By Israel Ben Barzle And Yehoshua Ben Barzle
Chanukkah of 2016 or 2017
beforeitsnews.com/prophecy/2015/10/urgent-warning-the-hebrew-scriptures-give-us-the-exact-day-of-the-end-2474486.html?currentSplittedPage=0
The
information I am about to put forth has never been put into print to my
knowledge. It is groundbreaking information pulled from the pages of the Hebrew
Prophets that will impact you and your family in the days ahead. My suggestion
as you read through the following paragraphs is that you spend some time in
very sincere conversation with the Creator of this world.
On
a personal note, I am not a date-setter kind of guy. In fact, I usually go out
of my way to debunk the date-setters, as I believe when the date that has been
set does not come to pass, it harms the name of the G-d of Abraham. However, in
a pure biblical sense, it is very difficult to analytically refute what I am
about to share. So please understand dear reader—it is with earnest, G-dly fear
that I impart, not what could be, but what WILL BE, one of the most important
days of our collective lives.
Israel
Ben Barzle
In
recent weeks we have seen a series of critical Hebraic dates and events
converge. We have witnessed the end of a Shemitah that did not clear our
biblical debt; the final series of Blood Moon Tetrads announcing an upcoming,
final war in Israel; the blatant, public rebellion of the Western Powers on Yom
Kippur 2015; the all-important commencement of the Seventieth Jubilee cycle;
the invasion of the Middle East by Russian forces; the beginnings of a final
intifada in the land of Israel. All of these events have come together all at
once. And, if you are scripturally sensitive at all, you cannot help but
realize that something big is getting ready to happen on the prophetic horizon.
But
the big question has always been: “so when exactly will the final shoe
drop?” When will all these prophecies actually culminate in a tangible,
climactic way?
Folks,
like most things in the Hebrew Scriptures, the information is there. It is
simply a matter of us putting aside all the disinformation we have been taught
by the so called experts, and focusing in on the very plain speaking messages
the Creator has provided for all of us to see and understand for ourselves—not
just from the paid professionals trying to sell books.
Think
about it. Why would the Creator of this world give us information regarding
super critical issues that could only be understood and disseminated by the
overeducated, religious elite? Last I checked, G-d chose common, ordinary
people to understand and share His truths. Moses was an adrift Levite baby who
became the greatest prophet of all time. Abraham was a lowly sheepherder who
became a chosen nation. Joseph was a slave and prisoner who ultimately ascended
to Second-In-Command of a world superpower. David was a mere shepherd who
became a king, the youngest in his family, and so insignificant he was
initially overlooked.
So,
as we venture into the subject matter, please keep in mind that G-d most often
uses the small, irrelevant, everyday people like you and I to understand His
great mysteries. And most often the answers to these mysteries have been there
all along, waiting for us to put aside the preconceived ideas, and to be
discovered in a humble desire to really, actually know the One who gave us our
very existence.
Hidden
in Plain Sight
When
it comes to prophecy, we all want to know “when”. This is especially true as we
begin to see factors greater than ourselves coming together in a prophetic,
perfect storm. As thinking, breathing creatures that want to keep thinking and
breathing, all of us want to know when something big might happen that would
potentially impact our lives, and the lives of our loved ones. This becomes
especially true when it is on the scale of Creator versus Mankind, something
warned about over and over in the prophetic scriptures. So does the Creator
give us this level of critical intel in these Scriptures…for real? Does He give
us something we really can sink our prophetic teeth into, something so absolute
that we can take it to the bank and deposit it under our “ultimate fate”
account?
Yes,
He quite literally does. And folks, it has been hidden in plain sight all
along.
Haggai
was a prophet to Judah during the time shortly after Judah had returned to the
land of Israel from Babylonian captivity. Haggai was a critical player used by
G-d to prophesy during the after-exile Temple restoration process. Haggai,
along with Zechariah, and possibly Malachi, also finalized the Hebrew
Scriptural Canon—the Old Testament.
Most
often overlooked, the Prophet Haggai was given some absolute key Last Day
prophecies. These prophecies are connected to five primary issues:
The
Final Temple
The
Redemption of the Twelve Tribes of Israel
The
Final Overthrow of the Gentile Kingdoms
A
Great Geophysical Shaking of the Planet (Pole Shift)
The
Restoration of the Davidic King-line through a Messiah
All
five of these issues are “the” primary issues of the Last Days. These five
prophetic issues form a baseline of Old Testament prophetic understanding,
elements of which are found in every single prophetic book of the Hebrew
Scriptures. The prophet Isaiah in chapter 13 regards this time of the great
shaking of the heavens and the earth, both on a planetary and geopolitical
level, as the “Day of YHWH”. The Prophet Joel in chapter 3 connects this exact
time of great geophysical shaking with the liberation of Jerusalem, the
destruction of the gentile enemy, the restoration of the children of Israel.
The Prophet Habakkuk in chapters 2-3 ties together the restoration of the
Tribes, the restoration of the Temple, the overthrow of the gentile kingdoms, a
great shaking of the earth, a pole shift, and a loud noise emanating over the
whole planet. And the list goes on and on.
But
where other prophets unfold various details and nuances of these five critical
issues in creative fashion with colorful terms and narratives, Haggai the
Prophet gives us a full course meal of meat and potatoes. His words are blunt,
provocative, and to the prophetic point.
At
the conclusion of the Book of Haggai, he summarizes his prophecies using terms
that are uber-clear.
Haggai
2:18-22
Consider
now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth
month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord‘s temple was laid, consider it.
19
Is the
seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate,
and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless
you.
