How The Maccabees Help Spread The Gospel
How did the Maccabees help spread the Good News?
The Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) came to this earth in the fullness of time to live a perfect life in accordance with the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law), so he could bring redemption to those who could not live a perfect life in accordance with the Law of Truth (Galatians 4:4-7).
The Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) brought about the rise and fall of empires to create the perfect conditions to spread a message over a large area in a short amount of time. This perfect message system would have been useless without a message and messengers.
The gift of the Maccabees was preserving the things in the land of Israel that made the Good News possible. The Good News was the message, but messengers were still needed to broadcast the message.
So, the Father of Truth set up the conditions in the Jewish world for spreading the Good News. His means to accomplish this was the Maccabees.
The story of how the Maccabees helped spread the Good News is tied to the Greeks. This is just another example of Greco-Judeo wrestling.
The Father of Truth brought about the unified Greek Empire, and then split it into four smaller Greek Empires (Daniel 11:2-4).
The Maccabees stood up against Antiochus Epiphanes (Antiochus IV), the ruler of one of these smaller Greek empires, when many of the Jewish people forsook the Law of Truth and helped him desecrate the Temple (Daniel 11:30-32). After a long heroic fight, with many great sacrifices, and some help from a small number of Gentiles, mostly Greeks, the Maccabees restored the rule of the Law of Truth in the land of Israel, cleaned up the Temple, and rededicated the Jewish people to the Father of Truth (Daniel 11:33-35).
This victory of the Maccabees is what the Man of Truth celebrated in Jerusalem at the feast of Chanukah (John 10:22-23).
In the Jewish world, what happens in Jerusalem never stays in Jerusalem. Whatever starts there, spreads throughout the entire Jewish world. Those who came to Jerusalem for the Feasts of Truth (Moedim aka Feasts of the Father of Truth) at the Temple, took back the latest developments to the communities in distant lands they came from.
Thus, the same things that the Maccabees did to make the Good News possible in the land of Israel, spread throughout the Jewish world to prepare it for the rapid spread of the Good News.
So, Chanukah is also a celebration of how the Maccabees prepared the Jewish world for the rapid spread of the Good News.
The Maccabees prepared the Jewish world for spreading the Good News by cleansing and dedicating the Temple.
Without the Temple, those from distant lands, who were baptized in the Spirit of Truth, would not have had a large enough place to continue to learn from the Apostles of Truth on a daily basis (Acts 2:38-47).
Without the Temple, the lame man would have never been at the gate of the Temple (Acts 3:1-2). Peter the Jew (Sh'mon aka Simon Aka Simeon aka Cephas aka The Apostle Peter) and John the Jew (Yochanon aka The Apostle John) would not have met the lame man at the gate of the Temple, and healed the lame man in the name of the Man of Truth (Acts 3:3-7). The lame man would have never went into the Temple leaping and praising the Father of Truth (Acts 3:8). There would have been no large crowd of people, who knew that the man had been lame at the gate of the Temple for years, but was now healed (Acts 3:9-10). The large crowd from all over the world would not have rushed to the Porch of Solomon in the Temple, to hear Peter the Jew tell them how the lame man was healed, so they could believe the Good News that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel (Acts 3:11-26).
Without the Temple, Peter the Jew and John the Jew would have never been arrested in the Temple for preaching about the resurrection of the dead through the Man of Truth (Acts 4:1-4).
Without the Temple, an Angel of Truth would have never released the original Apostles of Truth from prison, and told them to go back to the Temple to preach the Good News to the large crowds there (Acts 5:18-20). The unbelieving religious leaders in charge of the Temple would have never found the original Apostles of Truth proclaiming the Good News in the Temple, instead of being locked in prison (Acts 5:21-25). The original Apostles of Truth would have never returned to teaching large crowds of people in the Temple daily, many from distant lands, that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel, after the unbelieving religious leaders had them beaten (Acts 5:40-42).
Without the Temple, Paul the Jew (Shaul aka Saul aka The Apostle Paul) would have never been commissioned by the Man of Truth to take the Good News to the Gentiles in distant lands (Acts 22:17-21).
Without the Temple, Paul the Jew never have went into the Temple to make a sacrifice and complete the rituals of purification to show that he still kept the Law of Truth, and to show that he never taught Jews to abandon the Law of Truth in any way, after he returned from taking the Good News to the Gentiles in distant lands (Acts 21:18-26). He would not have been falsely accused of polluting the Temple, by bringing a Gentile beyond the wall of separation and into the court of the Israelites (Acts 21:27-29). He would never have been dragged out of the Temple to be killed, and then rescued by the Romans responsible for keeping peace in area of the Temple (Acts 21:30-32).
Without the Temple, Paul the Jew would have never been falsely accused before the Roman governor Felix of raising up sedition among Jews throughout the world, and polluting the Temple (Acts 24:1-9). He would have never been able to tell the Roman governor that he was not raising up sedition in the Temple, even though he did preach that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel spoken of by the Prophets of Truth (Acts 24:10-16). He would not have had two years, until Festus replaced Felix, to discuss the Messiah of Israel and advise others how to spread the Good News, while he waited on a trail for polluting the Temple (Acts 24:17-27).
Without the Temple, Paul the Jew would have never appealed to be sent to Caesar in Rome, instead of going to Jerusalem to face false accusations of polluting the Temple (Acts 25:7-12).
Without the Temple, Paul the Jew would have never testified to King Agrippa of how he had taken the Good News to Gentiles in distant lands, before being falsely accused of polluting the Temple (Acts 26:19-23).
So, if the Maccabees had not restored the Temple, then there would have been no central location to spread the Good News to people from distant lands.
The Maccabees prepared the Jewish world for spreading the Good News by saving the Original Covenant (Tanakh aka The Old Testament) from being destroyed.
During their long heroic fight, they preserved these scriptures that Antiochus Epiphanes had sought to destroy. These scriptures contained the writings of the Prophets of Truth.
