"Hanukkah - Part 1"

by James Jacob Prasch

How does the celebration of Hanukkah, a festival NOT found in the Old Testament, provide greater insight into biblical themes such as the Messiah? How is Hanukkah handled in the New Testament?

1. Introduction
2. The Traditional Aspect
3. The Historical Aspect
4. Similarities to Today
5. The Use of Culture and Religion
6. The End Result of Compromise
7. The Maccabees
8. The Defiling of the Temple
9. Keeping the World Out of the Gospel
10. Small Groups

Go to "Hanukkah - Part 2".

This sermon was transcribed from a recording and edited as appropriate for presentation in a published text format more suitable for reading. Purchase the audio version of Hanukkah - Part 1 or Hanukkah - Part 2 from the Moriel online store.

Introduction

“Hanukkah” comes from the Hebrew term “hanukkat” meaning “dedication” or “rededication”.

There are four aspects of Hanukkah: The first is the “traditional” one, what most people are familiar with. However, the most important are the “historical”, the “messianic”, and the “eschatological” meanings.

• The “historical” aspect of Hanukkah concerns what happened in the time of the Maccabees, about 160 years before Jesus.
  
  
• The “messianic” implication of Hanukkah is revealed in the tenth chapter of the Gospel of John when Jesus celebrated the Feast.
  
  
• The “eschatological” view observes how these things will be recapitulated or replayed in the Last Days, heralding the return of Christ.

So our main focus is on the historical – “what happened”; the messianic – “how it was fulfilled in Jesus”; and the eschatological – “what it will mean for His return”.

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