Chapter 4.12
Maccabees;
Holy Jihad
Apocrypha, Essenes, Zealots, Dagger men
The Hammer, Hellenizes, Muslims
First Word
Jihad is
an Islamic term referring to the religious duty
of Muslims to maintain the religion. In Arabic, the word is a
noun meaning "to strive, to apply oneself, to struggle, to persevere”.
The word appears frequently in the Qur’an, often in the idiomatic expression
"striving
in the way of Allah”, this refer to the act of striving to serve the
purposes of God on this earth.
The Maccabees were far from
being Muslims; they were devout Jews who DEFENDED themselves from
those who battled against them to end their FREEDOM
TO WORSHIP
Jehovah God.
Note: When a King came into power, everyone
was forced to worship the god of his kingdom. Freedom of Worship was the
cornerstone of the USA. We have the FREEDOM TO WORSHIP as we choose. Muslims reject this freedom, but still come
here; WHY?
Before I can
speak on the Maccabees, I feel a need to explain that there is just not much in
Bible scripture about this small rag tag bunch of Holy Jihad fighters, I must turn
to the Apocrypha
which contains two complete books on the army known as the Maccabees as well as go to the Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus; both are considered
trusted commentaries.
The books of 1st and 2nd Maccabees were not
included in our Bible because no “original” HEBREW writing has
survived the years even though we have the Hebrew to Greek translations. I will include the entire text here because
its flavor is far better than I could ever write.
Josephus, the Jewish historian was born the year
that Jesus was crucified and in spite of the good things he has to say about
the history of Christianity, he was not a
believer.
Setting the Stage
Alexander
the Great had conquered Egypt and had founded a Greek city near the
Nile Delta called Alexandra which became the cultural capital of a new era; the Hellenistic
era. His vision was to bring the Greek culture and
way of life to all of the non-Greek world.
The Ptolemaic dynasty was a spinoff of that, which for a century placed Israel
under the Ptolemaic rule. While the
common Israelite was not affected that much, the upper wealthy class was
attracted to the Greek way of life and the opportunities that it provided with
the rest of the world. Some Jewish men
engaged in “Foreskin
Restoration” in order to pass themselves off as fully Greek.
The Seleucids ruled by King
Antiochus III was also a part of Alexanders rule and covered the vast eastern
empire including Asia Minor and had scrimmages with the Ptolemais and
eventually got control of Palestine from Egypt.
High Priest: Jerusalem had been granted the authority to be
self-governed and had developed a kind of theocracy that was governed by a High
Priest. The High Priest that was
currently serving was Onias III who OPPOSED the Hellenization of
the Jews; to assimilate the Greek culture and patterns of religion and
government into their culture.
Hellenizers; Onias III had a brother named Jason who was the leader of the Hellenizers who wanted the Greek culture and ethnic culture to
be homogenized into Israel. This is where
we pick up the story of the struggle over the Hellenistic culture that was now threating the Jewish way of life,
especially their worship of the ONE GOD
YAHWEH.
The Apocrypha
1st Maccabees
1:1-9 – Alexander Great dies – Kingdom Divided
1 After Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian, who
came from the land of Kittim, had defeated King Darius of the Persians and
the Medes, he succeeded him as king. (He had previously become king of
Greece.)
2 He fought many battles, conquered strongholds, and put
to death the kings of the earth.
3 He advanced to the ends of the earth, and plundered many
nations. When the earth became quiet before him, he was exalted, and
his heart was lifted up.
4 He gathered a very strong army and ruled over countries, nations, and princes, and they became
tributary to him.
5 After this he fell sick and perceived that he
was dying.
6 So he summoned his most honored officers, who had been
brought up with him from youth, and divided his kingdom among them while he was
still alive.
7 And after Alexander had reigned twelve
years, he DIED.
8 Then his officers began to rule, each in his own place.
9 They all put on crowns after his death,
and so did their descendants after them for many years; and they caused many
evils on the earth.
1 Maccabees 1:10
– Sinful Antiochus Epiphanes takes over
10 From them came forth a sinful
root, Antiochus
Epiphanes, son of King Antiochus; he had been a hostage in Rome.
He began to reign in the one hundred
thirty-seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks.
1 Maccabees
1:11-14 - Let’s go make a covenant with Gentiles
11 In those days certain RENEGADES came out from
Israel and misled
many, saying, "Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles
around us, for since we separated from them many disasters have come upon
us."
12This proposal pleased them,
13 and some of the people EAGERLY WENT to the king, who authorized them to OBSERVE THE ORDINANCES of the
Gentiles.
14 So they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem,
according to Gentile custom,
1 Maccabees
1:15-19 – Jews plastic surgery remove circumcision
15 and removed the marks of CIRCUMCISION, and
abandoned
the holy covenant. They joined with the Gentiles and sold themselves to do evil.
16 When Antiochus saw that his kingdom was
established, he determined to become king of the land of Egypt, in order that
he might reign over both kingdoms.
