Happy Hanukkah! This week celebrates the rededication of the second temple after Antiochus Epiphanes was halted from his abomination that caused desolation as discussed in the second half of the book of Daniel.
During the Great War between Persia and Greece in the second century BCE, Antiochus demanded an idol to Zeus be erected in the temple where pigs would be sacrificed to profane the name and temple of God. Some Jews sided with Persia in opposing Greece, while other Jews gave into Greece and opposed Persia. Yet God was faithful to those who remained faithful to Him, not siding with either empire. Antiochus was driven out, and the sanctuary of God was restored.
Jewish legend holds that during the rededication of the temple, there was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously it burned for 8. Thus we now celebrate the 8-day festival of Hanukkah with the symbol of the menorah.
Stay tuned next week for the second part of this post that will take a more in-depth look at Daniel 7-12 and its relationship to this event.
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