The Rightful King Of The Jews

How did the Hasmoneans prepare the people of Israel for the Man of Truth?

The Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) came to this earth in the fullness of time to live a perfect life in accordance with the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law), so he could bring redemption to those who could not live a perfect life in accordance with the Law of Truth  (Galatians 4:4-7).

The Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) brought about the rise and fall of empires to create the perfect conditions to spread a message over a large area in a short amount of time.

This perfect message system would have been useless with a message and messengers.  So, the Father of Truth set up the conditions in the land of Israel to make it possible for the Man of Truth to bring about redemption through the gift of the Maccabees.  He also set up the Jewish world to spread the Good News with the help of the Maccabees.

The story of how the Hasmoneans helped bring about the fullness of time is also tied to the Greeks.  This is just another example of Greco-Judeo wrestling.

The Father of Truth brought about the unified Greek Empire, and then split it into four smaller Greek empires (Daniel 11:2-4).  One of those smaller Greek empires was the Seleucid Empire, which ruled over the land of Israel.

This story continues with the Maccabees.

Matthias the Priest set the pattern for performing the duties of a priest outside the Temple, when corrupt priests ran the Temple.  This set the pattern that the Faithful Priest would follow about two hundred years later.

Matthias the Priest started a revolt against the Seleucid Empire.  Matthias and his five sons were known as the Maccabees, in honor of the nickname of his third son, Judas, who led the Jews and their allies in the revolt.

The Maccabees defeated the Seleucid Empire in the revolt, but Matthias and three of his sons died in it.  Judea then became an autonomous province of the Seleucid Empire, ruled by a governor appointed by the Seleucid Emperor.  Soon, Jonathan the Maccabee was appointed governor of Judea.

When Jonathan died, his brother Simon became king.

The people of Israel agreed to allow the line of Simon the Maccabee to be the High Priest and to rule as the Prince of Israel, until a faithful Prophet of Truth should arise to identify the Rightful King of the Jews - a descendant of King David.  (The title "The Prince of Israel" emphasized that Simon and his descendants were lesser rulers than the Rightful King of the Jews, and that they were only stewards over the kingdom until the Rightful King of the Jews came to claim his throne.)

The events that followed could have been the real life inspiration for "Game of Thrones".

Simon ruled until he and his two oldest sons were assassinated at a banquet.  This was the end of the Maccabees ruling Judea.

The Hasmoneans came from the Maccabees.  They set the refining fire that would separate those who followed the Father of Truth whole-heartedly, from those who only paid Him lip service.

The third son of Simon, John, was not at the banquet.  John took on the Greek surname of Hyrcanus as a sign of acceptance of the Greek culture of Seleucid Empire.

John and his successors, all bore the title of Hasmonean, in honor of the nickname of Matthias the Priest.  For this reason, they are called the Hasmoneans.  John Hyrcanus (Hyrcanus I) became the first true Hasmonean king in 135 AD.

(None of the Seleucids, Hasmoneans, Nabataeans, or Herodians actually had numbers after their names.  The numbers were added by historians to make it easier to keep track of them, since the same names were frequently used for different individuals, even brothers.  This convention is applied to everyone with the same name to remove all ambiguity.)

The next year, Antiochus VII sieged Jerusalem.  Hyrcanus I was forced to take 3000 talents of silver out of the tomb of King David, and give it to Antiochus VII to spare the city.  He also had to tear down the walls of Jerusalem, send soldiers to help Antiochus VII fight the Parthians, and give more control of Judea to the Seleucid Empire, reducing his position from client king to governor.

Antiochus VII also laid heavy taxes on Judea, contrary to the agreement that had been made by his brother and Simon.

Four years later, Hyrcanus I was forced to go with Antiochus VII to fight the Persians, as the leader of the Jewish regiment of the Seleucid Empire.

That same year, 130 BC, Demetrius II was released by the Parthians and sent back to the Seleucid Empire, in hopes that his arrival would start a civil war.

This unrest, caused by confusion over who was the rightful Seleucid Emperor, now that Demetrius II was back from his exile, further weakened the Seleucid Empire.  Three client kingdoms, including Nabataea, took advantage of the internal chaos and broke away from the Seleucid Empire.

Hyrcanus I also took advantage of the deteriorating state of the Seleucid Empire to repair the walls of Jerusalem, and to fund a mercenary army.  He once again raided the tomb of King David to obtain his initial funding.

The next year, Antiochus VII died fighting the Parthians in Media, and the Seleucid Empire lost all of its territory east of the Euphrates River, which amounted to about two thirds of the empire.  The Seleucid Empire ceased to be an empire for all intents and purposes.

Demetrius II became the uncontested Seleucid Emperor once again, but another usurper soon rose up against him.

Three years later, Demetrius II was defeated in battle at Damascus, and fled for safety to Ptolemais, where his wife had been sent.  When he arrived, his wife had the gates closed, so that he could not enter the city.  He then fled to Tyre to escape by ship, but the sailors on the ship killed him.  His wife, Cleopatra Thea, then became the Empress of what was left of the Seleucid Empire, which was just modern Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.

Five years later, Cleopatra Thea was killed by her own son, Antiochus VIII, who then became the new Seleucid Emperor.

Five years later, 116 BC, the Seleucid Empire was plunged into civil war when Antiochus IX, another son of Cleopatra Thea, returned from fighting in Bosphorus, on a quest that his mother had sent him on.

This story is also tied to the Roman Empire.

When this war ended three years later, with the two brothers dividing the remainder of the Seleucid Empire into two kingdoms, Hyrcanus I took advantage of the uncertainty.  He renewed a pact of friendship with the Romans at this time, to make it difficult for the Seleucid kingdoms to interfere with his plans.

So in 113 BC, Hyrcanus I conquered Samaria, almost doubling the size of the kingdom of Judea.  He then enslaved many of the Samaritans.

Three years later, Hyrcanus I completely broke way from the Seleucid kingdoms, and the kingdom of Judea became the first independent Jewish country, since the Babylonians had conquered the kingdom of Judah about five hundred years earlier.  This marked the end of the Seleucid client kingdom of Judea and the beginning of the independent kingdom of Judea.  This also finalized the end of the Seleucid Empire, since there only remained the Seleucid kingdoms.

Hyrcanus I made another pact of friendship with the Romans at this time to deter the surrounding kingdoms from interfering with the rest of his plans.

In that same year, 110 BC, Hyrcanus I conquered more territory east of the Jordan river, doubling the amount of territory that the kingdom of Judea had on that side of the Jordan river.

Lastly, Hyrcanus I conquered Idumaea, which was part of the Kingdom of Judah that had been taken over by Edomites, when the Jews were taken to Babylon almost five hundred years earlier.  This made the kingdom of Judea almost three times as large as it was, when he had first began to rule.

These Idumaeans then were force to become Jews for all intents and purposes.
  
After this, Hyrcanus I sent an embassy to Rome to request recognition of Judea as an independent kingdom, instead of a client kingdom of the defunct Seleucid Empire.  The Roman Senate readily granted the request.  This protected the kingdom of Judea from every country around it, including the Parthian Empire to the east.  By this time, the kingdom of Judea basically covered the larger area that the Romans called Judaea.

Later, some of the leaders of Judea finally confronted Hyrcanus I, saying that he should not be king, since he was not a descendant of King David, and that trying to be king had kept him from performing his duties as High Priest.

In 104 BC, Hyrcanus I conceded that his duties as king had been detrimental to his fulfillment of his role as High Priest, so he divided the roles in his will.  He announced that his wife would rule as queen after him.

When Hyrcanus I died, Aristobulus I imprisoned his mother, and three brothers, including Alexander Jannaeus.  Aristobulus I then became the second Hasmonean king.

His mother starved to death in prison, but his brothers survived.

The next year, Aristobulus I died a slow and agonizingly painful death from an incurable disease, over a period of time similar in length to how long his mother had suffered.  His widow released his three brothers from prison, and Jannaeus became the third Hasmonean king.

