kings and rulers in Satan's world

Persian domination

Before moving on to ➡ the witnessing to the kings by apostle Paul, I will review about the political environment of Jerusalem in the first century CE.

Then you will be able to better understand Christian's relations with the rulers of the world.

In 539 BCE, God released the Jews from the Babylon using Persian king Cyrus the Great to let them reconstruct the state of Israel in Palestine.

Israel became a satellite state of Persian empire and was under the rule of the governor appointed by the Persian empire.

The Persian empire appointed the Jewish Zerubbabel and Nehemiah as a governor. So Israel could maintain national religious function as God's people until the next World Empire Greece emerged.

Greek domination

As Daniel's prophecies, Alexander the Great of Greece beat the Persian Empire and expanded the empire with quick momentum. When he invaded Jerusalem after attacking Tyre according to Ezekiel's prophecy (26: 4, 12) in 332 BCE, Jerusalem escaped from the destruction as Alexander had been shown the prediction of himself in Daniel chp 8 according to the historian Josephus' writings.

Later, in 323 BCE Alexander the Great died at the age of 32, the the Greek Empire like a winged leopard was divided among Alexander's four generals.

Seleucus Nicator occupied Mesopotamia and Syria,
Cassander occupied Macedonia and Greece,
Ptolemy Lagus occupied Egypt and Palestine,
Lysimachus occupied Thrace and Asia Minor.

Palestine was initially dominated by Ptolemy, then Jerusalem was captured by Syrian Antiochus the Great and became a vassal state of the Seleucus dynasty in 198 BCE.

Since the conquest of Alexander in 332 BCE, the influence of Greek domination became a threat to Judaism. The Greek colony was formed in Palestine, the number of Greek-speaking immigrants increased, and the pagan worship stadium was built in Jerusalem, the entertainment and religious doctrine advanced Greek culture and philosophy.

The Greek religious teaching of immortality and the world after death gradually began to take root in Judaism.

Maccabean reformation

In 168 BCE Syrian Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) dedicated the temple of Jerusalem to Zeus in order to Hellenize the Jews and defiled the altar with pagan sacrifice.

This caused the rebellion of the Jewish priest Maccabean or Hasmonaean, and the Jews regained control of Jerusalem and its temple on the 25th day of Chislev in 165 BCE.

And by Judahs Maccabaeus the day was considered a "festival of dedication or Hanukkah" and that festival has been continuing from the time of Jesus to the present day. (Joh 10:22)

The religious purge by Judahs Maccabaeus made forced religious conversion upon Greek immigrants and heathens.

By around 125 BCE, the Maccabean John Hyrcanus I conquered Idumea and circumcised the Edomites who were descendants of Esau Jacob's twin brothers in order to force them to convert to Judaism, in this way Edomites became nominal Jews.

Edomites proxy king

King Alexander Jannaeus of the Maccabean appointed Idumean Antipater I (Antipas I) to the Governor of Idumea.

This Edomite Antipater I is the father of King Herod who appears in the Bible.

Roman domination

The era moved from the Greek world empire to the Roman world empire.

About 160 BCE, Jews sought assistance from Rome to become independent from Greek domination.

About 142 BCE Simon Maccabaeus became independent from Greek taxation and made Jerusalem as the capital of the autonomous region.

In 104 BCE Aristobulus I of the Maccabean becomes the high priest and king.

Edomite royalty
Antipater I was given the authority of the governor of Idumea from the Maccabean family, the high priest and king of the Jews.
⇓
Antipater II obtained the Roman citizenship and the governorship from Roman emperor Julius Caesar.
⇓
Herod the Great was appointed to the king of the Jewish province in 39 BCE by the Roman senate. He was the ruler of Palestine at the birth of Christ.

Herod the Great

Antipater II made his eldest son Phasael the governor of Jerusalem and Herod the governor of Galilee.

The Maccabees are said to be a Levitical priestly family, but they ruled as high priests and kings.

notes) Maccabees (meaning hammer) is a nickname; officially they were Hasmoneans. The Hasmoneans were not an Aaronic priestly family. The Hasmoneans were likely Simeonites rather than Levites. They were the ones who usurped the legitimate high priestly authority of the lineage of high priest Zadok and became powerful in Israel. The Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, also a Hasmonean, wrote favorably about the Maccabees. In 166 BCE, at the end of the Seleucid dynasty in Greece, a rebellion by the Hasmoneans broke out, and Israel became independent of Greek rule and continued to be run by the Hasmonean dynasty until it was made a vassal state by Rome in 37 BCE. The Maccabean high priests and rulers who gained the authority of the high priesthood and regional rulership engaged in a secular power struggle with Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The Catholic Church recognizes 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees as canonical scripture, but it is impossible to consider the Maccabean revolt, the power struggles within the Hasmonean dynasty, or Hanukkah (the Feast of Dedication) as guidance from God. Much of Judaism does not include the book of Maccabees in its scriptures. Rather, the Hasmoneans were severely condemned by the Qumran community, which left behind the Dead Sea Scrolls, as usurpers of legitimate priestly authority.

