“Seek Yahweh while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to Yahweh, and He will have compassion on him. Turn to our Elohim, for He will abundantly pardon.”
Isaiah 55: 6-7
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The Hanukkah Story is Fact, not Fiction, and Palestinian Lies are Fiction
You should begin by reading this article: “2,200-year-old coins proving Hanukkah story of Maccabees found in Israel.” It’s a short read, and it’s very informative.
The 15 coins recently discovered in the Negev prove that the Hanukkah story of the Maccabees is true. It’s fact, not fiction.
The New Testament provides additional proof that the Hanukkah story is true. John 10:22-42 talks about the Messiah at the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem. The Feast of Dedication was a Hanukkah celebration. Pay particular attention to verses 22 to 30:
“At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Yeshua was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, ‘How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly.’ Yeshua answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me, but you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.’” (John 10:22-30)
The Messiah chose the Feast of Dedication or Hanukkah to announce His deity to the Jewish people. That was not a coincidence, and He announced His deity in the Temple complex. That wasn’t a coincidence, either.
Those recently discovered coins help to expose the lies being told by so-called “Palestinians” about Jewish people having no historical connection with the Land of Israel, the lie about there never having been a Temple of Yahweh, and the lie about the Messiah being a Palestinian instead of a Jew. Those coins date back to around 200 BC. By the time the Messiah was born, the Jewish people had been celebrating the Feast of Dedication or Hanukkah for about two centuries.
The Origin of the Name “Palestine”
The name “Palestine” was introduced in the 5th century BC by the Greek historian Herodotus. That was about 500 years after David became King of Israel. Herodotus referred to the land as a “district of Syria, called Palaistinê” between Phoenicia and Egypt. Much later, Palaistinê was transliterated into English as “Palestine”. That’s the name that today’s so-called “Palestinians” use in their pursuit of Israel’s destruction.
In the 400s BC, Palaistinê referred to the land controlled by the Philistines. Today, that land includes the Gaza Strip plus land as far as Ashkelon about 8 miles north of the Gaza Strip. Today’s so-called “Palestinians” control the Gaza Strip. Israel controls the land north of the Gaza Strip.
The Philistines were Israel’s archrival. Anyone who has read the Bible knows that Israel fought many wars with the Philistines over hundreds of years. The Philistines were a constant thorn in Israel’s side. For example, everyone has heard about David and Goliath. Goliath was a Philistine. The Philistines killed Israel’s first king, Saul, in a battle at Mount Gilboa about 20 miles south of the Sea of Galilee as the crow flies.
Below is a picture that I took of the Valley of Elah where David met Goliath. It’s about 17 miles southwest of Jerusalem and about 4 miles southwest of Beit Shemesh. When I took the picture, I was standing in the area where the Philistines were camped. David killed Goliath in the valley below. The Israelites were camped at the top of the ridge across the valley.
In 63 BC, the Romans conquered Israel, and they knew the country by the names “Israel”, “Judea”, and “Samaria”. Samaria was the Northern Kingdom of Israel that the Assyrians conquered in the 700s BC. Judea was the Southern Kingdom of Israel that the Jewish people controlled. Before King Solomon’s death in the 900s BC, both the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom were called “Israel”.
Judea (the Southern Kingdom of Israel) was at odds with the Romans from the beginning of the Roman occupation, and things got progressively worse over the years. Following the Bar Kokhba Rebellion against Roman rule in 132 AD, the Romans changed the name of Judea to “Palestine” to insult the Jewish people by giving their land the name of their bitter enemy and to give them a constant reminder that they were not in control.
In the 1500s AD, the Ottomans conquered the area and retained the name Palestine. In 1918 following the Allied victory in World War I, the 400-year Ottoman rule ended, and Great Britain took control of the entire area under the British Mandate of Palestine.
In 1945, the British Mandate ended, and the land was divided into two parts: Palestine and Transjordan. Transjordan means “across the Jordan River”. Palestine was given to the Jews and Transjordan was given to the Arabs. Today, Transjordan is called “Jordan”.
The Rebirth of Israel
On May 14, 1948, Israel declared her independence as a sovereign state. On May 11, 1949, Israel was admitted to the United Nations as a full member. It was the rebirth of the nation Israel, a nation that had not existed since the Roman occupation.
