“'Consider
now from this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from
the day that the foundation of the LORD's temple was laid--consider it: 'Is the
seed still in the barn? As yet the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the
olive tree have not yielded [fruit]. [But] from this day I will bless [you].'
" And again the word of the LORD came to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day
of the month, saying, "Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: 'I
will shake heaven and earth. I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will
destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots and
those who ride in them; The horses and their riders shall come down, Every one
by the sword of his brother. 'In that day,' says the LORD of hosts, 'I will
take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,' says the LORD, 'and
will make you like a signet [ring]; for I have chosen you,' says the LORD of
hosts." Haggai 2:18-23 NKJV
The
twenty-fourth day of the ninth month referred to in this passage from the
prophet Haggai is the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. According to this prophecy, on some future
Hanukkah, God intends to deliver Israel from its enemies and begin to bless
them in a way that proves to the world that they are indeed His chosen people. There
have been suggestions appearing lately that revolve around this Jewish holiday
of Hanukkah, and the possibility of it being a good day for the rapture of the
Church to occur. This is a subject we
have discussed in the past, however with the current interest in this day and
the heightened expectation of our deliverance, I thought we would look once
again at what the Word of God has to say about it.
In
Israel's history, after they had been released from captivity by the Babylonians,
they returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple which had been destroyed by
Nebuchadnezzar when they were taken into captivity. A few hundred years later,
around 175BC, Israel was under the rule of the Selucid Empire (Syria) and their
king. This king, Antiochus IV, looted the temple, stopped the worship, and
effectively outlawed the practice of Judaism. This resulted in an event we know
as the Maccabean Revolt , the end result being that in 165BC the king was
overthrown and the Jews were able to resume worship in their temple. The
trouble was, they discovered that when they went to relight the Menorah, or
lampstand in the temple, there was only enough oil to burn for one day. Since
this oil was specially consecrated by the priests for use, it would take days
to prepare more.
However,
a miracle occurred in that the one day supply of oil burned for eight days
allowing time for the priests to prepare more. Although not one of the seven
feasts of Israel ordained by God in the Old Testament, it is a very important
celebration in Israel and is even referred to in the New Testament. During
Hanukkah, the people celebrate by lighting one light each night for eight
nights using what is known as a Hanukkah Menorah with eight branches on a
single main stem as opposed to the Menorah used in the Temple which has six
branches off of the main stem. It is
this daily lighting of the Menorah that also gives Hanukkah the name Festival
of Lights.
We
began this article with the passage from Haggai which is a prophecy most
believe has yet to be fulfilled. Many respected Bible scholars believe that
this passage is telling us that on this day, sometime in the future, God will
again reveal Himself to the world by directly involving Himself in the affairs
of nations by destroying their strength by divine intervention. Specifically, most are of the opinion it
refers to the Gog Magog war of Ezekiel 38-39.
How God chooses to reveal Himself might well include the Church, or more
specifically, the removal of it, so He can once again focus His attention on
the nation of Israel. When talking about
Hanukkah, however, what many people miss about this holiday is the fact that
Jesus chose this very day to announce to the world that He was indeed, the Son
of God.
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." John 10:22-30
NKJV
Was
there a reason in Jesus' mind that it was important to do this on this
particular day? I believe there was simply because of what this celebration was
about, and the events it would recall to every Jew. Remember that the revolt
occurred because Antiochus Epiphanes not only set up a statue of Zeus in the
temple, but also commanded people to worship it as a god. Every Jew would know
this, and it follows that the religious leaders of the day would make sure that
everyone remembered what this celebration was all about.
So
is it a coincidence that those leaders chose this very day to ask Jesus if He
was declaring Himself to be God? I believe the answer to that is no, simply
because if they wanted an excuse to kill Jesus and be rid of Him, this would be
a perfect time to attempt that. Everyone
would immediately remember their history and the events surrounding this day.
However, I think it not a coincidence that Jesus chose this very day to not only
be at the temple so this question could be asked, but answered it plainly for
all to hear. Don't you think the word would get around rather fast that someone
else proclaimed themselves to be God in flesh on the temple mount on the day
that they were celebrating their overthrow of someone else who did the very
same thing?
"As
long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." John 9:5 NKJV
Jesus
said these words just before the events we read about in the passage above. I
don't think it is another coincidence that on the “Festival of Lights” Jesus
also said that He was the “light of the world”. Jesus seemed to be using this
festival as a way to show the people who He was in such a way that they would
remember Him every time they celebrated it.
One thing we should all remember as members of the body of Christ is
that we, the Church, are a reflection of that light in this present world. The time is coming; however, when this light
will be removed by the event we call the rapture.
Then
spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that
followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12 NKJV
Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven. Matthew
5:16 NKJV
Is
it possible that the light in this present world will be taken on a future
Hanukkah? As always, I believe that
event could happen on any given day, however it would not surprise me at all if
that happened on the same day God has promised to once again involve Himself in
the affairs of men and reveal His special love for the nation of Israel as
revealed by the prophet Haggai.
What
I believe we should all take away from a study of Hanukkah is more conviction
of our personal responsibility to shine our light as bright as we can to a
world that seems to be getting darker every day. If you may have stumbled onto this blog by
accident and question where you may spend eternity, may I encourage you to pray
to Jesus Christ and confess your sins, ask Him to come into your life, and
begin to experience a life filled with the "light of life". Simply
pray the following prayer;
Jesus I know I am a
sinner. I have sinned against you, but I know you loved me enough to send your
Son, Jesus Christ to die for my sins and then rise from the dead so that I may
live forever with You. Lord forgive me of my sins and come into my life and
help me to begin to live for You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Keep
Watching
