Revelation: the World Conquest of the Kingdom of God: The Interpretation of Revelation by the Sanhedrin, Romans, and Disciples of Jesus Christ

By John J. Melescue

The Interpretation of REVELATION by the Sanhedrin, Romans, and Disciples of Jesus Christ

Inspired by the Devil, the Sanhedrin and Romans had slain the Lord Jesus, and now they were brutally murdering His disciples to rid the earth of His kingdom. Jesus had instructed His saints, Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord (Rom. 12:19).

Finally, the time for His vengeance had comethe avenging of the blood of His saints was at hand! He sent His hidden message in Revelation to His disciples to get out of His way. Then Almighty God filled the vials of wrath until they overflowed with His fury. The angels in heaven gave a harkening blast on the trumpets of war, shaking the very foundations of heaven and earth. And the armies of the Lord prepared for battle, for the great day of Gods wrath had come, and no one would be able to stand against it.

This book will teach you the interpretation of Revelation for the three target audiences, along with all the metaphors Jesus strategically selected for His greatest parable of all:

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The Beast of the Land
The Beast of the Sea with Seven Heads and Ten Horns
The Land, Sea and Trees
The Mark of the Beast, and the Number of His Name: 666
The Two Super Witnesses
The Plague of Locusts
The Seven Seals, Seven Trumpets and Seven Vials of Wrath
The Three Heavens
The New Heaven and New Earth, and New Jerusalem
And much more!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 13, 2013
• ISBN: 9781449783440

John J. Melescue

JOHN MELESCUE, MSAE, MSEnvE, P.E. has combined his training in multidimensional systems in aerospace and environmental engineering with over two decades of biblical study to interpret carefully the book of Revelation from the three frames of reference for which it was designed. On a personal note, God has blessed him with a lovely wife and two wonderful daughters.

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Copyright © 2013 John J. Melescue.

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-8345-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-8346-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-8344-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013901647

WestBow Press rev. date: 6/12/2013

Contents

Dedication And Acknowledgments

Chapter 1       The Design Of Revelation

Introduction

Jesus’ Final Warning Of His Imminent Vengeance And Wrath

The Distribution Dilemma

The Distribution Resolution: The Design Of Revelation

Chapter 2       Revelation: The Interpretation Of The Sanhedrin

What Was (Before Revelation): A Brief History Of The Nation Of Israel

What Is (At The Time Of Revelation): The State Of The Nation Of Israel

What Is To Come (Shortly After Revelation): The Advent Of The Messiah

Revelation: The Interpretation Of The Sanhedrin

Results

Chapter 3       Revelation: The Interpretation Of The Romans

What Was (Before Revelation): A Brief History Of The Roman Empire

What Is (At The Time Of Revelation): The State Of The Roman Empire

What Is To Come (Shortly After Revelation): The Return Of The Roman Gods

Revelation: The Interpretation Of The Romans

Results

Chapter 4       Revelation: The Interpretation Of Jesus’ Disciples

What Was (Before Revelation): Jesus’ Fulfillment Of Prophecy

What Is (At The Time Of Revelation): The State Of Jesus’ Kingdom Of God

What Is To Come (Shortly After Revelation): The Return Of Jesus Christ

Revelation: The Interpretation Of Jesus’ Disciples

Results

Chapter 5       The Fulfillment Of Revelation

Review Of The Situation

Death Of Nero

Roman Civil War

Destruction Of The City And Sanctuary

Jewish Rebellion In Rome

War Aftermath

Accomplishing The Great Commission

Chapter 6       Summary Of Current Eschatological Systems

Messianic Dominion Theology (Preterism)

Satanic Dominion Theology (Futurist Premillennialism)

Co-Dominion Theology (Amillennialism)

Arguments Against Messianic Dominion Theology

Appendix: The Current Status Of The Temple Grounds

Bibliography

Extended Bibliography On Messianic Dominion Theology

Extended Bibliography On Co-Dominion And Satanic Dominion Theology

Endnotes

Dedication and Acknowledgments

Dedicated to

My lovely wife, Suzanne,

and my two beautiful daughters, Amber and Jayme:

For their patience and love

and being wonderful blessings from God.

I gratefully acknowledge,

Jim Watkins

for his skillful and thorough editing

and invaluable advice.

