For all those who already have a working understanding of the historical Hanukkah story, this one is for you.
The history of Hanukkah helps our understanding of what was happening during those so-called “silent” years between the so-called “Old Testament” and the “New Testament”. Let’s say it this way: the years between Malachi and Matthew and Luke were not silent. They were very noisy and disruptive as a world in conflict and turmoil changed yet once again. Feel the rumble of history as Alexander the Great made sweeping changes in culture - leaping across the landscape to the east - conquering as he went. Greek philosophy of Hellenism spread and proved to be an ideal that would attempt to replace the Torah. The age of man-reasoning-with-man vs. man-reasoning-with God had arrived and remains to this day. The “new” thing was that man’s gods were no longer merely objects or animals or part of both. Man’s gods were taking front center stage and had taken on the form of man: Zeus, Mercury, Jupiter, Diana and such. (Much more dignified for the ‘reasoning man’ don’t you agree?) The result of these changes led to a Greek General, Antiochus Epiphanies, planting a graven image of Zeus on the Temple Mount. (Never a good idea)
The traditional ending of the Hanukkah story leaves us with fairy-tale-thinking: that they lived happily ever after as follows:
· the great Greek Empire had been defeated by a ragtag small group of Jewish rebels
· the Hasmonean family - from the priestly line of Levi - was firmly in charge
· the temple had been cleaned and re-dedicated beginning on the 25 of Kislev….it was winter.
· the single cruise of oil, enough for one day, miraculously lasts for eight days giving rise the famous – a great miracle happened there- as celebrated with the dreidel game
· an end of tyranny and abuse
As we close any of the storybooks written of this time we assume all is well. Now 2200 years later we celebrate the legend of the cruise of oil with a nine-branched candle holder and the fact that the Greeks were thrown out. This becomes another isolated story in history connected to nothing that leads to nowhere. Let’s continue the history lesson and see where the trail leads us. (Know for certain that this is not just some little additional footnote.)
One of the main characters in the Hanukkah story is Judah-the-Maccabee. Maccabee, which means ‘hammer’ in Hebrew, is an acronym for [Mee ka mocha b’eleem] or “Who is like thee oh God”. The family name for the Maccabees was Hasmonean. These men were legitimate priests from the tribe of Levi. The successful Maccabee Revolt gave way to Hasmonean rule in Judea as well as independence from the Greeks in the land of Israel for 100 years until Rome conquered Judea. However, there was internal unrest during that time. No, they did not live happily ever after following the Maccabee Revolt.
According to Torah, - Priests were to come from the line of Aaron of the tribe of Levi; Kings from the line of David of the House of Judah. This Hasmonean family retained power for about 100 years and eventually combined the office Priest and King…(never a good sign in the family of man). Their military victories continued as well as losses, but before the end of their rule the size of the territory approximated that of King David; including Idumea, which is the land of Esau. (Eventually, Rome will appoint an Idumean to the throne; we know him as King Herod.)
People in the newly acquired land from military victories were required by the Hasmonean Dynasty to accept Judaism. (Forced conversion to any religion is never a good idea). Internal political factions continued. The sects known as the Pharisees and Sadducees emerged along with their many religious differences according to their oral traditions. Civil strife, and yet great abundance and prosperity continued under this Hasmonean dynasty. In fact, their history reads like an accounting of a monopoly game between the Hasmonean ruling elite, the Sadducees, the Pharisees and the Idumeans. Wealth, military power, legalistic religious rule and subversion was the goal of this game, and they played it well.
