Hanukkah - A Celebration of Zionism

I can't help but get vexed when I see President Bush taking part in an annual White House celebration of Hanukkah knowing that for most of his presidency he pushed for a Israel-annihilating Islamic-terrorist state while pressuring Israel with the cutting off of load grantees to make the ancient Jewish land of Gaza Jew-free, or as the Nazis used to say, "judenrein". This is especially troublesome when considering the fact that during the Hamonean wars Gaza was retaken under the grandson of Simeon Maccabee - Alexander Janneus (103 - 76 BCE). Watching Bush participate in a Hanukkah celebration is kind of like watching some draft-dodger celebrate the 4th. of July. For Bush to participate in anything that has to do with Hanukkah is nothing short of him being a political hypocrite.
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The story of Hanukkah is one of Jewish sovereignty within their own Jewish-land. The Jewish events of 167-164 BCE demonstrates what Israel needs today - a modern Maccabean Revolt, and not only against Israel's surrounding Islamic-terrorists enemies, but against the current "land for supposedly-peace" spiritually-weak Israeli government as well!
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Much of what Israel is facing today they faced during the time of the Maccabean period.

• The Seleucids had a problem with Jewish sovereignty within the land of their ancient forefathers just like the Palestinians and all Muslim nations do today. In fighting for such rights both spiritual and legal, modern Israeli War of Independence and the Six Day War mimics the Maccabean won autonomy.
• Like Haman, more than three hundred years before him, Antiochus Epiphanes (Antiochus IV) had a real problem with Jews practicing Judaism within their own ancestral land and wanted all forms of such practices be forever annihilated. (Esther 3:8 / I Maccabees 1:41-49 / II Maccabees 6:1-2). Likewise, devoted Islamic governments of today such as Hamas, also have a real problem with Jews practicing Judaism within their own ancestral land and want it forever annihilated! Article 11 of the Hamas Covenant states: "Any procedure in contradiction to Islamic Sharia, where Palestine is concerned, is null and void" while Article 28 of the same covenant states: "Israel, Judaism and Jews challenge Islam and the Muslim people. May the cowards never sleep." And the first things to be burned of Jewish property after they left Gaza in August, 2005 was the synagogues as with all synagogues the world-over that the Islamic enemies can get their Islamic hands on.
• The Maccabees also had their share of Jewish enemies to battle as well. The pro-Hellas Jew who brought a pig to sacrifice on the alter at Modin (I Maccabees 2:23) foreshadowed all the modern Jewish-liberal peaceniks both in Israel and abroad. Like the Jewish pig- sacrificer in Maccabean times, the modern Jewish pacifists are willing to sellout all that Zionism stands for including their own Jewish sovereignty within their ancestral homeland. Instead of fighting those who fight against Jewish sovereignty, and like their ancient Jewish Hellenized brothers, they seek to appease again and again, the enemies of the covenant. They wish to see the Jewish nation (with or without the State of Israel) become like all the other Gentile nations that has no covenant with God, which is goes against the very reason Israel has been gather back into his homeland in this modern era to begin with (Deuteronomy 7:6 / Ezekiel 37:21).
• Today's reward for Quartet-compliance is nothing new to the Jewish nation. The Quartet-appeasing Israeli government get billions of dollars from the US (the main member of the Quartet) and can therefore use a lot this compliance-money on "Evacuation and Compensation Bills". "Evacuations and compensation" meaning compensating Jews who are willing to forsake their God-given covenant and ancestral land for the sake being honored by the Gentiles and receiving covenant-sellout money! The principle remains the same as the commandment of Antiochus IV rings through Quartet: "Now therefore come thou first, and fulfill the king's commandment, like as all the heathen have done....so shalt thou and thy house be in the number of the king's friends, and thou and thy children shall be honored with silver and gold, and many rewards." - I Maccabees 2:18
  

