MESSIAH and CHANUKAH also known as The Feast

MESSIAH and CHANUKAH

also known as The Feast of Dedication or Festival of Lights

“And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. ” John 10: 22 -23

Yahushua vs. Jesus Remembering that He was born a Jew, at a time when there existed great animosity between Greeks and Jews, we must then realize the name ‘Jesus’ was not known to Him, His family or followers. The name ‘Jesus’ did not appear until 1500 years after His death, resurrection and ascension, when man dared to rename our Almighty Saviour after a pagan deity.

“This then is the message which we have heard from Him, and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and are not doing the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. ” 1 John 1: 5 -7

Elohim vs. God The word ‘god’ is from the name Gawd or Gott both with the same pronunciation. But this, in both cases is the name of a pagan deity. If you have trouble with Hebrew words you can just say “Mighty One”. Why the aversion to using pagan names to address the Most High Eternal Creator? Moses warned us with; “And in all that I have said to you take heed. And make no mention of the name of other mighty ones, let it not be heard from your mouth. ” Exodus 23: 13 Why? It is the breaking of the 1 st Commandment. Elohim is “Mighty Ones”, [Father and Son] The singular is Eloi.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All came to be through Him and without Him not even one came to be that came to be. In Him was life; and the life was the LIGHT of men. And the LIGHT shines in darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This one came for a witness, to bear witness of the LIGHT, that all might believe through him. He was not that LIGHT, but was sent to bear witness of that LIGHT. That was the true LIGHT, which LIGHTeth every man that cometh into the world. John 1: 1 -9

I am the light of the world. John 9: 5 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me. John 12: 32

ICONS If there is an icon for our Beloved Saviour it is the menorah, as He is the… LIGHT OF THE WORLD Can we know His conception and birth dates? Is December 25 th correct? In Biblical terms one’s age begins, not from the actual date of birth, but from the year of conception.

Everything our Heavenly Father sought to blessed us with, satan has manufactured a counterfeit, a forgery. But as with everything that is fake the enemy’s counterfeit holidays hold no meaning, are an abomination in the eyes of Yahuah Elohim and are destructive to His people.

Everything our Heavenly Father has given was given to bless His people. Each letter of His alphabet contains not only a message in and of itself but also numbers and the music scale. Much has been forgotten because the language of heaven was rejected. Just as His language and Name was rejected so were His divine appointments, which when studied reveal His great plan of Redemption.

Gestation and His Holy Appointments On the fourteenth day of the first month, the egg appears [as seen in the custom of the roasted egg on the Jewish table every Passover]. The egg must be fertilized within 24 hours, or it will pass on [Feast of Unleavened Bread and the seed or grain that "fell into the ground and died" in order to produce a harvest, the Firstfruits of which was presented to Elohim. ]

Within two to six days, the fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of the womb and begins to grow. [Feast of Firstfruits is observed anywhere from two to six days after Passover and celebrates the first harvest of those resurrected].

Around the fiftieth day, the embryo takes on the form of a human being. Until then, we don’t know if we have a duck or a tadpole. [That’s Pentecost! When the Holy Spirit empowered the believers].

On the first day of the seventh month, the baby’s hearing is developed. For the first time, it can hear and distinguish sounds outside the womb. [Festival of Trumpets, the loud cry and final warning. ]

On the tenth day of the seventh month, the hemoglobin of the blood changes from that of the mother, to a self-sustaining baby. [Day of Atonement, when the sacrificial blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat, as His blood did at His crucification].

On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, the lungs become fully developed. If born before then, the baby would have a hard time breathing. [Festival of Tabernacles also called Feast of Ingathering, a time of celebrating the temple, which represents Messiah and without Him we hardly survive, and the Ingathering of His people to go home with Him, where He will Tabernacle with us forever. ]

Birth takes place on the tenth day of the ninth month. Eight days after birth, in Jewish families, a son is circumcised. [the eight days of Chanukah are celebrated right on schedule, nine months and ten days after Passover. ]

The establishment of the Holy Days was given to Moses by YHWH, Himself. Its correlation with the human gestation period is not only remarkable; it proves "Intelligent Design. " It proves the existence of an intelligence beyond this world. It proves that there is a Creator Elohim that guides the affairs of man.

Like Thanksgiving, Chanukah is a free choice celebration observed to honor the Creator. It is not one of His divine appointments.

How Does Chanukah Fit in, then, with Messiah's Conception and Birth?

st 1 Consideration: The Conception of John the Baptist Luke 1: 5 -25

When the angel, Gabriel, appeared to Zacharias as he was ministering in the Temple, it was during the ministration of Abia. This Abia order of priests ministered in the Temple the eighth week of the Hebrew year according to the ordinance of 1 Chronicles 24: 10. The eighth week transverses the last week of the second Hebrew month and the first week of the third Hebrew month, which culminates at Shavuot (Pentecost).

