History of Hanukkah

Happy Hanukkah 2024

December 26, 2024, to January 3, 2025

10 Reasons for Christians to Celebrate Hanukkah

History

Hanukkah is the 8-day festival commemorating the historical act of the Jews revolting against the Greeks and rededicating the Temple to God. In 167 BC, they cleansed the Temple from Greek idols and rededicated the sacrificial altar to Yehovah. Before the Jewish revolt against the Greek Empire, the Greeks imposed the following on the Jews:

1. Using pagan currency
2. Working on the Sabbath
3. No public reading of the Torah (first 5 books of the Bible)
4. No speaking God’s name
5. No circumcision of newborn males
6. Sacrificing and eating swine to Zeus

These impositions were an attempt to erase Jewish history and religion then force them to adopt Greek religion. Anyone found in violation of these mandates was executed. For the Jews, the only choice was to revolt.

The first coin below is the Greek tetradrachm that deified Antiochus and venerated Zeus. It was unclean for Temple use. The second coin below is the Israel half shekel. After the Jewish revolt, the Jews minted shekels suitable for the Temple and restored the Law of God in Jerusalem. On the reverse side of the half shekel is inscribed, “Jerusalem the Holy”.

Prophecy of Hanukkah

Daniel 11:31-32 (c.535 BC)

³¹ Forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation.

³² By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action.

Zechariah 9:11-16 (c.520 BC)

¹¹ As for you also, because of the blood of My covenant with you, I have set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

¹² Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the hope; this very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you.

¹³ For I will bend Judah as My bow, I will fill the bow with Ephraim. And I will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece; and I will make you like a warrior’s sword.

¹⁴ Then Yehovah will appear over them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning; and the Lord Yehovah will blow the trumpet, and will march in the storm winds of the south.

¹⁵ Yehovah of hosts will defend them. And they will devour and trample on the sling stones; and they will drink and be boisterous as with wine; and they will be filled like a sacrificial basin, drenched like the corners of the altar.

¹⁶ And Yehovah their God will save them on that day as the flock of His people; for they are as the stones of a crown, sparkling in His land.

Prophecy Fulfilled

1 Maccabees 1

²⁰ And after that Antiochus had smitten Egypt, he returned again in the hundred forty and third year, and went up against Israel and Jerusalem with a great multitude,

²¹ and entered proudly into the sanctuary, and took away the golden altar, and the candlestick of light, and all the vessels thereof,

²² and the table of the shewbread, and the pouring vessels, and the vials. and the censers of gold, and the veil, and the crown, and the golden ornaments that were before the temple, all which he pulled off.

²³ He took also the silver and the gold, and the precious vessels: also he took the hidden treasures which he found.

²⁴ And when he had taken all away, he went into his own land, having made a great massacre, and spoken very proudly.

²⁵ Therefore there was a great mourning in Israel, in every place where they were; ….

⁴¹ Moreover king Antiochus wrote to his whole kingdom, that all should be one people,

⁴² And every one should leave his laws: so all the heathen agreed according to the commandment of the king.

⁴³ Yea, many also of the Israelites consented to his religion, and sacrificed unto idols, and profaned the sabbath.

⁴⁴ For the king had sent letters by messengers unto Jerusalem and the cities of Judah that they should follow the strange laws of the land,

⁴⁵ And forbid burnt offerings, and sacrifice, and drink offerings, in the temple; and that they should profane the sabbaths and festival days:

⁴⁶ And pollute the sanctuary and holy people:

⁴⁷ Set up altars, and groves, and chapels of idols, and sacrifice swine’s flesh, and unclean beasts:

⁴⁸ That they should also leave their children uncircumcised, and make their souls abominable with all manner of uncleanness and profanation:

⁴⁹ To the end they might forget the law, and change all the ordinances.

⁵⁰ And whosoever would not do according to the commandment of the king, he said, he should die.

⁵¹ In the selfsame manner he wrote to his whole kingdom, and appointed overseers over all the people, commanding the cities of Judah to sacrifice, city by city.

⁵² Then many of the people were gathered unto them, to wit every one that forsook the law; and so they committed evils in the land;

⁵³ And drove the Israelites into secret places, even wherever they could flee for succor.

⁵⁴ Now the fifteenth day of the month Casleu, in the hundred forty and fifth year, they set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar, and builded idol altars throughout the cities of Judah on every side;

⁵⁵ And burnt incense at the doors of their houses, and in the streets.

⁵⁶ And when they had rent in pieces the books of the law which they found, they burnt them with fire.

⁵⁷ And whosoever was found with any of the book of the testament, or if any committed to the law, the king’s commandment was, that they should put him to death.

⁵⁸ Thus did they by their authority unto the Israelites every month, to as many as were found in the cities.

⁵⁹ Now on the twenty fifth day of the month they sacrificed upon the idol altar, which was upon the altar of God.

⁶⁰ At which time according to the commandment they put to death certain women, that had caused their children to be circumcised.

⁶¹ And they hanged the infants about their necks, and rifled their houses, and slew them that had circumcised them.

⁶² Howbeit many in Israel were fully resolved and confirmed in themselves not to eat any unclean thing.

⁶³ Wherefore the rather to die, that they might not be defiled with meats, and that they might not profane the holy covenant: so then they died.

⁶⁴ And there was very great wrath upon Israel.

1 Maccabees 3

⁴⁵ Now Jerusalem lay void as a wilderness, there was none of her children that went in or out: the sanctuary also was trodden down, and aliens kept the strong hold; the heathen had their habitation in that place; and joy was taken from Jacob, and the pipe with the harp ceased.

