Messiah in Chanukkah Chapter 6
- Kislev Scripture Lesson #6: The All-Powerful One is our Helper!
- Repentance and confession of sin was required
- The Plan started on the 7th day of Chanukkah and completed on the 1st day of Nisan
- The Tevet 1 and Nisan 1 dates are prophecies of things to come
- The rule of the Messiah must be ushered in by a time of great revival
Kislev Scripture Lesson #6: The All-Powerful One is our Helper!
ויקבצו כל־אנשי־יהודה ובנימן ׀ ירושלם לשלשת הימים הוא חדש התשיעי בעשרים בחדש וישבו כל־העם ברחוב בית האלהים מרעידים על־הדבר ומהגשמים׃
וַיִּקָּבְצ֣וּ כָל־אַנְשֵֽׁי־יְהוּדָה֩ וּבִנְיָמִ֨ן ׀ יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם לִשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת הַיָּמִ֗ים ה֛וּא חֹ֥דֶשׁ הַתְּשִׁיעִ֖י בְּעֶשְׂרִ֣ים בַּחֹ֑דֶשׁ וַיֵּשְׁב֣וּ כָל־הָעָ֗ם בִּרְחֹוב֙ בֵּ֣ית הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים מַרְעִידִ֥ים עַל־הַדָּבָ֖ר וּמֵהַגְּשָׁמִֽים׃
Ezra 10:9: “So all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month on the twentieth of the month (Kislev 20), and all the people sat in the open square before the House of the Almighty (בית האלהים), trembling because of this matter and the heavy rain.”
The Helper (Ezra) sorely rebuked the Jewish men.
The men are trembling in the month of Kislev because the “Helper” (Ezra) has sorely rebuked and convicted them for their infidelity to the God of Israel.
How were our male ancestors unfaithful to God?
In Deuteronomy 7:4, the generation that is about to enter the Land of Canaan is told:
“You shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughter to his son [who will not teach Torah and will arrange for the child to marry a non-Jew], and you shall not take his daughter [a non-Jew] for your son. For he will turn away your son from following Me, and they will worship the gods of others, and the wrath of God will be kindled against you, and He will quickly destroy you.” This means after the Torah was given to Moses:
Jewish identity at birth is determined by whether the mother is Jewish.
The Jewish men that are strongly rebuked by Ezra had married foreign (gentile) wives. As a result the children were not born Jews. Jewish identity at birth was determined by whether the mother was Jewish. Tribal affiliation was determined by the fathers. Also these gentile mothers were teaching their children the belief systems of their pagan gentile cultures and to speak languages other than the language of Hebrew; the sacred language of our fathers.
Repentance and confession of sin was required:
The men began to do the will of the God in the time of the latter rain.
The men of Israel were called upon by Ezra to confess (תוֹדָה-todah) their infidelity (ma’al) and take the necessary steps that would lead to their children and children’s children being born Jewish and brought up in the saving knowledge (Torah) of God. In the time of the great latter rains, before the House of GOD, all the men of “Praise” (Judah) and the Son of the Right Hand (Benyamin) gathered together to recommit themselves anew to do the will of God.
The Jewish men determined that they would marry only Jewish women.
The men were resolved to teach their children to communicate in the language of *pure Hebrew. This means the fathers would teach their children to study the Torah of the Hebrew Scriptures; and thereby raise up their Jewish children in the saving knowledge of God.
אבל הוא, אשר הוא רוח האמת, כשיבוא ידריך אתכם אל כל האמת, כי לא ידבר מעצמו, אלא את אשר הוא שומע ידבר ואת הבאות יודיע לכם. פ
But He, who is Ruach Ha-Emet (the Spirit of Truth), when He comes will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak of Himself, but what He hears he will speak and what is to come He will inform you.
*Zephaniah 3:9: Pure Hebrew, literally pure language (שפה ברורה) is Living Torah; this means communication that is inspired, led, guided by the Spirit of Truth.
“Then you will be My people, and I shall be your God.”
