The truth is an abomination unto the wicked man so he hides behind his evil deeds to destroy the righteous. God will judge and punish them so.
Today’s lesson from the bible is from the book of Matthew 14:1 – 12 which talk about how John the Baptist was be headed by King Herod. The whole chapter talks about his tragic death. Before I begin, let us remind ourselves who John the Baptist was.
Who Was John The Baptist?
John The Baptist was the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth, the forerunner of our Lord Jesus Christ. John was the son of a priest who grew up in Judea in the south of Palestine. He was to live a life of hardship and self-denial and preach the message of repentance to the people of Israel.
Was John The Baptist Beheaded?
John was beheaded in prison by order from King Herod Antipa. His disciples buried his remains with honor and announced it to Jesus. ( Matthew 14:3-12) John was the last and greatest prophet before Christ. Unfortunately, he did not live to see the death and resurrection of Jesus which began a new era.
John The Baptist was the Elijah Malachi prophesied about to come and prepare the way for the Messiah. (Jesus Christ). When you take your bible you will see that Malachi is the last book of the old testament and right after that, the book of Matthew that fulfilled the prophecy of his coming. He was the messenger who baptized Jesus.
John was a special man in the eyes of God; Jesus said among all men born of women, there is none greater than John who preached with the power and spirit of Elijah. (Matthew 11:11). This unarguably makes John the Baptist the greatest prophet ever to live.
Now, after knowing something briefly about John the Baptist, let us go straight to the life he lived. John the Baptist was a righteous man, he prepared the way for the truth, the life and the way (Jesus), and in all his life, he lived in the truth.
People questioned him to find out if he was Elijah but it was clear enough that John the Baptist was not Elijah but rather —he was having the spirit of Elijah. The bible doesn’t teach about reincarnation and so every Christian must note that.
King Herod paid John the Baptist’s righteousness with death. This tells us that, Christianity is not for sissies, it takes real men like John the Baptist to proclaim the truth and defend it with their lives.
In our world today, when you speak the truth, you become an enemy, and it is nothing new under the sun. After reading this post, you will find out that Christianity is not a joke and so you should surely carry your cross and follow Jesus even unto death.
When Evil Men Rule…Herode Takes The Wife Philip
King Herod, used his political power to snatch the wife of Philip a brother of John the Baptist. He imprisoned John the Baptist because he rebuked him for taking Philip’s wife (Herodias) from him. He spoke the truth but he got himself arrested. Herod had wanted to kill him but he feared the crowd because they love John the Baptist very much.
When it was the birthday of Herod, his daughter danced in front of him and he became impressed. Herod then made an oath to do whatever her daughter ask of him.
Sadly, the mother instructed her daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. That request was unbelievable but Herod had made an oath and so he couldn’t break it, although it grieved him he had no choice but to ask for John the Baptist’s head. What happened next? John The Baptist was beheaded:
“So he sent and had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.” (Matthew 14:10-11)
Sometimes, I ask myself why some people could be heartless like that, they don’t mind shedding innocent blood for their amusement. Anyone who does that is a son or a daughter of the devil.
The devil hates truth and righteousness, he is the father of lies and so he incites people like the mother of Herod’s daughter to perpetuate evil against righteousness.
Today, there are many people like Herod who are using their power, money, or fame to steal people’s wives. That is greediness and a devilish attitude or character. God will surely punish anyone who sheds innocent blood or commits adultery without repentance.
In the old testament, David did a similar thing by taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite, Bathsheba. After doing this he planned the death of Uriah and surely Uriah got killed (2 Samuel 11:15). However David became remorseful of his sins, he prayed and repented.
When you are righteous in life, keep it up although your enemies will fight against you but know that God is with you up to death. He has a special reward for all righteous men and punishment for those who kill innocent people because of their social status, money or wealth, they will have to face the consequences and the repercussions of their evil doings.
I welcome all contributions, comments, and feedback. May God be with all righteous men who defend the truth. Amen
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