Preface

The purpose of this book is to present an interpretation of Revelation from each of the three target audiences for which it was designed: the Sanhedrin, the Romans, and the disciples of Jesus Christ. I set out to show that Revelation is an easy to understand three-dimensional parable whose interpretation is the fulfillment of the eschatology (that is, the final matters and end state) of the respective religions for each of the three targeted audiences. The final chapter presents the three types of interpretations being taught today in seminary schools and churches throughout the world. It provides a brief summary of the interpretation of the disciples of Jesus, which is typically referred to as preterism (in which the prophecy of the end concerned the end of the age of the Mosaic law and therefore is in our past). It also explains how Christians not familiar with the multidimensional design arrive at the two other eschatological systems: futurist premillennialism (which typically includes a future tribulation and rapture of Christians as the world’s state of sin gets worse and worse) and amillennialism (a hybrid between the preterist view and the futurist view).

I used the King James Version (KJV) (copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., used by permission, all rights reserved) for presenting Scripture because it translates some key verses more accurately than other Bible versions, although any Bible version available today would have sufficed. There were three key words in the KJV translation that required clarification. I’ll present these below and explain how I handled them in this book.

The Greek word gé means both earth and land. Some Bible versions, such as Young’s Literal Translation, translates it as land more often than the KJV. As I’ll present in this book, both interpretations of gé are valid—it has a double meaning, which is an integral part of the design! I’ll show that in some cases in which gé was translated earth, it must be interpreted as land because it is a reference to the Promised Land, the holy city of Jerusalem, the capital of the nation of Israel. For these cases, I replaced the word earth with the Greek gé when quoting the Scripture to maintain the original language and added in brackets the necessary interpretation for that instance: gé [land: the Promised Land, Jerusalem/Israel].

Another Greek word aión, also has at least two meanings: world and age. In this case, a double meaning is not part of the design—it simply needs to be interpreted properly with today’s use of language. During the time of Christ’s earthly ministry, world did not always mean the physical planet; it could also mean the world as it currently existed, referring to the powers in place at that time that included governmental, military, economic, and cultural aspects. Many modern Bibles have translated this Greek word as age in many instances (where the KJV used world) so the meaning would be better understood today. As with the Greek word gé, I replaced the word world in the Scriptural quotes with the Greek word "aión" where necessary to maintain the original language, and added in brackets the proper interpretation for that instance: aión [age].

The third Greek word needing clarification is ouranós, meaning the dwelling place of God. During the time of the first generation of disciples, there were three dwelling places of God that ouranós could refer to: Solomon’s temple, His dwelling place under the old covenant system; the hearts of man, His dwelling place under the new covenant system; and His eternal dwelling place in the cosmos. I’ll go into more detail about how Jesus cleverly used the various meanings of this word to His advantage during my presentation of the interpretation of the disciples of Jesus.

Since the temple in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry can be referred to in various ways, and its importance is paramount for the interpretations I’ll present, I will note here how I referred to it throughout the book to help prevent any confusion for the reader. The temple of God Solomon built around 975 BC was destroyed by Babylon (586 BC), rebuilt by Zerubbabel (around 457 BC), and extensively refurbished by Herod the Great (starting around 20 BC). This temple can be referred to as Solomon’s temple, Zerubbabel’s temple, Herod’s temple, or simply as the temple. This book is concerned only with the temple in general, not a specific instance of it as mentioned above. However, to avoid confusion with other temples of false gods and religions mentioned in this book, such as those of the imperial cult (the deification and worship of the Roman emperor), I will always refer to the temple in Jerusalem as Solomon’s temple, even during the time of Christ’s earthly ministry.

One final note before we get started—the KJV used italics in the Scripture to indicate words for which there are no direct correspondents in the original Hebrew and Greek texts. For this book I followed the recommendation by The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style: all original Scripture italicized in the KJV is presented in regular typeface. All italics that appear in this book other than foreign words and references are for author’s emphasis.

1

The Design of Revelation

INTRODUCTION

Inspired by the Devil, the Sanhedrin and Romans had slain the Lord Jesus, and now they were brutally murdering His disciples to rid the earth of His kingdom. The situation for Jesus’ followers was bleak. Following the great fire of Rome in AD 64, which destroyed over a third of the city, Nero blamed the Christians, thus deflecting rumors that he had set the fires himself. He issued an empire-wide decree to round up the disciples of Jesus and executed them in horrifying fashion during public ceremonies. This included the execution of two of Jesus’ apostles: Peter by crucifixion and Paul by beheading.

The situation for the disciples in Israel was equally terrifying. The men of the Sanhedrin were responding to Jesus’ teachings with similar, extreme measures, charging Jesus’ disciples with being false prophets according to the old, covenantal law of Leviticus, so they were also executing Christians as they saw fit.