These scriptures led Peter the Jew, to replace Judas Iscariot with Matthias the Jew (The Apostle Matthias) as an original Apostle of Truth, to carry out the work of spreading the Good News (Acts 1:16-26).
These scriptures confirmed to those gathered from all over the world, that the baptism of the Spirit of Truth was from the Father of Truth (Acts 2:4-21). These scriptures confirmed to those gathered from all over the world, that the death, burial, and resurrection of the Man of Truth was proof that he is the Messiah of Israel, who gave the baptism of the Spirit of Truth (Acts 2:22-36).
These scriptures confirmed to the crowd, who saw the lame man healed in the Temple, that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel, who would suffer for the sins of others to bring about the redemption of all things (Acts 3:18-26).
These scriptures were used by Philip the Jew (Philip the evangelist), to show the Ethiopian eunuch that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel (Acts 8:30-38).
These scriptures were used by Peter the Jew, to prove that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel, when the first Gentiles were baptized in the Spirit of Truth (Acts 10:36-44).
These scriptures were used by Paul the Jew, to show that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel, to both Israelites and God-fearers (Acts 13:15-41).
These scriptures were used by James the Jew (Ya'acob aka Jacob aka the Apostle James), to show that both the baptism of the Spirit of Truth on uncircumcised Gentiles, and the Gentiles coming into the House of Truth as equals to Jews, without becoming Jews through circumcision, through the preaching of Paul the Jew were from the Father of Truth (Acts 15:5-20).
These scriptures were used by Paul the Jew, to show that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel to both Jews and Greeks (Acts 17:2-4). They were used by the Jews and Greeks to verify his message that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel (Acts 17:10-12).
These scriptures were used by Apollos the Jew, to convince the Jews that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel (Acts 18:24-28).
These scriptures verified the message of the resurrection of the dead that Paul the Jew preached (Acts 24:14-16). They showed that Paul the Jew was doing the will of the Father of Truth, in preaching the Good News to Gentiles in distant lands (Acts 26:17-23). They were the basis for faith that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel (Acts 26:26-28).
These scriptures were used by Paul the Jew, to show the Jews in Rome that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel (Acts 28:16-23). They also showed that some Gentiles would believe the Good News, even if some Jews refused to believe that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel (Acts 28:24-28).
So, if the Maccabees had not saved the Original Covenant from being destroyed, then there would have been no way to verify that the Good News that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel, and that it was meant for the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
The Maccabees prepared the Jewish world for spreading the Good News by preventing the Jews from being assimilated into the Greek world.
They found ways to maintain circumcision, even as many Jews sought to have the evidence of their circumcision removed, so they could look more like Greeks. This is why Paul the Jew told those who were circumcised, when they came into the House of Truth, to not try to become uncircumcised (1 Corinthians 7:17-20).
This is why Paul the Jew was circumcised on the eighth day as required for Jews in the Law of Truth (Philippians 3:4-5).
Since Jews were required to be circumcised, Paul the Jew circumcised Timothy the Jew (Timotheus aka The Apostle Timothy), because his mother was a Jew (Acts 16:1-3). For this reason, Paul the Jew was advised by James the Jew to perform the rituals in the Temple, to show that he never taught that Jews did not need to be circumcised (Acts 21:20-24).
So, Paul the Jew, and those with him, went to tell the Good News to the uncircumcised Gentiles in distant lands, while James the Jew, Peter the Jew, and John the Jew, went to tell the Good News to the circumcised Jews in Israel and beyond (Galatians 2:7-9).
The Maccabees found ways to hide their tzitzits under their Greek clothing. Some wore a tallit katan that was similar to a carpenter apron under their clothing. Others took a handkerchief sized cloth with tzitzits on each corner, and stuff that in a hidden pocket on the inside of their garment. These are the cloaks, aprons, and handkerchiefs found in the Renewed Covenant (B'rit Chadashah aka The New Testament).
These tallits are what Paul the Jew made in Corinth (Acts 18:1-3). (The word translated as "tents" could also be translated as tallits.). These are the aprons and handkerchiefs that Paul the Jew wore next to his skin, before they were taken off of him and sent to heal the sick (Acts 19:11-12). This is what Paul the Jew left at Troas that he requested be sent to him (2 Timothy 4:13).
They found ways to avoid eating pork, and other things that the Father of Truth called filth, so that the Jews knew what was for dinner, according to the Father of Truth. This why Peter the Jew could say, that he had never eat anything that was unclean (Acts 10:9-14).
So, if the Maccabees had not saved the Jewish world from being assimilated into the Greek world, then there would have been no Jewish people to bring the Good News to the Gentiles.
The Maccabees prepared the Jewish world for spreading the Good News by preserving the Feasts of Truth.
From the time that Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Temple, until the Maccabees restored the Temple, the Maccabees had found ways to rehearse the Feasts of Truth without the Temple, like people do today, and then restored them after the Temple was restored.
Jews and proselytes from all over the world were in Jerusalem for Pentecost (Shavuot), when the baptism of the Spirit of Truth was given to the followers of the Man of Truth in the upper room, causing these tourists to come to Peter the Jew, so he could tell them the Good News (Acts 2:1-14).
In like manner, Paul the Jew celebrated the Feasts of Truth in distant lands to show how the Man of Truth fulfilled the role of the Messiah of Israel in the Feasts of Truth.
Paul the Jew thought that it was so important to celebrate one of the Feasts of Truth in Jerusalem, which people looking for the Messiah of Israel from all over the world would attend, that he would not stay to start a congregation in Ephesus, until he could return from the Feast of Truth, even after being asked to stay by the Jewish believers there (Acts 18:19-21).
Paul the Jew thought it was so important to celebrate Pentecost with the congregation in Ephesus, that he would not leave there to collect the offering that the congregation in Corinth collected for him to take to help the poor persecuted Jewish saints in Jerusalem, until after Pentecost (1 Corinthians 16:1-9).
It was so important to Paul the Jew to get to Jerusalem in time for Pentecost, that he would not go to Ephesus, even though he knew, that he would never again see the congregation there in this world (Acts 20:16-25).
