Hanukkah (actually spelled: Chanukah) is the festival of rededicating the holy Temple back to Yehovah.

The History of Chanukah

Around 167 BC, Antiochus Epiphanes, who was the king of the Seleucid Empire in the Middle East, determined to unify the religions of the region by compelling everyone to worship him as the paramount god — the Greek god Zeus— in human form. Antiochus desecrated the holy Temple of the Jews by setting up a statue of Zeus and sacrificing a pig on the altar of burnt offerings.

By 164 BC, Judas Maccabeus and his followers, under the leadership of Yehovah, recaptured the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. They tore down the sacrilegious statue of Zeus, they built a new altar and they purified the Temple. The Jews found enough consecrated oil to light the candelabra in the Temple for only one day. However, Yehovah miraculously kept the menorah lit for eight days. This is why some refer to Chanukah as “The Feast of Lights.”

However, Chanukah means “dedication” and The Feast of Chanukah commemorates rededicating the Temple back to Yehovah after He gave the Jewish people victory over Antiochus and his mighty army.

The Prophecy of Chanukah

During the Tribulation (last 7 years on earth before Christ comes back), the Antichrist king of the world will unify all religions by compelling everyone to worship him as the paramount god in human form. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God (2 Thes. 2:3-4). Then, he will make everyone remotely worship a sacrilegious statue of the Beast in the Temple (Rev. 13:13-15).

King Jesus will come back to put an end to the Tribulation by defeating the Beasts, the Antichrist and his army. Then, King Jesus will tear down the abominable, sacrilegious statue, He will purify and rededicate the Temple back to Yehovah and He will set up His heavenly Kingdom in the Temple “On Chanukah.”

Christmas vs Hanukkah

Jesus did not teach His disciples to give gifts to each other on His birthday, nor did the first-century Church follow this tradition. However, Christ did observe Chanukah by entering into the Temple in the winter on the Feast of Dedication to teach Jews and Pharisees, which was primarily done on Sabbaths – Saturdays and Holy Days (John 10:22-42).

The Blessing

Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all Holy Days. Chanukah should inspire us to be happy as we are reminded and we patiently wait in hope of the return of King Jesus with His Kingdom.

I Hope The Best For You On This Chanukah Festival