Dec 2, 2018
Before the time of Christ, multiple nations had ruled Israel for hundreds of years with brief moments of independence. Just before the first century, Rome controlled Israel through the ruthless client-king Herod the Great. In 20 BC, Herod began to remodel and expand the Temple in Jerusalem that Jesus attended throughout his life. After Herod died in 4 BC, three of his sons began to rule. Their incompetency, coupled with their brutality and Roman influence, increased the desire of the Jewish people for God to send a Messiah to save them. God often uses the darkness of political leaders to help people seek the light of godly leaders (Prov. 29:2)!