Comfort and peace to you all,
Today is the 59th day of the Swords of Iron War between Israel and Hamas, which Hamas started with a massacre and kidnapping inside Israeli territory on Oct 7, a Sabbath and the final day of the biblical holiday of the Feast of Booths/Tabernacles. Hamas broke a cease-fire which had been in place since sometime in 2021.
This Thursday evening marks the lighting of the first candle of Hanukkah. (We light all of the candles each night that we light them, since the true Light has come, and we believe in Him. His light neither diminishes/wanes, nor increases/waxes.) While Yeshua was went in the Temple in Jerusalem during the Hanukkah recorded for us in John 10 (and it was Winter), it isn’t so much that He ‘celebrated’ it, but He brought attention to Himself — as the Shepherd of His sheep; as the Son of God, and being one with the Father, admittedly being God with us in the flesh. The Maccabees of Hanukkah fame are called “saviors” in the original sources; yet here was Yeshua declaring that it is He who gives eternal life to His sheep who follow Him. The Maccabees bravely and righteously stood up and fought against the Hellenism that had been brought into the worship and culture of the people whom YHVH chose for Himself to be a holy people; and they fought for control of the land of Israel from that of the Greeks. They cleansed the altar and sanctified it, rededicating it on the 25th of the 9th month (Chislev/Dec) saying that they would wait for a prophet to come and tell them what to do. (1Mac 4, in the Apocrypha)
It was also the Maccabees, sinful men like the rest of us, who invited the Romans in to help maintain order and security. They appointed themselves as both Priest and King (which is reserved only for the true Messiah, since the Law of Moses separates the priestly tribe from the royal tribe [Zech 6:12-13; Ps 110]). The prophet came about 200 years later in the person of John the Baptiser, and the greater than he, Yeshua/Jesus of Nazareth. By then, the heirs of the Maccabees — the Sadducees — had become rationalists, and did not heed the voice of the One who came in the name of His Father. The candles of the hanukkiah burn out; the Light of Messiah/Christ shines forever!
Today is also the day that our son called to say that he was going deep into Gaza, perhaps for a couple of weeks. His job, with his team, is to locate, identify, and safely neutralize any sort of explosives that would be a risk to the soldiers waiting for the “all clear”. He says that he feels fine, is trusting the Lord, and asks prayers for three specific things:
1. safety for him and each and every member of his team, that God would protect them from the sole of their feet to the top of their heads
2. professionalism in knowing what to do, and seeing and discerning what needs to be seen, and in carrying out their mission
3. a continuing “good atmosphere” among the team for good and supportive teamwork.
We came upon a fascinating and brilliant discussion of history, which is very game-changing in how one understands the reality of things. I would say it is like the truth setting one free. For example, once we see and know that Jesus/Yeshua is not only the Messiah, but also YHVH in the flesh, our entire understanding of life and history is forever in the light of truth, impacting everything else. This long (you can listen to it in parts) but very informative view presented in this video also brings out the deception that we all live in, and casually accept as the conventional wisdom. The professor is not a born-again believer, which also shows that we can learn something from those who seek truth and apply it. May the living God bring him, and the host, to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. The history professor also says that we should not take his word for it, but that each of us should check it out for ourselves. Bereans, anyone? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peXAqwS2yqc (Francisco Gil-White Shares a Shocking Revelation on The Israel-Palestine War)
Thank-you all, and bless you all, as we trust in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua the Messiah, by the indwelling Holy Spirit, our Comforter, while our High Priest and King remains seated at the right hand of the Father until He returns.