There was a struggle for control among the sons of Alexander Jannaeus, the king of the Maccabean family.

The sons of Alexander Jannaeus

1. John Hyrcanus II
2. Aristobulus

Their struggle of the control over Jerusalem turned out to be a conflict between Sadducees who defended Maccabean rule and the Pharisees who opposed against it.

At that time the Roman Empire dispatched generals Gnaeus Pompey to Jerusalem to calm down the mess there. General Pompe attacked Jerusalem in 63 BCE after a siege for three months and made it a Roman vassal state.

The Roman Empire appointed Idumean Antipater II to the Roman Governor General of the Jewish province, and the Jewish Maccabean family to the high priest and the local consular officer of Jerusalem.

Later, in 39 BCE, Herod, the son of Antipater II, was appointed to the king of Judea by the Roman Senate, and three years later he deposed Antigonus, the son of Aristobulus of Maccabean family, and began dominating Jerusalem in effect from around 36 BCE.

After that, he persuaded Roman Senate Mark Antony to kill Maccabean's last ruler Antigonus and 45 men in his family.

Herod the Great
Herod was shameful, cunning, suspicious, immoral, cold-hearted, brutal, for the sake of maintaining power.

This is the characteristic of a human rulers. Nothing is limited to Herod. If you examine the history, you will see that the rulers have acted extremely animal-like according to the principle of the law of the jungle and survival of the fittest. It is still the same now and will not change in the future either.

The sons of the kingdom will tell such rulers also the good news of God's salvation.

One of the wives of Herod the Great, Mariamne I was the granddaughter of Hyrcanus II, the high priest of the Maccabean family.
Herod the Great killed his wife, wife's relatives, his friends, three sons, others, out of suspicion.

Family of Herod the Great (a part)

Wife	child	grandchild	great grandchild
Mariamne I	Aristobulus	Herod Agrippa I Herodias	Herod Agrippa II
Mariamne II	Herod Philip
Malthace	Herod Antipas

Herodias was the daughter of Aristobulus, the granddaughter of the King Herod, the sister of Herod Agrippa I. At the beginning she was the wife of Herod Philip, one of her uncle, and then she left her husband to become the wife of Herod Antipas, another her uncle. She killed John the Baptist for being reproved that immoral relationship.

Herod Antipas permitted the beheading of John the Baptist. Jesus called him "fox."
Herod Agrippa murdered James, John's brother and confined Peter in prison.
Herod Agrippa II with the Roman consular Festus heard testimony from Paul.

Herod the Great
71 BCE He was born.
39 BCE He was appointed to the King of the Jewish provinces by the Roman Senate.
36 BCE He captured Jerusalem.
2 BCE He killed all children under 2 years old in Bethlehem to eliminate Christ
I BCE He died at 70 years old.

The Birth of Jesus

When reviewing the events related to the birth of Jesus from the above facts of history, you can see that astrologers from the east visited Bethlehem less than a year after Jesus' birth. Jesus was born in autumn (around 10/1) in 2 BCE.

The death of Herod the Great is January 2nd (Shebat 2), according to the Jewish historian Josephus, that death is said after the lunar eclipse before the Passover.

The total lunar eclipse that meets that condition occurred around January to February three months before the Passover in the 1st century CE.

So, Jesus was born in a stable at an inn in Bethlehem around October 1 in 2 BCE, and the shepherds who visited the room where he was sleeping confirmed it. It can be considered to be that after a few days Joseph's family moved to a house where they could stay in Bethlehem.

When the baby Jesus was at the house, astrologers from the east visited and the family of Joseph fled to Egypt with Jesus by divine warning right after it happened, then after that Herod killed infants younger than 2 years old in Bethlehem.

Herod's death was January or February in 1 BCE, so it happened 3-4 months after the birth of Jesus.

So, Joseph's family mustn't have stayed in Egypt for a year.

Following Herod's death, they returned to Palestine and live in Nazareth.

