Hanukkah has begun, it is the Feast of Dedication and
Jesus also went to the temple during the holiday. Looking deeper into where
these verses took place, I learned some new things this past Sunday morning —
some details that I never knew and some words in scripture that had just never
jumped out at me before. One of the things that I learned is that the side of
Solomon’s Porch where Yeshua often went to teach that Feast of Dedication day
is the east side, the way Ezekiel 10:18-19 says the glory will enter to fill
God’s temple.
It was Yeshua’s practice to teach this
area of Solomon’s Porch and He made it a point to teach there during Feast
days: “His teaching on these occasions often started from some familiar temple
scene--the libations of water carried by the priests to be poured upon the
altar (John 7:37), the proselytes (Greeks even) in the great portico (John
12:20), etc. Of course Jesus, not being of the priestly order, never entered
the sanctuary; His teaching took place in the several courts open to laymen,
generally in the "treasury" (see John 8:20).” *source 1
After Yeshua ascended into Heaven,
the Apostles also made it their habit to teach in the same area, in the eastern
side of Solomon’s porch. This is where the lame man was healed at the "door
.... called Beautiful" and a multitude of people in the temple ran
together to Solomon’s Porch after word of the healing spread (Acts3:11). In
Luke 24:53, he reports the disciples "were continually in the temple,
blessing God, and after Pentecost (Acts 2:46), "day by day, continuing stedfastly
.... in the temple." *source 1
This entryway to the Temple was open
for everyone and everyone passed through to get where they were going. Anyone could come there to learn and to teach.
It was not the “royal portico” of Solomon’s Porch that was for the king but a
common area. Elsewhere were places only priests enter, areas that women were
confined to and other areas where Gentiles could gather, as you can see above
there are two very large areas for Gentiles. But the eastern portico of
Solomon’s Porch was where everyone entered through it to get to the area they
were supposed to go. Yeshua has always been for everyone.
When I began to write this it
because I was considering how light is the main theme of both Hanukkah, the
Feast of Dedication and also of Christmas. I was not at all focused on the Maccabees,
but on the portions we see in the Gospels about Yeshua being the Light. In John 9 and continuing in 10:21-24 many
things began to jump out at me as relevant
to people seeing the Light of the LORD in the future.
In John 9 Jesus had healed a blind man and it created
huge controversy. Then in John 10 the controversy breaks out again at the Feast
of Dedication. Yeshua continues to be accused of being an insane,
demon-possessed man. We are often thought to be crazy for our beliefs, but Yeshua
said the servant is not above the Master. If they hated Him, they will hate us
too.
It reminded me of the place that
Messianic Jews have been standing alone in Israel, and of the place Christians
are standing in their nations at this time. We are hated, and it is our faith
that we are hated for, truth be known. But
in John 10:21 we find that whatever false accusations are leveled, it is worth
enduring for the sake of those who be able to see the Light because we endure
in His integrity.
See what some in the crowd said of
Yeshua in verse 21: "But others replied, “These are not the words of a man
possessed by a demon. Can a demon open
the eyes of the blind?”
22 At that time the Feast of
Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in
the temple courts in Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 So the Jews gathered around Him and
demanded, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell
us plainly.”
Of course, He had told them plainly,
but they couldn’t believe Him. As strange as it seems to us, God’s mysterious
plan was not for “all Israel” to be saved at
that time, but in our time – after the courts of the Gentiles have been
filled up, and the glory of the LORD returns to give Light to the blind in Israel.
It has begun and will continue to increase Jews from spiritual blindness and
Gentiles in the nations too.
The Feast of Dedication seems to me to be directly connected to the opening of spiritually blind eyes in Israel. I don't know, maybe the twinkling lights of Christmas trees carry the same message among the Gentiles. I know I had a growing desire over the last week and a half to put up a Christmas tree something we have not done in many years. I believe now it was the Holy Spirit prompting me to do it. Jesus is surely the Light of the World, the Light that is revealed to both Jew and Gentile. We are so close to His revealing, and we are part of His revealing in our own lives reflecting His light.
A key part of the Christmas story is
told in Luke when Mary and Joseph bring Yeshua into the temple according to the
instruction of Moses, for the "redemption of the first born." It is the dedication to the Lord of the first
born male that is done 40 days after birth. We are among the many who have been
made part of the family of God because Yeshua is “the firstborn of many
brethren.” He was the firstborn of the reborn.
In Luke 2:25-35 is where the
prophet Simeon recognized a baby only weeks old was God's Messiah. That was
supernatural. No one could see a newborn and detect a Messiah in swaddling.