17 So he invaded Egypt with a strong force,
with chariots and elephants and cavalry and with a large fleet.
18 He engaged King Ptolemy of Egypt in
battle, and Ptolemy turned and fled before him, and many were wounded and
fell.
19 They captured the fortified cities in the
land of Egypt, and he plundered the land of Egypt.
1 Maccabees 1:20
– Antiochus went up against Jerusalem
20 After subduing Egypt, Antiochus returned
in the one hundred forty-third year. He went up against Israel and came to Jerusalem with a strong force.
1 Maccabees
1:21-23 – Took Altar, lampstand, censers, utensils
21 He ARROGANTLY entered the sanctuary and took the
golden altar,
the lampstand
for the light, and all its utensils.
22 He took also the table for the bread of the
Presence, the cups
for drink offerings, the bowls, the golden censers,
the curtain,
the crowns,
and the gold
decoration on the front of the
temple; he stripped it all off.
23 He took the silver and the gold, and the costly vessels;
he took also the hidden treasures that he
found.
1 Maccabees
1:24-28 – He shed much blood – Spoke arrogantly
24 Taking them all, he went into his own
land. He shed
much blood, and spoke with GREAT
ARROGANCE.
25 Israel mourned deeply
in every community,
28 Even the land trembled for its
inhabitants, and all the house of Jacob was clothed with shame.
1 Maccabees
1:29-37 – Plundered and burned Jerusalem
29 Two years later the king sent to the
cities of Judah a chief collector of tribute, and he came to Jerusalem with
a large force.
30 Deceitfully he spoke peaceable words to them, and
they believed him; but he suddenly fell upon the city, dealt it a severe blow,
and destroyed
many people of Israel.
31 He plundered the city, burned it with
fire, and tore
down its houses and its surrounding walls.
32 They took captive the women and
children, and seized the livestock.
34 They stationed there a sinful people, men who were
renegades. These strengthened their position;
35 they stored up arms and food, and
collecting the spoils of Jerusalem they stored them there, and became a great menace,
36 for the citadel became an ambush against
the sanctuary,
an evil adversary of Israel at all times.
37 On every side of the sanctuary they shed innocent blood;
they even defiled
the sanctuary.
1 Maccabees
1:38-40 – People fled - Sanctuary desolate
38 Because of them the residents of Jerusalem fled; she
became a dwelling of strangers; she became strange to her offspring, and her
children forsook her.
39 Her sanctuary became desolate like a desert; her feasts were turned into
mourning, her Sabbaths into a reproach, her honor into contempt.
40 Her dishonor now grew as great as her
glory; her exaltation was turned into mourning.
Political Games & Revolt
Jason
who was part of the Priestly line, went behind his brothers back and
bribed King Antiochus to appoint him as High Priest instead of his brother. Jason promoted the Greek Laws, customs and
religions and abolished the Jew’s Laws; he was
not in power long.
Menelaus soon replaced him which outraged the
Jews; having an APPOINTED High Priest that
was not from the Priestly line. King
Antiochus, in an effort to support Menelaus his appointee, was able to put down
the Jewish Revolt as the Jews refused to fight on the Sabbath. After the enormous carnage of 1,000 men,
women and children on the Sabbath, King Antiochus banned all observances
of the Laws of Moses.
On Kislev (December) 25th 167B.C. the Temple was taken over by Antiochus Epiphanes IV, King of
Syria and dedicated
it to the Olympian Zeus and the altar was
polluted with pagan sacrifices of PIGS; the Jews were forbidden to
engage in sacrifices, rites, feast or worship of any kind. The Torah was
burned and the observances of the Laws of Moses was
banned. The Temple was now profaned.
ALL
JEWS WERE OBLIGATED TO TAKE PART IN THE PAGAN SACRIFICES OR DIE.
The Apocrypha
1st Maccabees
1:41-42 – King directs to follow strange customs
41 Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom
that all should be one people,
42 and that all should give up their particular customs.
1st Maccabees
1:43 – Many adopt King’s religion sacrifice idols
43 All the Gentiles accepted the command of the
king. Many even from Israel GLADLY adopted his religion; they sacrificed to idols and profaned the Sabbath.
1st Maccabees
1:44-45- Forbids Offerings – Profanes Sabbath
44 And the king sent letters by messengers
to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah; he directed them to follow customs strange to the land,
45 to forbid burnt offerings and
sacrifices and drink offerings in the sanctuary, to profane Sabbaths and festivals,
1st Maccabees
1:46-50 – Sacrifices PIGS on the Altar
46 to defile the sanctuary and
the priests,
47 to build altars and sacred precincts and
shrines for idols, to sacrifice SWINE and other unclean animals,
48 and to leave their sons uncircumcised. They were to make themselves abominable by everything
unclean and profane,
49 so that they would forget the law and change all the ordinances.
50 He added, "And whoever does not
obey the command of the king SHALL DIE."
1st
Maccabees 1:51 – Appoint Inspectors; Commanded Sacrifices
51 In such words he wrote to his whole
kingdom. He
appointed inspectors over all the people and commanded the
towns of Judah to offer sacrifice, town by town.
