Why Hanukkah and Advent?

Hanukkah, also known as the Feast of Dedication, is when the Jewish people in Israel and around the world, celebrate the story of Hanukkah.

Hanukkah dates back to the 2nd Century BC when Antiochus Epiphanes was ruler of the Selucid Empire. Antiochus, a prototype of the Antichrist, vented his rage and hatred of the Jewish people by supressing their worship and desecrating the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. Antioch erected an idol of his god, Zeus, in the Temple and further desecrated it by sacrificing a pig on the altar. He stole money from the treasury, appointed his own High Priest, and issued a decree which outlawed Mosaic. His actions sparked a revolt, and in 167 BC a Jewish priest, named Mattathias, killed a Hellenised Jew who made sacrifices to Zeus, and a Greek official, and fled to the mountains with his five sons. Mattathias died a year later, but his son, Judas Maccabee, known as Maccabaeus, the “Hammer,” headed a revolt, and against overwhelming odds defeated the Seleucid army and liberated the temple in Jerusalem. The Maccabees rededicated the Temple to God, but when they came to light the Menorah they found that there was only enough oil for one day. However, God performed a miracle and the oil lasted for eight days, giving time for a new supply to be made.

At the Be Not Silent conference in London this December we will be celebrating this miracle and God’s deliverance of His people from Antiochus Epiphanies with the Jewish people, and lighting the Hanukkah candles. So why is it significant that we will doing this in the season of Advent and will also be lighting an Advent candle?

As already mentioned Antiochus Epiphanies is a prototype of the Antichrist. Although many Bible teachers believe that Antiochus was the Antichrist, Jesus, nearly two hundred years after him, refers to the prophecy of Daniel, in Daniel 11, as being in the future, in the time leading up to His return.

“Forces from him (the Antichrist,) will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation. And by smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will be strong and take action.” Daniel 11 31-32

At Be Not Silent we believe that we are living in the days leading up to the return of Jesus, and that the Antichrist is alive today and will shortly be revealed. He will gather together a powerful army and invade Israel. He will desecrate the newly built Temple on the Temple Mount where the sacrifices that are already prepared, will be taking place. He will desecrate the Temple Mount and do away with the daily sacrifices and set up the abomination of desolation and declare himself to be God.

This means that the celebration of Hanukkah is not simply a remembrance of an historical event, it is a vitally important reminder that we are living in the last days, and that a time of unprecedented hardship is coming, not just for Israel, but for the whole world. It is a dramatic reminder that Jesus Himself, the Light of the World, will defeat the Antichrist, cleanse the Land and establish His Millennial rule from His Temple in Jerusalem.

 This year, in the Church of England, the established church of the UK, the season of Advent starts on Sunday 29 November. Hanukkah is early this year and starts on 4 December. The word “advent” refers to the arrival of a person, and the four week season of Advent, leading up to Christmas, is the time when the church looks forward to the second coming of Jesus. At the Be Not Silent conference this year we will not only be remembering the historical miracle of Hanukkah, but also learning of its vital significance in these turbulent days, as world events take us closer and closer to the revealing of the Antichrist, and the victorious return of Jesus.

That is why the lighting of the Hanukkah and the Advent candles together have such deep significance.