Daniel The Man who Feared God 2016

Slaughter (44-45)

1. 
   What news angered Herod?
   
   1. 
      It is not obvious who the ‘him’ is in verse 44. However, Herod is the primary subject of the later part of chapter 11. Verses 40-43 were a parenthetical comment dealing with significant events in other territories, at the time of Herod, that had an impact on the subject kingdom of the Jews.
      
      1. 
         The antecedents of pronouns cannot be assumed to be the immediate proximate reference, but sometimes need to be determined by the context.
         
      2. 
         It is sometimes the case that the OT prophets insert parenthetical comments and it is necessary to look back a number of verses to find the antecedent of a pronoun (e.g., Is 18.1-2, 7 with 3-6).
         
      3. 
         As we will see as we examine the text, the prophecy of these verses fits Herod and no one else. For example, the reference to location where he pitched his ‘tent’ clearly applies to Herod.
         
   2. 
      Where did the report come from that angered Herod?
      
      1. 
         From the east and north.
         
      2. 
         What land was east of Israel?
         
         1. 
            The Parthian Empire, which stretched from central Asia Minor to the Hindu Kush Mountains and almost to the Indus River.
            
         2. 
            It included the territories of ancient Babylon and Persia.
            
   3. 
      What news came from the east (Babylon or Persia) that angered Herod?
      
      1. 
         That Jesus, the Messiah, was born in Bethlehem (Mt 2.1-8).
         
      2. 
         In particular, Matthew 2.3 indicates that Herod was troubled by the news that the wise men from the east brought.
         
   4. 
      What news came from the north that troubled him?
      
      1. 
         Antipater, Herod’s oldest son, living in Rome (i.e., “the north”; 40), plotted against his father. Antipater had previously sent letters to his father claiming that his brothers had bad-mouthed Herod to Caesar. This made Herod very angry and he killed these two sons. Later he also killed Antipater for plotting against him.^553,554
         
   5. 
      On hearing the news, what did Herod do?
      
      1. 
         Destroyed (annihilated) many, including his own sons.
         
      2. 
         We find the final fulfillment of this prophecy in the slaughter of the infant boys in Judea (Mt 2.16-18).
         
      3. 
         In addition to these episodes of slaughter he devoted many others to destruction:
         
         1. 
            He burned Matthias, the high priest, and forty others alive, after they pulled down the golden eagle at the temple.⁵⁵⁵
            
         2. 
            Nearing his own death, he assembled the principal men of the entire Jewish nation in the hippodrome and gave the order that they were to be killed at his death, so the nation would mourn—in fact, the order was not carried out.⁵⁵⁶
            

2. 
   Where did Herod pitch his tents?
   
   1. 
      ‘Tent’ in this instance is used in the more general sense of ‘dwelling place’ (Ps 91.10); not necessarily a tent made of camel hair or animal skins.
      
   2. 
      The Hebrew here has plural ‘seas’ (NIV), not ‘sea’ (ESV). In addition, the verse refers to ‘tents’. Herod had two major dwelling places in Jerusalem, i.e., between the Mediterranean Sea and Dead Sea—one a fortress (the Antonia⁵⁵⁷) adjacent to the Temple and the other a palace in the upper city.⁵⁵⁸
      
   3. 
      His fortress was located on the Temple Mount, i.e., on the ‘glorious holy mountain’ (Ps 48.1-3)
      

3. 
   How did Herod die?
   
   1. 
      With no one to help him.
      
   2. 
      Herod died lonely (he had butchered his family), bitter (while lying on his deathbed, he had Antipater killed), and painfully ill,⁵⁵⁹ and hated by his family and subjects. He attempted death by suicide with an apple paring knife.⁵⁶⁰ Near death he said, “I shall die in a little time, so great are my pains; which death ought to be cheerfully borne, and to be welcomed by all men; but what principally troubles me is this, that I shall die without being lamented, and without such mourning as men usually expect at a king’s death.”⁵⁶¹
      
   3. 
      Jesus was born in 4 BC and Herod died in 4 BC. Therefore, Herod died after issuing the command to slaughter the infants at Bethlehem. Herod prospered until the slaughter of the infants was completed and then he came to his own end—in God’s time and according to God’s plan.
      
   4. 
      The following is a summary of the evidence supporting the belief that Jesus was born in 4 BC:
      
      1. 
         The most commonly accepted, proposed, dates for the crucifixion of Jesus are April 7^th, 30 AD and April 3^rd, 33 AD. The crucifixion had to be:
         
         1. 
            During the High Priesthood of Caiaphas (Mt 26.3-4; Jn 11.49-53). Caiaphas was high priest from ~18 AD to ~36 AD.^{562, 563}
            
         2. 
            During the governorship of Pontius Pilate (Mt 27.24-26; Mk 15.15; Lk 23.24; Jn 19.15-16). He was governor of Judea from 26 AD to 36 AD.⁵⁶⁴
            
         3. 
            After the beginning of 29 AD, since John the Baptist began his ministry in the 15^th year of Tiberius Caesar (Lk 3.1-2).^{565, 566}
            
         4. 
            On a Friday (Mt 27.62; Mk 15.42; Lk 23.54; Jn 19.42) before the Saturday Sabbath began (Mt 28.1; Mk 16.2; Lk 24.1; Jn 20.1).
            