ונתתי להם לב אחד ורוח חדשה אתן בקרבכם והסרתי לב האבן מבשרם ונתתי להם לב בשר׃ למען בחקתי ילכו ואת־משפטי ישמרו ועשו אתם והיו־לי לעם ואני אהיה להם לאלוהים׃
וְנָתַתִּ֤י לָהֶם֙ לֵ֣ב אֶחָ֔ד וְר֥וּחַ חֲדָשָׁ֖ה אֶתֵּ֣ן בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֑ם וַהֲסִ֨רֹתִ֜י לֵ֤ב הָאֶ֙בֶן֙ מִבְּשָׂרָ֔ם וְנָתַתִּ֥י לָהֶ֖ם לֵ֥ב בָּשָֽׂר׃ לְמַ֙עַן֙ בְּחֻקֹּתַ֣י יֵלֵ֔כוּ וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֥י יִשְׁמְר֖וּ וְעָשׂ֣וּ אֹתָ֑ם וְהָיוּ־לִ֣י לְעָ֔ם וַאֲנִ֕י אֶהְיֶ֥ה לָהֶ֖ם לֵאלֹהִֽים׃
“And I will give you one heart, and put a new spirit within you. And I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh [the Spirit of the Holy One], that you may walk in My statutes [walk in My Spirit] and keep My ordinances and do them. Then you will be My people, and I shall be your God.”
The Plan started on the 7th day of Chanukkah and completed on the 1st day of Nisan:
The Plan was conceived in Kislev; implemented in Tevet, and put in full effect at the beginning of Nisan.
After a couple of weeks of planning the men of Israel began to fulfill their pledge to the God of our Fathers. Implementation of the plan began on the first day of the following tenth month (Tevet 1). Implementation of the commitment was considered in full effect by the first day of the first month (Nisan 1). Prophetically, this means that the formulation and complete implementation of the plan of the men of Israel to fully and completely commit their lives (and families) to serving the will of God was formulated on the *7th day of Chanukkah (Tevet 1) and was “completed” on the **1st day of Nisan.
*This prophetic event of Tevet 1—7th day of Chanukkah—in the narrative occurred hundreds of years before the Festival of Chanukkah was even instituted.
**The prophetic event of Nisan 1—the Cleansing of the Millennial Temple—is still yet to come. This prophetic event, the full effect of the Plan, the spiritual revival of the men of Israel will not be fully experienced until after the Messiah returns to Israel (from heaven) and fully establishes the Kingdom of God here on earth.
The Tevet 1 and Nisan 1 dates are prophecies of things to come:
Nisan 1 is the exact day when the prophet Ezekiel says the Millennial Temple will begin to be cleansed (lit. un-sinned). According to the prophet Ezekiel Nisan 1-7 will become the new time set by the heavenly Father to celebrate both Chanukkah and Rosh Hashanah (cf. Ezekiel 45:18-20). Five points need to be made here:
Point #1. The first time the new temple is dedicated the observance will extend from Nisan 1-8. This is the same time period in which the Tabernacle was erected, cleansed and dedicated (cf. Exodus 47:17ff.).
Point #2. Nisan 8 is the day the high priest Aaron was consecrated as the high priest of Israel. His period of consecration lasted seven days. Nisan 1 is when the tabernacle was completed and Aaron had to remain with his two sons within the newly erected tabernacle for seven days.
Point #3. Nisan 1-7 is the seven day period of time that Aaron and his sons were required to remain in the Tabernacle and to be consecrated as priests.
Point #4. Therefore on Nisan 8 – the eighth day – when the seven days and nights had come to an end that very day *Aaron (lit. Bringer of Light) was presented to our people of Israel (meaning, Rule of God) as our consecrated high priest. So it was on that very day Aaron was able to begin performing his duties (cf. Leviticus 9:1ff.).
Aaron on Nisan 8 was consecrated as the High Priest of Israel.
Point #5. Nisan 8 is also the same day that the Messiah Yeshua will formerly be presented to our people of Israel and begin performing his duties as the *High Priest of Israel and of all the nations, peoples and families of the world; according to His priesthood, the priesthood of Malki-Tzedek (מַלְכִּי־צֶדֶק – cf. Psalm 110 and our document, Messiah in Rosh Hashanah (II) & Chanukkah II).
Messiah Yeshua on Nisan 8 will be consecrated the High Priest of Israel and all the nations, peoples and families of the world!
**The Messiah is consecrated as the High Priest of Israel and of all the nations, peoples, and families of the world; according to his very unique priesthood—-the priesthood of Malki-Tzedek.
The rule of the Messiah must be ushered in by a time of great revival:
The little narrative in the scroll of the Helper (Ezra) reminds us that the latter day (heavy rains) rule of the Messiah must be ushered in by a time of great revival. This requires first a revival among the Jewish men. Then as the sons of Praise (Yehuda) and the sons of the Right Hand (Benyamin) make God our first love then our women and children will follow our lead.
Chanukkah means Dedication!
Therefore, in conclusion: May those of us whose faith is anchored in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob rededicate ourselves anew during this Season of the Latter Rains. May we dedicate ourselves to the high calling of loving GOD our Father with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds, and all our strength!