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Tag Archives: Menorah

Hanukkah & Christmas / Do They Have Anything in Common?

22 Saturday Dec 2018

Posted by garybowers in Devotional / Misc

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Menorah

Tis the season for Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!

These two glad greetings and good-byes are still echoed globally in homes, in churches and synagogues, on the streets, in the market places, and even the halls of some governments … except for the “politically correct” Happy Holidays among us.

It has been said that Hanukkah is the Jewish Christmas. Is it?

An immediate reaction would be: No way. Not if you’re Jewish, especially an observant Jew!

However, a 2013 poll disclosed that 32% of American Jews put up Christmas trees. Also, 34% of the Jews interviewed said it’s possible to believe that Jesus is Messiah and still be Jewish.

Please see Eye of Prophecy article: Jewish Christians / Christian Jews … An Oxymoron? Posted 6-30-18. With the summary conclusion that the most Jewish thing a Jew can do is to embrace Jesus as Messiah Savior; as did thousands upon thousands in the first century. Tens of thousands of (Messianic) Jews world-wide are Jewish Christians, many of whom currently celebrate both holidays.

After all, Jesus was a Jew through and through. He was a descendant of King David from the tribe of Judah. He taught in the Temple and synagogues; observed Sabbath and the Jewish festivals, including Hanukkah (also spelled Chanukah).

Did you know that several Jewish composers have written Christmas songs?! And several Jewish singers have performed these songs. One of them is regarded as the greatest song ever sung (most played): White Christmas. Composed by Irving Berlin and originally sung by Bing Crosby in the hit movie Holiday Inn (1942). Granted, however, none of these (that I know of) Jewish composed carols such as Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer or a Holly Jolly Christmas contain any reference to Jesus, in contrast to traditional sacred Christmas songs. Like: Joy to the World or O Come All Ye Faithful.

Equally intriguing: Not only Gentile and Messianic Jewish believers in Christ Jesus, but also millions of unbelievers the world over sing or listen to both sacred and secular Christmas songs. They, too, exchange gifts and put up Christmas trees and lights, although the 21st century trend is to call them Holiday trees and lights.

And not only people sing these songs.

Hark … the Herald Angels Sing!

A Connection Between Hanukkah and Christmas?

At face value there doesn’t appear to be any correlation between the two.

Hanukkah is the commemoration of the successful Jewish Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Dynasty under the rule of Antiochus Epiphanies IV in the 2nd century B.C. Not long before this uprising, Antiochus had desecrated the Jewish Temple, killed some 40,000 Jews, and enslaved another 40,000. The Maccabean victory is still considered one of the greatest military upsets of all time—not unlike the miraculous Israeli victory in their 1948 War of Independence against overwhelming odds of five Arab armies. Or their spectacular victory in just six days of June 1967.

A second miracle remembered during Hanukkah was a one-day supply of the sacred oil used to light the seven Menorah lamps, that lasted for eight days. Thus, the traditional Hanukkah Menorah of eight lamps or candles … nine including the candle that lights the other eight. As originally ordained by God (Exodus 25), the Menorah had seven lamps, shaped from one solid piece of gold! However, because the Menorah was to be kept in the Temple and not duplicated, Jewish tradition holds that other menorahs could have fewer or extra stems, but not seven.

So, we ponder the question: What, if anything, does Hanukkah have in common with Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ (Immanuel … God Incarnate with us)? If so, what is the significance of this correlation(s)?

Based on Biblical evidence and secular history, I firmly believe there are parallels between the two. Just like the seven God-instituted Biblical festivals bear a significant prophetic relationship to the First and Second Advents of the Messiah (Jesus).

Refer to Eye of Prophecy article: Messiah and the Jewish Festivals … An Extraordinary Connection! (Posted 9-24-16).

Followed by five consecutive articles that explain in detail these correlations for all seven festivals. Each of these memorial feasts were harbingers of who and what the Messiah is and will do for his people and the whole world. Such as the (Passover) “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Proclaimed by John the Baptist, the next prophet after Malachi. And to fulfill the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) as the Messiah who will dwell (tabernacle) among us upon his return.

Two Clear Correlations between Christmas and Hanukkah

(1) Physical Parallel

Physical, in the sense of proximity—the day of the month and time of the year when both are observed.

The celebration of Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of Kislev (Jewish calendar). On that day the Jews (after defeating the Greek/Syrian armies) began the cleansing and rededication of the 2nd Temple, which had been desecrated by Antiochus IV.

The Hebrew month of Kislev overlaps the months of late November and all of December on the Gregorian (Gentile) calendar. Although Hanukkah almost always pre-dates Christmas, the first day of Hanukkah matched perfectly with Christmas Eve in 2016, something that hadn’t occurred since 1978.

Christmas is observed on December 25th. As some may know, the historical choice of that date was both complicated and somewhat arbitrary. And is most likely not the actual day that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Some Bible scholars, including me, strongly believe that Jesus was born between mid-September and mid-October, probably during the week-long Festival of Tabernacles (Sukkot). The important thing: there is a day to remember this magnificent milestone of human history.

In 336 A.D, the Roman Emperor Constantine—the first Christian Caesar (whether a true Christian or one in name only is still debated)—chose December 25th from among other dates as the day to remember the birth of Messiah Jesus. A few years later, Pope Julius I declared December 25th as the official day of Christmas.

The historical evidence also suggests that one of the factors in choosing the 25th day of December was because Hanukkah (referred to as the Festival of Lights by Historian Josephus …the Books of the Maccabees called it the Dedication, the Hebrew meaning of Hanukkah) also began on the 25th day … of Kislev.

(2) Spiritual Parallel

Summed up in one word: LIGHT.

The kind of light that is often expressed by the spoken and written word in the spiritual sense of light and darkness.

It is God’s light—through His truth that would illuminate mankind—revealed to the Jews then extended to the Gentiles. Reflected literally and symbolically in the original Menorah, which also represented the (purifying) fire of God’s holiness.

Most Jewish Rabbis—both past and present—agree that God made Israel his special possession to bring the light of God’s Attributes and Word to Israel and through Israel to the nations. They are right about their status as God’s chosen people … the Jews. However, they see this light exclusively in the context of the Old Covenant Mosaic Law. They still deny that God’s New Covenant prophesied by Jeremiah has been implemented, because they do not believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah.

Since the first century birth, life, death, resurrection, return of Jesus to heaven, and the ensuing Christian faith (that most Jews regard exclusively as Gentile) embraced by hundreds of millions claiming Jesus is the Messiah and Savior, Judaism was forced to reinterpret (misinterpret) several Messianic passages of the Old Testament. Such as Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, Isaiah 49, and others.

Another reason is that the different sects of Judaism and even those within sects don’t agree on just how much the Messiah can or will do for Israel upon his appearance … according to Judaism, one and only arrival. Whether he is Divine or merely a man. And what or how much the Jews must do to prepare for or (some say) even precipitate Messiah’s appearance.

The second-most visited Eye of Prophecy article of the 275 posted to date (Where is Messiah? Is He Already Here? June 2016) begins as follows:

Globally, especially in Israel, both religious and secular Jews are longing for redemption.

Yet, they do not all agree on the scope of this redemption. Will it be individual, national, or both? Will it be physical, spiritual, or both? Orthodox Jews, particularly Rabbis, contend that penitence is a prerequisite to their redemption. But they differ on what constitutes repentance … to what degree or for what exactly should they repent. Most Jews simply don’t know what’s expected of them, if anything.

In general terms, it is Biblically true that Israel was to be a light to the Gentiles. Yet originally (Genesis 3:15) and ultimately (Israel didn’t obey the Lord, let alone disseminate the light of God’s Word to the Gentiles) the Messiah who would come from the descendants of Abraham would be that LIGHT. The Jews themselves, both religious and irreligious, need that same light (of salvation). The miracle that produced the Hanukkah lights would herald an even greater miracle when the Christmas Light of the World was born of a Virgin.

A pivotal passage referred to often by many Jewish rabbis is found in Isaiah. Usually, however, they ascribe and promote the subject of this passage as Israel, not the Messiah, himself—despite the clear use of the personal pronouns “I” and “me.” Or the fact that Israel is the object of what the personal Messiah would accomplish. At the very least, they confine the subject of the passage to Israel.