Mt 2:1-23
The visits of the astrologers in the East to Bethlehem occurred when Jesus moved from the the inn to a house shortly after his birth, probably after the recuperation of the wound of his circumcision operated on the eighth day from his birth. At that time Herod was about to die in a few months at around 70 years old.

1 After Jesus had been born in Beth′le·hem of Ju·de′a in the days of Herod the king, look! astrologers from eastern parts came to Jerusalem, 2 saying: "Where is the one born king of the Jews? For we saw his star [when we were] in the east, and we have come to do him obeisance." 3 At hearing this King Herod was agitated, and all Jerusalem along with him; 4 and on gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They said to him: "In Beth′le·hem of Ju·de′a; for this is how it has been written through the prophet, 6 'And you, O Beth′le·hem of the land of Judah, are by no means the most insignificant [city] among the governors of Judah; for out of you will come forth a governing one, who will shepherd my people, Israel.'"

7 Then Herod secretly summoned the astrologers and carefully ascertained from them the time of the star's appearing; 8 and, when sending them to Beth′le·hem, he said: "Go make a careful search for the young child, and when YOU have found it report back to me, that I too may go and do it obeisance." 9 When they had heard the king, they went their way; and, look! the star they had seen [when they were] in the east went ahead of them, until it came to a stop above where the young child was. 10 On seeing the star they rejoiced very much indeed. 11 And when they went into the house they saw the young child with Mary its mother, and, falling down, they did obeisance to it. They also opened their treasures and presented it with gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 However, because they were given divine warning in a dream not to return to Herod, they withdrew to their country by another way.

13 After they had withdrawn, look! YHWH's angel appeared in a dream to Joseph, saying: "Get up, take the young child and its mother and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I give you word; for Herod is about to search for the young child to destroy it." 14 So he got up and took along the young child and its mother by night and withdrew into Egypt, 15 and he stayed there until the decease of Herod, for that to be fulfilled which was spoken by YHWH through his prophet, saying: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

16 Then Herod, seeing he had been outwitted by the astrologers, fell into a great rage, and he sent out and had all the boys in Beth′le·hem and in all its districts done away with, from two years of age and under, according to the time that he had carefully ascertained from the astrologers. 17 Then that was fulfilled which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying: 18 "A voice was heard in Ra′mah, weeping and much wailing; it was Rachel weeping for her children, and she was unwilling to take comfort, because they are no more."

19 When Herod had deceased, look! YHWH's angel appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said: "Get up, take the young child and its mother and be on your way into the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the soul of the young child are dead." 21 So he got up and took the young child and its mother and entered into the land of Israel. 22 But hearing that Ar·che·la′us ruled as king of Ju·de′a instead of his father Herod, he became afraid to depart for there. Moreover, being given divine warning in a dream, he withdrew into the territory of Gal′i·lee, 23 and came and dwelt in a city named Naz′a·reth, that there might be fulfilled what was spoken through the prophets: "He will be called a Naz·a·rene′."

Lu 2:1-21
The shepherd's visit at an inn in Bethlehem took place around 10/1 in 2 BCE, right after Jesus was born.

1 Now in those days a decree went forth from Caesar Au·gus′tus for all the inhabited earth to be registered; 2 (this first registration took place when Qui·rin′i·us was governor of Syria;) 3 and all people went traveling to be registered, each one to his own city. 4 Of course, Joseph also went up from Gal′i·lee, out of the city of Naz′a·reth, into Ju·de′a, to David's city, which is called Beth′le·hem, because of his being a member of the house and family of David, 5 to get registered with Mary, who had been given him in marriage as promised, at present heavy with child. 6 While they were there, the days came to the full for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her son, the firstborn, and she bound him with cloth bands and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the lodging room.

8 There were also in that same country shepherds living out of doors and keeping watches in the night over their flocks. 9 And suddenly YHWH's angel stood by them, and YHWH's glory gleamed around them, and they became very fearful. 10 But the angel said to them: "Have no fear, for, look! I am declaring to YOU good news of a great joy that all the people will have, 11 because there was born to YOU today a Savior, who is Christ [the] Lord, in David's city. 12 And this is a sign for YOU: YOU will find an infant bound in cloth bands and lying in a manger." 13 And suddenly there came to be with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying: 14 "Glory in the heights above to God, and upon earth peace among men of goodwill."

