The Feast of Dedication is also known as the Festival of Lights, because of the lighting of the Chanukiah, the eight branched menorah.

Transcription

1 כ נ THE FEAST OF DEDICATION What's In A Name Chanukah In Histry Chanukah Tday Chanukah And Yeshua Chanukah And Spiritual Warfare Chanukah's Message Fr Us Tday Chanukah Prphetically Seven Headings What's In A Name? The Feast f Dedicatin is als knwn as the Festival f Lights, because f the lighting f the Chanukiah, the eight branched menrah. ח ה Hebrew: (Chet, Nun, Kaf, Hey) - Dn't frget yu read Hebrew wrds right t left The Hebrew Wrd Means Dedicatin Chet (rhymes with mate) - the eighth letter f the Hebrew aleph-bet; it has the sund f 'ch' as in bach Nun (prnunced nn) - the furteenth letter f the Hebrew aleph-bet; it has the sund f 'n' as in nw Kaf (prnunced kaf, like the cckney fr 'cafe') - the eleventh letter f the Hebrew aleph-bet; it has the sund f 'k' as in kite Hey (prnunced hey, like hey!) - the fifth letter f the Hebrew aleph-bet; it has the sund f 'h' as in hay Why is it spelt s many different ways? Hanukah - Hanukkah - Hannukah - Hannukkah - Chanukah - Chanukkah - Channukkah The answer is 'transliteratin' - i.e. hw the Hebrew letters are changed fr similar sunding English letters. This is nt easy fr this particular Hebrew wrd, hence the many different spellings I will use 'Chanukah' - transliteratin used by the website 'Hebrew fr Christians'

2 Chanukah is a Jewish Feast - Observed fr eight nights and days, starting n the 25th day f Kislev and ending n the 3rd day f Tevet accrding t the Hebrew calendar This may ccur at any time frm late Nvember t late December in the Gregrian calendar. In 2016 the Feast begins n the night f Saturday 24th December 2016 and ends n Sunday 1st January s this year it happens t cincide with Christmas and New Year. Chanukah is nt a Feast f the Lrd The Feasts f the Lrd (like Pesach and Sukkt) are spken f in the bks f Leviticus and Numbers, and elsewhere They are summarised in Leviticus chapter 23; there are eight f them: Shabbat (Sabbath) Pesach (Passver) Chag HaMatzt (Unleavened Bread) Reishit Katzir (Firstfruits) Shavut (Weeks r Pentecst) Ym Teruah (Trumpets) Ym Kippur (Day f Atnement) Sukkt (Tabernacles) Nevertheless the Feast f Dedicatin is ne f the highlights f the Jewish calendar and is a feast f celebratin and great jy The apcryphal bk f 1 Maccabees recrds, in chapter 4, verses 36 t 56, the stry f the re-dedicatin f the temple which had been desecrated. "On the twenty-fifth f the ninth mnth, Chislev, in the year 148 they rse at dawn and ffered a lawful sacrifice n the new altar f burnt ffering which they had made. The altar was dedicated, t the sund f hymns, zithers, lyres and cymbals, at the same time f year and n the same day n which the gentiles had riginally prfaned it. The whle peple fell prstrate in adratin and then praised Heaven wh had granted them success. Fr eight days they celebrated the dedicatin f the altar, jyfully ffering burnt fferings, cmmunin and thanksgiving sacrifices." 1 Maccabees 4: 52-56

3 This bk is nt part f the cann f scripture - but is a reliable Jewish histry, even if nt inspired. There is n reference in the Bible t the rigins f the Feast f Dedicatin Chanukah In Histry The 's-called' Silent Years f the Bible Malachi (the last bk f the Old Testament) was prphesying when the natin f Israel was back again in the land f Israel after the Babylnian captivity, but they were under the dminatin f the great wrld pwer f that day, Persia In abut 435 B.C, when the prphet Malachi ceased his writing, the centre f wrld pwer began t shift frm the East t the West By the time we reach the New Testament, the bk f Matthew, we discver an entirely different atmsphere - almst a different wrld. where Rme is nw the dminant pwer f the earth The Bible is nt in fact 'silent' abut these years at all Just as the 2000 years f church histry are seen prphetically in Revelatin chapters 2 and 3...s these 'silent years' are spken f prphetically in Daniel chapters 8 and 11 Daniel 8: 1-8 The Medes & Persians and Alexander The Great (interpreted in vs ) Daniel 8: 9-14 Antichus Epiphanes (and prphetically the Antichrist) Daniel 8: The Antichrist freshadwed Daniel 11: 1-4 The Persian and Greek Empires Daniel 11: 5-35 The Seleucid and Ptlemaic Rivalry Daniel 11: Antichus Epiphanes (and prphetically the Antichrist) Antichus IV, the 'villain' f Chanukah, is prphetically described in Daniel 8:9-14 and 11: and the prphecy, like many in the Bible, has a duble meaning - speaking bth f Antichus Epiphanes and f the Antichrist T understand the rigins f Chanukah we need t lk at the Histrical Empires