For me Hanukkah represents the continuance of the everlasting covenant God has with Israel. It gives me a charge every time I read Mattathais' response to Antiochus IV: "I and my sons and my brethren walk in the covenant of our fathers. God forbid that we should forsake the law and the ordinances. We will not hearken to the king's words, to go from our religion, either on the right hand, ot the left." And after he slayed the Hellenized-Jew pig-sacrificer, he stated: "Whosoever is zealous of the law, and maintaineth the covenant, let him follow me." -Maccabees 2:20-22, 27
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Oh, if modern Israel could just follow Mattathais Maccabee in his zeal that he showed to the Quartet of his day over two thousand years ago, how much better off they would be? Why, it would be the messianic age! And speaking of the messiah, he is represented by the in the "shamash" or "servant" candle usually centered with four candles on each side (see picture above) that is used to light the other eight candle of a Hanukkah menorah. This is only fitting since the messiah is heavily linked to the covenant that the Maccabees were so zealous for (Ezekiel 37:25 / Jeremiah 33:15).
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Christians and even Muslims, and most especially the Israel / Jew haters of these religions, should be very appreciative for the Maccabean revolts of 167 BCE and more importantly the Jewish triumph of 164 BCE. Without a victory over the Seleucid enemy that was intending to wipe out all sources of Jewish identity and religion within the Jewish homeland in 164 BCE, there never would have been a Jewish Israel for Jesus of Jewish-Nazareth to come to 164 years later (Matthew 15:24 / St. John 1:11). And with no establishment of Christianity there would be no Islam either 1. What makes this so ironic is: Islam owes its very existence to Jewish victory wars that were based upon the covenant and Zionism (Jewish sovereignty within the land called "Israel" not Palestine)!
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I believe that the "Miracle of Hanukkah" where just one sealed flask of untainted oil - enough for only a single day for the rededication of the temple (Hanukkah means dedication) that ended up lasting eight days, is a testimony every year to the world of the everlasting covenant God has with Israel. The number seven is one of "completion" as in completing a full week, while the number eight is one of renewal or rebirth connecting a seemingly end to the beginning, causing there to be no end! Even our English number "8" is written in a style that ends where it began causing no written indications of a starting or stopping points. So each night of this and every Hanukkah season when I light the eight candled menorah, I'll be thinking of the covenant that the God of Israel has with the Jewish people that God Himself has declared will never end (Jeremiah 31:35-36 / 33: 25-26) and of the men like Mattithais and Judah Maccabee of which God has used in keeping His covenant ever-preserved.

http://www.aish.com/movies/JustJewIt.asp

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Interesting Facts:
A. It has been suggested that the Maccabean Revolt may have been the first ever fight centered solely around "religious freedom".
B. Hanukkah is referred to in the New Testament: St. John 10:22.
C. The Hanukkah season has no pagan influences and is strictly Jewish originated (II Maccabees 10:8) unlike December 25th. that has connections with Attis, Mitra, Dionysus

http://www.religioustolerance.org/xmas_sel.htm and the prophet Jeremiah condemns the early emergence of the Christmas Tree (Jeremiah10:3-4). Since ancient times (where there was no artificial lights) Hanukkah lights have been lighting up the darkest part of the year in the northern hemisphere.
D. "...on November 30, 1964 the UN Truce Supervision Organization demanded in writing that Israel stop the traditional display of lights on the festival of Hanukkah atop Mt. Scopus because of Jordanian sensitivities" - "The Fight for Jerusalem" by Dore Gold - page 158.

E. In 1993 more than 10,000 homes in Billings, Montana were displaying newspaper-printed menorahs due the a certain antisemitic incident where a cement stone crashed through a window of a Jewish home displaying the menorah. The cry of the town' s people was, "Not in Our Town". http://www.pbs.org/niot/about/niot1.html
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Notes:
1. Islam is heavily based upon Christianity and of course Judaism. Sura 19 of the Koran is entitled, "Maryam" or "Mary" after the mother of Jesus. In fact Mary is the only woman mentioned in the Koran and she is actually mentioned more in the Koran than in the New Testament itself! New Testament characters such as Zacharias and John are also mentioned in the Koran. Jesus (Isa in Arabic) is considered a highly regarded prophet of Islam (Suras 3:42-53 / 42:13) and "the People of the Book" meaning Christians and Jews, is a common phrase throughout the Koran. These "People of the Book" according to the hadiths, played great influence on Mohammad. Even the New Testament "Angel of Annunciation" - Gabriel (Jabril in Arabic) was responsible for not only informing Mary she would have the child Jesus, he also was responsible for giving Mohammad the very revelations of the Koran (sura 2:97). I personally believe that the Islamic prayer beads (Misbaha or Tasbih) are religiously connected to Catholic prayer beads (Rosaries).

