 Hanukkah
HANUKKAH: Herald to the Messiah
" 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty." Zechariah 4:6
Did you know there would be no Christmas if there had not first been a Hanukkah? Hanukkah is literally translated, "Dedication." The holiday starts December 20 at sundown and continues for eight days. The events of Hanukkah are recorded in the Book of Maccabees and found in the collection of writings known as The Apocrypha. Yeshua's observance of Hanukkah is documented in John 10:22. The Feast of Dedication commemorates the victory of a small band of Jewish priests-turned warriors over the (demonized) Syro-Greek emperor, Antiochus Epiphanes in 166 BC.
Because the Jews had assimilated into the pagan Hellenistic culture of the day, they offered little resistance to Antiochus Epiphanes' takeover and desecration of the holy Temple in Jerusalem. One family alone, the Maccabees, led a revolt against this foreshadowing figure of the anti-Christ. The Maccabees, a family of priests, refused to succumb to him. Unlike most of their Jewish brethren, they would not bow to the idol of Zeus placed in the Temple, sacrifice pigs on the altar, or assent to the emperor's other anti-God commands. As a result, Antiochus Epiphanes set out to kill and annihilate all the Jews. The Maccabees and a small remnant who joined them fought bravely against the emperor's armies. Miraculously, they were victorious. Not by might nor by power, but by God's Spirit, they defeated the enemy.
The Maccabees recaptured, restored, and rededicated the Temple on what was to become known as Hanukkah. A small cruise of oil for the lampstand---enough to last just one day---somehow burned for eight full days, when additional oil could be made to burn in the lampstand. For this reason, Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights.
Had all the Jewish people been destroyed, or had they assimilated into the pagan culture, the Jewish Messiah could never have been born to save humanity. This Hanukkah, let us take heart at the courage and faith of the Maccabees. Yeshua is looking for disciples to arise in the spirit of the Maccabees. In the trials and joys, the challenges and blessings of the year ahead, let us determine not to assimilate into the cultural norms and deception of the world. Let us instead remain faithful to Him, in the spirit of Maccabean warrior-priests. May God keep the oil in our lamps burning, as we await and prepare for Messiah's second coming. |
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