December 24, 2019—Remember the Maccabees on Christmas Morning

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” ~ Isaiah 7:14 (KJV)

This year, my family celebrates a Christmas that falls on the fourth day of the eight days of Chanukah (December 22-30), during which our Jewish friends remember the Maccabees’ successful rebellion in 162 BC, and their subsequent cleansing and re-dedication of their Temple that had been desecrated by an alien Hellenistic culture.

As Evangelical Christians, we believe Christmas is about God’s forgiveness and gift of eternal life to those who believe in His Son, Jesus — the birth of whom was prophesied by the Jewish prophet Isaiah as noted above. And we should remember that as a Jew, he celebrated Chanukah. Perhaps we should understand more about the importance of that celebration that Christians seldom appreciate.

In any case, it seems worthwhile to remind those of both faiths of important key elements from our common heritage — whether giving thanks for our many blessings or articulating our fears and hopes for an uncertain future. Let us stand together — especially in view of the threats to the Holy Land of our common heritage, sometimes metastasizing even into our midst in America, now divided by great political animosities.

I have found of particular interest an article several years ago by former Israeli Ambassador Yoram Ettinger, “Judah the Maccabee at West Point Military Academy.” Consider the following excerpt:

“The legacy of Chanukah – faith, patriotism, defiance of extreme odds and tenacity in the battle of liberty against tyranny – has underlined the American spirit since the early Pilgrims, enhancing the unique foundation of the US-Israel covenant: shared values.

“For instance, the statue of Judah the Maccabee, the hero of the Jewish rebellion against the Syrian-Seleucid Empire, is displayed at the West Point Military Academy, the most prestigious US military academy, founded in 1802. The statue of Judah the Maccabee, known for his principle-driven leadership and daring battle tactics, is displayed along with the statues of Joshua, David, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Hector, King Arthur, Charlemagne and Godfrey of Bouillon – ‘the Nine Worthies.’

“George Washington became acquainted with the spirit of the Maccabees, upon settling, in December (Chanukah) 1777, at his new headquarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, with ill-equipped, weary troops. Faced with a super-power, George III of Britain, Washington concluded that only a dramatic change could avoid a defeat. According to the diary entries of Louisa Hart, Washington told the Harts about a Jewish solider at Valley Forge who lit a Chanukah candle and explained its significance. Washington’s reaction was: “Perhaps we are not as lost as our enemies would have us believe. I rejoice in the Maccabees’ success, though it is long past…It pleases me to think that miracles still happen.” Six months later, on June 19, 1778, the Continental Army implemented the battle tactics of Judah the Maccabee, leaving Valley Forge in pursuit of the British, who were moving towards New York. Although the war would linger for five more years, Washington won a decisive victory.

“Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were inspired by the Maccabees, proposing “Rebellion against Tyrants is obedience to God” as the American official seal. Just like the Founding Fathers, the Maccabees were a tiny minority of “rebels” – condemned by the “loyalist/pragmatist” Jewish establishment – rebelling against an oppressive super-power. They prevailed due to their conviction-driven determination. They knew that swimming against the stream gets one closer to the source. The Maccabees were a role-model for Paul Revere, who was referred to as ‘a modern day Maccabee’ and the organizers of the Boston Tea Party, who realized that there were no free lunches for freedom-seeking nations.

“‘In God We Trust’ was inspired, also, by the Maccabees’ battle cry, which adopted Moses’ battle cry against the builders of the Golden Calf. A literal translation of the battle cry is ‘Whoever trusts God; join me!’ The Maccabees’ sacrifice and political-incorrectness, also, inspired Patrick Henry’s ‘Give me liberty or give me death.’”

Thus, the Maccabees, who lived between the Old and New Testament times, were held in high regard by our founders and by military leaders today, especially because of their fight against great odds to purge the temple of Hellenistic cult paraphernalia, reconstruct the sanctuary according to Torah prescriptions and re-consecrate it to the worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Shown below is the above referenced West Point statue of the “Nine Worthies,” that includes not only Judah the Maccabee from the era between the Old and New Testaments studied regularly by Christians, but also Joshua, who as Moses’ second in command led the Israelites into the Promised Land, and David, who began as a lowly gifted shepherd boy, chosen by God to become Israel’s revered warrior and King, and whose psalms are loved by today’s Christians. We all would do well to reflect on their courage — and seek to follow their example to deal with our threats today.

In particular, is there any doubt of the commonality of our interests and those who share the faith and courage of the Maccabees?