This is the anchor point for discovering the exact time of Messiah’s birth. The angel promised Zacharias that his prayer had been answered, and when he went home to his wife Elizabeth she conceived. This puts the conception of John the Baptist very near the time of Shavuot, the Feast of Pentecost, in the second week of the third Hebrew month.

2 nd consideration: The Conception of Yahushua Luke 1: 26 -55

At the close of the sixth month of Elizabeth' s pregnancy the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. Gabriel told Mary about Elizabeth, saying "she who was called barren is six months pregnant, " This would be the last of the ninth Hebrew month at the time of Chanukah. There are 27 weeks between the end of the discourse of Abia and the start of Chanukah (Festival of Dedication), which is celebrated eight days.

Mary accepts the word of the angel concerning the conception of Messiah in her, and she immediately rushes from Nazareth to the home of Elizabeth and Zacharias in the Judean mountains close to Jerusalem, about a three days journey from Nazareth. Mary was probably going there to celebrate Chanukah and to help Elizabeth with her pregnancy, as well as to talk to Elizabeth about the angel's visitation.

Upon Mary's greeting to Elizabeth, Elizabeth responds to Mary, calling her "the mother of my Almighty One". This demonstrates that Mary was already pregnant with Yahushua. Thus, Messiah Yahushua was conceived at Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, for He is the Light of the World.

Sometimes the time of Chanukah falls close to Christmas. The apostate Roman church of medieval times combined the pagan winter solstice in late December with the 25 th of Kislev (Chanukah) to create Christmas on Dec- ember 25, to celebrate the birth of the sun god Tammuz and most Mithras and Tammuz of the people blindly are the same deity. followed the deception of their leaders. Notice the “hat”? Ho, Ho!

During the Protestant Reformation some of these pagan deceptions were revealed. Christmas was outlawed in England from 1647 to 1660. Christmas was also illegal in the New England Colonies. But in the 1800’s German and Irish Catholics, escaping the Great Potato Famine, brought their pagan idolatry with them. And by 1836 Alabama was the 1 st of the States to accept and make Christmas a legal holiday. A declining of our nation.

“Oh, Christmas Tree! How beautiful your branches!” Is this not idol worship? Thus said YHWH, Learn not the way of the heathen…For the customs of the people are vain: for one cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, so that it does not topple. Jeremiah 10: 2 -4

Dec-ember 25 is actually the birth date of Tammuz, the pagan god mentioned in Ezekiel 8: 14 (KJV); “Then he [the angel] brought me [Ezekiel] to the door of the gate of YHWH's house [the Sanctuary, Church] which was toward the north [ROME]; and, behold, there sat women [churches] weeping for Tammuz.

Why weeping for Tammuz? Because the pagan rituals surrounding Tammuz has infiltrated the True faith of the Early Church. And people don’t want to give up their customs. In these Last Days true believers are being called upon to separate themselves from these pagan practices such as Christ Mass [Tammuz’s birthday] Easter [the goddess of Spring or fertility] Halloween [worship of the dead] and so on…Rev. 18: 4 (KJV) “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her [seven last] plagues. ”

Who is this ‘her’ and what are her sins? The ‘her’ is pagan worship and her ‘sins’ are idolatry.

And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach. Isaiah 4: 1 (KJV) Symbolically speaking this can be understood as: ‘ In the LAST DAYS ALL CHURCHES shall claim to follow Christ saying We will have our own doctrine, and wear selfrighteousness: only let us be called “Christians” to hide our wickedness.

She said, No man, Master. And Yahushua said to her, Neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no more. John 8: 11 And the times of this ignorance Elohim winked at. But now commands all men everywhere to repent. Acts 17: 30

Messiah Was A Jew He was born to a Jewish mother in a Jewish community, to a Jewish nation…He was NOT Greek nor did He observe Greek holidays, such as Easter, etc. . To the Samaritan woman He said: “Ye worship ye know not what: we [Jews] know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. ” John 4: 22

IF WE WANT TO KNOW TRUTH… WE MUST GO TO TORAH [THE 1 ST FIVE BOOK OF THE BIBLE]: “For if you believed Moses you would believe Me, since he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings how can you believe My words? ” John 5: 46 -47

Messiah observed Torah MEANING - Teachings “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am NOT come to destroy, but to fulfil. ” Matthew 5: 17 (KJV) The word “law” is ‘nomos’ meaning the first five books of the Bible…TORAH. The word “fulfil” is ‘pleroo’ meaning to preach, perfect and/or fulfill. He did ‘fulfil’ the sacrificial law. And His sermon on the mount was preaching the statutes and judgments to perfect them in our hearts. He preached them throughout His ministry, as did His disciples after Him.

