Page 46 - The Glad Tidings of the Messiah

44 The Glad Tidings of the Messiah (pbuh)

eousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions
for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his
mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be his belt. ... The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the
yearling [will lie down] together; and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the
hole of the cobra, and the young child will put his hand into the
viper's nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy
mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord,
[just] as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:1-9)
This anticipation of the Messiah (pbuh) grew stronger under
Herod the Great's tyrannical regime. Movements expecting the
Messiah (pbuh) sprang up everywhere on Jewish soil and were
busy either preparing for his arrival or reminding people of his im-
minent arrival. However, this anticipation began to be perceived
as a threat by and to Rome, as well as to Herod's authority, because
they were usually aimed at the Roman regime and its compliant
Jewish administration. Such a strong movement could incite the
whole society to rise up against pagan rule. To prevent this, both
authorities took various precautions. According to the Bible, this
was the reason why Herod ordered the murder of all Jewish boys
up to 2 years old. The Gospel of Matthew relates that:
After the Prophet Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the
time of King Herod, Magi [wise men] from the east came to
Jerusalem and asked: "Where is the one who has been born king of
the Jews? We saw his star in the east."… When King Herod heard
this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had
called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law,