20
And again the word of the Lord came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day
of the month, saying,
21
Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and
the earth;
22
And I
will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the
kingdoms of the heathen (gentiles); and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that
ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, everyone by the
sword of his brother
23
In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my
servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the Lord, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee,
saith the Lord of hosts.
In
the prophecy of Haggai we see all five of these primary issues of biblical
prophecy. I do not care if you are Jew, Christian, or some derivative, any biblically
seasoned person will agree that these five issues are the core of OT prophecy,
however someone may slice and dice them together theologically.
But
notice something strange. Haggai gives us a specific day: the twenty-fourth
day of the ninth month
It
gets even more provocative when we look to the ancient Hebrew and view the
first sentence of Haggai’s summary in its literal meaning.
“Consider
now from this day and upward…”
This
phrase in Hebrew is “suwmev na lebeb-com men hayom hazah vema’alah”. Unfortunately,
what we have here in these words in our English Bibles is a rather feeble
translation. This phrase incorporates a sturdy “Hebrewism”, the use of
phraseology that is commonly recognized by a Hebrew reader to have a very
specific meaning when used in a sentence. In addition, the phrase here even
adds a special word meaning to implore important attention. In other words,
what it is saying here to the reader is: “PLEASE! Take in the importance of
what is being said here.”
The
phrase “suwmev na lebeb-com” means literally to “please set your heart on
this”. The phrase “men hayom hazah vema’alah” means “from the day—of this (day)
–and higher”. In essence, what it is stating here in proper Hebrew, in a
comprehensible paraphrase is:
“Please!
Set your heart on
this day,
and even more so, to the same day later on which will have a ‘higher’
implication.”
Dear
reader, this is absolutely clear in the Hebrew. This day, the twenty-fourth day
of the ninth month, had some meaning in Zerubbabel’s time. But, according to
the prophecy, it has an even higher ultimate meaning in a prophetic sense, and
this is what the Hebrew here is telling us.
In
fact, the prophecy of Haggai is doggedly determined that the reader zero in on
this specific day. The twenty fourth day of the ninth month is stated no less
than four times in the last chapter of the Book of Haggai, and it is precisely
outlined by Haggai as “the” day to prophetically watch for.
This
is astounding.
And,
if we read the entire chapter of Haggai’s prophecy double checking for context,
we will see that the Temple of which he is prophesying can only be the Latter
Day Temple (vs 7-9), a Temple that will be much greater than the
original. He speaks of the “desire of all nations to come”, a direct
reference to the coming King Messiah (vs 7). Haggai also clarifies upfront that
this is no ordinary earthquake we’re talking about—all the gentile nations will
be shaken (vs 7).
Thus,
we can see why the Prophet Haggai asks us to set our hearts on this particular
day. And if we take the time to break it out, we see that Haggai gives us a
time sensitive, very well-defined summary of these five core issues using
specific idioms and terms that are very well documented as to their meaning
elsewhere in the Scriptures.
The
Final Temple
“Consider
(set your heart on it) now from this day and upward, from the four and
twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of the Lord‘s temple was laid, consider it (set your heart
on it).” (Isa
60:1-9; Ezk 40:1-44:8)
The
Redemption of the Twelve Tribes of Israel
“Is
the seed (all of Abraham’s seed) yet
in the barn? yea, as yet the vine (House of Israel), and the fig tree (the House of Judah), and the pomegranate (the Davidic King-line),
and the
olive tree
(the final restored Israel), hath not (yet been) brought forth: from this day will I bless you.
A
Great Geophysical Shaking of the Planet (Pole shift)
“And
again the word of the Lord came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of
the month, saying,
Speak
to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;”
The
Final Overthrow of the Gentile Kingdoms
“And
I will
overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the
kingdoms of the heathen (gentiles); and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that
ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, everyone by the
sword of his brother”
The
Restoration of the Davidic King-line
“In that day (the twenty
fourth day of the ninth month), saith the Lord of hosts, will I take thee, O
Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith the Lord, and will make thee as a signet
(the king’s ring):
for I have chosen thee, saith the Lord of hosts.”
To
drive the point home leaving absolutely no doubts, we must ask ourselves: “is
Haggai speaking Latter Day prophecy here, or is this just Old Testament history
that already came about?”
OK…did
ANY of these five issues come to pass in Zerubbabel’s time?
They
did not. None of these events in Haggai’s prophecy occurred in Zerubbabel’s
time. A final Temple, perpetually blessed, was not built. All of Israel, all of
Abraham’s seed from all Twelve Tribes, were not restored; nor are they still.
The planet did not experience a catastrophic, world-wide shaking in
Zerubbabel’s time. All of the gentile kingdoms were not overthrown, and, as of
today, are still in control. Since the fall of Jerusalem in Jeremiah’s time a
descendant of King David has never held the official title of “King of Israel”
with the official royal signet—never. In fact, Zerubbabel was merely made a
vassal governor under the authority of a foreign power, never a king of Israel.
The prophet Zechariah, Haggai’s contemporary, states in detail that Zerubbabel
was not a final prophetic product, but was a foreshadowing figure symbolic of a
coming king who would be involved in the final restoration of the Temple.
None
of these prophecies have come to pass. But we are told throughout the
Scriptures that these events WILL HAPPEN in the future—and according to
Haggai’s words these prophecies will come to conclusion on the twenty fourth
day of the ninth month on the Hebrew calendar.
The
24th of Kislev
The
twenty fourth day of the ninth month is the 24th day of the month of Kislev on
the Hebrew calendar. It is a fascinating day in history, as it is a day we are
given some precise, prophetic shadow pictures leading up to the final Great
Event.