Here are the words of Messiah, who speaks not only to Israel but the entire world:

“Listen to me, all you distant lands! Pay attention, you who are far away! The Lord called me before my birth; from within the womb he called me by name…. He said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel, and you will bring me glory’” (Isaiah 49:1 & 3).

You are my servant Israel is interpreted as the nation of Israel by rabbis. Whereas, this is the case in, for example, Isaiah Chapter 41, it is not the correct application in Chapter 49. For three main reasons: (1) Isaiah 49 is clearly identifying an individual (Messiah) via personal pronouns, as already indicated; (2) The Messiah here is identified as Israel itself because he is the exclusive essence of and composite hope for Israel’s redemption and restoration, as well as the Gentiles; (3) The fact that Israel cannot save or restore herself back to God.

To further establish point #3, let’s continue the passage:

“And now the Lord speaks—the one who formed me (back to the personal pronoun depicting Messiah) in my mother’s womb to be his servant, who commissioned me to bring Israel back to him…. He says, ‘You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth’” (Isaiah 49:5-6, italics for emphasis, parenthesis mine).

If Israel is the subject of this passage, then the following portion of this passage would read: who commissioned Israel to bring Israel back to him (God the Father). According to the Bible, Israel saving herself is both physically and spiritually impossible. Beginning with the Exodus, Scripture time and time again reveals that only the Lord could (ultimately) deliver Israel from her enemies and from herself. The latter part is why the Lord replaced the Old Covenant of the Law with the New Covenant of Grace—as prophetically announced by Jeremiah (Chapter 31).

This same analysis applies to the next portion of the passage that states, “You (the Messiah) will do more than restore the people of Israel to me.”

If the I, Me, and You of this passage is Israel, then the sentence would read: Israel will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. Which is nonsensical.

Thus, it is Messiah (Jesus) and only he who will bring light and salvation to both Israel and the (Gentile) nations.

Arguably, the most well-known Messianic passage in the Old Testament is Isaiah Chapter 53; although some observant Jews do not consider the chapter Messianic, as such. Those who consent to Chapter 53 as Messianic, do so by realizing that the description of the Lord’s suffering servant begins in the last three verses of Chapter 52. With verse 15 plainly referring to the Messiah:

“And he will startle many nations. Kings will stand speechless in his presence…” And before that verse 13: “…he will be highly exalted.”

And verse 14 says:

(God sometimes refers to Israel as his son, daughter, servant, special possession, chosen ones, but not as “a man”)

The last part of Isaiah Chapter 52 and all of Chapter 53 is both a sorrowful description of the suffering Messiah and a glorious account of what that suffering would accomplish. But Judaism has been unable to reconcile this passage (and a few others) with the Messianic promises of Israel’s conquering King who will rescue Israel from her enemies and establish God’s Kingdom on earth through Israel. To the extent that many Rabbis believe there will be two Messiahs, not just one.

See Eye of Prophecy article, More Than One Messiah? Posted 12-5-15).

In Isaiah Chapter 53, Judaism (particularly after Jesus Christ changed the very keeping of time when he came to this earth) also substitutes the nation of Israel for what is an unambiguous depiction of Messiah.

If I counted correctly, there is the amazing total of 37 references in Isaiah 53 to God’s suffering servant (Messiah) using the personal pronouns, he, him, or his (a total of 45 if you start with Isaiah 52:13). Moreover, there is the same scenario so evident in Psalm 49 that we just covered: Israel cannot save itself and certainly not atone for her own sins, individually or nationally.

“…And because of his experience (Messiah’s suffering and death on a cross— “pierced for our rebellion” Isaiah 53:5), my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins” (Isaiah 53:11, parenthesis mine).

Under the New Covenant: Messiah himself would (once for all) bear all their sins. Because the Lord, “…laid on him the sins of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).

Biblical salvation is the only way to a right standing with God—sins forgiven for all time, with eternal life in heaven awaiting those who simply say, “Yes,” to Messiah Jesus. Who agree with the Lord: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

No one on this planet—past, present or future—can save themselves; no matter what we think, say, or do. Salvation is a gift to be received, not merited or inherited.

Scripture declares that: “The Lord is Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:6 & 33:16). We have none of our own.

The Lights of Hanukkah

Rabbis (correctly) contend that the event of Hanukkah was pivotal in reaffirming God’s destiny for Israel by accomplishing two things of great significance: (A) Reestablished Israel to a greater degree of national autonomy not experienced since before the Babylonian exile. (B) Rededication of the Temple as the center of Jewish worship; thereby, renewing the tenets of Judaism on a national level. It was a victory over the secular Greek Hellenism of the time that threatened to assimilate the Jewish religion and the Jews themselves into pagan Gentile culture.

However, the Maccabean revival didn’t last much longer than the spiritual turnaround of the Jews after Ezra’s and Nehemiah’s time. When Jesus arrived, Judaism had splintered even more into rival sects (Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots, and others), each claiming religious or secular authority (or both) over Israel; and each adjusting to the Roman subjugation of Israel in their own way. These dichotomies and divisions led directly to the zealot’s revolt of 66 A.D. that ended in the greatest tragedy experienced by Israel until the Holocaust.

All because God’s chosen people (as a whole) flatly rejected Jesus’s claim that he was the Messiah (the Light of the World). A claim confirmed by his numerous miracles that had never been seen before; and his teaching with power and authority that amazed both the secular and religious among them.

Messiah Jesus … Light of the World

He spoke these words during one of his many visits to the Temple. Specifically, he was in the Court of Woman near burning candles that symbolized the pillar of fire that protected and guided God’s people in the wilderness.

Not long after declaring that he was the light of the world, we find Jesus observing Hanukkah.

“It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade. The people surrounded him and asked, ‘How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly’” (John 10:22-24).

*Note: Like the religious leaders repeatedly demanding heavenly signs from Jesus to prove he was the Messiah, the people in the Temple also had seen Jesus’s many miracles and/or heard his astonishing messages. Reading on:

“Jesus replied, ‘I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is in the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me … The Father and I are one” (John 10:25-28 & 30).

Then Jesus said in that same scene: “But if I do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don’t believe me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father” (Verse 38).

Those (his sheep) who believed and received Jesus as Lord and Savior knew he was the Messiah.

They believed not only with their eyes, but with their mind and heart. He was the superior Prophet spoken of by Moses, the Great Shepherd, Immanuel, the living Word of God, the Menorah Light of the World, and all the other things written about and names given to him by God the Father through the prophets. John began his New Covenant Gospel with this magnificent tribute to Messiah Jesus:

“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God…. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it” (John 1:1-2, 4-5).

The brutal death of Messiah Jesus did not silence him nor extinguish the light of God’s salvation through him. In fact, it purchased and sealed that redemption for all who would believe in him.

Satan did not defeat him. Death would not finish him. The grave could not hold him.

He is who said he is. Because:

If Hanukkah is so highly regarded, then why disregard (to the point of denial) the illuminating light of Jesus’s miraculous Virgin birth, his astounding teachings and miracles, and (most of all) his supernatural resurrection from the dead?

Didn’t both Hanukkah and Christmas occur after the canon of the Old Testament was complete; after God stopped speaking to his people for over 400 years?

There is another stunning prophecy that has been regrettably overlooked by millions of Jews and even dismissed by nearly all (non-Messianic) rabbis. A prophecy that is seldom spoken of by rabbis or written about in Jewish literature … be it books, articles, or commentaries. One that documents beyond all doubt that Messiah (first) arrived in Israel long ago. Here is another excerpt from: Where is Messiah? Is He Already Here? (which focuses on just a portion of one verse of the totality of these powerful prophecies in Daniel 9:24-27):

After this period of 483 years, “…the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple…” (Daniel 9:26)

Daniel’s prophecy is unambiguously clear: The Messiah would appear before the destruction of the Temple, which took place in 70 AD. And that’s exactly what occurred … Jesus birth, life, death, and resurrection some 40 years before the Romans sacked Jerusalem, which irrefutably validates the accuracy of Daniel’s prophecy.