1st Maccabees
1:52-54 – Many Forsook the LAW and Did Evil
52 Many of the people, everyone who FORSOOK THE LAW (of God), joined them,
and they DID
EVIL in the land;
53 they drove Israel into hiding in
every place of refuge they had.
54 Now on the fifteenth day of Chislev, in
the one hundred forty-fifth year, they erected a desolating sacrilege on the altar of burnt offering. They also built
altars in the surrounding towns of Judah,
1st Maccabees
1:56-58 – Tore up the Torah and burned it
56 The Books of the Law
that they found they tore to pieces and burned
with fire.
57 Anyone found possessing the Book of the Covenant,
or anyone who adhered to the law, was condemned to death by
decree of the king.
58 They kept using violence against Israel,
against those who were found month after month in the towns.
1st Maccabees
1:59-61 – December 25th offered a PIG
59 On the TWENTY-FIFTH
DAY
of the month they offered sacrifice on the altar that was on top of
the altar of burnt offering.
60 According to the decree, they put to death the
women who had their children circumcised,
61 and their families and those who
circumcised them; and they hung the infants from their mothers' necks.
1st Maccabees
1:62-64 – Many choose to die than profane God
62 But many in Israel stood firm and
were resolved in their hearts not to eat unclean food.
63 They chose to die rather
than to be defiled
by food or to profane
the holy covenant; and THEY DID DIE.
The Maccabean Revolt – The Lone Ranger rides again
There arose a lone Jewish Priest by the name of Mattathias the
Hasmonean from the small village
of Modein, just outside of Jerusalem; who took up the cause for Israel. The Syrian officials came to enforce the laws
of pagan worship publically, and there they encountered Mattathias who stood
with his five sons.
According to the king's command, a local JEW came forward in the sight of all to offer
sacrifice on the altar in Modein. When Mattathias saw this, he ran and
killed him on the altar. At the
same time he killed the king's officer who was forcing them to sacrifice.
Mattathias then fled to the hills with his family
and as Priest, summoned the people to join him and amassed a small rag tag
guerrilla force to protect themselves. At some point Mattathias would die and Judas MACCABEUS his third son would take over the
leadership of THE
REVOLT.
The Apocrypha
1 Maccabees
2:1-5 – Mattathias was a Priest with five sons
1 In those days Mattathias son of John son
of Simeon, a PRIEST of the family of
Joarib, moved from Jerusalem and settled in Modein.
2 He had five sons, John surnamed
Gaddi,
3 Simon called Thassi,
4 Judas called MACCABEUS,
5 Eleazar called Avaran, and Jonathan called Apphus.
1 Maccabees
2:6-14 – Mattathias Exasperated over the situation
6 He saw the blasphemies being committed in
Judah and Jerusalem,
7 and said, "Alas! Why was I born to see this,
the ruin of my people, the ruin of the holy city, and to live there when it was
given over to the enemy, the sanctuary given over to aliens?
8 Her temple has become like a person
without honor;
9 her glorious vessels have been carried
into exile. Her infants have been killed in her streets, her youths by the
sword of the foe.
10 What nation has not inherited her
palaces and has not seized her spoils?
11 All her adornment has been taken away; no
longer free, she has become a slave.
12 And see, our holy place, our beauty, and
our glory have been laid waste; the Gentiles have profaned them.
13 Why should we live any
longer?"
14 Then Mattathias and his sons tore their clothes, put on
sackcloth, and mourned greatly.
1 Maccabees
2:15-18 – Kings Officers try to enlist Mattathias
15 The king's officers who
were enforcing
the APOSTASY came to the town
of Modein to make them offer sacrifice.
16 Many from Israel came to them; and Mattathias
and his sons were assembled.
17 Then the king's officers spoke
to Mattathias as follows: "You are a leader, honored and great in this
town, and supported by sons and brothers.
18 Now be the first to come and do what the king commands,
as all the Gentiles and the people of Judah and those that are left in
Jerusalem have done. Then you and your sons will be numbered among the Friends
of the king, and YOU and YOUR
SONS will be honored with silver and
gold and many gifts."
1 Maccabees
2:19-22 – Mattathias rejects the officer’s request
19 But Mattathias answered
and said in a LOUD VOICE: "Even if all the nations that
live under the rule of the king obey him, and have chosen to obey his
commandments, every one of them abandoning the religion of their
ancestors,
20 I and my sons and my brothers will continue to live by
the covenant of our ancestors.
21 Far be it from us to desert the law and
the ordinances.
22 WE
WILL NOT OBEY
THE KING'S WORDS by turning aside from our religion to the right
hand or to the left."
1 Maccabees
2:23-26 – Mattathias kills one of the Officers
23 When he had finished speaking these
words, A JEW came forward in
the sight of all to offer sacrifice on the altar in Modein, according to the
king's command. When Mattathias saw it,
24 he burned with zeal and his heart was
stirred. He gave vent to righteous anger; he ran and killed him on the altar.
