the iron mixed with clay." (Daniel 2:41 TLV)

"A kingdom, undefined by previous pattern. The word kingdom in the Hebrew is malku and means a rule or dominion.” WSD

What do we have that looks like that?

Islam. They have had, in the past, a caliphate; a central leadership - ruling authority, and many are desperately trying to reestablish the caliphate that rules over the world with Sharia law.

So, you may have picked up on a problem. 

We have two groups of people trying to control the world; the filthy rich and followers of Islam. 

Seeing as the rich have already demonstrated their desire and ability to control and kill off much of humanity, you might think that they will win. Not quite so fast. It is obvious, from scripture, that they will quickly kill off 1/4 of humanity with their vaccines and contagions, but at the three-and-one-half-year mark, the false prophet will switch teams and align himself with Islam, the beast, and Sharia law. Jesus told us, about this time, that the killing will be so great that if God does not stop it, no one will be alive on earth.

I hope you can understand that the best time to pledge your allegiance to Christ is now, before the catching away of the Church. Scripture tells us that the antichrist will be revealed very shortly after the church is gone. If you are here at this point, you can still come to Jesus. Just know that just about everyone not on your side will be trying to kill you.

He will be called a Nazarite. Matthew 2:18-23.

 We ended our last dive into Matthew’s gospel with Matthew 2:16.

So let’s see what we can come up with after recapping the last verse. This will give us a foundation for the following few verses.

“When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi.”
(Matthew 2:16 BSB)

While most will look at this and see an evil man, it is much more profound than that.

Do you actually believe that “our enemy,” Satan, did not have everything to do with this vile murder of innocent children, as he tried to, once again, eliminate, in this case, the toddler Jesus, that would bring salvation to all humanity?

This battle started when God spoke “prophetic” words over Eve.

Here is a side note for your extracurricular education.

Time, as far as humanity was concerned, began with Genesis 3:1-7. Time was of no concern, and no record was ever kept until this day in the garden. Why do you suppose that is? Because it impacted all of humanity, damaged by the genetic transfer of sin, and it was the beginning of God’s plan to restore a relationship with anyone who would choose to accept this salvation. If you are a thinker, I know I opened a big can-o-worms for you. Lean on the Holy Spirit; He will straighten it out for you. 

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” 
(Genesis 3:15 BSB)

Every time I see this word, enmity, I struggle to remember what it means because this is no longer a commonly used English word.

Webster’s dictionary defines it like this. “The quality of being an enemy; the opposite of friendship; ill will; hatred; unfriendly dispositions; malevolence.”

It doesn’t get real until you hit those words: hatred and malevolence. 

Striking his heel sounds like child's work compared to getting your head crushed. I would also note that the crushing of the head sounds like a permanent death blow, while the striking of the heel can be a temporary discomfort.

If this is the case, then why is Satan still alive?

The endless question. Because the entirety of God's plan will be completed, as it takes us all the way out to the judgment at the white throne, where it all comes to a final end. As a follower of Christ, from the catching away of the bride, we will live in peace from that point on.

In case you did not know, this relationship between Satan and the seed was guaranteed to go both ways, and what we see in Matthew 2:16 demonstrates that Satan does not care one bit about you and wants you dead.

Why? 

Because being in Christ and made in God’s image, you look like the enemy.

If you haven't noticed, God and the enemy use people to carry out many of their wishes. Therefore, since you are in a spiritual battle, attack it with the weapons of Spirit, the Word of God, and stand your ground.

“For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
(2 Corinthians 10:3-4 BSB)

If I have left you hanging, wondering what the weapons are, here is verse five.

“The weapons we use are not human ones. Our weapons have power from God and can destroy the enemy's strong places. We destroy people's arguments, and we tear down every proud idea that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We also capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.”
(2 Corinthians 10:4-5 ERV)

Do you see that the most significant battle always occurs in the mind?

Ask yourself, what are the things that can raise themselves up against the knowledge of God. Most are associated with doubt and defeat.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.”
(Philippians 4:8 BSB)

True or honorable things can only come from God as they are based on His moral authority. The LSV translation expands this to anything from the heart of God that is true and honorable.