Whereas, the religious leaders and people of Jesus’s time scorned him for the reasons given thus far—most prominent of which was ignoring the plain evidence for the time of Messiah’s appearance and marginalizing or outright rejecting his teachings and miracles—all those who deny that he is Messiah after the Temple was destroyed have no grounds whatsoever to refute the Messiahship of Jesus.

Why?

Because they have the 20/20 hindsight of history, right up to the present day. The Messiah would come at the end of 483 years, exactly when Jesus rode on a donkey into Jerusalem … hailed by the people as the Son of David, the Messiah.

Then the Messiah would be killed BEFORE the Temple was destroyed by the armies of a ruler who would arise (shortly) AFTER Messiah arrived and was killed.

According to the time-line of Daniel’s prophecy, there is no way that the Messiah could (first advent) arrive on the scene of history AFTER the Temple was destroyed.

As Zola Levitt, a well-known Messianic Jew used to say: “And that’s all there is to that.”

The Severe Consequences of Israel’s Missed Opportunity

God’s precious promises of end-times redemption and restoration for his special possession Israel are already in the making, beginning prominently with the 20th century rebirth of Israel and the ancient Hebrew language.

But for now, it is as it was in the first century when the Jewish Apostle Paul penned these words:

“Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share then they finally accept it” (Romans 11:11-12).

Then Paul states: “…Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of the Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved…” (Romans 11:25-26).

In the previous Eye of Prophecy article posted 12-8-18 (Peace Between Israel & Judah … Then World Peace!), I quoted Jesus’s compassionate words for his people not long before his crucifixion.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate (predicting the Roman sack of Jerusalem). For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Matthew 23:37-39, parenthesis mine).

Luke’s Gospel presents part of Jesus’s words not recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, also concerning what would happen to Israel at the hands of the Romans and why.

“But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. ‘How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. Before long (less than 40 years would transpire) your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not accept your opportunity for salvation’” (Luke 19:41-44, italics for emphasis, parenthesis mine).

Most Jews in today’s world, particularly the observant, are still turning down God’s offer of salvation through the New Covenant that Jesus brought to them and the whole world. It’s no coincidence whatsoever that the curtain which separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple interior was suddenly torn in two as Jesus died on the cross. (See Eye of Prophecy articles. The Cross and the Torn Curtain I & II … posted 2-6 & 2-13-16).

It was another of God’s manifest miracles to demonstrate that anyone can come directly to Him any time and any place through His Son, Messiah Jesus. The barrier (curtain) between God and people and between Jew and Gentile was removed when Jesus sacrificially gave his life as a once for all atonement for Jew and Gentile alike.

The torn curtain was only the beginning. Less than 40 years later, the Temple itself was demolished and the Levitical Sacrificial System ended when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. As noted, Jesus even predicted this horrific event, even though it broke his heart that it would happen and the reason why.

As Jesus Mourned for Israel, So Israel Will Mourn for Him

Whether Gentile or (especially) Jew, have you considered the question of why Israel will mourn over Messiah’s appearance? Yes, that will take place.

Which is unfathomable—considering numerous Biblical prophecies and the modern-day fact that nearly every Jew, religious or irreligious, longs for and will rejoice greatly when Messiah appears (returns).

Why would they mourn over such a fantastic life-saving (literally) event? There is no reasonable explanation for such a response … save one.

The prophet Zechariah graphically portrays the initial sorrow of Israel when they see their Messiah and gives the (one) reason for that grief. It is anguish so deep and distressing that: “All Israel will mourn, each clan by itself, and with the husbands separate from their wives…” (Zechariah 12:12).

Sorrow so painful that the Jews must be alone for a while to bear it.

The Pre-Incarnate Messiah himself explains the reason by speaking in both the first and second person.

“Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died” (Zechariah 12:10).

Near the end of the Great Tribulation, the remnant of Israel will see and acknowledge their (the) Messiah. Who is the Son of Man, Son of David, and Son of God (Psalm 110) whom King David prophesied would be “pierced” (hands and feet … Psalm 22:16).

Confirmed by Isaiah: “But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins…” (Isaiah 53:5).

None other than Jesus of Nazareth.

“Away with him, they yelled. ‘Away with him! Crucify him!’

‘What? Crucify your king?’ Pilate asked.

‘We have no king but Caesar,’ the leading priests shouted back.

“Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified.

“There they (the Romans) nailed him to the cross…” (John 19:15-16 &18a, parenthesis mine).

But when the mourning is over, there will be jubilation despite Jerusalem surrounded by a huge Gentile coalition of armies (led by Antichrist). Messiah Jesus will rally the people and their soldiers (IDF) and they will rally around him.

“The Lord will give victory to the rest of Judah first, before Jerusalem, so that the people of Jerusalem and the royal line of David will not have greater honor than the rest of Judah. On that day the Lord will defend the people of Jerusalem; the weakest among them will be a mighty as King David! And the royal descendants will be like God, like the angel of the Lord (a title found throughout the Old Testament for the Pre-Incarnate Messiah) who goes before them! For on that day I will begin to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:7-9, parenthesis mine).

The final victory will be won as dramatically depicted in Revelation 19. Please see Eye of Prophecy article: Armageddon and Messiah’s Return … An Amazing Sequence of Events. Posted 2-3-18.

“And so all Israel will be saved…” (Romans 11:26a).

Things to Ponder

As said before in some articles: I love the Lord and His Word, and I love Israel and the Jews.

Every morning I conclude my Bible and prayer time with: “Sha’alu Shalom Yerushalayim; beshem Yeshua HaMashiach” (I pray for the peace of Jerusalem, in the name of Jesus the Messiah).

To pray for such peace is to pray for Messiah’s return, when all Israel will be saved—physically and spiritually.

To echo the passionate hope of the Jewish Pharisee Saul who met the risen Messiah Jesus and was supernaturally saved; born-again as are all who place their trust in Jesus’s sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection. Whom the Lord renamed Paul and appointed him to be a witness first to Israel, then to the Gentiles. Said Paul:

“…the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved” (Romans 10:1).

For God’s people to finally see and receive the light of their salvation—Messiah Jesus.

When that happens: “…All the world will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Israel” (Isaiah 49:26).

He is the mighty Triune God, whose Royal Son the nations will obey (Psalm 2).

The Royal Son, born on Christmas Day.

Messiah Jesus is the Menorah Light of the World. Both Christmas and Hanukkah are special seasonal times to light up the world with the truth of God’s redemptive rescue.

Hanukkah was celebrated earlier this month (12-3 through 12-10).

Christmas is just three days away.

A time to gaze at the lights and gladly give gifts. In remembrance of the most brilliant light to ever shine and the greatest gift ever given. The gift that keeps on giving … forever!

Hanukkah … The Festival Born of a Prophecy!

31 Saturday Dec 2016

Posted by garybowers in Prophecy in General

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Festival of Lights, Maccabees, Menorah

Hanukkah in History

Last week’s Eye of Prophecy article (The Virgin Birth … How and Why?) was posted on Christmas Eve, which “just happened” this year to occur on the first day (eve) of Hanukkah. This week’s article falls on the final (eighth) day of what some say is the most widely celebrated festival of the Jews, religious and secular alike. On most Jewish calendars you’ll find the oft used Hebrew spelling of this happy holiday … Chanukah. That’s because of the more accurate pronunciation of the hard “Ch” syllable (Kahnukkah), instead of the soft “hah” sound.

Like Purim that is normally observed in the Gregorian calendar month of February, Hanukkah is not one of the Biblical festivals required by God as given in the Mosaic Law. Whereas Purim was (Biblically) instituted by Mordecai and Queen Esther as an annual Jewish observance, Hanukkah is not found in Scripture. It wasn’t even recorded in any extra-Biblical Jewish religious literature; although the secular Jewish historian Titus Flavius Josephus provided a narrative of this event in his book, Jewish Antiquities XII. However, the circumstances surrounding Hanukkah were added to the Jewish Talmud (written collection of Jewish oral teachings and history) some 600 years after the time of the Maccabees.

