A Deeper Look at Matthew:  An End-Times Bible Study
Copyright 2012
 
          
Matthew 2
 
After Jesus is born in "Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king," some "wise men from the east" want to pay Jesus a visit.  They come from their country to Jerusalem and ask where the "King of the Jews" has been born.  Do you know what these scriptures mean by "wise men?"  Well, woven throughout the entire Bible, wisdom is held in high esteem and treasured (Proverbs 8:11) while foolishness is condemned (Proverbs 18:7 and throughout Proverbs).  Because wisdom is good and foolishness is bad we know that people who possess wisdom (or are wise) are good people and go to heaven.  Contrarily, to be foolish is bad and people like this go to hell.  Therefore, these wise men are children of God, and this makes them Jesus' brethren (Mark 3:35).
            You will note here in Matthew chapter two that these wise men are looking for the "King of the Jews."  (These are the same words that will be nailed above Jesus' head as He is dying on the cross later on in Matthew 27.)  The wise men say that they have seen Jesus' "star in the east, and are come to worship him."  When Herod hears of this, he is "troubled, and all Jerusalem with him."  Why is Herod troubled?  Well, look at what is said about this Child Jesus - the "King of the Jews."  Herod is the king of the Roman province of Judaea and he wants to stay that way!  Well, then, why would Jerusalem also be troubled?  Simply, Jesus is not the type of "Christ" they are looking for; although, they were looking for the Christ (and still are to this very day.)  The real Christ, Jesus, though, is not the type of Christ they want and this is the same reason they torture and kill Him thirty years later.  However, the antichrist that arises in the last days will go by the name "Jesus Christ (http://end-times-prophecy.com/blog/?p=2924)" and him the Jews will accept as the Christ.
            So Herod gathers the chief priests and scribes of the people to himself and demands from them where the Christ should be born.  They tell him he will be born in Bethlehem of Judaea, as it is written in Micah 5:2, 4.  Next, Herod calls for the "wise men" and asks them when they saw the star.  He then sends them to Bethlehem, telling them to search for the Child and, when they have found him, to bring him word so that he can "worship" him also.  Then, the wise men depart and follow the star they see in the east, till they are led to where Jesus is located.  2:10 tells us that "when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy."  They have joy because they are children of God and are of Jesus' brethren.  Herod does not and will not have this joy over the birth of Jesus because he is evil and is an enemy of Jesus.
            Finally, the wise men come to the house where Jesus is and fall down and worship Him.  Then, they open up their treasures and present to Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  They are then warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, and so they depart for their own country by another route.
            After the wise men leave, the angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him to take Mary and Jesus and head down to Egypt, because Herod has now shown who he really is and wants to kill the baby Jesus.  So, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus pack up and head to Egypt during the night.  They stay down in Egypt until Herod dies.  Thus, Hosea 11:1 is now fulfilled.
            Herod, seeing he is "mocked" of the wise men, now gets very angry and decides to kill all the children in Bethlehem and all its coasts, who are two years of age and younger.  (Talk about evil!)  He wants to make sure Baby Jesus never lives to become the "King of the Jews!"  By doing this, Jeremiah 31:15 is fulfilled, which says, "In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not."
            Finally, after some time, wicked Herod dies and an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream.  The angel tells him to take the young child and His mom and head back to Israel, for those seeking to kill Jesus are now dead.  So, they pack up and head back to Israel.  Joseph hears that Archelaus, the son of Herod, is ruling in Judaea and is afraid to go there.  Nevertheless, God warns Joseph in a dream and they head toward the parts of Galilee, taking up residence in Nazareth.  This fulfills yet another prophecy about the Christ, that "He shall be called a Nazarene."