Israel is the only country in the history of the world to have been destroyed and reconstituted almost 2,000 years later with the same name, in the same place, and with the original language. That was not coincidence. Isaiah and Ezekiel foretold it, because Yahweh told them about it:
Isaiah 66:
“Before she travailed, she brought forth. Before her pain came, she gave birth to a boy. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons. Shall I bring to the point of birth and not give delivery?” says Yahweh. “Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?” says your Elohim. (Isaiah 66:7-9)
Ezekiel 36:
Again, the word of Yahweh came to me: “Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by their conduct and their actions. Their conduct was like a woman’s monthly uncleanness in My sight. So I poured out My wrath on them because they had shed blood in the land and because they had defiled it with their idols. I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered through the countries; I judged them according to their conduct and their actions. And wherever they went among the nations they profaned My holy Name, for it was said of them, ‘These are Yahweh’s people, and yet they had to leave his land.’ I had concern for My holy Name, which the people of Israel profaned among the nations where they had gone.
“Therefore, say to the Israelites, ‘This is what Adonai Yahweh says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of My holy Name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of My great Name, which has been profaned among the nations, the Name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh, declares Adonai Yahweh, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.
“‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be My people, and I will be your Elohim. I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares Adonai Yahweh. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, people of Israel!
“‘This is what Adonai Yahweh says: On the day I cleanse you from all your sins, I will resettle your towns, and the ruins will be rebuilt. The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through it. They will say, “This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited.” Then the nations around you that remain will know that I Yahweh have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I Yahweh have spoken, and I will do it.’”
“This is what Adonai Yahweh says: Once again I will yield to Israel’s plea and do this for them: I will make their people as numerous as sheep, as numerous as the flocks for offerings at Jerusalem during her appointed festivals. So will the ruined cities be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.” (Ezekiel 36:16-38)
Ezekiel 37:
The word of Yahweh came again to me saying, “And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, ‘For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions’. Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.’ Then join them for yourself one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand. When the sons of your people speak to you saying, ‘Will you not declare to us what you mean by these?’ say to them, ‘Thus says Adonai Yahweh, “Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.”’ The sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes. Say to them, ‘Thus says Adonai Yahweh, “Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms. They will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their Elohim.” (Ezekiel 37:15-23)
Ezekiel 39:
“Therefore, this is what Adonai Yahweh says: I will now restore the fortunes of Jacob and will have compassion on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for My holy Name. They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward Me when they lived in safety in their land with no one to make them afraid. When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am Yahweh their Elohim, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. I will no longer hide My face from them, for I will pour out My Spirit on the people of Israel, declares Adonai Yahweh.” (Ezekiel 39:25-29)
Please don’t underestimate Yahweh or refuse to take Him seriously. He’s not like us. He doesn’t talk just to hear Himself speak. When Yahweh says He will do something, He does it. Yahweh always keeps His word.
Today’s So-Called “Palestinians”
In 1964 AD, today’s Palestinian movement begin. It was headed up by Yasser Arafat, an Egyptian. Since then, so-called “Palestinians” have been trying to convince the world that Israel never existed, that Judea never existed, that Yahweh’s Temple never existed, that the Messiah was a Palestinian instead of a Jew, etc. Problem is, archeological excavations all over the region like the one that resulted in the discovery of those 15 coins are proving the accuracy of everything said about Israel in the Bible. When I say “everything,” I mean everything.
Israel is not “occupying Palestinian land”. So-called “Palestinians” are trying to destroy Israel. They say they are claiming the land for Islam, a religion that wasn’t invented until the 600s AD. That’s just a pretext, though. They are trying to use the Arab religion as a way of uniting the Arab tribes in a fight to destroy Israel. They have had very little success in their quest to unite the Arabs, but they have been amazingly successful in their effort to deceive high-minded nincompoops all over the world, especially the ones in Europe and America.
Palestinians won’t succeed, but they won’t stop trying until Yahweh returns. For example, read “The Day Yasser Arafat Left Israel for the Last Time: A True Story“. It’s about one chapter in the ongoing story of battles between Palestinians and Israel over the Promised Land. If hope you take the time to read it. If you do, keep this in mind: What I said to Yahweh did not bother Him. He didn’t like the way I said it. He has had to tell me that on several occasions. I still have a long way to go.
Israel is the Promised Land
We call Israel “the Promised Land”, because Yahweh promised the land to Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and Jacob. That was in about 2000 BC. Yahweh changed Jacob’s name to Israel, and the Promised Land was called Israel.
Yahweh will fulfill every promise He ever made, including His promises about the Promised Land. You can count on it.
If this interests you, you should read “Yahweh’s Temple was not on the Temple Mount” and “The Mossad’s Top 10 Operations”.
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“I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me — just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father — and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd. The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life — only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.”
John 10: 14-18