Rather, we find Hanukkah’s captivating chronicle through the Books of the First and Second Maccabees, which are not part of the Biblical canon; but are considered by many Biblical scholars as historically accurate. Why the story of the Maccabean revolt that led to the “miracle of Hanukkah” is not part of the Old Testament Bible, would take far more time/space than this week’s article can afford. Thus, I’ll offer just two brief reasons:

(1) It occurred some 250 years after God’s last appointed prophet (Malachi) spoke God’s words to his people. The composite four-hundred year span of God’s silence was a transition time between the Old Covenant of the Law and New Covenant of Grace. Not until the next Jewish prophet John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah of the New Covenant, did God reveal himself again to the Jews and also, this time, to the whole world.

(2) Due largely to reason number one, God chose (for other reasons known only to him) not to directly inspire the recording of the events leading to Hanukkah through any of God’s chosen authors of New Testament times/books.

Based on the title of today’s article, you might get the impression that Hanukkah was predicted in Scripture by one or more of the Old Testament prophets. It was not, at least not the results of the Maccabean Jewish victory over an evil Syrian ruler. Those results were twofold, constituting the essence of this remarkable Jewish holiday. They were (A) Restoration and rededication of the Jewish Temple after the Jews defeated the Syrian/Greeks against all odds; (B) One day’s supply of the sacred oil used to light the Menorah, lasting for eight days until more purified olive oil could be produced.

menorah1-jpglarge

(Replica of the Original Biblical Menorah … During a Trip to Israel, I Stood Next to This Menorah in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem)

Thus, respectively, in direct connection to A and B listed in the preceding paragraph, Hanukkah is also referred to as the: Festival of Dedication and Festival of Lights. Hanukkah is the Hebrew word meaning “dedication.” Although the 2nd Temple was later destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, observant Jews still emphasize dedication (loyal observance) of their lives to the principles of holiness (consecrated separation) found in the civil, ceremonial, and moral features of the Law of Moses. Hanukkah serves as a serious but also festive reminder of this dedication.

Yet, when it comes to the equally vital component part of the Mosaic Law (Levitical Sacrificial System), the Jews are unfortunately in denial that there is no atonement for sin without the sacrificial shedding of innocent (animal) blood. Instead of recognizing and accepting the New Covenant established through the once for all substitutionary sacrifice of their very Messiah (Yeshua), they hope that mitzvot (good deeds … acts of love and giving) will merit salvation.

(I would encourage you to read the trilogy of Eye of Prophecy articles entitled: Where is the Temple? I, II, III. Posted in November and December, 2014).

HOWEVER, the sequence of events that produced the marvel of Hanukkah were, in fact, predicted by the prophet Daniel some 370 years before they took place, including dramatic details about the malicious Syrian ruler who would devastate Israel and profane the Temple. Followed by even more amazing information about another wicked tyrant (the little horn of Daniel Chapter 7 and the beast of Revelation 13 & 17 … Antichrist Nero) who would follow in the warped footsteps of his evil archetype predecessor. Hanukkah was a direct result of this fulfilled prophecy.

The original Kingdom that would split into four parts—one of which this 2nd century BC Syrian despot would rule over—was also prophesied by Daniel.

Alexander the Great

It all began when Alexander the Great soundly defeated the Persians, spelling the end to an empire even greater than that of Babylon, at least in terms of longevity. In 334 BC, Alexander launched a campaign that would engulf most of the civilized world, establishing a Grecian dynasty that would last some 300 years with ongoing influence of Greek civilization in the Roman Empire for another 500 years. Alexander’s realm would not be equaled until the Roman Empire reached its zenith. Yet even Rome was heavily saturated with Greek language and culture.

220px-alexanderthegreat_bust

(Bust of Alexander the Great)

Alexander died a mysterious death in June, 323 B.C. at the young age of 32. History is unclear whether he was murdered (poison) or died from natural causes (fever). Yet his passing was so abruptly unexpected that no heir had been appointed to his domain. Subsequently, the Grecian Empire was divided into four regions: Ptolemy of Egypt; Seleucid of Mesopotamia and Central Asia; Pergamon; and Macedon. It’s the Ptolemaic and Seleucid dynasties that are referenced in Daniel Chapter 11, long before they came into existence.

The Greek empire was one of the four world kingdoms revealed by God to Daniel in the form of four “huge beasts.”

“Then the third of these strange beasts appeared, and it looked like a leopard. It had four bird’s wings on its back, and it had four heads. Great authority was given to this beast” (Daniel 7:6).

These four beasts were initially in the form of a four-part statue seen in a dream by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel Chapter 2). The figurative imagery recorded by Daniel clearly matches subsequent world history, confirming that the third beast was Greece.

Later, Daniel is given more information about the great ruler of this third empire, which history also affirms as none other than Alexander the Great. Included in this subsequent revelation to Daniel (which I strongly believe was given by the Pre-Incarnate Messiah Jesus), were meticulous details to confirm the (four-part) division of the third beast—the leopard (four wings and four heads). Plus intricate details of ensuing rulers of the Ptolemaic and Seleucid domains, specifically Antiochus IV Epiphanes; followed by an evil despot (Antichrist) who would be even more ruthless than Antiochus.

Concerning Alexander the Great and the dominant Grecian Empire, we read:

“Then a mighty king will rise to power who will rule with great authority and accomplish everything he sets out to do. But at the height of his power, his kingdom will be broken apart and divided into four parts. It will not be ruled by the king’s descendants, nor will the kingdom hold the authority it once had. For his empire will be uprooted and given to others” (Daniel 11:3-4).

Antiochus IV Epiphanes

Time/space does not allow us to cover the first part of Daniel Chapter 11 through verse 27, which predicted what history has termed, “The Seleucid Wars” that culminated in 198 BC between Egypt and Syria. The armies of Seleucid King Antiochus III defeated Ptolemy V and took over Judea and Samaria, which had been part of the Ptolemaic realm. Instead, we will fast forward to 175 BC, when Antiochus IV ascended the Seleucid throne.

Antiochus IV arrogantly added Epiphanes to his name, which means, “manifest god.” He and his subsequent counterpart (Antichrist) Nero considered themselves divine, God on earth. He was the first Seleucid king to have his divine image printed on coinage. Later, Caesar Nero did the same thing.

en-coin-of-antiochus

(Antiochus IV Coinage)

To assert his power and enhance his sphere of influence and to prevent King Ptolemy VI of Egypt from expanding the Ptolemaic dynasty, Antiochus IV launched a preemptive strike against Egypt in 170 BC, conquering all of the Egyptian kingdom except Alexandria. This is precisely what Daniel said would happen. As was Antiochus’ second campaign against Egypt predicted by Daniel.

In Antiochus’s first campaign, “The king of the north will then return home with great riches. On the way he will set himself against the people of the holy covenant, doing much damage before continuing his journey” (Daniel 11:28).

The “people of the holy covenant” were the Jews (Israel). During his return home from Egypt, Antiochus IV made it clear that he would do something about this stubborn people, most of whom refused to yield to his authority, and resisted assimilation into the Greek Hellenistic culture that he was trying to instill throughout as much of the territories conquered by Alexander as possible. Unlike his predecessor, Antiochus III, who allowed the Jews extensive sovereignty under their High Priest, Antiochus IV began a pernicious persecution of the Jews to force Greek Hellenization on them.

However, to avoid antagonizing the new burgeoning empire of Rome, which supported the Ptolemaic realm, Antiochus withdrew his armies from Egypt and left Ptolemy VI as a puppet king. But this megalomaniac tyrant couldn’t keep his autocratic face out of the picture. With an apparent assumption that Rome would no longer interfere, in 168 BC he led a second assault on Egypt, and also sent a large naval fleet to Cyprus. Before Antiochus IV reached Alexandria, a Roman ambassador warned him to withdraw or risk a war with the Roman Republic.

We read on: “Then at the appointed time he will once again invade the south, but this time the result will be different. For warships from western coastlands will scare him off, and he will withdraw and return home. But he will vent his anger against the people of the holy covenant and reward those who forsake the covenant” (Daniel 11:29).

