Why should we celebrate Hanukkah? This victory we have in the true Messiah over our old nature is symbolized by Hanukkah winter feast. It is a special opportunity to give extra attention to Yahvah and spiritual matters. However, it is not binding to keep it as YaHVaH’s commanded Feast days such as Passover (beginning in Exodus 12).
In 175 BCE, Antiochus IV Epiphanies gained control of Judea,
He outlawed the Hebrew religion, and 167 BCE he went so far as to desecrate the PURE Temple by having an altar to Zeus placed there and ordering pigs to be sacrificed which is an abomination to YHVH. They began to openly persecute the Jews/Hebrews and prohibited the study of the Torah and tried to force them to assimilate.
These outrages incited rebellion by the Maccabees which was led by MattitYahu and his five sons, one of whom, Judah Maccabee, who took over the rebellion after his father died. This family was called the Maccabees.
In 165 BCE, they managed to defeat their oppressors and to rededicate the Pure Temple to YHVH. Even though they were small in number they won a great victory over the enemy and were able to reclaim the temple. It was during the celebration of Lights/Hanukkah that Yeshua/YaHOSHA announced " I am the light of the world". He is the light that comes out of the darkness!
Many are going through difficult times in which it looks like the enemy has gained victory and now is the time to be strong and reclaim what the enemy has stolen in your life and re-dedicate your temple to Him and give Him the altar of your heart.
When is Hanukkah (Chanukah)?
Before Messiah came to earth. It preceded today's winter solstice.
Hanukkah conflict and victory was 40 years – began in 175 B.C. to 134 B.C.
Judas Maccabaeus, leader and of the family was well known. MattitiYah or Mattathias in Greek was his father.
Hanukkah starts on the Hebrew calendar date of 25 Kislev, and lasts for eight days------------------------------ http://www.merriam-webster.com
Should we be like the world?
What makes us any different?
Eat drink and be merry?
YaHVah wants us to "party"? So, let us be worldly? Nay!
Hanikkah CARNIVAL from carnal origin.
Where Does The Word Carnival Come From?
uk.ask.com/.../where-does-the-word-carnival-come-
The word carnival came to be from the followers in Italy when
they started holding a wild costume festival just before the first day of Lent.
Carnival - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival
Protestant Churches, usually do not have Carnival celebrations except for Christ-Mass; or, they have modified ....
Folk etymologies exist which state that the word comes from the Late
Latin.
Some historically believed, perhaps falsely, that the spokesman of the so-called "OLD" Testament was generally the Father YaHVaH. Some believe however the only begotten Son of the Father, is of OUR Father. Others just believe that Father is YaHVaH, His Son is Messiah (IsaiYaH 7, 9 and 53 for example) and the Pure Spirit is The Pure Spirit. (Mistakenly called the Holy Ghost or Spirit.)
Most of the references in IsaiYah to YaHVah are to this One Who died on the tree at Calvary that we might be free of bondage. If you have not been delivered of old carnal nature, this Messiah (called YaHVaH) in the OT can free you from worldliness. He sends the Ruach ha Kodosh to fill us.
.
“Who died for the scriptures?” How many heads rolled for following the Renewed Covenant (N.T.) ? Perhaps millions? To the first question, I must mention that 13 million Jews died for that truth of the O.T. plus a few Catholics, Christians and Jehovah Witnesses and others in the 1940's in Germany.
.
A third reason I believe in the NT and Messiah, Son of YHVH is the fulfillment of prophecy OT and NT taken as a whole. How many lives were transformed by being a secular OT Jew? Millions are transformed in the NT, although most of them are still in kindergarten using the corrupt substitute names (Jesus and God) for their Deity; they do the practices of the pagans like Halloween, Roman New Year, Saturnalia (Xtian festival, putting their god into a cradle where He will be harmless while they play their fun games) and the beat goes on.