God grieved for His beloved, watching in horror as they underwent persecution and suffered torture and death. They tried to keep the faith even unto death, fighting their fears and emotions so they might do as Jesus asked—to pray for their enemies. Not returning evil with evil but with good, they kept the words of God close to their hearts: Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord (Rom. 12:19).

Finally, after the church had endured three decades of persecution following the Lord’s ascension into heaven, the time for His vengeance had come—the avenging of the blood of His saints was at hand! The nation of Israel and the Roman Empire would stand before the judgment seat of the almighty God, charged with extortion, theft, hypocrisy, adultery, lying, shutting up the kingdom of God against men, and most grievous of all, the murder of His beloved.

The verdict was read: guilty as charged on all accounts. The sentence was issued: death by fire, smoke, and brimstone. Then almighty God filled the vials of wrath until they overflowed with His fury. The angels in heaven gave a harkening blast on the trumpets of war, shaking the very foundations of heaven and earth. And the armies of the Lord prepared for battle, for the great day of God’s wrath had come, and no one would be able to stand against it.

JESUS’ FINAL WARNING OF HIS IMMINENT VENGEANCE AND WRATH

Before Jesus could carry out God’s judgment of His archenemies during that first generation of disciples, He had one more task to accomplish: He had sent His disciples into Judea and Rome to serve as His witnesses—now He had to get them out. As He promised His beloved through His prophet Malachi (3:16–18), He first had to physically separate those who served the Lord from those who did not so He would not pour out His wrath on His disciples. Remaining true to His promise, He delivered to His servants a letter recorded by John that gave His final warning of imminent judgment against His enemies. This special letter contained a hidden message only His disciples could unravel: terminate your evangelism, get out of Jerusalem and Rome, and flee to the safe haven I have provided, for the day and the hour of my vengeance and wrath are at hand!

In Revelation, Jesus instructed John to deliver this urgent message of cataclysmic importance to the churches in seven cities of Asia Minor, which would then send the message throughout the world (Rev. 1:11). If Jesus had presented this important message to all His disciples privately, it may have sounded something like this.

Dearly beloved,

As it was written, so it shall be fulfilled—the time of my vengeance and wrath upon my enemies has come. You must get out of Jerusalem and Rome now and flee to the mountains of Judea. I shall destroy their temples and desolate their lands and remove their kingdoms from before me, and then they shall know I am the Lord. Blessed are they who hear these words and take them to heart, for the time is at hand.

I tore the veil from top to bottom; heaven now stands open, and the river of life is now flowing. Come Jews, come Gentiles; come drink from the water of the river of life. Those who hear my voice and follow me, come join me at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb!

THE DISTRIBUTION DILEMMA

Before John received Revelation from Jesus Christ, the Romans had captured him, exiling him to the island of Patmos. Notice the paradox of John’s situation: Jesus did not give John Revelation before his arrest, when he was capable of personally delivering it to the seven churches. Nor did Jesus give Revelation to another disciple after John was captured and exiled. On the contrary, Jesus waited for John to be arrested and exiled to Patmos, and then He gave John the urgent message of Revelation, precisely when John was incapable of delivering it! Ironically, at this point, the only people with whom John had contact—the only people to whom he could hand it and solicit help for its delivery—were the Roman guards holding him on Patmos.

If Jesus had dictated Revelation literally to John such as I presented above, and if John had handed it to the Romans and asked them to make copies and distribute them to the seven churches in Asia Minor, neither John nor the letter would have made it off the island. In all likelihood, the letter would have been burned, and John would have been beheaded. Herein lies the dilemma John would have faced for distributing this anti-Roman, anti-Israeli letter: how could he deliver it to the seven Christian churches in the cities of Asia Minor as the angel had commanded? Once these churches received the letter, how could Christians have freely spread its message throughout the major marketplaces of the world for all their fellow disciples to hear without fearing the Roman and Israeli authorities? Once the disciples heard the message, how could they flee to the mountains of Judea without being hindered or killed by their enemies?

Did God send an angel to put the Roman guards on Patmos to sleep so John could pass the letter to another disciple who would smuggle it out of the prison and off the island? Did Jesus blind the minds of the Romans and apostate Israelites so when they saw the letter in the marketplaces they would not recognize it as such, nor see the Christians fleeing into the mountains? No, this level of divine intervention was not necessary, not for the Lord. He devised a masterful plan that worked with His enemies’ own free will, just as He had done throughout Old Testament times. The key for the quick and unhindered worldwide distribution of God’s urgent and cataclysmic message of Revelation to His disciples lay hidden in its clever design.

