These are only very brief sermon notes. For full context, please listen to the full sermon audio, or wait for the full sermon transcript online.
Audio available at https://this-gospel-of-the-kingdom.mixlr.com/
Full transcript available soon within the next few days at https://www.isawthelightministries.com/transcripts/sermon-transcripts.html
John 10:22-24 After seeing him in the temple for Hanukkah, they asked him if He was the Christ/Messiah.
Meaning of the word Hanukkah/Chanukah: Dedication or establish or
inauguration or consecration.
Inauguration: Formal induction into office, formal beginning of introduction.
It’s when Christ entered the bloodline of mankind (was conceived into Mary.)
The Maccabee family were a priestly family, of the tribe of the Levites.
The Jews were looking for the Messiah who would come to deliver them from the Romans just as the Maccabees had delivered them from the Syrians and reestablish Israelite independence.
When Jesus was conceived, although no one knew it yet, the bloodline of the high priesthood was being changed from Levite to Judah. And the Messiah had truly come, but only for the next step, not the final step, of deliverance.
Celebrated on the 25th biblical day of the 9th biblical month.
25th sounds familiar? Christmas is Satan’s counterfeit of Hanukkah.
Luke 1:5-45 Zacharias, the dad of John the Baptizer, a member of the clan of Abijah/Abia (a descendant of Aaron). At that time, there were about 7,000 priests in Israel, divided into 24 clans. Each clan served at the temple twice a year, for a week each time.
This course is mentioned in:
1 Chronicles 24:10 (AOB: page 172) “The seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abija.” (Abijah is the eighth course.)
Josephus, in Book 7, Chapter 14, Section 7 of his Antiquity of the Jews, states that each course is eight days long, from Sabbath through Sabbath.
The outgoing team would serve their last day in the temple on Saturday, and the new incoming team would serve their 1st day in the temple on Saturday. They would overlap. There were priests from two courses on duty each weekly Sabbath.
So when you count the 8 courses, you should count 8 of 7 day weeks, not 8 days x8.
The first course began around March 20, at the beginning of the year.
Zechariah was ministering some time between Sivan 5-18 (May 22 - June 3) According to scripture, Elizabeth didn’t conceive John until after Zach’s time in the temple was finished. So John was probably conceived some time after June 3.
+ 6 months later, Jesus was conceived = After Dec. 3.
Hanukkah is different date in the Roman calendar every year. But it would had been in early December in 6 BC, one of the possible years of his birth.
+ 9 months pregnancy = Birth of Christ probably during Tabernacles, which is the time of the year that the Romans collected the annual taxes while people were all gathered.
Another reason to believe that Christ was born at the time of Tabernacles is the usage of the word “tabernacle” in relation to his conception and birth in John 1.
“He tabernacled among men/us”. John 1:4-14. The Light Je-sus God with us. Je with us. JE being the short form of The Father’s name.
Revelation 21:3 God will be our tabernacle in Paradise. He will the Light thereof.
Body of Christ = The Church. The Head of The Church.
Not only Jesus was conceived on Hanukkah, but also the church. Not at Pentecost. He and his disciples actually baptized people into the church before the crucifixion. The death of John the baptizer was the 1st step of the end of the old covenant, then the death of Christ being the “nail in the coffin”. There was an overlapping of the old and new covenants during the life of Christ; even as there was an overlapping of the courses/turns of the priest families in the temple every 7th day.
The 7 candle menorah of Revelation 1-3 represents the entire church, and all church eras of time and all congregations and members.
The menorah isn’t a Jewish symbol only. In the eyes of God, it’s now a symbol of the new covenant church.
Matthew 5:14 We are the lights of the world via Christ in us, fueling us with the olive oil of The Holy Ghost. Like God did the 2 witnesses of Zechariah 4:1-14 Joshua the High Priest & Zerubbabel the Governor.
The menorah in Zechariah 4 might represent angels in that time era, but in the new covenant era, the menorah represents us, the true church.
The menorah/church is fueled by God’s power.
Miracle divine confirmation of sermon: Last night, after having finished the sermon notes including the CCCCC title, we listened to some bed time stories on an app on the phone. One of the stories was “Corkys Cat Cafe”. In the story, the cat named Corky, owns a cafe where he serves only foods that start with the letter C, such as crab, carrot cakes, cherry cobbler, etc.
There’s no way that could be coincidence that we heard that specific story on that specific night. It’s definitely God’s way of showing his approval & anointing/blessing on the sermon.
Reminder of Worship Services: Tomorrow, Dec. 9, and Wednesday Dec. 13. Both at 10:50 a.m. Eastern Time Zone.
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