Ten years later, in 93 BC, Jannaeus lost the territory east of the Jordan river, that John Hyrcanus had conquered, to the Nabataeans (Arabs).  He surrender the territories in exchange for the Nabataeans agreeing to not support those, who sought to remove him from power.

Then Jannaeus instigated a riot and a massacre in Jerusalem.

This lead to a six year long civil war to remove Jannaeus from the throne, with the Seleucid king Demetrius III supporting the rebels.  Jannaeus crushed the rebellion in 87 BC, and had 800 of the rebels crucified in Jerusalem.

Nine years later, Jannaeus died in the siege of Ragaba in 76 BC.

His wife Salome Alexandra became the fourth Hasmonean ruler.

When Salome died in 67 BC, her son, John Hyrcanus II, became the fourth Hasmonean king.

Within three months, the brother of Hyrcanus II, Aristobulus II, started a rebellion to remove Hyrcanus II from the throne.  When Hyrcanus II went to fight Aristobulus II at Jericho, the majority of his army deserted him and joined Aristobulus II.

Hyrcanus II then fled to Jerusalem and took the family of Aristobulus II captive.  The two brothers met in the Temple, and made an agreement to end the war.

Aristobulus II became the fifth Hasmonean king.

However, Hyrcanus II was soon persuaded by his advisor, Antipater the Idumean (Antipater I), that Aristobulus II was plotting to kill him.  Then Antipater the Idumean persuaded him to flee to Aretas III, king of the Nabataeans, for refuge.

When they arrived, Antipater the Idumean, bribed Aretas to take the side of Hyrcanus II, in exchange for the rest of the territory that the Arabs claimed on the east side of the Jordan river.   So, in 66 BC Aretas III led an army of 50,000 and besieged Jerusalem to win back the throne for Hyrcanus II.

In 65 BC, both brothers sent ambassadors to Scaurus, one of the Roman generals of Pompey, who was conquering the Seleucid kingdom of Syria, to ask for help.  Scaurus decided to help Aristobulus II, since he believed he could do so without a fight, and Aristobulus II offered more money.

Scaurus ordered Aretas III to return home, or Nabataea would be considered an enemy of the Roman Republic.  Aretas III retreated without a fight, but Aristobulus II raised up an army and pursued him.  Aretas III suffered a crushing defeat, but Hyrcanus II took the opportunity to go into hiding with his adviser, Antipater the Idumean.

Two years later, in 63 BC, Pompey finished his conquest of Syria. Both brothers, and a third delegation, seeking for the Hasmonean dynasty to be put to an end, sent ambassadors to Pompey to ask for the support of Rome in their cause.  The Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) in Judea yearned for the Rightful King of the Jews to replace the Hasmoneans on the throne.  They were weary of the corrupt legal system that would eventually lead to the unjust trial of the Man of Truth and the unjust courts that were persecuting the Children of Truth.

While Pompey deliberated, Aristobulus II gathered an army, and began fighting against the Romans.  After suffering numerous defeats at the hand of Pompey, he retreated to a massive fortress.  When Pompey showed up and demanded his surrender, he complied on the first summons, promising to deliver Jerusalem to the Romans.

However, the supporters of Aristobulus II in Jerusalem refused to open the gates for the Romans, when Aristobulus II arrived.  Aristobulus II was arrested.  Then the supporters of Hyrcanus II opened the gates for the Romans.  Shortly after this, Pompey defeated the supporters of Aristobulus II, and restored Hyrcanus II to the throne as ethnarch (ruler of an ethnic group).

In 62 AD, Pompey then put Antipater the Idumaean in charge of settling civil disturbances and collecting taxes, effectively ruling Judea.  This marked the end of the independent kingdom of Judea, and the beginning of the Roman client kingdom of Judea.

Six years later, in 57 BC, Aristobulus II and his two sons escaped from their imprisonment in Rome.  When they arrived in Judea, they started a rebellion to regain control of Judea from the Romans, and to return Aristobulus II to the throne.  The Romans quickly put down the rebellion.  Aristobulus II was taken prisoners and sent back to Rome.  Alexander I however was allowed to remain in Judaea upon giving up control of all of his fortresses there.

The next year, Alexander I incited the Jews to revolt against the Romans again.  This rebellion was soon crushed by the Roman general Gabinius, a loyal supporter of Pompey.

Three years later, in 53 BC, he raised another army to rebel against the Romans when Crassus died, but he was compelled to disable his army the next year by Cassius, a Roman general loyal to Pompey.

Three years later, in 49 BC, Julius Caesar released Aristobulus II and sent him on a ship to Judea, so that he and his two sons would cause problems for his rival Pompey.  Aristobulus II was poisoned by the supporters of Pompey on the ship.  His son Alexander I was captured at the command of Pompey and executed.

The next year, Julius Caesar defeated Pompey.  Shortly after that, he was in danger of losing his life in Alexandria, Egypt, when Antipater the Idumaean arrived with the army of Judea to help him.  He won the battle, and soon became the undisputed ruler of the Roman Republic.

The next year, in 47 BC, Julius Caesar made Hyrcanus II the ruler of the client kingdom of Judea, beginning a new phase of Hasmonean rule.  However, Hyrcanus II so relied on Antipater the Idumaean for advice, that Antipater the Idumaean, who was now the Roman Procurator of Judea, was still effectively ruling Judea.  He also had his sons appointed to rule over the rest of the larger area that the Romans called Judaea.

Four years later, in 43 BC, Antipater the Idumaean died from poison.

The next year, in 42 BC, Antigonus, the son of Aristobulus II, tried to usurp the throne from Hyrcanus II, but he was defeated by Herod the Great, the son of Antipater the Idumaean.  So, Antigonus began raising up support from both the aristocracy and the common people for an end to Roman rule of Judea.

Two years later, the Parthian Empire invaded Syria in an effort to wrestle it from the Roman Republic.  So, Antigonus went to the Parthians, and promised them large sums of gold along with 500 female slaves, if they would help him regain the throne of Judea.

The Parthians sent an army with Antigonus, and he quickly took Jerusalem.  So, the Roman client kingdom of Judea became a client kingdom for the Parthians in 40 BC, and Antigonus became the sixth Hasmonean king.

Herod the Great fled to Rome when the Parthians invaded.  While there, the Roman Senate recognized him as the King of the Jews, the ruler of Judaea in 37 BC - if he could bring Judaea back into Roman hands.  The area that he would rule over was not just Judea, but the larger area that the Romans called Judaea.

The next year, 36 BC, Herod the Great came back to Judaea with a Roman army, and soon laid siege to Jerusalem.  Within a year, Herod the Great had taken back Judaea from the Parthians.  The next year, Herod the Great captured Jerusalem and took Antigonus prisoner.  Antigonus was then sent to Antioch and executed.  This brought a permanent end to Hasmonean rule in 34 BC.

The Children of Truth hoped that the Rightful King of the Jews would soon appear, since a Prince of Israel no longer sat on the throne of Judea.

The next year, 33 BC, Herod the Great married Mariamne I, the daughter of Alexander I, so he could be seen as the legitimate ruler in the Hasmonean line.

That same year Herod the Great invited Hyrcanus II to live in Jerusalem, so he would not entice the Parthians into making another effort at restoring a Hasmonean king, as their client king in Judea.

Six years later, Herod the Great charged Hyrcanus II of plotting with Nabataeans to restore Judea to Hasmonean rule, and had Hyrcanus II executed.  So the last of the Hasmonean rulers died in 27 BC.

This ended any chance of a Hasmonean Prince of Israel retaking the throne of Judea.  This gave the Children of Truth an earnest expectation that the Rightful King of the Jews would soon arrive.

So, from the time of the victory of the Maccabees until the reign of Herod the Great, during the time of the Hasmoneans, there were indeed many days when many of the Children of Truth fell to the sword, flames, captivity, and spoil through constant war and unrest.  Through a turbulent period of about 98 years, the Hasmoneans ruled over an independent kingdom, and also the client kingdom of three great powers: the Seleucid Empire, Roman Republic, and the Parthian Empire.  Though there was constant war and struggle, it was not in vain, for the Hasmoneans were preparing the people of Israel for the Rightful King of the Jews.  The hidden hand of the Father of Truth was at work.

