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Savannah Chapel Shabbat Bulletin

December 21 2024 - 20 Kislev 5785
Saturday at 10:30 am

Song: Havenu Shalom Alechem - Congregation
#1 Page 11

Brechat Haner - Candle Blessing:
Page 8

Song: Sh’ma Yisrael (Hear O Israel) #2, Page 12

And now together let us
recite: Mark 12: 29-31 (Brit Ha Dashah)
Deuteronomy 6: 4-5 (Torah) and Romans 1:16,17 - Pages, 8,9

Psalm of the day: Psalm 141

Prayer Time & Sharing:
Congregation

Song: ‘Ki Eshm’ra Shabbat (Safeguard The Sabbath)
#58, Page 78

Congregation
Recite: Matthew 12:8-13, Page 78

The Promised Messiah- Part 2
With Dr. Elias E. Hidalgo

WITHOUT CHANUKAH
THERE WOULD BE NO CHRISTMAS
By Dr. Elias E. Hidalgo

A word definition of the two holidays are in order. CHANUKAH is a Hebrew word meaning 'Dedication' and the events surrounding this feast dates back to 168-165 B.C. It is celebrated on the 25th day of Kislev (equivalent to the month of November-December), and is commemorated for eight days. CHRISTMAS comes from two words in our English language, "Christ" and "Mass", and the event it looks back upon is The Birth of Jesus that took place almost 2,000 years ago. It is celebrated, generally speaking, on the 25th day of December.

The reason I chose the title for this brochure, "Without Chanukah There Would Be No Christmas", is because of the close and indispensable association between Chanukah and Christmas. Today we are aware, through The Holy Bible and history, that Jesus was born of a Jewish virgin (Miriam-Mary), from one of The Tribes of Israel, namely Judah.

Long before the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ to this earth, we know and have read about a ruthless people towards The Nation of Israel, namely, The Syrians. Their commander in Chief was ANTIOCHUS. He wanted to conquer the entire Middle East of that day (168 years Before Christ); and in order to have access to Egypt from Syria, his troops needed to pass through The Land of The Jews. Not only did this prove to be extremely difficult, but Antiochus had an obsession regarding The Jewish people living in The Land of Israel, that is, their belief in only ONE GOD; the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Therefore, this Syrian malefactor, not only wanted to conquer the Jews physically, but most importantly, Antiochus wanted to destroy the religion of the Jews.

Through many and sundry maneuvers, Antiochus finally ordered and sent one of his generals to desecrate The Temple in Jerusalem, by sacrificing a pig upon the altar. The LORD GOD in His might ensured not only the continuity of His people Israel, but also used a family from a City in Israel (MODIN) to stand against the entire Syrian force; and the name of this family was The MACCABEANS. Not only did they resist their enemies, The Syrians, even though they were out numbered 1,000 to 1; but The LORD used this revolt which reached the capitol of Israel (Jerusalem), and the Maccabean fighters to recapture The Temple and RE-DEDICATE the altar to The LORD GOD.

The Priests had a cruse of oil that should have lasted only one day, and to their surprise it lasted eight days. Thus, we have The Feast of Chanukah being observed for eight days in honour of The Lord and The Maccabeans. It was through the valor of the few in Israel (empowered by The Almighty) that The Temple altar was re-dedicated and the onslaught of The Jewish people was stopped.

You see, if The Emperor Antiochus, of Syria, would have had his way ALL the Jews would have been destroyed 165 years before Christ. Thusly, the Birth of Christ, who was born humanly speaking, in Bethlehem, Israel from a Jewish woman could not possibly have taken place. But GOD, Who oversees the affairs of mankind, gave might and power to this small band of Jewish men to not only defend themselves, but to be victorious in The Land of Israel over 2150 years ago.

The 25th day of KISLEV falls either in the month of November - December. Remember that KISLEV is the name of the Jewish month, and on the 25th day, the altar in The Temple in Jerusalem was re-dedicated in 165 B.C.