Antiochus was humiliated by his failed plans to again invade Egypt. He threw a temper tantrum and decided to take out his “tail-between-the-legs” retreat on the Jews. He would ratchet up the time table of a more peaceful integration of Hellenism into Jewish culture. Through brutal force he would bring an end to Judaism in Judea and Samaria. Whether he thought of it or not, his intentions were every bit as malevolent as the Persian ruler Haman, whose sadistic strategy was genocide of the Jews. Antiochus IV became further enraged when he learned that Jason, the Jewish High Priest that he had deposed, had initiated a surprise attack against Menelaus, the high priest appointed by Antiochus IV.

He ordered a halt to all Jewish sacrifices and worship rites in the Temple, commanding the Jews to worship Zeus. When they refused, Antiochus IV dispatched his armies to crush what he considered an insubordinate Jewish revolt against his kingdom.

Even if you know little about Antiochus IV, you probably have read or heard that during this onslaught against the Jews his troops ransacked the Holy Temple, and sacrificed a pig to the Greek god Zeus on the altar in the Holy of Holies. What occurred in 168-167 BC is one of the bloodiest, saddest chapters of Jewish history. But out of it came one of the greatest triumphs and miracles ever experienced by the Jews. Which is what the celebration of Hanukkah is all about.

Here is an account of Antiochus’ brutality:

“When these happenings were reported to the king, he thought that Judea was in revolt. Raging like a wild animal, he set out from Egypt and took Jerusalem by storm. He ordered his soldiers to cut down without mercy those whom they met and to slay those who took refuge in their houses. There was a massacre of young and old, a killing of women and children, a slaughter of virgins and infants. In the space of three days, eighty thousand were lost, forty thousand meeting a violent death, and the same number being sold into slavery” (2 Maccabees 5:11-14).

Antiochus IV’s atrocious actions fulfilled Daniel’s amazingly accurate prophecy.

“His army will take over the Temple fortress, pollute the sanctuary, put a stop to the daily sacrifices, and set up the sacrilegious object that causes desecration” (Daniel 11:31).

idol-image-of-zeus-in-temple

(Depiction of Zeus Erected by Antiochus IV in the Jewish Temple)

There’s More!

Before we examine the following verse 32 of Daniel’s remarkable prophecies, let’s look at an excerpt from a Wikipedia article concerning Antiochus IV and the Maccabean revolt that began not long after Antiochus desecrated the Temple, then slaughtered and enslaved tens of thousands of Jews.

“Traditionally, as expressed in the First and Second Books of the Maccabees, the Maccabean Revolt was painted as a national resistance to a foreign political and cultural oppression. In modern times, however, scholars have argued that the king was instead intervening in a civil war between the traditionalist Jews in the country and the Hellenized Jews in Jerusalem. According to Joseph P. Schultz: ‘Modern scholarship on the other hand considers the Maccabean revolt less as an uprising against foreign oppression than as a civil war between the orthodox and reformist parties in the Jewish camp.’”

Still referring to the actions of the “king of the north” (Antiochus IV), Daniel goes on to say:

“He will flatter and win over those who have violated the covenant. But the people who know their God will be strong and will resist him” (Daniel 11:32).

For modern scholars to contend that Antiochus IV Epiphanes was simply “intervening in a civil war” between the Hellenistic Jews and the observant religious Jews of Israel is an oversimplification; it is not an accurate analysis of everything that actually took place. Nor does it track with Scripture’s preview of what would occur, i.e. “the people who know their God will … resist him” (the king of the north which would be Antiochus IV).

These people who know their God were the Maccabees representing Jews who remained faithful to God. Their resistance was directly against Antiochus IV; only indirectly against the Hellenistic Jews (those who have violated the covenant). It was the Hellenistic Jews that Antiochus IV would, “flatter and win over.” Likewise, Antiochus military assault against Israel was designed to stop the Maccabees in their revolutionary tracks, not to preemptively intervene in what may have become a full-fledged Jewish civil war.

At the very least, the modern view of Antiochus’s reason for invading Israel ignores the clear historical record of his virulent hatred of the Jews, expressed in his contempt for the sacred sites and rites of the Jewish faith. Nevertheless, Antiochus courted those Jews who agreed with him that Israel should incorporate Greek philosophy and culture into Israel, even if it meant compromising the Mosaic Law as the governing influence over Jewish life in Israel. However, even the Hellenistic Jews were appalled at the Temple’s desecration and the blatant religious, political, and cultural subjugation of the Jews, whether secular or religious.

Thus, his so-called “intervention into a Jewish civil war” was much more than merely taking sides with the Hellenists. It’s clear that he was infuriated by any Jewish attempt to undermine his authority over Judea/Samaria. He couldn’t have cared less whether the hiloni (secular) Jews or the haredi, masorti (observant, traditional) Jews would have fought and prevailed one against the other. He wanted all of Israel under his thumb.

Daniel says that the people who know their God would be strong and would resist him (Antiochus IV). Which is exactly what the Maccabees were and did. Much like King David and his group of 600 faithful soldiers; then his band of Thirty of Israel’s mightiest warriors led by the even more elite Three, accomplished in Israel before and after David ascended to the throne. The military exploits and fighting skill of these men of valor became legendary with the Jews and with their enemies. As did the extra-Biblical account of the Maccabees and their warriors.

The Maccabean Revolt

Until the ascension of Antiochus IV to the Seleucid throne, the observant Jews had, for the most part, been given sufficient freedom and flexibility to practice their Judaic faith.

But enough was enough. It was absolute anathema to both religious and secular Jews for anyone (let alone a Gentile ruler) to desecrate their sacred Temple and to bring a screeching halt to their religious practices, no matter the degree of observance among varying Jewish factions and sects.

In description of Antiochus IV and his armed invasion of Jerusalem under the pretense of helping the secular faction called the Tobiads—which supported the Hellenistic Jews in particular and the Ptolemaic realm in general—the ancient Jewish historian Flavius Josephus wrote:

“The king being thereto disposed beforehand, complied with them, and came upon the Jews with a great army, and took their city by force, and slew a great multitude of those that favored Ptolemy, and sent out his soldiers to plunder them without mercy. He also spoiled the temple, and put a stop to the constant practice of a daily sacrifice of expiation for three years and six months.”

*Note: Josephus description of this king being “thereto disposed beforehand” validates the premise that Antiochus already had a mindset disposition toward conquest of the Jews.

Here is yet another remarkable correlation between Antiochus Epiphanes’ 3 ½ year reign over Israel and the future ruler also mentioned in Daniel Chapter 11 (Antichrist Nero) who would break a seven-year pact with Israel half way through that treaty, resulting in cessation of Jewish sacrifices and desecration of the (3rd) rebuilt Temple… 42 months as prophesied in Daniel Chapter 9. And as confirmed by Revelation Chapter 13.

Even though the Shekinah glory of God no longer filled the Temple, it was more than many Jews could bear to be deprived their right of circumcision and for pigs to be offered as sacrifices to the Greek god Zeus in the Temple itself. With unrelenting conditions and with ruthless enforcement, Antiochus IV had done away with Judaism. Even the great empires of Assyria and Babylon that had conquered and exiled the Jews; and Persia and Greece (until Antiochus IV) that had reigned over Israel, permitted the Jews to practice their faith.

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(Depiction of the Abominable Sacrifice of a Pig on the Temple Altar)

Against overwhelming odds, a Jewish priest Mattathias (Mattiyahu) and his five sons led a revolt against Antiochus IV. When Mattathias died in 166 BC, his son Judah took his place as leader of the rebellion. Less than a year later, against all odds the Jews had soundly defeated the armies of Antiochus IV, recaptured Jerusalem, liberated Temple Mount, cleansed and rededicated the Temple, and reinstated Judaism and the sacrificial system.

That is one of two reasons the Jews instituted this wonderful festival of Hanukkah … which, as indicated, means dedication. Most Jews, but not all, consider this military triumph a miracle in the same vein as Gideon’s amazing rout of the Midianites and modern Israel’s stunning triumph over insurmountable Arab military might in her 1948 War of Independence.

