Page 55 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies

Israel in and after the Time of Christ

Connect…

God promised Israel that they would have a Land and be a nation again. Of course, during Jesus’s short
visit to earth, Israel was controlled by Rome. For almost 2000 years, the Jews have been visitors in other
lands and have not had a place they could call home. But in 1948, Israel declared itself a free nation,
and with much struggle, it is now a free and independent country. They have been attacked over and
over again, but so far God has blessed them to repel their enemies and even take their land. The Bible is
true. Those who bless Israel will be blessed. Today, we want to see how God has moved in history to
bring the country of Israel to where it is today. Let’s get started…

The Lesson ...

Israel in and after the Time of Christ

Jesus was born in Bethlehem around 4 BC. Having
been warned in a dream, Joseph took Mary and Jesus
to Egypt, escaping Bethlehem before Herod’s troops
killed the infant boys of Bethlehem and the
surrounding villages. Herod the Great died shortly after
this incident.

When it seemed safe to return, Joseph and Mary began
their journey back to Israel. On the very long walk
home, they must have been discussing where they
should live, for both Bethlehem and Nazareth were
options for them.
From the Nile River, Mary and Joseph would have faced
Bethlehem was five miles south of Jerusalem, while a 250-mile walk to Bethlehem. It was more than 300 miles
Nazareth was 80 miles north of Jerusalem, in the to Nazareth.
Galilee. By this time, Herod’s son Archelaus was ruling Judea, and another son, Antipas, oversaw Galilee.
Archelaus turned out to be such a violent ruler that the Romans would eventually remove him from
power 10 years into his reign. Antipas, on the other hand, showed much tolerance to his Jewish
subjects. Mary and Joseph could not have known that Nazareth would be the safer place to live, but God
gave them direction, and Jesus was raised in Nazareth.

As you read this familiar passage, note the references to the change of power in Jerusalem and the
description of geography in relation to Nazareth. As is consistently the case throughout the Bible,
Matthew’s record of events matches information we have from historical records outside the Bible. It
also gives an accurate description of the land.

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