PROPHECIES FOR THE LAST DAYS O YHWH, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come to you from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things of which there is no benefit. Jeremiah 16: 19 In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold, out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that YHWH is with you. Zech. 8: 23 (KJV)

Yahushua is shown celebrating Chanukah in John 10: 22, 23. It is at this celebration that He declares "I and My Father are One" [John 10: 30], which testifies to His Divine origin in His conception. It also reinforces Chanukah as the time of His conception.

Historically, then, it is more accurate to celebrate Yahushua entering the world through conception at Chanukah rather than to celebrate His birth at Christmas. As we shall show, Christmas is not the birthday of Christ. (Christmas is an invention resulting from religious compromise with pagan tradition. Christmas only has harmony with the truth, in that it falls approximately at the time of year when Yahushua was conceived by the Holy Spirit. But that is not reason to mix the holy with the profane. )

3 rd Consideration: The Birth of John the Baptist Luke 1: 56 -80

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months, which was until the birth of John. Since a full pregnancy term is 41 weeks, and 27 weeks makes up the first six months (two trimesters), which is exactly the time from the discourse of Abia to Chanukah, that leaves 14 weeks to accomplish the last trimester and bring the pregnancy to full term. There are exactly 14 weeks from Chanukah to Passover (Nisan 14 -22). Therefore, John the Baptist was born at Passover. He was circumcised on the eighth day, which would be the last day of Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread. Gabriel had said that John would "go forth" in the strength and power of Elijah [Luke 1: 17]. Jewish teaching was that Elijah would come again at Passover (this is still a tradition of Judaism today).

4 th Consideration The Birth of Yahushua Luke 2

Nisan, when John was born, is the first month of the Hebrew year. As we have shown, Mary conceived six months after Elizabeth conceived, which means Yahushua's birth would have to come six months after John's birth, during the seventh Hebrew month of Tishri. Since we know that John was born at Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread, we learn the time of Yahushua's birth by counting six Hebrew months from Passover. The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on Nisan 15 and six months later Tabernacles begins on Tishri 15. Therefore, Yahushua was born on the first day of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles).

The first day of Tabernacles is a Sabbath rest, so it fits that Joseph and Mary planned their journey to Bethlehem so they would finish their journey before the festival Sabbath. They found lodging just in time.

Concerning the Feast of Tabernacles, YHWH commanded that Israel should observe it eight days. They were to build temporary dwellings called a sukkah and dwell in them [Leviticus 23: 34 -43]. These sukkahs were erected to house families with some bare comforts and food for the eight days. Food was placed in a stall or a crib for storage in the tabernacle. The King James Bible calls this food crib a ‘manger’. Yahushua was not born in a barn, but rather in a temporary tabernacle which had been built for the celebration. He was placed in a "manger", demonstrating in a type that He is the Bread of Life from heaven.

The eighth day, Yahushua was circumcised according to the Scriptural command [Luke 2: 21]. For a male, this is what accomplishes a full Hebrew birth. The Feast of Tabernacles is for exactly eight days. The first and last days are both holy Sabbaths. Yahushua was born on the first day, a holy Sabbath, and circumcised on the eighth day, a holy Sabbath. Evidently, the Almighty One intended this entire Feast of Tabernacles to be set aside in order to accomplish and celebrate Yahushua's birth into the world.

Note that the Almighty One provided two holy feasts that lasted eight days, Passover/Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Tabernacles. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Messiah, was born and circumcised in the eight days of the first, then six month later Yahushua, the Messiah, was born and circumcised the eight days of the second.

John came in the first month of the year and Yahushua came in the seventh month [seven in Biblical terms represents ‘completeness or perfection’]. In ministry, John introduced the way through Messiah and then Yahushua perfected it, even as the first and seventh months signify.

This chronology provides us with the exact day of Yahushua's birth, Tishri 15, according to the Hebrew calendar. The Hebrew calendar has been kept up to date to this modern day, and every year the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) is set from Tishri 15 to Tishri 22. Because the Hebrew calendar is based on the course of the Moon (Lunar) and the modern calendar is based on the course of the Sun (Solar), the two move in relation to each other. The date of His birth will always be in the fall, not in winter.

C h a n u k a h , l i k e T h a n k s g i v i n g D a y , i s a f r e e c h o The Feast of Tabernacles is a most important commemoration.

Zechariah 14: 16, 17 tells us that one day all nations that are left after Armageddon will honor this feast. For what greater reason, than to commemorate the birth of the King of Kings! Then should we not be keeping it now?

May we all work to overcome the influence of pagan customs in our celebrations and become separate from this world as a holy people before our holy Creator.

WALK IN THE LIGHT “Then Yahushua said to them, The Light is with you yet a little while. Walk while you have the Light, lest darkness overtake you. And he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have Light, believe in the Light, that you become children of Light…” John 12: 35 -36 Of the New Kingdom John wrote; “And the city had no need of the sun, or the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of Elohim lightened it, and the Lamb is its Light. ” Rev. 21: 23

REJOICE The LIGHT OF THE WORLD did come and is returning soon.