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The Amazing Story of Hanukkah And Miracle Of The Endless Oil

We begin the story of Hanukkah during the reign of the Greek king, Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and the Land of Israel and annexed them into his kingdom. He was a benevolent king who allowed the people in all of his lands to continue to observe their own religious beliefs and customs.

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They began in the Temple, clearing it of all pagan idols and building a new altar. The golden Menorah has been stolen by the Syrians and Greeks so the Maccabees made a new one from what they could find.

“Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” Exodus 15:11 (KJV)

In the beginning. We begin the story of Hanukkah during the reign of the Greek king, Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and the Land of Israel and annexed them into his kingdom. He was a benevolent king who allowed the people in all of his lands to continue to observe their own religious beliefs and customs. Nevertheless, during this time of quiet, many Jews chose to assimilate into Greek culture. This group was termed Hellenistic Jews.

Alexander’s empire divided

When Alexander the Great died, his Empire was divided amongst his generals. The Land of Israel has given to Seleucus. For over 100 years the Jews were afforded much of the same privileges and rights as other citizens of the Empire. However, Antiochus III, the great-greatgrandson of Seleucus, was forced to fight a costly war against the Romans. As a result the Jewish people fell out of favor with Antiochus III and thus the beginning of the end of equality for the Jews in the Syrian-Greek Empire.

In 174 BCE Antiochus III’s son, Antiochus IV, began his reign over the Empire. He was a harsh and cruel king; a tyrant of reckless nature and contemptuous of religions and customs that were not his own.

Antiochus IV – the cruel king

Antiochus IV wanted to unite his kingdom under his religion, worship of the Greek idol Zeus. Within the Empire he stifled all Jewish Law. He removed the righteous High Priest Yochanan from the Temple in Jerusalem. Yochanan was replaced with his brother Joshua – a Hellenistic Jew who called himself by the Greek name Jason. Jason used his position as High Priest to infect the priesthood and the Jewish people with the traditions and religion of the Greeks. Jason was soon replaced by another named Menelaus who defiled the Temple with the worship of Greek idols.

ISRAEL’S National Anthem – HATIKVAH

Yochanan was outraged by his brother’s behavior and that of Menelaus. When Antiochus IV was away fighting a war against Egypt Yochanan began to rally the Jews to disobey the new customs and religion being forced on them. The Jewish people were afraid of Antiochus’ reprisals and mostly did nothing. However, when the Romans spread a rumor that Antiochus IV had been killed, the Jewish people rebelled against Menelaus causing him to flee.

Much to the horror of the Jews, Antiochus returned from battle alive and enraged by Roman meddling and Jewish rebellion. He ordered his army to strike out against the Jews killing thousands. Antiochus IV then ordered a series of extremely harsh decrees against the Jewish people and religion.

All Jewish worship was forbidden. All Scrolls of the Law were confiscated and burned. Observation of Shabbat, the Brit Milah, and abiding by Kashrut were all prohibited under penalty of death. As the soldiers went town to town ravaging the Land of Israel they forced Jewish inhabitants to worship their pagan idols and eat the flesh of pigs. Many complied, but some refused and died for their beliefs.

One day Antiochus’ soldiers arrived in a town called Modiin just outside Jerusalem. An old, great priest named Mattiyahu was an inhabitant of this town. The soidiers built an altar to their pagan idols in the center of town and ordered Mattiyahu to worship at it. Mattiyahu refused. A Hellenistic Jew approached the altar to offer a sacrifice. Mattiyahu took out his sword and killed him, and his sons and neighbors sprang on the Greek soldiers killing or chasing them away.

Mattiyahu knew when Antiochus IV heard of this rebellion there would be a heavy price to pay. He fled together with his sons and neighbors to the hills of Judah. Here they lived in the caves and encouraged all loyal and courageous Jews to join them. They formed legions and would carefully leave the caves to attach outposts of Greek and Syrian soldiers and destroy pagan altars.

When old Mattiyahu was on his deathbed, he called his sons together. He encouraged them to defend God’s Torah. He asked that the tactical leader be Shimon the Wise and in battle the leader be Judah the Strong. Judah was known as Maccabee – a contraction for “Mi Kamocha Ba’eilim HaShem” translated as “Who is like you, O God.” This was sung to God by Moses and the Israelites after God parted the Red Sea giving them safe passage and destroying the Egyptians (Exodus 15:11).

Rise of the Maccabees, and the fall of Antiochus

Judah’s followers became known as “The Maccabees” and caused great havoc to the Empire. Eventually Antiochus sent one of his best generals to wipe out this little band of Jewish fighters. Even though the Empire’s army was much better equipped and greater in number, the Maccabees were triumphant in battle again and again.

Antiochus IV realized that he needed to put an end to this rebellion once and for all. He sent an army of 40,000 men in to the Judean hills. When Judah and the Maccabees heard the army coming they cried, “Let us fight to the death in defense of our souls and our Temple!” The Maccabees fought with God in their hearts and the honor of Judaism in their souls. They fought for their Torah and for their Temple. After a series of bloody battles, it was done. They had defeated the powerful army of Antiochus.