The Hasmoneans prepared the people of Israel for the Rightful King of the Jews by reviving a Jewish kingdom in the land of Israel.

Without the Hasmoneans, there would have been no kingdom of Judaea for Herod the Great to rule (Matthew 2:1).

The Hasmoneans prepared the people of Israel for the Rightful King of the Jews by setting an expectation of the arrival of the Rightful King of the Jews.

Most of the people of Judea had agreed that the Hasmoneans, the descendants of the Maccabees, could serve as both the high priest and the Prince of Israel, until the Rightful King of the Jews, the Messiah of Israel, should appear.

During their rule, the Hasmoneans had forced many Edomites to become Jews through circumcision.  One of these Edomites was Herod the Great, who the Romans made the king of Judaea.

However, due to his Edomite ancestry, and forced conversion, most of the Jews in Judaea did not accept Herod the Great as a legitimate King of the Jews.  So, Herod the Great did many things to try to win the approval of the Jews as a legitimate King of the Jews, while also doing many things to prove his loyalty to Rome.

For example, Herod the Great married Mariamne I, one of the last of the Hasmoneans, to accomplish both of these things, but to no avail.  He simply was not a descendant of King David.

Since the Hasmoneans no longer ruled, the people of Judaea expected the Rightful King of the Jews to soon appear, in accordance with their agreement with the Hasmoneans.  So, Herod the Great became obsessed with getting rid of anyone who might have a claim as the Rightful King of the Jews.

Without the Hasmoneans, the Wise Men would not have came to Judaea seeking the Rightful King of the Jews (Matthew 2:1-2).  Herod the Great would have never been troubled by the news of the birth of the Rightful King of the Jews (Matthew 2:3-4).  Herod the Great would have never ask the Wise Men when the star appeared, and would have never sent the Wise Men to Bethlehem to find the Rightful King of the Jews (Matthew 2:5-8).  The Wise Men would have never went to Bethlehem, and then left without telling Herod the Great the location of the Rightful King of the Jews (Matthew 2:9-12).  Joseph (Yousef) would have never taken the Man of Truth to Egypt, because Herod the Great would have never killed all of the boys two years and under, within ten miles of Bethlehem, in order to kill the Rightful King of the Jews (Matthew 2:13-18).

Without the Hasmoneans, Joseph would have never needed to return to the land of Israel, when Herod the Great died, and his efforts to kill the Rightful King of the Jews ended (Matthew 2:19-21).  Joseph would have not been able to flee to Nazareth to escape Archelaus, the next Herodian king, when the Romans made a different Herodian king - who was not obsessed with killing the Rightful King of the Jews - to be the ruler of Galilee (Matthew 2:22-23).

Without the Hasmoneans, the people of Judaea would not have flocked to hear John the Baptist (Yochanon the Mikveh Man), when he proclaimed the arrival of the Rightful King of the Jews (Matthew 3:1-6).  They would not have asked John the Baptist if he was the Rightful King of the Jews (John 1:19-28).  John the Baptist would have never identified the Man of Truth as the Rightful King of the Jews (John 1:29-36).

Without the Hasmoneans, the Father of Truth would not have confirmed from Heaven, that the Man of Truth was the Rightful King of the Jews (Matthew 3:17). 

The Hasmoneans prepared the people of Israel for the Rightful King of the Jews by setting an expectation of a descendant of King David to soon appear as the Rightful King of the Jews.

The Hasmoneans were only temporary rulers to provide leadership as the Prince of Israel, because they were not descendants of King David, until the time when a descendant of King David should be revealed as the Rightful King of the Jews.  Their rule left the people of Israel yearning for the Rightful King of the Jews.  Since a Prince of Israel no longer reigned over Judea, then the people of Israel were looking for a descendant of King David to be revealed as the Rightful King of the Jews.

The Man of Truth was a descendant of King David (Matthew 1:1).  He was the descendant of King David that had been promised to King David (Acts 13:22-23).  He was a descendant of King David in every sense (Romans 1:3).

He was a descendant of King Solomon, the son of King David, through his mother (Matthew 1:6-16).  [This verse reads "father of Mary (Miriam)" in the original Hebrew text of the Gospel of Matthew, which is explained further in the Original Language of The Renewed Covenant.  "Husband" was a mistranslation into Greek.  This agrees with the count of fourteen generations from Babylon to the Man of Truth (Matthew 1:17).] 

Joseph, the husband of Mary, was also a descendant of King David (Matthew 1:20-25).  The mother of the Man of Truth was engaged to Joseph (Yousef), who was a descendant of King David (Luke 1:26-31).

So, the Man of Truth was also counted as a descendant of Nathan, the son of King David, through Joseph, who was counted as his father (Luke 3:23-31).

The Angel of Truth told Mary that the Man of Truth was that descendant of King David, who would rule over the people of Israel forever (Luke 1:32-33).  Zacharias (Zechariyah) in like manner prophesied that the Man of Truth was the descendant of King David, who would deliver the people of Israel from all of their enemies to bring them peace and prosperity (Luke 1:67-75).

Joseph, the descendant of King David, went to Bethlehem (Bethlecham), the city where King David was born, with his wife Mary (Luke 2:4-5).  So, the Man of Truth, the descendant of King David, was born in the city where King David was born (Luke 2:6-7).  The Angels of Truth confirmed to the shepherds of Bethlehem that the Rightful King of the Jews was born in the city where King David was born (Luke 2:8-11)!  This exactly where the people of Israel expected the Rightful King of the Jews, a descendant of King David, to be born (John 7:42)!

Without the Hasmoneans, the blind would not have been looking for the descendant of King David to deliver them (Matthew 9:27).  They would not have seen that the Man of Truth was the Rightful King of the Jews (Matthew 20:30-31).

Without the Hasmoneans, Blind Bartimaeus would have been quiet about the Rightful King of the Jews (Mark 10:46-48).  He would have been looking  for the descendant of King David to deliver him (Luke 18:35-39).

Without the Hasmoneans, the people of Israel would not have seen, that the Man of Truth was the descendant of King David, who they longed for (Matthew 12:22-23).  The Canaanite woman would not have known that the Man of Truth was the Rightful King of the Jews (Matthew 15:22).

Without the Hasmoneans, the multitudes would not have praised the Man of Truth as the descendant of King David, when he entered Jerusalem (Matthew 21:9-11).  They would not have been looking for Rightful King of the Jews, who would restore the kingdom of David (Mark 11:7-10).

Without the Hasmoneans, the blind and the lame would not have praised the Man of Truth as the descendant of King David, when he entered the Temple (Matthew 21:14-15).

The Hasmoneans prepared the people of Israel for the Rightful King of the Jews, by bringing Judaea under the control of  the Romans.  Nothing that the Romans did could have happened, if the Hasmoneans had not done this.

Without the Hasmoneans, the Roman Centurion would have never sought out the Man of Truth to heal his servant (Matthew 8:5-6).  The Rightful King of the Jews would have never marveled at the great faith of this Roman warrior (Matthew 8:7-10).  The servant of this Roman would have never been healed as a testimony that the Gentiles would be part of the kingdom ruled by the Rightful King of the Jews (Matthew 8:11-13).  This Roman would have never loved the people of the Rightful King of the Jews (Luke 7:2-5).

Without the Hasmoneans, a Roman governor would not have been ruling Judaea (Luke 3:1).  This Roman governor would have never mingled the blood of some Galileans with their sacrifices (Luke 13:1).

Without the Hasmoneans, the enemies of the Man of Truth would not have been worried about the Romans destroying Jerusalem and the Temple, because of people believing on the Rightful King of the Jews (John 11:47-48).

