![]() Tomorrow is the last day of the Feast of Hanukkah. Hanukkah is known as the Feast of Dedication and the Festival of Lights. This feast was conceived in the midst of horrible moral decline, persecution and oppression. The Syrian vandals had killed thousands, made the worship of God against the law, desecrated the temple and murdered an old priest (90 years old) who refused their demands to influence the people to worship idols (click here for the history at Chabad.org. Excerpt below). "This priest, Mattitayah called his sons together and encouraged them to continue to fight in defense of God's Torah. He asked them to follow the the counsel of their brother Shimon the Wise. In waging warfare, he said, their leader should be Judah the Strong. Judah was called "Maccabee," a word composed of the initial letters of the four Hebrew words Mi Kamocha Ba'eilim Hashem, "Who is like You, O God."" Judah led the Maccabees who revolted against the Syrian oppressors. They were out numbered, out trained, under equipped, but the had God. They won against overwhelming odds and took back the temple. The Syrians had taken the golden lampstand so they created a replacement out of inferior metals. They found enough oil consecrated by the high priest for only one day. They lit the menorah and the oil lasted for 8 days until more of the holy oil was provided. That was a miracle they celebrate. Rabbi Cahn says that without this miracle the nation of Israel would not have existed for Jesus to come to. We owe our Christmas celebration to Hanukkah. Hanukkah celebrates the cleansing of and the re-dedication of the temple and remembers God's miraculous provision of the oil which lit the imperfect lamp. Rabbi Cahn says this feast is the most prophetic of the end times as it points to the abomination of desolation, persecution, foreshadows the anti-Christ and provides a strategy for freedom. There are powerful end-time keys that this feast prophetically speaks to. In fact, Jesus presented five essential end-time keys during Hanukkah. We see Jesus going up to the temple during Hanukkah in John 10:22-30.
Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, " I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one." Dedication There are five keys Jesus presented at Hanukkah; the Feast of Dedication. We should be dedicated to:
Celebrating the Light Jesus is the light of the world and we are called be like Him. Jesus says in Matthew 5:14-16: " You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Eight Keys to Overcoming Anything in Your Life I found a short video clip from the Jim Baker Show wherein Rabbi Cahn shares the eight keys Hanukkah teaches that empowers us to overcome anything in our life. Below you will find a summary. Click here for his teaching.
Happy Hanukkah! Comments are closed.
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Tim Taylor
Founder and overseer of KLI, and the spiritual architect of 1Church1Day & Operation Rolling Thunder. Archives
December 2016
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