4 Persian Empire BC Cyrus (Daniel 5; Isaiah 45)) BC Cambyses ) Daniel BC Artaxerxes (Hystaspes) ) vs BC Darius I ) BC Xerxes I (Ahasuerus) (Esther) BC Artaxerxes II (Lngimanus) (Daniel 9: 25) (Nehemiah 2) BC Varius thers, finally Darius III Greek Empire BC Alexander The Great BC The Divided Empire - Alexander's Fur Generals Macednian & Greece Cassander Asia Minr & Thrace Lysimachus Egypt & Arabia Ptlemy Syria, Babyln and the East Seleucus Antichus IV Antichus IV was the Hellenistic king f the Seleucid Empire frm 175 BC until his death in 164 BC A successr f Seleucus, ruler f Syria, Babyln and the East - this included Israel He was a sn f King Antichus III the Great His riginal name was Mithradates, but he adpted the name 'Epiphanes', meaning 'Gd Manifest' It is during the reign f Antichus Epiphanes that the events f the first Chanukah ccur in Israel

5 Rman Empire 197 BC nwards Rme cnquered Greece in the early 2nd century BC - and thugh it was Rman rule, the culture f Greece was still the culture f the empire - hence the similarity between Greek and Rman gds and their mythlgy The Rman Empire, thugh it fell int ruin and split asunder, was never defeated We, tday, are still in the days f Rme (albeit Rme II) with the same Hellenistic culture The Times f the Gentiles - Prphetically pictured by Nebuchadnezzar's statue (Daniel 2) began with Babyln and these empires (Persia, Greece and Rme) fllw and are 'the time f the gentiles' - indeed, the days in which we live are the feet f irn and clay f Rme (Rme II) Antichus IV (Epiphanes) Antichus IV, a successr f Seleucus, was the Hellenistic king f the Seleucid Empire frm 175 BC until his death in 164 BC Hellenism - Greek culture, thinking and attitudes - it is liberal, pluralistic and humanist Antichus utlawed Jewish religius rites and traditins kept by bservant Jews Ordered the wrship f Zeus as the supreme gd This was anathema t the Jews and they refused, s Antichus sent an army t enfrce his decree The city f Jerusalem was destryed because f the resistance (168 BC), many were slaughtered, and Antichus established a military Greek citadel called the Acra He prhibited the study f Trah He appinted a Hellenistic 'High Priest' t the temple He desecrated the temple by requiring pigs t be sacrificed n the altar

6 The Jewish Revlt These utrages eventually incited rebellin, and in 165 BC the Hasmnean family f Matthias, the High Priest, and his yungest sn Judah 'Maccabee' (meaning, the 'Hammer') rganised a revlt Succeeded in driving ut the Antichus and the Syrian Greeks frm Israel - a miracle Jerusalem was liberated, and the temple was re-cnsecrated and re-dedicated fr Jewish wrship. This re-dedicatin is recrded in the apcryphal bk f 1 Maccabees recrds in chapter 4, and in ther Jewish surces. The Sanctified Oil - accrding t later traditin (the Talmud, the written recrding f ral Rabbinic custm and teaching) at the time f re-dedicatin there was nly sufficient undefiled il t light the temple menrah fr ne day - miraculusly the sanctified il burned fr the whle eight days f the Feast f Re-dedicatin - the time needed t prepare a fresh supply f cnsecrated il The Celebratin f The Feast f Dedicatin First recrded in 1 Maccabees 4 (as we saw) - and it was then celebrated in the years thereafter, cmmencing annually n the 25th day f Kislev, hence it was celebrated in Yeshua's time. The stry f the il is nt mentined in the bk f Maccabees - it is nly first recrded in the Gemara (the latter part f the Talmud) which was cmpleted arund 500 AD: hence may schlars suggest that the initial eight day Feast was in fact a late celebratin f the Feast f Sukkt (Tabernacles); itself an eight day feast. In 165 BC it was nt pssible fr the Jews t celebrate Sukkt (which begins n the 15th day f Tishri) until the temple had been re-dedicated, which was nt cmpleted until the 25th day f Kislev. The fcus is 'Dedicatin', nt Lights The nly reference in scripture t the Feast f Dedicatin is in Jhn's gspel, chapter 10, verses 22 t 23 - but befre we lk at this scripture we will lk at Chanukah as it is celebrated tday

