In this Bible study, Mr. Smith looks at an aspect of the first coming of Christ most of us have never considered. Why did God pick the time of the Roman Empire for the first comming of the messiah?. Mr. Smith answers this by pointing out several conditions that existed then that aided the development of the early church. It was a time of peace with good roads, a mail system, a common language and Jewish synagogs in many parts of the empire. Relating to the upcoming Passover season there was one last aspect that was needed. Psalm 22 predicts the type of death of the Messiah. Thus Rome had to have this form of punishment available, which did not occur until about the time of the birth of Jesus.

Gary Smith

United Church of God Pastor

Gary Smith was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, but spent most of his youth in the Pasadena, California area. He graduated from Ambassador College in 1976 and he and his wife, Liz, moved to Peoria, Illinois. For the next six years he worked as a nursing home administrator in Illinois, Ohio, and Texas.
In 1982, he and Liz began to serve in the full-time ministry. Since that time, they have served in a number of congregations in the Midwest.
Gary and Liz now pastor in Houston, Texas near their two children and grandson.