End or continuation of an era of weeping?

Matthew divides Hebrew history into three sections of 14 generations each. When Matthew says concerning the slaughter of the infants in Bethlehem, "then was fulfilled," he probably is not saying that it was a specifically prophesied event. He is saying it was a fulfilling characteristic of an era. It was an event characteristic of the third era that began in Rama: Jeremiah 40:1-3. Rachel's children were ripped out of their land by Gentile usurpers. With the birth of Christ, Matthew says, the era is over if we receive the Messiah. Christ is here. He offers rest to our souls. The era began as a result of rejecting God's kingship. There is no need for this awful era to continue. The Jews rejected Him. The era continues for them doesn't it? And what of us?