Click here for the dates these ancient writings were written

BACKGROUND FOR THIS EPISODE

(In Order of Appearance)

NEW TESTAMENT OF THE BIBLE:
  • Matthew 1:18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ occurred: Mary, the mother of Jesus, was engaged to be married to Joseph, but before they were married, it was discovered that she was pregnant (by the Holy Spirit)!
  • Matthew 1:1-16 – This is the record of the family names of Jesus Christ,a a descendant of David, a descendant of Abraham: 2Abraham fathered Isaac; Isaac fathered Jacob; Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers; 3Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar; Perez fathered Hezron; Hezron fathered Ram; 4Ram fathered Amminadab; Amminadab fathered Nahshon; Nahshon fathered Salmon; 5Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab; Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth; Obed fathered Jesse; 6Jesse fathered David, the king; David fathered Solomon…16Jacob fathered Joseph, Mary’s husband. Mary gave birth to Jesus, the one called the Messiah.
  • Luke 3:23, 34, 37-38 – Jesus was about 30 years old when he began to teach. People thought that Jesus was Joseph’s son. [Mary] was Heli’s son…34Judah was Jacob’s son. Jacob was Isaac’s son. Isaac was Abraham’s son…Shem was Noah’s son. Noah was Lamech’s son. 37Lamech was Methuselah’s son. Methuselah was Enoch’s son. Enoch was Jared’s son. Jared was Mahalalel’s son. Mahalalel was Kenan’s son. 38Kenan was Enosh’s son. Enosh was Seth’s son. Seth was Adam’s son. Adam was God’s son.
  • Luke 1:46-48 – Then Mary said, “My soul praises the Lord God. 47My heart is happy, because God is my Savior. 48Though I am not important, God has looked upon me,His servant girl. Listen! From now on, all generations will be happy for me. 
  • Luke 1:26-30 – During Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a virgin who lived in a town named Nazareth, in Galilee. The virgin girl was engaged to marry a man named Joseph, from the family of David. Her name was Mary. 28The angel came to her and said, “Hello. The Lord God is with you. He has blessed you.” 29But Mary was very disturbed about what the angel said. She wondered, “What does this mean?” 30The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, because God has blessed you.
  • Luke 1:31-38 – 31Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. And, you will name him Jesus. 32He will be great. People will call him ‘the Son of the Highest One.’ The Lord God will give him the authority of King David, his ancestor. 33Jesus will rule over the people of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!” 34Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I don’t have sexual relations with any man?” 35The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Highest One will coverh you. The holy baby will be called ‘God’s Son.’ 36Now listen to this: You know that Elizabeth, your relative, is very old, but she is already pregnant with a son. The woman who could not have a baby has been pregnant for six months! 37With God, nothing is impossible!” 38Mary said, “Listen, I am the servant girl of the Lord God. Let what you said happen to me!” Then the angel left her.
OLD TESTAMENT OF THE BIBLE:
  • Isaiah 7:14 [PREDICTED 700 YEARS BEFORE JESUS] – Nevertheless, the Lord Himself will give youy a sign: Look, the virginz will become pregnant. She will give birth to a son, and she will name him ‘Immanuel [“God With Us”].’aa
  • Daniel 9:25-26a [PREDICTED 530 YEARS BEFORE JESUS] – “ ‘Learn and understand these things. A command will go forth to rebuild and restore Jerusalem.ff The time from this command,gg until when the Princehh anointed by Godii comes, will be 49 yearsjj and 434 years.kk Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streetsll and defenses around it.mm However, it will be built in a time of trouble.nn 26After the 434 years,oo the Messiah Prince will be killed.pp

  • Click here for details of Daniel’s astounding prediction in 530 BC of the exact century and exact year the Messiah would begin preaching.

  • Ezra 7:1, 8 – After these things, during the rule of Artaxerxesa (the king of Persia), Ezra came up from Babylon.b Ezra was the son of Seraiah. Seraiah was the son of Azariah. And, Azariah was the son of Hilkiah…8Ezra came to Jerusalem, too. It was in the 5th month of the 7th year of the king. 