Paul the Jew did not want the ship to try to make it to Phenice to spend the winter there, because he had already celebrated the Fast (the Day of Atonement) (Acts 27:9-12).
Not only did Paul the Jew celebrate the Feast of Truth, but so did the largely Gentile congregations that he started.
The congregation in Corinth plainly understood, that the Man of Truth had fulfilled the role of the Messiah of Israel in Passover, by dying in their place (1 Corinthians 5:7). They also plainly understood, that the Man of Truth had fulfilled the role of the Messiah of Israel in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, by taking away their sin (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). In like manner, they plainly understood, that the Man of Truth had fulfilled the role of the Messiah of Israel in the Feast of Firstfruits, by his resurrection from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).
The congregation in Corinth plainly understood, that the Man of Truth will fulfill the role of the Messiah of Israel in the Feast of Trumpets, by sounding the trumpet to raise the first of the Children of Truth from the dead, and to cause the bodies of the living Children of Truth to become immortal (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).
The congregation in Corinth was not alone in familiarity with the Feasts of Truth, for the congregations in Galatia apparently had the same understanding as the congregation in Corinth about the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Galatians 5:7-10). The congregation in Thessaloniki had the same understanding as the congregation in Corinth about the Feast of Trumpets (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
The congregation in Colosse was also obviously familiar with how the Man of Truth has fulfilled the role of the Messiah of Israel in first four Feasts of Truth, and how he will fulfill that role in the last three Feasts of Truth (Colossians 2:16-17).
Paul the Jew was not the only one to use the Feast of Truths, to show those looking for the Messiah of Israel how the Man of Truth fulfilled that role.
The seven churches of Asia that John the Jew wrote to, were obviously familiar with the Feast of Tabernacles, that the Man of Truth will fulfill the role of the Messiah of Israel, when the Father of Truth comes to make His Tabernacle among men in the New Earth (Revelation 21:1-3).
So, the Apostles of Truth used the celebrations of the Feast of Truth, which were being celebrated in these distant lands, and by people who came from all over the world to celebrate them in Jerusalem, to show that the Man of Truth fulfills the role of the Messiah of Israel in The Greatest Play Ever.
So, if the Maccabees had not saved the Feasts of Truth from being lost, then there would have been no way for the Apostles of Truth to have used celebrations of the Feasts of Truth, by people from all over the world, to spread the Good News that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel.
The Maccabees prepared the Jewish world for spreading the Good News by preserving the Sabbath.
The Maccabees found ways to keep the Sabbath as well during their long struggle, so that those looking for the Messiah of Israel could continue to have a set time to gather together.
Without the Sabbath, Paul the Jew would not have known when the people of Pisidia, who were looking for the Messiah of Israel, would be gathered together (Acts 13:14-26). Without the Sabbath, almost the entire city of Antioch in Pisidia would not have known, when to come together to hear Paul the Jew tell them the Good News (Acts 13:42-44).
Without the Sabbath, Paul the Jew would not have known when the people of Philippi, who were looking for the Messiah of Israel, would be gathered together (Acts 16:12-14). Without the Sabbath, Paul the Jew would not have known when the people of Thessaloniki, who were looking for the Messiah of Israel, would be gathered together (Acts 17:1-3). Without the Sabbath, Paul the Jew would not have known when the people of Corinth, who were looking for the Messiah of Israel, would be gathered together (Acts 18:1-5).
So, if the Maccabees had not preserved the Sabbath, then there would have been no set time for people to meet together to hear the Good News.
The Maccabees prepared the Jewish world for spreading the Good News by preserving the use of synagogues.
The Maccabees found ways to preserve the use of synagogues as well during their long struggle, so that those looking for the Messiah of Israel could continue to have a set place to gather together.
There had long been a rule that one could only travel about two-thirds of a mile (about 1 km) on the Sabbath (Acts 1:12). Therefore Jews would build their communities around the synagogue within this distance. Since at least some Jews in every host city were merchants, then they would also need their homes near the market place at the center of the city. So, a synagogue was always built within this distance from the central market place of the city. The synagogues had also developed external decorations that allowed them to be clearly identified as a synagogue. This allowed any traveling Jew to locate both the synagogue, and the Jewish community, in any city with a synagogue.
The synagogues made it possible, to not only know the location of the Jewish community in the city, but also the location of where everyone gathered on Sabbath. If the use of synagogues had not been preserved by the Maccabees, then it would have been difficult to locate the Jews in a city, and near impossible to know where to meet with those looking for the Messiah of Israel on the Sabbath.
The Children of Truth continued to gather in synagogues to follow the Man of Truth (Acts 4:29-31). [The Greek word translated as "assembled" is the root word that synagogue comes from, thus the place of assembly is a synagogue.]
Stephen the Jew disputed with those who did accept the Man of Truth as the Messiah of Israel in the synagogue of Greek speaking Jews in Jerusalem (Acts 6:8-10).
Paul the Jew hunted for the Children of Truth in the synagogues of Judaea, because that is where those who followed the Man of Truth gathered (Acts 22:19). Paul the Jew started hunting for the Children of Truth in the synagogues of Jerusalem, and eventually expanded his hunt to the synagogues of cities outside of Judaea (Acts 26:9-11).
Paul the Jew intended to hunt for the Children of Truth in the synagogues of Damascus, before he encountered the Man of Truth, because that is where those who followed the Messiah of Israel gathered (Acts 9:1-5). After the scales fell off his eyes, Paul the Jew preached that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel in the synagogues of Damascus, because that is where those who sought the Messiah of Israel gathered (Acts 9:17-22).
The first places where Paul the Jew preached the Good News about the Man of Truth on his first mission, were the synagogues in Salamis, where those looking for the Messiah of Israel gathered (Acts 13:2-5). The first place that he preached the Good News about the Man of Truth on the mainland, was a synagogue in Pisidia on the Sabbath, where those looking for the Messiah of Israel gathered (Acts 13:14-33). He preached the Good News about the Man of Truth in the synagogue of Iconium for many sabbaths, where those looking for the Messiah of Israel gathered (Acts 14:1-3).
