The Festival of Lights

The Feast of Dedication

Hanukkah

Hanukkah began on the 25th of Kislev 5774 on the Jewish calendar. The 25th of Kislev on our calendar started on November 27, 20l3. Thanksgiving (Nov.28) fell this year during the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah.

The last time Thanksgiving and Hanukkah were celebrated at the same time was when President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a federal holiday in l863. Hanukkah and Thanksgiving will not be at the same time again for over 79,340 plus years.

Hanukkah celebrates SEVERAL miracles, a great military victory for Israel, freedom to worship the Lord, plus a miraculous supply of oil for the Temple.

Jesus during his life celebrated in Jerusalem during the Festival of Lights/Dedication/Hanukkah.

Hanukkah-A History

The events that inspired the Hanukkah holiday took place around 200 B.C., Judea...came under the control of Antiochus III, the king of Syria, who allowed the Jews to worship their religion.

His son, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, proved less benevolent: Ancient sources recount that he ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods. In l68 B.C., his soldiers descended upon Jerusalem and desecrated the city's Holy Second Temple by erecting an altar to Zeus (Baal) within its sacred walls.

Led by the Jewish priest Mattathias and his five sons, a large-scale rebellion broke. When Mattathias died in l66 B.C., his son Judah, known as Judah Maccebee took the helm; within two years the Jews had successfully driven the Syrians out of Jerusalem.

Judah called on his followers to cleanse the Second Temple, rebuild its altar and light candelabrum who's seven branches represented knowledge and creation, the Seven Spirits of God, the Holy Spirit flame that burns eternally. This flame was meant to be kept burning continually.

In the temple, they can only use pure oil, not oil that had been touched by the pagans and pagan gods. And they knew they did not have enough and that it would take eight days to get though there was only enough untainted olive oil to keep the menorah's candles burning. A great miracle occurred when the flame continued flickering for eight nights, leaving them time to find fresh oil.

The Maccebees regained control over the Temple, cleansed it from the defilement. Hanukkah means “Rededication”. This wondrous event inspired the Jewish sages to proclaim this festival, because of the miracle of the oil.

At Hanukkah, or The 'Festival of Lights', or Feast of Dedication, we commemorate the victory over the Greek/Syrian forces of King Antiochus in the year l65 B.C.E.

It is important in our times in which we live to be thankful for our RELIGIOUS liberty—the right of people to celebrate freely, to practice their faith in God. It is important for us to do our part and PRAY.

It took great faith for the Maccabees to awaken and arise against the evil in their time and stand up for God's righteousness.

We need to LIGHT the candle in our darkness and expose the darkness in our lives just as the Maccabees did, for a lost and dying people in our world. We need to LIGHT the candle in our darkness through PRAYER. We need to LIGHT the candle for our nation and the world. We need to stand UNITED for those who would want to plunder us.

YOUR BODY IS A TEMPLE

The Jews' rededication of the Temple after it was defiled by the world around them should remind us each of us is a Temple with God's presence in our hearts. We need to return to the One True God. We need to rededicate ourselves to God and to allow Him to purify our hearts.

I Corinthians 6:l9

Do you not know that your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God?

I Corinthians 3:l6

Do you not know that you are a Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

Romans l2:l

Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.

Courtesy of Katherine Watsey

I pray all is well with you...