THE DISTRIBUTION RESOLUTION: THE DESIGN OF REVELATION

There was no one more powerful and more capable of delivering John’s letter to the seven Christian churches of the major cities of Asia Minor and then helping them make copies and distributing them to all the major marketplaces of the world and finally encouraging everyone to read it than Jesus’ two archenemies His letter said He was about to destroy: the Roman Empire and the apostate nation of Israel! In a multidimensional masterpiece of mental manipulation, they would all concur that the world conquest of the kingdom of God was at hand! There was, however, one small discrepancy in their interpretations—whose kingdom was the true kingdom of God.

THE INTERPRETATION JESUS DESIGNED FOR THE ROMANS

World conquest was the divine destiny and foremost objective of the mighty Roman Empire. Established in 753 BC by Romulus—the demigod son of Mars, the son of the king god Jupiter (according to Roman legend and an integral part of the Roman religion)—the empire was the kingdom of God. The Roman emperors of the Caesarian dynasty claimed blood lineage reaching back to Romulus, each exalting himself as a demigod and as lord and savior of the world. They demanded emperor worship, sometimes torturing and killing those who refused.

At the time of John’s vision of Revelation, which he recorded to have happened during Nero’s reign, probably around the spring of AD 68, the Romans were still capturing and executing the disciples of Jesus, whom Caesar blamed for the great fire of Rome that occurred in July 64. (Later chapters will expound on the dating of Revelation as the interpretation of its message unfolds).

The Romans were simultaneously at war with Israel as they tried to put down the Jewish revolt that started in the fall of 67. As the Romans’ suppression of the revolt progressed, the political situation in Rome deteriorated. Nero had ordered the execution of many Roman military and political leaders he felt were threats to his emperorship. His opponents were growing rapidly in strength and numbers even though they feared their own executions. This fed Nero’s paranoia of a coup even more.

The Jewish revolt had also taken its toll on the empire, inspiring other Roman provinces to revolt against decades of Roman oppression. It became an anxious and fearful time for the Roman authorities as the fabric of the empire was unraveling and the situation becoming more desperate each day. The Romans prayed for the intervention of Mars, their god of war, to help them defeat their current enemies, to regain control of their conquered territories throughout the world, and eventually to fulfill their divine destiny to take dominion over the earth.

The Roman authorities were students neither of Jesus nor of the Old Testament prophesies. As they read Revelation, therefore, their Roman religion guided their interpretation—an interpretation that led them to a startling and climactic conclusion. It prophesied of the imminent return of Romulus, the defeat of their two archenemies—the Jews and Christians—and the ultimate fulfillment of the eschatology of the Roman religion: the world conquest of the Roman Empire, the true kingdom of God! As a result, they gave John their full support for delivering, copying, distributing, and reading of Revelation by all throughout the world!

THE INTERPRETATION JESUS DESIGNED FOR THE SANHEDRIN

The Romans had devastated the Promised Land as they marched through the cities of Israel and crushed the Jewish revolt. They slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Jews in the process whether those Jews supported the Jewish revolt or not. The Roman soldiers released their fury and rage against them, blaming the Jews for all Rome’s problems and the death of many Roman soldiers. In addition to being at war with the mighty Roman Empire, the Sanhedrin and apostate Jews were fighting the disciples of Jesus over their doctrines and covenants with God—the very heart of their power and authority and wealth and social status. It was a desperate time for the Sanhedrin and apostate Jews—they needed their Messiah to come quickly to their aid to destroy their two archenemies before their enemies destroyed them.

Members of the Sanhedrin were not followers of Jesus, so they didn’t know many of His teachings, especially those Jesus had taught privately to His disciples. Hence, the Sanhedrin and apostate Jews were kept ignorant of the true meaning of Jesus’ public teachings, for without a parable spake he not unto them [the multitudes] (Mark 4:34).

So it was also with the letter of Revelation, the public presentation of the vision of John. As the Sanhedrin and other apostate Jews read Revelation, their interpretation was guided by their Old Testament teachings of biblical Judaism. As with the Romans, their interpretation provided an equally startling and climactic conclusion. It prophesied the imminent advent of their Messiah, the defeat of their two archenemies—the Romans and Christians—and the ultimate, literal fulfillment of the eschatology of biblical Judaism: the world conquest of the nation of Israel, the true kingdom of God! Revelation perfectly coincided with their expectations of how God would fulfill the Old Testament prophecies. As a result, they gave John their full support for the deliverance, copying, distribution, and reading of Revelation by all throughout the world!

