Hopefully, you’ve read and are familiar with the story of Hanukkah from Day 1. 

In Days 2, 3, and 4, I’m going to show you how the story gives us a picture of the biblical end times and the coming of the Antichrist. One of the most popularly known parts of the end times is the appearance of the Antichrist and his “Abomination of Desolation,” which is mentioned six times in the Bible by four different people over a span of 600 years.

Using that event as the focus of the Hanukkah story, I’ve broken the story into three parts and their prophetic symbolism as follows:

I - The Time Preceding Antiochus IV and His Abomination of Desolation

Part I shows how the wars and turbulent geo-political landscape of 2500-2200 years ago preceding King Antiochus IV’s invasion of Israel and desecration of the Jewish Temple on Kislev 25, 168 BCE are symbolic of the wars in modern history and what is and will be happening in geo-politics in the end times preceding the revealing of the biblical Antichrist. 

II - King Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the Abomination of Desolation

Part II shows how King Antiochus IV’s invasion of Israel and his desecration of the Temple (the Abomination of Desolation) are symbolic of the time in the future when the biblical Antichrist will reveal himself on the global scene and his Abomination of Desolation will take place in, presumably, what is a yet-to-be-built, new Jewish Temple in Israel.

III – The Maccabean Revolt After the Abomination of Desolation

Part III shows how the historical “Maccabean Revolt,” which followed Antiochus IV's Abomination of Desolation, led by Judas Maccabee with a small remnant of devout Jewish people against Antiochus IV and his army is symbolic of the future conflict between the Antichrist and his international forces (political, economic, and military) against anyone or any nation who defies him and his rule, particularly the defiant Jewish people and the defiant Christians.

Today in Day 4, we will cover Part III below.

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The Maccabean Revolt After the Abomination of Desolation

Now let’s return to the Hanukkah story again. After the AOD event of Antiochus IV in 168 BCE, his armies went throughout Israel ransacking the villages and forcing the Israelites to worship Greek gods and pledge allegiance to Antiochus. Those who did not were killed, taken captive, or perhaps worse (think of what Hamas did to innocent people on Oct 7, 2023).

“One day the henchmen of Antiochus arrived in the village of Modi’in where Mattityahu, the old priest, lived. The Syrian officer built an altar in the marketplace of the village and demanded that Mattityahu offer sacrifices to the Greek gods. Mattityahu replied, ‘I, my sons and my brothers are determined to remain loyal to the covenant which our G‑d made with our ancestors!’

Thereupon, a Hellenistic Jew approached the altar to offer a sacrifice. Mattityahu grabbed his sword and killed him, and his sons and friends fell upon the Syrian officers and men. They killed many of them and chased the rest away. They then destroyed the altar.”[1]

Knowing that Antiochus would be enraged by their defiance, Mattityahu, his sons, and those of his village fled to the Judea hills north of Jerusalem. News of the Jews’ defiance spread, and over time many Jews who remained loyal to God and his ways joined them.

Mattityahu died shortly thereafter, and his son, Judah, took up leadership in the fight against Antiochus and his forces. “Judah was called ‘Maccabee,’ a word composed of the initial letters of the four Hebrew words Mi Kamocha Ba’eilim Hashem (Who is like You, O G‑d).”[2]

Over the next two years, Judah and the Maccabees, as they came to be known, surprisingly won decisive battles against Antiochus’ armies. Then, in what he surely expected would be the end of the resistance, Antiochus sent a massive army to destroy the Maccabees and end their revolt.

But in a series of battles, fought not far from the Valley of Megiddo (the “Armageddon” location mentioned in the Bible (Revelation 16:16) - the site of the last, great battle between the Messiah and the Antichrist’s armies), the Maccabees defeated Antiochus’ army. 

Soon thereafter, Judah and his forces liberated Jerusalem and removed the Greek idols from the Temple. Enlisting the service of faithful Levitical priests, they cleansed and rededicated the Temple to God.

On the 25th of Kislev – the same day just years before when Antiochus IV desecrated the Temple – all the people worshipped God and offered sacrifices of thanksgiving on the new altar. Judas and the elders of Israel instituted an 8-day feast to be celebrated every year henceforth for Israel to remember their victory (See 1 Maccabees 4:36-59).

The Miracle of Hanukkah

Various legends exist regarding the miracle of Hanukkah, although they are not found in the books of the Maccabees. However, the popular legend is that when Judas and the priests were cleansing the Temple, they lit the menorah but only had enough sanctified oil to last one day. But that one day’s oil lasted for eight days while the Temple was cleansed and new oil could be prepared.