In
167 BC a portion of the Jews in Israel revolted against Greek rule in their
land. This revolt was led by a family: the Maccabees. They were a family of
rural priest-warriors from the tribe of Levi. The Maccabean revolt was
eventually successful, and it was in 160 BC that the Jews retook Jerusalem,
liberated the Temple, and threw off their foreign conquerors in the land.
The
specific day that this occurred—the liberation of the Temple Mount from the
pagan Greeks? You guessed it—the twenty fourth day of the ninth month, the 24th
of Kislev.
This
great day of liberation is memorialized in Jewish historical tradition, and is
still celebrated today, although many of us may not know some of the more
fascinating circumstances.
When
the Jews and the Levitical Priesthood reclaimed the Temple on the 24th day of
Kislev in 160 BC, they searched for the proper oil to burn in the Menorah lamps
in the Temple. This particular Temple oil had to go through a very specific
process in order to be pure enough to be used for G-d’s sacred service in His
house, as outlined by the Torah. Finding only one day’s worth of oil, the priests
decided to go ahead and burn what they had until proper Temple oil could be
produced, a process that took about a week. Miraculously, one day’s worth of
Temple oil lasted for eight days. These eight days are incredibly special days
in the Jewish tradition. These days are celebrated as the Jewish “Festival of
Lights”, known world-wide as “Hanukah”.
Thus,
the 24th of Kislev, the twenty fourth day of the ninth month, is the
literal origin of Hanukah. It is the day that signifies the release of the
Temple from foreign domination.
Flash
forward to December 9th, 1917. Prior to this date, Jerusalem had been under
Turkish Muslim domination for centuries. It was General Lord Allenby of the
British Army who successfully liberated the Holy City from Muslim control. The
day the military offensive concluded, and Jerusalem and the Temple Mount were
free once more was….
December
9th was a Sunday and it was the 23rd of Kislev. Monday was the 24th and
Chanukkah began on the 25th of that year.
…The
twenty fourth day of the ninth month, the 24th of Kislev.
Folks,
there is just way too much coincidence going on here; and coincidence is a
non-kosher word to a religious Hebrew. There is just no such thing when you are
dealing with a G-d who is a master at controlling circumstances in such a
clear-cut fashion. On both occasions, G-d liberated the Temple Mount on the
24th of Kislev.
So
what we see in these events leading up to the final Great Event are shadow
pictures that the Creator has perfectly provided to us to validate and establish
the fact that the twenty fourth day of the ninth month, the 24th of Kislev, is
“the” day that the G-d of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will intervene permanently
on the present fate of the Temple Mount and complete the restoration of the
Twelve Tribes of Israel to their Temple. According to Him, it is on this day
that He will shake the geophysics of the planet like never before in history.
It is on this day He will bring about the end of the supremacy of the gentile
nations in our world with intention. And it is on this day that He will
officially reestablish the destiny of the Davidic King-line.
So
what does this mean?
This
is where the rubber meets the road.
There
will be spectacular events—mind-blowing prophetic events leading up to this
day. Pieces of the End-time puzzle will fall into place systematically, as the
course of human history comes to a climax. However, the Creator through His
Word points to this particular day as “the” watershed prophetic day that His
Divine plan is implemented in full measure.
For
His reasons, the Creator has chosen this day, the 24th of Kislev, the twenty
fourth day of the ninth month, to be the day that He universally shakes the
heavens and earth—and He states this in clear terms. You can biblically count
on the fact that on the 24th of Kislev, at some point in the future, there will
be a catastrophic, geophysical event, across the entire planet, the likes which
we have never seen before. There will most likely be surreal, earth-shaking
events leading up to this day as the prophetic birth pangs heighten, but the
result of the geophysics of this particular day will be decisive, putting into
play the final scenes of the prophetic scenario.
Does
this all sound just way too good to be true? I mean, is G-d being this
forthright with us as to give us a precise time as to when the End is to
finally come about?
Yes,
I know, we are all used to hearing from the experts that we just cannot figure
this whole thing out without buying their latest book.
But
the Creator Himself puts these money-driven charlatans in their place. It
states in the Hebrew Scriptures that G-d does nothing of any prophetic
magnitude without personally providing a prophet to tell us exactly what is
about to occur.
Amos
3:6-8
Shall
a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a
city, and the Lord hath not done it?
7
Surely the
Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the
prophets.
8
The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord God hath spoken, who can but
prophesy?
Haggai
is that Prophet, and he has given us a straight forward, concrete point of
timing to work with. And, by the way, notice Haggai does not ask for any
financial compensation.
This
leads us to the prophetic nitty-gritty. Understanding that we are in the final
season of biblical prophecy, as we have entered the Seventieth Jubilee cycle,
here are the upcoming dates of the 24th of Kislev, the twenty fourth day of the
ninth month on the Hebrew calendar:
The
24th of Kislev in 2016 Saturday, December 24th to January 1 in 2017.
Chabad.org; primary games.com; Wheniscalendars.com; apples4theteacher.com. Today the Parashah is Shemot which means
"The Names." Shemot is also the Hebrew name for the book of Exodus.
Today is Shabbat Mevarekhin which means "Sabbath of Blessing." It is
the last Sabbath before the new moon. Shemot (The Names) Torah: Exodus 1:1-6:1
Haftarahs: Isaiah 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23 & Jeremiah 1:1-2:3
Dec. 23rd,2016 + Nine Months of Labor = Day of Trumpet, Sept. 23rd, 2017. Woman clothed with the Sun in 2017.
Dec. 23rd,2016 + Nine Months of Labor = Day of Trumpet, Sept. 23rd, 2017. Woman clothed with the Sun in 2017.
