Thursday 17th December 2020 was the LAST DAY OF THE 8-Day FEAST OF DEDICATION (9th - 17th Dec 2020).
This FEAST which YESHUA, (or Jesus) Himself also observed, see John 10:22, spans the transition from the AUTUMN Season to WINTER (which officially commenced on the 1ST DAY of the 10th MONTH, TEVET (in the MOSAIC CALENDAR which this year, was on 15th December 2020), according to The Book of Jubilees Ch 6:23, 27; the
10th month marks the start of the FOURTH & FINAL DIVISION, or Season of the Year.
The FEAST OF DEDICATION reminds the BELIEVER that
WE ARE THE TRUE TEMPLE (1 Cor 3:16-17), "The Temple not made with Hands" Acts 7:48-49
and that after we have come before our ABBA YAH, particularly in REPENTING and seeking His FORGIVENESS on the DAY OF ATONEMENT, we are responsible and accountable for maintaining our WALK WITH YAH for another Year, (symbolising that we are to take one-step-at-a-time). How do we maintain our walk? by taking v deliberate and decisive action to ensure we continue to PURGE ourselves from sin, and stay in right standing with Our Abba YAH by FAITH.
ONCE PURGED, WE MUST KEEP OURSELVES. THIS REQUIRES EFFORT
by deliberate effort and intentional action, as did JUDAH 'THE HAMMER' or 'THE HAMMERER' MACCABBEE and His Brethren (2 Macc 10), who cleaned the SECOND TEMPLE, by throwing out all of the rubbish that foreigners had accumulated within the Temple walls, and tearing down the false ALTARS they’d set up there, and RE-KINDLING THE LIGHT of the HOLY SPIRIT once again, by searching out and relighting the TEMPLE’S MENORAH’S, once again, which had not been lit in such a long time, and
RE-IGNITING THE Pure FLAME UPON THE ALTAR OF SACRIFICE, which symbolises the offering of our Spirit-filled Praises, as a lifestyle, a daily spiritual service we offer to God.
They had through WAR, and great physical EFFORT to reclaim their GOD-GIVEN, true SPIRITUAL IDENTITY, to raise up a TEMPLE of WORSHIP once again in ISRAEL. This is a very important point, this is not necessarily an easy thing to do, we may not be able to KEEP OURSELVES DEDICATED TO YAHUAH, from the comfort of our armchairs, or if we must sleep our obligatory 8 hours per night. Judah and his armies lived in discomfort, in caves and dens for many years, in order to engage, and FIGHT the enemies, occasionally ambushing and waging wars even in the night.
BE RECONCILED TO YAHUAH
We need to RETURN to the (true) YAHUAH, and to TRUE belief, as too many, especially HEBREWS unfortunately remain in the PAGANISM of the roman christian tradition, whereby many self-professed christians, just having commemorated or acknowledged HALLOWEEN in some form, which really should be better called by its rightful name “THE DAY OF THE DEAD”, are now gearing up to keep THE PAGAN Sun Festival of CHRISTMAS, including setting up their Christmas trees in their homes, even though we as children of our Abba Yah are commanded expressly in Jer 10:2-4 not to do this:
"Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. 3 For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. 4 They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not."
What Does the Feast of Dedication Mean for Us Today?
The FEAST OF DEDICATION points us to RIGHTEOUSNESS, and reminds us that the onus is on us to ABSTAIN and KEEP OURSELVES CONFESSED of all known sin. Be MEEK and Walk HUMBLY with Our YAH (James 4:6-8), LOVING, preferring and putting others before ourselves (Rom 12:10), cultivating our HUNGER and THIRST for YAHUAH and for His RIGHTEOUSNESS alone (Matt 5:6), giving Him first place in our lives, (Matt 6:33. This is the True essence of the LAW, which YESHUA Summarised for us so beautifully in the BEAUTITUDES, in the Sermon on the Mount, (Matt 5). Remember YESHUA then goes on to conclude:
“Whosoever shall break one of THESE least COMMANDMENTS, (Speaking of the Beautitudes), shall be called LEAST IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN” Matt 5:19
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” James 1:27
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