Perhaps the real miracle is that the Maccabees were able to miraculously defeat an army immensely greater than theirs and finally liberate the nation from Greek rule. And that the descendants of the Maccabee family (the Hasmonean dynasty) ruled Israel independently of foreign oppression for about 100 years after the story of Hanukkah occurred.

Now let’s understand that to see its prophetic symbolism in biblical prophecy OF THE FUTURE.

From Day 3 we learned that Antiochus IV Epiphanes’ invasion of Israel in 168 BCE and his erecting an idol of Zeus in the Jewish Temple gives us a clear, prophetic picture of the biblical prophecies showing the future Antichrist coming to power and an image of him being erected – even being able to breathe and speak! – in a future, Jewish Temple.

This event, the Abomination of Desolation, mentioned numerous times in the Bible, will coincide with the global issuance of the Mark of the Beast – where you will not “... be able to buy or sell without the mark.” (Revelation 13:17)

Imagine that really happening in today’s world. 

This event will come on the tail of catastrophic (nuclear) international war, war with Israel, and global economic chaos. When the Antichrist rises out of the frenzy of these calamities, in the Temple with an image of himself that can breathe and speak and “...cause all who refuse to worship the image to be killed” (Revelation 13:15), the people of the world will be gripped in terror. Everyone will see this because every major news outlet, every You Tube channel, every cell phone will be fixed on this event.

This event begins the “... hour of judgment for all the inhabitants of the earth” according to the angelic proclamation in Revelation 14:6-7. This is the final deciding moment for all people to decide if they will follow God or the Antichrist. What will YOU do?

Now imagine we divide the world’s population at this time into three categories:

1. Those who happily follow, or have been following, the Antichrist.
2. Those who have been committed to God (Jews and Christians).
3. Those who are undecided and are not committed to God or the Antichrist.

People in category 1, and anyone else who chooses this route, are doomed according to the angelic announcement.

Some people in category 3 will eventually take the mark - sealing their fate.

Other people in category 3 and some in category 2 will be those who refuse the Antichrist and the mark. They will flee to the hills of Judea and leave the urban centers of the world for the wilderness to escape the wrath of the Antichrist and his armies who will be invading every city forcing people to pledge allegiance to the new, evil king and take his mark. This will be similar to the aftermath of Antiochus IV in ancient Israel.

But others from categories 2 and 3 will be the brave, defiant ones. They will form a resistance like the Maccabees of old and fight back. They will defy the Antichrist and his armies. These are those who the angel spoke of in Daniel 12 when he foretold, "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever." (Daniel 12:3). Even some nations will resist and fight back, which is attested to by the prophet Daniel’s vision in Daniel 11. 

The pressure to take the mark or be killed (not to mention not being able to buy or sell) will be so great that many devout Christians and Jews in category 2 will turn on their faith. They will abandon God, take the mark, and so fulfill Jesus’ prophecy when he said, “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.” (Matthew 24:10) 

If you believe in the pre-tribulation rapture and are counting on that – and you have to go through what I am describing – then you might fall into this group because you were trusting a lie and failed to build the emotional resilience needed to resist this pressure.

And so the world will go for 3 and 1/2 years.

“... (for) 42 months (as the Antichrist) opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place (the Temple) and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them.” (Revelation 13:5-7).

This time was foreshadowed nearly 2200 years ago by Antiochus IV when he did the same thing in Israel preceding the time of the Hanukkah story.

But the Maccabean Revolt of 168 BCE ended with their conquest over Antiochus’ armies, the liberating of Jerusalem, and the cleansing and rededication of the Temple. And that was followed by a period of independence and flourishing for the nation of Israel. Where is that in the future after the coming Antichrist and his Abomination of Desolation and the dreadful Mark of the Beast?

A very good question that demands an answer. And that answer is found in the words of Scripture that detail the coming of the Messiah.

That will be the subject of Days 6 (Tuesday, Dec 12) and 7 (Wednesday, Dec 13) of Hanukkah 2023. 

To be continued...

In conclusion, we see that the aftermath of Antiochus’ desecration of the Jewish Temple and his Abomination of Desolation nearly 2200 years ago is an astounding picture of what the Bible foretells in the future: The coming of the Antichrist – a world leader who will also desecrate a new, Jewish Temple and set up a living, breathing image of himself and force the world to his allegiance and to take his solution (Mark of the Beast) to the global economic chaos that will abound in that day. 

ENDNOTES

[1] Chabad.org website. The Hanukkah Story.  https://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/article_cdo/aid/102978/jewish/The-Hanukkah-Story.htm?fbclid=IwAR2KOFgpbzG0_kS4fHptknJAutJvak1deGro5U6_P_3AcbOn4DGR7fIBXO4   Accessed 10 December 2023

[2] Ibid