  • Nehemiah 2:1, 5-6, 11a – 1It was the month of Nisan,a in the 20th year of the kingship of Artaxerxes.b He asked for some wine. So I took the wine and gave it to the king. Before this time, I had never looked sad in his presence…5Then I said to the king, “If you are willing, and if Ih have pleased you for these many years, send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried. I will rebuild it! 6(The queen was sitting next to the king.)i He asked me, “How long would your trip take? And, when would you return to Susa?” The king was willing to send me to Jerusalem. So, I gave him the times…11So, I came to Jerusalem, 
  • Nehemiah 3 – [List of all sections of the Jerusalem wall and those who repaired them. Repairs completed 490 BC. Jesus began preaching 483 years later. Preached 7 years x 1/2 = 490 years after Jerusalem repaired.]
  • Click here for details of Daniel’s astounding prediction in 530 BC of the exact century and exact year the Messiah would begin preaching.
FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS
  • ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS, BK. 14, 16:1-4 – The king [Herod] came and met at the walls of Jerusalem…eleven legions, armed men on foot, and six thousand horsemen….he made an assault upon the city, and took it by storm; and now all parts were full of those that were slain….so they were murdered continually in the narrow streets and in the houses by crowds, and as they were flying to the temple for shelter, and there was no pity taken of either infants or the aged….This destruction befell the city of Jerusalem when Marcus Agrippa and Caninius Gallus were consuls at Rome, on the 125th Olympiad, on the third months [37 BC].
  • ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS, BK. 15, 8:4 – One of those spies of Herod….told the king of it….When they were seized….underwent all the torments inflicted on them till they died….[The spy] was seized on by some of the people…was not only slain by them, but pulled to pieces, limb from limb, and given to the dogs….By bitter and severe tortures certain women that were tortured confessed what they had seen done.
  • ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS, BK. 15, 10:3 – Caesar came into Syria; at which time the greatest part of the inhabitants of Gadara clamored against Herod….As the Gadarens saw the inclination of Caesar [toward Herod]….out of a dread of the torments they might undergo, cut their own throats in the night time, and some of them threw themselves down precipices, and others of them cast themselves into the river.
  • ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS, BK. 15, 10:4 – Herod…introduced…dissolution of their religion…nor did he permit the citizens either to meet together, or to walk, or eat together, but watched everything they did, and when any were caught, they were severely punished; and many there were…both openly and secretly…put to death.
  • ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS, BK. 15, 10:4 – There were spies set everywhere, both in the city and in the roads….he [Herod] would oftentimes himself take the habit of a private man, and mix among the multitude in the night time and make trial what opinion they had of his government.
  • ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS, BK. 16, 4:1-4 – So when he [Herod] came to the speech of Caesar…he presented his sons there, and accused them….That they were enemies to him…and would take away his life, and so obtain his kingdom….They [sons] knew in their own conscience they were innocent….Caesar exhorted Herod to lay all such suspicions aside and to be reconciled to his sons.
  • ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS, BK. 16, 7:1 – Herod had spent vast sums….David’s sepulchre….He opened that sepulchre by night…took only his faithful friends with him.  As for any money, he found none…but that furniture of gold…However, he had a great desire to make a more diligent search, and to go further in, even as far as the very bodies of David and Solomon; where two of his guards were slain by a flame that burst out upon those that went in.
  • ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS, BK. 16, 8:1-5 – ….stretched the rack to the very utmost, they said that Alexander bare ill-will and innate hatred to his father….when Herod heard this confession, he was all over anger and fear….sent about spies to watch such as he suspected, for he was now overrun with suspicion and hatred against all about him….so he tortured the principal of Alexander’s friends, and put not a few of them to death, without getting any of the things out of them which he suspected….one of the younger sort, when he was in the utmost agony, confessed that Alexander had…a poisonous potion ready.
  • ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS, BK. 16, 10:4-5 – After these, the commander of the garrison of Alexandrium was caught and tortured; for he was accused….So the king produced those that had been tortured before the multitude at Jericho, in order to have them accuse [his sons], which accusers many of the people stoned to death.
  • ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS, BK. 16, 11:2-7 -Herod…accused his sons…in such a way as was very indecent for a father to accuse his sons….There was no confession of any plots or contrivances against him….The king gave order that Tero should be tortured…perceiving what would be the consequence of his terrible sufferings said that [he/Tero] should lay violent hands on on the king….As for Herod….Alexander also and Aristobulus were brought to Sebaste by their father’s command, and there strangled.
FEAR OF ANGELS:
  • I Chronicles 21:20 -And Ornan turned back and saw the angels and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. 
  • Matthew 28:2-4 – And behold, there became a great earthquake; for* an angel of the Lord descended out of heaven, who came near and rolled away the stone from the door and was sitting upon it. 28:3 His form was like lightning and his clothing was white like snow; 28:4 and those who are guarding the door, shook out of fear of him and became like dead men
  • Luke 1:11-13 – And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 1:12 And Zacharias, having seen him, was disturbed, and fear fell upon him. 1:13 But the angel said to him, Do not fear, Zacharias, 
  • Luke 2:8-9 – And there were shepherds in the same region, camping out and observing watches over their flock by night. 2:9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 
  • Luke 24:4-5 – And it happened, while* they were perplexed concerning this, behold, two angels stood by them in flashing white apparel. 24:5 Now after they became fearful and bowing their faces down toward the earth
  • Acts 10:3-4 – An angel of God who came to him and said to him, Cornelius.  10:4 But having stared at him and having become fearful… 

OTHER JESUS QUOTES IN THIS EPISODE

SPECIAL CHARACTERS APPEARING IN OTHER EPISODES

Season 8, Star Song – “Bastion of Barrenness”