7 Chanukah Tday Chanukah is nt ne f the Feasts f the Lrd - as I have already said Nevertheless the Feast f Dedicatin is ne f the highlights f the Jewish calendar and is a feast f celebratin and great jy There are many rules (mitzvt) and custms (minhagim) fr this eight day festival t cmmemrate the Jewish victry ver their enemies and the re-dedicatin f the temple. It is a feast f jy with lights, games, and the giving f gifts Fd, as always is, a great feature - particularly dairy prducts and fd cked in il (e.g. ptat latkes and dughnuts) Chanukah is a jyus feast and all signs f sadness are avided; i.e. there is n murning r fasting, except in the case f shiva (murning f a death) The Lighting f the Chanukiah Lighting the Chanukiah, the eight branched menrah, recalls the miracle f the sanctified il which burned fr eight days The nrmal menrah has nly seven branches. The nightly kindling f the Chanukiah (the Chanukah menrah), with its increasing brighter light, is symblic f the gdly resistance t tyranny and assimilatin, and f re-dedicatin t the Lrd. The Chanukah lights can either be candle flames r il-fuelled - I am using an electric ne fr demnstratin, but this is nt 'ksher'. The 'shamash' the 'attendant' r 'servant' candle is used t kindle the ther lights it sits a bit higher r lwer than the ther candles n the ninth (middle) branch f the menrah. Each night a candle is added, the newest (left-mst) candle is lit first and then ne cntinues lighting frm left t right - hence lights are added t the menrah frm right t left, but they are lit frm left t right As the lights are lit, blessings are said Men and wmen alike are bligated t participate in the

8 menrah lighting In sme families, the head f the husehld lights the family menrah while everyne else listens t the blessings and answers, 'Amen' If yu want t knw mre abut lighting the chanukiah and the blessings - see me afterwards...and I have sme ntes which may be helpful It is still tday an eight day feast frm Kislev 25 t Tevet 3 Chanukah And Yeshua The nly recrd in scripture f the Feast f Dedicatin is f Yeshua at the Feast, in Jhn chapter 10 'Nw it was the Feast f Dedicatin in Jerusalem, and it was winter. and Jesus walked in the temple, in Slmn s prch.' Jhn 10:22-23 The Cntext in which this is recrded is imprtant t nte In Jhn chapter 7, verses 1-31, we read Sukkt (the Feast f Tabernacles) was abut t ccur and Yeshua's brthers urged him t leave Galilee and g t Judea (fr they did nt believe in Him), and they went t Jerusalem fr Sukkt But Yeshua remained in Galilee, but then went secretly t Jerusalem fr Sukkt, because the Jews were seeking t kill him In the middle f the Feast, Yeshua enters the temple and begins t teach - and there is cnflict ver Yeshua's rigins and His stated missin Yu bth knw Me, and yu knw where I am frm; and I have nt cme f Myself, but He wh sent Me is true, whm yu d nt knw. But I knw Him, fr I am frm Him, and He sent Me. Jhn 7:28-29 The Jews try t seize Yeshua but fail 'because His hur had nt yet cme' In Jhn chapter 7, verses 32-53, we read The Pharisees get t hear f Yeshua being in Jerusalem and they send fficers t arrest Yeshua

9 We then read n the last, and greatest day f Sukkt, Yeshua says... 'On the last day, that great day f the feast, Jesus std and cried ut, saying, If anyne thirsts, let him cme t Me and drink. He wh believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ut f his heart will flw rivers f living water. But this He spke cncerning the Spirit, whm thse believing in Him wuld receive; fr the Hly Spirit was nt yet given, because Jesus was nt yet glrified.' Jhn 7:37-39 The fficers f the priests, after hearing Yeshua speak, return t the Chief Priest and the Pharisees wh ask Why have yu nt brught Him? - their reply is N man ever spke like this Man! In Jhn chapter 8, verses 1-12, we read There then fllws the incident f the wman caught in adultery which is, in reality, a cnflict between Yeshua and the Pharisees Yeshua by his wrds, reveals the darkness in their hearts, He literally switches the light n This stry finishes, apprpriately with ne f Yeshua's great 'I AM' statements 'Then Jesus spke t them again, saying, I am the light f the wrld. He wh fllws Me shall nt walk in darkness, but have the light f life. ' Jhn 8:12 In Jhn chapter 8, verses 13-36, we read There then fllws further cnflict with the Pharisees Firstly ver Yeshua's self-witness Then ver His imminent departure, and then Over His testimny f the Father by His wrds and actins Then there is cnflict f rigins and parenthd Yeshua tells the Pharisees Yu are frm beneath; I am frm abve. Yu are f this wrld; I am nt f this wrld. Therefre I said t yu that yu will die in yur sins; fr if yu d nt believe that I am He, yu will die in yur sins. Jhn 8:23-24 Yeshua speaks f His Snship, and many believe in