Paul the preached that the Man of Truth was the Messiah of Israel in the synagogue of Thessaloniki, where those looking for the Messiah of Israel, gathered during his second mission (Acts 17:1-7). He preached the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel in the synagogue of Berea, where those who looked into the scriptures for the truth gathered (Acts 17:10-11).
Paul the Jew preached the resurrection of the Man of Truth at the synagogue in Athens on the Sabbath, and the Agora (market place) on the other days (Acts 17:16-18).
Paul the Jew preached that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel in the synagogue of Corinth, until he was put out of the synagogue (Acts 18:1-6). He then preached to those who sought the Messiah of Israel in the house of the chief of the synagogue, that was connected to the synagogue of Corinth (Acts 18:7-8).
Paul the Jew then reasoned with those in the synagogue at Ephesus, that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel, before ending his second mission (Acts 18:19-21).
When Paul the Jew returned to Ephesus on his third mission, he started by disputing and persuading those in the synagogue, that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel that they had waited for (Acts 19:1-8). When he was put out of the synagogue, he began to dispute daily in the yeshiva (school of disputing) of Tyrannus, that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel (Acts 19:9-10).
The Children of Truth continued to gather in synagogues, after Paul the Jew completed his third mission (James 2:1-2). [The word translated as "assembly" is literally "synagogue"].
So, if the Maccabees had not preserved the synagogues, then there would have been no place, where people looking for the Messiah of Israel to have gathered every Sabbath.
The Maccabees prepared the Jewish world for spreading the Good News to the Gentiles by making room for Gentiles in their synagogues.
The few Gentiles who helped the Jews during their war of independence, wished to worship the Father of Truth instead of idols, but still wanted to remain Gentiles in most other respects.
The Maccabees called these Gentiles, "God-fearers", because they feared the Father of Truth instead of idols. The Maccabees recognized the Noah had also been a righteous Gentile, so they determined that these Gentiles could be counted as righteous, if they kept the same six commandments that had been found in Genesis (Bereshit) up to the days of Noah, plus one more to establish courts of justice to settle disputes.
These commandments were the basis for the minimum requirements for the Gentiles, who wanted to come into the House of Truth (Acts 15:19-21). These requirements were confirmed by the Spirit of Truth as well (Acts 15:28-32). The Apostles of Truth were following the example of the Maccabees, by giving basically the same requirements to the Gentiles, who came into the House of Truth, as the commandments given by the Maccabees to the God-fearers (Acts 21:24-25).
Those God-fearers, who were circumcised, committed to keep all of the commandments of the Law of Truth, and were called proselytes (Galatians 5:3).
Both God-fearers and proselytes were taught about the Messiah of Israel in the synagogues.
It was proselytes, who were at the Temple on Pentecost (Acts 2:1-10). One of the first deacons was a proselyte (Acts 6:1-6).
Cornelius the Italian was one of the God-fearers (Acts 10:1-2). This centurion was a God-fearer, who sent for Peter the Jew to come to him at the command of an Angel of Truth, while he waited with other God-fearers for the arrival of Peter the Jew (Acts 10:21-24). There were many God-fearers with Cornelius the Italian, when he told Peter the Jew about the Angel of Truth commanding him to send for Peter the Jew (Acts 10:27-33). It was God-fearers, who Peter the Jew preached to (Acts 10:34-43). It was God-fearers, who were baptized in the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) (Acts 10:44-47). It was God-fearers, who were baptized in water by Peter the Jew (Acts 10:46-48).
The very first Gentile that Paul the Jew preached the Good News to, was a God-fearer (Acts 13:7-12).
Paul the Jew reminded the God-fearers in attendance at the synagogue in Pisidia of the history of Israel (Acts 13:14-22). Paul the Jew then told the God-fearers there, that the Man of Truth was the promised Messiah of Israel (Acts 13:23-41). It was these God-fearers, who asked Paul the Jew to tell them more on the next Sabbath (Acts 13:42-43). It was these God-fearers, who believed the Good News that Paul the Jew preached the next Sabbath (Acts 13:44-48).
God-fearers in attendance at the synagogue in Iconium, believed the preaching of Paul the Jew (Acts 14:1). God-fearers in attendance at the synagogue in Thessaloniki, believed the preaching of Paul the Jew (Acts 17:1-4). God-fearers in attendance at the synagogue in Berea, believed the preaching of Paul the Jew (Acts 17:10-12). God-fearers in attendance at the synagogue in Corinth, believed the preaching of Paul the Jew (Acts 18:1-4).
So, if the Maccabees had not made room for Gentiles in the synagogues, then there would have been no Gentiles prepared by Jews, to hear the Good News about the Messiah of Israel.
So, without the Maccabees, the Good News would have never spread so quickly.
The Good News was not spread quickly by seeker-sensitive Gentile evangelists with the latest Christian book, going to churches on Sunday, and celebrating holidays like Christmas and Easter. It was spread quickly by Jewish apostles with the Original Covenant, going to synagogues on the Sabbath, where those seeking the Messiah of Israel met, and celebrating the Feasts of Truth like Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.
The Maccabees prepared the world by creating a network of Jews and Gentiles, who gathered together in synagogues all over the world each Sabbath to study the scriptures, so they could recognize the Messiah of Israel. This network made the rapid spread of the Good News possible, as it went to Jews and God-fearers. These Jews and God-fearers gave the Apostles of Truth a ready supply of laborers, in taking the Good News to those Gentiles, who worshiped idols. The Man of Truth came in the fullness of time, to take full advantage of the preparations made by the Maccabees.
That is how the Maccabees help spread the Good News!
These efforts are only meaningful to you, if you come into the House of Truth. The Good News is only good news for those, who decide to come into the House of Truth (2 Corinthians 2:14-16).
You come into the House of Truth, by making the Man of Truth your king, because you believe the Good News that his Father raised him from the dead, to show that he is the Messiah of Israel (Romans 10:9).
Come into the House of Truth!
The Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) came to this earth in the fullness of time to live a perfect life in accordance with the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law), so he could bring redemption to those who could not live a perfect life in accordance with the Law of Truth (Galatians 4:4-7).
The Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) brought about the rise and fall of empires to create the perfect conditions to spread a message over a large area in a short amount of time. This perfect message system would have been useless without a message and messengers.
The gift of the Maccabees was preserving the things in the land of Israel that made the Good News possible. The Good News was the message, but messengers were still needed to broadcast the message.
So, the Father of Truth set up the conditions in the Jewish world for spreading the Good News. His means to accomplish this was the Maccabees.
The story of how the Maccabees helped spread the Good News is tied to the Greeks. This is just another example of Greco-Judeo wrestling.
The Father of Truth brought about the unified Greek Empire, and then split it into four smaller Greek Empires (Daniel 11:2-4).
The Maccabees stood up against Antiochus Epiphanes (Antiochus IV), the ruler of one of these smaller Greek empires, when many of the Jewish people forsook the Law of Truth and helped him desecrate the Temple (Daniel 11:30-32). After a long heroic fight, with many great sacrifices, and some help from a small number of Gentiles, mostly Greeks, the Maccabees restored the rule of the Law of Truth in the land of Israel, cleaned up the Temple, and rededicated the Jewish people to the Father of Truth (Daniel 11:33-35).
This victory of the Maccabees is what the Man of Truth celebrated in Jerusalem at the feast of Chanukah (John 10:22-23).
In the Jewish world, what happens in Jerusalem never stays in Jerusalem. Whatever starts there, spreads throughout the entire Jewish world. Those who came to Jerusalem for the Feasts of Truth (Moedim aka Feasts of the Father of Truth) at the Temple, took back the latest developments to the communities in distant lands they came from.
Thus, the same things that the Maccabees did to make the Good News possible in the land of Israel, spread throughout the Jewish world to prepare it for the rapid spread of the Good News.
So, Chanukah is also a celebration of how the Maccabees prepared the Jewish world for the rapid spread of the Good News.
The Maccabees prepared the Jewish world for spreading the Good News by cleansing and dedicating the Temple.
Without the Temple, those from distant lands, who were baptized in the Spirit of Truth, would not have had a large enough place to continue to learn from the Apostles of Truth on a daily basis (Acts 2:38-47).
Without the Temple, the lame man would have never been at the gate of the Temple (Acts 3:1-2). Peter the Jew (Sh'mon aka Simon Aka Simeon aka Cephas aka The Apostle Peter) and John the Jew (Yochanon aka The Apostle John) would not have met the lame man at the gate of the Temple, and healed the lame man in the name of the Man of Truth (Acts 3:3-7). The lame man would have never went into the Temple leaping and praising the Father of Truth (Acts 3:8). There would have been no large crowd of people, who knew that the man had been lame at the gate of the Temple for years, but was now healed (Acts 3:9-10). The large crowd from all over the world would not have rushed to the Porch of Solomon in the Temple, to hear Peter the Jew tell them how the lame man was healed, so they could believe the Good News that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel (Acts 3:11-26).
Without the Temple, Peter the Jew and John the Jew would have never been arrested in the Temple for preaching about the resurrection of the dead through the Man of Truth (Acts 4:1-4).
Without the Temple, an Angel of Truth would have never released the original Apostles of Truth from prison, and told them to go back to the Temple to preach the Good News to the large crowds there (Acts 5:18-20). The unbelieving religious leaders in charge of the Temple would have never found the original Apostles of Truth proclaiming the Good News in the Temple, instead of being locked in prison (Acts 5:21-25). The original Apostles of Truth would have never returned to teaching large crowds of people in the Temple daily, many from distant lands, that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel, after the unbelieving religious leaders had them beaten (Acts 5:40-42).
Without the Temple, Paul the Jew (Shaul aka Saul aka The Apostle Paul) would have never been commissioned by the Man of Truth to take the Good News to the Gentiles in distant lands (Acts 22:17-21).
Without the Temple, Paul the Jew never have went into the Temple to make a sacrifice and complete the rituals of purification to show that he still kept the Law of Truth, and to show that he never taught Jews to abandon the Law of Truth in any way, after he returned from taking the Good News to the Gentiles in distant lands (Acts 21:18-26). He would not have been falsely accused of polluting the Temple, by bringing a Gentile beyond the wall of separation and into the court of the Israelites (Acts 21:27-29). He would never have been dragged out of the Temple to be killed, and then rescued by the Romans responsible for keeping peace in area of the Temple (Acts 21:30-32).
Without the Temple, Paul the Jew would have never been falsely accused before the Roman governor Felix of raising up sedition among Jews throughout the world, and polluting the Temple (Acts 24:1-9). He would have never been able to tell the Roman governor that he was not raising up sedition in the Temple, even though he did preach that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel spoken of by the Prophets of Truth (Acts 24:10-16). He would not have had two years, until Festus replaced Felix, to discuss the Messiah of Israel and advise others how to spread the Good News, while he waited on a trail for polluting the Temple (Acts 24:17-27).
Without the Temple, Paul the Jew would have never appealed to be sent to Caesar in Rome, instead of going to Jerusalem to face false accusations of polluting the Temple (Acts 25:7-12).
Without the Temple, Paul the Jew would have never testified to King Agrippa of how he had taken the Good News to Gentiles in distant lands, before being falsely accused of polluting the Temple (Acts 26:19-23).
So, if the Maccabees had not restored the Temple, then there would have been no central location to spread the Good News to people from distant lands.
The Maccabees prepared the Jewish world for spreading the Good News by saving the Original Covenant (Tanakh aka The Old Testament) from being destroyed.
During their long heroic fight, they preserved these scriptures that Antiochus Epiphanes had sought to destroy. These scriptures contained the writings of the Prophets of Truth.
These scriptures led Peter the Jew, to replace Judas Iscariot with Matthias the Jew (The Apostle Matthias) as an original Apostle of Truth, to carry out the work of spreading the Good News (Acts 1:16-26).
