Chanukah

Festival of Lights (Revealing)

Many in today’s Messianic community question the validity of the Feast of Dedication, citing the absence of it in the listing of the Feasts of YHVH recorded in Leviticus 23. Declaring it to be solely a feast of the Jews. However, upon further examination, if one will search the scriptures, the proof of the sanctioning of this memorial is overwhelming.

In our efforts to look at this material we will spend a minimal amount of time with the history of the feast known to most as the “Maccabeean” Revolt. It was during the reign of Antiochus IV, a successor to Alexander the Great, that the oppression of the Jewish people became unbearable. Antiochus became an ‘arch type’ of the Anti-Messiah, as he desecrated the temple with the slaughter of an un-kosher pig, refused the worship on the 7^th day Sabbath, an forbade the circumcision of male children. This temple desecration and its subsequent re-dedication after the successful revolt both occurred on Kislev 25, the Ninth month of the Jewish calendar. During the lighting of the temple Menorah the priests discovered there was only enough oil to maintain the light for one day. Miraculously, though, it lasted for 8 days. Long enough for the process of refining more oil to be finished.

We find evidence of Yahshua’s participation in this ‘Feast of Dedication in John’s Gospel, chapter 10:vs. 22. The significance of this record is lost upon the gentile church and the casual reader. Upon closer scrutiny the entire context of the conversation of Yahshua with the Jews around Him, as well as the location from which the statements are being made (Solomon’s porch) figure significantly in our proof of the validity of this Festival. First, however, we must build a foundation from the Torah with the Shadows or patterns of things to come (Heb. 8:5, 9:23).

We see in the first chapter of Genesis that YHVH established the sun, moon, and stars, for the purpose of maintaining a calendar of His Appointed times (seasons, Heb. Mo-‘ed). These stellar bodies were to be a ‘sign’ (signal, beacon, monument, evidence, announcement, Heb. ‘owth).

Throughout antiquity their record is maintained as evidence of the Redemption plan of YHVH for mankind. We find reference to them in Job, Psalms and other places to support the knowledge of their purpose through the ages. Now, the heavens were divided into 12 houses, each house subdivided into decans. These constellational compartments do not change with the seasons, but, remain constant in the heavenly canopy. Each then could be counted upon to represent a period of time during the calendar year. It is during this season that the house of Sagittarius, as it is more commonly known, coincides with the last months of the Hebrew calendar.

During this cycle the decan (subdivision) of Ara figures prominently! For it is pictured in the stellar heavens as an UPSIDE DOWN Altar, with the fire pointed toward the earth in a picture of impending judgment! Ara is Latin for; raised earthen altar the same picture we see in Exodus 20:24 where Moses is instructed to build at the encounter with YHVH at Mt. Sinai. It is also interesting that the Tabernacle (patterned after the Heavenly Tabernacle) also contained an “Altar of Burnt Offering”. We see the significance of this altar upon closer examination of the Hebrew text in Exodus 29:42 where this altar is referenced as being located at the door (entrance, gate) of the Tabernacle of congregation (Heb. Mo-‘ed, season or appointed times) before (Heb. Paneh, face) of YHVH.

Here we see that the entrance of the Holy Place was only accessible when one went by or through the Altar of Burnt Offering! This altar representing a picture of the Coming Messiah, the Door to the Holy Place, as well as, the New Altar, who would be offered up for the people!

Now, when we fast forward to John 10:7-9, we see Yahshua referring to Himself as this ‘Door’ and again in John 1:51, we see a reminder of the Doorway to Heaven, as seen in the vision of Jacob in Genesis 28:12. ( See also, John 14:6)

As we mentioned earlier, the text of John 10:22-28 has been obscured to all but the most observant student. It was here at the porch of Solomon, during the Feast of Dedication that this Altar of Burnt Offering was located. It was also in this exact location that John records in chapter 9 verse 14, that Yahshua heals a man born blind, on the Sabbath day. Now the noteworthy thing here is that the people acknowledged that no one had ever healed a person born blind since the world began. This is startling proof of the claim to Messiah that Yahshua Himself declares. He is the New Altar of Burnt Offering!!

Once again, obvious to only a few, Yahshua, The Light of the world, is revealed to man, much the same as He was when birthed in Mary during this same season of Lights or Dedication, some 30 years earlier, Kislev 25. Not the December 25^th birthday of Tammuz the pagan sun god, that so many associate with the birth of our Messiah.

For further  proof one need only look at the prophet Daniel. A Hebrew trained in the study of the stellar heavens called astronomy, not astrology, the practice of worship of these same   stars. Daniel received visions of the last days, as acknowledged by most scholars. It was these visions that troubled Daniel, so much so, that in chapter 7 verse 28, we find him extremely distraught. Since he was very familiar with the calendar of YHVH and the Feasts of YHVH and a very intelligent man he would have no trouble calculating the number of days in between these feasts even three and a half to seven years out.

However, he is given two numbers in chapter 12 that cause the above ‘cogitations’. The numbers representing 1290 and 1335  days. It was  those to dates that he could not “fit” into the calendar. What were they? To the average person unfamiliar with the feast of Chanukah and the spring feast of Purim, both of which had not yet even been brought into practice during Daniel’s day, they have no meaning either, but, upon examination they fit perfectly! For it is exactly 1290 (3 ½ years) days between Purim and the Feast of Tabernacles and 1335 (3 ½ years) days between Purim and The Feast of Dedication some 45 days later! No wonder Daniel was puzzled!

We hope that this short excerpt from our teaching of this wonderful Festival will help to enlighten you. Especially during this festival celebration of Lights when  the Light of the World, once again, Lights all Men! 

Shalom, David Mathews

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