Without the Hasmoneans, the Man of Truth would have never been tried before the Roman governor (Matthew 27:2-25).  The Rightful King of the Jews would have never been condemned by a Roman governor (Mark 15:1-15).  The Roman governor would have never released a murderer in the place of the Rightful King of the Jews (Luke 23:1-25).  The Jewish religious leaders would have never chosen for the Roman governor to release a criminal, instead of the Rightful King of the Jews (John 18:28-40).  The chief priests would have never chosen to be ruled by Caesar, instead of the Rightful King of the Jews (John 19:6-15).

Without the Hasmoneans, the Roman soldiers never would have mocked the Man of Truth (Matthew 27:26-31). Roman soldiers would have never mocked the Rightful King of the Jews with a purple robe (Mark 15:16-20).  The Rightful King of the Jews would have never worn a crown of thorns made by Roman soldiers (John 19:1-5).

Without the Hasmoneans, the Roman soldiers would have never compelled someone to carry the cross of the Rightful King of the Jews (Matthew 27:32-38).  Roman soldiers never would have crucified the Rightful King of the Jews between two thieves (Mark 15:21-28).  Roman soldiers never would have never crucified the Rightful King of the Jews on a hill called "Calvary" (Luke 23:26-34).  The Roman governor would have never had the Rightful King of the Jews crucified (John 19:16-22).

Without the Hasmoneans, the travelers passing by never would have mocked the Rightful King of the Jews, while he hung on a Roman cross (Matthew 27:39-44).  The Chief Priests never would have mocked the Rightful King of the Jews, while he hung on a Roman cross (Mark 15:29-32).  The Roman soldiers and the two thieves would have never mocked the Rightful King of the Jews, while he hung on a Roman cross (Luke 23:35-43).  The Roman soldiers would have never gambled for his clothes, while he hung on a Roman cross (John 19:23-24).

Without the Hasmoneans, darkness would have never covered the land, and the Rightful King of the Jews would have never asked, why the Father of Truth had forsaken him, before he died on a Roman cross (Matthew 27:45-56).  The Temple veil would have never been rent in two, as the Rightful King of the Jews died on a Roman cross (Mark 15:33-41).  The Roman centurion would have never declared that the Man of Truth was the Rightful King of the Jews, when he died on a Roman cross (Luke 23:44-49).  The Roman soldiers would never pierced his side, instead of breaking his legs, after the Rightful King of the Jews died on a Roman cross (John 19:25-37).

Without the Hasmoneans, Joseph of Arimathaea would have never asked the Roman governor for the body of the Rightful King of the Jews (Matthew 27:57-61).  The Roman governor would have never given it to him (Mark 15:42-47).  The body of the Rightful King of the Jews would have never been taken down from a Roman cross for burial (Luke 23:50-56).  Joseph and Nicodemus would have never buried it in the garden tomb (John 19:38-42).

Without the Hasmoneans, the Roman governor would have never placed Roman soldiers to watch the tomb to make sure the Rightful King of the Jews stayed in it (Matthew 27:62-66).  The Roman soldiers never would have fallen down like dead men, when the Rightful King of the Jews rose from the dead (Matthew 28:1-7)!  The Chief Priests would have never bribed the Roman soldiers to say, that the body of the Rightful King of the Jews was stolen while they slept (Matthew 28:11-15).

The Hasmoneans shaped the Jewish world for the Rightful King of the Jews by ensuring the continuation and expansion of everything that the Maccabees had preserved.

The Hasmoneans continued the customs that prevented the Jewish people from being completely assimilated into the Greek world that surrounded them. They kept the Temple services going in Jerusalem.  They continued the celebration of the Feasts of Truth at the Temple in Jerusalem.  They expanded the publication of the Original Covenant (Tanakh aka The Old Testament) throughout the Jewish world.  They continued to enforce the Sabbath.  They encouraged the creation and use of synagogues throughout the entire Jewish world.  They created a system that made it possible to greatly expand the number of God-fearing Gentiles and proselytes, who attended synagogue services.

The Hasmoneans made it possible for the Jewish people to be familiar with the prophecies in the Original Covenant, which foretold the resurrection of one of the descendants of King David - as a sign of being the Rightful King of the Jews.

Without the Hasmoneans, the Jewish people would have never been familiar with the prophecy of King David, that the Rightful King of the Jews would not remain in the grave long enough to suffer decay (Acts 2:22-31).  They would have never understood that the resurrection of the Man of Truth proved, that he was the Rightful King of the Jews, who descended from King David (Acts 2:32-37).

Without the Hasmoneans, the Jewish people would have never been looking for a descendant of King David to be raised up by the Father of Truth, to bring them salvation (Acts 13:22-26).  They would have never known the prophecies of King David, that the Rightful King of the Jews would be known by his suffering, death, and resurrection (Acts 13:27-37).

Without the Hasmoneans, the Jewish people would have never understood, that the resurrection from the dead was what marked which descendant of King David, was the Rightful King of the Jews (2 Timothy 2:8)!

So, the Father of Truth used the Hasmoneans to prepare the Jewish people for the Man of Truth.  The years of intrigue, war, and trouble during their reign only served to cause the Jewish people to yearn for the Rightful King of the Jews to appear.

The Hasmoneans were His unwitting instruments in creating an expectation of the Rightful King of the Jews, coming from a descendant of King David, once their rule ended.  Their involvement with the Romans made the death, burial, and resurrection of the Man of Truth possible.  Their preservation of the Original Covenant, the Temple, the synagogue system, and the celebration of the Feasts of Truth, made it possible to spread the news throughout the Jewish world, that the Man of Truth was the Rightful King of the Jews.

The story does not end with the proclamation throughout the Jewish world, that the Man of Truth is that descendant of King David, who is the Rightful King of the Jews.  The Rightful King of the Jews will soon begin His reign, not just over Israel, but over the entire Earth.

The Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) has proclaimed, that the Man of Truth has the keys of King David, which give him absolute authority in all matters (Revelation 3:6-7).  He came to be the Lamb, who was slain, but the creator of King David will soon be returning as the Lion, who will rule over the whole Earth with the Children of Truth (Revelation 5:5-10).  He is both the creator of King David and the descendant of King David (Revelation 22:16).  The Spirit of Truth is inviting everyone to come into the House of Truth, so that they can reign with him (Revelation 22:17).

So make the Rightful King of the Jews your king today, because you believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).

Come into the House of Truth!

Six Shades Of Brown

Where does racism come from?

In America, we will soon be celebrating the noted Christian Zionist Martin Luther King Junior.  He is best known for his efforts in the Civil Rights Movement to get the laws that institutionalized racism based on skin color removed from America by peaceful means.  Although he was murdered for his actions, he ultimately triumphed in that all such laws were removed not long after his death.  In fact, the violent and unjust death of this peaceful man was the final impetus needed to get these laws removed.

However,  it is one thing to remove institutionalized racism from the law of a country, but it is quite another to remove racism from the hearts of people.  At its core, racism is unreasonable.  After all, almost all people really have skin that is one of six shades of brown.

Most people have never really seen a truly white person.  Styrofoam cups are white, but people are not.  Most so-called "white" people are really a pale shade of brown.

There are some people who are truly white, but that is only because they have a broken chain in their DNA sequence for controlling the production of melanin.  People with this defect can have parents of any color.  It is not their ancestry that is determining their skin color, but their defective DNA.  In other words, a person who is truly white has a genetic defect similar to an albino.

In like manner, most people have never seen a truly black person.  Crows are black, but people are not.  Most so-called "black" people are really a dark shade of brown.

I saw a truly black woman once from Ethiopia.  It turned out that she had been overexposed to the sun without adequate clothing for a long period of time in a shade-less desert.  She was basically extremely sun-burnt.  Once her health was restored, she returned to being a dark shade of brown.  In short, a person who is truly black has gone through some trauma that has caused a medical condition.

In fact, even the very granular Von Luschan Scale of human skin colors, which has thirty six shades of brown, does not have a styrofoam white or crow black tile on it.  These are simply not natural human skin colors.

The fact is people without a genetic defect or a medical condition are all one of six shades of brown.  These six shades are really determined by the location of the melanin sites with respect to the surface of their skin and the responsiveness of those sites to sunlight.