Let It Snow, Let it Snow! Greatest music of the world is reserved for that time of year. The preacher says the holiday was not pagan, and that Jesus (Iaeseus) is the reason for the season, and that Messiah WAS born of 12/25 or, that it does not matter. The theology these days is, “Whatever” and the music is great, the customs or those with little discernment: wonderful. Hear those sleigh bells.
May YaHVaH forgive us for our paganism, ignorance and disobedience. Trust in the shed blood of Yahosha (like Joshua, without J and "shua":(crying-out, female goddess).
May we not ever put this Son of our heavenly Father, ABOVE His Father to idolize Him, nor desecrate Him. "By my righteous servant, He shall justify many." We cannot put Israeyl (Israel) there in place of the Son, the King of Kings Who historically arose from the grave, not on Ishtar morning, but Who died Aviv 14 and arose Aviv 17, three nights and days after His prophesied death in IsaiYah 53
Birth of Messiah YaHOSHA
Messianics differ, but little is mentioned of Messiah’s birth date, nor of sin, righteousness and judgment.
John (Yochonan) 3:13 ..And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Rev 17:14 ..for He is Master of masters, and King of kings; and they that are with Him are CALLED, AND CHOSEN, AND FAITHFUL.
May you continue to discover the relationship with Messiah Yahosha to live by the spirit, overcoming sinful nature.
In the first Scriptural month of Aviv, Messiah YaHOSHA died. He was born 31.5 years before this. Subtract (or add) the half of a year and we have the month so He was born in the seventh month (September)! He died Aviv 14. He arose 17.
YaHOSHA Messiah ate the Passover with His Disciples/Emissaries and died at the END of Aviv 14; He arose from the tomb three nights and three days after, at the END of Aviv 17. Between these dates, there was one High day Sabbath and one 7th day Sabbath in that period of that year.
Christ and Mass
Who is "Christ"? Why not use the correct word, Messiah, instead of Christ! For reference see "Come Out of Her My People" by C.J. Koster, page 70. http://www.fossilizedcustoms.com/christian.html " Ancient Babylonian influences abounded then, and abound now, hidden in plain sight. Alexandria was the primary launching point for the new fusion religion we know as "Christianity" today. The word "Christos" is directly related to Krishna, Crestos, and Chreston. These literally mean "shining", as they refer to the sun. Krishna is the sun deity of the Hindu religion."
What is the Mass? "The Mass is the bloody sacrifice of Jesus Christ"
in body and blood, soul and divinity. " (ref. The Catholic Encyclopedia; St. Joseph's Missal)
Numbers 16:9 “Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that YaHVaH of the Hebrews hath separated you..”
Small things? We are created to love and obey YaHVaH. In His Word nothing is small, irrelevant or unimportant. “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word which proceeds out of the mouth of YaHVaH.”
Matthew 4:4
“Thy silver is become dross; thy wine mixed with water.” IsaiYah 1:22.
Reprobate silver shall men call them, because YaHVaH hath rejected them. JeremiYah 6:30.
YaHVaH hates mixture, syncretism, the blending of the pure faith with false religion. Celebrating pagan days and calling them acceptable and using Baal’s names for His Name, is mixing Babylon with the true Faith. Let us all come out of Babylon now, and enter in to YaHVaH’s kingdom by faith in His Messiah.
Hebrews 10:7-12 (about Yahosha) “Then said I, Lo, I come in the volume of the book it is written of me, to do Thy will, O Yah 8: Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin you would not, neither had pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; 9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do your will, O Yah. He takes away the First, that he may establish the Second. 10 By the which will we are purified through the offering of the body of YaHOSHA Messiah once for all. 11 And every priest stands daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of the Sovereign One...
Revelation 18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, (o. pneuma) and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that all of you be not partakers of her sins, and that all of you receive not of her plagues. 5 For her sins have reached unto heaven, and Mighty One has remembered her iniquities.