10 Him In Jhn chapter 8, verses 37-59, we read After this there is pssibly the mst direct and blunt exchange with the Pharisees where Yeshua plainly tells them they are children f the devil, nt f Abraham - this des nt g dwn well! The argument f heredity cntinues and Yeshua then tells them - 'Jesus said t them, Mst assuredly, I say t yu, befre Abraham was, I AM. ' Jhn 8:58 It ends with the Pharisees attempting t stne Yeshua, but He escapes their clutches In Jhn chapter 9, verses 1-41, we read There then fllws the incident f Yeshua healing a man wh was brn blind - a clear prphetic sign that He is the Messiah It leads t further cnflict with the Pharisees, wh excmmunicate the frmerly blind man Yeshua seeks him ut and reveals t him wh He is - the 'blind man gains his spiritual sight! This episde is all abut sight and blindness, physically and spiritually - and it ends thus: 'And Jesus said, Fr judgment I have cme int this wrld, that thse wh d nt see may see, and that thse wh see may be made blind. Then sme f the Pharisees wh were with Him heard these wrds, and said t Him, Are we blind als? Jesus said t them, If yu were blind, yu wuld have n sin; but nw yu say, We see. Therefre yur sin remains.' Jhn 9: Thus there is a direct link back t the previus incident f the wman caught in adultery and the spiritual blindness f the Pharisees and Yeshua being the 'Light f the Wrld' In Jhn chapter 10, verses 1-21, we read Yeshua's teaching n Himself as the 'Gd Shepherd'

11 There is a direct cnnectin between this and the incident f the man brn blind - Yeshua uses idims t cntrast the Pharisees wh are thieves and rbbers with Himself, the Gd Shepherd Yeshua even uses the same wrd, (Greek: ekball meaning 'cast ut') in verse 4 (translated as 'brings ut') as is used in the descriptin f the Pharisees casting ut the man brn blind (Jhn 9:34) Yeshua then speaks f giving His life fr the sheep - and that His sheep hear His vice as He hears the Father's vice - and He knws them As the Feast f Dedicatin was appraching Yeshua reveals His dedicatin t bey the Father's will, saying: ' Therefre My Father lves Me, because I lay dwn My life that I may take it again. N ne takes it frm Me, but I lay it dwn f Myself. I have pwer t lay it dwn, and I have pwer t take it again. This cmmand I have received frm My Father. ' Jhn 10:17-18 This ends with sme saying Yeshua is demn pssessed, thers respnd: ' These are nt the wrds f ne wh has a demn. Can a demn pen the eyes f the blind? ' Jhn 10:21 Here again is a direct link f this teaching and cnflict with the Pharisees t the events recrded in the previus chapter f Jhn's gspel Sukkt t Chanukah (the Cntext f Jhn 10:22-23) All this happens in the perid between Sukkt and Chanukah (2 mnths) It is in this cntext that Jhn chapter 10 cntinues with Yeshua walking in the temple, in Slmn's prch during the Feast f Dedicatin It has been a stry f the cnflict between Light and Dark, and between Blindness and Sight Yeshua at the Feast f Dedicatin Surrunded by the religius Jews, Yeshua is then asked directly t declare whether He is the Christ (the aninted ne, that is the Messiah) r nt Yeshua's reply is damming:

