Matthew 2:16
Herod was afraid that this newborn King would one day take his throne. He completely misunderstood the reason for Christ's coming. Jesus didn't want Herod's throne; He wanted to be the King of Herod's life! Jesus wanted to give Herod eternal life, not take away his present life. Today people are often afraid that Christ wants to take things away when, in reality, He wants to give them real freedom, peace and joy. Don't fear Christ - give Him the throne of your life - give Him your heart!
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Matthew 2:19-22 Herod the Great died of an incurable disease. Rome trusted him but didn't trust his sons. Herod knew that Rome wouldn't give his successor as much power, so he divided his kingdom into three parts, one for each of his sons. Archelaus received Judea, Samaria and Idumia; Herod Antipas received Galilee and Perea; Herod Philip II received Irachonitis. Archelaus, a violent man, began his reign by slaughtering 3,000 influential people. Nine years later, he was banished. God didn't want Joseph's family to go into the region of this evil ruler.
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Matthew 3:1, 2 Almost thirty years had passed since the events of chapter two. Here John the Baptist burst onto the scene. His theme was "Repent!" Repentance means doing an about face - a 180 degree turn - from the kind of self-centeredness that leads to wrong actions such as lying, cheating, stealing, gossiping, taking revenge, abusing, and indulging in sexual immorality. A person who repents stops rebelling and begins following God's way of living prescribed in His Word. The first step in turning to God is to admit your sins, as John urged. Then God will receive you and help you live the way He wants. Remember that only God can get rid of sin. He doesn't expect us to clean up our lives before we come to Him.
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Matthew 3:2 The kingdom of heaven began when God Himself entered human history as a man. Today Jesus Christ reigns in the hearts of believers, but the kingdom of heaven will not be fully realized until all evil in the world is judged and removed. Christ came to earth first as a suffering servant; He will come again as King and Judge to rule victoriously over all the earth.
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Matthew 3:3 The prophet quoted is Isaiah (40:3), one of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament and one of the most quoted in the New Testament. Like Isaiah, John the Baptist was a prophet who urged the people to confess their sins and live for God. Both prophets taught that the message of repentance is good news to those who listen and seek the healing forgiveness of God's love, but terrible news to those who refuse to listen and thus cut off their only hope.
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