Season's Greetings (Part 2)

So what is Hanukkah? We must establish here that Hanukkah is not a Biblical Feast Day. It is considered to be a re-dedication of the Temple, and is observed once a year as a memorial, much the same way Americans have an annual memorial for 9/11. "Now it was the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch." (John 10:22,23) The fact that Yeshua was in the Temple, observing Hanukkah, implies that He thought it was important enough to be present.

In 167 B.C. Antiochus Epiphanes, a pagan King of the Seleucid empire in Syria, made a covenant with certain Jewish leaders that actually led to torture and death of many Jews. Antiochus proceeded to enter the Temple and sacrifice swine (unclean animal) on the Altar, placing a statue of Zeus inside the Temple. The historical account of the "Abomination of Desolation" is referred to in the book of Daniel. A future "Abomination of Desolation" will take place when the "Lawless one," enters the Temple that must be built sometime in the very near future.

A small band of Israelites, intially led by a priest named Mattathias Maccabee, fought against the army of Antiochus. After Mattahias died, his son, Judah, continued to fight, defeating Antiochus' army. Having missed the scheduled feast day of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), they decided to observe Sukkot (October/September) on the 25th of Kislev, (November/December) by re-dedicating and cleansing the Temple. This may have been inspired by the historical dedication of the Temple by Solomon on Sukkot, (1 Kings 8; and 2 Chron. 7) and that sacrifices were resumed on Sukkot after the return from the Babylonian captivity. During the re-dedication of the Temple the Menorah burned for eight days. With this in mind we must not consider Hanukkah as a replacement for Sukkot, thus placing it on the same level as a Feast day.

The Temple symbolizes the physical presence of Yeshua (Jesus) two thousand years ago. While standing before the Temple, Yeshua said that if you destroyed this Temple He would raise it in three days. Of course, He was speaking of His body, which would be raised three days after His death on the cross, as a sacrifice and atonement for the sin of the world. The idea that Yeshua, the Light of the world, may have been born on Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) places even more significance on Hanukkah, a week-long festivity of lights that is to never be celebrated with grieving and fasting.

For me Hanukkah is a day for observing the re-dedication of the Temple, which is symbolic of our Lord, Yeshua (Jesus). Even though some would say that there is no Temple on earth, let us consider the Temple in Heaven. (Revelation 11:19) My personal opinion is that we should not diminish this day or make it a replacement for Christmas, which was never observed for the first three centuries, nor has it ever been Jewish custom in those days to observe anyone's birthday. Doesn't it make more reasonable sense to observe a more Biblically oriented day, than to observe a day instituted and grounded in paganism, that thing which God calls all of His children out of in order to be holy? Shalom.