However, all Jews who know anything about the desecration of the 2nd Temple by the most appalling of all Gentile kings ever to rise against Israel (rabbinical sources refer to Antiochus IV as, harasha, “the wicked”) agree that the second reason for celebrating Hanukkah is based on a miracle. There simply is no normal or natural explanation for what took place.

Judah Maccabee commissioned resumption of Temple proceedings which began on the 25th day of Kislev, 165 BC.

*Note: Kislev is the Jewish month that overlaps the Gregorian calendar of November and December. The first full day of Hanukkah is the 25th of Kislev; however, a Jewish day begins at sundown the previous day. Thus, Hanukkah this year (2016) actually began on December 24th. I suppose we could call Kislev 24th, Hanukkah Eve.

But first things first: the treasured Menorah (lamps of which were to be kept burning day and night) must be relit, for it was God’s holy light to illuminate the Temple. In hindsight, this was a shortsighted (or short lighted, if you will!) plan. There had not been sufficient time allowed to produce enough pure (holy) olive oil expressly refined from pressed olives and dedicated by the high priest for the Menorah.

Each branch of today’s menorahs contain candles; whereas, the stem branches of the original Menorah in the Tabernacle and then the Temple were lamp cups in which olive oil was poured and then ignited.

Miracle of the Kosher Oil

According to the story, there was only one flask of consecrated oil … enough to last one full day. Yet, the priests decided to light the Menorah anyway, then wait to start it again after more oil was produced. Evidently, they were so excited and determined to resume Temple rites that they were willing to temporarily waive the requirement that the Menorah lamps must be kept burning continually.

But they didn’t need to light the menorah again. That one flask lasted for seven more days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of kosher oil for the menorah!

Although the First Book of Maccabees records the eight-day celebration that began annually for the re-dedication of the Temple and altar, it does not mention the miracle of the oil. But the Jewish Talmud does, which nearly all scholars acknowledge as a historically accurate compilation of Jewish vocal traditions.

Thus, Hanukkah is known as the Festival of Dedication, and also the Festival of Lights.

Jews in Israel and all over the world light the candles of the Menorah, one each day for the eight days that the oil kept burning. Special foods cooked in oil to commemorate the miracle are eaten, such as Latkes (potato pancakes) and doughnuts.

e52bfe12-740d-4240-84e1-3e03991c9e52

(Modern Day Hanukkah Celebration and Menorah)

Down through the centuries Jews have debated whether Hanukkah is a religious festival (Holy Day) or just a national secular holiday. True, it is not a festival specifically ordained by the Lord to be observed, as commanded by God for the seven holy festivals. Please refer to a series of five Eye of Prophecy articles on these seven Jewish Festivals and how each feast points to Messiah Jesus. You can find them in the Eye of Prophecy archives, posted 9-24-16 through 10-22-16.

However, Hanukkah is definitely connected to God’s ultimate plan to preserve his chosen people the Jews and his special possession Israel until the time of their final redemption. This joyous festival is a direct result of Daniel’s prophecy concerning the third of the four Gentile nations, Greece. Then more specifically the evil tyrant Antiochus IV tirade against the Jews that is also a foreshadow of the Antichrist who will turn on the Jews half way through the Great Tribulation.

Like Purim, Hanukkah remembers God’s miraculous deliverance of the Jews from disaster at the hands of wicked men and nations that sought to destroy Judaism and even eliminate the Jews (genocide) from the face of the earth. No different than the insidious plot of Muslim nations in today’s world, especially Iran.

The Messianic Menorah Light

Most of all, the light of the Menorah represents Israel’s coming Messiah, who would bring the light of God’s salvation to the Jew first, then to the Gentile (Romans 1:16).

Yeshua, himself, celebrated Hanukkah. In fact, other than his crucifixion trial in which Caiaphas the Jewish High Priest insisted that Jesus answer his question, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God” (Matthew 26:63); and Pontius Pilate posing a similar question, “Are you the king of the Jews?” (John 18:33), an incident that occurred in the Temple was the most notable interrogation of and challenge to Jesus’ Messiahship.

“It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem at the time of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. He was in the Temple, walking through the section known as Solomon’s Colonnade. The people surrounded him and asked, ‘How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’

“Jesus replied, ‘I have already told you, and you don’t believe me. The proof is the work I do in my Father’s name. But you don’t believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish … for my Father has given them to me … No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one’” (John 10:22-30).

At that point the people picked up stones to kill Jesus; because he, in no uncertain terms, claimed to be God (equal to God as His Son). Previously, Jesus had made the same claim to another crowd who also wanted to stone him to death when he said: “…I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!” (John 8:58).

There was no misunderstanding of Jesus’s words. When he said, “I AM,” he voiced the sacred name of God, YHWH (Yahweh).

In the scene of John Chapter 10, Jesus went on to confirm and defend the truth of who he was. Listen to his words:

“…Why do you call it blasphemy when I say, ‘I am the Son of God?’ After all, the Father set me apart and sent me into the world. Don’t believe me unless I carry out my Father’s work. But if do his work, believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don’t believe me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father” (John 10:36-38).

Not long after that Jesus would perform another mighty miracle by raising Lazarus from the dead. And just a few days later, Jesus would prove beyond any doubt whatsoever that he was Messiah, the Son of God, the Light of the world, when he arose from his own grave!

Before the scene during Hanukkah, Jesus declared, “…I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12).

471689861_640

The Apostle John was only one of many who witnessed the powerful miracles of Jesus and listened to his words of life. Beyond any doubt, John and others knew that Jesus was the Messiah, that he was Divine, just like Isaiah said Messiah would be (Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Isaiah 9:6).

Thus, John began his gospel with this powerful proclamation:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:1-5, NASB).

The Fall of Nations … The Rise of Israel

What about the fate of Antiochus IV Epiphanes?

After this vile ruler dispatched one of his commanders, Lysias, to fight the Maccabees, he set sail with the rest of his forces to do battle with King Mithridates I of Parthia who had made war against the Greeks.

The Second Book of Maccabees records that he contracted some incurable disease, then (in an implied weakened condition), “fell out of his chariot as it was rushing along, and the fall was so hard as to torture every limb of his body.” The writer of Maccabees and apparently most Jews of the time attributed the spectacular Maccabean victory against the forces of Antiochus as well as his untimely death to, “…the all-seeing Lord, the God of Israel, struck him an incurable and unseen blow.”

Antiochus IV and his Seleucid dynasty went the way of even greater empires that tormented, terrorized, and toppled the Jews. The once mighty nations of Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome are no more. Hitler’s Third Reich that mercilessly slaughtered six million Jews and Stalin’s Communist Russia that relentlessly persecuted the Jews are gone.

But Israel was reborn from the floods of dispersion and he fires of Nazi death camps. Their ashes of defeat have turned into the beauty of a strong and vibrant nation … the only democratic country in the Middle East. Their people thrive despite acts of terrorism, UN anti-Israeli resolutions, and threats of annihilation by Muslim nations. They have won four conventional wars against Arab forces much stronger than Israel.

I’ve said it before, and will say it again: What God says will happen, happens. What he says he will do, he does. Miracles and 100% fulfilled prophecies (which also are miracles) separate the true and living God of the Bible and the Judeo/Christian faith from all other religions like Islam; but also from Godless philosophies, which are also religions (a belief system), such as communism and human secularism.

Moreover, the Christian faith is not nor should be separate from the Jewish belief and trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Instead, the Christian faith is an extension, a completion, and a culmination of God’s majestic plan for the human race. The New Covenant of Grace fulfilled and replaced the Old Covenant of the Law, because God’s chosen people could not and would not keep that Law. Only one Man did that … Messiah Jesus. His once for all sacrificial atonement for sin is what makes Jew and Gentile united—one new person in Messiah (Ephesians 2:14-16).

17_jews-gentiles-one-body

Things to Ponder

This year’s Hanukkah is poignantly relevant to Israel’s destiny in two observable ways. (1) It’s no coincidence that Hanukkah began on Christmas Eve this year, the first time since 1978. I believe this is a strong signal that their Messiah (and ours as believers in Christ Jesus), the Light of the World, is soon to come again and make all things right in this war-torn, weary, wicked world in which we live.

