Shining Lights and Sacred Nights: The Christian Significance of Hanukkah
The Old Testament Israelites had nine basic feasts that they celebrated annually. Seven of those were given by God to the Israelites and, therefore were prophetic as they looked to future promises. These seven are relevant to Jews and Christians alike. Christians believe that the Messiah has come and with the establishment of the Lord’s church on earth with that said, four of those feasts have been fulfilled. This leaves three more feasts to come. We can get into this fascinating topic at another time. Why just seven? Leviticus 23 lists these seven feasts in their seasonal observance: Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Booths or Tabernacles. There are two other feasts the Israelites celebrated that are not listed in Leviticus 23. These two “commemorative feasts” were established by the Israelites and not by God. They are more like a memorial of what God did. The two feasts are Hannukah and Purim. Purim marks the joyful observan