12 Lk at the Evidence - the Wrks f the Father Yu are nt My sheep 'Jesus answered them, "I tld yu, and yu d nt believe. The wrks that I d in My Father s name, they bear witness f Me. But yu d nt believe, because yu are nt f My sheep, as I said t yu."' Jhn 10:25-26 Again there is a direct reference back t the previus discussin abut sheep and shepherds My Sheep - Yeshua finishes by declaring: 'My sheep hear My vice, and I knw them, and they fllw Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyne snatch them ut f My hand. My Father, wh has given them t Me, is greater than all; and n ne is able t snatch them ut f My Father s hand. I and My Father are ne. ' Jhn 10:27-30 Here is a clear statement f Yeshua as the true shepherd, whse vice the sheep hear (unlike the Pharisees); and a statement f the eternal security f His sheep because they are held in tw pairs f hands, Yeshua's and the Fathers Finally Yeshua says plainly that He and the Father are ne - at which the Jews again attempt t stne Him, but He escapes their grasp Here, at the Feast f Dedicatin, the whle backgrund t these cnflicts with the religius Jews is Yeshua's Dedicatin t the Father Yeshua was ding the wrks f the Father in bedience t the Father - yet they refused t believe It is interesting that Jhn chapter 10 cncludes with Yeshua ging t the ther side f the Jrdan, where many believed in Him What may we learn abut Dedicatin frm this time (Sukkt t Chanukah) f cnflict between Yeshua and the religius Jews? 1. Dedicatin t the Lrd will bring cnflict with the 'religius' - the difference between 'religin' and 'relatinship' 2. Dedicatin t the Lrd will pen blind eyes - giving us spiritual sight and insight, because Yeshua is the Light f the Wrld 3. Dedicatin t the Lrd will enable us t hear the vice f the Shepherd, t Knw Him as He Knws Us, and t Fllw Him

13 4. Dedicatin t the Lrd means we are truly Abrahams seed - we are heirs f Gd's prmise t Abraham and sns f the living Gd, c-heirs with Yeshua - this is ur spiritual ancestry - grafted in t the Olive Tree f Israel 'And if yu are Christ s, then yu are Abraham s seed, and heirs accrding t the prmise.' Galatians 3:29 Chanukah And Spiritual Warfare Chanukah reminds us f the Spiritual Battle "Fr I have bent Judah, My bw, fitted the bw with Ephraim, and raised up yur sns, O Zin, against yur sns, O Greece, and made yu like the swrd f a mighty man." Zechariah 9: 13 As in the days f Antichus Epiphanes - there is a battle between the 'sns f Greece' and the 'sns f Zin' This battle is raging in ur sciety - and in the last few decades we have seen the ersin f ur Jude-Christian heritage, which influenced ur laws, ur leaders, ur culture and ur whle way f thinking Our heritage is being lst t the Hellenistic (Greek) attitudes, thinking and values (Liberality, Pluralism and Humanism) - that are ppsed t Gd's laws and character As in the days f the Greek Empire; tday there are many 'gds', all f them false gds - and every man des what is 'right in his wn eyes' 'In thse days there was n king in Israel; everyne did what was right in his wn eyes.' Judges 17:6; 21:25 'Where there is n revelatin, the peple cast ff restraint; but happy is he wh keeps the law.' Prverbs 29:18 Knwledge f...and dedicatin t the ne true Gd is being increasingly utlawed and attacked - just as in the days f Antichus Epiphanes. 'Sns f Zin' are in cmplete Oppsitin t the 'Sns f Greece' The ways f man are nt the ways f Gd ' Fr My thughts are nt yur thughts, nr are yur ways My ways, says the Lrd. Fr as the heavens are higher than the earth, s are My ways higher than yur ways, and My thughts than yur thughts. ' Isaiah 55:8-9 The lve f the wrld is in cmplete ppsitin t the lve f the Father

14 'D nt lve the wrld r the things in the wrld. If anyne lves the wrld, the lve f the Father is nt in him. Fr all that is in the wrld the lust f the flesh, the lust f the eyes, and the pride f life is nt f the Father but is f the wrld. And the wrld is passing away, and the lust f it; but he wh des the will f Gd abides frever.' 1 Jhn 2:15-17 Only ne rad leads t eternal life The Battle is Spiritual We need t allw the Lrd t stir us up and raise us up, and have Him equip us fr the fight. Spiritual battle requires armur and weapns are spiritual Eph. 6:10-18 Mst imprtant f all we must learn - It is a battle fught nly in the Lrd's strength, nt ur wn - as Paul urges us... 'Be strng in the Lrd and in the pwer f His might' and t 'Put n the whle armur f Gd, that yu may be able t stand against the wiles f the devil.' Ephesians 6:10-11 N need t fight every battle Allw the Lrd t guide yu The Battle is fught by Standing Deceptin in the Church - the Spiritual Battle als rages within the Church Sadly this spiritual battle between the 'sns f Greece' and the 'sns f Zin' is fund within the church - because f false teachers and false teaching Yeshua tld us it wuld be s "Then many false prphets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abund, the lve f many will grw cld." Matthew 24:11-12 The Church tday is riddled with 'Dctrines f Demns' - and many have been led astray frm the truth 'Nw the Spirit expressly says that in latter times sme will depart frm the faith, giving heed t deceiving spirits and dctrines f demns, speaking lies in hypcrisy, having their wn cnscience seared with a ht irn...' 1 Timthy 4:1-2 Greek Thinking (vs. Hebraic Thinking) is in the Church - and its rts are in the Hellenistic anti-christ ways f the wrld (philsphy and empty deceit) 'Beware lest anyne cheat yu thrugh philsphy and empty deceit, accrding t the traditin f men, accrding t the basic principles f the wrld, and nt accrding t Christ.' Clssians 2:8 The Church has Abandned its Jewish Rts Leading t 'Basting against the brken ff Branches' 'D nt bast against the branches. But if yu d bast, remember that yu d nt