⁴⁶ Wherefore the Israelites assembled themselves together, and came to Maspha, over against Jerusalem; for in Maspha was the place where they prayed aforetime in Israel.

⁴⁷ Then they fasted that day, and put on sackcloth, and cast ashes upon their heads, and rent their clothes,

⁴⁸ And laid open the book of the law, wherein the heathen had sought to paint the likeness of their images.

⁴⁹ They brought also the priests’ garments, and the firstfruits, and the tithes: and the Nazarites they stirred up, who had accomplished their days.

⁵⁰ Then cried with a loud voice toward heaven, saying, what shall we do with these, and whither shall we carry them away?

⁵¹ For thy sanctuary is trodden down and profaned, and thy priests are in heaviness, and brought low.

⁵² And lo, the heathen are assembled together against us to destroy us: what things they imagine against us, thou knowest.

⁵³ How shall we be able to stand against them, except thou, O God, be our help?

⁵⁴ Then they sounded with trumpets, and cried with a loud voice.

⁵⁵ And after this Judas ordained captains over the people, even captains over thousands, and over hundreds, and over fifties, and over tens.

⁵⁶ But as for such as were building houses, or had betrothed wives, or were planting vineyards, or were fearful, those he commanded that they should return, every man to his own house, according to the law.

1 Maccabees 4

⁶ But as soon as it was day, Judas shewed himself in the plain with three thousand men, who nevertheless had neither armor nor swords to their minds.

⁷ And they saw the camp of the heathen, that it was strong and well harnessed, and compassed around about with horsemen; and these were experts of war.

⁸ Then said Judas to the men that were with him, fear ye not their multitude, neither be ye afraid of their assault.

⁹ Remember how our fathers were delivered in the Red Sea, when Pharaoh pursued them with an army.

¹⁰ Now therefore let us cry unto heaven, if peradventure the Lord will have mercy upon us, and remember the covenant of our fathers, and destroy this host before our face this day:

¹¹ That so all the heathen may know that there is one who delivereth and saveth Israel.

¹² Then the strangers lifted up their eyes, and saw them coming over against them.

¹³ Wherefore they went out of the camp to battle; but they that were with Judas sounded their trumpets….

³⁰ And when he saw that mighty army, he prayed and said, Blessed art thou, O Saviour of Israel, who didst quell the violence of the mighty man by the hand of thy servant David, and gavest the host of strangers into the hands of Jonathan the son of Saul, and his armour bearer;

³¹ Shut up this army in the hand of thy people Israel, and let them be confounded in their power and horsemen:

³² Make them to be of no courage, and cause the boldness of their strength to fall away, and let them quake at their destruction:

³³ Cast them down with the sword of them that love thee, and let all those that know thy name praise thee with thanksgiving.

³⁴ So they joined battle; and there were slain of the host of Lysias about five thousand men, even before them were they slain….

³⁶ Then said Judas and his brethren, Behold, our enemies are discomfited: let us go up to cleanse and dedicate the sanctuary.

³⁷ Upon this all the host assembled themselves together, and went up into mount Sion.

³⁸ And when they saw the sanctuary desolate, and the altar profaned, and the gates burned up, and shrubs growing in the courts as in a forest, or in one of the mountains, yea, and the priests’ chambers pulled down;

³⁹ They rent their clothes, and made great lamentation, and cast ashes upon their heads,

⁴⁰ And fell down flat to the ground upon their faces, and blew an alarm with the trumpets, and cried toward heaven.

⁴¹ Then Judas appointed certain men to fight against those that were in the fortress, until he had cleansed the sanctuary….

⁵⁵ Then all the people fell upon their faces, worshiping and praising the God of heaven, who had given them good success.

⁵⁶ And so they kept the dedication of the altar eight days and offered burnt offerings with gladness, and sacrificed the sacrifice of deliverance and praise.

⁵⁷ They also decked the forefront of the temple with crowns of gold, and with shields; and the gates and the chambers they renewed, and hung doors upon them.

⁵⁸ Thus was there very great gladness among the people, for that the reproach of the heathen was put away.

⁵⁹ Moreover Judas and his brethren with the whole congregation of Israel ordained, that the days of the dedication of the altar should be kept in their season from year to year by the space of eight days, from the five and twentieth day of the month Casleu, with mirth and gladness.

Hanukkah in the New Testament

John 10:22-30

²² At that time the Feast of the Dedication (Greek ἐγκαίνια egkainia; Hebrew חֲנֻכָּה khanuka) took place at Jerusalem.

²³ It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon.

²⁴ The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

²⁵ Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me.

²⁶ “But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.

²⁷ “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

²⁸ And I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

²⁹ “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

³⁰ “I and the Father are one.”

Lessons from Hanukkah

#1 Faith requires action.

Daniel 11:31-32

³¹ “Forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation.

³² “By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action.

Deuteronomy 1:8

See, I have placed the land before you; go in and possess the land which Yehovah swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them.

Matthew 7:21-27

²¹ “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

²² “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’

²³ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.’

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.

²⁵ “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.

²⁶ “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

²⁷ “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell-- and great was its fall.”

James 1:22-25

²² But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;

²⁴ for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

²⁵ But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

2 Peter 1:5-9

⁵ Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,

⁶ and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,

⁷ and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.

1 John 3:18

Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

#2 We must worship God how He wants us to worship Him.

Daniel 7:25-27

²⁵ ‘He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

²⁶ ‘But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever.

²⁷ ‘Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’

Deuteronomy 12:29-32

²⁹ “When Yehovah your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land,

³⁰ beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’

³¹ “You shall not behave thus toward Yehovah your God, for every abominable act which Yehovah hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

³² “Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.