Last day of Hanukkah, Tevet 2, 5779, Jewish, Dec. 10, 2018 AD, 7572 Solar
Deuteronomy 27:4-8, “When you have passed over the Jordan, set up these stones that I am commanding you about today, on Mount Ebal, and plaster them with plaster. 5There you must build an altar to Yahuwah your Almighty, an altar of stones; but you must raise no iron tool to work the stones. 6You must build the altar of Yahuwah your Almighty of unworked stones; you must offer burnt offerings on it to Yahuwah your Almighty, 7and you will sacrifice fellowship offerings and will eat there; you will rejoice before Yahuwah your Almighty. 8You will write on the stones all the words of this Torah very plainly.”
By now you all have seen or heard about the Sanhedrin’s dedication of the altar on the last day of Hanukkah. I’ve seen and heard a lot of opinions about it, most opinions have been valid but put forth from emotion, many miss the point of what the Jews are doing. Of course it was a mockery of Yahuwah and his Torah. Yes, it was outright blasphemy against the blood of Yahusha. We all know that only Yahusha’s blood atones for sin. We don’t need the ceremonial rituals of the Torah done by the Aaronic priesthood anymore. Those Torah ceremonial laws have been fulfilled in Yahusha. We know that, they don’t know that, or they outright deny Yahusha’s sacrifice for them. But we’re not here to judge brother Judah, we’re here to watch for signs of the end times. Folks, this was a sign of the end times. An end-time clock may have just started, mark your calendars and start counting days.
Sure they are violating the Word. The following are some Scriptures that James Smith showed on his live video of the dedication service. Hear Isaiah equate Judah and Israel with Sodom and Gomorrah in Isaiah 1:10-15, “Hear the word of Yahuwah, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the Torah of our Almighty, you people of Gomorrah: 11“What is the multitude of your sacrifices to me?” says Yahuwah. “I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fatted beasts; and in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats I do not delight. 12When you come to appear before me, who has required this of you, to trample my courts? 13Bring no more meaningless offerings; incense is an abomination to me; your new moon and Sabbath assemblies, I cannot tolerate these wicked assemblies. 14I hate your new moons and your appointment calendar festivals; they are a burden to me; I am tired of enduring them. 15So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even though you offer many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood (includes abortion).”
Hosea 6:6, “For I desire faithfulness and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of the Almighty more than burnt offerings.”
Amos 5:22, “Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them, neither will I look at the fellowship offerings of your fattened animals.”
The mockery, the ritual, the blasphemy, is not the point. Of course they’re not pleasing Yahuwah, they’re pagan Jews. They have not studied Torah in over 2,200 years! They study Rabbis, they study each other. They’re total humanists. What do you expect from lost people? The Jews doing right or righteousness is not the point. What we want to take away from what the Jews did on Monday, the last day of Hanukkah, by dedicating their altar, is that they are now fulfilling prophecy, and getting Israel ready to fulfill more prophecy. That’s the POINT!
What we want to see now is for the Jews to begin and continue the twice-daily offerings on that altar, somewhere in Jerusalem, hopefully in the old City of David, Old Jerusalem, south of the so-called Temple Mount. Like one video host said, if they try to do this stuff on the so-called Temple Mount, the Muslims will start all out war against Israel. They would be wise to contact Bob Cornuke over at www.baseinstitute.org and learn where their Temple should be built, according to Scripture. If you haven’t already, I’d recommend you buy Bob’s book, “Temple”. He has lots of Scripture proving where the original 2 Temples stood in the Old City of Jerusalem, the City of David, Zion!! For example, read 2 Chronicles 3:1, “Then Solomon began to build the temple of Yahuwah at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where Yahuwah had appeared to David his father. He prepared the place that David had planned for it, at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” Folks, that is not up on the so-called Temple Mount, that’s 600-1,000 feet down south of the so-called Temple mount in the Old City of David, close to the Gihon Spring, where they can get running water. There is no free-flowing spring up on the so-called Temple Mount. The Old City of David is now the Walls of Jerusalem National Park today. The Jews could build their Temple there today, without having to ask the Muslims for any permission. They already own the real Temple site!! Pray that they have their eyes open to this truth, so they can get on with fulfilling more prophecy. BUT, there is not one Scripture passage that mandates a third Temple to be built to fulfill end-time prophecy. If there was, I’d show it to you right now, right here, but there isn’t one. They only need a dedicated altar, which they now have. That’s the take away from the dedicated service from Monday. The final clock may now be ticking.
I posted a blog a few years ago based on Bob Cornuke’s research into the Temple’s actual, real, geographic location. You can look on our blog for it, titled, “The Temple’s Location.” Or, just email me and ask for a copy, or just buy Bob’s book. There’s plenty of Scripture to show that most of the Jewish world, most of the Christian world, even most of the Messianic world is looking at the so-called Temple Mount as the real location, but it’s only the grounds of the old Roman Fort Antonia. It was enemy ground then, it is still enemy ground today. Yahusha said there would be a lot of deception in the end times, he’s right again. Pray that the Jews’ eyes will be opened, as well as the Christian and Messianic eyes to be opened to what is really going on in Israel this week. It is a prophetic moment in history.
A Third Temple may or may not be built, but it is not required according to Scripture. We only need a dedicated altar in a sanctified area, so we can see the ultimate Abomination of Desolation prophecy fulfilled for the last time. Daniel 11:31, “His forces will rise up and profane the fortress sanctuary. They will take away the regular burnt offering, and they will set up the abomination that causes desolation.”
1 Maccabees 1:54, “On the fifteenth day of Chislev in the year 145 (Seleucid, c. 167 BC) the king built the appalling abomination on top of the altar of burnt offering; and altars were built in the surrounding towns of Judah.”
Daniel 8:11-12, “It made itself to be as great as the commander of the military force. It took away from him the regular burnt offering, and the place of his sanctuary was polluted. 12Because of rebellion, the military force will be given over to the goat’s horn, and the burnt offering will be stopped. The horn will throw truth down to the ground, and it will succeed in what it does.”
Daniel 12:11-12, “From the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that causes complete desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12Blessed is the one who waits until the end of the 1,335 days.”
Matthew 24:15, “Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the most set-apart place (let the reader understand),”
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, “Let no one deceive you in any way, for the falling away comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. 4This is he who opposes and exalts himself against all that is called Yahuwah or that is worshiped. As a result, he as Yahuwah sits in the temple of Yahuwah and exhibits himself as Yahuwah.” That’s the Scripture that gets us excited about a Third Temple being built, but it’s not a commandment.
Folks, that reference in 1st Maccabees is the beginning of the story that ends with the lamp oil miracle of Hanukkah, where the Jewish festival comes from. And by the way, the only place where that festival is spoken about in the Scriptures is in the New Covenant, in John 10, where we see Yahusha walking in Solomon’s portico, during the Feast of Dedication, Hanukkah!! John 10:22-23, “Then it was time for the Festival of Chanukah (Hanukkah, Dedication) in Jerusalem. 23It was winter, and Yahusha was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon.” Yahusha declared himself to be the light of the world, a direct reference to Hanukkah and a fulfillment of it. I hope you had a great Hanukkah and I hope you enjoy your Savior and light of your spirit, Yahusha ha’Mashiach.
Keep watching and praying!