“As to the rest, brothers, as many things as are true, as many as are revered, as many as are righteous, as many as are pure, as many as are lovely, as many as are of good report, if any worthiness, and if any praise, think on these things;.”
(Philippians 4:8 LSV)

Ephesians 1:3-9 (LSV) lays out many things that you could think about.

• “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us in every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

• “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, for our being holy and unblemished before Him, in love,”

• Foreordained us to the adoption of sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.

  Honestly, I could not get any of my dictionaries to define the word foreordained.

  We should understand that fore implies a previous state or event, like before the worlds were created. Ordained is to be Appointed; instituted; established; invested with ministerial or pastoral functions; settled.

  Do you realize these are the things that God thinks about you? HE established you, invested His life in you for a purpose, and gave you the giftings to make that happen. 

• (We are) to the praise of the glory of His grace.

• (And, it is through this grace that) He made us accepted in the beloved,

• (It is because of that grace that) we have redemption through His blood.

• The forgiveness of (all) trespasses.

• (Because of His grace) He has lavished all of the wisdom and intellectual insight we need.

  Even if it doesn't seem like it.

• And, because of that grace – unmerited favor, He has made known to us the secret of His will.

  Some would say we can't know God's will. Well, you can, and He has made it known through the scriptures. A clue, as you read, you are looking for the nature and character of God. His Word is His will, and Jesus walked that out perfectly.

Several years ago, we used to sing a worship song that goes like this. “I remind myself of all that He's done.” I just spelled out many things that He has done for you. If Satan has you going in circles, it is because you have forgotten who you are, a child of the King.

Consider being proactive. Paul, in his letters to the various church bodies, told the recipients, including you and me, that the enemy is restrained from being able to launch total frontal attacks because WE, God's people, are doing everything in our power to resist the enemy. 

Well, that was quite the introduction.

Herod's interactions with the Magi and subsequent order to kill all the little boys in the Bethlehem region were foretold. Unfortunately, the intended person that was meant to be receiving the brunt of Herod's jealousy is not spelled out in Jeremiah 31.

“This is what the LORD says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing to be comforted because they are no more.” (Jeremiah 31:15 BSB)

If Jesus was born in Bethlehem, why is the slaughter, according to Jeremiah, focused on Ramah? 

• Potential answers lie in what Herod learned from the Magi.

• The star took them to the home where the family was NOW living.

• And the Magi were able to calculate His approximate age, about two.

The commentary written by Albert Barnes tells us that Ramah was the mother of three tribes, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh, but Rachel is regarded as “the mother of the whole ten.”

All this about the tribes happened before they left Egypt, where the final few were the sons of Joseph. So can I assume that the ten referred to those born through Jacob? I am still determining.

Adam Clarke's commentary states that Rachel was buried very near Ramah.

The UCRT gives us a few additional reasons why there is such symbolism in Ramah. “(1) A city of Benjamin, where captives captured by Nebuchadnezzar were guarded, Jer_31:15; Jer_40:1, (2) A town in Mount Ephraim, also called Ramathaim-zophim, the birthplace of the prophet Samuel, 1Sa_1:19, (3) A town on the boundary of Asher, Jos_19:29, (4) A fortified place in Naphtali, Jos_19:36, (5) Another name for the city of Ramoth-Gilead, 2Ki_8:28-29, (6) A place where some Benjamites returned after the captivity, Neh_11:33.”

So there is a tremendous amount of symbolism, but for me, it is the place that the Magi identified merely by their presence.

“But when Herod died, behold, an angel of Adonai appears in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those seeking the Child’s life are dead.”
(Matthew 2:19-20 TLV)

Joseph, having been warned in a dream to escape to Egypt, did so. You might think that Joseph was an expert at prophetic dreams by now, and this is where they stayed until they were given the green light to return.

The only question left to answer is, where are they to go upon their return?

Why would I bring up the idea of where they should go?

