Bible Facts & History & Tidbits

Uzziah, also known as Azariah ("Yah is my strength") became King of Judah at age 16 and reigned 52 years. He was generally a good king. While Zechariah was alive, Uzziah was always eager to please God, and he prospered, for God blessed him (2 Chronicles 26:5). God helped him in wars against the Philistines, against the Arabs of Gurbaal, and the Meunites. His fame spread to Egypt and he was very powerful.He built numerous fortifications in and around Jerusalem, and extended his domain in all directions. He made water reservoirs for the great herds of cattle in the valleys, and had many farms and vineyards. He organized a draft system and an army of 307,500 men. He produced war machines, invented to shoot arrows and huge stones.But he also became proud and corrupt. He sinned against the Lord by personally burning incense upon the altar of the Temple. The High Priest went in after him and demanded that he get out. Uzziah refused to set down the incense burner that he was holding, and suddenly - leprosy appeared on his forehead. King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death, and lived in isolation.His son, Jotham, became vice-regent in charge of the king's affairs, and became king after his father's death. Uzziah was buried in the Royal cemetery, even though he was a leper. The story of Uzziah is found in 2 Kings 15:1-7, and 2 Chronicles, chapter 26. Talmudic references report that because of his leprosy, Uzziah's remains were later removed from their original grave and reburied. A tablet was found on Mount Olives that has the inscription: "Hither were brought the bones of Uzziah, King of Judah. Do not open."

REGATHERING OF ISRAELWhen the Jews began to return to their ancient homeland during the late 1800s, they accomplished something that no other group of people has ever done - they survived 19 centuries of exile, worldwide dispersion and intense persecution, and re-established sovereignty for Israel. In fact, when Israel became an independent country again in 1948, it was the first time in more than 2000 years that the Jews had true sovereignty for their homeland. Isaiah 43 5Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. 6I will say to the north, `Give them up!' and to the south, `Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth--Jeremiah 16 14"However, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when men will no longer say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,' 15but they will say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' For I will restore them to the land I gave their forefathers.

Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, is a town about 5 miles south of Jerusalem. During pre-Christian times, it was the home of Ruth and Boaz and their great grandson, David. Samuel anointed David in Bethlehem to be the second King of Israel. For a time, the Philistines occupied Bethlehem, and it was there that David's three men broke through the Philistine ranks to bring him water. Not far outside of Bethlehem is the tomb of Rachel (Jacob's wife), which is still there today. In AD 385, a church was built on the traditional site of the Nativity. The emperor Justinian erected the building as it stands today. Although most religious buildings were destroyed during the Persian invasion of the 7th century AD, the Church of the Nativity, was not destroyed. It is written in Micah 5:2 that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of a future king of ancient origins. This prophecy was fulfilled with the birth of Jesus about 2000 years ago. For Christians, the prophecy is very powerful in a very simple way. It eliminates all other cities and towns throughout the world as a place in which the Messiah could be born. It narrows the possibilities to one tiny village just south of Jerusalem.And throughout the span of the past 27 centuries, from the days of the prophet Micah up through the present time, Bethlehem is credited as being the birthplace for only one person who is widely known throughout the world. And that person is Jesus Christ.The New Testament books of Matthew and Luke list Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus. Matthew 2:1-6 describes the birth of Jesus as the fulfillment of Micah's prophecy.In recent years, however, some non-believers have attempted to discredit Matthew's interpretation of Micah 5:2 by claiming that the prophecy refers to a person named Bethlehem, not a town name Bethlehem. This claim has been widely circulated on the Internet by a college professor who describes himself as a former Christian minister.The first problem with this claim appears in Micah 5:1. In that verse, the prophet establishes that he is speaking of Bethlehem the town, not Bethlehem the person, by setting up a context in which he contrasts the city of Jerusalem with the town of Bethlehem.A second problem with the claim is that there is also evidence outside of the Bible that shows that Micah 5:2 was regarded as a Messianic prophecy involving the town of Bethlehem. Here is an excerpt from the Jerusalem Talmud, which is a collection of Jewish scholarly writings completed about 1600 years ago:"The King Messiah... from where does he come forth? From the royal city of Bethlehem in Judah." - Jerusalem Talmud, Berakoth 5a.Ephrathah, or Ephrath, is the ancient name for the town of Bethlehem. When the prophet Micah prophesizes in Micah 5:2 that the town of Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the Messiah, he refers to the town as "Bethlehem Ephrathah," to distinguish it from another town named Bethlehem in the northern part of Israel.

Joseph of ArimatheaJoseph was a wealthy man from the Judean town of Arimathea. He was a follower of Jesus and he is the one who buried Jesus after the crucifixion. Details about Joseph of Arimathea are recorded in the New Testament passages of Matthew 27:57-60 , Mark 15:42-46 and Luke 23:50-56.We learn from Matthew and Mark that Joseph was bold enough to ask Pontius Pilate for the body of Jesus. Pilate, the Roman governor who ruled over the land of the Jews, was the one who had ordered the crucifixion of Jesus. After making sure that Jesus was dead, Pilate allowed Joseph to take his body.Joseph took the body of Jesus, wrapped him in linens and placed him in a rock tomb. Matthew tells us that the tomb had never been used before. Matthew and Mark inform us that the tomb had been carved out of rock. Tourists who visit Israel today are able to view a number of rock-hewn tombs from ancient times, similar to the one described in the New Testament.After placing the body of Jesus in the tomb, Joseph of Arimathea rolled a large stone to close the entrance to the tomb. It was from this tomb that Jesus was resurrected.In the book of Luke, we are told that Joseph of Arimathea was a good man who believed in the teachings of Jesus, and that he was a member of the Sanhedrin who had not consented to the action that the council had taken against Jesus.