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!