Time
and date says Sunday, December 25th. When-is.com
The
24th of Kislev in 2017 is December 13th on a 4th day in the 4th week and
Chanukkah begins on the 25th on day 5.
In
conclusion, please hear me. This idea of a specific day is not coming from some
fringe lunatic writer telling you to sell your home and gather on a remote
hillside somewhere to await a rapture. The details we have included in this
article are coming straight from the ancient prophets themselves. The
conclusion that the 24th of Kislev is the Creator-given day that five core
prophetic issues of the Old Testament are decisively concluded comes from
the data, from the analysis of what the Hebrew language states in
the prophecies of Haggai in crystal clear Hebraic terms.
So
you decide….Please take this information and make a hard evaluation of where events are right now, and where they are most likely going. It is getting late in the game. Many prophetic factors are converging, and things look to accelerate in the weeks ahead. We have brought the 24th of Kislev to our readers’ attention because we believe it is time to come to grips with where we are at in the prophetic timeline. Reality is bearing down on us. We are in the final cycle.
And the Creator is giving us real answers.
Please feel free to reproduce, publish, and post this article in any appropriate website, publication, or venue. We give full permission as long as authors are cited and none of the contents of the article are changed or modified—Israel Barzle
Another article.
Matthew 24:15 and the Abomination that causes Desolation
When ye therefore shall see
the abomination of desolation (shamem. Antiyokus a.k.a. 'jesus christ'. Rev.
17:8; Dan 8:13; 12:11; 9:27; 11:16,31; Lk 21:20), spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, stand in the holy place (Isa. 14:25; Jer. 7:12. Dan. 11:16; Acts 6:13;
21:28; Jn 11:48; Mk 13:14), whoso readeth (Mk 13:14; Rev 1:3), let him
understand:(Dan. 9:23) (2014-2015)
This is the man of sin (2 Thess 2:4), the
Antichrist, who at this midpoint in the tribulation breaks his covenant which
he made at the beginning of the tribulation with the Jewish people (Dan 9:27;
11:31; 12:11), and demands that they and the world worship him. Those who
resist will be persecuted and many will be martyred, that is the reason for the
urgency of the instructions in vv. 16-22.
When Antiochus IV ("Epiphanes"')
conquered Jerusalem in 167 BC, he erected an altar to Zeus in the Temple on
December 16 which was the first day of Chanukkah on a Sabbath. I Maccabees 1:54
and 6:7 refer to this as a fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy, but Yeshua is pointing
to an additional, future fulfillment.
Antiyokus, was fatally wounded in the Maccabbean war and; as prophesied by Yeshua' Mawshiyach\Jesus Messiah; his evil spirit lived again in the Christian idol 'jesus christ' (Rev. 17:8-11). Just as the followers and worshippers of Antiyokuas 'Epiphanes - god manifest' persecuted and sought to destroy the Hebrew people and their holy land: so likewise the followers and worshippers of "the beast"(Rev. 17:11) 'jesus christ-god manifest' have for 2,000 years persecuted and sought to destroy the Hebrew (Jews) people and their holy land of Yisrael and corrupt their scriptures.
The abomination took place in November/December (Kislev).
The
24th of Kislev is tied in directly to this Ezekiel 38–39 World War 3 Battle of
Gog and Magog, through Haggai 2. If you will google 24th of Kislev, or Hanukkah
Eve, you will discover some amazing things (besides Haggai 2), as to why we
should fully expect this to be the day of the year for this monumental Battle
to take place.
For
example, this was the day of the year, when, in 165 B.C., Israel recaptured
Jerusalem, and cleansed and rededicated the Jewish Temple. In other words, it
was THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL.
At
the end of the Babylonian Captivity, on Hanukkah Eve, the 24th of Kislev, the
tribe of Judah was restored to Israel. In other words, THE RESTORATION OF
ISRAEL.
On
Dec. 19, 1917, on the 24th of Kislev once again, right after the historic
Balfour Declaration, General Allenby, leading the British forces, liberated Jerusalem
for the first time in centuries, from Turkish/Muslim rule. In other words,
Hanukkah Eve of 1917 was the beginning of THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL.
Ron
Reece
Events on Chanukkah
In the 2nd century BC a statue of Zeus defiled the temple in
Jerusalem. The temple was cleansed and rededicated 3 years later on Kislev 24th.
After the Babylonian captivity, the rebuilding of the Temple under Haggai was
on the 24th of Kislev.
General Edmund Allenby liberated Jerusalem on Dec 9, 1917 on Kislev 24th.
4 BC Chanukkah Dec 15th or Dec 22 Yeshua conceived as Feast of
Dedication/Festival of Lights.
2013 CE Comet Ison at closest point to the Sun on Chanukkah/Thanksgiving.
2013
and Comet Ison. Comet ISON was
discovered on Month 7, Day 6 (Sept. 21), 2012 in images taken by Russian
astronomers Artyom Novichonok and Vitali Nevski of the constellation Cancer.
September 21, 2012 was 5 Tishrei 5773, the fifth day of the new year of 5773,
halfway between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It starts in Gemini (Satan
attacks Israel), then into Cancer (providing eternal security of Israel) Comet
Ison grazes the Sun on Nov 28 Thanksgiving/Chanukkah start. Month 9, Day 6 From
the time Comet ISON first becomes visible to the naked eye it traverses the
constellations of Leo, then in November it makes its way into Virgo and into
Libra (Scales)(Conjoins with Saturn (Covenants) Day 2 Nov 24) then Scorpius in
December. Late December it moves into Serpens, then Hercules and finally Draco
before it is no longer visible with an unaided eye. Putting this together in
terms of how the Hebrew Massorah depicts these aspects of the constellations,
it reads like a book. The seed of the woman, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah who
shall punish the enemy, will redeem His atoning work through conflict with the enemy
who assaults mans heel. His mightiness will reign victorious as He bruises His
heel casting down the dragon and trodding him under His foot and then
rededicating the temple of God. kabbalastrology.wordpress.com/tag/ison
Ison
in Hebrew means disaster.