Simeon prophesied over Yeshua with joy because he saw what natural eyes could
not see. He saw the Light had entered to be dedicated as the Torah required of
the firstborn son.
For me, the Feast of Dedication and
Christmas are both spiritual events that point to the Way, the Truth and the
Life. Many miss it focusing on other distracting things, but I want to re-dedicate
myself in this season to the plans and purposes of God in Messiah Yeshua,
Christ Jesus - that His Light may so shine that all will be drawn to it.
On the morning I first began to
write this article forming in my spirit, I received notice of the online Zoom event with Revive Israel and Watchmen for the Nations
called, “HIS GLORY FILLS THE HOUSE”
on December 6th at 5 AM PST/ 3 PM IST to
worship our King on Facebook page and YouTube channel.
It was the expectation of God filling His
House with His glory that jumped out at me, and it was a confirmation to me
of what I had been writing.
Then the following morning I
received Jonathan Cahn's email of the significance of Christmas and Hanukkah
being celebrated in the darkest time of
the year while we are celebrating out traditions of the light coming into
darkness.
Today, the third day of writing, I
began to read through the Israeli Ministry letters I would include this week
and read Howard Bass' great article, A Greater than Maccabees has Come. He had many things in it that resonated with me, but one thing Howard
wrote changed the title of this issue. He wrote, “God has left for Himself a testimony in the traditions of His
people.”
All of us, Messianic Jew and Gentile
Christians, everything about our celebrations of the Light of the world,
Messiah Yeshua/Jesus Christ are not right, but
God surely has left for Himself a testimony in the traditions of His people. This is a glorious confirmation to me that
God is speaking this message to us today.
Let us embrace God’s witness in our traditions – it is for Himself …and
it is for us. If we will receive this, it will help us embrace each other too
and not let different traditions be a wedge issue between us.
Arrows
from Zion
Summarized
from the Weekly Summary of Prayer
Requests Israeli Ministries
Howard Bass of the Yeshua’s Inheritance congregation in Beer Sheva writes an
excellent article on Hannukkah called, A Greater than Maccabees has Come. As I wrote above, when I read his article, it
changed the title of this issue of Arrows because I thought it was so profound
in what he saw in the flawed traditions of both Hannukah and Christmas — not
the things that believers have argued over, but the beautiful vision that God
has preserved for Himself “a testimony in the traditions of His people.” What a
giant leap forward for the whole body of the LORD to see and appreciate this
truth! I urge you to read Howard’s
article at his website
Monday/Dec 6 Don’t miss
the His Glory Fills the House
online event to worship the King as one Global Family. This event is from
Revive Israel (Asher Intrater) & Watchmen for the Nations (David Demian)
and will be available in 14 languages. TIMES: 10:00pm Japan and Korea |
9:00pm the Hong Kong and Beijing | 8:00pm Jakarta | 4:00pm Moscow | 3:00pm
Jerusalem and Cairo | 2:00pm Europe | 1:00pm UK | 8am New York | 7am Dallas
|5am Los Angeles. Watch on Revive
Facebook or Watchman
YouTube.
From Israel Pochtar in Ashdod, “Give the gift of critical humanitarian aid” Blessing Israel this Giving Tuesday and Hanukkah. Did you know “Hanukkah in Hebrew means dedication” – because I didn’t! Learn more in The Deeper Meaning of Hanukkah. Also, video on location Supernatural Provision from the Galilee with Pastor Israel, and about the end of the year Fire-Up Youth Conference in Haifa
In the Out of Zion reports
from David and Josie Silver, one issue contained the article of their son,
Stefan Silver who is one of the associate pastors at the Kerem-El (God’s
Vineyard) congregation up in the Carmel region. Stefan wrote on “A Time of Rededication” how the temple in Jerusalem was rededicated
after great defilement by anti-God oppression and the folklore that rose from
the rededication of miracle provision of oil. In this day we live in the midst
of anti-God oppression and could use come re-dedication ourselves, but the oil
available to us is a true miracle, and a free gift from God through the Messiah.
Stefan writes, “ Yet we are called to stand for what is right, holy, just and
pure and to shine the light of Messiah. John wrote that the darkness cannot
overcome the light, and as the darkness grows darker, every light, even the
dimmest of them, will shine brighter. When people are in darkness and they
see a light, one of two things will happen; they will either be drawn to it and
want it to illuminate them, or they will want to put it out at all costs
because it exposes and interferes with their schemes. As the end of another
unstable and difficult year draws to a close, this is a perfect time to allow
the light and love of Messiah to fill your life anew. Take this opportunity to
allow His light to illuminate any darkness in your life and even rededicate it
to him.”