Because their hometown of Nazareth (a relatively small city) may still be hostile toward Joseph and Mary, both for what the town folk deemed was their respective silence about their premarital activities or the possibility that Mary had an extramarital relationship. If you are struggling to understand or believe this, consider that Joseph took his pregnant wife to Bethlehem, his hometown, under Roman orders, to be counted in the census.

What would Joseph expect to find there?

Kinfolk. Kinfolk or not, NO ONE took them in, and they had to make due in a stall alongside cattle and their excrement.

For the longest time, I was not clear about the city they came out of. Luke's gospel solved that problem for me.

“In the sixth month (of Elizabeth's pregnancy), God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin pledged in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.”
(Luke 1:26-27 BSB)

You see, unless you have had vivid, clear dreams yourself, you are NOT going to fully understand what God has told them and what they were to do, and you may not want to understand what “God” has been telling you, such as, you are going to have a child without any human contact.

So, Joseph now has the green light to go back home.

“So he got up, took the Child and His mother, and went to the land of Israel.”
(Matthew 2:21 TLV)

Ah, so he does not go directly back to Nazareth. The land of Israel is relatively big; it only makes sense that they might have gone back to Bethlehem or Ramah, but I am only guessing.

But when he learned that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father, Herod, he was afraid to go there. And having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
(Matthew 2:22-23 BSB)

1. It seems like fear motivated Joseph at this point. Just saying.

   Archelaus, being a son of Herod, may well act just like his father. You have heard the saying, the fruit does not fall far from the tree. So it would be reasonable to feel fear about this man. Nazareth was not Joseph's first choice of places to live.

2. Again, Joseph is warned in a dream.

3. “he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth.”

   This sounds like this was the first time they had been here, but that isn't true.

   I pointed out some reasons that Yeshua might sustain attacks from people, which you can perceive as you read the gospels. If you, like me, had concerns about the abuse Yeshua might receive upon their return to Nazareth, then perhaps we should try to do the math.

   By the time the Magi arrived, Jesus was about two years old, and they were living in a house, most likely in Ramah. Joseph was identified as a craftsman by the Pharisees. The Bible translators assigned the word carpenter to the Greek word tekton, which means craftsmen but covers poets, artisans, and stone masons. Details about how they afforded that house are unimportant at this point. The family flees to Egypt, fully funded by the gifts that the Magi brought. 

   And there is a strong possibility they will return home to Israel when Jesus is about four. 

   At this point they have been gone from Nazareth for at least five years. Nazareth is not a big town, and people are always willing to remind you of your past, but we don't see that in scripture. This does not mean it didn't happen, but I think the damage may have been minimal at this point, and Jesus might have attended synagogue school unnoticed. 

   Besides, have any of them seen Jesus or pictures of Him as He grew to the age He is? NO.

   To demonstrate that there was evident knowledge and almost open aggression, I give you several scriptures.

   “They replied to him, “You were born completely in sin, and you’re teaching us?” And they threw him out.” (John 9:34 TLV)

   This comment, “you were born completely in sin,” is not a casual comment. It is a direct and aggressive challenge to Jesus' parentage.

   “We know for certain that God spoke with Moses, but as for this Fellow, we know nothing about where He hails from.” (John 9:29 AMP)

   His surrogate parents were from Nazareth, and Jesus spent most of His life here. They knew exactly where He was from, so once again, they challenged His parentage.

The law given to Israel while they wandered in the desert clearly spoke about illegitimate children.

“A person begotten out of wedlock shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord; even to his tenth generation shall his descendants not enter into the congregation of the Lord. 3) An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation their descendants shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord forever,” (Deuteronomy 23:2-3 AMP)

Jesus, according to family lineage, was a descendant of Moabites through Ruth, and because of the silence of His surrogate parents, He was thought to be the product of adultery. Please don't get the impression that Mary and Joseph were wrong; they were, in fact, bold and brave, declaring that He was the son of God. Sadly, you quickly learn that no one cares about the truth, as they each have their own truth.