“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
As
we talked last week about the Jewish celebration called Hanukkah, I thought I
would continue today sharing even more of my thoughts surrounding this holiday
and the conclusion many have come to that it will most certainly be a time to
watch. There is an old Jewish saying that I have read many times over the years
which says simply that “coincidence isn’t
kosher”. I don’t recall when I first
read that, but it is something that I have always remembered when I study the
Word because of my personal belief that God intended every word, and even the
very punctuation to be placed exactly where we find it. I believe this is exactly what Jesus was
referring to when He made the following statement to the disciples in what we
know as the Sermon on the Mount.
“For
assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle
will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” Matthew 5:18
NKJV
It
is because of this that I have become very sensitive to the structure of God’s
Word as well as the content, and one of the things I habitually do is look to
see where and when certain words are repeated in scripture and how they are
used in order to better understand the meaning of what I am reading. I recall as a parent using certain words, and
often repeating them at times, when I wanted to make a point to my children in
the hope that they would remember whatever it was that I was trying to
convey. I believe God has done the same
thing in His Word to us, which is why I always take a closer look when I find
certain words which are repeated.
Hanukkah,
or the Feast of Dedication, is considered to be one of the minor holidays in
Israel, and is not one of the seven major feasts instituted by God in the Old
Testament. Yet we do find it mentioned
in the New Testament in this passage from John, and when we read these verses
we find that it plays a rather important part in the life of our Lord. I have always found it curious that
throughout His early ministry, Jesus seemed to go out of His way to avoid
stating specifically that He was the Messiah, the Son of God. It almost seemed as if He was waiting for a
particular, appointed time to do it, and on this particular day, the Feast of
Dedication, we find that Jesus was asked this very question as He walked in the
temple.
Since
Jesus answered this question the way He did, this was obviously the day He was
waiting for. Yet it is not the fact that Jesus answered the question plainly
and unequivocally that caught my attention, but rather His use of a particular
word in His answer which I find not only interesting, but rather intriguing
considering we know He chose His words carefully and deliberately. You see, twice in this passage Jesus uses the
word “snatch” when referring to His
“sheep”. Now as I have said,
repeating a word always gets my attention so I first of all wanted to look
closer at the original Greek, and also look to see if it is used elsewhere in
the Word and the context in which it is used.
When
I did this, no surprise, I again was reminded why studying the Word is so much
fun to me. The word for “snatch” that Jesus uses here is “harpazo”, meaning, “to seize, carry off by force, to claim for oneself eagerly, to snatch
out or away.” I’m also sure most of
you recognize this as the very same word used by Paul in Thessalonians to refer
to the rapture of the Church. The word
rapture simply comes from the Latin translation of “harpazo” and this is the event that we as believers are all looking
forward to with great anticipation.
“For
the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an
archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” 1
Thessalonians 4:16-17 NKJV
Obviously
my first thought was that this is not a coincidence, but rather an intentional
use of the same word. Unfortunately
though, the next step is to try and come up with an explanation as to why? This is where most of us could probably come
up with our own, and probably very different explanations. Many have speculated in the past, however,
that Hanukkah would be a perfect time for the rapture of the Church for many
different reasons. Of course, although I
might agree, I also firmly believe that the rapture could occur on any given
day and is not restricted to any of the Jewish holidays.
Was
Jesus trying to tell His believers when He would return for His bride? I certainly couldn’t say that was the case,
yet looking at the state of the world in which we live and examining events in
light of what the Word of God has revealed to us should give all of us who
believe pause for thought. Have you ever
considered that Jesus is eagerly awaiting the Father's permission to snatch His
bride from this earth? It seems more
than obvious to many that we are rapidly approaching the time of our
deliverance from this earth, and with Hanukkah just over a week away, wouldn’t
it be nice if Jesus were to call us home then, coincidently while we celebrate
His birth at Christmas?
Today,
while many eagerly wait for Christmas to arrive, may we all remember to give
thanks to God for His gift of salvation to us through the blood of His Son,
Jesus Christ. If you have never made the
decision to accept that free gift I encourage you to do so today. Simply ask God to forgive you of your sin
based on your belief that Jesus died to pay the price for your sin, and turn
over control of your life to Him. You
can do that right now by praying a prayer just like this one;
"Dear Lord
Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn
from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I confess You as my
personal Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me. Amen."
“Rejoice
always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will
of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1
Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV
Keep
watching.
