HANUKKAH
The Return of Antiochus Epiphanes
Shocking Revelation for the End Times
In Leviticus 23, we read about the seven Festivals of Yahuweh, our Creator, and His instructions for our celebrating them! Beginning with Passover, these seven are the outline of the entire plan of the salvation of Yahuweh through His Son, Messiah Yahushua. Yahushua has fulfilled the first four of these Festivals--Pesach (Passover), Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Shavu’ot (Pentecost)--His death, burial, resurrection, and His sending of the Spirit of Yahuweh into the redeemed. In the very near future will fulfill the last three – Yom Teruah (the Feast of Trumpets), Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), and Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles)—His return, His declaration that all Israel is saved, His judgment on the nations, His wedding, and His dwelling with us forever.
These are eternal festivals to commemorate and celebrate the salvation of our Elohim (God). Yahushualiterally fulfilled the first fourFestivals to the very second in timing, and He will fulfill the last three perfectly, also. Each of these Festivals expresses the love of Elohim to save a remnant of the earth’s people that He could call His people-- His own family! [Refer to: “Seven Appointments with Man” for further understanding]
Two additional celebrations were added later, commemorating historical happenings. Both of them are also prophetic of what is soon to come upon this earth before the return of Yahushua. They are Purim and Hanukkah.
The information can be life-changing, if you let it. It also will expose the plans of Satan, and his agents, in these last days.
When my children were in public elementary school, I would attend their Christmas programs. There would always be at least one or two songs about Hanukkah, the Jewish holiday that appeared around Christmas time. That’s all I knew about Hanukkah--that it was Jewish. I did not know at that time even what the songs were talking about, when the children would sing about spinning the dreidel. I now know that the word “dreidel” is a Yiddish word for a spinning top.
The legend of this children’s Hanukkah game goes back to167BCE. To escape Antiochus’ spies who were on the lookout for Jews gathering to study the Torah--a activity forbidden by Antiochus--a dreidel was always kept nearby. It a soldier approached, someone would grab the dreidel and spin it, so that the spies thought they were simply engaged in a harmless game.
Unfortunately, competing with the cultural popularity of Christmas, children getting gifts, parties, special foods, etc., the historical significance of Hanukkah has almost been lost. Its prophetic message has been lost, until now. The Spirit of Yahuweh is revealing it. Hanukkah has become a Jewish version of Christmas. Children get presents for the 8 nights of Hanukkah, parties are held, a special Hanukkia-menorah is lit, special foods are eaten, and families gather together for dinners. These things are not bad--they just tend to suppress the real meaning of the celebration, and hide the prophetic significance.
From 1963, I began studying and teaching the seven Festivals—the Feasts of Yahuweh. (Leviticus 23) I organized and oversaw several “Seder suppers,” (Passover meals) - even one in a Roman Catholic Church.
I knew they all pictured Yahushua--our Messiah and Savior. The Name Yahushua means “YAHUWEH IS SALVATION.” The Name of our Abba/Father is Yahuweh (I AM THE EVER-EXISTING ETERNAL ONE WHO BREATHES). He is the Living Elohim (God). Yahushua came in His Father’s Name! He will return in His Father’s Name.
I did not celebrate Hanukkah or Purim until about 15 years ago.
Also from 1963, I began to study and teach on what Evangelicals call “Eschatology”--the study of the end times. I began with what I knew – Hal Lindsey and Jack Van Impe teachings. But, as Abba taught me His truth by His Spirit, I learned to go from Genesis to Revelation and find out what He had to say in His Word from cover to cover. This way, He began teaching me. In 1999, when I moved to live in Aqaba, Jordan, where I lived for eight years, He began seriously teaching me from the whole Word on many subjects. I learned the nature of a real prophet, and the nature of a false one. I learned what He had to say about our future. This included His teaching me about Hanukkah and Purim.
As I progressed to learn about these things, I found that man had inserted teachingsthat were not true, and traditions that went along with the false teachings.
Recently, a wonderful researcher, pastor, and dear friend to me--a native of Colombia--wanted the truth about the celebration of Hanukkah, so that she and her congregation could throw out the false, and only celebrate Hanukkah in His Spirit of Truth. She found some shocking truth, which she shared with me. It dispels a large part of the traditions of Hanukkah. I did my own research which helped confirm her findings, and found more information for both of us.
I want to let you know about traditions and beliefs you can drop from Hanukkah celebration that were added, and are not true.
The First Hanukkah, or “dedication,” of the cleansed Temple, was December 164 BCE- mentioned in Josephus’ Antiquities of the Jews --Antiquities 12.7.6-7 316-325, and1 Maccabees 4:36-59. It is interesting that neither Josephus, nor the book of Maccabees tells the story of the “miracle of the oil.”