However, after one hundred years, neither peace nor stability reigned in Judea because of the Hasmonean Dynasty. Rome disremembered this government as Pompey brought the Roman army into the land in 63 BCE. Out of the chaos and confusion, a certain man arose that Rome approved of and put in charge of their new client state. This man, soon to become known as Herod-the-Great, was a descendant of Esau from Idumea. His ancestors were forced converts to Judaism – (thanks to the Hasmoneans.) Herod set about undertaking massive building projects all over his realm; the most striking of projects: the rebuilding or remodeling the temple in Jerusalem. It became one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is still known as Herod’s Temple even though it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. Think about this for a moment: Esau, Jacob’s twin brother, was placed in charge of Israel by Rome. This is a pattern that sets the stage for the Messiah’s first coming and (probably) His second coming as well i.e. - 1. Esau, Rome, Israel – 2. Islam, Revived Roman World Empire, Israel.
Herod’s Temple grounds provided a lavish place for the Sadducees to argue for the rightful priesthood and the Pharisees to micromanage peoples’ lives with their legal opinions of oral law and for the Priesthood to be bought and sold to the highest bidder. Herod the great died in 4 BC….but before his death an event took place that has had an effect on everyone…the birth of Yeshua….the rightful King of Israel….and....the Priest of the Most High God. His story changes history or should we say establishes grace and truth on the earth. The birth of this King happened in the fall of the year at the appointed time of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Admittedly, this has been an abbreviated version of the so-called “400-year silent period” between Malachi and Matthew….or the Old and the New Testaments. (It is always a good idea to remove the page between your OT and NT.... as it is one continuous story.)
Now for the rest of the story:
It is winter, the darkest and coldest time of the year. The daylight hours grow shorter as the 25th of Kislev draws near, with no light from the moon for the night sky…just as it does every year at the time of Hanukkah. All throughout the land for eight of the darkest and longest nights of the year, light appears in the windows of the Children of Israel.
This tradition highlights one of the darkest times in Jewish history; massacre, defilement, forbidden Torah study and forbidden circumcision of baby boys. Gross darkness had settled over the land and the people.
Listen to the Scriptures:
FROM THE TORAH:
Gen 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light" and there was light.
FROM THE PROPHET ISAIAH:
Isaiah 60: 2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people..
FROM THE GOSPEL OF JOHN:
John 1: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. 4 In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. 5 And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Of course, the Light of which the John speaks is Yeshua, our Messiah. If a man refuses to come to His Light … then that man gropes about in the darkness – like a blind man….one who cannot see…
Also, if the man refuses to heed the Word spoken from the beginning, then that man is deaf.
NO LIGHT…..NO WORD…..NO LIFE. This is a description of a walking dead man with no hope of life beyond this earthly existence.
BETWEEN..... the last chapter of the last book – Malachi which ends with a dire warning: Not to forget the Law of Moses and the Commandments as well as, “I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of Yah and he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.”
Malachi 3: 3, 4, 6
AND….The Book of Luke - is the 400-year-history just covered. The people of the time of Luke were indeed in darkness and in need of a Savior!
· Rome was the ruling power and the Pharisees and Sadducees facilitated Herod’s Temple
· The Priesthood was being bought and sold as a commodity
· Religious traditions and oral doctrines of men had taken hold in the land of Israel
It is into this scene that the angel Gabriel appears to Mary in the dark days of winter ... on the 25th of Kislev at the beginning of Hanukkah and says these now famous words: “Do not be afraid Mary for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Yeshua. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:30-33
Yes, Good News and a Great Miracle happened there that night that would be made visible forty weeks later…in the fall….when a baby was born in Bethlehem, - the House of Bread - at the Feast of Tabernacles. For it was at that Appointed Time (on the 15th day of the 7th month under the bright light of a full moon) that Yeshua was born. He came to Tabernacle with His people …and save us…and help us… and show us the way to the Father and grow in favor and in stature with man and God … and eventually pay the price to redeem His Bride.
Yes, The Light of the World was announced at a very dark and tumultuous time in human history on the 25th of Kislev at the time of Hanukkah. His birth was 40 weeks later keeping His calendar accurate. This is a side of Hanukkah that is seldom covered. Judaism doesn’t acknowledge Yeshua’s birth (yet). Christianity is still too involved with Mithraism and the celebration of Christmas to even acknowledge the story of the Maccabees and thus overlooks Yeshua’s true birth date as the Feast of Tabernacles in the autumn of the year. The traditions and doctrines of man strike again. When we search for Truth we will find it; when we don’t we won’t.