Re: Spiritual adultery, and physical:
1 Corinthians 6:16 What? Know all of you not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, says he, shall be one flesh.
Scriptural Calendar and Feast Days are not wrong to observe but pagan holidays are.
Genesis 1:14 Ecc 1:6 and Psalms 104:19
Gen 1:14 says, “And YaHVaH said “Let there be lights...let them be for signs, and for seasons (Heb. Moedim) and for days and years..”
The Galatians were not Hebrew; they were Gentiles:
Galatians 4:8 Nevertheless, then when all of you knew not Mighty One (Father), all of you did service unto them which by nature are no Mighty Ones.
But now, after that all of you have known Mighty One, or rather are known of Mighty One, how turn all of you again to the weak and beggarly elements, unto which all of you desire again to be in bondage? 10 All of you observe days, and months, and times, and years. 11 I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.
1 Thessalonians 4:5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not Mighty One that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter
JeremiYah 10 1 Hear all of you the word which YaHVaH speaks unto you, O house of Israel: 2 Thus says YaHVaH, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3 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. 4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. 5 They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must essentially be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.
Ezekiyl 11:12 And all of you shall know that I am YaHVaH: for all of you have not walked in my statutes, neither executed my judgments, but have done after the manners of the heathen that are round about you.
JeremiYah 2:19d; 20-23 For of old time I have broken your yoke, and burst your bands; and you said, I will not transgress; when upon every high hill and under every green tree you wander, playing the harlot. 21 Yet I had planted you a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then are you turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? 22 For though you wash yourself with alkali, and take you much soap, yet your iniquity is marked before me, says YaHVaH Mighty One. 23 How can you say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see your way in the valley, know what you have done: you are a swift dromedary traversing her ways;
Deuteronomy 12:2 These are the statutes and judgments, which all of you shall observe to do in the land, which YaHVaH Mighty One of your fathers gives you to possess it, all the days that all of you live upon the earth. 2 All of you shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which all of you shall possess served their Mighty Ones, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree: 3 And all of you shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and all of you shall hew down the graven images of their Mighty Ones, and destroy the names of them out of that place. 4 All of you shall not do so unto YaHVaH your Mighty One.
We pray for one another that the Heathen Seasons are not a stumbling block to the saved Jews and Gentiles. We will not practice ANY of their customs, nor bring it into our traditions which are commanded. Let us be inspired energized and encouraged by YaHOSHA's pure spirit, the Ruach ha Kadosh.
What’s new in the TRUE New Year: Green grass and beautiful new blossoms; Feasting eight days with YaHVaH and your brethren; hearing inspiring sermons? Leave the bondage of man’s Federal holidays with all of its furious driving (2 Kings 9:21) and prepare for the Bridegroom’s return at the Feast.
Get a fresh start each New Month. Think about YaHVaH our Savior.
Discern between the pure and the profane, study the Scriptures, giving Eternal Life. In the meantime,
Let it snow, and try to enjoy winter in a sleigh ride. Hear those sleigh bells?
A Word about PURIM
Esther7:9: Then the king said, Hang him thereon. Est 7:10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.
To be noted, the case being made by some religious teachers condoning divorce and remarriage: Esther and King Ahasuerus never consumated a "remarriage".
But what of 2:17 it is written "the king LOVED Esther above all the women...set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti? Love in Hebrew aw-hab or awhabe "to love or have affection for"; To like; befriend. The Scripture, SAYS YaHVaH would not use a sinful action to save the Jews. the account of Esther can be read and understood at face value, not by reading anything else into it or by private interpretation. she found grace and favor (Hebrew: khesed). There never was an official blessing or condoning of the divorced King into a second marriage, not with Queen Esther. The case for divorce is first found in Deuteronomy 22 when a newly wedded discovered his spouse had lain with another man previously.. Take courage in The Word. It should be and is The Final Word.
The picture on the right is a winter leopard at Bandon, Oregon