In John 10:22, it is mentioned that Messiah is in Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication, or Hanukkah. But, it appears that John only gave that fact as a time-marker in his narrative. John relates the ministry of Messiah, beginning at one Passover, going through one year to the next Passover where He dies and rises. His ministry was only a year long. He died at age 31 in 28 CE. This Feast was mentioned in John 10:22, but in His day no one lit candles in a special “Hanukkia” menorah of 8 branches, with a 9th “servant” candle branch, lighting one additional candle each night until the 8 were lit, to commemorate a miracle.
From Hanukkah by G.J. Goldberg:
Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days, which is the length of the celebration recorded in the First Book ofMaccabees and which is affirmed by Josephus. In Talmudic times there was related a story of the miracle of finding a small amount of ritually pure oil that beyond expectation burned for eight days. Neither the books of Maccabees nor Josephus, however, tell this story... But Josephus also does not describe any ritual lighting of a menorah as part ofthe annual celebration of Hanukkah; for him, the "miracle of Hanukkah" refers not to burning oil but to the gaining against all odds of the freedom to worship and to follow ancestral customs.
The holiday in 1 Maccabees is instituted to celebrate the "dedication of the altar" (1 Macc 4:59), and the Hebrew word for "dedication" is Hanukkah. It is by this name the festival appears in Rabbinic literature. But even today the name Hanukkah is usually "translated" into English as the "Festival of Lights," the name given ascribed to it by Josephus, who is the only ancient author to do so.
In modern times we assume the term, “Festival of Lights, refers to the custom of lighting the Hanukkah menorah, a nine-branched candelabrum to which one candle is added each night during the eight nights of the festival (there is a ninth, central candle used to light the others). But Josephus says nothing about this custom, and in fact he seems to be unaware of it, for he invents his own explanation of the name: the freedom to worship had been concealed in darkness and is now brought to light.
From: myjewishlearning.com
“…from a letter sent circa 125 BCE from the Hasmoneans to the leaders of Egyptian Jewry, the holiday of Hanukkahwas called `The festival of Sukkot,’ celebrated in the month of Kislev (December), rather than Tishri, since the Jews were still in caves fighting as guerrillas on Tishrei 1, 164 BCE. So, they could not properly honor the eight-day holiday of Sukkot (and Shemini Atzeret), which is a Temple holiday; hence it was postponed until after the recapture of Jerusalem and the purification of the Temple.This--not the Talmudic legend of the cruse of oil--explains the eight day form of Hanukkah.The use of candles may reflect the later reported tradition ofSimchat Beit HaShoava(Water-drawing Festival),the all-night dancing in the Temple on Sukkot, which required tall outdoor lamps to flood light on the dance floor of the Temple courtyard.
From orami.org – A Second Sukkot:
“The`Miracle of Oil’ story is not the whole story of Chanukah (Hanukkah).It was reported in the Babylonian Talmud in 500 C.E., almost 700 years after the Maccabees recaptured the Temple. The editors of this story recast the Maccabean revolution as the story of miracles.They were worried that subsequent generations of Jews, living under oppressive conditions, might turn to the example of the Maccabees and take up arms against their medieval oppressors.By inventing the story to emphasize God’s miraculous actions in the past, these ancient rabbis taught that miracles occur because God makes them occur.Therefore, they taught, our role in life is to pray for God’s intervention in the world.
A more accurate historical record of the Maccabean war is found in the Second Book of Maccabees.This book, written for Jews who lived outside the land of Israel, was composed around 120 BCE – about 300 years after the first Chanukah.The Second Book of Maccabees explains that the mitzvah of celebrating eight days of Hanukkah was actually invented as a substitute for celebrating the eight days of Sukkot. It does not mention the `Miracle of Oil’ story.
This `Second Sukkot’ story teaches that when the Maccabees recaptured the Temple in Jerusalem, they worked to remove the idols and they broke apart the altars.They built new altars out of new uncut stones, polished the special holy bowls and tools, put new loaves of challah on the table and hung the curtains. Then they were ready to celebrate. It was winter; Sukkot was long past.King Antiochus, who had forbidden Jews to study Torah or circumcise the male babies, also prohibited Jews from participating in Sukkot celebrations (one of three important pilgrimage holidays).With the Temple holy again, each Maccabee took an etrog and a lulav and made a special, mid-winter celebration of Sukkot.This was the first celebration of Chanukah. Note that Chanukah, like Sukkot, lasts eight days.The message of this `Second Sukkot’ account is clear: Judaism is so important that, if necessary, Jews will create new ways to observe our Jewish tradition.”