1897 CE First Zionist Congress; August 29-31 First
Zionist Congress convened by Theodor Herzl in Basel, Switzerland;
Zionist Organization founded. 120 years to 2017. Aug 29th was Rosh Chodesh 6.
Aug 30th was new year for animals.
Aug
29th, 1897 + (120 years x 360 days; 43200) =
December 9th, 2015 which is the Second Day of Chanukkah on Day 4 of the
4th week.
Sept.
27–28, 2015, Day 1 of the Feast of Tabernacles, was the date of this amazing
supermoon, and FINAL blood red moon eclipse. The 44–Day gap from 1st Day of
Tabernacles, to 11/11/15, means JUDGMENT UPON THE WORLD!!! The 70–Day gap
between 1st Day of Tabernacles, to Hanukkah Eve, Kislev 24, Dec. 6–7, 2015,
means THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL!!!
Scriptures: Jn 10:22 Feast of Dedication. Haggai 2; Amos; John
10:22. Daniel 9:24-27. Matthew 24:15. Daniel 9:26. Micah 5:5,6; Isaiah
10:24,25; Isaiah 30:30,31; Ezekiel 31:3,6, et al. This may be the
"Covenant with Hell," Isa 28:15; Zech 11:15-17, etc. Matthew 24:15;
Revelation 11:1, 2; 2 Thess 2:3,4. Daniel 7:25; 4:16, 23, 25.
("Times" = a dual: times + time + half = 3 ). 3 years, Daniel 12:7;
42 months, Revelation 11:2; 13:5; 1260 days, Revelation 11:3; Daniel 12:6;
"week," Daniel 9:27. Matthew 24:15. John 10:22. Matthew 24:21; Daniel
12:1. Jeremiah 30:7. Luke 1:32.
John 10:22-30
22. And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication,
and it was winter.
Chanukkah, the Feast of Dedication, in
which Jews since 164/5 B.C.E. have celebrated the victory of the Makkabim over
Antiochus IV, king of Syria. This is the earliest ruthlessly slaughtering men,
women and children, and invading the Temple. There he carried off the golden
altar, monorahs and vessels; and to show his contempt for the God of Israel he
sacrificed there a pig to Zeus. He forbade circumcision, observing Shabbat and
keeping kosher, and commanded that only pigs be sacrificed in the Temple, he
himself cooked a pig in the Temple and poured its broth on the holy Torah
scrolls and on the altar.
Syrian officers were dispatched to enforce
these cruel and blasphemous decrees. One day when the Syrian officer in Modi'in
commanded Mattathias the Maccabee or Hammer), head of a family of priests, to
sacrifice a pig, he and his five sons killed the first Jew to comply and then
killed the officer and his soldiers. This was the start of a rebellion. After
Mattathias death his son Judas Maccabeus, (about whom Handel wrote his oratorio
so named) assembled a number of courageous Jews and led them in victory over
the Syrians, first in guerilla warfare, then later in open battle. On the 25th
of Kislev the rededicated the Temple and consecrated a new altar. The
"eternal light" was relit, but there was only enough consecrated
olive oil to keep it burning for one day, and it would take a week to prepare
more. By a miracle of God reported in the book of 2 Maccabees the light burned
for eight days, by which time a new supply had been prepared. For this reason
Jews celebrate Chanukkah for eight days, starting on Kislev 25, which can fall
between November 27 and December 27.
Chanukkah is celebrated using a special
Chanukkah menorah with nine lights. One uses a match to light the shammash
("servant"), and it is then employed to light one candle the first
night, two the second, and so on until on the eighth night all eight lights and
the shammash are burning brightly. For Messianic Jews the imagery is rich:
Yeshua, the "light of the world" (Jn 8:12&N), came as a servant
(Mark 10:45) to give light to everyone (Jn 1:4-5), so that we might be lights
to others (Matt 5:14).
The eight-day Festival of Dedication
celebrated the rededication of the Jewish temple in December of 164 BC after
its desecration by the Saleucid ruler Antiocuhs Epiphanes in 167 BC (I Macc
1:59). It was winter refers to December. See note at 2:13.
This was instituted in 165
BC by Judas Maccabeus in commemoration of the cleansing and reopening of the
temple after its desecration by the Syrian ruler Antiochus Epiphanes in 168 BC
(Dan 11:31; I Macc 4:52-59). It falls near December 22 for the birth of Yeshua.
Solomon's porch or Colonade, also referred
to at Acts 3:11, 5:12. The eastern part of the walkway surrounding the outer
court of Herod's Temple, mentioned in the writings of Josephus. Probably
because of the cold winter weather, Yeshua taught not out in the open but in
the area called Solomon's Colonnade. The structure was commonly (though
erroneously) thought to date back to Solomon's time. Later it became the
gathering place for the early church (Acts 3:11; 5:12).
24. Then came the Jews round about him, and said
unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us
plainly. The demand, If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly seems like double
talk (Lk 22:67). If they had not understood Yeshua's claim to be the Messiah,
why did they repeatedly try to kill Him? (Jn 5:18; 7:25; 8:59). Indeed, Yeshua
responded that He did make this claim. On Yeshua's works testifying about
Himself, see note 5:31-47.
25. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye
believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
26. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my
sheep, as I said unto you.
30. I and my Father are one.
22-30 All who have any thing to say to
Yeshua may find him in the temple. Yeshua would make us to believe; we make
ourselves doubt. The Jews understood his meaning, but could not form his words
into a full charge against him. He described the gracious disposition and happy
state of his sheep; they heard and believed his word, followed him as his
faithful disciples, and none of them should perish; for the Son and the Father
were one. Thus he was able to defend his sheep against all their enemies, which
proves that he claimed Divine power and perfection equally with the Father.
30 I and my Father are one, the same One
as in the Sh'ma: Yahveh (Yeshua), our God, Yahveh is One" (Deut 6:4).
Yeshua's self-assertion of his own divinity is occasioned by his regard for his
followers: "no one will snatch them from" Yeshua's (v. 28) or the
Father's (v. 29) hands. ""Ani veha'av, echad anachnu" ("I
and the Father are one"), therefore we who are in Yeshua's care have complete
assurance that nothing "will be able to separate us from the love of God
which comes to us through the Messiah Yeshua our Lord" (Rom 8:31-39. See
also v. 38&N.
Yeshua's claim that He and the Father are
one (vv. 33-38; 5:17-18) echoes the Shema, the basic confession of Judaism (Dt
6:4) and amounts to a claim to deity. Yeshua's unity with the Father is later
said to be the basis on which Yeshua's followers are to be unified (Jn 17:22).
The Father and Son are in perfect unity in
their natures and actions, but the neuter form of "one" rules out the
meaning that they are one person.
Earlier in John 8:12, Yeshua
proclaims “I am the light of the world...he who follows me shall not walk in
darkness, but have the light of life.” The people listening to Yeshua
understood what He was saying...they knew what God had promised through the
prophet:
Isaiah 9:2 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.”
Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” (“Yeshua” in Hebrew means salvation.) Hanukkah is referred to as the “Festival of Lights” (Hag Haorim) and it was during this season that Yeshua described Himself as the” light of the world”.
A future Hanukkah is described in 2 Thessalonians 2: 3-8 where Paul writes about the second coming of the Lord:
1. Many will turn away from God (as some Jews did who followed Antiochus’ Hellenism).
2. The “son of perdition exalts himself above God” (as Antiochus Epiphanies did).
3. But the Lord will destroy him with the “brightness of His coming”... (this victory we can all think of when we gaze at the lights of our Hanukkah menorah).
4. The Lord will usher in His millennial kingdom with the overthrow of the “lawless one” in a miraculous way. (A miracle to think about when we retell the Hanukkah
story.)
The shammash or “servant” is the candle used to light the other candles of the Hanukkah menorah. Yeshua is our shammash...
Matthew 20:28 “...the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many...”
Isaiah 9:2 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.”
Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” (“Yeshua” in Hebrew means salvation.) Hanukkah is referred to as the “Festival of Lights” (Hag Haorim) and it was during this season that Yeshua described Himself as the” light of the world”.
A future Hanukkah is described in 2 Thessalonians 2: 3-8 where Paul writes about the second coming of the Lord:
1. Many will turn away from God (as some Jews did who followed Antiochus’ Hellenism).
2. The “son of perdition exalts himself above God” (as Antiochus Epiphanies did).
3. But the Lord will destroy him with the “brightness of His coming”... (this victory we can all think of when we gaze at the lights of our Hanukkah menorah).
4. The Lord will usher in His millennial kingdom with the overthrow of the “lawless one” in a miraculous way. (A miracle to think about when we retell the Hanukkah
story.)
The shammash or “servant” is the candle used to light the other candles of the Hanukkah menorah. Yeshua is our shammash...
Matthew 20:28 “...the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many...”
He
believes Hanukkah presents a preview of the end times events, the spirit that
will envelop the world, and the strategies for Christian endurance more than
any other biblical holiday.
"It
foreshadows the Antichrist, the abomination that causes desolation, the calling
of evil good and good evil, the removing of God from the public square, the
banning of God's Word, sexual immorality, and the persecution of God's
people," he told WND. "It also reveals the strategy that end-time
believers need to know that might overcome all these things.
"We
are fast approaching a day when believers can be thrown in jail and the
majority of Americans applaud it," he continued. "It is all the more
crucial that we be prepared, vigilant, wise, and prepared that we might live
victoriously for such a time as this."
Jesus
celebrated Hanukkah as described in John 10:22-23, when He "walked in the
temple in Solomon's porch" during the "Feast of Dedication."
A
revolutionary act
The
word Hanukkah means "dedication" and revolves around a historic and
improbable revolution, Cahn explains in his documentary film, "The Hanukkah End-Time Mystery."
The
holiday Chanukkah celebrates the story of the Maccabean revolt against Greek oppression
in the period between the Old and New Testaments.
This
revolt was predicted by Daniel more than 300 years before it occurred, and the
miraculous success of that revolution was still being celebrated during the
time of Jesus' earthly ministry. If it had not been successful, the Jewish
religion and culture would have been wiped out, and the Messiah could not have
been born into a devout Jewish family as predicted by the Old Testament
prophets.
Daniel
12 speaks of a period when "there shall be a time of trouble, such as
never was since there was a nation, and at that time your people shall be
delivered. ... But you Daniel close up and seal the words of the scroll until
the time of the end."
"How
long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?" Daniel asks.
The
angel answers saying his prophecies would be sealed until the end of the age,
but when the time comes, "the wise will understand."
Cahn
believes Hanukkah and the Maccabees are best understood in light of prophecies
by Daniel and the apostle John in Revelation.