Criticizing Israel While Refusing to Recognize Their Covenant with The God of Israel

There are two types of criticism of Israel:

1. A constructive criticism that at its core motive is to support Israel against his enemies or is based upon Israel's compliance with their covenant that they have with the God of Israel, which also supports Israel against his enemies.
2. A criticism that comes from a willingness (not a reluctance) to paint Israel in a bad light while contending with his enemies, thereby supporting Israel's enemies.

I personally criticize Israel all the time for their noncompliance to the covenant while at the same time I stand ready and willing to defend Israel come hail or high water based upon that very covenant that they continually fail to conform to. This is not the case with Israel's true enemies. They seek to criticize Israel for doing anything remotely close to what seems to be covenant-based.
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For Israel to drive his enemies out of their covenanted land (Ex. 34:24 Deut. 4:38 / 7:1 Joel 3:2) that would in turn make Israel terrorism / terrorist-free would be seen among the Gentile nations as the greatest war crime ever among the nations, while most of Israel's response to unprovoked attacks upon their citizens are seen somehow as acts of aggression. When Israel moved away from the covenant during Gaza expulsion in August 2005, it resulted in more rockets coming into Israel from Gaza within two years than the entire period of the so-called occupation of Gaza (1967-2005). Yet the Quartet applauded and even demanded such a move of Israel's withdraw from Gaza. This is more proof added to the Gentile world history that they love "dead Jews" and are willing seeking by political means the death of Israel - the state of the Jews!
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Any criticism of Israel should always be based upon whether Israel is in compliance with their God-given covenant. No criticism should ever be based upon what's politically correct and most especially when it's coming form the Quartet. When criticism of Israel is based outside the covenant's (Bible) parameters, such criticism has already been spiritually corrupted to begin with. The covenant-rejectors of the world will never support any political ideas that even remotely supports a portion of the everlasting covenant God has with Israel. They can't because they are spiritually tied to the rejection of the covenant and therefore the death of Israel.
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If criticizing Israel is not based upon "the covenant" and all its principles, then that very criticism has to be based upon an attempt to conform Israel to a position that is outside all that "the covenant" spiritually means to and calls Israel to be. There is no way around that, for there is no in between. This is why tiny Israel brings such a huge spiritual decision to the nations of the world, and depending on how one views Israel's place in the world determines a great deal on how close to the God of the covenant they are!
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There is a spiritual reason as to why the Palestinians are called just that - "Palestinians". They've adopted that name which is derived from Roman Emperor Hadrian renaming the covenanted land of Israel to "Palestine" after the Bar Kochba revolt in 135 CE of which thousands of Jews were slaughtered and then ever forbidden to enter Jerusalem - the city of David renamed Aelia Capitolina by Hadrian, and then later renamed Al-Quds by the Muslims.
http://www.levitt.com/essays/palestine.html
Therefore, like the "Philistines" from whom Hadrian's renaming of Israel came, the name "Palestine" is spiritually associated and linked with Jew-slaughter but more importantly with "covenant denial" of Jewish habitation within the land of Israel. Is there any spiritual-wonder as to why the Palestinians' "final solution" from which they chant are "from the river (Jordan) to the sea (Mediterranean)"? http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3236542,00.html