John 10:22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter,23 and Yeshua was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Yeshua answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Yeshua answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”
The stone which the builders refused is become the head-stone of the corner.
Psalm 118:22
Isaiah 28:16
Matthew 21:43
Mark 12:10
Luke 20:17
Acts 4:11
Romans 9:33
I Peter 2:7
--I Maccabees 4:41 Then Judas detailed men to fight against those in the citadel until he had cleansed the sanctuary. 42He chose blameless priests devoted to the law, 43and they cleansed the sanctuary and removed the defiled stones to an unclean place. 44They deliberated what to do about the altar of burnt-offering, which had been profaned. 45And they thought it best to tear it down so that it would not be a lasting shame to them that the Gentiles had defiled it. So they tore down the altar, 46 and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until a prophet should come to tell what to do with them. 47Then they took unhewn* stones, as the law directs, and built a new altar like the former one.
The Hasmoneans stored those stones in what would become Solomon's Colonnade. The coming Prophet would tell them what to do with the stones....
The history of Hanukkah helps our understanding of what was happening during those so-called “silent” years between the so-called “Old Testament” and the “New Testament”. Let’s say it this way: the years between Malachi and Matthew and Luke were not silent. They were very noisy and disruptive as a world in conflict and turmoil changed yet once again. Feel the rumble of history as Alexander the Great made sweeping changes in culture - leaping across the landscape to the east - conquering as he went. Greek philosophy of Hellenism spread and proved to be an ideal that would attempt to replace the Torah. The age of man-reasoning-with-man vs. man-reasoning-with God had arrived and remains to this day. The “new” thing was that man’s gods were no longer merely objects or animals or part of both. Man’s gods were taking front center stage and had taken on the form of man: Zeus, Mercury, Jupiter, Diana and such. (Much more dignified for the ‘reasoning man’ don’t you agree?) The result of these changes led to a Greek General, Antiochus Epiphanies, planting a graven image of Zeus on the Temple Mount. (Never a good idea)
The traditional ending of the Hanukkah story leaves us with fairy-tale-thinking: that they lived happily ever after as follows:
· the great Greek Empire had been defeated by a ragtag small group of Jewish rebels
· the Hasmonean family - from the priestly line of Levi - was firmly in charge
· the temple had been cleaned and re-dedicated beginning on the 25 of Kislev….it was winter.
· the single cruise of oil, enough for one day, miraculously lasts for eight days giving rise the famous – a great miracle happened there- as celebrated with the dreidel game
· an end of tyranny and abuse
As we close any of the storybooks written of this time we assume all is well. Now 2200 years later we celebrate the legend of the cruise of oil with a nine-branched candle holder and the fact that the Greeks were thrown out. This becomes another isolated story in history connected to nothing that leads to nowhere. Let’s continue the history lesson and see where the trail leads us. (Know for certain that this is not just some little additional footnote.)
One of the main characters in the Hanukkah story is Judah-the-Maccabee. Maccabee, which means ‘hammer’ in Hebrew, is an acronym for [Mee ka mocha b’eleem] or “Who is like thee oh God”. The family name for the Maccabees was Hasmonean. These men were legitimate priests from the tribe of Levi. The successful Maccabee Revolt gave way to Hasmonean rule in Judea as well as independence from the Greeks in the land of Israel for 100 years until Rome conquered Judea. However, there was internal unrest during that time. No, they did not live happily ever after following the Maccabee Revolt.
According to Torah, - Priests were to come from the line of Aaron of the tribe of Levi; Kings from the line of David of the House of Judah. This Hasmonean family retained power for about 100 years and eventually combined the office Priest and King…(never a good sign in the family of man). Their military victories continued as well as losses, but before the end of their rule the size of the territory approximated that of King David; including Idumea, which is the land of Esau. (Eventually, Rome will appoint an Idumean to the throne; we know him as King Herod.)
