Hanukkah – The Festival of Lights -
While Hanukkah is not one of the official Feasts of the Lord –
It does commemorate a Miracle, a supernatural act of God to re-dedicate, restore and cleanse His temple.
I share it here because it can reveal God’s power over the ‘spirit of the age’ for the times we are living in.
By looking back at this supernatural intervention of God to keep the lights burning in the Holy Temple, He confronted and overcame a wicked ‘Madman’ who was determined to destroy God’s people and desecrate the dwelling place of the Living God. Think of this, today there is no earthly temple in Jerusalem, Scripture says, your body is his temple. So if He was to restore the temple today that illumination and restoration would take place within you.
We can find a parallel to Hanukkah the Festival of the Lamps in Matthew 24 - Jesus tells a story about 10 virgins, the one thing that separates the foolish virgins from the wise was having enough oil to keep the lamps to stay burning until the bridegroom came. Jesus was of course familiar with the festival of Hanukkah because it had taken place before he was born and was widely celebrated during his lifetime.
In the face of the (2nd century BC) madman Antiochus IV (a type of the anti-Christ man of perdition to come) the Greek-Syrian emperor who desecrated the Holy Temple and enacted laws against Jewish practices during the Second Temple era.
The Maccabees fought and miraculously defeated his armies. The miracle of his defeat, and the subsequent rededication of the Temple, are commemorated on Chanukah. (excerpt taken from Chabad.org)
The Background
More than 2,000 years ago there was a period of time when the Land of Israel was part of the Syrian-Greek Empire, ruled by the dynasty of the Seleucids. In 174 BC (3586), Antiochus IV ruled the region. He was called Epiphanes, meaning "the gods’ beloved," but people called him Epimanes ("madman"), a title more suited to the character of this harsh and cruel king.
Wanting to unify his kingdom through common religion and culture, Antiochus tried to root out the individualism of the Jews by suppressing the practice of all Jewish law. He also meddled in the affairs of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, installing idol-worshipping High Priests who paid him handsome tributes.
At that time, Antiochus was also engaged in a successful war against Egypt. But messengers from Rome arrived and commanded him to stop the war, and he had to yield. Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, a rumor spread that a serious accident had befallen Antiochus. Thinking that he was dead, the people rebelled against Menelaus, the corrupt High Priest, who then fled together with his friends.
Antiochus returned from Egypt enraged by Roman interference with his ambitions. When he heard what had taken place in Jerusalem, he ordered his army to fall upon the Jews. Thousands of Jews were killed. Antiochus then enacted a series of harsh decrees: (excerpt taken from Chabad.org)
How does this story of Hanukkah apply to us today?
Then
Wanting to unify his kingdom through common religion and culture, Antiochus tried to root out the individualism of the Jews by suppressing the practice of all Jewish law.
1. Jewish worship was forbidden,
2. the scrolls of the Law were confiscated and burned.
3. Sabbath rest was prohibited
4. Circumcision and dietary laws were prohibited under the penalty of death.
Today
Wanting to unify their kingdom through common religion and culture, globalists tried to root out the individualism of Christians, and Jews by suppressing the practice of our religion.
1. Gathering was forbidden, houses of faith were locked down as non-essential
2. Bibles and prayer were forbidden in schools, in government, and in the marketplace of ideas.
3. Sabbath rest is ignored by all even by the church, which has adopted the cultural norms.
4. Expressing any moral laws today is called ‘hate’ speech.
Antiochus was an ancient expression of the anti-Christ spirit that would arise in the last days.
If you have never read the seventh chapter of the book of Daniel. You should read through it now (I have attached it below and included a link to a commentary that might help you gain understanding) and recognize where we are on the timeline of world empires.
All you need to know before venturing into the dream he shares in this chapter is that this dream relates to four world empires that have already taken power and are recorded in world history. Daniel was a government official of the Babylonian Empire.
Those great beasts, which were four, are four kings who arise out of the earth.
- Babylon (605–539 B.C.),
- Medo-Persia (539–331 B.C.),
- Greece (331–146 B.C.),
- Rome (146 B.C.–A.D. 476), was never overthrown it was fractured but still remains in power all the way to the Second Advent of Christ.
See commentary on the book of Daniel
Here is the Good News. After these four empires are brought before the Ancient of Days, in the court of Heaven and their dominion is taken away...
But the Saints of the Most-High shall receive the kingdom, and possess
the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.
Now you can read it here and understand the times we are living in and why Hanukkah brings hope as we wait for the Ancient of Days to set up His throne in the Court of Heaven opens the books.
In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a
dream and visions of his head while on his bed. He wrote down the dream,
telling the main facts. Daniel spoke saying, I saw in my vision by night
and behold the four winds of Heaven were stirring up the Great Sea.
“and four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from
the other.
The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. I watched till its
wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand
on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.
And suddenly another beast, a second like a bear. It was raised up
on one side and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said to
it: ’Arise devour much flesh!’
After this looked and there was another, like a leopard, which had
on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was
given to it.
After this I saw in the night visions and behold, a fourth beast,
dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong, It had huge iron teeth; it was
devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different
from all the beasts that were before it and it had ten horns.
I was considering the horns and there was another horn, a little
one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked
out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man and
a mouth speaking pompous words.
I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days
was seated; His garment was as white as snow, and the hair of His head was like
pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; A fiery
stream issued forth from before Him. A thousand, thousands (a million)
ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand (100 million) stood before Him.
The court was seated, and the books were opened. I watched because
of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I waited till
the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. As
for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives
were prolonged for a season and a time.
I was watching in the night visions and behold, One like the Son
of Man, Coming with the clouds of Heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days and
they brought Him near before Him.
Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all
peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which
shall not be destroyed.
I share it here because it can reveal God’s power over the ‘spirit of the age’ for the times we are living in. 
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