THE INTERPRETATION JESUS DESIGNED FOR HIS DISCIPLES

Jesus’ disciples were of course privy to all His teachings, and one very important teaching we note here. First, notice that Jesus spoke "many things unto them in parables … All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them (Matt. 13:3–34). If you ever wondered why Jesus spoke publicly in parables, you need not wonder any more, for the disciples asked Jesus that question after He presented to the multitudes the parable of the sower: Why speakest thou unto them in parables?" (Matt. 13:10). Now pay close attention to Jesus’ response.

He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive. (Matt. 13:11–14)

Notice that Jesus did not provide an answer such as I speak to them in parables to help them better understand my teachings. No. The reason He spoke in parables was just the opposite: to hide His true message from His enemies and to teach His disciples in private how to interpret them.

Now compare what Jesus said about His enemies’ inability to understand His parables I just presented with what He told His disciples about their ability to understand them: "But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear" (Matt. 13:16). In other words, the teachings of Jesus, not the interpretation of the Romans or Sanhedrin, would reveal the true meaning of His parables, the teachings only His disciples possessed.

Jesus spent much time with His disciples teaching them how to interpret His parables. In the gospel of Matthew are fifteen parables, with Mark adding that "without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples" (Mark 4:34). Luke even records a warning from Jesus to His disciples to be careful how they hear, because He planned on presenting important information to them in such a way that they would hear and understand it but their enemies would not: "For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. Take heed therefore how ye hear" (Luke 8:18).

Jesus got frustrated with His disciples when they were not making the connections necessary to interpret even His simple parables such as when He was teaching them to [t]ake heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees (Matt. 16:6). The disciples thought He was talking about bread to eat, so Jesus had to correct them, saying,

How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. (Matt. 16:11–12)

But the disciples did eventually learn how to interpret Jesus’ parables, and it was time for them to apply everything they had learned from Jesus’ private instruction with them because they were about to read Jesus’ presentation to the multitudes of His greatest parable of all—Revelation.

As I previously presented, when John recorded Revelation around the spring of 68, the three archenemies (the main subjects of Revelation) were at war with each other: the Romans were still capturing and executing the disciples of Jesus; they were still at war with Israel as they were trying to put down the Jewish revolt and had yet to attack the heavily fortified city of Jerusalem, the nation’s capital; and the Sanhedrin was at war with the disciples of Jesus over its doctrines and covenants with God, which was the basis for the power and authority it possessed under the old covenant sacrificial system.

So what did the Romans and apostate Israelites interpret from John’s letter of Revelation? They heard exactly what their wicked hearts and itching ears wanted to hear, and they became vain in their imaginations. While professing themselves to be wise, they became fools (Romans 1:21–22).

2

Revelation: The Interpretation of the Sanhedrin

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Before presenting the interpretation of Revelation by the Israeli authorities, let’s review the state of affairs of the nation of Israel at the time Revelation was written and how this situation came to be. As you read this section, be aware of the political and religious turmoil that existed between the Jewish factions within Israel and the extremely desperate situation Israel found itself in with the Roman Empire at this time. Revelation was designed around these disastrous circumstances Israel faced, for divine intervention was now required for its survival.

WHAT WAS (BEFORE REVELATION): A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE NATION OF ISRAEL

HEROD THE GREAT AND THE BUILDING OF AN EMPIRE

After Julius Caesar’s assassination in 44 BC and his adopted son’s victory over his enemies to take control of the empire, Herod pledged his support to Octavian, who subsequently allowed him to remain king of Israel. Herod delved into grandiose building projects to glorify Israel and to establish his own legacy. He started with erecting theaters in Jerusalem, a hippodrome (for horse and chariot racing), and a large amphitheater. In 27 BC, after Octavian changed his name to Augustus (meaning the exalted one), Herod erected an entire city made of white stone and named it Caesarea in his honor, making it a major port along the shore of the Mediterranean. He crowned the city with a temple to support the cult of emperor worship, complete with the offering of sacrifices to Augustus. In 24 BC, he built the Herodian palace in the upper city, which he heavily fortified and adorned in gold and precious stones. He also built the Herodian fortress south of Jerusalem and the cities of Antipatris and Phasaelis in memory of his father and brother respectively.