In other words, their shade of brown is determined by their sunburning and tanning behavior.  These six shades of brown defined by sunburning and tanning behavior are known as skin types one through six on the Fritzpatrick scale.  Really, each skin type is a range of tones with a definite lightest and darkest brown on each end of the range.

In fact, most people do not even maintain a single shade of brown, but their shade varies depending upon their exposure to sunlight.  They are often not even the same shade everywhere.  For example, when someone has a farmer's tan, the lower part of their arms are noticeably darker than just above where their shirt covers their skin .  This is why skin color was determined using skin that is normally covered up on the Van Luschan Scale.

However, despite the mislabeling of people as being "black" or "white", racism is not really about skin color.  Most of the original colonists in America came from northern Europe and had skin type one, also known as Celtic skin.  The Native Americans already here had skin type three, except in the American southwest, where many had skin type four.  Today, the most common skin type among so-called "white" people in America is skin type two.

Some would claim that their descendants adapted over time due to longer exposure to the sun.  This is such nonsense.  There is not significantly more sunlight in New England than in England.  Also over the course of a year, most places receive about the same amount of sunlight.  It is just very evenly distributed at the Equator and very skewed in the Arctic Circle.

The main difference is how close to perpendicular the sun is to the surface of the Earth.  The Tropics are the lines as far from the Equator where the sun is perpendicular at least one day a year.  The Arctic and Antarctic circles are the lines furthest from the Poles where the sun does not rise for at lease one day per year.  So, there is a difference in the angle of the sunlight from the Poles to the Equator, which does affect sunburning and tanning behavior.   However, this is not what determines which shade of brown people who live in those areas have.

The Norwegians with skin type one live just as far north as the Eskimo, who have skin type three.  The Cree, who look like their relatives the Apache, live almost as far north and have skin type four.  People plainly do not develop their skin type based on their exposure to sunlight.

If two Norwegians have a child, then the child will have skin type one, regardless of where it is born, or where it grows up.  People with parents of African descent born in Nova Scotia, are still born with skin type five, despite their ancestors having moved to Canada ten generations earlier.  People are born with their skin type based on the skin type of their ancestors.  Period.

Of course, the genetic factors that determine which of these six shades of brown a person is born with is not just one factor, but a combination of factors.  So, while two people with many ancestors of the same skin type will always produce children of the same skin type as themselves, it is not that simple when people with different skin types have children together.   The children of a skin type one parent and a skin type three parent will end up with skin type two.  However, if two of these these skin type two children have children together, their children could have skin type one, two, or three, with half of them having skin type two on average.  If people descending from ancestors of original skin type one and three continue to intermarry, then eventually skin type two will become almost universal, but occasionally there will be children born with skin types one or three.

So, the Great White Lie among Americans with northern European ancestors is, that they only had northern European ancestors.  The predominance of skin type two among them tells a different story.  Most are the descendants of both Native Americans and northern Europeans.  Of course, the same is true about African Americans.  Some African Americans have lighter skin than some so-called "white" people!

So, it should be evident that racism is not really about which of the six shades of brown skin that a person has.  It is about ancestry.  That is why the Jim Crow laws in America defined anyone with even quote "one drop" of African blood as "black", regardless of which shade of brown their skin actually was.   These racial segregation laws that Martin Luther King Junior sought to end were never about skin being "black".  They were about ancestry.  Period.

The entire concept of race is really a sham.   People do not fit into neat little groups based on superfluous things like which shade of brown their skin is.  They cannot even be divided in any meaningful way by adding other physical characteristics like hair color and eye color to the definition.  No matter how a race is defined by boundaries of physical characteristics, there will always either be children born in that "race" with characteristics that fall outside those boundaries, or people of another "race" that overlap those boundaries.

The physical characteristics of every African American does not fit inside of some "race" box.

I have met African Americans with every color of eyes and most hair colors.  As mentioned before, African Americans come in at least the five darkest of the six shades of brown.  In similar manner, European Americans come in at least the four lightest of the six shades of brown.

African Americans are no more African that European Americans are European.  Both groups are more American than anything else.  What they have in common is more important than their differences.  This is what Martin Luther King Junior realized.

Even groups that are very similar in their physical characteristics, can still have separate identities with very sharp differences in language and culture.  People are really more aligned by a shared language and culture than they are by shared physical characteristics.   These groups are known as ethnic groups.

While many members of an ethnic group might have a shared set of ancestors, they do not all have to have those ancestors.  For example, while many Americans have ancestors from northern Europe, primarily England, France, and Germany, not all do.  Some people without any of these ancestors are Americans, simply because they grew up in the American culture.

These differences are substantial, but not unchangeable, unlike belonging to some "race" due to being a particular shade of brown.  For this reason, the Book of Truth (The Bible) never groups people by "race", but rather by ethnic group, which is usually translated as "nation".

There is only one race, the Human Race, and every member of it shares the same blood made by the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD), even though He has been divided it into many ethnic groups, and placed each ethnic group where He has seen fit (Acts 17:24-26).  That is why there really is no such thing as an inter-racial marriage.

Everyone is born into an ethnic group, but they do not have to stay in that ethnic group.  People cannot change their "race", but they can change their ethnic group.

For example, many people from different ethnic groups living throughout the vast Persian Empire, became part of a different ethnic group, the Jews, in the time of Esther (Esther 8:17).  They did not change their ancestry, or the shade of brown of their skin.  They changed their language and culture to that of the Jews.

So, "race" is largely an artificial construct that only exists for one reason - to cause division among people based on superficial physical characteristics and ancestry.  There simply cannot be any racism without this artificial division of people into "races".

Racism is just a mechanism for creating strife between people.  The idea of dividing people into "races" was needed as a wedge to achieve this goal.  Although not intuitively obvious, racism is the cause of "races", instead of "races" being the cause of racism.

So, where does racism come from?

On the surface, it might appear that ancestry based prejudice, called racism, came from the Book of Truth.  After all, Noah (Noach) did curse Canaan (Kena'an) for his father Ham looking upon the nakedness of his grandfather (Genesis 9:24-27).

European Americans have use this as justification for their ancestry based prejudice against African Americans, since Ham was also the father of Cush (Kush aka Aethiop aka Ethiop), from whom came Africans south of the Sahara Desert (Genesis 10:6).  Cush literally means "black".

However, this justification falls apart rather quickly.

First of all, it was Canaan, not Cush, who was cursed (Genesis 9:25).  The descendants of Canaan did not live in Africa, but in Asia, in the modern countries of Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Jordan (Genesis 10:15-19).  So, sub-Saharan Africans were never cursed in the first place.  Therefore, African Americans would not have been under such a curse as well. 

Second, this curse was not unbreakable.  Someone born under such a curse could come out from under the curse.

Eleven other ethnic groups came from Canaan including the Hittites (descendants of Heth), the Hivites, and Jebusites (Genesis 10:15-18).   Numerous people born into these twelve ethnic groups became blessed, instead of cursed.

Shuah the Canaanite became the wife of Judah and was mother to his first three sons (Genesis 38:1-5).  The mother of his other two children, including Pharez, was also a Canaanite named Tamar (Genesis 38:24-30).  Tamar the Canaanite was blessed because she brought forth Pharez (Ruth 4:12).  So, the entire tribe of Judah came from Canaanite women (1 Chronicles 2:3-4).

Part of the tribe of Simeon of the nation of Israel also came from a Canaanite woman (Genesis 46:10).

Yet the Canaanites, Hittites, and Jebusites, continued to be under a curse of destruction (Deuteronomy 20:17).

Still, a Canaanite woman, Rehab (Rechab) the harlot, was blessed for her actions, and her family became part of the people of Israel (Joshua 6:25).  Her great-great-grandson, David, became the king of Israel (Matthew 1:5-6).