As Believers, we are interested in knowing as much as possible about The Life of our Saviour Y'shua (Jesus), and His activities while He was on earth. Therefore, I would like to remind ourselves that even our LORD observed and celebrated CHANUKAH as recorded in The Gospel according to John 10:22 - 23,

"And it was at Jerusalem The Feast of The Dedication (Chanukah), and it was winter. And Jesus walked in The Temple in Solomon's porch".

The very presence of our LORD in The Temple, in observance of The Feast of Dedication (Chanukah) should stimulate you as a child of God to consider the importance of observing Chanukah and also its direct relationship with *CHRISTMAS.

The conclusion of it all is extremely important, because, the happenings and events that transpired 165 years before The Birth of Christ, allowed the fulfillment of prophecy, to take place in relationship to The First Coming of our Messiah. He had to be born from a virgin (see: Isaiah 7:14), and from The House of David (see: II Samuel 7:12), and from The Tribe of Judah (see: Genesis 49:10).

Just as Abraham was faithful and obedient to GOD'S call; so also The Maccabean family which stood in the power of God against insurmountable odds, defeated The Syrians; and, 165 years later resulting in The Birth of Christ.

This year as we observe and remember The Birth of our Lord on December the 25th, let us not forget what took place on KISLEV the 25th at The Hand of GOD.

Isaiah 9:6

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty GOD, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace".

Please read our brochure IS CHRISTMAS IN THE BIBLE

Palestine vs. Israel
as the Name of the Holy Land

By Dr. Thomas McCall

During the last few centuries, the world, Christians included, has fallen into a bad habit. We have bought into some early Roman propaganda. We have used the name Palestine, which Roman Emperor Hadrian placed on the country of Israel in 135 A.D., for so long that it has become common usage. This would be as incorrect as calling the Russia of today the "Soviet Union" or referring to Berlin as "East Germany". The thoughts below by our ministry's senior theologian, Dr. Thomas S. McCall, completely explore the subject. If you know somebody who's fallen into this habit, please share this article with them. - Zola

Current Propaganda's Use of Palestine

There is a propaganda war going on now with regard to the term "Palestine". At one time it might have been argued that Palestine was an innocuous designation of the Middle Eastern area, that is generally thought of as the Holy Land. During the last few decades, however, the term Palestine has been adopted by Arabs living in Israel in the area west of the Jordan River. It is specifically employed to avoid the use of the name Israel, and must be considered an anti-Israel term. In all Arab maps published in Jordan, Egypt, etc., the area west of the Jordan River is called Palestine, without any reference to Israel. Palestine is the term now used by those who want to deny the legitimate existence of Israel as a genuine nation among the family of nations.

The term now adopted by the political entity within Israel that is gradually obtaining more and more pockets of territory through the "peace process", is the PA (Palestinian Authority). Although it must deal daily with Israeli officials, the PA hates to use the term Israel in any of its communications.

Palestine, therefore, must now be considered a political propaganda term with massive anti-Israel implications. The world press uses the term to question the legitimacy of modern Israel. Christians also have used the term Palestine for centuries in referring to the Holy Land. In earlier times this might have been excused (although biblically questionable) because of its common usage. In light of the current propaganda war against Israel, however, Christians must now re-evaluate the term Palestine and consider whether it is biblically, theologically or prophetically accurate.

Biblical Use of Palestine

The term Palestine is rarely used in the Old Testament, and when it is, it refers specifically to the southwestern coastal area of Israel occupied by the Philistines. It is a translation of the Hebrew word "Pelesheth". The term is never used to refer to the whole land occupied by Israel. Before Israel occupied the land, it would be generally accurate to say that the southwestern coastal area was called Philistia (the Way of the Philistines, or Palestine), while the central highlands were called Canaan. Both the Canaanites and the Philistines had disappeared as distinct peoples at least by the time of the Babylonian Captivity of Judea (586 B.C.), and they no longer exist.

