HANUKKAH
You are all such a continuing comfort to my soul…..I
have read your recent posts, but have been so caught up (no, not harpazo),
in what seems like an endless circus of problems for friends and family
members; so much so, that I have to conclude that our Lord is dealing with
very many people in these last couple of years, for never in my life have
I seen so much suffering and problems of all kinds. And
those problems coming upon the decent law-abiding, Christian people, who
are so very discouraged by the on-going pressures. I am not a statistician
but the odds seem to fall very heavily in favor of the people of God getting
a great deal of grinding down – perhaps He is “making up His jewels?” and
has us all in his rock tumbler? So rather than being able to quietly study
(and attempt to place His coming at the next available feast or festival),
I have just had to “be there” for many.
But you all have covered the ground on Hanukkah for me,
and I have enjoyed very much the letters from CAPS, Marilyn Agee and others,
who lay out an intriguing possibility for the season of Hanukkah, so my
own comments are only for the purpose of adding to their excellent studies.
First of all, Malachi gives his
word about the Lord’s “sudden” coming to His temple:
Malachi 3:1
Behold, I will send my messenger,
and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall
suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant,
whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith
the LORD of hosts.
He seems to be referring to the coming of Elijah, who would prepare
the way, and who Jesus said would “surely come and restore all things”.
Recall that it was Judas Maccabee who would prevail and be able to “restore all things”
after the desecration by Antiochus. (John the Baptist having come in the
Spirit of Elijah, but was not received as such). So, would I be correct
in assuming from the above verse suggests that Elijah would appear at the
same time as the Lord visits His “temple” suddenly? For we are told we
are His temple, and we are also told that His coming for us would be “sudden”, when
they are saying peace and safety, etc., and “in an instant”, etc. Another
allusion to His sudden coming, is:
Mark 13:35 Watch
ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even,
or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: 36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37 And
what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
Above, He warns us that He may come “suddenly”. And that we may be found sleeping. The deciples
fell asleep during His hour of agony in the garden of Gethsemane,
they fell asleep at the site of the transfiguration, and the wise and foolish
virgins are to likewise fail the Lord at the most
important hour! We are told that His sudden coming
may find us asleep.
or,
Luke
21:34
And take heed to yourselves,
lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting,
and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come
upon you unawares.
So, we’ll either be asleep, or surfeiting
(excesses), or drunk, or just too darned busy. Well, we can see that all
of these things fit very nicely into the mid-winter scenario; that is, sleeping
during the year’s shortest days, going to much excess / partying / feasting
during the various holidays, and of course this is the season when warnings
are put out to have designated drivers in attendance at the “gatherings”.
He mentions the cares of this life, alluding to our usual busy distractions
as well, and the more so during the holiday season.
And in the book of Ecclesiastes, there
is this:
Ecclesiastes 9:12
-
For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are
taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare;
so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth
suddenly upon them.
Taking a look at a couple places where
a “season” might be shadowed:
Luke 23:27 And there followed
him a great company of people, and of women, which also
bewailed and lamented him. 28 But Jesus turning unto
them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep
for yourselves, and for your children. 29 For, behold, the days are coming,
in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that
never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall
on us; and to the hills, Cover us. 31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be
done in the dry?
Above, the women to whom
He speaks as He is on the way to His crucifixion, are “Daughters of Jerusalem”. He tells them that the day is coming when they will be
grateful to have been barren and not hindered by children during the difficult
times.
Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken
of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them
which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let
him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his
house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back
to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child,
and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your
flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great tribulation,
such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever
shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there
should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Above, He says that flight to the mountains would be hindered by children, and
that they should pray that this flight be “not in winter”, so He is probably
referring to the same period of time that the daughters of Jerusalem (luke 23 above) would wish they
were childless. This would be mid-tribulation, because in Revelation, the
great earthquake causes all to beg for the mountains to fall on them to
keep them from “the wrath of the Lamb and Him who sits on the throne”.
He adds in Matthew 24, that it would also be the time that the temple is
desecrated, and that all should flee to the mountains.
All by way of saying………….if
above, He alludes to a time of fleeing, and the beginning of His wrath,
as being a time that may NOT be winter, then perhaps this mid-tribulation
event would take place IN THE SPRING. The people are to flee when they
see the abomination of desolation (the temple being desecrated
by the antichrist)…..this will coincide with the great earthquake that causes
all to hide in the caves and dens in fear (Revelation) of His wrath, and
the women hopefully are not pregnant or distracted with children. Also
it will not be on a Sabbath day, so that they can travel.
(Here we see He is dealing
with the Jews under the law once again, for He refers to their restriction
of traveling on the Sabbath). The church is gone and is not under such
restrictions.
If I can get to this point
here, would this imply that if mid-tribulation is a springtime or summer
event, then perhaps the rapture would be a winter event? (three
and one-half years earlier). It would have to be about six months off-season
from the beginning of His wrath which occurs at mid-tribulation when all
the Jews are to flee to the mountains to be cared for during the 1260 days
of His wrath upon the gentile world.
JESUS, THE LIGHT OF THE
WORLD
Jesus began His ministry
on the feast of Attonement “when He had BEGUN
to be 30 years old”. He was born on the feast of Trumpets,
He was conceived 280 days prior to that on the first day of the feast of
lights, Hanukkah. Over time, the church skewed His birth toward the solstice
celebrations which we now call Christmas, many
believing that He was born at this time.
From the website:
http://www.onhigh.org/Hanakah.htm
Chanukah can
be found in the Torah, as the twenty-fifth Hebrew word in the Scriptures
is “ohr” or “light.” Remember that Chanukah
starts on the 25th of Kislev.