When the Canaanites band together with five of the nations that came from them to attack the people of Israel, the Hivites in Gibeah refused to join them, and made peace with the people of Israel (Joshua 9:1-15).  So, they became suppliers of wood and water for the Temple, because they had faith in the Father of Truth (Joshua 9:24-27).  Though they were mighty, they wanted to be among the people of Israel (Joshua 10:1-2).  They became enemies of the people they came out of, when they aligned themselves with the people of Israel (Joshua 10:3-5).  The Father of Truth delivered them from the people they came out of, through the people of Israel (Joshua 10:6-8).

Ahimelech the Hittite was among those that helped David when King Saul hunted for him (1 Samuel 26:6).  Uriah the Hittite was one of the mighty men of King David, who fought along aside him in his wars (2 Samuel 23:8-39).  One of the descendants of the former Hivites of Gibeon, Ismaiah, was chief among the mighty men that helped David, when he had fled from King Saul (Shual) (1 Chronicles 12:1-4).

Uriah the Hittite was too loyal to the Father of Truth and the people of Israel to go into his own house, while the Ark of the Covenant and the army of Israel were out in the battle field (2 Samuel 11:11).  When King David did evil to this Hittite, the Father of Truth punished him severely to avenge this Hittite (2 Samuel 12:7-12).

No one could harm the descendants of the former Hivites of Gibeon without bringing judgment on their people from the Father of Truth, not even the king of Israel (2 Samuel 21:1-3)!

Ornan (Araunah) the Jebusite was so loved by the Father of Truth, that the Angel of Truth sent to judge the people of Israel was told to stop his destruction, when he reached the property of this Jebusite (2 Samuel 24:15-16).  This Jebusite so loved the people of Israel, that he tried to give King David his threshing floor, oxen, and their implements, so David could use them to deliver the people of Israel from the judgment of the Father of Truth (2 Samuel 24:18-23).

One the descendants of the former Hivites of Gibeon, Melatiah, returned with the Jews from the exile in Babylon, and was part of those who repaired the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 3:7).

The Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) healed a Canaanite woman because she had great faith in the Father of Truth (Matthew 15:22-28).

So, there never was ancestry based prejudice endorsed by the Book of Truth.  The Canaanites were under a curse for the terrible things that they did as part of their culture (Deuteronomy 9:4).   When they turned from this wickedness, then they were accepted by the Father of Truth, because He never accepted or rejected people based on their ancestry (Acts 10:34-35).

The Father of Truth does not judge people based on their outward appearance, like the color of their skin, but on the contents of their heart (1 Samuel 16:7).  In like manner, the Man of Truth does not judge people based on the color of their skin, but on the contents of their heart (Isaiah 11:3).

In fact, the will of the Father of Truth is that all people dwell together in unity (Psalm 133:1-3). 

So, where does racism come from?

It comes from the same place where sickness comes from.  Racism comes from a spirit similar to the Spirit of Anti-Jewism.

This discord over ancestry is sown by wicked people (Proverbs 6:12-14).   The Father of Truth hates this sowing of discord over ancestry between people (Proverbs 6:16-19).

All such strife comes from hatred (Proverbs 10:12).   It comes from angry people looking for something to fight over (Proverbs 15:18).  It comes from instigators looking to create controversy (Proverbs 16:28).  It comes from people who love to commit sin (Proverbs 17:19).  It comes from scorners of the Father of Truth (Proverbs 22:10).  It comes from contentious people (Proverbs 26:21).  It comes from people with hearts full of pride (Proverbs 28:25).

All strife over ancestry, called racism, is based on lies (Proverbs 26:20).

The Father of Lies (HaShatan aka Satan Aka The Devil) is ultimately the source of every lie (John 8:44).

The Father of Lies stands up against people, to provoke others to do things to them that are contrary to the will of the Father of Truth (1 Chronicles 21:1).  He resists people being restored to the dignity the Father of Truth intended for them, after they repent (Zechariah 3:1-7).  He tempts people to not do what the Father of Truth wants (Matthew 4:1-4).  He twists the very Word of Truth to mean something the Father of Truth never intended (Matthew 4:5-7).  He deceives the whole world about everything (Revelation 12:9).  He makes accusations to create division among people (Revelation 12:10).

It has already been shown that this ancestry based prejudice known as racism is not from the Father of Truth.  It comes from the Father of Lies.  Whenever anyone makes judgments about people based on which of the six shades of brown their skin is, or their ancestry, they are aligning themselves with the Father of Lies, and standing contrary to the Father of Truth!

So, why do people have racism in their hearts?

People are subject to temptation, because they inherently lack restraint (1 Corinthians 7:5).  So, the Father of Lies looks for a means to tempt them (1 Thessalonians 3:5).  He uses their own natural desires to tempt them to do what is wrong (James 1:14-15).  These natural desires that fuel racism, are not from the Father of Truth (1 John 2:16).

Racism exists in the hearts of people, because everyone is born with a wicked and deceitful heart (Jeremiah 17:9).  It is not natural for people to do what is good (Romans 7:18).  It is not natural for the human heart to desire what the Father of Truth desires (Romans 8:6-8).

Wicked people look for ways to oppress other people, because there is pride in their hearts (Psalm 10:2-4).  They do not believe that the Father of Truth will judge them for their wicked hearts (Psalm 10:11-13).

No matter how kindly they speak, there is mischief in their hearts (Psalm 28:3).  They were born with a wicked heart that is set on violence, and they speak lies against people (Psalm 58:1-3).  They seek to disassemble unity between people with reasonable sounding lies, because their wicked heart hates people for being different than themselves (Proverbs 26:22-26).  They will eventually speak badly about people different than themselves, because that is what is in their hearts (Matthew 12:34).  The words that come out of their mouths, is determined by what is in their hearts (Luke 6:45).

How can racism be removed from the hearts of people?

The only cure for racism is to supernaturally replace the wicked heart that people naturally have, with a new heart that can do what the Father of Truth desires (Ezekiel 11:19-20).  When people are given a new heart, then the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) enables them to do what the Father of Truth desires (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

The Spirit of Truth will cause them to become like the Man of Truth, and not judge people based on the color of their skin, but on the contents of their heart (Isaiah 11:2-3).  The Spirit of Truth will replace their natural desires with a desire to do what the Father of Truth desires (Romans 8:3-5).  They will have both the desire to do what He desires and the ability to do it (Philippians 2:13).

They will have the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) written on their heart (Jeremiah 31:33).  They will have the Law of Truth written on their minds (Hebrews 8:10).  They will have the desires of the Father of Truth that are written in the Law of Truth in their hearts and minds (Hebrews 10:16).

They will no longer judge people based on the color of their skin, but on the contents of their heart, because they will be a new person that no longer lives by their natural desires (2 Corinthians 5:16-17).

This is what happens to people when they come into the House of Truth!

People come into the House of Truth, when they put the Man of Truth in control of their life, because they believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9-10).  There is no room for racism in the House of Truth, for all people are invited to live there together (Romans 10:11-13).  People dwell together in unity in the House of Truth (1 Corinthians 1:10)!  For there is only one race in the House of Truth (Ephesians 4:3-6)!

Come into the House of Truth!

The Faithful Prophet Of Truth

How did the Maccabees prepare the people of Israel for John The Baptist?

The Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) came to this earth in the fullness of time to live a perfect life in accordance with the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law), so he could bring redemption to those who could not live a perfect life in accordance with the Law of Truth  (Galatians 4:4-7).

One of the conditions that made it the fullness of time, was John the Baptist (Yochanan the Mikvah Man) preaching repentance to the people of Israel in the wilderness.  The Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) brought about the rise and fall of empires to make this possible. 

The story begins with the Greeks.  This is just another example of Greco-Judeo wrestling.

The Father of Truth brought about the unified Greek Empire, and then split it into four smaller Greek Empires, including the Seleucid Empire (Daniel 11:2-4).

The story continues with the Maccabees.

Matthias the priest had five sons.  Matthias and his five sons were the original Maccabees.
They started the revolt of the Maccabees in 167 BC against the Seluecid Emperor Antiochus IV, when he tried to force all Jews to adopt Greek culture and worship Greek gods.  The Maccabees are the people who knew the Father of Truth and did exploits (Daniel 11:32).