My note on this last sentence: “Rabbinic Judaism, founded by Rabbi Akiva, has been so important since the 2nd century CE, controlled by rabbis, that the Word of Yahuweh has been twisted, changed, added to, and subtracted from, to make the Word say what they want it to say. They’ve done a good job of deleting, erasing, and hiding any passages that are prophetic of Messiah’s first coming. Traditions and rabbinic teachings have been elevated above the very clear Word of our Creator. The Talmuds – the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds – the fallacious “Oral Law,” Gamatria, Mishna, commentaries of the rabbis and sages, and “takinot,”-- the traditions of religious leaders-- have been lifted up above the simple teachings of the Torah of Yahuweh, making Rabbinic Judaism such a burden that few Jews today want anything to do with it. Because, through the millenniums, so few of His people have really ever known Him, they have made up ideas about Him, and they act on those ideas. All the while, He sits in grief that His people are so far from Him, and do not know Him as He is. This is I stress above all things – knowing Him – knowing His nature, His ways, and His thinking by allowing the Spirit of Yahuweh to teach us His own Word. Isn’t this logical? If you plan to spend eternity with Him in His Kingdom, isn’t it intelligent to get to know the King and begin observing His teachings now – His way?
But, mankind is rebellious. (Ezekiel 2-3) For Him to be able to teach us His Word, we have to first humble ourselves, get rid of pride, repent of sin, and make time for Him to teach us as we sit alone with His Word, filled by His Spirit in our spirit, so that His teachings do not filter through our carnal mind’s reasoning based on the teachings of human beings, or our own thoughts.[Refer to: “Exposing Rabbinic Judaism and Its Link to Rome”, and “Religion”] No one can know Yahuweh and Yahushua though religion, which is man-created and man-ruled.
After the late 1980’s I began to just study the Word just with the Spirit of Yahuweh to teach me, especially after 1999 in the Negev desert of southern Jordan. I also studied current events from the newspaper, and media news, from history, and from books that the Father allowed me to read. I studied the one-world government, and the Luciferic plans and goals of the Illuminati through his elite world rulers, and their banking empires. Father guided me. I learned the beliefs of what the Luciferian one-world government leaders believed and how these beliefs are being carried out. Today, after all these years of research, He is showing me more, i.e. the signs, symbols, and secrets of the Illuminati--who they are, and what they are doing to reach their goals.
Before Hanukkah one year, I was visiting with my friend Lori in Fort Worth, Texas. She asked a question which led to a surprising revelation from Abba. She asked: “Why should we celebrate Hanukkah and Purim?” She had been teaching the other seven Festivals to her children and friends. She was learning about Hanukkah. I sat there, thinking that, of course, these two Festivals teach us victory over the enemy. They teach us not to compromise with the enemy in hard times. We celebrate them because they show the victory that Yahuweh had over His enemies, using the tenacity and faithfulness of the Levites (priestly tribe) and the Jews (tribe of Judah) of that day. Purim, of course, is the victory of our Abba/Father over His enemies and the enemies of His people, through Esther and Mordecai. That story is from the book of Esther. We should commemorate that holiday also. From the book of Esther: “The Jews established and imposed it (the keeping of Purim as a set-apartFestival) upon themselves and upon their seed and all who should join them, that without fail they should observe these two days every year…and that these days should be remembered and observed throughout every generation, every clan, every province, and every city, and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews and that the remembrance of them should not cease from their seed.” (Italics mine)
Of course the Jewish people did not include the “House of Israel” (the 10 northern tribes of Jacob--the House of Ephraim/House of Joseph--in their celebration declaration because those 10 tribes had been scattered among all the nations between 1,000 and 722 BCE, and the events of Purim happened after the 70 years of Babylonian captivity, at the time of the Persian King, Xerxes, son of Darius the Mede. Yet, the declaration invites all who will, to come and celebrate this Festival with the Jewish people.
Father’s holidays are simple. We begin by obeying the 4th commandment of the Ten, by setting apart Friday night at sunset until Saturday night at sunset, as our day with our Bridegroom, called Shabbat, or Sabbath. On the wilderness journey, the amount of daily manna that Abba gave to His people was doubled every 6th day, so that they would not have to work to gather food on the 7th day. He rested on the 7th day, and He expects us to also. Two simple rules apply: 1) Do not work as usual, and 2) do not make anyone else work or serve you. It is the main sign of identification withYahuweh, our Father. [Refer to: “The Sign of Identification”]On the eve of Shabbat we set it apart unto Him. During Shabbat day, we teach our children the Word of Yahuweh, explaining it in simple terms to edify their lives. The study of the Torah is important. The “Torah” is simply the teachings and instructions of the Kingdom of Elohim for our lives on this earth. It is not the horrible old “law of the Jews,” or the “law of Moses,” as pagan Christianity makes it out to be. The Torah of Yahuweh contains the rules of His Kingdom for all mankind, as Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 tells us. If we are children of the Kingdom of Light, then we need to learn and obey the simple instructions for our righteous standing in that Kingdom with the King. Philippians 3:20-21 tell His set-apart ones are citizens of His Kingdom. Hebrews 4:9 tells that that there remains for us a guarding of the Shabbat, using the Greek word for “Sabbath-keeping.”Isaiah 66:22-23 tells us that the Festivals, whose timing is gauged by the sighting of the new moon for each new month, and the Shabbats are eternal – as in ETERNAL!