Posted on 12/22/2019 5:58:28 AM PST by Kaslin
Beginning with their enslavement in Egypt, when Pharaoh ordered Hebrew midwives to murder all newborn Jewish males, throughout Israel's captivity under the Babylonians and the Assyrians, to the Holocaust, Israel has been targeted for destruction.
But long ago God promised the prophet Jeremiah that Israel would cease to be a nation only when the sun, the moon and the stars had stopped shining. “‘Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,’ declared the Lord, ‘will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me.’”
The feast of Chanukah—the word means ‘dedication’ in Hebrew—commemorates an event in Israel’s history when God miraculously intervened to save his people from destruction at the hands of a genocidal maniac.
Around 333 B.C., Alexander the Great commenced with his victorious progress through the ancient world of the Eastern Mediterranean. After conquering the Persian Empire, Hellenism spread throughout the old world of Asia. The Jews living in Palestine quickly found themselves surrounded by Grecian culture.
When Alexander died, he had no son to whom he could bequeath his kingdom. His empire was divided into four parts. But by 175 B.C. it again fell into the hands of one man, Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
Antiochus was the Adolf Hitler of the inter-testament period—the years which intervened in between the events of the Old and New Testaments.
Like Hitler, he was obsessed with exterminating the Jewish race.
He began with the slaughter of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the desecration of the Temple. Alfred Edersheim explains what happened in his book, “The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah:”
“All sacrifices, the service of the Temple, and the observance of the Sabbath and of feast days were prohibited; the Temple at Jerusalem was dedicated to Jupiter Olympus; the Holy Scriptures were searched for and destroyed; the Jews forced to take part in heathen rites; a small heathen altar was reared on the great altar of burnt offering—in short, every insult was heaped on the religion of the Jews, and its every trace was to be swept away.”
The “final profanation” of the Temple was the slaughter of a pig on the sacrificial altar. This occurred on the 25th Kislev, the month that generally corresponds to our December.
It is important to understand that the Jewish Temple was more than just the place where Jews worshipped. It was also the center of their culture. It is no stretch to say that all of Jewish life emanated from the Temple in Jerusalem.
A deliverer rose up named Mattathias. Although greatly outnumbered and overpowered, the Jews began a campaign of guerilla warfare against Antiochus and his Syrian armies.
Erdersheim explains, “Mattathias died before it came to any actual engagement with the Syrians. But victory after victory attended the arms of his son, Judas the Macabee, till at last the Temple could be purified and its services restored exactly three years after its desecration on 25 Kislev, 165 B.C.”
When the Jews re-entered the city of Jerusalem and the Temple, there was only enough of the special oil to light the menorah and keep it burning for one day. But the oil miraculously burned for eight days while more was being prepared.
Thus began the first Chanukah, the Feast of Dedication, also known as the Festival of Lights. Jehovah had once again demonstrated his steadfast love and faithfulness to his people.
The events leading up to the attempt by Antiochus to destroy the Jewish Nation, including the profanation of the Temple, were prophesied in vivid detail in the Old Testament book of Daniel. In the New Testament, the Feast of Dedication is mentioned explicitly in John’s Gospel and was celebrated by Jesus and his followers.
In contrast, The Bible never refers to Christmas explicitly or its celebration—the word Christmas does not appear in the Bible nor was it celebrated until more than 300 years after the death of Christ.
Christians would do well to remember the faithfulness of God to the Jews on that first Chanukah. Had Antiochus successfully waged a war of genocide against the Nation of Israel, there would have been no Jewish woman named Mary to become the mother of Jesus Christ.
As you wish friends and family Merry Christmas this year, you might also like to wish them Chanukah Sameach. Without Chanukah, the Celebration of Christmas would not be possible.
TXnMA
“He is risen!”
HE IS RISEN, INDEED. ALLELUIA!
THE ALPHA AND OMEGA!
THE SON OF GOD! THE TRIUNE GOD OF BOTH THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS! THE WORD OF GOD!
WAS THAT CONFESSED BY ALL AT THE SEDER MEALS? OR WAS IT SYNCRETISM?
NO ACCUSATORY TAGLINE CHANGES NEEDED!
There’s got to be a special place in hell for. Not a level with Hitler, etc. but where the ignorant live for eternity.
