Actually it's
not. Hanukkah is held around 260 -
261 days into the Jewish calendar. Also 10
lunar cycles are not 280 days as a lunar
cycle is not 28 days. A lunar cycle
for us on earth as we measure new moon to new
moon is on average 29.530588
days, give or take a small fraction of a
day. This is why most Jewish calendar
months alternate between 29 and 30 days in
length. In addition,
Hanukkah is not held at the completion of 10
lunar cycles but 9 lunar cycles. It
actually starts a few days before the completion
of 9 lunar cycles and continues through 8 days
till just a few days past the completion of 9
lunar cycles.
We
can still save the analogy by proposing that Jesus
Christ was delivered right at 37 weeks instead of
40 weeks, if born at the beginning of Hanukkah and
circumcised the 8th day on the 8th day of
Hanukkah. If born on the 8th day of Hanukkah
then he would have been at 38 weeks which is even
closer to 40 but we lose the great analogy of
Christ being circumcised on the 8th day of
Hanukkah. If it is unacceptable to believe
that Jesus Christ could be born anything but full
term at 40 weeks and save this great
analogy along with the great analogies of 40 weeks
of trials and tribulations, 40 years in the
wilderness, etc., then I think we have no choice
but push back the conception to before
Passover.
So
let's look at the Passover analogy.
Traditionally, the Jewish people do not think
of Passover as meaning "new life". In fact
quite the opposite. It means death. It
meant death of all firstborns of families
who had not sacrificed an innocent lamb
in the place of their firstborn and smeared its
blood upon the entrance to their home. It
meant death every year since then on Passover of
an innocent lamb in rememberance of
the Death Angel sparing them in Egypt.
It meant death of the ultimate Lamb Of God -
Jesus Christ on Passover. Passover is not a
day of rejoicing but a day of remembering being
spared from our own death with the substitute of
another, of eating bitter herbs and unleavened
bread.
While
I'm on a role. Jesus Christ came and
sacrificed His life so we could have eternal
life. Babies are not born with eternal
life. The soul is not eternal, only the
Spirit of God. We don't gain the Spirit of
God till we are born again, born of the
Spirit. Adam and Eve did not pass down
eternal life. Remember, they were both
banished from the Garden of Eden before they could
partake of the Tree of Life, which is the
Spirit of God.
All
souls which lack the Spirit of God will be thrown
into the lake of fire which is the second death,
the death of the soul, after Judgment Day.
The soul does not live eternally in hell after the
death of the body. Both those dead in the
body and whose soul is currently residing in hell
and hell itself, that's right hell
itself, will be thrown into the lake of fire
to be utterly consumed.
And death and hell
were cast into the lake of fire. This is the
second death. Revelation
20:6
They
will not have eternal life in the lake of fire but
will perish. That's right perish.
That's what John 3:16 says. The Bible
says it and I believe it.
For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life. John
3:16
The
consequences of sin which has reigned since Adam
is death, not everlasting life in hell.
For the wages of
sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23
The
Jews didn't believe they would live eternally like
the Angels, regardless of being sons of
Adam. They kept asking Jesus what they
needed to do to gain eternal life.
And, behold, one
came and said unto him, Good Master, what
good thing shall I do, that I may have
eternal life? Matthew 19:16
Jesus
never taught that people already live
eternally, just that their final destination
would be different if they believed in him.
He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he
that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but
the wrath of God abideth on him. John
3:36
Verily, verily,
I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and
believeth on him that sent me, hath
everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation; but is passed from death unto
life. John 5:24
And this is the
will of him that sent me, that every one
which seeth the Son, and believeth on him,
may have everlasting life: and I will raise
him up at the last day. John
6:40
But he shall
receive an hundredfold now in this time,
houses, and brethren, and sisters, and
mothers, and children, and lands, with
persecutions; and in the world to come eternal
life. Mark 10:30
That whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have
eternal life. John 3:15
Whoso eateth
my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath
eternal life; and I will raise him up at
the last day. John
6:54
As thou hast
given him power over all flesh, that he
should give eternal life to as many as
thou hast given him.