These scriptures confirmed to those gathered from all over the world, that the baptism of the Spirit of Truth was from the Father of Truth (Acts 2:4-21). These scriptures confirmed to those gathered from all over the world, that the death, burial, and resurrection of the Man of Truth was proof that he is the Messiah of Israel, who gave the baptism of the Spirit of Truth (Acts 2:22-36).
These scriptures confirmed to the crowd, who saw the lame man healed in the Temple, that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel, who would suffer for the sins of others to bring about the redemption of all things (Acts 3:18-26).
These scriptures were used by Philip the Jew (Philip the evangelist), to show the Ethiopian eunuch that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel (Acts 8:30-38).
These scriptures were used by Peter the Jew, to prove that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel, when the first Gentiles were baptized in the Spirit of Truth (Acts 10:36-44).
These scriptures were used by Paul the Jew, to show that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel, to both Israelites and God-fearers (Acts 13:15-41).
These scriptures were used by James the Jew (Ya'acob aka Jacob aka the Apostle James), to show that both the baptism of the Spirit of Truth on uncircumcised Gentiles, and the Gentiles coming into the House of Truth as equals to Jews, without becoming Jews through circumcision, through the preaching of Paul the Jew were from the Father of Truth (Acts 15:5-20).
These scriptures were used by Paul the Jew, to show that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel to both Jews and Greeks (Acts 17:2-4). They were used by the Jews and Greeks to verify his message that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel (Acts 17:10-12).
These scriptures were used by Apollos the Jew, to convince the Jews that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel (Acts 18:24-28).
These scriptures verified the message of the resurrection of the dead that Paul the Jew preached (Acts 24:14-16). They showed that Paul the Jew was doing the will of the Father of Truth, in preaching the Good News to Gentiles in distant lands (Acts 26:17-23). They were the basis for faith that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel (Acts 26:26-28).
These scriptures were used by Paul the Jew, to show the Jews in Rome that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel (Acts 28:16-23). They also showed that some Gentiles would believe the Good News, even if some Jews refused to believe that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel (Acts 28:24-28).
So, if the Maccabees had not saved the Original Covenant from being destroyed, then there would have been no way to verify that the Good News that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel, and that it was meant for the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
The Maccabees prepared the Jewish world for spreading the Good News by preventing the Jews from being assimilated into the Greek world.
They found ways to maintain circumcision, even as many Jews sought to have the evidence of their circumcision removed, so they could look more like Greeks. This is why Paul the Jew told those who were circumcised, when they came into the House of Truth, to not try to become uncircumcised (1 Corinthians 7:17-20).
This is why Paul the Jew was circumcised on the eighth day as required for Jews in the Law of Truth (Philippians 3:4-5).
Since Jews were required to be circumcised, Paul the Jew circumcised Timothy the Jew (Timotheus aka The Apostle Timothy), because his mother was a Jew (Acts 16:1-3). For this reason, Paul the Jew was advised by James the Jew to perform the rituals in the Temple, to show that he never taught that Jews did not need to be circumcised (Acts 21:20-24).
So, Paul the Jew, and those with him, went to tell the Good News to the uncircumcised Gentiles in distant lands, while James the Jew, Peter the Jew, and John the Jew, went to tell the Good News to the circumcised Jews in Israel and beyond (Galatians 2:7-9).
The Maccabees found ways to hide their tzitzits under their Greek clothing. Some wore a tallit katan that was similar to a carpenter apron under their clothing. Others took a handkerchief sized cloth with tzitzits on each corner, and stuff that in a hidden pocket on the inside of their garment. These are the cloaks, aprons, and handkerchiefs found in the Renewed Covenant (B'rit Chadashah aka The New Testament).
These tallits are what Paul the Jew made in Corinth (Acts 18:1-3). (The word translated as "tents" could also be translated as tallits.). These are the aprons and handkerchiefs that Paul the Jew wore next to his skin, before they were taken off of him and sent to heal the sick (Acts 19:11-12). This is what Paul the Jew left at Troas that he requested be sent to him (2 Timothy 4:13).
They found ways to avoid eating pork, and other things that the Father of Truth called filth, so that the Jews knew what was for dinner, according to the Father of Truth. This why Peter the Jew could say, that he had never eat anything that was unclean (Acts 10:9-14).
So, if the Maccabees had not saved the Jewish world from being assimilated into the Greek world, then there would have been no Jewish people to bring the Good News to the Gentiles.
The Maccabees prepared the Jewish world for spreading the Good News by preserving the Feasts of Truth.
From the time that Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Temple, until the Maccabees restored the Temple, the Maccabees had found ways to rehearse the Feasts of Truth without the Temple, like people do today, and then restored them after the Temple was restored.
Jews and proselytes from all over the world were in Jerusalem for Pentecost (Shavuot), when the baptism of the Spirit of Truth was given to the followers of the Man of Truth in the upper room, causing these tourists to come to Peter the Jew, so he could tell them the Good News (Acts 2:1-14).
In like manner, Paul the Jew celebrated the Feasts of Truth in distant lands to show how the Man of Truth fulfilled the role of the Messiah of Israel in the Feasts of Truth.
Paul the Jew thought that it was so important to celebrate one of the Feasts of Truth in Jerusalem, which people looking for the Messiah of Israel from all over the world would attend, that he would not stay to start a congregation in Ephesus, until he could return from the Feast of Truth, even after being asked to stay by the Jewish believers there (Acts 18:19-21).
Paul the Jew thought it was so important to celebrate Pentecost with the congregation in Ephesus, that he would not leave there to collect the offering that the congregation in Corinth collected for him to take to help the poor persecuted Jewish saints in Jerusalem, until after Pentecost (1 Corinthians 16:1-9).
It was so important to Paul the Jew to get to Jerusalem in time for Pentecost, that he would not go to Ephesus, even though he knew, that he would never again see the congregation there in this world (Acts 20:16-25).
Paul the Jew did not want the ship to try to make it to Phenice to spend the winter there, because he had already celebrated the Fast (the Day of Atonement) (Acts 27:9-12).
