(Photo by Dana Friedlander / Go Israel) Light of the World Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)Įnjoying the light of the Hanukkiah. Yeshua HaMashiach (the Messiah-the Anointed One) said, “I am the Light of the World. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice, from that time forward, even forever.” (Isaiah 9:6–7) “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given and the government will be upon His shoulder and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Who is this “great light” of which Isaiah prophesied? The Light would come in the form of a child, who would eventually rule the nations in righteousness and justice, seated on the throne of His father, David, for all eternity. The Hebrew prophet Isaiah wrote of a “Great Light” that would one day come to lift people out of the gloomy darkness: “Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed … The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.” (Isaiah 9:1–2) Likewise, when we are going through our “long, dark night of the soul,” we feel more intensely our desire to see even a glimmer of light. (Seasonal Affective Disorder)-a particular depression brought about by a deficiency of sunlight. Some people even experience what has been termed S.A.D. Jewish children bask in the glow of the hanukkiah (Hanukkah menorah). “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.’” (Zechariah 4:6) God also speaks of the supernatural working of the Ruach (Holy Spirit) to accomplish the Lord’s plans, such as the building of the Second Temple by Zerubbabel: “We have an advocate with the Father, Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah) the righteous and He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (John 2:1–2) We saw this prophecy fulfilled when in a single day, the sacrifice of Yeshua took away the sins of the world: … and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.” (Zechariah 3:8–9) “I am going to bring My servant, the Branch. The Prophet Zechariah promises that the darkness that comes from our sin, which separates us from God, will be supernaturally lifted in a single day by His Righteous Branch. Others think the two trees represent the Messiah (the Lord’s Righteous Branch) and Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) who are “anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth.” (Zechariah 4:14) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kindles the lights of the Hanukkah menorah at the Western Wall.īut since prophecy usually reveals the present and future, and since trees in Scripture often represent people, these two trees are seen by some to represent Jewish Believers and Gentile Believers, anointed sons who have been shining light into the darkness for over 2,000 years. In just one day, Joseph is promoted from prison to palace, and his life was suddenly transformed from darkness to light. Joseph is brought out of the darkness of an Egyptian dungeon to interpret the strange dreams of the Pharaoh. In fact, the name of the Parasha, Miketz, found in the opening verse of this week’s Torah reading, hints at this since this Hebrew word means at the end of. In this week’s reading, Joseph is finally about to come to the end of his many trials and enter into his grand destiny. While serving honorably as a slave, Joseph was falsely accused and sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. So they threw Joseph into a pit and then sold him into slavery. In last week’s study, Joseph’s brothers became jealous of him, plotting against Joseph because his father favored him above his other sons and because his prophetic dreams revealed his own grand destiny. “And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed a dream: and, behold, he stood by the river.” (Genesis 41:1) Orthodox Jewish man lights the hanukkiah in a Jerusalem pub.
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