People in the newly acquired land from military victories were required by the Hasmonean Dynasty to accept Judaism. (Forced conversion to any religion is never a good idea). Internal political factions continued. The sects known as the Pharisees and Sadducees emerged along with their many religious differences according to their oral traditions. Civil strife, and yet great abundance and prosperity continued under this Hasmonean dynasty. In fact, their history reads like an accounting of a monopoly game between the Hasmonean ruling elite, the Sadducees, the Pharisees and the Idumeans. Wealth, military power, legalistic religious rule and subversion was the goal of this game, and they played it well.
However, after one hundred years, neither peace nor stability reigned in Judea because of the Hasmonean Dynasty. Rome disremembered this government as Pompey brought the Roman army into the land in 63 BCE. Out of the chaos and confusion, a certain man arose that Rome approved of and put in charge of their new client state. This man, soon to become known as Herod-the-Great, was a descendant of Esau from Idumea. His ancestors were forced converts to Judaism – (thanks to the Hasmoneans.) Herod set about undertaking massive building projects all over his realm; the most striking of projects: the rebuilding or remodeling the temple in Jerusalem. It became one of the Seven Wonders of the World and is still known as Herod’s Temple even though it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. Think about this for a moment: Esau, Jacob’s twin brother, was placed in charge of Israel by Rome. This is a pattern that sets the stage for the Messiah’s first coming and (probably) His second coming as well i.e. - 1. Esau, Rome, Israel – 2. Islam, Revived Roman World Empire, Israel.
Herod’s Temple grounds provided a lavish place for the Sadducees to argue for the rightful priesthood and the Pharisees to micromanage peoples’ lives with their legal opinions of oral law and for the Priesthood to be bought and sold to the highest bidder. Herod the great died in 4 BC….but before his death an event took place that has had an effect on everyone…the birth of Yeshua….the rightful King of Israel….and....the Priest of the Most High God. His story changes history or should we say establishes grace and truth on the earth. The birth of this King happened in the fall of the year at the appointed time of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Admittedly, this has been an abbreviated version of the so-called “400-year silent period” between Malachi and Matthew….or the Old and the New Testaments. (It is always a good idea to remove the page between your OT and NT.... as it is one continuous story.)
Now for the rest of the story:
It is winter, the darkest and coldest time of the year. The daylight hours grow shorter as the 25th of Kislev draws near, with no light from the moon for the night sky…just as it does every year at the time of Hanukkah. All throughout the land for eight of the darkest and longest nights of the year, light appears in the windows of the Children of Israel.
This tradition highlights one of the darkest times in Jewish history; massacre, defilement, forbidden Torah study and forbidden circumcision of baby boys. Gross darkness had settled over the land and the people.
Listen to the Scriptures:
FROM THE TORAH:
Gen 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, "Let there be light" and there was light.
FROM THE PROPHET ISAIAH:
Isaiah 60: 2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people..
FROM THE GOSPEL OF JOHN:
John 1: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. 4 In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. 5 And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Of course, the Light of which the John speaks is Yeshua, our Messiah. If a man refuses to come to His Light … then that man gropes about in the darkness – like a blind man….one who cannot see…
Also, if the man refuses to heed the Word spoken from the beginning, then that man is deaf.
NO LIGHT…..NO WORD…..NO LIFE. This is a description of a walking dead man with no hope of life beyond this earthly existence.
BETWEEN..... the last chapter of the last book – Malachi which ends with a dire warning: Not to forget the Law of Moses and the Commandments as well as, “I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of Yah and he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.”
Malachi 3: 3, 4, 6
AND….The Book of Luke - is the 400-year-history just covered. The people of the time of Luke were indeed in darkness and in need of a Savior!