There must be a special place in hell for these ignorant who teach that and their believers. a different level of hell not like Hitler’s level.
What the HELL are you talking about? Ha;f of my family is Jewish, and half of them are Anti-Christians!
Not immediately, but, the "seed" planted by that bit of testimony began long, later dialogues, which changed several minds -- and a couple of hearts of folks who became Messianic Jews...
"NO ACCUSATORY TAGLINE CHANGES NEEDED!"
LOL! Not in your case, obviously -- but you weren't the target, FRiend. :-)
However, there was a distinct undercurrent of antisemitism on that thread that needed addressing -- as in my post sandwiched between my post to you, and your response to me...
In His love,
TXnMA
Yeshua explicitly said: “I am the good Shepard that lays down his life for his sheep.” “the Father loves me because of this” “No man takes my life from me; I lay it down of my own free will. I have the power to lay it down and I have the power to take it up again.” When Yochanan saw him at the JORDAN he cried out: “Behold the ‘Ebed Elokim’ who carries off the sins of the world.” Popularly transliterated as “lamb of God” the correct meaning is “servant of God”. Yeshua’s repeated message was that he came to be offered up for the sake of all Israel. The Jews did not kill Jesus; the Romans did. They were aided and abetted by their Deep State lackeys in the corrupt government of the holy land.
I don’t know about your cryptic tag line but I do know that Christmas isn’t possible without Christ.
You obviously don’t believe in the Trinity
How so? You think this was the only time and place humanity yearned for Liberty and Salvation? He marked the time when an alternative to the Pharisees collecting money at the temple within the Jewish philosophy that there was no afterlife. A point and reason to suffer the slings and arrows of life in the possibility of spiritual growth for the common man.
In another time and place on the Earth Krishna was born of a virgin and crucified.
Remove the dogma of the power-ascribing ‘only’ savior to add value to a burgeoning Christian Church to replace the Pharisees, and there is no conflict with my belief in the Trinity.
Unfortunately, your comment in #2 was so bereft of informational content that I couldn't discern your point. You might as well have said,
"If there'd been no MLK, we wouldn't celebrate MLK's birthday..."
Well -- yeah, Captain Obvious... '-)
~~~~~~~~~~
More to the point, my closing statement in #17 (paraphrased) reinforces what I think you were trying to convey:
"Every step in God's plan led to the birth of Christ, our Messiah and Saviour -- which we celebrate and honor at Christmas. Without Him, we'd have nothing to celebrate!"
~~~~~~~~~~
I've no doubt that we agree on the significance of our Lord's advent -- but, sometimes language gets in the way of our reaching common ground... :-(
Merry Christmas, FRiend!
In His love,
TXnMA
The Afikomen represents YESHUA. It means, I will rise, it is gidden ransomed, and then brought back. It is likely that the 1st century Messianic Jews snuck it 8nto the seder.
Givven.
“Do jewish people believe in Jesus Christ?”
Ask Jewish people individually that question.
Modern-day Judaism does not teach that Jesus Christ is the Savior.
The Old Testament promise of the Savior given to Adam and Eve is eternal, by grace, through God-given saving faith to people including Jews who believed and looked forward to the coming Savior for centuries prior to the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
This faith was expressed by Simeon and Anna in the Book of Luke, chapter 2, verses 22-38.
>> Seriously? <<
Yeah, I'm not buying it either. Its a minor event from the Book of Maccabees. Not only do protestants ignore that book, Jews THEMSELVES don't even use it anymore (though they still commemorate Hanukkah anyway). But they want to pretend a minor Jewish feast day was instrumental for Christmas to exist?
It's akin to arguing "Without Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner, U.S. Grant could not have won the Civil War"
And the irony, the whole biblical source for the feast of the Book of Maccabees, which Jews and protestants don't even consider to be sacred scripture or biblical canon. Specifically, the festival of Hanukkah is instituted by Judas Maccabeus and his brothers in 1 Maccabees 4:59. Since they consider that book and the events recorded in it to be non-canon, celebrating Hanukkah is "unbiblical" by their own standards.
Basically, anyone who tries to argue that Hanukkah is super duper important and more Christians should acknowledge and care about it, is unintentionally making the case that Jews and protestants should adhere to the bible canon that Catholics and Orthodox Christians use. Without it, Hanukkah is just another extra-biblical tradition.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.