God said, “Let there be light”….and that
light was Jesus, for the sun, moon and stars were created later in the creation
week. So the Father saw fit to bring the Light,
the Word, into the world, by the over-shadowing of the Spirit unto conception
in Mary, on the first day of Hanukkah. He was born on
the feast of Trumpets, and began His ministry on the feast of Attonement, when He had just begun to be 30….if He had been
born on December 25, or Kislev 25. He would not have just begun
to be 30 when He began His ministry.
Throughout the chapters of John 8-12, Jesus
is referenced as that “Light”. He referred to
Himself as that Light. And He told us to be lights
in the world:
Acts
13:47
For this
is what the Lord has commanded us: I have appointed you as a light for the
Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth. "
And
Paul says further that we are “children of the light”, and that we are not
of darkness nor appointed to the days of darkness (the tribulation years).
Jesus said:
John
9:5
As long as
I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
Jesus, as the restrainer of darkness, will bring His Light to this world,
“as long as He is in the world”. When He is taken out, with the church, men will stumble in the darkness
described as the days of tribulation.
Below, is quoted
John 10:22-38. Jesus was accosted by and challenged by
the Jews of His time. This occurred on Hanukkah. At the bottom
of this study, is the entire chapter of John 10 for you to study. But
it was here that He told the Jews about His sheep, and how they could not
be “plucked” out of His hand. And how His sheep “hear His voice”. Now, on the day of the
rapture, we most definitely are going to HEAR HIS VOICE.
Also below, you will see that here (John
chapter 10) is where our Lord referred to Himself as “the door”, and how
He can call His sheep, and call them “by name”, and how He then “leads them
out”.
Rev4:1
After this
I looked, and, behold, a door
was opened in heaven: and the first voice
which I heard was as it were of a trumpet
talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which
must be hereafter.
And He will then be the One who plucks
up His sheep, an event which no man (or principality or power)
can interfere with. Now, this whole discourse,
is just beautiful. Picture to yourself if the Lord actually
did come for His sheep on Hanukkah. The Jews and others
who look at this particular chapter of John, will see immediately that the
Good Shepherd did indeed “pluck” up His sheep, and gave them “eternal life”,
and called each one by name to lead them out. Jesus, our Lord, is the
only One, who can “pluck” up an entire sheepfold, into His and the Father’s
hands, and that no-one else can either do this,
or interfere with it.
Again, we continue to “keep the word of His
patience”, and await His soon coming, for we know
it is soon. My very best of greetings and love to all of you brothers
and sisters in Him who is our greatest hope and adoration……………Your sister,
Arlene
John 10:22-38
22 And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was
winter.
23 And
Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. 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. 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. 27 My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And
I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall
any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My
Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them
out of my Father's hand. 30 I
and my Father are one.
see
below for entire chapter of John 10
| John 10: 1 - 42 |
| |
| 1 "I assure you:
Anyone who doesn't enter the sheep pen by the door, but climbs in
some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the door is the shepherd
of the sheep. 3 The doorkeeper opens it for him, and the sheep
hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought
all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because
they recognize his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger; instead
they will run away from him, because they don't recognize the voice
of strangers." 6 Jesus gave them this illustration, but they
did not understand what He was telling them. 7 So
Jesus said again, "I assure you: I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before
Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn't
listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.
10 A thief comes only
to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have
come that they may have life and have it in abundance. 11 "I am the good
shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired man, since
he's not the shepherd and doesn't own the
sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf
then snatches and scatters them. 13 This happens because he is a hired man and
doesn't care about the sheep. 14 "I am the good
shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, 15 as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the
sheep.
16 But I have other sheep
that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen
to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father
loves Me, because I am laying down My life that I may take it up again.
18 No one takes it from
Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the right to lay it down,
and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command
from My Father."
19 Again a division
took place among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many
of them were saying, "He has a demon and He's crazy! Why do you
listen to Him?" 21 Others were saying, "These
aren't the words of someone demon-possessed. Can a demon open the
eyes of the blind?"
22 Then the Festival
of Dedication took place in Jerusalem; and it was winter.
23 Jesus was walking in the temple complex in Solomon's
Colonnade. 24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and
asked, "How long are You going to keep us in suspense? If You
are the Messiah, tell us plainly." 25 "I did tell you
and you don't believe," Jesus answered them. "The works that I do in My Father's name
testify about Me. 26 But you don't believe
because you are not My sheep. 27 My sheep hear My voice,
I know them, and they follow Me. 28 I give them eternal
life, and they will never perish--ever! No one will snatch them out
of My hand.
29 My Father, who has
given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them
out of the Father's hand. 30 The Father and I are one." 31 Again
the Jews picked up rocks to stone Him. 32 Jesus
replied, "I have shown
you many good works from the Father. For which of these works are
you stoning Me?"
33 "We aren't stoning You for a good work,"
the Jews answered, "but for blasphemy, and because You--being
a man--make Yourself God." 34 Jesus answered
them, "Isn't it written
in your law, I said, you are gods ? 35 If He called those
to whom the word of God came 'gods'--and the Scripture cannot be broken-- 36 do you say, 'You are
blaspheming' to the One the Father set apart and sent into the world,
because I said 'I am the Son of God'? 37 If I am not doing My Father's works, don't believe Me. 38 But if I am doing them
and you don't believe Me, believe the works. This way you will know
and understand that the Father is in Me and I
in the Father."
39 Then they were
trying again to seize Him, yet He eluded their grasp. 40 So
He departed again across the Jordan to the place where John
had been baptizing earlier, and He remained there. 41 Many
came to Him and said, "John never did a sign, but everything
John said about this man was true." 42 And
many believed in Him there. |