· Rome was the ruling power and the Pharisees and Sadducees facilitated Herod’s Temple
· The Priesthood was being bought and sold as a commodity
· Religious traditions and oral doctrines of men had taken hold in the land of Israel
It is into this scene that the angel Gabriel appears to Mary in the dark days of winter ... on the 25th of Kislev at the beginning of Hanukkah and says these now famous words: “Do not be afraid Mary for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Yeshua. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:30-33
Yes, Good News and a Great Miracle happened there that night that would be made visible forty weeks later…in the fall….when a baby was born in Bethlehem, - the House of Bread - at the Feast of Tabernacles. For it was at that Appointed Time (on the 15th day of the 7th month under the bright light of a full moon) that Yeshua was born. He came to Tabernacle with His people …and save us…and help us… and show us the way to the Father and grow in favor and in stature with man and God … and eventually pay the price to redeem His Bride.
Yes, The Light of the World was announced at a very dark and tumultuous time in human history on the 25th of Kislev at the time of Hanukkah. His birth was 40 weeks later keeping His calendar accurate. This is a side of Hanukkah that is seldom covered. Judaism doesn’t acknowledge Yeshua’s birth (yet). Christianity is still too involved with Mithraism and the celebration of Christmas to even acknowledge the story of the Maccabees and thus overlooks Yeshua’s true birth date as the Feast of Tabernacles in the autumn of the year. The traditions and doctrines of man strike again. When we search for Truth we will find it; when we don’t we won’t.
John 10:22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter,23 and Yeshua was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Yeshua answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Yeshua answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”
The stone which the builders refused is become the head-stone of the corner.
Psalm 118:22
Isaiah 28:16
Matthew 21:43
Mark 12:10
Luke 20:17
Acts 4:11
Romans 9:33
I Peter 2:7
--I Maccabees 4:41 Then Judas detailed men to fight against those in the citadel until he had cleansed the sanctuary. 42He chose blameless priests devoted to the law, 43and they cleansed the sanctuary and removed the defiled stones to an unclean place. 44They deliberated what to do about the altar of burnt-offering, which had been profaned. 45And they thought it best to tear it down so that it would not be a lasting shame to them that the Gentiles had defiled it. So they tore down the altar, 46 and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until a prophet should come to tell what to do with them. 47Then they took unhewn* stones, as the law directs, and built a new altar like the former one.
The Hasmoneans stored those stones in what would become Solomon's Colonnade. The coming Prophet would tell them what to do with the stones....
Making a connection from the stones of the defiled altar the Hasmoneans stored on the Temple Mount (according to I Maccabees chapter 4) until Yeshua - Prophet, Priest and King of Israel came to that very place and declared Himself the Light of the World. (John 8:12) But, they didn't believe Him and picked up stones (again) to stone Him. Were these the very stones from the altar defiled by the Greeks seventy years prior? Sounds like a plausible connection to me! Think about it...... The people were willing to stone the Messiah with the very stones of the Temple altar that had been defiled by the Greeks! Yikes!
It is time to Believe God's Word....the Word that was sent to into the world to redeem us. It is time to separate ourselves to Him...to walk with Him, to talk with Him, to seek Him with all of our being, and demonstrate our love for Him by our obedience to His Word.
Yeshua told His followers, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:17
Yes, the months of winter are the darkest days of the year. May His Light flow from you and your house in this dark time. May hospitality and the joy of knowing Yeshua be the point of this Season of Dedication. Happy Hanukkah!
It is time to Believe God's Word....the Word that was sent to into the world to redeem us. It is time to separate ourselves to Him...to walk with Him, to talk with Him, to seek Him with all of our being, and demonstrate our love for Him by our obedience to His Word.
Yeshua told His followers, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:17
Yes, the months of winter are the darkest days of the year. May His Light flow from you and your house in this dark time. May hospitality and the joy of knowing Yeshua be the point of this Season of Dedication. Happy Hanukkah!