Sitting in service listening to a presentation from John 10 on the Feast of Dedication which today is called Hanukah or Festival of Lights which calling them that misses the point of the Feast Day entirely. It was while I was listening that I heard a Word from the Holy Spirit and began to write it down in my Bible. The Feast of Dedication was exactly what it implies. …the RE-Dedication of the Temple. Due to a demonic act, by a Greco-Syrian king, according to ancient records, King Antiochus IV (who was sometimes called “The Madman”) defiled the Temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar and spilling its blood on the holy scrolls of Scripture.
The requirement of RE- Dedication required the cleansing and removal of any of the vessels that were involved with this demonic act. The problem was that even the oil that was used to keep the Golden Lampstand lit had to also be thrown out as it also was polluted and there was only enough of the PURE oil for one day. Yet miraculously, the oil lasted 8 days ( 8 the number of new beginnings) or until the needed amount of PURE oil was made. The Word spoken to me made it clear that it was not the amount of Oil in the Golden Menorah that was paramount but the FACT that it was PURE. Pure olive oil does not smoke when burned and its not the fact that the modern church or believer’s personally does not have any oil or Holy Spirit activity. BUT, that their oil is polluted by “contaminates” and is more reflective of the “world” instead of the Kingdom and according to what Holy Spirit was speaking to me is blowing more SMOKE then being the Light set upon a Hill.
I then heard that there needs to be a RE-Dedication and cleansing of all contaminates personally and corporately and the place it requires is in “Gat shemen” which in Hebrew means “oil press”. Its in the “crushing” of the olive that produces the oil and the first crushing produces the “purest”. It’s not a coincidence that the name “Gat shemen” is associated with the number 8 in Hebrew and no coincidence that the “oil” that burned for 8 days is without notice.
May we as believer’s have the same courage of the Maccabees and rid ourselves from all contaminates we have allowed in our lives and then pray to see all contaminates removed from the Church in America. Its ONLY then can we ever hope to be the LIGHT. Purity comes through a “crushing” but what it produces is well worth the pain. Will there be a “crushing” coming to America????????
Rabbi Matt