15 So when the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another: "Let us by all means go clear to Beth′le·hem and see this thing that has taken place, which YHWH has made known to us." 16 And they went with haste and found Mary as well as Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. 17 When they saw it, they made known the saying that had been spoken to them concerning this young child. 18 And all that heard marveled over the things told them by the shepherds, 19 but Mary began to preserve all these sayings, drawing conclusions in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all the things they heard and saw, just as these had been told them.

21 Now when eight days came to the full for circumcising him, his name was also called Jesus, the name called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

After the death of Herod the Great, his son Archelaus became the king of Judea and the other son, Herod Antipater became Roman praetor of Galilee and Perea. Other Herod's sons also became the Roman consular officer.

Herod Antipas

Herod Antipas was depriving Philip, his younger brother of Herodias, Philip's wife. Herodias was the granddaughter of King Herod, she was a niece of Antipas.

Herodias killed John the Baptist using Salome, her daughter by Philip, because John the Baptist reproved their immoral relationship.

Herodias is the daughter of Aristobulus, a son between Herod the Great and the daughter of the high priest of Maccabean Mariamne I.

The intermarry relationship between the ruler of the Idumean, the descendants of Esau, who converted to Judahism and the high priests of the Jews, and the immorality, deceptive strategy, murder, consanguineous marriage and the like for the sake of holding power, tell us that Israel's spiritual and moral state became unrecoverable by the Greek and Roman influences.

This fact highlights the significance of Christ's mission.

Jesus called Herod Antipas "fox."

Luke 13:31-35
31 In that very hour certain Pharisees came up, saying to him: "Get out and be on your way from here, because Herod wants to kill you." 32 And he said to them: "Go and tell that fox, 'Look! I am casting out demons and accomplishing healing today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be finished.' 33 Nevertheless, I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the following day, because it is not admissible for a prophet to be destroyed outside of Jerusalem. 34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the killer of the prophets and stoner of those sent forth to her-how often I wanted to gather your children together in the manner that a hen gathers her brood of chicks under her wings, but YOU people did not want [it]! 35 Look! YOUR house is abandoned to YOU. I tell YOU, YOU will by no means see me until YOU say, 'Blessed is he that comes in YHWH's name.'"

In the first century of the Christian era Judaism became no longer a divine instrument.

So we can not religiously support the political Zionism movement, but in the 19th and 20th century Charles T. Russell, the president of the Watchtower society, worked for the political Zionism as a Zionist.

The Watchtower's funds has been provided by the Rothschilds, the Zionism Movement founder. Even now it has not changed.

➡ C.T. Russell is a Zionist
➡ Zionist, Watchtower, Nazi
➡ Zionism
➡ The History of Zionism
➡ The WTS' secret society connection

The Zionists who are controlling the world's finance are directing economic crisis, regional conflict and world war so as to realize the prospect of building the capital of the world government in Palestine.

The Rothschilds, The Rockefellers and other political, economical and religious leaders of the world are the same nominal Jews as Herod the Great was.

These nominal Jews are in a relationship with the European aristocrats and rulers who continue from the Roman Empire. Their way of living is the same way of living of the rulers of the 1st century CE.

So the essence of the rulers of the world has been the same from the time of Nimrod. And it will arouse the displeasure of God just as Nimrod caused the judgment of God.

Children of nominal Jews, Idumean (descendants of Edom) were raised up with the children of rulers of the Roman Empire in its capital. They received the same education, and were Romanized and appointed by the Roman Senate as a governor, then sent back to Palestine to dominate there.

That same method still works today.
For example, Japan is a vassal state of the United States, so the children of the Japanese ruler class are educated in the United States and send back to Japan to be used for maintaining the hegemony of the United States.

Herod Agrippa I

Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great, was brought up and educated with Tiberius Caesar's son Drusus and his cousin Claudius.

Herod Agrippa I who received the favor of Roman emperor became king of Palestine by the Roman Senate exiled Herod Antipas, his uncle and the praetor of Galilee and Perea, and then he acquired Galilee and Perea.

Claudius Caesar gave Herod Agrippa I the kingdom of the whole territory of Palestine.

Idumean Herod Agrippa I persecuted Christians in favor of Jews. Because of his arrogance he was struck by angels and died at the age of 54 in 44 AD.

Children of Herod Agrippa I

son	Daughter
Herod Agrippa II	Bernice: Herod Aippa II's wife (intermarried), she married Agrippa II leaving her husband, the King of Cilicia. Drusilla: Roman praetor Felix's wife (Herod Agrippa II and Felix become relatives) Mariamne III

Acts 12:1-3, 20-23
1 About that particular time Herod the king applied his hands to mistreating some of those of the congregation. 2 He did away with James the brother of John by the sword.