Also, you can watch David
Silver’s 11/23
Friday Video Update . Your
donations to the Silver’s ministries would be greatly appreciated. Learn more
at the website
Ron Cantor of Messiah’s Mandate writes 7 Thoughts about Christmas from a Messianic Jew—Part 1. He
also shares the vision of continuing to press the envelope with ShelanuTV: 161,000 views inside of Israel of our
testimony show, where Israelis share their stories of finding Yeshua | We’ve
sent out 140 Hebrew New Testaments (some going to rabbis who asked!) and 127
copies of my novel Identity Theft | Our evangelists are interacting daily with
Israelis online | We’ve produced nearly a dozen new TV shows! And there’s more to be done! In 2022 we want
to: Add more evangelists and team members | Invest more in advertising Shelanu
to Israelis (we start airing The Chosen in December!) | And produce more
anointed Hebrew content!
One other thing: In 2020 he felt “God
wanted Messiah’s Mandate to double our budget and help the hurting in Israel.”
So they did and have since “built bomb shelters, provided food to Holocaust
survivors, given to those who lost their jobs because of coronavirus, helped
Messianic Jewish families in need and we have supported Messianic pastors and
their congregational needs.” Your gift could help do even more in 2022.
Eric Benson of the House of
Victory ministers to men who have been trapped in addictions. This is a
hard work but to snatch some of the men from the fire and set them on the Rock
is what makes it all worthwhile. Eric writes about how we are “temples of the
living God" dedicated to the Lord. “Psalm 27 declares that “in the day of
trouble the Lord shall hide me in His tabernacle.” For each of those whom
the Lord has brought to our home, it has been in a time of great personal
trouble. Yet these times of crisis can become the moment in the life of every
man to begin to inquire of the Lord (Psalm 27:4). It is the opportunity
to "seek the Lord while He may be found and to call upon His name"
(Isaiah 55:6). When a man begins to
forsake his own ways, the Lord will abundantly pardon him. As each man turns to
the Lord and learns to fear His holy name, the Lord promises to reveal His
secrets (Psalm 25:14).
Enjoy this video Eric did : Filming FIRM clip as the sun rises over Mt Carmel as an
introduction to their ministry. FIRM is the Fellowship of Israel Related
Ministries.
In the spirit of the light of Hanukkah, the elders of the Arad Hebrew
congregation, Hasdey Yeshua, writes about banishing the Darkness – from the children,
from the Bedouin and all “darkness
from the lives of everyone to whom we minister.” They share a traditional “Chanukah
song. Its sentiments are good and inspiring but it assumes that if enough of us
work together we can banish the darkness in our own strength. Nothing could be
further from the truth. In our own strength we can do nothing, but in the Name
of Yeshua, and especially when we are in spiritual unity with the body of
Messiah, we can truly banish the enemy of our souls. Even though this is a traditional
song, sung by children, it ends on a distinctly non-traditional note, “Arise
and Shine”, from Isaiah 60. The video is in Hebrew with English subtitles: We Came to Banish the
Darkness
There was one heartbreaking story of one
of the Bedouin women they minister to who entrusted her 2 ½ year old child to
her sister. When she came back from her errand the child was dead and her
neighbors and most of her relatives blame her saying she is a bad mother. She
accepted prayer in the name of Yeshua from the minister even though she is
Muslim. She is devastated. Pray God will comfort her, show her the Light of the
world, and bring her out of truly troubling circumstances. These are impossible
places to survive without the LORD.
Orna Grinman has a new blog post on Hanukkah as she prepares for another Tabernacle seminar - offered for the first time in an intensive 9 day format to Hebrew speakers only. Orna’s Tabernacle teachings are anointed and geared toward healing of wounds. She also wrote about a nearby synagogue that in setting up a huge menorah on their roof, unknowingly put the pipes together to hold it in an arrangement that spells out the name of Yeshua in Hebrew! “It immediately birthed a cry in my heart, for their eyes to open and their hearts to speak the Name above all names – the one who IS the true Light. Lord, make it a reality in their hearts.” Little miracles like this speak to me of how God is moving to reveal His Messiah in Israel in such creative ways we cannot begin to imagine.
Ronit Bender (whose updated
health report is below in the Urgent Healing Needs section) write that “it is
good to ask ourselves every so often if we are fulfilling all that the Lord
wants to do through us.” Amen. An excellent word in this day of re-Dedication. She writes about a few instances out of her
own life “to encourage you to be quick to obey the Lord, even if at the time it
makes no sense to you. I was blessed to know I heard right from on High, and I
am determent to listen even more carefully in the future. WE ARE BLESSED TO BE
A BLESSING!”