25 At the same time he killed the king's officer who was forcing them to sacrifice, and he tore
down the altar.
26 Thus he burned with zeal for the law, just as Phinehas
did[1]
against Zimri son of Salu.
1 Maccabees
2:27-28 – Mattathias & supporters fled into HILLS
27 Then Mattathias cried out in the town
with a loud voice, saying:
"LET
EVERYONE WHO IS ZEALOUS FOR THE LAW AND SUPPORTS THE COVENANT COME OUT WITH ME!"
28 Then he and his sons fled to the hills and left all that they had in the town.
1 Maccabees
2:29-31 – Others fled into the WILDERNESS
29 At that time MANY who were seeking
righteousness and justice went down to the WILDERNESS
to
live there,
30 they, their sons, their wives, and their
livestock, because troubles pressed heavily upon them.
31 And it was reported to the king's
officers, and to the troops in Jerusalem the city of David, that those who had
rejected the king's command had gone down to the hiding places in the WILDERNESS.
1 Maccabees
2:32-33 – Attacked those in Wilderness Sabbath
32 Many pursued them, and overtook them; they
encamped opposite them and prepared for battle against them on the Sabbath
day.
33 They said to them, "Enough of this!
Come out and do what the king commands, and you will live."
1 Maccabees
2:34-40 – Wouldn’t Battle on Sabbath; 1,000 died
34 But they said, "We will not come out, nor will
we do what the king commands and so profane the Sabbath day."
35 Then the enemy quickly attacked
them.
36 But they did not answer them or hurl a
stone at them or block up their hiding places,
37 for they said, "Let us all DIE in our innocence;
heaven and earth testify for us that you are killing us unjustly."
38 So they attacked them on the Sabbath, and THEY DIED, with their wives and children and
livestock, to the number of a THOUSAND persons.
39 When Mattathias and his friends learned
of it, they mourned for them deeply.
40And all said to their neighbors: If we all do
as our kindred have done and refuse to fight with the Gentiles for our lives
and for our ordinances, THEY WILL QUICKLY
DESTROY US FROM THE EARTH
1 Maccabees 2:41
- Mattathias – We will fight on the Sabbath
41 So they made this decision that day:
"Let us
fight against anyone who comes to attack us on the Sabbath day; let
us not all die as our kindred died in their hiding places."
1 Maccabees 2:42
– The Hasideans joined Mattathias in War
42 Then there united with them a company of HASIDEANS, mighty WARRIORS OF ISRAEL, all who offered themselves willingly for the law.
1 Maccabees 2:43
– Fugitives from the Law joined Mattathias
43 And all who became FUGITIVES to escape their troubles joined
them and reinforced them.
1 Maccabees
2:44-48 – Tore down alters – Rescued the LAW
44 THEY ORGANIZED AN ARMY, and struck down
sinners in their anger and renegades in their wrath; the survivors fled to the
Gentiles for safety.
45 Mattathias and his friends went around and tore down the
altars;
46 they forcibly circumcised all the uncircumcised boys that they found within the borders of
Israel.
47 They hunted down the arrogant, and the
work prospered in their hands.
48They RESCUED
THE LAW out
of the hands of the Gentiles and kings, and they never let the sinner gain the
upper hand.
1 Maccabees
2:49-65 – Mattathias appoints Simon as Counsel
49 Now the days drew near for Mattathias to die, and he said to his sons: "Arrogance
and scorn have now become strong; it is a time of ruin and furious anger.
50 Now, my children, show zeal for the law, and give your lives for the covenant
of our ancestors.
51 "Remember the deeds of the ancestors,
which they did in their generations; and you will receive great honor and an
everlasting name.
61 "And so observe, from generation to
generation, that none of those who put their trust in him will lack
strength.
62 Do not fear the words of sinners, for their
splendor will turn into dung and worms.
63 Today they will be exalted, but tomorrow
they will not be found, because they will have returned to the dust, and their
plans will have perished.
64 My children, be courageous and grow strong in THE LAW, for by it you will
gain honor.
65 "Here is your brother SIMEON who, I know, is wise in COUNSEL; always listen to him; he shall be your
father.
1 Maccabees
2:66-70 – Judas Maccabeus commands the Army
66 JUDAS MACCABEUS has
been a
mighty warrior from his youth; he
shall command
the army for you and fight the
battle against the peoples.
67 You shall rally around you all who observe THE LAW,
and avenge the wrong done to your people.
68 Pay back the Gentiles in full, and obey the
commands of the law."
69 Then he blessed them, and was gathered to
his ancestors.
70 He (Mattathias) DIED in the one
hundred forty-sixth year and was buried in the tomb of his ancestors at
Modein. And all Israel mourned for him with great lamentation.
The Hammer
Judas whose attacks
were "hammer
like" was called Maccabeus; meaning “THE HAMMER”.