(None of the Seleucids, Hasmoneans, or Herodians actually had numbers after their names.  The numbers were added by historians to make it easier to keep track of them, since the same names were frequently used for different individuals, even brothers.  This convention is applied to everyone with the same name to remove all ambiguity.)

Matthias died about a year after the revolt began, but his sons swore to fight until they restored the Law of Truth as the law of the land in Israel.

The third son was Judah, who was nicknamed, "The Hammer", and he began leading the revolt after his father died as the second Maccabean leader.  Those who joined him were called Maccabees, because "maccabee" is the Hebrew word for "hammer".

The fourth son of Matthias, Eleazar, died in battle about a year later.  He slid under a war elephant that he believed carried Antiochus IV, and killed it by stabbing it in the belly.  The elephant died, collapsed, and crushed him.

The next year, Antiochus IV died in battle against the Parthians, and Demetrius I became the new Seleucid Emperor.

After three more years of fighting, Judah made an allegiance with the Romans, to gain their recognition of Judea as an independent kingdom.

Judah died in the last battle of the revolt in 160 AD, and the fifth son of Matthias, Jonathan, became the third leader of the Maccabees.

The first son of Matthias, John, was killed shortly after that in an ambush.  The Maccabees soon avenged him by killing the entire tribe that ambushed him.

After two more years of fighting, Jonathan barely failed to kill the general of the Seleucid army in an ambush.  When the general sieged him in the desert, he made the general a peace offer.  The general accepted the peace offer, and the revolt was over in 158 AD.

The Seleucid Emperor, Demetrius I, granted Judea as an autonomous province, that had full control of religion and culture internally, while a governor appointed by the Seleucid Empire retained control over most other matters.

Five years later, Jonathan was allowed by Demetrius I to form an army and move to Jerusalem, in a bid for his loyalty against a new claimant to the throne named Balas.

Jonathan fortified Jerusalem and backed Balas instead.

Three years later, Jonathan was made the official governor of the province of Judea by the new Seleucid Emperor, Balas, which also granted even more autonomy to Judea. This was the beginning of Maccabean rule in 150 AD.

Five years later, Balas died in battle, and Demetrius II became the new Seleucid Emperor.  Jonathan made an alliance of support for Demetrius II, in exchange for exemption for Judea from taxation, and to withdraw the Seleucid army from Acre.

Shortly after that, Jonathan lead an army into Antioch to rescue Demetrius II from his own subjects.

Jonathan also renewed the alliance that Judah had made with the Romans, and Judea was recognized by the Roman Senate as an independent kingdom.

Two years later, the usurper of the throne of the Seleucid Emperor, Diodotus Tryphon, took control of the capital.  Since Demetrius II had not kept his promise to withdraw from Acre, Jonathan gave his support to Diodotus, in exchange for adding the land of Israel along the Mediterranean coast to the kingdom of Judea.

Diodotus then invited Jonathan to a peace conference.  Jonathan was taken captive at the peace conference, and those who escorted him were killed in 143 BC.

The second son of Matthias, Simon, became the last leader of the Maccabees, when Jonathan was captured.

Simon met Diodotus with a huge army to prevent him from invading Judea.  (Invading Judea was contrary to the peace treaty that the Seleucid Empire had made with Judea.)  Diodotus then threatened to kill Jonathan, unless Simon agreed to pay a huge ransom, and hand over two of his sons as assurance that he would not seek revenge.  Even though Simon met these demands, Diodotus killed Jonathan, because Simon still blocked him from invading Judea.

Simon then sided with the legitimate Seleucid Emperor, Demetrius II, against Diodotus.

Simon became the second Maccabean ruler in 142 BC.

When Diodotus tried to invade Judea via the Mediterranean coast, he was blocked by a general loyal to the Demetrius II near Tyre.  The army of Diodotus soon caused the army of the general to flee south along the coast.  The army of Diodotus gave chase, but when it crossed into the land of Israel, his entire army was wiped out by a tidal wave, according to the historian Athenaeus.

A year later, Simon was declared to be the Prince of Israel by an assembly that represented the people of Israel.  An oath was given by this great assembly that descendants of Simon would be both the High Priest and the Prince of Israel, until a Faithful Prophet of Truth should appear, who would make the Rightful King of The Jews, a descendant of King David, known to the people of Israel.  (The title "The Prince of Israel" emphasized that Simon and his descendants were lesser rulers than the true King of the Jews, and that they were only stewards over the kingdom until the Rightful King of the Jews came to claim his throne.)

Simon was also acknowledged as the king of Judea by Demetrius II.

So, twenty-six years after Matthias the Priest began the revolt of the Maccabees, his last surviving son secured the Maccabean Dynasty in 141 AD.

The next year, Demetrius II agreed to free Judea from all taxation in return for the continual support of Simon against Diodotus.

Demetrius II was taken captive by Parthians soon after, and his brother, Antiochus VII, became the new legitimate Seleucid Emperor.   Simon continued to support the new legitimate Emperor against Diodotus.

A year later, the Roman Senate recognized the Maccabean dynasty as the legitimate rulers of the kingdom of Judea.

The next year, Simon and Antiochus VII forced Diodotus to flee to his homeland.  Antiochus VII pursued Diodotus to his homeland, where Diodotus soon died a violent death.

Simon ruled for three more years, until he and his two oldest sons were assassinated at a banquet.

The story finishes with the Hasmoneans.

His third son, John (Hyrcanus I) was not at the banquet.  He became the first true Hasmonean ruler after his father, the last of the Maccabees, died.

Matthias the Priest was called "The Hasmonean", because he was the great-grandson of Asmon (Hasmoneaus in Anglicized Greek (there is no "h" sound in Greek)).  Hyrcanus I and his successors, all bore the title of Hasmonean, in honor of the nickname of Matthias the Priest.  For this reason, the rulers of Judea that came from the Maccabees are called the Hasmoneans.

During the reign of the Hasmoneans, there was continual war and conflict for many years, to separate out those who were like the Maccabees, unwilling to compromise on the Law of Truth, from those Jews willing to be assimilated into Greek culture (Daniel 11:32-35).

The corrupt rule of the Hasmoneans created the corrupt legal system that led to the unjust trial of the Man of Truth and the unjust courts that persecuted the Children of Truth.  This corrupt legal system fueled the refining fire that caused the people of Israel to long for the Faithful Prophet of Truth spoken of by the Maccabees, who would reveal the Rightful King of the Jews.  The Children of Truth could not see the hidden hand of the Father of Truth in the rule of the Hasmoneans.

The Hasmoneans reigned until Herod the Great became the Roman appointed King of the Jews in 37 BC.

The reign of Herod the Great only made things worse.  His reign only left the people of Israel yearning more for the Faithful Prophet of Truth spoken of by the Maccabees, who would reveal to the people of Israel the Rightful King of The Jews.

Like the gift of the Maccabees that made the Good News possible, the Maccabees created the expectation of the Faithful Prophet of Truth.  Like how the Maccabees help spread the Gospel, by preparing the Jewish world to the spread of the Gospel, the Maccabees prepared the people of Israel for the Faithful Prophet of Truth. 

So, the Maccabees prepared the people of Israel for John The Baptist by creating an expectation for the arrival of the Faithful Prophet of Truth.  This expectation of the Faithful Prophet of Truth, who would reveal to the people of Israel the Rightful King of The Jews, a descendant of King David, was based on the writings of the Prophets of Truth.

The Prophet of Truth Isaiah (Yesha'yahu) said, that a Prophet of Truth would arise in the wilderness, who would cry out for people to prepare themselves for the King chosen by the Father of Truth (Isaiah 40:3).  The Prophet of Truth Malachi said, that a Prophet of Truth would be sent to prepare the way before their King, while the Temple was standing, by leading the people of Israel into repentance (Malachi 3:1-3).  This coming Prophet of Truth would prepare the way for their King, by turning the hearts of the people of Israel back towards each other, to keep them from coming under the curse of the Father of Truth, like Elijah (Eliyah aka Elias) will do when he returns (Malachi 4:5-6).