15 supprt the rt, but the rt supprts yu.' Rmans 11:18 Replacement Thelgy - the wrst heresy f all is prevalent in the West - mst churches have a dctrine based n Replacement Thelgy The greatest tragedy and the gravest heresy in the gentile church tday RT is ffensive t Gd because it calls him a liar and cvenant breaker RT leads t Anti-Semitism in the church, and it can lead t apstasy 'But there were als false prphets amng the peple, even as there will be false teachers amng yu, wh will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lrd wh bught them, and bring n themselves swift destructin. And many will fllw their destructive ways, because f whm the way f truth will be blasphemed.' 2 Peter 2:1-2 The Wrd and The Spirit - ur guards against deceptin Check Everything with the Wrd f Gd 'All Scripture is given by inspiratin f Gd, and is prfitable fr dctrine, fr reprf, fr crrectin, fr instructin in righteusness, that the man f Gd may be cmplete, thrughly equipped fr every gd wrk.' 2 Timthy 3:16-17 Ask the Hly Spirit if He agrees - listen t His vice within (sensing) '"Hwever, when He, the Spirit f truth, has cme, He will guide yu int all truth; fr He will nt speak n His wn authrity, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell yu things t cme. He will glrify Me, fr He will take f what is Mine and declare it t yu."' Jhn 16:13-14 We can discern false teaching and false teachers, really quite simply: Is what I'm hearing in agreement with the Wrd f Gd Is this teaching based n wrds taken ut f cntext (pretexts) If yu are still nt sure - ask the Hly Spirit t shw yu and speak t yu The Battle Against Deceptin

16 We are in a Spiritual Battle - whether we like it r nt, and whether we are aware f it r nt; the mment we becme dedicated t the Lrd we enter int a spiritual battle Whilst we are unsaved, we are captives f Satan and sin; when we are redeemed by Yeshua's bld thrugh faith - Satan becmes ur deadly fe - s we must 'Be strng in the Lrd' t resist him and his wiles 'Finally, my brethren, be strng in the Lrd and in the pwer f His might.' Ephesians 6:1 We experience Satan in different ways - smetimes as tempter, smetimes as devurer, smetimes as slanderer, smetimes as accuser and smetimes as deceiver, even as an angel f light. Satan, the Deceiver, has his ways with men: Unregenerate deceived by sin Carnal Christian deceived by cmprmise Pius Christian deceived by accusatin Spiritual Christian deceived by wiles (subtle tricks, evil strategies and lying spirits) It is the Spiritual Christian wh is mst at risk frm deceptive teaching - the man r wman wh is seeking after the Lrd, Satan tries t divert with deceptin - tricks, strategies and lies Many f Satan's deceptins cme frm a Greek thinking interpretatin f scripture - Chanukah reminds us t be 'Sns f Zin' The real danger fr the Spiritual Christian is the Devil in his guise as deceiver r an angel f light - it is the dedicated believer, the true disciple seeking whleheartedly after Gd, wh will experience the Devil's deceptive wiles (tricks, strategies and lies) Sadly, many Christians are walking in blindness t the wiles f the enemy s they have fallen fr the enemy s deceptins, and fallen victim t deceptins and false teachings

17 Chanukah's Message Fr Us Tday Rededicatin in Hliness At the heart f Chanukah is the re-dedicatin f what has becme desecrated In all ur lives there are times when we need t re-cnsecrate urselves afresh 'I beseech yu therefre, brethren, by the mercies f Gd, that yu present yur bdies a living sacrifice, hly, acceptable t Gd, which is yur reasnable service. And d nt be cnfrmed t this wrld, but be transfrmed by the renewing f yur mind, that yu may prve what is that gd and acceptable and perfect will f Gd.' Rmans 12:1-2 Hly - Hliness means... Being set apart, dedicated t a specific purpse r persn Purity f heart and mind and devtin A sense f 'therness' - nt being like all the rest Acceptable - The Lrd, wh is hly, requires thse wh wrship him t themselves be hly - clean, devted, dedicated t Him Sacrifice - Hliness invlves sacrifice...there is a cst Rededicating that which has becme Desecrated Smetimes there are aspects f ur lives which becme desecrated - the hliness gets tainted with uncleanness; e.g., ur wrk, r the way we spend ur time, r a specific relatinship, r even ur marriage It means re-cnsecrating ur minds and attitudes frm cnfrmity with the wrld (we all get ur thinking cntaminated by the wrld) t cnfrmity with the Lrd and His will and