Not only did Paul the Jew celebrate the Feast of Truth, but so did the largely Gentile congregations that he started.
The congregation in Corinth plainly understood, that the Man of Truth had fulfilled the role of the Messiah of Israel in Passover, by dying in their place (1 Corinthians 5:7). They also plainly understood, that the Man of Truth had fulfilled the role of the Messiah of Israel in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, by taking away their sin (1 Corinthians 5:6-8). In like manner, they plainly understood, that the Man of Truth had fulfilled the role of the Messiah of Israel in the Feast of Firstfruits, by his resurrection from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).
The congregation in Corinth plainly understood, that the Man of Truth will fulfill the role of the Messiah of Israel in the Feast of Trumpets, by sounding the trumpet to raise the first of the Children of Truth from the dead, and to cause the bodies of the living Children of Truth to become immortal (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).
The congregation in Corinth was not alone in familiarity with the Feasts of Truth, for the congregations in Galatia apparently had the same understanding as the congregation in Corinth about the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Galatians 5:7-10). The congregation in Thessaloniki had the same understanding as the congregation in Corinth about the Feast of Trumpets (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).
The congregation in Colosse was also obviously familiar with how the Man of Truth has fulfilled the role of the Messiah of Israel in first four Feasts of Truth, and how he will fulfill that role in the last three Feasts of Truth (Colossians 2:16-17).
Paul the Jew was not the only one to use the Feast of Truths, to show those looking for the Messiah of Israel how the Man of Truth fulfilled that role.
The seven churches of Asia that John the Jew wrote to, were obviously familiar with the Feast of Tabernacles, that the Man of Truth will fulfill the role of the Messiah of Israel, when the Father of Truth comes to make His Tabernacle among men in the New Earth (Revelation 21:1-3).
So, the Apostles of Truth used the celebrations of the Feast of Truth, which were being celebrated in these distant lands, and by people who came from all over the world to celebrate them in Jerusalem, to show that the Man of Truth fulfills the role of the Messiah of Israel in The Greatest Play Ever.
So, if the Maccabees had not saved the Feasts of Truth from being lost, then there would have been no way for the Apostles of Truth to have used celebrations of the Feasts of Truth, by people from all over the world, to spread the Good News that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel.
The Maccabees prepared the Jewish world for spreading the Good News by preserving the Sabbath.
The Maccabees found ways to keep the Sabbath as well during their long struggle, so that those looking for the Messiah of Israel could continue to have a set time to gather together.
Without the Sabbath, Paul the Jew would not have known when the people of Pisidia, who were looking for the Messiah of Israel, would be gathered together (Acts 13:14-26). Without the Sabbath, almost the entire city of Antioch in Pisidia would not have known, when to come together to hear Paul the Jew tell them the Good News (Acts 13:42-44).
Without the Sabbath, Paul the Jew would not have known when the people of Philippi, who were looking for the Messiah of Israel, would be gathered together (Acts 16:12-14). Without the Sabbath, Paul the Jew would not have known when the people of Thessaloniki, who were looking for the Messiah of Israel, would be gathered together (Acts 17:1-3). Without the Sabbath, Paul the Jew would not have known when the people of Corinth, who were looking for the Messiah of Israel, would be gathered together (Acts 18:1-5).
So, if the Maccabees had not preserved the Sabbath, then there would have been no set time for people to meet together to hear the Good News.
The Maccabees prepared the Jewish world for spreading the Good News by preserving the use of synagogues.
The Maccabees found ways to preserve the use of synagogues as well during their long struggle, so that those looking for the Messiah of Israel could continue to have a set place to gather together.
There had long been a rule that one could only travel about two-thirds of a mile (about 1 km) on the Sabbath (Acts 1:12). Therefore Jews would build their communities around the synagogue within this distance. Since at least some Jews in every host city were merchants, then they would also need their homes near the market place at the center of the city. So, a synagogue was always built within this distance from the central market place of the city. The synagogues had also developed external decorations that allowed them to be clearly identified as a synagogue. This allowed any traveling Jew to locate both the synagogue, and the Jewish community, in any city with a synagogue.
The synagogues made it possible, to not only know the location of the Jewish community in the city, but also the location of where everyone gathered on Sabbath. If the use of synagogues had not been preserved by the Maccabees, then it would have been difficult to locate the Jews in a city, and near impossible to know where to meet with those looking for the Messiah of Israel on the Sabbath.
The Children of Truth continued to gather in synagogues to follow the Man of Truth (Acts 4:29-31). [The Greek word translated as "assembled" is the root word that synagogue comes from, thus the place of assembly is a synagogue.]
Stephen the Jew disputed with those who did accept the Man of Truth as the Messiah of Israel in the synagogue of Greek speaking Jews in Jerusalem (Acts 6:8-10).
Paul the Jew hunted for the Children of Truth in the synagogues of Judaea, because that is where those who followed the Man of Truth gathered (Acts 22:19). Paul the Jew started hunting for the Children of Truth in the synagogues of Jerusalem, and eventually expanded his hunt to the synagogues of cities outside of Judaea (Acts 26:9-11).
Paul the Jew intended to hunt for the Children of Truth in the synagogues of Damascus, before he encountered the Man of Truth, because that is where those who followed the Messiah of Israel gathered (Acts 9:1-5). After the scales fell off his eyes, Paul the Jew preached that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel in the synagogues of Damascus, because that is where those who sought the Messiah of Israel gathered (Acts 9:17-22).
The first places where Paul the Jew preached the Good News about the Man of Truth on his first mission, were the synagogues in Salamis, where those looking for the Messiah of Israel gathered (Acts 13:2-5). The first place that he preached the Good News about the Man of Truth on the mainland, was a synagogue in Pisidia on the Sabbath, where those looking for the Messiah of Israel gathered (Acts 13:14-33). He preached the Good News about the Man of Truth in the synagogue of Iconium for many sabbaths, where those looking for the Messiah of Israel gathered (Acts 14:1-3).