The primary job of the Prophets of Truth was to preach the word of the Father of Truth (Nehemiah 6:7).  The Prophet like unto Moses (Moishe), the Messiah of Israel, was to preach the righteous ways of the Father of Truth found in the Law of Truth (Psalm 40:7-10).  Jonah, the Prophet of Truth sent to the Gentiles of Ninevah, to preached repentance (Jonah 3:2).

So, the Maccabees had given the people in Judea an earnest expectation of a Faithful Prophet of Truth, who would prepare the people of Israel for arrival of the Rightful King of the Jews, by preaching repentance.

After Hasmonean reign came to end, Zacharias the Priest was told by an Angel of Truth, that his barren wife would soon give birth to the Faithful Prophet of Truth spoken of by Simon the Maccabee (Luke 1:13-17).  He asked for a sign, that the message of the Angel of Truth was from the Father of Truth, so this old priest was made mute until the Faithful Prophet of Truth was born (Luke 1:18-20).  Then he went home and his wife, Elisabeth, became pregnant in her old age (Luke 1:23-25).

While Elisabeth was pregnant, her baby recognized the Rightful King of The Jews, who was still inside his mother, Mary (Mariam) (Luke 1:39-41).  Then the Spirit of Truth confirmed through the mother of the Faithful Prophet of Truth, that Mary was pregnant with the Rightful King of the Jews (Luke 1:41-45).

Afterwards, his wife gave birth to John the Baptist, followed by the miraculous sign promised by the Angel of Truth (Luke 1:57-64).  The people of the hill country of Judea were in awe, that the Faithful Prophet of Truth, which they longed for, had been born in their midst (Luke 1:65-66).  The Spirit of Truth then confirmed through Zacharias the Priest, that his son was the Faithful Prophet of Truth, who would reveal the Rightful King of the Jews (Luke 1:67-79).

So, the Faithful Priest was also the the Faithful Prophet of Truth.

John the Baptist then lived away from people, until it was to time to reveal that he was the Faithful Prophet of Truth spoken of by the Maccabees (Luke 1:80).

When John the Baptist grew up, then he began to cry out in the wilderness like a wild man, that the Rightful King of the Jews would soon be revealed (Matthew 3:1-4).  He cried out in the wilderness, because he was the Faithful Prophet of Truth spoken about by the Prophets of Truth (Mark 1:2-3).  He began preaching repentance to prepare people for the salvation that came from the Father of Truth (Luke 3:3-6).

John the Baptist was sent to reveal the Rightful King of the Jews (John 1:6-8).  He was the Faithful Prophet of Truth, who would reveal the Rightful King of the Jews (John 1:21-23).  

John the Baptist warned people to get right with the Father of Truth (Matthew 3:8-10).  The Faithful Prophet of Truth warned them that the Rightful King of the Jews would destroy the wicked out of Israel (Matthew 3:12).   He preached repentance (Mark 1:4).

After John the Baptist had prepared the people by preaching repentance, the Faithful Prophet of Truth revealed to them that the Man of Truth was the Rightful King of the Jews (John 1:29-34).

John the Baptist preached repentance to everyone, including King Herod Antipas (Antipas II) (Luke 3:18-19).   So, the king threw the Faithful Prophet of Truth into prison (Luke 3:20).

("Herod" had became a title by this point of those claiming the right to rule as a descendant of Herod the Great.  This was similar to the Hasmoneans adopting the title Hasmonean to show that they came from Matthias the Priest.  None of the descendants of Herod the Great were given the name of "Herod" as a baby, except for Herod the Great.)

John the Baptist was cast into prison, as soon as the Man of Truth began his mission (Matthew 4:11-17).  The Man of Truth proclaimed that he was the Rightful King of the Jews, spoken of by the Faithful Prophet of Truth (Mark 1:14-15).

John the Baptist was imprisoned for rebuking King Herod Antipas, but the king was afraid to kill him, because the people of Israel recognized that he was the Faithful Prophet of Truth (Matthew 14:3-5).  The wife of the king had desired to kill John the Baptist when he was arrested, but the king been afraid to kill him, because he knew that the Faithful Prophet of Truth was righteous (Mark 6:19-20).

After John the Baptist was arrested, the Man of Truth sent word to him, that he had done those things spoken by the Prophets of Truth, that showed that he was the Rightful King of the Jews (Matthew 11:4-6).  The Man of Truth showed those signs to those sent by the Faithful Prophet of Truth (Luke 7:18-23).   The Man of Truth said, John the Baptist was indeed that faithful Prophet of Truth, who revealed the Rightful King of the Jews (John 5:32-35).

The Man of Truth testified that John the Baptist was the faithful Prophet of Truth, spoken of by the Maccabees, who believed the Original Covenant (Matthew 11:7-10).   He said, that the message of the Faithful Prophet of Truth was the culmination of all which was written in the Law of Truth, and by the Prophets of Truth (Matthew 11:11-13).   He said, that the Faithful Prophet of Truth was the greatest of all Prophets of Truth (Luke 7:24-28).

The Man of Truth testified that John the Baptist coming at that time, was like Elijah the Prophet of Truth coming at the end of days (Matthew 11:14-15).

Then the people of Israel started being baptized to show that they believed the message of John the Baptist - that the Man of Truth was the Rightful King of the Jews (Luke 7:29).  They believed the message of the Faithful Prophet of Truth, even though he never performed a miracle to confirm his message (John 10:40-42).

Yet, many of the people of Israel rejected the testimony of the Faithful Prophet of Truth, and the testimony of the Rightful King of the Jews (Matthew 11:16-19).

Soon, King Herod Antipas promised the daughter of his wife to give her whatever she desired, if she would dance before his guests, and she asked for the head of John the Baptist, so this king gave it to her (Matthew 14:6-11).  So, not long after the Faithful Prophet of Truth had finished his mission of revealing the Rightful King of the Jews, he was executed by King Herod Antipas, due to a plot by his wife (Mark 6:21-28).

However, King Herod Antipas later feared that the Faithful Prophet of Truth had been raised from the dead, when he heard of the miracles done by the Rightful King of the Jews (Mark 6:14-16).  He did not know that the Rightful King of the Jews was not Elijah, or one of the ancient Prophets of Truth, or the Faithful Prophet of Truth (Luke 9:7-9).

Other people also thought that the Man of Truth was John the Baptist (Matthew 16:13-14).  They did not realize, that the Rightful King of the Jews was not the Faithful Prophet of Truth (Mark 8:27-28).  Likewise, many of the people of Israel did not realize, that the Rightful King of the Jews was not Elijah, or one of the ancient Prophets of Truth (Luke 9:18-19).

However, the Man of Truth said, that Elijah would come before him in the end of days (Matthew 17:10-11).  He said, that Elijah would come before him to restore all things, after the Rightful King of the Jews suffered and died (Mark 9:11-12).

He said, that in like manner, John the Baptist had fulfilled the role of Elijah in those days, even to the point of dying to prepare people for the death of the Rightful King of the Jews (Matthew 17:12-13).  The Rightful King of the Jews said, that the wicked had done as they had desired to the Faithful Prophet of Truth (Mark 9:13).

Many of the people of Israel understood that John the Baptist was the Faithful Prophet of Truth, spoken of by the Maccabees (Matthew 21:26).  They accepted that the Faithful Prophet of Truth operated under the same authority as the Man of Truth (Mark 11:32-33).  They believed that the Faithful Prophet of Truth had revealed the Rightful King of the Jews (Luke 20:6-8).

They accepted that the Man of Truth was the Rightful King of the Jews, as the Faithful Prophet of Truth had said (Matthew 21:31).

Although, the Faithful Prophet of Truth had not risen from the dead, the Rightful King of the Jews did (Acts 4:10).  This gives all people assurance that they must come into the House of Truth to escape the judgment of the Father of Truth (Acts 17:30-31).

So come into the House of Truth, by making the Rightful King of the Jews your king, because you believe that his Father raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).

Come into the House of Truth!