20 Now he was in a fighting mood against the people of Tyre and of Si′don. So with one accord they came to him and, after persuading Blastus, who was in charge of the bedchamber of the king, they began suing for peace, because their country was supplied with food from that of the king. 21 But on a set day Herod clothed himself with royal raiment and sat down upon the judgment seat and began giving them a public address. 22 In turn the assembled people began shouting: "A god's voice, and not a man's!" 23 Instantly the angel of YHWH struck him, because he did not give the glory to God; and he became eaten up with worms and expired.

After Herod Agrippa I, his son Herod Agrippa II was appointed to the king of Palestine from the Roman Empire.

Herod Agrippa II

Herod Agrippa II grew up in the Roman Empire. He was seventeen when his father died.

Claudius Caesar's counselors judged that he was still too young for the royalty of Palestine, so Roman emperor Claudius made him a praetor of Palestine.

As his uncle who was the king of the Chalcis region died, his uncle's domain was given to Agrippa II.

Then Roman emperor Claudius gave Agrippa II the control over the territory belonging to Philip and Lysanias.

In addition, he was also given an authority over the temple of Jerusalem and an authority to appoint the high priest of Judaism.

Moreover, the territory of Agrippa II was further expanded by Emperor Nero, the successor of Claudius.

It was around 58 CE that the apostle Paul witnessed to Herod Agrippa II. Paul appealed to Caesar and Caesar at that time was Nero.

Roman Emperor

31 BCE - 14 AD	Augustus (Octavian)
14 - 37	Tiberius
37 - 41	Gaius (Caligula)
41 - 54	Claudius
54 - 68	Nero: Official persecution of Christians begun after the Great Fire in Rome in 64 AD

summary

31 BCE - 14 AD	Augustus (Octavian)
332 BCE	invasion of Jerusalem by Greek Alexander the Great
168 BCE	King of Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) of the Seleucus dynasty brought the statue of Zeus in the temple of Jerusalem
165 BCE	High priest Maccabean's rebellion to wipe out the Greek influence
125 BCE	Maccabean family John Hyrcanus I, conquered Idumean and forced them convert to Judaism
---	Maccabean family Alexander Jannaeus appointed nominal Jewish Antipater I to the governor of Idumea
104 BCE	Aristobulus I of the Maccabean family become the king priest
39 BCE	Herod the Great of the Idumean was appointed to the king of the Jewish province from the Roman Empire
36 BCE	Herod the Great captured Jerusalem
2-1 BCE	Herod the Great attempted to destroy Jesus who was just born.
32 CE	Herod Antipas murdered John the Baptist.
44 CE	Herod Agrippa I killed James. He was struck by the angel and died.
58 CE	Herod Agrippa II listened to the witness of the apostle Paul.

Governor General of the Roman Empire
Pontius Pilate
Felix
Festus

The way of life of the rulers of the world

The rulers who have been entrusted with the great authority from Satan greedily cling to the power and live for their position.

They are sticking to their own blood line and intermarried inside their family for the monopoly of wealth and power.
Records of history tell this fact.

So there would be no reason to doubt that the lineage of rulers continued from the era of Nimrod to this day.
The current powerful persons are the descendants of the past powerful people, their way of life does not change.

They want powerful and excellent their own descendants, so they even do the thinning out of weak borne children.
The evolutionary theory and eugenics of the survival of the fittest would be the reflections of the thought and way of life of the rulers of the world.

What do you think would happen when a empire conquers other empire?
The winner makes children by the loser's royal wife and stabilizes his hegemony.
In other words, many of the rulers of the world empire have already become relatives.
There is a close relation between lordship and bloodline.

European aristocrats and royal families are the descendants of rulers of the past empires and they are relatives each other.

A junior high school student investigated the family of American presidents and influential politicians, and found that most of them are related relatives.







The situation of any country is the same.


The rulers of the world monopolize lordship by the lineage, and they have been dealing with Satan from the times of Nimrod to this day.

1Joh 5:19
19 We know we originate with God, but the whole world is lying in the [power of the] wicked one.

Lu 4:5-7
5 So he brought him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth in an instant of time; 6 and the Devil said to him: "I will give you all this authority and the glory of them, because it has been delivered to me, and to whomever I wish I give it. 7 You, therefore, if you do an act of worship before me, it will all be yours."

Satan's rule is to be over when Christ comes back.

Next time I will write about Paul's witness in front of Roman governor Felix and Festus, and Palestinian ruler Herod Agrippa II.