Hanukkah Day 2: The Back Story – A Call to Arms

Passage: Matthew 11:12
“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”

Pondering:
In the second century BC, Judea had come under the Hellenistic influences of Alexander the
Great. Political and economic motivations led the urban upper class of Jews to desire to do away with Jewish law and adopt a Greek lifestyle. 

When Antiochus IV Epiphanes became ruler in 175 BC, the role of the high priest of Jerusalem was handed to an appointee of the new ruler through a series of backroom deals and bribery. The resulting backlash included permission to convert Jerusalem into a Greek city-state named Antioch. During his reign, the temple was pillaged, any copies of the Torah found were burned. Many Israelites abandoned the one true God and adopted Greek gods, setting up altars to them in the temple and sacrificing unclean animals to those gods. Owning the Torah was banned, as were circumcision and celebrating the feasts and festivals. Any observation of the Torah was strictly forbidden and punishable by death. Hellenistic Jews were pitted against the more traditionalist Jews who sought to worship Yahweh and observe His laws.

In 166 BC, Judah Maccabee led a revolt against the Hellenized Jews and their Greek instigators in what was described as guerrilla warfare. After the death of Antiochus IV, the army commander agreed to a political compromise, restoring religious freedom. 

Today we can see parallels of the kingdom of Yahweh being under siege. We see the compromise in the church by Christians who have carried the things and ways of the world into the temple. Since we are living temples (1 Corinthians 3:16), this includes entertaining ungodly ways and mindsets in our own lives, in addition to bringing them into the local church. We see the idolatry of economic and political motivation driving the messages coming from many pulpits. We even see brazen attempts to silence the speakers of truth by not only the world but from within the church itself. 

Just as Judah Maccabee and his followers made a bold move to reclaim the temple and restore the place of Yahweh’s dwelling, so are we called to reclaim the Kingdom today. His dwelling is now not in physical buildings, but in His people. We take up this battle assignment not through physical warfare and weapons but through the spiritual armament and armories we are provided with as sons and daughters of the Most High.

Ephesians 6:11-12 instructs us to “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:18 – “… upon this [b]rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Did you know that this is not a picture of the enemy coming against a fellowship or body of believers who are in a defensive position? No! The word Yeshua used here was not “church,” It was “ekklesia,” which is a legislative term and speaks of His governing body representing His kingdom in the earth as His ambassadors. This is a picture of the sons and daughters of Yahweh recognizing our true identity in Him, walking in the authority He gave us and going on the OFFENSE against the enemy. The gates of hell will not prevail against the onslaught of the true ekklesia coming in the authority of the name and blood of Yeshua. Come on, somebody!

The celebration of Hanukkah is about so much more than the miracle of provision, which we will cover over the next few days. The back story of the Hanukkah miracle is very important to understanding why the victory was so critical. Both in the historical context and in what it means for us in this season.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, You are the Righteous Warrior and Victorious King of all Kings. Thank You for creating us for such a time as this. As we look around at all the darkness in the world around us, we light the second candle tonight. As we do, remind us now and every day that Your light shines within us. That we have heavenly assignments to reclaim Your kingdom in the earth and to reclaim stolen spiritual territory by force when necessary – in our own lives, in the lives of our family and those You bring us in contact with. Teach us to take up Your full armor and effectively use the weapons You have given us to advance Your kingdom in the here and now. In our communities, cities, states and nations – Your kingdom, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

Worship Song: Revival Anthem by Rend Collective

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