         5. 
            On a Friday at the time of the Passover (Mt 26.2; Mk 14.1; Lk 22.1; Jn 18.39), which began at sundown on the Friday (Jn 18.28-29a).
            
      2. 
         Two possible dates between 29 AD and 36 AD qualify:
         
         1. 
            Friday, April 7^th, 30 AD was in the midst of Passover week.⁵⁶⁷
            
         2. 
            Friday, April 3^rd, 33 AD, was the date for the Passover sacrifice.⁵⁶⁸
            
      3. 
         Luke informs us that Jesus was about 30 years old when he began his ministry (Lk 3.23). It is generally believed that his ministry was slightly over three years in duration (including a Passover at the beginning and end; Jn 2.13; 6.4; 11.55). Thus, Jesus died when he was about 33 years old.
         
      4. 
         If we accept the proposed date of 33 AD for the crucifixion, then Jesus would have been born in 1 BC (there was no year 0). A birth date in 1 BC is not possible because Herod died in 4 BC, and Jesus was born before Herod died. However, if we accept the proposed date of 30 AD, then Jesus was born in 4 BC.
         
   5. 
      The following is a summary of the evidence supporting the belief that Herod died at the end of March or early in April, in 4 BC:
      
      1. 
         Josephus states that a lunar eclipse occurred not long before Herod’s death,⁵⁶⁹ and that he died before Passover that year.⁵⁷⁰ A lunar eclipse would have been visible in Palestine on March 13^th, 4 BC.⁵⁷¹
         
      2. 
         Archelaus, one of Herod’s sons who succeeded him, was banished in 6 AD, the tenth year of his reign, giving a date of 4 BC, as the start of his reign as ethnarch.⁵⁷²
         
      3. 
         Herod Antipas, another of Herod’s sons, was deposed in the summer of 39 AD. The last coins minted during his reign are from his 43^rd year. Working backwards, gives a date of 4 BC for his accession.⁵⁷³
         
      4. 
         Philip the Tetrach, another of Herod’s sons, died in the 38^th year of his reign in 34 AD. Working backwards, gives a date of 4 BC for the start of his reign.⁵⁷⁴
         
   6. 
      A possible outline of rapidly unfolding events surrounding the death of Herod, the birth of Jesus, and the early infancy of Jesus, could be as follows:
      
      1. 
         The Magi visited Herod prior to his death to determine where the Christ was to be born (Mt 2.1, 2) and then they went to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus (Mt 2.11) a few days after his birth. Then they went back to their homeland by a different route (Mt 2.12).
         
      2. 
         Jesus was probably circumcised in Bethlehem on the 8^th day after his birth (Lk 2.21).⁵⁷⁵
         
      3. 
         After his circumcision, Jesus was taken to Egypt by Joseph and Mary (Mt 2.13-14). It probably took Joseph and Mary around 10⁵⁷⁶ days to reach Egypt. They would have travelled slowly in light of Mary’s postpartum condition, and because she was nursing baby Jesus. They may have been in Egypt a day or two before the angel announced to them that Herod had died. Thus, 12 days could have elapsed from the time they had left Bethlehem.
         
      4. 
         As Joseph and Mary were travelling to Egypt Herod was waiting for the Magi to return. It is possible that it was a week or two after the birth of Jesus that Herod realized that the Magi were not going to return (Mt 2.16) and he issued the command to have the infants in Bethlehem slaughtered. Herod had infants up to two years old slaughtered to include the time from when the Magi had first seen the star (Mt 2.7, 16).⁵⁷⁷ The star appeared some time before Jesus was to be born, not on the night of his birth, so that the Magi had time to travel to Judea and arrive in Jerusalem before his birth, and in Bethlehem around the time of his birth. Herod probably also allowed additional time to ensure that his massacre of the infants would be certain to include the baby Jesus.
         
      5. 
         After Herod died (Mt 2.15), Joseph and Mary returned to Nazareth (Mt 2.19-23). Then, on the 40^th day after his birth, Jesus was presented in Jerusalem at the temple (Lk 2.22-38), where Mary completed her time of purification, according to the Law of Moses (Lev 12.2-4). After Jesus was presented at the temple, his parents returned to Nazareth in Galilee (Lk 2.39).
         
   7. 
      From this outline of the events during the early infancy of Jesus, we can reach the following conclusions:
      
      1. 
         Since Jesus was born before Herod died and Herod died in the spring of 4 BC, and Jesus was presented at the temple within 40 days of his birth (after the death of Herod), then Jesus was born in early 4 BC, not on December 25^th (of 4 BC) or in November or December of 5 BC (or of any other year).
         
      2. 
         If it took Mary and Joseph 12 days to walk from Egypt to Nazareth and 5 days to walk from Nazareth to Jerusalem, then Herod had to have died at least 17 days before Jesus was presented at the temple. However, they may have had a layover of two days in Nazareth before heading to Jerusalem. Therefore, Herod’s death could have been about 19 days before the presentation of Jesus at the temple.
         