(2) Another reprehensible UN resolution (# 2334) was passed on the Jewish Sabbath, which began on December 23rd, the day before Hanukkah began. It was yet another attempt to discredit and delegitimize Jewish settlements in the so-called West Bank (Judea and Samaria … rightfully Jewish land); and also to denigrate and demonize the State of Israel as a whole and the Jewish people individually.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already responded in meaningful ways, including the call back of Israeli Ambassadors from some of the nations that voted yes to the resolution. Perhaps the boldest and most expressive reply of all was to change his plans and participate in the second day lighting of the Menorah in the Old City of Jerusalem.

He said, “I did not plan to be here this evening, but in light of the UN resolution, I thought that there was no better place to light the second Chanukah candle than the Western Wall … And here I would like to light Chanukah candles on behalf of the Glory of Israel. Happy Chanukah.”

And this recent letter from an Israeli soldier to President Obama (in italics):

Dear Mr. President,

You may deny our right to our homeland. You may try to rewrite our history. Just know that we are the most resilient people this world has ever seen. Our lighting of the menorah is proof of that fact. This time will be no different. Not yourself, not the UN, not the terror that you have given legitimacy to. No one will defeat us.

Jews light the menorah to celebrate restoration of Jewish control over Jerusalem and the Temple Mount—thousands of years ago. We were small and vastly outnumbered, but that did not stop us. We came together and we returned to our capital. Our home.

I have no doubt that the lights of our menorah will dispel all darkness. It will lighten the path to overcoming the endless Israel and Jew hatred. It will inspire us, and inspire our Jewish people. It will strengthen the brave men and women of the Israel Defense Forces. It will bring us together once again, and we will return to our capital. Our home.

Happy Chanukah!

Leibel A. Mangel

On this last day of the Festival of Lights—along with Prime Minister Netanyahu and the brave Israeli soldier—I, too, wish you a,

Happy Hanukkah!

And,

Happy New Year!

