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Friend, a light in dark times: why Chanukah matters!

Matthew 24:15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand).”

As people around the world gathered last night to light the first candle of Chanukah, I want to explain that this feast is far more than a historical remembrance—it is a prophetic key. For this reason, I am stepping aside briefly from the current series to focus on Chanukah and why it must be studied, discerned, and understood for its end-time significance.

Yeshua (Jesus) did not casually reference the abomination of desolation in Matthew 24. When He warned of what would unfold in the last days, He deliberately anchored His words in history and added a sobering instruction: “whoever reads, let him understand.” He was not speaking in riddles -- He was pointing back to the desecration of the Temple under Antiochus Epiphanes, the very crisis that gave birth to Chanukah. In essence, Yeshua was declaring that the pattern for the end is revealed in the events that preceded the Feast of Dedication. If we want to understand what is coming, we must understand what has already been.

Chanukah does not arise from ease or celebration, but from violent collision. In the second century BC, the Jewish people faced an existential threat that went far beyond armies or politics. This was a direct spiritual assault aimed at the heart of covenant faith. Antiochus IV Epiphanes sought to erase Jewish identity by enforcing Greek idol worship, outlawing Torah, desecrating the Temple, and enthroning pagan gods where the Presence of the Holy One had dwelt. This was not a cultural exchange—it was enforced apostasy.

Altars to Zeus were raised in the holy place. Swine were sacrificed on God’s altar. Circumcision was criminalized. Torah obedience was punishable by death. The objective was unmistakable: to replace the worship of the living God with the worship of human reason, beauty, power, and false gods. The war was not merely over land—it was over worship. It was a battle to determine who would be exalted and who would define truth.

The name Chanukah (חֲנֻכָּה) means dedication. It speaks of the cleansing and rededication of the House of God, but even more powerfully, of a people who refused to bow their knees to idols. They chose covenant over convenience, obedience over survival, faithfulness over fear. Chanukah proclaims a timeless truth: identity is not preserved through compromise, but through consecration.

Every generation is summoned to its moment of decision. The spirits that drove Antiochus never disappear—they change their garments. Idols no longer demand incense; they demand agreement. They speak the language of culture, progress, intellect, and self-preservation, yet they still require the same offering: surrender. Chanukah rises like a prophetic alarm in the night, refusing to negotiate with darkness. It does not whisper—it issues a verdict.

Friend, will you bow to what is celebrated by the world, or will you stand consumed by the fire of God? For when pressure intensifies, and compromise feels safest, heaven searches the earth for men and women who will not bend, who will not blend, who will not betray their consecration. These are the ones who carry the light—not because the darkness is weak, but because the God who dwells within them is unyielding.  Chanukah is a reminder that those who know their God shall stand firm, refuse compromise, and take decisive action -- lighting the darkness with uncompromising faith and holy obedience.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George & Baht Rivka (Mississippi)