If so, then, for example, how could we ever be at odds with the Israelis in assessing and addressing the existential threats posed by a nuclear armed Iran? Indeed, the Mullah’s hatred for Jews and Christians is in keeping with sharia — which places America and Israel (along with the rest of Western Civilization) in the “crosshairs for extinction.” That is why the Mullahs refer to Israel as the “Little Satan” and America as the “Great Satan.”

We should be together in resisting this evil that seeks our destruction — there should be no daylight between us. We should never forget our heritage and common interests with the only nation in the Middle East that shares our love of liberty. Or perhaps too many Americans today never knew of it.

In the final words of his article, Ambassador Ettinger observed,

“Pressuring the Jewish State to withdraw from the mountain ridges of Judea and Samaria defies the American story. Either you are with George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and other defenders of liberty, or you provide – inadvertently – a tailwind to the forces of tyranny.”

The first Menorah had been constructed according to God’s instructions to Moses (Exodus 25:31-40) and according to Exodus 27:20-21 its light would “be a statute forever throughout their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.”

In the Maccabees’ celebration after the liberation and rededication of the Temple, it was believed there was only enough consecrated oil to keep the Menorah symbol of Devine light burning for one day, but the small bottle of oil miraculously lasted for eight days. Thus, Chanukah was called the Feast of Lights and the Feast of Dedication.

As reported in John 10:22-30, the “Feast of Dedication” was celebrated in the Jewish Temple by Jesus of Nazareth, when He also claimed: “I and My Father are One.”

Surely, he would stand with all seeking liberty today — especially in His people’s ancient land.

Jews believe the Messiah promised by the Prophets of the Old Testament is yet to come; Christians believe he already came and tomorrow will again celebrate His coming, continuing presence and promised return.

This same Jesus (Yeshua) had earlier instructed his followers that “You are the Light of the World . . . Let your Light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” Lest we forget, this is America’s Judeo-Christian heritage and challenge still.

Our annual period of celebration is damped by the fact that America’s Judeo-Christian heritage is under siege — from within by “political correctness” that in the name of “tolerance” disparages the laws of Nature and Nature’s God. From without by many around the world who reflect Iran’s mullahs in calling for Jihad against the “Little Satan” Israel and the “Great Satan” America.

Some of our leaders have refused to acknowledge this war that our enemies have declared. Perhaps most dangerous are Iran’s Shia mullahs — thanks especially to the terrible nuclear deal orchestrated by the previous administration, which essentially assured Iran of building its own nuclear weapons that can be carried by its existing ballistic missiles and satellite launchers to attack Israel and America.

Now President Trump has to deal with this reality that he inherited — and the associated threat from Iran’s ally North Korea. Not to mention Russia and China that, in my opinion, poses our greatest threat.

And, lest we forget, as in the time of the Maccabees, Israel has for centuries not been permitted to worship in their Temple. Is there a modern Judah?

And for us Christians, “Come, Lord Jesus . . . we need thee every hour.”

And may we find modern Maccabees. Please . . .

Bottom Lines.

Thankfully, President Trump “gets it” re. Iran, and strongly supports Israel, including his direction to move our embassy to Jerusalem — after several previous Presidents have promised to do so but not delivered on their promises.

President Trump also has insisted that Congress increase support for our of military forces and they provided needed funding before leaving town for an extended holiday. Moreover, Congress supported his initiative to establish a Space Force as a separate service, though for now imbedded in the Air Force. Hopefully, we will see it evolve into a completely separate service, which is required if we are to compete with other nations, including especially China.

For today, let us simply give thanks for all we have and hope to have — and seek the Messiah — whether we believe it will be His first or second coming. Speaking as a Christian, I will simply say that “Wise men still seek Him” — as they did in the Christmas story.

I refuse to say, Happy Holiday . . . Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Blessings to all.

What can you do?

Join us in praying for our nation, and for a rebirth of the freedom sought, achieved and passed to us by those who came before us.

Help us to spread our message to the grass roots and to encourage all “powers that be” to provide for the common defense as they are sworn to do.

Begin by passing this message to your friends and suggest they visit our webpage www.highfrontier.org, for more information. Also, please encourage your sphere of influence to sign up for our weekly e-newsletter.

Encourage them to review our past email messages, posted on www.highfrontier.org, to learn about many details related to the existential manmade and natural EMP threats and how we can protect America against them. I hope you will help us with our urgently needed efforts, which I will be discussing in future messages.

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