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  • COVID-19 / Just Another Plague? (Part II)
  • Cunning Makeover of the Great City (Revelation 17)
  • Daniel’s 70 Prophetic Weeks & The Number Seventy!
  • Day of Infamy
  • Did God Really Appear to People? When & How?
  • Diplomacy With Israel Despite Anti-Semitism / A Puzzling Paradox
  • Divine Consequences of Iran’s Arrogance (Part I)
  • Divine Consequences of Iran’s Arrogance (Part II)
  • Does Christmas Really Need Christ?
  • Does God Really Have a Son? … Part I
  • Does God Really Have a Son? … Part II
  • Does Israel Belong To The State of Israel?
  • Does The Holy Spirit Restrain (the Man of) Lawlessness?
  • Don’t Seal The Book of Revelation!
  • Double Israel’s Trouble & Double Her Blessings!
  • End of the World Events … In Chronological Order!
  • Ethnic Cleansing of Jews … The Real Palestinian Agenda
  • Exposing Antichrist’s Identity … More Compelling Evidence (Part I)
  • Exposing Antichrist’s Identity … More Compelling Evidence (Part II)
  • Extraordinary Biblical Prophecies w/Predicted Times of Fulfillment (Part I)
  • Extraordinary Biblical Prophecies w/Predicted Times of Fulfillment (Part II)
  • Festival of Tabernacles … Part I
  • First Century Existence of Christ and Antichrist & Their 21st Century Return
  • Five Life-Changing Meals in the Bible
  • For or Against Israel?
  • For Such A Time As This
  • Fountain of Youth & Fountain of Life … Is There a Difference?
  • Four Locust Kingdoms!
  • Freedom … What Does It Really Mean?
  • Fulfilled Prophecy Proves We Can Trust The Bible
  • Gateway to the World
  • Giving Thanks … What is it all about
  • Global Obsession with Jerusalem … In Biblical Proportions!
  • Globalism or Populism … Which Will Antichrist Prefer?
  • God Is Great & Yet He’s So Good!
  • God Is in Control
  • God’s New Covenant with Israel … Minus the Temple (Part I)
  • God’s New Covenant with Israel … Minus the Temple (Part II)
  • Gog, Magog and Leviathan
  • Gog/Magog’s Prophetic Clock Is Ticking, Ticking….
  • Grace and Law … A Biblical Balance
  • Great Expectations for Messiah
  • Hanukkah & Christmas / Do They Have Anything in Common?
  • Hanukkah … The Festival Born of a Prophecy!
  • Happy New Year … Jerusalem Style!
  • Has Antichrist Already Died … How, When & Why
  • How and When Does The World End?
  • How the Rapture
  • Humiliating End of the Great City (Revelation 17)
  • Hurricane Harvey & A Year of Prophetic Milestones (2017)
  • Intriguing Comparisons Between Antiochus IV & Antichrist (Nero)
  • Israel Is Again The Head, Not the Tail (The Deal of the Century)
  • Is President Trump Wavering On “The Waiver”?
  • ISIS, Nero, and Rome
  • Israel Is Here To Stay … Forever!
  • Israel’s Annexation of Occupied Territory? We Must Define The Terms
  • Israel’s Controversial Nation-State Law
  • Israel’s Government in Limbo … Unprecedented!
  • Israeli Occupation … Fact or Myth?
  • Italy’s New Government / A Thorn in the EU’s Side
  • Jerusalem … A Capital Without a Country?
  • Jerusalem … City of Peace?
  • Jerusalem / City Above All Cities
  • Jerusalem’s Mysterious Eastern Gate … Making Headlines
  • Jesus’s Stunning Statements While on the Cross… A Summary of Salvation!
  • Jesus Is The Very Essence of Prophecy
  • Jewish Christian / Christian Jew … An Oxymoron?
  • Jewish Settlements in Judea/Samaria … Are They Illegal?
  • Jewish Sovereignty on Temple Mount (Part I)
  • Jewish Sovereignty on Temple Mount (Part II)
  • Jubilee and Messiah … They Go Together!
  • Judea/Samaria & Gaza Strip / Who Has Sovereignty?
  • Just How Imminent is Messiah’s Imminent Return?
  • King David’s Tomb
  • Kingdom of God
  • Las Vegas Massacre … A Broader Perspective
  • Lazarus and Lazarus & The Sign of Jonah
  • Let’s Celebrate … Forever!
  • Let’s Make a Deal
  • Look Up, Redemption Is Near … Part I
  • Look Up, Redemption Is Near … Part II
  • Major Earthquake in Israel … When & Where It Will Strike
  • Melchizedek … A Man of Mystery!
  • Merry Christmas … What’s It All About?
  • Messiah and the Jewish Festivals … An Extraordinary Connection!
  • Messiah’s Amazing Appearances Before He Was Born
  • Messiah’s Arrival … On Whose Authority?
  • Messiah’s Ascension & Coronation … Seen Long Before It Happened!
  • Messiah’s Millennial Reign … Incredible Changes on Earth
  • Messiah’s Number & Its Prophetic Value
  • Messiah’s Return & The Rapture (Same or Separate Events?)
  • Messianic Jews … Who Are They?
  • Modern Day Antichrist?
  • Moral Equivalency
  • More Palestinian Lies
  • More Than One Messiah?
  • Moses & Elijah vs. Antichrist & The False Prophet
  • Moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem … A Broken Promise?
  • NERO & The Remarkable Revival of His Name
  • O Jerusalem, Jerusalem!
  • Old & New Testament Saints … Is There a Difference?
  • One Global Language … Coming Soon! (Part I)
  • One Global Language … Coming Soon! (Part II)
  • One Hundred Forty-Four Thousand Messianic Jews … Part I
  • One Hundred Forty-Four Thousand Messianic Jews … Part II
  • One Nation Under (the wrath of) God
  • One World Government?
  • One World Religion?
  • Palestine or Israel? Which Is It? / Your Answer May Be In Jeopardy!
  • Palestinian Propaganda Is Pure Poison
  • Palestinian Refugees… Are They Really Refugees?
  • Palestinian Terrorism & UN Resolutions … Neither Will Defeat Israel
  • Palestinian Terror Tunnels & Poetic Justice
  • Passover & Messiah Are Inseparable!
  • Passover … an Enduring Legacy
  • Peace Between Israel and Judah … Then World Peace!
  • Peace on Earth … Is It Really Possible?
  • Peace or a Palestinian State … Which Will It Be?
  • Powerful Proof of Messiah’s Identity & Arrival in The First Century!
  • Preach the Gospel … But Not to the Jews!
  • Prince of Peace
  • Prophecy & A Jewish Holiday
  • Prophetic Fate of Israel’s Friends and Foes
  • Prophetic Implications of the Fires in Israel (Part I)
  • Prophetic Implications of the Fires in Israel (Part II)
  • Proportional Warfare
  • Reappearance of Satan, a Roman Emperor & Two Ancient Prophets … Bodily!
  • Reappearance of the Beast (Antichrist)
  • Reexamination of Messiah’s Imminent Return & The Omega Generation
  • Remember December (Kislev) … A Hidden Gem of Prophecy!
  • Removing Christ From Christmas … What Are The Consequences?
  • Replacement Theology (Part I)
  • Replacement Theology (Part II)
  • Resurrections / How Many Will There Be? One, Two, Or Could There Be Three?
  • Rome and Jerusalem … friends or foes?
  • Russia & Iran versus Israel
  • Russia’s Shocking Invasion of Ukraine … A Preview of Gog/Magog’s Attack on Israel?
  • Salvation … “To The Jew First!”
  • Satan in Bodily Form … When & Why (Part I)
  • Satan in Bodily Form … When & Why (Part II)
  • Scripture Says Everyone Will Die / But What About the Rapture?
  • Separation of Church and State … For or Against? (Part I)
  • Separation of Church and State … For or Against? (Part II)
  • Sequel to Stunning Catastrophes & Shocking Statistics of the Great Tribulation
  • Seven Essentials of The Rapture (Part I)
  • Seven Essentials of the Rapture (Part II)
  • Seven Times Seven (to the 4th power)! Part I
  • Seven Times Seven (to the 4th power)! Part II
  • Seven Times Seven (to the 4th power)! Part III
  • Seven Wonders of The Millennium
  • Seven Wonders of The Millennium (Part II)
  • Shameful Saga of the Great City (Revelation 17)
  • Shocking Statistics of the Great Tribulation
  • Significant Sets of Twos in the Bible
  • Six Million Reasons … To Trust the Bible
  • Soon Comes the Antichrist … Straight From the Abyss (Part I)
  • Soon Comes the Antichrist … Straight From the Abyss (Part II)
  • Spiritual Bodies … A Contradiction of Terms? (Part I)
  • Spiritual Bodies … A Contradiction of Terms? (Part II)
  • Stand Still & Watch God Fight for Israel!
  • Stunning Catastrophes of the Tribulation / Their Timing & Purpose
  • Sudden Appearance of Antichrist … Why So Different?
  • Sukkot … The Forever Festival!
  • Superhuman Bodies for Believers / How & Why?
  • Tell a Big Lie Long Enough….
  • Terror, Terror, Terror (Part II)
  • Terror, Terror, Terror! (Part I)
  • The “Right of Return” … For Palestinians or Jews?
  • The Ark of the Covenant … Part I
  • The Ark of the Covenant … Part II
  • The Balfour Declaration … Beginning of the Omega Generation (Part I)
  • The Balfour Declaration … Beginning of the Omega Generation (Part II)
  • The Beast and His Name
  • The Birth of a Nation
  • The Child of Promise (Part I)
  • The Child of Promise (Part II)
  • The Cross and the Torn Curtain (Part I)
  • The Cross and the Torn Curtain (Part II)
  • The End of the Age … how close are we?
  • The False Prophet (Part I)
  • The False Prophet (Part II)
  • The Final Treaty of Rome … Part I
  • The Final Treaty of Rome … Part II
  • The Gog/Magog Countdown Has Begun!
  • The Heart & Soul of Israel
  • The Incomparable Power and Authority of Jesus Christ
  • The Jewish Dichotomy In & Outside Israel
  • The Legacy of Temple Mount
  • The Legendary Return of Nero
  • The Liberation of Jerusalem
  • The Magnificent Millennial Reign of Believers with Messiah
  • The Most Panoramic Prophecy in the Bible (Part I)
  • The Most Panoramic Prophecy in the Bible (Part II)
  • The Most Significant End-Times Sign Of All
  • The Myth of Al Aqsa Mosque
  • The Number of the Beast
  • The Omega Generation
  • The Peace Treaty That Will Guarantee War
  • The Phenomenal Thousand Years/One Day Parallel
  • The Prince and the People That Destroyed the Jewish Temple / Who Were They?
  • The Prophetic Endgame of Gog/Magog
  • The Rapture / Before or After The Great Tribulation?
  • The Real Reason for Palestinian Terrorism
  • The Reign of Terror
  • The Remarkable Rebirth of a Nation
  • The Rest of the Story … Bibi’s Speech to the United Nations
  • The Right to Life?
  • The Russians Are Coming!
  • The Seal of Approval
  • The Second Exodus
  • The Seven Year Treaty
  • The Shout Heard Around the World
  • The Terrible Trio of Gog and Magog
  • The Three Greatest Trials of All Time
  • The Tremendous Transfiguration of Believers!
  • The Two Witnesses (Part I)
  • The Two Witnesses (Part II)
  • The Two Witnesses (Part III)
  • The Vatican and Islam … A Perfect Match for Antichrist
  • The Virgin Birth of Messiah … How and Why?
  • The Whole Truth
  • The Woman and the Beast
  • The Woman and the Beast (Part II)
  • The Woman and the Beast (Part III)
  • The Woman and the Beast (Part IV)
  • The Woman and the Beast (Part V)
  • The Woman and the Beast (Part VI)
  • The Wonder Of It All … Birth of the Child!
  • The World Wants a Messiah … But It Needs (The) Messiah
  • There’s No Place Like Homs
  • There’s Resurrection; And There’s Resurrection!
  • Three … A Divine Number of God!
  • Times of & Fullness of the Gentiles … What Do They Mean?
  • To Be or Not To Be … in Heaven?
  • To Be Or Not To Be … In Heaven? (A Revisit)
  • Trump, Cyrus, and the Jewish Temple
  • Turmoil, Tragedy, & Terror in Israel (Part I … Turmoil)
  • Turmoil, Tragedy, & Terror in Israel (Part II … Tragedy)
  • Turmoil, Tragedy, & Terror in Israel (Part III … Terror)
  • Two-State Solution & The Seven-Year Treaty … Impossible?
  • Two Thirds of the Jews Killed … Past or Future?
  • U.S. President Agrees with God … Jerusalem Is Israel’s Capital!
  • Under the Radar
  • UNESCO / “Theatre of the Absurd” Against Israel
  • United Nations Downsizing of Israel (Resolution 2334)
  • Value of Prophecy
  • West Bank or Judea/Samaria? What’s In A Name?
  • What Is A Saint?
  • What Is Done To Israel Will Be Done In Return / The Iran Nuclear Deal
  • What Is Done to Israel Will Be Done in Return / Dangers of a Divided Jerusalem
  • What is Palestine & Who Is A Palestinian?
  • What is the Rapture?
  • What Is The Unpardonable Sin?
  • When the Rapture?
  • Where is Messiah … Is He Already Here?
  • Where Is The Temple? Part I
  • Where Is The Temple? Part II
  • Where is the Temple? Part III
  • Who is Messiah?
  • Who Is the Antichrist & How Will He Appear (Part I)
  • Who Is The Antichrist & How Will He Appear? (Part II)
  • Who the Rapture?
  • Whom Do You Most Want To See In Heaven?
  • Why the Rapture?
  • Why the Rapture? (A Revisit)
  • Why The World Idolizes Antichrist & How It Reacts To The Tribulation
  • Wiles of the Woman
  • Will All Children Be Taken in The Rapture?
  • Will Believers Go Through the Great Tribulation? (Part I)
  • Will Believers Go Through The Great Tribulation? (Part II)
  • Will There Still Be Unbelievers Throughout Eternity?
  • Yom Kippur / With Or Without Atonement?
  • Zechariah’s Dramatic Description of Antichrist’s Fatal Wounds

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