"You
could not know salvation. You could not have Christmas (the birth of Christ).
You would not have the New Testament, without Hanukkah," he said.
The
Syrian Greek dictator, Antiochus Epiphanes, was hell bent on destroying Jewish
culture and faith. Without the revolt, without Hanukkah, there would have been
no Virgin Mary, no Joseph, to hear and humbly obey the voice of God.
Daniel
prophesied about Antiochus Epiphanes or "God manifest" arising from
the north and invading the Holy Land.
Much
like the Islamic State has declared war on Jews and Christians today, Antiochus
set out to erase every trace, every memory that could lead anyone to the one
true God or the history of his people.
Families
circumcised their sons secretly. They observed Sabbath secretly. To be caught
meant certain death.
"And
he comes into the temple with a mission to defile it, slaughters a pig, sets up
an idol in the temple, and launches an all-out war on the Bible," Cahn
said.
The
Jews had a choice. Offer sacrifices to the idols or die.
In
today's Western culture, the preferred god is no longer Zeus. It's secularism.
Every teaching is tolerated, even blessed by the state, except one. The world's
major religions are taught to children in public schools as being equal.
Cahn
sees the seeds of Christian persecution already planted in America, and likely
to grow in the coming years. Christians, he said, will find answers on how to
deal with persecution in the Hanukkah story.
Cahn
believes Daniel's prophecies carry a dual meaning for the period of Antiochus
in 167 B.C. and the period when the antichrist will arise in the end times.
"It
looks like Antiochus is going to wipe out the faith of (the one true) God in
the world and it looked like it would be the end of this biblical faith,"
Cahn said. "If he had succeeded, you would not have the New Testament. God
had other plans, though."
Foreshadow
of Antichrist
Christians
in the last days will be overcomers, like the Maccabees, Cahn believes.
In
fact, the Hanukkah story contains a blueprint for how to prevail against the
overwhelming odds of the world and its anti-Christ system.
"You
have God's people but then you have apostasy breaking out all around them. You
see evil overtaking the land, you see a new morality that seeks to eradicate
faith in God," Cahn said. "It's imposed but also many are going along
with it freely. Antiochus makes this law that everyone is to abandon their faith.
He proclaims himself god. Man proclaiming himself God; He is a foreshadow of
the Antichrist."
Just
as Revelation speaks of a temple in Jerusalem being defiled, so there is an
idol set up in the temple in the Hanukkah story. In each story, a man proclaims
himself as god, sitting in the holy place.
All
the people of Antiochus' empire were to become one people culturally, mixed
into one multicultural cesspool of paganism.
This
can be seen today with the migration of peoples from one region of the world to
another, with Muslims flooding into once-Christian Europe and America.
Politicians like Barack Obama and Angela Merkel invite them and preach that
everyone should be "welcoming" of an antagonistic culture. The
policies of Obama and Merkel are encouraged by the United Nations and financed
by atheist billionaires like George Soros.
The
God of the Bible in the Maccabees' time would be replaced with Zeus. Today, he
is replaced with Allah or the god of the secular state and humanism.
"The
gentiles immediately said OK and even some in Israel said ‘yes we must go along
with this.' Not the Maccabees," Cahn said.
Likewise,
in Revelation, the Antichrist begins to oppress the saints of God and tries to
change the set times and laws.
"We
are living in such times," Cahn said. "Believers, if you are a true
believer, you're going to be a thorn in the side of the world. We are already
witnessing it. There is a spirit of Antichrist in the world."
It
starts with little things. Christmas gets changed to a winter recess. Manger
scenes spark lawsuits by the ACLU, as do prayers by high-school football
coaches. Meanwhile, Muslim students get coddled by the state, which sets up
foot baths in public high schools to accommodate their prayer times. Army
officers get banned from praying in "Jesus" name while Muslims are
encouraged to pray five times a day to Allah. School children are taught to
memorize the shahada, the Muslim prayer of conversion. The ACLU is silent.
"Did
anyone think years ago a manger scene would be controversial?" Cahn asks.
"And things that were considered abominations are no longer
controversial."
The
birth of the Messiah becomes "just a celebration of happy holidays,"
Cahn says. "Who celebrates winter? It's all a lie."
There
has also been a global effort to change the tracking of "time," from
B.C., or "Before Christ," to B.C.E., or ‘Before Common Era," a
designation that Cahn and other religious teachers see as meaningless.
"So
there's a war going on against anything that's linked to God, particularly
Messiah. There's a spirit of Antichrist that wars against anything, any
tradition of the natural order," Cahn said.
"What
has been recognized for thousands of years, as long as man's recorded history,
all of a sudden in the last few years man is changing it," he continued.
"Like marriage, like male and female, of course. This is the spirit of
Antichrist."
Entering
post-Christian America
He
sees America as trying to replicate the path of Europe, which is now a
post-Christian society that seems to be on a course toward national suicide.
"What
happened in Europe is happening here, that a nation that existed only because
of God is now changing and trying to eradicate God," Cahn said.
The
New York Times used to post the summation of all the major Sunday sermons in
the city, said Cahn, who leads a Messianic Jewish congregation in New Jersey
and grew up reading the Times.
"Now,
when it speaks of Christianity, it's almost as if it's a foreign thing. Because
it's a pagan culture now," he said. "Hanukkah occurred during
pre-Christian times. Now we're dealing with post-Christian. Of the two,
post-Christian culture is far worse. It's the difference between someone who
has never heard the gospel and someone who has turned against the gospel.
"A
pre-Christian society will produce someone like an Alexander the Great or a
Caesar," Cahn said. "A post-Christian society will produce a Hitler
or a Stalin, and the Antichrist."
