World History, Chapter 5: Edited 12/7/23.
The Seed of The Serpent
1 John 3:10, “Whosoever does not righteousness is not of God:”
Genesis 3:15, God said to the serpent, “I will put enmity (irreconcilable hatred) (which is true both literally and figuratively) between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed: it (her seed) shall bruise your head, and your seed shalt bruise his heel.”
The seed of the serpent: Let’s begin with the power that stands behind this promised seed of the serpent: It is written,
Ephesians 6:12, that, “We (Christians) wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against power, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Jude 6, these are “Angels which kept not their first estate (prior domain) but left their own habitation, he (God) hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.”
Luke 22:53, Jesus said to the chief priests, and captain, and elders, “This is your hour, and the power of darkness.”
From the time of Jesus Christ earthly ministry to this day, the devil has been working hard to discomfort, subvert, corrupt and destroy the finished work of the cross.
Satan has caused the ruin of man; and therefore numbered among the rulers of darkness. Not only cast from heaven but bound in chains of darkness! So, who are the serpent’s seed? Let’s begin with Matthew 3:7 when John the Baptist points us to the Pharisees and Sadducees, whom he calls a “generation of vipers.” And Jesus addresses them under the same appellation,
Matthew 12:44, “You are of your father the devil, and the lusts (desires) of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode (stands) not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
And those of the seed of the serpent who hear God’s word, shall never heed them and has no influence over them. Over the centuries they have gathered themselves together to persecute and destroy all that are of the seed of the woman, which are Christ’s.
Let’s look back in time to Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, Daniel 2, of an image of a man formed of gold, silver, brass, iron, and iron and clay mix. This image of a man represents the great empires of the world, they terminating when the stone made without hands (this stone represents Jesus Christ return in judgment) breaks to pieces these great empires. Each of these Kingdoms will have touched the Jews, the land of Israel and for the past 1900 + years the Christian church and all it represents.
Babylon represents the head of gold, and Nebuchadnezzar its King. He ruled from 605 to 562 B.C., some 42 years. His armies were sent to destroy Jerusalem in 588 B.C. killing many Israelites, destroying their Temple, their religious practices, and took for themselves many slaves, including Daniel the prophet.
Following them were the Medes and Persians (the kingdom of silver); they preceded Alexander the Great (kingdom of brass) who conquered the then known civilized world.
After Alexander’s untimely death, his conquests were taken over by the 4 generals (the 4 notable horns) who led his armies. Shortly after, one of the Generals, Selencus ((the little horn) would overcome the other three generals, and in so doing he consolidate the whole of the Grecian Empire, this in the year 281 B.C., thus was born the Seleucid Empire. Now from the sons and grandsons of Selencus came a line of Kings named Antiochus, they represented as “the little horn (that) grew exceeding great,” Daniel 8:9.
When Judea was under the authority of the Seleucids, the process of Hellenization was enforced by law. Hellenization was the spread of the ancient Greek culture and its language over foreign peoples who had been brought into its sphere of influence. This effectively meant requiring pagan religious practices. In 167 B.C. Jewish sacrifices were forbidden, Sabbaths’ and feasts were banned as was circumcision outlawed. Altars to Greek gods were set up and animals were prohibited to the Jews, but were sacrificed on these pagan altars to the Greek gods and the possession of Jewish scriptures was made a capital offence; also an image of Zeus was placed on the altar of the Temple in Jerusalem by Antiochus Epiphanes.
Antiochus Epiphanes the 4th, born 215, died 164 B.C. King of the Hellenistic Syrian kingdom encouraged Greek influences, during the course of which he inadvertently promoted the creation of the independent Jewish state of the Maccabees. He conquered the Jewish stronghold of Jerusalem and attempted to Hellenize the city.
Eventually the Empire of the Greeks was absorbed by the mighty Roman Empire, the 4th beast, (the legs of iron) described by Daniel.
Bad boys of early Jewish history:
Herod the Great made King of Judea by the Romans, reigning from 37 B.C. to 2 B.C. He was a heartless, paranoid and blood thirsty man who committed unimaginable atrocities. He married 10 wives, his fifth, Cleopatra’s mother of Herod Antipas who ruled in the days of John the Baptist. Just before he died, he ordered that the most notable men in Judea be executed so his funeral would be marked by a national outpouring of grief. Fortunately for these men, this command was ignored.
Herod Antipas son of Herod the great heard of a star in the heavens that pointed the way of the coming King; and because of his fear of rival rulers he inquired of the wise men concerning this star. Believing he had been mocked by them he sent forth his servants “And slew all the children that were in Bethlehem and in all the coasts thereof from two years old and under.” Also one of Herod’s own son’s was murdered. Herod had John the Baptist beheaded; later he ridiculed Jesus whom Pilot had sent to him; dressed him in some worn-out royalty and sent him back to Pilate as a mock king, and later to have him killed. Also, Herod Agrippa grandson of Herod the Great had James, son of Zebedee beheaded.
The next post will concern the Roman Caesars, many of them were scoundrels, erratic, paranoid, delusional and even insane; yet others were able administrators, that is, unless you were a Christian, in which case you were in great danger.
Phil LaSpino www.seekfirstwisdom.com