The Name "Maccabee"
is derived from the First Letters of each word מי כמוכה באלים י'ה; meaning “Who is like you from amongst the mighty, the LORD?"
[2]
The Maccabean Revolt; the Army is
now called The
Maccabees. Judas
intelligently and skillfully led the “The Hammer Army” and within three years retook
the temple, tore down the defiled altar and removed the statue of Zeus.
The USA would do
well to “Strike
like a Hammer”.
When you stir up
a hornets nest…
THEY ALL COME AFTER YOU…
No warning!
The Bible
Exodus 15:11 -
Who is like YOU, O LORD, among the mighty
11 Who is like
unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in
holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? (KJV)
The Apocrypha
1
Maccabeus 3:1-9 – Judas Maccabeus takes command
1 Then his son Judas, who was called MACCABEUS, took command in
his place.
2 All his brothers and all who had joined
his father helped him; they gladly fought for Israel.
3 He extended the glory of his people. Like
a giant he put on his breastplate; he bound on his armor of war and waged
battles, protecting the camp by his sword.
4 He was like a lion in his deeds, like a
lion's cub roaring for prey.
5 He searched out and
pursued
those who broke
the law; he burned those who troubled his people.
6 Lawbreakers shrank back for fear of him; all the evildoers
were confounded; and deliverance prospered by his hand.
8 He went through the cities of Judah; he destroyed the
ungodly out of the land; thus he
turned away wrath from Israel.
9 He was renowned to the ends of the earth; he gathered in
those who were perishing.
1 Maccabees
3:10-12 – Apollonius fights Maccabees and LOSES
10 Apollonius now gathered together Gentiles and a large force from Samaria to fight against Israel.
11 When Judas learned
of it, he went out to meet him, and he defeated and killed him. Many were wounded and
fell; the rest fled.
12 Then they seized their spoils; and Judas
took the sword of Apollonius, and used it in battle the rest of his life.
1 Maccabees
3:13-17 – Many Syrians fight the Few Maccabees
13 When Seron, the commander of the Syrian army, heard that Judas
had gathered a large company, including a body of faithful soldiers who stayed
with him and went out to battle,
14 he said, "I will make a name for
myself and win honor in the kingdom. I will make war on Judas and his companions, who scorn the king's
command."
15 Once again a strong army of godless men went up with him to help him, to take vengeance on the Israelites.
16 When he approached the ascent of
Beth-horon, Judas
went out to meet him with a small company.
17 But when they saw the army coming
to meet them, they said to Judas, "How can we, few as we are, fight against so great and so
strong a multitude? And we are faint, for we have eaten nothing
today."
1 Maccabees
3:18–22 - God can save many or few; no difference
18 Judas replied, "It is easy for many
to be hemmed in by few,
for
in the sight of Heaven there is
NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAVING BY MANY OR BY FEW.
19 It is not on the size of the army that
victory in battle depends, but strength comes from Heaven.
20 They come against us in great insolence
and lawlessness to destroy us and our wives and our children, and to despoil
us;
21 but we fight for our lives and our laws.
22 He himself will crush them before us; as for you,
do not be afraid of them."
1
Maccabees 3:23-26 – Many Syrians fight Few Maccabees LOSE
23 When he finished speaking, he rushed
suddenly against Seron and his
army, and they
were crushed before him.
24 They pursued them down the descent
of Beth-horon to the plain; eight hundred of them fell, and the rest fled into
the land of the Philistines.
25 Then JUDAS and his
brothers BEGAN TO BE FEARED, and TERROR fell on the Gentiles all around them.
26 His fame reached the king, and the
Gentiles talked of the battles of Judas.
1 Maccabees
3:27-34 – King Antiochus gathers his troops
27 When King Antiochus heard
these reports, he was greatly angered; and he sent and gathered ALL the forces of his kingdom, a very strong army.
28 He opened his coffers and gave a year's pay
to his forces, and ordered them to be ready for any need.
29 Then he saw that the money in the
treasury was exhausted, and that the revenues from the country were small
because of the dissension and disaster that he had caused in the land by abolishing
the laws that had existed from the earliest days.
30 He feared that he might not have such
funds as he had before for his expenses and for the gifts that he used to give
more lavishly than preceding kings.
31 He was greatly perplexed in mind; then he
determined to go to Persia and collect the revenues from those regions and
raise a large fund.
32 He left Lysias, a distinguished man of royal
lineage, in
charge of the king's affairs from the
river Euphrates to the borders of Egypt.
34 And he turned over to Lysias half of
his forces and the elephants, and gave him orders about all that he wanted done. As
for the residents of Judea and Jerusalem,
1 Maccabees 3:35
– Eradicate Israel from face of the Earth
35 Lysias was to send a force against
them to wipe out and destroy the strength of Israel and the remnant of
Jerusalem; he was to banish the memory of them from
the place, settle aliens in all their territory, and distribute their land
by lot.
1 Maccabees
3:37-41 – Great Army encamps around Maccabeus
37 Then the king took the remaining half of
his forces and left Antioch his capital in the one hundred and forty-seventh
year. He crossed the Euphrates River and went through the upper
provinces.