18 purpses We have t cnsecrate urselves t enter int the sanctuary The priests f ld culd nt enter the sanctuary t perfrm hly service r t wrship withut first ritually cleansing themselves We, being brn-again f the Spirit, can enter int His sanctuary - but we t need t be clean Yes, we are cvered by Yeshua's bld - that is the grund f ur salvatin But, we are called t Hliness - and that means dedicatin t the Lrd and Rededicatin f that which has becme desecrated Uncleanness affects ur relatinship with the Lrd Chanukah reminds us f the need fr the re-dedicatin in hliness f ur hearts and lives Re-Dedicatin f the Sanctuary The fcus f Chanukah is n the Sanctuary - that place where the Lrd meets with His peple Sanctuary - ne f the themes thrughut scripture is that f the Lrd desiring a Sanctuary where He may dwell with His peple We see it in... The Garden Gd Planted Genesis 2:8 The Tabernacle Exdus 25:8 "And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell amng them." Exdus 25:8 The New Cvenant Jeremiah 31:33 'But this is the cvenant that I will make with the huse f Israel after thse days, says the Lrd: I will put My law in their minds, and write it n their hearts; and I will be their Gd,

19 and they shall be My peple.' Jeremiah 31:33 Israel Restred Ezekiel 37:26-28 ' Mrever I will make a cvenant f peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting cvenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst frevermre. My tabernacle als shall be with them; indeed I will be their Gd, and they shall be My peple. The natins als will knw that I, the Lrd, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst frevermre. ' Ezekiel 37:26-28 Chanukah reminds us that the Lrd seeks t dwell with us In the innermst parts f ur being, by His Spirit within us T cmmune with us, t be intimately ne with us Fr Him t be ur Gd and fr us t be His peple This is true crprately, as when we gather tgether like here at SYMF, but it is especially true individually Chanukah reminds us t make sure the sanctuary (ur heart) is cnsecrated whlly unt the Lrd This is s fr us individually - re-dedicating every part f ur lives, attitudes and thinking It is s fr us crprately als, here tday being rededicating what we d here t the Lrd, fr the hliness f wrship and fr His purpses nt urs It is all abut Hliness, being set apart fr the Lrd The Oil f Re-Dedicatin Will Nt Run Out Chanukah reminds us f the il which never runs ut Oil is ne f the idims scripture uses t speak f the Ruach HaKdesh (the Hly Spirit) We Are 'Brn Again' f the Spirit - when we repented and believed, the Lrd put His Spirit within us - we were literally made alive spiritually when previusly we were dead - by the Lrd putting His Hly Spirit within us 'Jesus answered, Mst assuredly, I say t yu, unless ne is brn f water and the Spirit,

20 he cannt enter the kingdm f Gd. That which is brn f the flesh is flesh, and that which is brn f the Spirit is spirit. ' Jhn 3:5-6 'Be Filled with the Spirit' Ephesians 5:18 When we think abut re-dedicatin, we can tend t think 'I wish I had mre f the Spirit' We misunderstand Paul's injunctin in Ephesians 5:18 t 'be filled with the Spirit' It is nt a questin f hw much f the Hly Spirit have yu gt, but rather...hw much f yu has the Hly Spirit gt When yu were 'brn again' hw much f the Hly Spirit did yu receive? The answer is all f Him! Yu did nt receive a cut dwn, pint-sized, beginners' versin f the Ruach HaKdesh - yu received all f Him The whle f the third persn f the Gdhead is indwelling in yu and me - amazing!! Being filled; which we rightly shuld understand is said in the Greek 'present cntinuus' sense...that is be being filled; is abut letting the Hly Spirit have mre and mre and mre f us Every part f ur heart and every crner f ur mind, and every aspect f ur sul This is by cnsecratin - letting the Hly Spirit cleanse, renew and refine; nt by 'impartatin' (a present-day heresy) The il f the Hly Spirit will never run ut It will nt last fr just a day, r even fr just eight days - He is eternally living and active The mre we allw Him t fill us, the mre there still is The mre f Him we share, the mre we receive "Give, and it will be given t yu: gd measure, pressed dwn, shaken tgether, and running ver will be put int yur bsm. Fr with the same measure that yu use, it will

