JD: In 168 BC Keseloff 25, December 25 on the Jewish calendars its Keseloff 25. Antiochus Epiphanes came into Jerusalem. Now you take it from there, what did that crazy mad man do?
SH: He wanted to actually attack Egypt and the Romans rebuked him and in his anger became against Israel and he wanted to assimilate them at best and at worst annihilate them. And the best way to do that he felt was to sanction some laws, pass laws, make laws to make it illegal to practice Judaism. Then he went to the Temple the heart of Jewish worship and desecrated the Temple by killing a pig on the alter. And there was a family by the name of Maccabees. Judah Maccabees was the son Mattathias was the father. Mattathias when he asked for someone to come forward to slay the pig and compromise their faith Mattathias killed the soldier and his sons rose to the occasion. They wiped out the soldiers and fled to the mountain.
So they came down and
they would attack and go back up into the hills. The Maccabees rallied the
people. And in a 3 year period of time turned back Antiochus and the soldiers got back to
the Temple, rededicated the Temple. And the story is for the purposes of
Hanukkah that there was only a small cruise of oil left only enough for 24
hours. So the people took that oil and put it in the Temple menorah and instead
of burning for 24 hours, Jimmy the story is it burned for 8 days enough time to
get the special priestly oil that was sanctioned by the priest to keep that
menorah going. Instead of 24 hours it lasted 8 days and so to this day Jewish
people light their menorahs one candle each day and they have a 9 branch Hanukiah
that memorializes that miracle.
JD: Steve Herzig National director of Friends of Israel and the
details behind Hanukkah.
We report this information because it is setting the stage
for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled.
The Jewish holy day of Hanukkah reveals what happened to the
Jewish people during the 400 year period of time between the end of
the Old Testament and the beginning of the New Testament. The ancient Jewish
prophet Daniel foretold this fact of history in the prophecy of Daniel
11:21-35. There are two items in this historic account that look into the
future as well. Antiochus Epiphanes is a prototype of the Antichrist. And the
abomination of desolation was spoken of in Matthew 24:15 when Jesus talked about
this event that will take place in the tribulation period.
