“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
I have mentioned once or twice that I majored in History when I attended university however I may not have shared that it was with the intent of becoming a teacher at the college level. I tell you that fearing todays article may sound a little more like a history lesson than usual so fair warning. The subject of this post is the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, which will begin this Wednesday, December 17th and I thought today we might recall a few observations about it that I have mentioned in the past, and the fact that many believe it is a day of future prophetic importance.
In 175 BC, an individual named Antiochus IV Epiphanes took the throne of Syria after stealing it from Demetrius II, the rightful king. Not too long after assuming the throne, Antiochus began a march to Egypt with the intent of conquering it. Along the way, however, he also stopped in Israel and plundered the temple in Jerusalem and stole all of the gold and silver implements he could find. He then murdered the High Priest and gave the position to anyone who would pay him enough. Although he successfully conquered Egypt, his victory didn't last very long.
After a rebellion by the conquered Egyptians, he again in anger invaded Israel and in so doing commanded that the Jews worship him as God. He gave himself the title of “Epiphanes” which basically translates to “god made manifest”. Ironically, the Jews preferred to call him “Epimanes” a word that is translated as “madman” which clearly shows what they thought of him. Then in 168 BC he decided to convert the temple into a place to worship the Greek god Zeus and defiled the temple by sacrificing pigs on the altar. He also placed a statue of Zeus with his own face on it in the Holy of Holies, an act of desecration that the Jews referred to as the Abomination that Causes Desolation, the result being that the Jews began what is called the Maccabean Revolt.
The end result of this revolt was that in 165 BC 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 complete the process of acquiring more. This miracle produced the celebration known as the Feast of Dedication, which begins on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar and lasts for eight days.
Considering the timing of Jesus speaking the words we read in the passage above, it seems evident to me that there was a reason He felt that it was important to walk in the Temple and make this statement on this particular day. This Feast is known to us as Hanukkah, and I believe Jesus chose this day because of what this celebration was about, and the events it would recall to every Jew. Remember that Hanukkah celebrates the revolt which occurred because of the events which occurred only about two hundred years earlier in their history. Every Jew would know this, and I am sure that the religious leaders of the day were making sure that everyone remembered what this celebration was all about.
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 an 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 always 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, to no surprise, I again was reminded why studying the Word is so enjoyable 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, 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
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If you are curious about the rapture themes hidden in the celebration of Hanukkah, you can read more here at The Season of Return Ministries. https://www.theseasonofreturn.com
