Part 17 of: What God is telling His prophets

As we of the leadership team of Grace Message church ministries continue in the lesson which we are involved in, and that lesson being the festival of Dedication (which is also known as Lights and Hanukkah.) What we are about to print in this epistle happened in what is known as the dark ages, and the dark ages was a period of four hundred years between the book of Malachi and Matthew (which was a reflection of the four hundred years the children of Israel were in bondage in Egypt) now to place our finger close to the time of the dark ages: It was in 165BC, when Judah Maccabee led a force of Jewish fighters who took the city of Jerusalem from under the control of the Syrian ruler named Antiochus Epiphanies. Antiochus had tried to force the Jews to leave their customs and cease to obey the Mosaic Law in order, that’s forcing the Jews into the Greek society customs of those days. Many of those Jews who opposed him were killed in the name of YHWH. In order to destroy the Jewish religious practice, Antiochus desecrated the temple in Jerusalem by sacrificing pigs on its altar; even as the moneychangers desecrated the temple of God in Yhowshua’s day; and traditional leaders are desecrating the temple of YHWH in our days; being the 2017th year, seeing that everything coming from the traditional leaders are for sale; but Yhowshua said from the 8th verse of the 10th chapter of the book of Matthew unto His handpicked twelve disciples: freely (or without cause) ye have received, freely (or without cause) give. Antiochus made the house of God into a house of worship to the Greek god Zeus. After Antiochus desecrated the temple, a priest named Mattathias and his five sons rose up in rebellion against him. Their family name was Hasmonean but they came to be known as the Maccabees, a name that means Hammer; they certainly were used as the Hammer of God against Antiochus. Though poorly armed and greatly outnumbered, the Maccabees army won battle after battle against the superior Syrian forces. Though Mattathias did not live to see it, shortly after his death his son Judas entered the city as a victor. Get this, though Hanukkah is a Jewish feast, the New Testament teaches that Yhowshua (in which the English people know as Jesus) He honored this feast with His attendance as can be seen in verses 22-23 of the 10th chapter of the book of John. This Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem and it was winter, that’s when Yhowshua walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.” Since Yhowshua attended this festival, we should not be surprised that many aspects of its celebration have lessons to His followers of today. Let us look at some of these lessons. Hanukkah means (dedication) its initial purpose was to rededicate the temple that had sat filthy and had been used for the worship of false gods, and many of the temples of God unknowingly are being used the same way today, this is why a cry will go forth in the future as is shown in the 4th verse of the 18th chapter of the book of Revelation: Come out of that confusion the book of Revelation calls her, and YHWH is calling unto His people. This feast celebrated that fact, which is; once again the house of God was and will be in the future cleansed and sanctified for YHWH’S use alone!!! In like manner, we who have trusted in Yhowshua the Messiah and our Saviour, we should cleanse our temple of bodies in where the Holy Ghost dwells and set them apart for God’s use only. We should dedicate ourselves to God and live only for His purpose and will. Let’s go deeper; Hillel taught that one candle should be lit each night until all of the candles were lit at the end of the eighth day of the dedication. His argument was that we should be increasing in holiness in which the lights are representing; and not to decrease in the glory of God; as the lamps went out in Eli’s days. We reiterate, we should still be increasing today and not decreasing back into the ignorance of unknowing; this lazy ignorance of God’s Word kept our forefathers in bondage. But we who have the Holy Ghost should be growing in the grace of the KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH OF Yhowshua the Messiah, who is the anointed One. According to Jewish tradition, the candles are placed in the Hanukkah candlestick (when facing it) from right to left, however; the candles are lit from left to right. This way, the candles that are set in place last are lit first and the candles that are set in place first are lit last; even as we saints of the New Testament are lit within with the light in which Yhowshua revealed at the top of the mount; to the three pillars of the New Testament named Peter, James and John. This reminds us of the slaying of Yhowshua which says: the last shall be first, and the first last!!! He is teaching that those who seem to be the most important may not have an equal place in heaven; but those who seem to be lowly here may have a much higher position in the world to come. In a similar teaching, both men and women are to have part in the lighting of the candles; this is not true in many of the Jewish ceremonies, usually men do most of that which is visible. However, Hanukkah teaches that both men and women had an equal part in the deliverance of the Jewish people in the time of the Maccabees, even as the traditional leaders of today teaches, disregarding what says the 3rd verse of the 11th chapter of the First book of Corinthians. Nevertheless, many stories of the heroism of women are told. Also, under the teaching of the New Testament, women often take a back seat in the public ministry, as Paul acknowledges in the 12th verse of the 2nd chapter of the First book of Timothy in his training of Timothy. However, the apostle Paul makes it clear that all, including male and female, are one in the Holy Ghost; different roles do not indicate different standings with God. In continuing, each family is to place its Hanukkah candlestick so that it is visible to the outside; whether in a window or in a special place near a door; so, Yhowshua tells us not to light our candle and put it under a bushel, we should put it on a candlestick and let it shine as a testimony to all the world. Also, each candle is to be lit right after sundown, so as this world gets darker and darker in its society criminal living, we anointed saints should be lights in the world shining brighter and brighter. The Hanukkah menorah is purposely designed to be different from the temple menorah; the temple menorah has seven lamps. The Hanukkah candlestick has eight (plus the ninth, which will be explained in the next paragraph). Also, it is actually called the hanukkia in order to distinguish it from the holy menorah. It is like the temple menorah, but it is not to be confused with it. So, we are to be like Christ; He is our example in every aspect of the saint’s life. We are to be recreated in His image; however, we should never get the idea that we are identical to Him. We will always come far short of the His glory, seeing that we will be morning stars according to the 28th verse of the 2nd chapter of the book of Revelation, and He will be the bright and Morning Star, that’s according to the 16th verse of the 22nd chapter of the book of Revelation; Yhowshua will always be the first and the last. Finally, the Hanukkah menorah has a ninth candle called the shamash which means “servant.” None of the eight candles are ever to be used to light any of the other eight candles. All of them are to be lit from the ninth, or servant, candle. Elohiym the Father calls Yhowshua the Messiah (my servant, whom I have chosen.) Yhowshua came not to be ministered unto but to minister; we cannot find our light in the light of another believer. Each of us must have our candle lit by the light of all mankind, by Yhowshua the Messiah Himself. He is truly the Servant and the sole source of our light. We will stop right here before revealing what Yhowshua said in verse 22-23 of the 10th chapter of the book of John. For enough has been said to make you go hmm, or make your head hurt, we will see you later!! Remember, we of the leadership team love you, even if you do not love us, sayonara!!!