38 Lysias chose Ptolemy son of Dorymenes,
and Nicanor and Gorgias, able men among the Friends of the king,
39 and sent with them forty thousand infantry and seven thousand
cavalry to go into the land of Judah and destroy it, as the king had commanded.
40 So they set out with their entire force,
and when they arrived they encamped near Emmaus in the plain.
41 When the traders of the region heard what
was said to them, they took silver and gold in immense amounts, and fetters,
and went to the camp to get the Israelites for slaves. And forces from Syria and the land of
the Philistines joined with them.
1 Maccabees
3:42-46 – Maccabees prays and ask God for Mercy
42 Now Judas and his brothers saw
that misfortunes had increased and that the forces were encamped in their territory. They also learned what the
king had commanded to do to the people to cause THEIR FINAL DESTRUCTION.
43 But they said to one another, "Let
us restore the ruins of our people, and fight for our people and the
sanctuary."
44 So the congregation assembled to be ready for battle, and to PRAY
and ask for
MERCY and COMPASSION.
45 Jerusalem was uninhabited like a wilderness;
not one of her children went in or out. The sanctuary was trampled down, and aliens
held the citadel; it was a lodging place for the Gentiles. Joy was taken from
Jacob; the flute and the harp ceased to play.
46 Then they gathered together and went to
Mizpah, opposite Jerusalem, because Israel formerly had a place of prayer in
Mizpah.
1 Maccabees
3:47-55 – Fasted sackcloth, ashes – Read the Law
47 They fasted that day, put on
sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on
their heads, and tore their clothes.
48 And they OPENED THE BOOK OF THE LAW to inquire into those matters about which the
Gentiles consulted the likenesses of their gods.
49They also brought the vestments of the priesthood and the first fruits and the tithes, and they
stirred up the Nazirites who
had completed their days; (The Nazarenes Vow was for a
specific time period)
50 and they cried aloud to Heaven, saying,
"What shall we do with these? Where shall we take them?
51 Your sanctuary is trampled down and
profaned, and your priests mourn in humiliation.
52 Here the Gentiles are assembled against
us to destroy us; you know what they plot against us.
53 How will we be able to withstand them, if
you do not help us?"
54 Then they sounded the trumpets and gave a loud shout.
55 After this Judas appointed leaders of the
people, in charge of thousands and hundreds and fifties and tens.
1 Maccabees 3:56
– Sent home those who were about to marry
56 Those who were building houses, or were about to
be married, or were planting a vineyard, or were fainthearted,
he told to go
home again, according to the law.
1 Maccabees
3:57-60 – The Maccabees choose to die in battle
57 Then the army marched out and
encamped to the south of Emmaus.
58 And Judas said, "Arm yourselves and be courageous. Be
ready early in the morning to fight with these Gentiles who have assembled
against us to destroy us and our sanctuary.
59 It is better for us to DIE in battle than to see the misfortunes of our nation and of
the sanctuary.
60 But as HIS WILL in heaven may be, so shall He do."
1 Maccabees
4:1-4 - Gorgias plans Attack on Jews
1 Now Gorgias took five thousand infantry and one
thousand picked cavalry, and this division moved out by night
2 to fall upon the camp of the Jews and
attack them suddenly. Men from the citadel were his guides.
3 But Judas heard of it, and he and his warriors moved out to
attack the king's force in
Emmaus
4 while the division was still absent from
the camp.
1
Maccabees 4:5-7 – Gorgias is FOOLED by Judas; they LOSE
5 When Gorgias entered the camp of Judas
by night, he found no one there, so he looked for them in the hills,
because he said,
"These men are running away from us."
6 At daybreak Judas appeared in the plain
with three thousand men, but they did not have armor and swords such as they
desired.
7 And they saw the camp of the Gentiles,
strong and fortified, with cavalry all around it; and these men were trained in
war.
War is over
On December 25th 164 B.C.
The
Maccabees cleansed the temple and
reinstituted the Laws of Moses. A
re-dedication of the Temple took place with an Eight day celebration. This was not only in remembrance of the
re-dedication of the Temple, but a remembrance and thanksgiving for what GOD
had accomplished with so few people.
According to the Talmud, the Jews found a lamp in the
Temple with a one-day supply of Holy oil, but it stayed miraculously lit for the entire
eight days of the festival.
This became an eight days ANNUAL festival,
celebrating the cleansing and rededication of the Temple after its desecration
three years earlier by the “Gentiles”.
This relighting of the candelabras took
on the name Festival
of Lights. Each day one
additional candle would be lit until a total of eight candles is reached. They would sing the “Halle Psalms”; which is a very,
very lengthy Psalm.[3]
At the festivals, children were told
stories of the brave Maccabees in order to stir up the desire to emulate them
in their love
of God and their obedience to
His Laws.