      3. 
         This means that Mary and Joseph left Bethlehem about 31⁵⁷⁸ days before Jesus was presented at the temple, or about 9 days after his birth.
         
      4. 
         The Magi arrived in Bethlehem sometime during the 8 days before Joseph and Mary left Bethlehem and visited Jesus in a house where the family were then staying (Mt 2.11), not up to two years after Jesus was born—based on an incorrect interpretation of Matthew 2.16.
         
      5. 
         Herod probably died a few days after issuing the command for the slaughter of the infants—a direct punishment from God for his wicked action.
         
      6. 
         It has been calculated that Passover fell on April 11^th in 4 BC.⁵⁷⁹ If Herod died on April 8^th (i.e. before Passover, as Josephus states), Jesus could have been born on the day the Passover lamb was selected (Ex 12.3), on March 19^th.⁵⁸⁰
         

4. 
   What are some lessons that we can derive from this section?
   
   1. 
      Sermons – Leupold, in his Homiletical Suggestions at the end of his commentary on chapter 11, makes the following statement, “This chapter might be treated in Bible classes. We do not see how it could be used for a sermon or for sermons.”⁵⁸¹
      
      1. 
         This is a sadly ill-conceived statement from a worthy expositor of Scripture.
         
      2. 
         Throughout our study of this chapter, we have derived numerous lessons from each section of this chapter. The exposition of this chapter has shown the wickedness of man’s sin and the greatness of God’s providence. It shows how God has unfolded history precisely as he moved it rapidly toward the revelation of his son, the redeemer of mankind.
         
      3. 
         Without question this chapter, and this last section, provides tremendous homiletic resources.
         
   2. 
      Sin – The death of Herod, as predicted in this section, provides a tragic and fearful picture of how wickedness consumes the heart of sinners.
      
      1. 
         Herod went to his death with twinges of regret and fear, but not a hint of repentance. Even now, he is in Hell shaking his fist at God.
         
      2. 
         Regardless of his power, wealth, and mad paranoia, he went the way of all men and met his maker in Judgement.
         
      3. 
         He ended his life in wretchedness and without hope. This is the only way that an unrepentant sinner can end his life.
         
      4. 
         Herod’s death reminds us that God is the victor and will vindicate his purposes; and that we must repent of our sins or meet the same eternal fate as Herod, who was a manifestation of the anti-Christ.
         
   3. 
      Scripture – Daniel 11, including the exquisitely detailed prophecies of these last two verses, is a tremendous witness to the truthfulness of Scripture.
      
      1. 
         Throughout this chapter, there are about 150 prophecies that have been fulfilled in actual history.
         
      2. 
         We do not need wild speculation about how Daniel 11 (and in particular verses 36-45) will be fulfilled. We have shown that the prophecies throughout this chapter have been fulfilled in exact correspondence to how they were reported by the angel to Daniel.
         
      3. 
         The Bible is unique. No other ‘holy’ book contains detailed prophecies given hundreds and thousands of years in advance which have been fulfilled. God vindicates the truthfulness of his word through the fulfillment of prophecy (Is 42.9; 44.7; 46.9, 10; 48.5-6). God gives a test to determine the truthfulness of his word or the word of any pretend prophet. He declares that if a prophet speaks about the future and the prophet’s word does not come true then he is a false prophet (Dt 18.22). This is the test to determine if any other book or writing, considered to be sacred or holy, is true. If it cannot predict the future with explicit accuracy it is not a word from God. For example,
         
         1. 
            The Book of Mormon does not even provide an accurate account which can be compared with historical facts, let alone provide verifiable prophecies which have been fulfilled.
            
         2. 
            Defenders of the Qur’an claim that it presents prophecies which have been fulfilled (e.g., “They will alter Allah's creation.” [4:120] refers to genetic engineering, “[W]hen the wild beasts are gathered together.” [81:6] refers to zoos, “[W]hen various souls are paired.” [81:8] refers to modern communication systems, and “By the heaven containing pathways” [51:8]” refers to air transportation. It is clear from these examples that the Qur’an does not include specific prophecies about the future which have been realized. In addition, what history it provides is often a fairy tale—for example, claiming that Jesus was not crucified [4:157], referring to Mary as the sister of Moses and Aaron [19.28], and portraying Alexander as a righteous man [8:83-99].
            
         3. 
            Other religious texts tend to be mystical ramblings that have little connection with history or the future.
            
      4. 
         The literal fulfillment of these prophecies teaches us that:
         
         1. 
            The author of Scripture is the omniscient and omnipotent God. No mere human writing could be as literally accurate hundreds of years before the fact.
            
         2. 
            God’s word from Genesis 1.1 to Revelation 22.21 is entirely reliable and must be believed to be true by all men.
            
         3. 
            Scripture can be corroborated by a study of the facts of extra-Biblical history.
            
         4. 
            We can trust God to work out his remaining prophecies as precisely as he worked out the prophecies given here—the Lord Jesus will return in spite of what scoffers may say, and usher in the glorious eternal Kingdom Age.