The
spirit of antichrist seeks to remove God from every corner of the culture. The
Bible and prayer were removed from schools in 1960s. The Ten Commandments were
later removed from courthouses, a process that continues. "Hate laws"
have been passed in many cities making it a crime to say anything that paints
homosexuality in a negative light.
"What
that means is that the Bible then becomes a criminal offense," Cahn said.
"They're not daring to enforce the implications of these laws, but it's
there; it's just the beginning, but they will."
To
demonstrate how far popular culture has deviated from biblical values, Cahn
gives as an example "A Charlie Brown Christmas," which first aired on
network television in 1965. The show featured Linus, one of the main
characters, walking on stage in a Christmas play and giving a dramatic retelling
of the Christmas story straight from the pages of Luke's gospel.
Fifty
years later, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" remains so popular among
American TV viewers that the networks keep showing it.
"You
have Linus at the end reading about the true meaning of Christmas. It's so
popular, they can't take it off the air, but what are the chances that
something like this would be allowed today? It wouldn't happen," Cahn
said. "If they didn't have to show it, they wouldn't. In fact, it's
embarrassing for them."
More
recent Hollywood productions targeting young people are likely to feature
blatantly unbiblical themes.
"What
is the biggest thing in youth movies? It's ‘Harry Potter.' There are many youth
who have gone into the occult because of ‘Harry Potter,'" Cahn said.
"But the other thing about it, there is no God there. It's a godless
universe filled with witchcraft and man nullifying God."
This
is the kind of cultural rot that the Maccabees resisted.
"You
cannot uphold the Word of God if you are not in the Word of God. Entertainment,
the web. You have to realize there is a force to take you away," Cahn
says. "Get your life solid into the word and the word solid into your
life. The enemy is threatened by it."
From
Europe to America: A spirit of seduction
In
Greek mythology, the goddess Europa was seduced by Zeus. And the continent of
Europe took its name from Europa.
Just
as European Christianity was seduced and fell away from God after World War II,
America is following that same path, Cahn says.
"Europe
is the same civilization from which much of Christianity went to America. But
now it is turned away from that," Cahn said. "More and more, it's
turning away from that. So what happens? Another spirit comes. It's the same
seduction."
So
Hanukkah unlocks a mystery here because it gives the end-time picture of a
spirit behind the age, which is the same god or spirit behind the origin of
Europe, the same god that was behind the war against Israel in Hanukkah, the
war against the saints in Revelation, the same god that desecrated the temple.
"Of
course it's not Zeus; he doesn't exist," Cahn said. "It's a deeper
spirit of another god the bible says the god of this world, who appears in many
forms, whose name is Satan."
It's
this same satanic spirit that will war against the saints in the end times.
Perversions
of truth creep in
The
culture of the Greeks at the time of the Maccabees was a culture filled with
sexual perversity, Cahn said.
This
crept into Israel. The culture of the end times will be no different, with the
same sins creeping into the church.
He
said studies of men and the Internet show that pornography has never been more
popular in America, even among Christian men.
"They
say something like 60 percent of men are watching pornography at least once a
month," Cahn said. "They say 40 percent of pastors do. The saints of
God, they were called to keep themselves pure. Keep their eyes pure, their
minds pure, and their habits pure. That is your call as well. You have the
power of God to live pure. You have the power to live as a pure believer in God
by the Holy Spirit of God. Choose it. He'll bless you."
But
don't expect to be loved for your efforts.
Matthew
24:9 says you'll be "hated by all nations on account of me," and
Revelation 7:13 describes a host of believers martyred for their faith,
"who loved their life not unto death and so overcame the world."
The
Maccabees fought with that same tenacity.
"They
said, ‘You know what, we don't care about protecting ourselves anymore. We care
about God's way, and we're going to live or die nobly. We're going to go for it
no matter what happens. We're not going to compromise,'" Cahn said.
"If it costs us our life, fine. We're going to be free now. No fear!
That's the way you have to live.
"As
Esther said, ‘If I perish, I perish.' Then she was free, and the whole thing
turned around. Only then can you fulfill your calling and overcome the world.
We're going to do what's right. If you get to that point, if you live with that
spirit of God, the enemy can't really do much with you. You can't be
intimidated anymore. You can't bribe me, you can't threaten me, you can't buy
me out. I'm already sold out. If I perish, I perish, so I can live. They
overcame him by the word of their testimony and by not loving their lives unto
death."
This
is how the Maccabees fought. They were fearless, knowing they were the winners
no matter how the battles turned out.
"What
if they kill us? OK, so you're in heaven. Not bad. That's the worst. What
happened with the Maccabees? They were the underdogs who looked like they were
going to be crushed. The Maccabees reigned with God over God's people in
Jerusalem. So remember that. If you're in God's will and you keep going.
Remember, you're on the winning side. Don't ever give in to the enemy's lies
that you're on the losing side because that's what he wants. If you think
you're on the losing side, you're going to act like it. You're going to mess
up."
And
what happens at the very end?
"Revelation
speaks of the saints, those who separated themselves for God. Those are the
saints," Cahn said.
There
will be a war against them, some will be killed, but that's not how it ends.
"Saint
means holy. Choose the way of righteousness, and you'll have the power and the
victory of God. The way of the righteous is the way of prevailing and victory,
always.
"Keep
your torch burning, fight the fight. If you fall down, get up, because you've
come too far to turn back now and because it's all, all worth it," Cahn
says. "At the end of your good course is blessing; at the end of our race
is a prize. And when the saints come marching in, you will be there in that
number."
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