The Bible
John 10:22 –
Hanukkah – 25th – Festival of Dedication
22 It was now winter, and Jesus was in Jerusalem
at the time of HANUKKAH, the Festival of
Dedication. (NLT)
The Apocrypha
1 Maccabees
4:8-11 - Judas encourages the Men to fight
8 But Judas said to those who were with him,
"Do not
fear their numbers or be afraid
when they charge.
9 Remember how our ancestors were saved at the Red Sea, when Pharaoh with his forces
pursued them.
10 And now, let us cry to Heaven, to see
whether he will favor us and remember his covenant
with our ancestors and crush this army before us today.
11 Then all the Gentiles will know that
there
is ONE who REDEEMS and SAVES Israel."
1 Maccabees
4:12-17 – Blew trumpet, the few crushed the many
12 When the foreigners looked up and
saw them coming against them,
13 they went out from their camp to battle.
Then the men with Judas blew their trumpets
14 and engaged in battle. The Gentiles were
CRUSHED, and fled into the plain,
15 and all those in the rear fell by the
sword. They pursued them to Gazara, and to the plains of Idumea, and to Azotus
and Jamnia; and three thousand of them fell.
16 Then Judas and his force turned back from
pursuing them,
17 and he said to the people, "Do not
be greedy for plunder, for there is a battle before us;
1 Maccabees
4:18-27 – Gorgias is frightened; Flees to the hills
18 Gorgias and his force are near us in the
hills. But stand now against our enemies and fight them, and afterward seize
the plunder boldly."
19 Just as Judas was finishing this speech,
a detachment appeared, coming out of the hills.
20 They saw that their army had been
put to flight, and that the Jews were burning the camp, for the smoke that
was seen showed what had happened.
21 When they perceived this, they were greatly
frightened, and when they also saw the army of Judas drawn up in the
plain for battle,
22 they all fled into the land of the
Philistines.
23 Then Judas returned to plunder the camp, and they
seized a great amount of gold and silver, and cloth dyed blue and sea purple,
and great riches. On their return
24 THEY SANG HYMNS AND PRAISES TO HEAVEN
"For he is good, for his mercy endures forever."
25 Thus Israel had a great deliverance that
day.
26Those of the foreigners who escaped went and
reported to Lysias all that had happened.
27 When he heard it, he was perplexed and
discouraged, for things had not happened to Israel as he had intended, nor had
they turned out as the king had ordered.
1 Maccabees
4:28-29 – Lysias musters army against Maccabeus
28 But the next year he mustered sixty thousand
picked infantry and five thousand
cavalry to subdue them.
29 They came into Idumea and encamped
at Beth-zur, and Judas met them with (only)
ten thousand men.
1 Maccabees 4:30-35
– Maccabeus PRAISES God; WINS WAR
30 When he saw that their army was strong, HE PRAYED,
saying, "Blessed
are you, O Savior of Israel, who crushed the attack of the mighty
warrior by the hand of your servant David, and gave the camp of the Philistines
into the hands of Jonathan son of Saul, and of the man who carried his
armor.
31 Hem in this army by
the hand of your people Israel, and let them be ashamed of their troops and
their cavalry.
32 Fill them with cowardice; melt the boldness of their
strength; let them tremble in their destruction.
33 Strike them down with
the sword of those who love you, and let all who know your name praise you with
hymns."
34 Then both sides attacked, and there fell
of the army of Lysias five thousand men; they fell in action.
35 When Lysias saw the rout of his troops
and observed the boldness that inspired those of Judas, and how ready they were
either to live or to die nobly, he withdrew to Antioch and enlisted
mercenaries in order to invade Judea again with an even larger army.
1 Maccabees
4:36-41 – WE WON; let’s go cleanse the Temple
36 Then Judas and his brothers said, "See, our enemies
are crushed; let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it."
37 So all the army assembled and went up to
Mount Zion.
38 There they saw the sanctuary desolate,
the altar profaned, and the gates burned. In the courts they saw bushes sprung
up as in a thicket, or as on one of the mountains. They saw also the chambers
of the priests in ruins.
39 Then they tore their clothes and mourned
with great lamentation; they sprinkled themselves with ashes
40 and fell face down on the ground. And when the
signal was given with the trumpets, they cried out to Heaven.
41 Then Judas detailed men to fight against
those in the citadel until he had cleansed the sanctuary.
1 Maccabees
4:42-45 – The cleansing and rebuilding begins
42 He chose blameless priests devoted to the law,
43 and they cleansed the sanctuary and removed the defiled stones to an unclean place.
44 They deliberated what to do about the
altar of burnt offering, which had been profaned.
45 And they thought it best to tear it down,
so that it would not be a lasting shame to them that the Gentiles had defiled
it. So they tore
down the altar,
1 Maccabees
4:47-48 – Built a new altar, rebuilt sanctuary
47 Then they took unhewn stones, as the
law directs, and built a new altar like the former one.
48 They also rebuilt the sanctuary and the interior of the temple, and consecrated
the courts.
