KING HEROD
It is huge archaeological News. Flavius Josephus, whose
historical Judah around the time of Christ has always
been a touchstone for scholars, was accurate to the degree
of finding this Roman crowned, King Herod, King of the Jews'
tomb.

Here's some food for thought about Herod:

Mat 2:1	Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Mat 2:2	Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Mat 2:3	When Herod the king had heard [these things], he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Mat 2:4	And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
Mat 2:5	And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
Mat 2:6	And thou Bethlehem, [in] the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Mat 2:7	Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
Mat 2:8	And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found [him], bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
Mat 2:9	When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
Mat 2:10	When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
Mat 2:11	And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
Mat 2:12	And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
Mat 2:13	And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
Mat 2:14	When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
Mat 2:15	And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
Mat 2:16	Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
Mat 2:17	Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
Mat 2:18	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.
Mat 2:19	But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

There were two Herod's in the Bible. The Herod responsible
for the rebuilding of Solomon's Temple, is the one referred
to in this discovery. He is featured in Matthew 2, notable for
being threatened by the birth of the Messiah, the eternal
King of the Jews.

Herod Antipas:

Herod's son by Malthace (Mat 14:1; Luk 3:1,19; 9:7; Act 13:1). (See ANTIPAS.)

He represents the rivalry between human kings and the
Will of God. Kings have always been considered to have
more than just leadership. They represent a type of
holy seed, and this star-seed was the basis of the Hebrew
religion, in anticipating the one true God in human form,
the Messiah.

On a more esoteric level, we are given insight into the
rivalry between Lucifer and the Lord. Lucifer, who is
called the god of our world, would endow certain
representatives with his authority. We see this addressed
in the few sacred passages of Scripture where a human
kind is referred to by their spiritual mentor. (Isa 14:12,
and Eze 28:2)

The first great human king, was Nimrod, or Sargon I, of
Arcadia, in Mesopotamia, which became Babylon. He
built the Tower of Babel Gen 10:8.

The Hebrew nation, led by Moses through the wilderness
to the Land of Milk and Honey, was a democratic theocracy,
until the nation clamored to have a king, like all the gentile
nations. God anointed Saul, of Benjamin, who was a
stately tall man, but, a neurotic leader 1Sa 9:2.

He kept getting possessed by evil spirits. The only way
he was assuaged was by the inspired music of the
first great rock star, King David, who played the ancient
psalter, a ten stringed guitar-like instrument 1Sa 16:23 .

He was from Bethlehem of Judah.

Eventually, it was David who was anointed King, by
God, and promised the eternal kingdom. His ancestor
was Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, the city of David.
His birth was long anticipated by the Jews, from the
prophets, including David's prophecies about his seed
being the Messiah, and redeeming the nation.
Isa 11:1.

When Herod learned Christ was born, his solution was
to get rid of him, and kill him.

For those who doubt even the birth of Christ, this
is a blow to their disbelief. I believe we learn of
this now, 2000 years later, because, we are
about to enter the final prophecies, and the
beginning of Christ's Kingdom beginning in
Jerusalem.

After Herod's death, the nation wanted to crown
Christ, as their King, as seed of King David, and
the promised Messiah, who they believed would
deliver them from the Romans. The Hebrews
wanted to almost FORCIBLY make Christ the King.

Jhn 6:15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

God's plan however, was for Christ to rule after
the dispensation of the Gospel was spread around
the world. I believe that has been accomplished,
because, once cable television and world travel
was accessible, the whole world has now received
Jesus Christ, to accept or reject him.

The last prophecy of Christ's return would be when
the nation of Israel would be again formed, with
all nations of the world in opposition to it. When
the remaining Jews were grafted into the tree
of life in Christ, then, everything was come full
circle and the time of His return was imminent, as
we see.

The discovery of Herod's tomb provides a key to
our place in this prophecy, for many reasons. I
am tremendously happy, and had goose-bumps
reading it this morning.

The Wailing Wall, is the only remnant of the old
2nd temple remaining. I believe this discovery
is amazingly timed. It's hard to appreciate this
fact, isolated from history and prophecy, but,
when we are snatched up, we will understand
this better.

Tomb of King Herod discovered in West Bank

By Paul Willis

Archaeologists in Israel claim to have unearthed the tomb of King Herod.

From Wikipedia, with new entry today:

The Holy Innocents by Giotto di Bondone

Hordes (Hebrew: הוֹרְדוֹס, hoɾðos; Greek: ἡρῴdης, hērōdēs; trad. English: Herod), also known as Herod I or Herod the Great, was a Roman client-king of Judae (ca. 74 BC - 4 BC in
Jerusalem) The details of his biography can best be gleaned from the works of the 2st century AD Jewish historian Josephua.- To many people, Herod is best known for his alleged role in the
events known as the Massacre of the Innocents, an account of which is given in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 2.

Model of the Herod's Temple (Israel Museum)

Herod is particularly known for his dramatic expansion of the Second Temple in Jerusalem which is sometimes referred to as Herod's Temple.

On May 7, 2007, a team of archaeologists led by Professor Ehud Netzer of the Hebrew University, claims to have discovered Herod's tomb at Herodium south of Jerusalem.