In the New Testament, the term Palestine is never used. The term Israel is primarily used to refer to the people of Israel, rather than the Land. However, in at least two passages, Israel is used to refer to the Land:

Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead who sought the young child's life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. (Matt. 2:20-21)

But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say to you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man shall have come. (Matt. 10:23)

The first passage is when Joseph, Mary and Jesus returned from Egypt to Israel, and the second has reference to the proclamation of the Gospel throughout the Land of Israel. Jesus, Matthew and the angel speaking to Joseph use the term Israel with reference to the Land, even though the term was not then recognized by the Roman authorities.

It is clear, then, that the Bible never uses the term Palestine to refer to the Holy Land as a whole, and that Bible maps that refer to Palestine in the Old or New Testament are, at best, inaccurate, and, at worst, are a conscious denial of the biblical name of Israel.

History of the Term Palestine

Where did the term Palestine originate from? How did the world and the church get into the habit of calling the land of Israel "Palestine"? One of the guides we use in our tours to Israel is Zvi Rivai, an Israeli Messianic believer, who has done considerable research on this subject. Zvi informs us that before 135 A.D., the Romans used the terms Judea and Galilee to refer to the Land of Israel. When Titus destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D., the Roman government struck a coin with the phrase "Judea Capta," meaning Judea has been captured. The term Palestine was never used in the early Roman designations.

It was not until the Romans crushed the second Jewish revolt against Rome in 135 A.D. under Bar Kochba that Emperor Hadrian applied the term Palestine to the Land of Israel. Hadrian, like many dictators since his time realized the propaganda power of terms and symbols. He replaced the shrines of the Jewish Temple and the Sepulchre of Christ in Jerusalem with temples to pagan deities. He changed the name of Jerusalem to Aelia Capitalina, and changed the name of Israel and Judea to Palestine. Hadrian's selection of Palestine was purposeful, not accidental. He took the name of the ancient enemies of Israel, the Philistines, Latinized it to Palestine, and applied it to the Land of Israel. He hoped to erase the name Israel from all memory. Thus, the term Palestine as applied to the Land of Israel was invented by the inveterate enemy of the Bible and the Jewish people, Emperor Hadrian.

It is interesting to note that the original Philistines were not Middle Eastern at all. They were European peoples from the Adriatic sea next to Greece. It may have pleased Hadrian to utilize this Hellenistic term for the Jewish land. In any case, the original "Palestinians" had nothing to do, whatsoever, with any Arabs.

Christian Adoption of the Term Palestine

One of the first Christian uses of the term Palestine is found in the works of the Church historian Eusebius, who lived in Caesarea. He wrote around 300 A.D., as the Roman persecution of Christians was ending and the Emperor Constantine began to accept Christianity as legal. Eusebius did not accept Hadrian's designation of Jerusalem as Aelia Capitalina, but he did use Hadrian's term Palestine. Eusebius considered himself to be one of the bishops of Palestine. Thus, the anti-Israel, anti-Christian name of Palestine was assimilated into the Church's vocabulary as the Byzantine Empire was being established.

The Church has, since that time, broadly used the term Palestine in literature and in maps to refer to the Land of Israel. It should be noted, however, that the Crusaders called their land the Kingdom of Jerusalem. When the British received the mandate after World War I, though, they called the land on both sides of the Jordan River, Palestine. This became the accepted geo-political term for several decades, and those who lived in the land were called Palestinians, whether they were Jews, Arabs or Europeans.

Even evangelical Christians who believe in the future of Israel have used the term Palestine. The New Scofield Reference Edition of the Bible has maps in the back entitled "Palestine under the Herods". There never was a Palestine under the Herods. This is a serious misidentification. It would be something like looking at a modern map of Texas and having it titled "Mexico in the Twentieth Century".

The MacArthur Study Bible published just last year contains a map called "Palestine in Christ's Time" There are numerous references in the notes to something called first-century Palestine.

It appears that Bible-believing Christians have either knowingly or unwittingly followed the world, pagans and haters of Israel in calling Israel by the anti-Israel term Palestine. It is found throughout Bible maps, Bible commentaries and textbooks.