Paul the preached that the Man of Truth was the Messiah of Israel in the synagogue of Thessaloniki, where those looking for the Messiah of Israel, gathered during his second mission (Acts 17:1-7). He preached the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel in the synagogue of Berea, where those who looked into the scriptures for the truth gathered (Acts 17:10-11).
Paul the Jew preached the resurrection of the Man of Truth at the synagogue in Athens on the Sabbath, and the Agora (market place) on the other days (Acts 17:16-18).
Paul the Jew preached that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel in the synagogue of Corinth, until he was put out of the synagogue (Acts 18:1-6). He then preached to those who sought the Messiah of Israel in the house of the chief of the synagogue, that was connected to the synagogue of Corinth (Acts 18:7-8).
Paul the Jew then reasoned with those in the synagogue at Ephesus, that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel, before ending his second mission (Acts 18:19-21).
When Paul the Jew returned to Ephesus on his third mission, he started by disputing and persuading those in the synagogue, that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel that they had waited for (Acts 19:1-8). When he was put out of the synagogue, he began to dispute daily in the yeshiva (school of disputing) of Tyrannus, that the Man of Truth is the Messiah of Israel (Acts 19:9-10).
The Children of Truth continued to gather in synagogues, after Paul the Jew completed his third mission (James 2:1-2). [The word translated as "assembly" is literally "synagogue"].
So, if the Maccabees had not preserved the synagogues, then there would have been no place, where people looking for the Messiah of Israel to have gathered every Sabbath.
The Maccabees prepared the Jewish world for spreading the Good News to the Gentiles by making room for Gentiles in their synagogues.
The few Gentiles who helped the Jews during their war of independence, wished to worship the Father of Truth instead of idols, but still wanted to remain Gentiles in most other respects.
The Maccabees called these Gentiles, "God-fearers", because they feared the Father of Truth instead of idols. The Maccabees recognized the Noah had also been a righteous Gentile, so they determined that these Gentiles could be counted as righteous, if they kept the same six commandments that had been found in Genesis (Bereshit) up to the days of Noah, plus one more to establish courts of justice to settle disputes.
These commandments were the basis for the minimum requirements for the Gentiles, who wanted to come into the House of Truth (Acts 15:19-21). These requirements were confirmed by the Spirit of Truth as well (Acts 15:28-32). The Apostles of Truth were following the example of the Maccabees, by giving basically the same requirements to the Gentiles, who came into the House of Truth, as the commandments given by the Maccabees to the God-fearers (Acts 21:24-25).
Those God-fearers, who were circumcised, committed to keep all of the commandments of the Law of Truth, and were called proselytes (Galatians 5:3).
Both God-fearers and proselytes were taught about the Messiah of Israel in the synagogues.
It was proselytes, who were at the Temple on Pentecost (Acts 2:1-10). One of the first deacons was a proselyte (Acts 6:1-6).
Cornelius the Italian was one of the God-fearers (Acts 10:1-2). This centurion was a God-fearer, who sent for Peter the Jew to come to him at the command of an Angel of Truth, while he waited with other God-fearers for the arrival of Peter the Jew (Acts 10:21-24). There were many God-fearers with Cornelius the Italian, when he told Peter the Jew about the Angel of Truth commanding him to send for Peter the Jew (Acts 10:27-33). It was God-fearers, who Peter the Jew preached to (Acts 10:34-43). It was God-fearers, who were baptized in the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) (Acts 10:44-47). It was God-fearers, who were baptized in water by Peter the Jew (Acts 10:46-48).
The very first Gentile that Paul the Jew preached the Good News to, was a God-fearer (Acts 13:7-12).
Paul the Jew reminded the God-fearers in attendance at the synagogue in Pisidia of the history of Israel (Acts 13:14-22). Paul the Jew then told the God-fearers there, that the Man of Truth was the promised Messiah of Israel (Acts 13:23-41). It was these God-fearers, who asked Paul the Jew to tell them more on the next Sabbath (Acts 13:42-43). It was these God-fearers, who believed the Good News that Paul the Jew preached the next Sabbath (Acts 13:44-48).
God-fearers in attendance at the synagogue in Iconium, believed the preaching of Paul the Jew (Acts 14:1). God-fearers in attendance at the synagogue in Thessaloniki, believed the preaching of Paul the Jew (Acts 17:1-4). God-fearers in attendance at the synagogue in Berea, believed the preaching of Paul the Jew (Acts 17:10-12). God-fearers in attendance at the synagogue in Corinth, believed the preaching of Paul the Jew (Acts 18:1-4).
So, if the Maccabees had not made room for Gentiles in the synagogues, then there would have been no Gentiles prepared by Jews, to hear the Good News about the Messiah of Israel.
So, without the Maccabees, the Good News would have never spread so quickly.
The Good News was not spread quickly by seeker-sensitive Gentile evangelists with the latest Christian book, going to churches on Sunday, and celebrating holidays like Christmas and Easter. It was spread quickly by Jewish apostles with the Original Covenant, going to synagogues on the Sabbath, where those seeking the Messiah of Israel met, and celebrating the Feasts of Truth like Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.
The Maccabees prepared the world by creating a network of Jews and Gentiles, who gathered together in synagogues all over the world each Sabbath to study the scriptures, so they could recognize the Messiah of Israel. This network made the rapid spread of the Good News possible, as it went to Jews and God-fearers. These Jews and God-fearers gave the Apostles of Truth a ready supply of laborers, in taking the Good News to those Gentiles, who worshiped idols. The Man of Truth came in the fullness of time, to take full advantage of the preparations made by the Maccabees.
That is how the Maccabees help spread the Good News!
These efforts are only meaningful to you, if you come into the House of Truth. The Good News is only good news for those, who decide to come into the House of Truth (2 Corinthians 2:14-16).
You come into the House of Truth, by making the Man of Truth your king, because you believe the Good News that his Father raised him from the dead, to show that he is the Messiah of Israel (Romans 10:9).
Come into the House of Truth!
Labels: Chanukah, Maccabees, Sovereignty
posted by The House Of Truth @ January 20, 2018
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