It’s Important To Remember by Robert Socha

“If the foundations [of a godly society] are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Psalm 11:3 AMP

It is necessary to remind ourselves the foundations of our Faith culminate amid a season where
the celebration of God’s Son’s Advent ensues around the globe and the final day of Hanukkah, where we remember in the festival of lights how God ensured victory over an enemy, probably the most powerful military of the time, by miraculously causing one day of oil to last eight days.  I believe reinforcing our Faith through these annual festivals is of utmost importance.

I wrote the following piece a few years ago, with a brief historical overview of the birth of
Christ, the political plots, and the amazing grace that brought prophecy to life. I thought it is
appropriate to revisit this foundation and see the Hope that lies through Faith in a teenage girl
hearing from heaven and giving birth to the greatest Gift the world has ever known:

Few historical events have shaped Western history. The Iliad, Homer’s epic, is one. It illustrated the perils of Paris’ decision to take Helen and Ulysses’ Trojan horse. There are the Greek and
Roman societies that gave us the model for republicanism. Preeminent among them is the birth
of Christ in an obscure yet valuable eastern edge of the Roman empire. No other event has so
impacted the modern world. Even our calendar is separated by his birth, although it is off by a
few years. 1

Nevertheless, the political events of the day when Christ was born were alarming. The Caesars
were holding onto power through force and despotism. The enemies of Rome were a constant
annoyance and required special attention. Herod, who ruled Judea, was charged with keeping the
Jewish people in line and the eastern front secure, especially against the Parthians (Alexander the Great’s Persian empire’s successors after its collapse due to his untimely death). Through
Quirinius’s directive, Herod’s requirement to take a census to maintain his military strength
compelled a young couple to return to Judea, specifically the little town of Bethlehem. Once
there, the betrothed Mary gave birth to the supernaturally conceived King of kings. Today, we
call Him Yeshua, translated Jesus.

The Parthians had a class of people who could read the stars and understand the times. They
were descendants of the great seers of Babylon called the Magi. These Magi, Rome’s enemies,
were a constant threat as they intended to conquer land on the Mediterranean Sea’s eastern shore, land such as Judea.

The Roman Senate had declared Herod “King of the Jews” around 37 BC, and he ruled the client
state of Judea from that time until shortly after Christ was born. One day several Magi came to
him from the east, probably Parthia, and asked him where the King of the Jews was born.
Imagine, for a moment, the king’s pride and arrogance since he had already received that
appointment. Imperiled by these sworn enemy seers’ request to show the way to a potential
replacement, his charge to protect the empire’s eastern edge intensified. On the other hand, the
Magi were playing a political game, courting favor with gifts and kneeling (worship) before this
newborn King, hoping it might secure them political points in the future. Hence, they fled Judea,
avoiding Herod’s court.

When Herod realized he had been deceived and declared all the Jewish boys two and under to be
killed, Joseph’s family fled to Egypt, financed by the Magi, and took refuge there, for Herod had
no jurisdiction to pursue beyond the borders of his province. Caesar himself solely commanded
the breadbasket of the ancient world.

After Herod’s death, the Divine family could return to Judea, settle in Nazareth, and raise their
Son, who would ultimately become the Living Sacrifice, taking away the sins of the world.

I find it intriguing that the God of the ages would move on the heart of a pagan king to order a
census, forcing a family to travel to Bethlehem. He would work on the heart of the Magi to come
and bring gifts, enabling that family to flee destruction and live for a time in Egypt. And He
would speak to the father’s heart to return to Judea and fulfill the Child’s prophetic destiny.

I believe that God still works in ways that will drive pagans to declare a thing, ushering into
motion events fulfilling prophecy. These times we are in are foreshadowing Revelation’s
narrative, preparing the world’s population to submit to things to come, things such as not buying or selling without the mark of the beast, a one-world government, a cashless society, and abject obedience to the ruler of the age.

He will continue to work in the Believer’s hearts to strengthen and lead them in the paths of
Righteousness, building the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth, ultimately ushering in the Return
of this Babe, wrapped in swaddling cloths, who lay in a manger in Bethlehem, 2,000 years ago.

1 I want to thank Dr. Kenneth Calvert, professor of history at Hillsdale College, for his lecture “Understanding the Nativity of Christ,” which provided much fodder for this piece.