Last Updated:
01/18/2008 13:04
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In progress...
I relate to
Judaism
101 to define this Jewish holiday:
Chanukkah, the Jewish festival of rededication, also known as
the festival of lights, is an eight day festival beginning on
the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev.
Chanukkah is probably one of the best known Jewish holidays,
not because of any great religious significance, but because of
its proximity to Christmas. Many non-Jews (and even many
assimilated Jews!) think of this holiday as the Jewish
Christmas, adopting many of the Christmas customs, such as
elaborate gift-giving and decoration. It is bitterly ironic that
this holiday, which has its roots in a revolution against
assimilation and the suppression of Jewish religion, has become
the most assimilated, secular holiday on our calendar.
The Story
The story of Chanukkah begins in the reign of Alexander the
Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and Palestine, but
allowed the lands under his control to continue observing their
own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy. Under
this relatively benevolent rule, many Jews assimilated much of
Hellenistic culture, adopting the language, the customs and the
dress of the Greeks, in much the same way that Jews in America
today blend into the secular American society.
More than a
century later, a successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV was in
control of the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely,
placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews,
prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating
the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher
animal) on the altar. Two groups opposed Antiochus: a basically
nationalistic group led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son
Judah Maccabee, and a religious traditionalist group known as
the Chasidim, the forerunners of the Pharisees (no direct
connection to the modern movement known as Chasidism). They
joined forces in a revolt against both the assimilation of the
Hellenistic Jews and oppression by the Seleucid Greek
government. The revolution succeeded and the Temple was
rededicated.
According to tradition as recorded in the Talmud,
at the time of the rededication, there was very little oil left
that had not been defiled by the Greeks. Oil was needed for the
menorah (candelabrum) in the Temple, which was supposed to burn
throughout the night every night. There was only enough oil to
burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days,
the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the
menorah. An eight day festival was declared to commemorate this
miracle. Note that the holiday commemorates the miracle of the
oil, not the military victory: Jews do not glorify war.
I recently began to go over
Daniel 8 and
Daniel 11 again and came back to
the first abomination of
desolation fulfilled in prophecy by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The
significance of this brings up many other little studies connected
to it that I felt deserved referring to here.
First of all, we
know that there are many antichrists in history who place themselves
in Christ's place and that there is nothing new under the sun, this
is the spirit of antichrist. We
also have a future antichrist who is prophesied to perform another
abomination of desolation in the future, only this time he will
place himself as an idol to be worshipped in the Holy of Holies of
the rebuilt temple on the
Temple
Mount.
I would like to thank Jake for referring the following
information to me from Dave Bussard's blog,
The Pre-Wrath Tribune:
"...when we study the history of
Antiochus Epiphanes it becomes clear that 2300 DAYS were not
what was prophesied because it did not last 2300 days.
The vision says, "2300
evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly
restored." (Daniel
8:14)
According to Maccabees 1:54 (NOT inspired,
but historical) Antiochus set up the abomination of desolation
on the 15th day, 9th month and 145th year.
Maccabees 4:52-53 says the first
sacrifices after the abomination took place on the 25th day, 9th
month and the 148th year.
This is exactly 1150 days in between
the abomination and the first sacrifice after the temple was
restored according to the Greek Solar Calendar!
1150 is half of 2300, so it seems that
the 2300 was not days, but mornings and evenings, just as the
Bible suggest. This actually makes sense because I think they
were counting SACRIFICES and NOT days, due to a morning AND
evening sacrifice. Thus 2300 mornings and evenings/sacrifices."
- More detail
Antiochus back in 171 BC was trying to assimilate Jews, who are
likewise under the belief in only one God who says not to worship
any god but Him, into the Hellenistic culture. Christianity today is
being diluted from the source of its existence, the
Word of God by adding
extra-Biblical beliefs and mixing them in true Babylonian fashion.
We can see this in today's world as the fundamentalist religions
like Judaism and Christianity are having a war waged on them and all
who claim sole ownership to the Truth via the
Alliance of
Civilizations. This is working with the global religion movement
to suggest that all roads lead to God and that all religions worship
the same God. This is of course contrary to logic and reality as
there is only one Truth verified by history and the Word of God.
However those who believe the Bible is the Word of God are then in a
pickle because they are the ones being lumped in with the other
religious fundamentalists, some of which take joy in chaos.
See
how this is developing politically now!
Regarding the building of faith in the Truth of the Bible, the 2,300
days prophecy regarding the length of the desolations to the
rededication of the temple, Chanukkah, was fulfilled to the day!
Link This is much like other Bible prophecies fulfilled with the same
precision, read
HIStory, Our Future: Pearls for the Bride.
Also, the
appearance of the bride of Christ symbolized in the Old Testament by
the
Menorah. In the modern celebration there is actually two extra
candles added whereas the original Menorah in the temple had only
seven lamps.
