Twas the Night before Chanukah - 11/21/2001 - (www.jessewatkins.com) John 10:22 - 30 (Jesus at Feast of Dedication) 1.

Feast of Tabernacles was largest feast of Israel - Lev. 23:42-43 a. Celebrates God dwelling with men b. When we looked at the timeline for the birth of Jesus, it most likely occurred in the fall during the Feast of Tabernacles 2. Feast of Dedication became more Celebrated because of its Miracle a. Celebrating a newTemple(Happened during the 400 years between OT and NT) b. Chanukah called Feast of Dedication c. Also known as the Festival of lights d. The tradition goes like this in 171-164 B.C. Antiochus Epiphanus made a royal law that the Jews are to bow down and to offer sacrifices to Zeus. Soldiers came from the village of Modiin with a statue of Antiochus and took over the temple and erected a statue inside the temple. Jews were forbidden to observe the Sabbath nor study the Torah (Antiochus had Changed times and law). A family named the Maccabees with their father Mattitias gathered a small army against the Syrians, Maccabees in Hebrew means Hammer. Mattatias with his 5 sons John, Simon, Judah, Eliazer, Jonathan began to fight. When Mattatias fell ill and died, the leadership went to his son Judah who would lead the army. The Maccabees with Judah as their leader led a few thousand Jews to fight in the hills and defeat 20,000 Syrians. News of the defeat preceded them so as they came to the temple it was vacated left empty and ransacked. e. Start of Chanukah - Supposedly, when the Jews rededicated the Temple and wanted to rekindle the lampstand, they found only enough oil for one day. It would take 8 days to make a new supply they decided to kindle and burn the remaining oil, a miracle occurred as the oil that was enough for only one day lasted for eight days ... thus, the term representing, "the Feast of Lights. This is why the Chanukah menorah has eight candles instead of the seven the temple menorah has, 8 candles to commemorate this miracle. f. Today, Chanukah is more celebrated than the feast of Tabernacles, 3. Birth of Jesus celebrated on Christmas a. God dwelling with men i. John 1:14 - The Word became Flesh and dwelt among us. ii. The word dwelt literally means tabernacled or make ones tent. iii. In the Old Testament God sent his presence, but in the New Testament God sent himself. Whoever has seen me has seen the Father b. He IS the new temple i. John 2:19 - Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." ii. John 8:12 - I am the light of the World c. In Christmas we have a fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles and Hannukah