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If the Palestinians, with their Hamas-electing tendencies, their Islamic-jihad asperations, their shahid-suicide bomb supporting culture, their arms-struggle for all of Palestine goals, and their very cause as a people by which their very name reveals are not "pro-covenant" towards the land of Israel and the Jews, then their entire cause on any and every level is simply "anti-covenant". Therefore, any backing or support of these anti-covenant Palestinians in their endeavors against Israel in whatever form or however intended, spiritually becomes "anti-covenant" period!
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All Palestinian / Islamic terrorism is totally based upon the side of "anti-covenant" - the fulfillment of the Jewish return to the land of their forefathers (Ezekiel 37:22-28). Their spiritual Islamic goal is specifically set to deny the Jews their fulfillment of prophecy from their God Jehovah in order that they may honor of their god Allah, and that Islam be the superior of all religions (Koran 8:39 / 9:33).
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Perhaps even without knowing it every Israeli response to anti-covenant based terrorism has been an attempt to indeed put an end to this Palestinian "anti-covenant" terrorism. There is no part of Palestinian terrorism that is not anti-covenant based of which Israel is trying to stop. Therefore, such anti-terrorism based response can only be a "pro-covenant" response being that it promotes circumstances and conditions for Israel that is closer to all that the covenant actually declares and stands for - the Jewish people living in peace and safety in the land of their forefathers (Deuteronomy 33:28-29 / Ezekiel 36:33-38)!
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When I hear someone criticizing Israel's policies, I immediately check their motive. Are they wishing for Israel to conform to their God-given covenant or are they wishing Israel to conform to a Gentile policy that is in fact outside, or even denies their covenant with God? Again, any criticism of Israel outside "covenant criticism" is a criticism that is based on anti-covenantism!
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When one is convinced that the Christians are the "new" covenant people replacing the Jews based upon Galatians 6:15-16 (replacement theology) or that the Muslims have replaced the Jews as "God's chosen" based upon sura 3:110 (Islamic replacement theology) then their criticism will most always be based upon their spiritual willingness, and certainly never a spiritual reluctance, to criticize Israel both spiritually and therefore politically whether they realize it or not.
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It doesn't matter how right and justified Israel may be on any given issue, critics of Israel will always find a way to criticize Israel, and or, criticize anyone who defends Israel in their justification. This is why it is helpful to know a person's general stance on the issue of Israel itself. Whatever the stance or mindset that one has towards Israel to begin with, it will generally come out in the form of criticism, being either "for" or "against" the everlasting covenant God has with His people as fully depicted throughout the Hebrew scriptures.
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The accusation against those who chose to defend Israel stating that such a person believes "Israel can do no wrong" usually (not always) comes from someone who believes "Israel can do no right" or at least has the mindset and holds to their Christian / Islamic belief that Israel has no covenant when it comes to dealing with Palestinian terrorism. The victim-villain role-switch of "Israeli aggression and Palestinian victimization" has been a "anti-Israel / anti Jewish" method used by all of Israel's enemies including the world media for quite a long time. Again, the very covenant itself should be the over-all deciding factor on any given issue concerning the Jewish Israelis. And this certainly includes any issues concerning the so-called occupied areas of Gaza and the West Bank of which so happens to be part of the covenant (Joshua 15).
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Some of the questions I ask myself on every action the State of Israel expresses include:

• Does such action promote or is inline with biblical principles including all of the Torah?
• Is such actions agree or disagree with all biblical prophecies concerning the Jews and the nation of Israel?
• Does such actions please the Gentile nations (namely the Quartet) more than it pleases the God of their covenant, and vice-versa?
• Does such actions help, advance, support, encourage, influence, and excite Israel's enemies, or does it deter, discourage, hinder, frighten, and prevent Israel enemies from committing unproved attacks against Israel be it military or civilians?
• Are such actions in direct support the everlasting covenant God has with His Jewish people, or are they in total contempt of the covenant?
  

The people who are willing to openly criticize Israel over their so-called "disproportionate response" every time Israel is attacked but are ever so silent over the initial attack against Israel in the first place, demonstrates that they are more concerned for the welfare of Israel's enemies who has no everlasting covenant with God than the Jewish Israelis themselves who do have an everlasting covenant with God. They are more willing that Israel be handcuffed in response in the name of "disproportionate response" than Israel attackers be handcuffed for their very terrorism! They do this regardless how such handcuffing Israel encourages the initial attackers (Israel's enemies) to continue their attacking! It blows my pro-covenant mind!
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Those who cry, "disproportionate" are for the most part "disproportionate" in their criticism of Israel verses their criticism of Israel's enemies! This is quite ironic when it's Israel enemies that always (and I do mean always) starts any and all confrontations - always! The "Israel can do no wrong" jab that is so often used by Israel's critics should be met with the fact that "yes, Israel actually has "done no wrong" by starting a war or initiating a terrorist attack"!
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This verbal comeback should make them stop and think of Israel's non-conflictual nature that they have demonstrated throughout their 60-plus year history in trying to do everything that they can to make peace with the Palestinians and with all their Muslims-Islamic neighbors around them. However, such an explicit reality still won't keep the disproportionate-concept factor that is embedded in the minds of these disproportionate-critics from taking center stage on Palestinian / Hezbollah-terrorism issues, while the guilty party of who started the entire conflict to begin with is completely forgotten and is willfully overlooked. This willful and blatant injustice happens because these Israel critics' mindsets are not covenant-based but anti-covenant based!
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When the 2003 EU survey declared Israel as "the most dangerous country in the world" ahead of Iran, Korea, and Venezuela, it showed how the white Christian Europeans have this inner hatred for Jewish Israel. And call me crazy, but I believe such an antisemitic result is due to Israelis being non-Christian and God's chosen people (and many of them non-white) all at the same time. Most all critics of Israel (especially the world media) who are eagerly willing to criticize Israel outside the everlasting covenant, I find much of this EU survey results resonates within them as well.
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The cartoon above depicts perfectly the "world of Israeli criticism" (a world that influences some more than others). Charges of "hurting of civilians" and "escalating the violence" under the banner of "disproportionate response" keeps the world focused not on Israel's enemies and what Israel's enemies initiates in the form of terrorism towards innocent Israeli civilians, but on Israel! Israel is then seen as Christ-denying Jews, who are so dangerous in the world in wanting to hurt the poor Palestinians and the poor people of Lebanon just like they wanted to hurt Jesus1, when all the poor jihadists are wanting to do is annihilate the most dangerous country ever known to Europe - Israel.
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If it is true that an once of prevention is worth a pound of cure, then the bottom line answer to the Israeli "disproportionate response" question is quite simple: If Israel is never attacked by unprovoked terrorism, the world would never find itself in a position nor the need to criticize Israel for what they see as disproportionate response! Again, that's bottom line! Any other reasoning automatically calls for the acceptance of terrorism against the Jews as a norm of which cannot be fixed nor address as the biggest obstacle towards the solution to the problem. Of course when the annihilation of the State of Israel is their inner most goals by reason of anti-covenantism then who whats to address the "real" and "only" solution to Palestinian / Hezbollah terrorism? But to point out their hypocrisy - their unjust criticism: if all the energy that it takes to get the world wound up over Israeli responses to Jewish civilian murder and use that energy as they should against the initial and premeditated terrorist attackers, then the terrorist attackers themselves might just consider it twice before carrying out their Jew-murdering attacks on Israeli citizens!
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As it currently stands, the world offers the Palestinian and Hezbollah Islamic terrorists the enjoyment of a win-win situation. Their initial premeditated terrorist attacks that target innocent Jewish civilians are almost completely overlooked by world governments, world media, and general populations, while any and all Israelis responses are criticized as "disproportionate". In this way these terrorists are backed by the world by making Israel the villain and the Palestinians / Hezbollah (people of Lebanon) the victim - a spiritual / political role-switch. The world doesn't want to hold the Palestinians accountable for anything and make Israel accountable in order to blame them for something the Palestinians started!
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This is also the reason that Palestinian and Hezbollah terrorist hide behind their own civilians when Israel is hot on their tail in pursuit. If either the civilian (human shield) or the terrorist is killed by Israeli forces, the civilian and the terrorist both becomes Islamic shahid martyrs. They know all too well that Israel will be condemned by the world for making either their human-shield or the terrorist a martyr, and that the terrorist that initially caused the civilian to be a human shield to begin with will never be condemned or even mentioned for that matter! All because the world for the most part, hates Jews and Israel (elements of the covenant) of whom they seek to paint in a evil-light any chance that they get!
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All in all, the complete answer to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the full implementation of the everlasting covenant that the God of Israel has with His Jewish people throughout the land as the Palestinians like to say, "from the river to the sea". The further away Israel gets from their covenant with their God the more they will find themselves among world (Gentile)-overlooked Islamic terrorism. There, I just criticized Israel - the right way!
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Covenant prophecy:
Moreover the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,
Considerest thou not what this people have spoken, saying, The two families which the LORD hath chosen, he hath even cast them off? thus they have despised my people, that they should be no more a nation before them. Thus saith the LORD; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them. - Jeremiah 33: 23-26

Notes:
1. One media cartoon depicted the wheelchair-bound Hamas sheikh Ahmed Yassin (whom the Israelis righteously sent a missile into his lions on March 22, 2004) as being nailed upon the Christian-cross while the Jews were rejoicing.

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