1 Maccabees
4:49-51 – Made vessels, offered incense, lit lamps
49 They made new holy vessels, and brought the LAMPSTAND, the altar of incense, and the table into the
temple.
50 Then they offered incense on the altar
and LIT THE LAMPS on the LAMPSTAND, and these gave light in the
temple.
51 They placed the bread on the table and
hung up the curtains. Thus they finished all the work they had
undertaken.
1
Maccabees 4:52-58 – December 25th; re-dedicated the Temple
52 Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth
day of the ninth month, which is
the month of Chislev, (December) in the one hundred forty-eighth year,
53 they rose and offered sacrifice, as the
law directs, on the new altar of burnt offering that they had built.
54 At the very season
and on
the very day that the Gentiles
had profaned it, it was dedicated
with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals.
55 All the people fell on their faces and worshiped
and blessed Heaven
(God), who had
prospered them.
56 So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight
days, and joyfully offered burnt offerings; they offered a sacrifice
of well-being and a thanksgiving offering.
57 They decorated the front of the temple
with golden crowns and small shields; they restored the gates and the chambers
for the priests, and fitted them with doors.
58 There was very great joy among the people,
and the disgrace brought by the Gentiles was removed.
1 Maccabees
4:59-60 - Command to Celebrate December 25th
59 Then Judas and his brothers and all the
assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should
be observed with joy and gladness for
eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth
day of the month of Chislev.
60 At that time they fortified Mount
Zion with high walls and strong towers all around, to keep the Gentiles from
coming and trampling them
Flavius Josephus; Historian
Antiquities
12:7:7 – Festival of Lights – Freedom of Worship
7 Now Judas (Maccabees) celebrated
the festival of the restoration of the sacrifices of the temple for eight days,
and omitted no sort of pleasures thereon; but he feasted them upon very rich
and splendid sacrifices; and he honored God, and delighted them by hymns and
psalms. Nay, they were so very glad at the revival of their customs, when, after a
long time of intermission, they unexpectedly had regained the FREEDOM OF THEIR WORSHIP, that they made it a law
for their posterity, that they should keep a festival, on account of the restoration of their temple
worship, for
eight days. And from that time to this we celebrate this FESTIVAL,
and call it LIGHTS. I suppose the reason was, because this
liberty beyond our hopes appeared to us; and that thence was the name given to
that festival.
The Take Away
I
had always heard about the Maccabean Revolt
and thought it was a family or a Jewish tribe of people. I didn’t know it was a name given to a rag
tag group of likeminded pious men that were drawn together to fight for the
right to have the FREEDOM TO
WORSHIP GOD.
This was a spinoff of the Pharisees,
Sadducees and the Essenes
who all sought to live Godly Lives.
Hanukkah, Festival of Dedication and Festival of
Lights are all names of this
celebration. This was NOT a military celebration of victory over the
Syrians, it was a Spiritual Celebration
for the Freedom
of Worship and a joyous
remembrance of God’s faithful deliverance.
Happy Hanukkah Greetings are not about
Santa Clause or Christmas, it’s about rejoicing with others in thanking God for
those who fought for the Freedom of Worship. If it were not for the Maccabees, the
monotheistic faith of the ONE GOD of
the Jewish people may have perished forever. God has always had a remnant of
people that love Him; nothing can thwart the plans of God.
Today in the festival, the seven
candle menorah is replaced with an eight branch candelabrum representing the
eight days of the festival and sometimes a ninth center one is added called the shammes
or “SERVANT” that is used
as a pilot light. Although we do not
have any original Hebrew Text to support this celebration; Jesus certainly
observed it.
Note: We are no
longer under the Old Covenant of WRATH; but are now
under the New Covenant of MERCY; ALL WHO DRAW THE SWORD WILL
DIE BY THE SWORD. We are no longer God’s instruments of Judgment,
but are His
instruments of Mercy. At this
writing, in Paris France, Muslim Jihadist have
just MURDERED 127 people and wounded some 200 … WHY?
We are
not to kill people because they do not believe like we do. It’s God’s job to Judge; our job is to just
share the Gospel; BUT scripture says
if someone premeditates to come against you; TAKE
THEM OUT
quickly with a Maccabean sledge HAMMER. Those who draw an AK-47 against you will die
with a Hell Fire Missile. It’s in the Book.
John 10:22 –
Hanukkah December 25th Festival of Dedication
22 It was now winter, and JESUS was in Jerusalem at the time of HANUKKAH,
the Festival
of Dedication.
(NLT)
Matthew
26:52 – We are under the New Covenant
52 Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him,
“FOR ALL WHO DRAW THE SWORD WILL DIE BY THE SWORD.”
(NIV2011)
Exodus 22:2 – SHOOT THE THIEF; INCINERATE
THE TERRORIST
2 If
a thief is caught breaking in at night and is struck a fatal blow, the defender is NOT
GUILTY of bloodshed; (NIV2011)
Wikipedia - Hanukkah Lamp, Lemberg (Lviv,
Ukraine), 1867–72
from the collection of The Jewish
Museum of New York
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