John 17:2
And when the
Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and
glorified the word of the Lord: and as
many as were ordained to eternal life
believed. Acts 13:48
That as sin
hath reigned unto death, even so might
grace reign through righteousness unto
eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:21
These
things have I written unto you that
believe on the name of the Son of God;
that ye may know that ye have eternal
life, and that ye may believe on the name
of the Son of God. I John 5:13
So we
have Adam which was a son of God, that means
a direct descendant of God. And
all the Angels which are also sons of God,
direct descendants of God. The
difference is that Adam was made mortal, of
the dust of the ground, with a soul
that was not eternal. All the
Angels were made with eternal life.
They live forever, they are the ones who
have a choice between living forever in
God's presence or the lake of fire. We
are not born as sons of God but of
man. We too, when we are born again
become direct descendants of God.
We become sons of God, not through our flesh
but through God's Holy Spirit which He
pours into us, and we will now live
forever.
And
so it is written, The first man
Adam was made a living soul; the
last Adam was made a quickening
spirit. I
Corinthians 15:45
My sheep hear
my voice, and I know
them, and they follow
me: And I give
unto them eternal
life; and they shall
never perish, neither
shall any man pluck
them out of my
hand. John
10:27-28
God's
sheep have eternal life and will
never perish. No one will
pluck them out of his hand.
God's sheep, those who follow God as
the shepherd, include not only
those who have been born again,
born of God's spirit, but those
who were born in the first place
with God's Spirit, the
Angels. This group will
never perish. I mean never
perish, even if they stop following
God as their shepherd. I mean
never perish, even if thrown into
the lake of fire. We know the
final destination for the devil who
left his first estate along with the
other Angels who leave their first
estate, after the judgment day.
And
the angels which kept not their
first estate, but left their own
habitation, he hath reserved in
everlasting chains under darkness
unto the judgment of the great
day. Jude 1:6
They will
be thrown into the lake of fire
where they will not perish but be
tormented forever.
And
the devil that deceived them was
cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where the beast and the
false prophet are, and shall be
tormented day and night for ever
and ever. Revelation
20:10
And
it may not be a popular message
which many preachers who want to be
well liked in the community avoid,
but we also as born again believers,
as sons of God, will never
perish if we chose to stop being a
sheep of the Most High God, if we
chose to stop following His voice
and are thrown along with the fallen
Angels into the lake of
fire. Although, Hebrews
compares this message
with those who are still
drinking milk.
For
every one that useth milk is
unskilful in the word of
righteousness: for he is a
babe. But strong meat
belongeth to them that are of full
age, even those who by reason of
use have their senses exercised to
discern both good and evil.
Hebrews 5:13-14
And
who wants to be told they are
still drinking milk.
Although there must be preachers to
feed those who can only
drink milk. So what
follows the elementary teachings of
the Gospel is:
For
it is impossible for those who
were once enlightened, and have
tasted of the heavenly gift, and
were made partakers of the Holy
Ghost, And have tasted the good
word of God, and the powers of the
world to come, If they shall
fall away, to renew them again
unto repentance; seeing they
crucify to themselves the Son of
God afresh, and put him to an open
shame. Hebrews
6:4-6
Not
only that, which putting the Son of
God to open shame should never be
diminished. But if it weren't
impossible, then it would then be
possible for the Angels who left
their first estate and fell away to
renew them unto repentance also and
restore them in right standing
before God. Won't
happen. God
is Just. The devil
and his cohorts know their final
destination and would do anything if
possible to escape. What's
worse than being thrown into the
lake of fire and perishing?
Being thrown into the lake of fire
and not perishing.
For
if after they have escaped the
pollutions of the world through
the knowledge of the Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ, they are
again entangled therein, and
overcome, the latter end is worse
with them than the beginning.
II Peter 2:20
Much
worse. Who wouldn't much
rather have a quick second death
than spend eternity in the lake of
fire.
For
it had been better for them not to
have known the way of
righteousness, than, after they
have known it, to turn from the
holy commandment delivered unto
them. II Peter
2:21
Much
better.
Shalom!
And
the very God of peace sanctify you
wholly; and I pray God your whole
spirit and soul and body be
preserved blameless unto the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Thessalonians 5:23