In addition to all these grandiose building projects, he considered his crowning achievement the reconstruction of Solomon’s temple. He spared no expense because he thought this temple would win him the adoration of the Jews and increase his political power. He started the temple’s reconstruction in 20 BC, and it became operational in 10 BC. After his death around 4 BC, the temple’s construction continued until its completion in AD 64.

DECADES OF CONFLICT FOR THE CONTROL OF ISRAEL

The desire for power and control poisoned the royal family—rumors of conspiracies and coups were rampant throughout Herod’s reign. He became paranoid of his own family, ultimately fearing for his life. The consequences were dramatic: to eliminate the threat to his throne, he executed his second wife and three of his sons. He ordered the assassination of many of the Sanhedrin and put to death some of his closest friends. Around 4 BC, after speaking to some magi who were looking for the god child who would become the king of Israel in fulfillment of the Jewish prophesies, he had all the babies in Bethlehem under the age of two murdered (Matt. 2:16). At Herod’s death that year, Augustus divided Herod’s kingdom among his three surviving sons in accordance to his will: Archelaus, the principal successor, was appointed tetrarch (or joint ruler) of Judea, along with Idumea and Samaria, with the promise of being crowned king of Israel if his rule as tetrarch was successful (he was addressed as king throughout his reign); Antipas was made tetrarch of Galilee and Perea; and Philip II was made tetrarch of Gaulanitis, Batanea, and Trachonitis.

Archelaus’s reign was a disaster—many Jews, including his own family, did not like him. During one incident when the Jews rioted against his rule, Archelaus retaliated by killing three thousand rioters on the temple grounds. His older brother, Antipas, challenged him for the rule of his territories by traveling to Rome and appealing to Caesar. This forced Archelaus also to travel to Rome to defend himself against the appeal. With the Israeli leaders absent, the procurator of Syria, Sabinus (who was also appointed by Rome), took advantage of the situation by marching his troops into Jerusalem to steal Herod’s property. This sparked a Jewish rebellion against Sabinus to break out throughout Judea, with Sabinus and his men being pinned down in the city. Then Varus, the governor of Syria, had to send in his army to rescue Sabinus and take control of the city. Thousands of Jews, Romans, and Arabs were killed in the fiasco.

In AD 6, after a census was ordered for establishing Roman taxes, some Jewish leaders called for revolution. This started a fourth movement in Israel called the Zealots, led by Judas the Galilean and Sadduc, a leading Pharisee. These four movements in Israel included

•   the Pharisees, who ran the temple and adhered to strict observance of their doctrine and commandments, believing that souls survive death and receive rewards and punishment;

•   the Sadducees, who believed that souls die with physical death and therefore did not believe in the resurrection;

•   the Essenes, who believe that souls are immortal, but they had a different ritual of purification than the Pharisees and therefore were not allowed in the temple;

•   and the Zealots, who were basically Pharisees but aggressively demanded liberty from Roman rule and the worship of the God of Israel alone.

After starting the Zealot movement, Judas the Galilean incited the Jews to revolt against the Roman oppression. The rebellion grew but was brutally crushed by the Romans. Josephus records that the Jews endured much suffering and death at the hands of the Zealots, who caused more misery than that inflicted on them even by the Romans.

All sorts of misfortunes also sprang from these men [the Zealots], and the nation was infected with this doctrine to an incredible degree; one violent war came upon us after another, and we lost our friends, who used to alleviate our pains; there were also very great robberies and murders of our principal men. This was done in pretense indeed for the public welfare, but in reality for the hopes of gain to themselves; whence arose seditions, and from them murders of men, which sometimes fell on those of their own people.¹

In AD 6, after ten years of Archelaus’s oppression of the Jews and Samaritans, they went before Augustus to accuse him of abuse of authority and brutality throughout his tenure. Caesar sided with the Jews and Samaritans, banishing Archelaus to Vienne, a city in Gaul, and converting Judea into a Roman province.

In AD 26, Tiberius appointed Pontius Pilate, a close political ally, as procurator of Judea. During Pilate’s reign, another Jewish movement started, this time led by John the Baptist. Herod Antipas (the tetrarch of Galilee and Perea at the time) became fearful of John because John had gathered a significant following and was seen as a threat to lead a rebellion. John was also critical about Herod Antipas’s new marriage with Herodias, the original wife of Herod’s half-brother Philip, whom she divorced for Antipas. John charged this was a gross violation of Jewish law that forbade marriage to a brother’s wife unless the brother was deceased and was childless (Lev. 18:16). The situation that evolved was recorded by Matthew.

For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife. For John said unto him, It