The Future Significance of Hanukkah

The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple after Antiochus Epiphanes IV and his forces were defeated during the Maccabean revolt. Most people believe that Hanukkah is a holiday whose significance is connected solely to past events. I hope to disprove that notion in this article by showing that Hanukkah will have future significance.

Hanukkah in Daniel 12

The second half of the seventieth week of Daniel is likely to end 1,260 days after the abomination that causes desolation is set up. Daniel 12 mentions a period of 1,335 days from the time that the abomination that causes desolation is set up. Daniel wrote that “bless is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days”.

“(11) And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. (12) Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.” (Daniel 12:11-12)] Daniel 12 mentions a time period of 1335 days from the time that the abomination that causes desolation is established. Daniel wrote that “bless is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days”:

We can deduce from the blessing of those who survive to 1,335 days that something good is going to happen 75 days after the end of the seventieth week of Daniel. In order to understand what might happen 75 days after the end seventieth week of Daniel, we must first understand when the seventieth week of Daniel will conclude on the Jewish calendar.

I believe the end of the seventieth week of Daniel will occur on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). Yom Kippur is a solemn day where people seek to repent their sins and seek reconciliation with God. The significance of Yom Kippur aligns with what will transpire at the end of the seventieth week of Daniel. Several events will begin to be brought about by the completion of the seventieth week of Daniel, including the atonement for the sins of Jerusalem and the people of Israel and reconciliation for Israel’s iniquity:

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” (Daniel 9:24)

Since Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement on the Jewish calendar (Leviticus 16:29-30 and 23:27-28) and a day of reconciliation, it would be fitting for the final atonement of sins and reconciliation for Jerusalem and the people of Israel to be brought about on the Day of Atonement at the end of the seventieth week of Daniel.

Also, Isaiah 61 and Isaiah 58 indicate that a Jubilee Year will begin immediately after the end of the seventieth week of Daniel. Jubilee Years begin on Yom Kippur. This is another reason to believe that the seventieth week of Daniel will end on Yom Kippur.

The Future Hanukkah

If you add 75 days from the start of Yom Kippur (Tishri 10) you will reach the start of Hanukkah (Kislev 25) in most years. Therefore, Daniel 12:12 is likely referring to Hanukkah as the time of blessing. I believe that the dedication of the Millennial Temple will take place at this future Hanukkah. I also believe that this event will coincide with the beginning of the Millennium Kingdom on Earth referenced in Revelation 20:4-5.

Finally, I want to note some major parallels between the original Hanukkah and this future Hanukkah. The future Hanukkah will be celebrated after the fulfillment of similar conditions that preceded the celebration of the original Hanukkah. Like the Antichrist, Antiochus Epiphanes IV declared himself as god, established his own abomination that causes desolation, and persecuted the people of Israel. Like Antiochus and his forces, Antichrist and his forces will be defeated with God’s intervention. The similarities between Antiochus and the Antichrist have caused some people to view Antiochus as a forerunner of the Antichrist.

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Wayne Croley
Wayne Croley

Hi! I’ve studied and written about Bible prophecy since I was a teenager. My goal is to make Bible prophecy easy for you to understand while avoiding the sensationalism seen elsewhere. I am the author of several end time books, including Prophecy Proof Insights on the End Times, a comprehensive book about the end times. I hold an M.B.A. and degrees in Managerial Economics and Political Science.

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