She also wrote of an encounter with
a young woman she me who was grieving her grandfather’s death in
Kazakhstan. Ronit writes, “those of us
who have been called to be Moms and Dads, should take it very seriously. Many
in the body of Christ, and of course pre-believers have an orphan spirit, and
need a mom or dad to speak into their lives. We all do really.” She asks
prayers for the young woman and her friend to come to know the LORD.
The Maoz Ferguson Family and Sorko-Ram’s (the parents/grandparents) send
Hanukkah greetings from the Shemen Forest. They write: “Shemen” means oil, and
it is near the place of origin of the Maccabean Revolt that resulted in the
restoration of the Temple—and the celebration of Hanukkah. But ironically, this
place only received its name about a hundred years ago when Jews began
returning to Israel and purchased large swaths of land that were considered
barren by the local farmers. Apparently, it was worthless land for growing
food, but not for growing certain types of trees. Thus, after the words of the
prophet Isaiah, the place was named Ben Shemen—a Hebrew phrase for “fruitful.”
They also write, “Just this past week Maoz
and the Israel Bible Society held a special online event for Messianic leaders
all over Israel to showcase and gave each of them a free copy of the completed
Hebrew Narrated Bible in Chronological order. After three and a half years of
focused work we now turn our full attention to completing the Action Bible in
Hebrew. If you haven’t heard of the Action Bible and you have kids or
grandkids, I highly recommend! Planting a love for God’s Word in the heart of a
child is one of the most important things you will ever do. If you HAVE had a
chance to witness how much kids love this book, you understand why we are
wanting Israeli kids to have this experience as well!” To help Please donate here
I had already put in the request for help from Michael and Dina Beener of the
Sderot City of Life congregation for their Hanukkah outreaches: Making poor children happy at Hannukkah and the Hanukkah Blessing outreach – then I got an URGENT prayer
request this morning as Religious Persecution
Again has risen up against them by the religious in Sderot. “Despite
the great help that our foundation provides through the different projects that
impact the lives of so many people who depend on our love and service to move
forward, a religious sector continues to oppose our presence in the city and
tries to make us go away simply because we are not ashamed to openly announce
our Faith in Yeshua our Messiah.” Read
more online
Urgent HEALING Needs: Life and Death is in the power of the tongue
Please keep in prayer
the Israeli believers who are fighting for their lives or other urgent health
needs:
Please Pray for Ronit Bender who wrote: When seeing my
cardiologist a few days ago, I was surprised to find out that I will need to go
to hospital for at least ten days to have a cardiac catheterization, double bypass surgery and it seems I need
to have my valves changed. When going to book the first part of this adventure,
already there was a God intervention, the hospital cardiologist requesting that
I will have another echocardiogram and second look at the situation of the
valves. Sorting out a date for these is a major drama, so stay tuned! PLEASE
PRAY, of course, FOR HEALING FIRST.
However, if I need to get it
done, let's pray that many people will be affected by Yeshua through my
hospital visits. Worse scenario: I will
go home to be with the Lord and beat you all to Heaven! | Pray for Claude Ezagouri of the Morning Star
Fellowship who has started a treatment that is due to last at least 6 months
for a medical problem he has been suffering from. Believe in prayer with them as they look to
the Lord for complete healing and for
prompt recovery from some other ailments. Silvers: David's knees and Josie's back pain | A prayer
request for Naomi, for a dear
family that is a part of Israel Pochtar's pastoral team, who was diagnosed with
colon cancer. "Despite what this battle entails, we are confident in God’s
unfailing Word and promises." Read in her
own words| Please continue to pray for Jacob Damkani for the LORD's mercies over Jacob and his dear wife, Elisheva | Dov Bikas
– I have been very
tired these days: probably as a result of a combination of factors: my age,
stress of the days of running to the bomb shelter, work load in the ministry,
etc. Olga Bikas: We are
grateful that Olga is feeling better these days! Though the doctors never found
the cause of the dizziness that put her in hospital a month ago, they did rule
out major issues like brain tumors, heart problems, etc., so this is already
comforting. Olga’s back also keeps improving and she is able to walk more
outside now than she did before.
Thank you
for donating to my ministry if it is a blessing to you.♥
|
"The
Lord is for me among those who help me." Psalm 118:7  New PayPal Donation INFO Please update your information: ArrowsDDiorio@protonmail.com or paypal.me/donnadiorio1 DO NOT USE MY FORMER PAYPAL ACCOUNT By
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