21 be measured back t yu." Luke 6:38 Chanukah reminds us that the life giving and life changing resurces f the Hly Spirit are inexhaustible Chanukah Prphetically - A Hint (Remez) f the Prphetic The Fcus f Chanukah is the Re-Dedicatin f the Sanctuary Chanukah has a prphetic aspect t. We can glimpse the hint (the Remez) by asking - why eight? Why were there eight days f il frm the ne And why are there eight branches n the menrah And why is there a 'Shamash', a servant light, in the centre? The Place f Sanctuary Thrughut the 'ages' We have spken abut the Lrd's desire thrughut the scriptures fr a sanctuary where He may dwell with His peple The First Six Millennia - in ur Hebraic understanding f the years, we knw that we are living at the end f the sixth millennium -and it is rapidly drawing t a clse and a climax Thrughut these six millennia, the place f sanctuary has been the cnsecrated place f meeting: The Tabernacle The Temple His Bdy - the Church In the Heart f all wh cme t Him in repentance and faith Nw we are at the end f the sixth millennium These are the days the Lrd describes as 'the beginning f srrws' prir t the end f this 'age' 'And Jesus answered and said t them: Take heed that n ne deceives yu. Fr many will cme in My name, saying, I am the Christ, and will deceive many. And yu will hear f wars and rumurs f wars. See that yu are nt trubled; fr all these things must cme t pass, but the end is nt yet. Fr natin will rise against natin, and kingdm

22 against kingdm. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in varius places. All these are the beginning f srrws. ' Matthew 24:4-8 And there is cming, at the end f this 'age', a time f great tribulatin - spken f by Yeshua in Matthew 24:15-28 ' Therefre when yu see the abminatin f deslatin, spken f by Daniel the prphet, standing in the hly place... Fr then there will be great tribulatin, such as has nt been since the beginning f the wrld until this time... ' Matthew 24: And then the Lrd will return (Matthew 24:29-31) ' Immediately after the tribulatin f thse days the sun will be darkened, and the mn will nt give its light; the stars will fall frm heaven, and the pwers f the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign f the Sn f Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes f the earth will murn, and they will see the Sn f Man cming n the cluds f heaven with pwer and great glry. And He will send His angels with a great sund f a trumpet, and they will gather tgether His elect frm the fur winds, frm ne end f heaven t the ther. ' Matthew 24:29-31 The Seventh Millennium - what fllws thereafter is 'The Millennium', abut which I have recently spken It is the seventh millennium - Yeshua will rule and reign upn the earth Then there will be a sanctuary n the restred earth - the Lrd physically present and ruling and reigning and wrshipped - and every knee will bw and every tngue cnfess that He Is Lrd The 8th 'branch' f the Chanukiah... But there are eight branches n the Chanukiah - prphetically hinting at what fllws the seventh millennium - 8 'New Beginnings', 'Shamash' in the centre Nt an eighth millennium, but rather the New Jerusalem A Hly City, an Eternal place f Sanctuary Where Gd dwells with His peple His peple...that ne new man f Jew and Gentile N need fr a temple there, fr the whle city is a sanctuary where Gd dwells with His peple 'Nw I saw a new heaven and a new earth, fr the first heaven and the first earth had

23 passed away. Als there was n mre sea. Then I, Jhn, saw the hly city, New Jerusalem, cming dwn ut f heaven frm Gd, prepared as a bride adrned fr her husband. And I heard a lud vice frm heaven saying, Behld, the tabernacle f Gd is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His peple. Gd Himself will be with them and be their Gd. ' Revelatin 21:1-3 This Hly City is the Fulfilment f Gd s desire fr a sanctuary Where He may dwell with His peple part This Hly City, this sanctuary, will be adrned with Light in every N need fr a temple there, fr the whle city is a sanctuary where Gd dwells with His peple In the midst will be the surce f that light...the Servant Light...the Light f the Wrld...the Lamb 'But I saw n temple in it, fr the Lrd Gd Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had n need f the sun r f the mn t shine in it, fr the glry f Gd illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.' Revelatin 21:22-23 The Prphetic Hint f Chanukah A Visin f Our Eternal Destiny (like Sukkt) As we see the prphetic visin that Chanukah gives us - Let us rededicate urselves that we shall be ready in hliness t enter int the eternal sanctuary 'But there shall by n means enter it anything that defiles, r causes an abminatin r a lie, but nly thse wh are written in the Lamb s Bk f Life.' Revelatin 21:27 Fr in the Eternal Sanctuary - the Lrd Almighty will be ur Gd - and we shall be His peple Happy Chanukah Jhn Gdfrey 2016.