With their victory, the Maccabees climbed a mountain outside Jerusalem and looked upon the city. On the 25th of Kislev they descended the mountain to liberate Jerusalem and reclaim their Temple. As they marched into the Holy City they were distressed by what they saw – idols, impurity, and filth everywhere. They entered the Holy Temple and were shocked to see the same. Jerusalem and the the Temple needed to be made Holy again for God.

The miracle of the endless oil

They began in the Temple, clearing it of all pagan idols and building a new altar. The golden Menorah has been stolen by the Syrians and Greeks so the Maccabees made a new one from what they could find. They wanted in light the Menorah to rededicate the Temple to the One True God. They rummaged though the ruins seeking a flask of sanctified oil, but all had been defiled. Finally, they found a small jug in which the Kohen seal was still intact.

They carefully poured the oil into their makeshift Menorah even though they realized that there was only enough oil for one day. They also realized that it would take eight days to sanctify more oil for the Temple. Nevertheless, the Maccabees had faith and dedicated the Holy Temple and lit the Menorah.

Then a great miracle occurred. The oil burned through the first night an on to the second, then on to the third. The oil continued to burn for eight nights until more oil was ready for the Temple. This miracle proved that God was with the Maccabees all along. They fought for what they believed and held fast in face of death with God at their side. Their faith in God and the Torah never wavered and God showed them His Divine presence.


 

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President Trump Drops The Hammer On Attorney General Pam Bondi As Epstein Files Fury Continues To Consume The DOJ In A Stunning Power Shakeup

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President Donald Trump Fires Pam Bondi As Epstein Files Fallout Explodes Into A Full-Blown Scandal Inside The DOJ

When Donald Trump regained the presidency for a second term, one of the first things he did was to install what we call a cadre of cartoon characters to various high-level positions like the FBI, DHS, AG and others. One by one, they’ve been falling like dominoes. The woman who claimed that the Epstein Files were on her desk and she was ready to start prosecuting, now former Attorney General Pam Bondi, did nothing with those files and now she is gone. The Epstein Files outlasted her, and perhaps, will outlast the entire Trump administration until someone does something with them.

“Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.” 1 Timothy 5:24 (KJB)

Pam Bondi is out, and if there was a final blow to her already battered standing, the Epstein files controversy may well have been it. President Donald Trump has reportedly removed his attorney general after weeks of mounting outrage over the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein records, a debacle that drew bipartisan criticism, fueled accusations of deception, and intensified the sense that Bondi had lost control of one of the most politically toxic scandals in Washington. AP reports her tenure was marked by turmoil, with the Epstein files specifically becoming one of the biggest flashpoints attached to her downfall. Trump desperately wanted Bondi to make the Epstein Files disappear, but instead she ignited them into a bonfire. Chaos continues to reign in Trump’s White House.

Pam Bondi already fired as attorney general, Cabinet official teed up as replacement

FROM FOX NEWS: President Donald Trump reportedly has already fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke with Fox News Digital. Bondi met with Trump in the Oval Office Wednesday night ahead of his speech to the nation on the war in Iran, where she reportedly was informed of her ouster, according to two sources familiar with the meeting.

One of those sources said that by the time Trump took his place behind the podium for the address, Bondi already had lost her job and was on her way back to Florida. Trump is reportedly considering replacing Bondi with Environmental Protection Agency Director Lee Zeldin, according to the sources familiar with the matter. Trump held a meeting with Zeldin at the White House Tuesday to discuss wildfire and prevention, where talks of the transition also unfolded, according to an individual familiar with the meeting. READ MORE

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When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

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Artificial Intelligence

THE PROPHECY NEWS PODCAST: The AI Future We’ve Been So Afraid Of Has Already Arrived And It’s So Much Worse Than You Ever Thought It Would Be

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Artificial Intelligence Is Rapidly Becoming The Digital Nervous System Of A Christ-Rejecting World Racing Toward Final Judgment With King Jesus

For years, the world has been conditioned to welcome artificial intelligence as the next great leap forward for humanity. We were told it would help us work faster, think better, solve harder problems, and usher in a new age of peace, safety, and convenience. The sales pitch was polished, reassuring, almost soothing. There was no need to fear, they said. We could control AI, they said. It would only exist to serve mankind, and we’d make sure it would never cross the line. But that line is already gone, and here we are.

“This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.” James 3:15 (KJB)

On this episode of the Prophecy News Podcast, the future people once feared is no longer lurking on the horizon like some distant science fiction nightmare. It is here now, embedded in the systems that govern speech, commerce, surveillance, warfare, medicine, education, banking, and human identity itself. It has arrived quietly, efficiently, and with almost no resistance. Worse still, most people do not even realize they are living inside it already. This is not merely a technological revolution, it is a spiritual conditioning program for the last days. Artificial intelligence is not dangerous simply because it is powerful. It is dangerous because it is being placed into the hands of a lost and God-hating world that has already rejected truth, rejected righteousness, and rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. The world laughs at such warnings because it has been trained to mock discernment. But the architecture is already rising all around us. How would you describe it? You know. This is Babel with servers. This is Sodom with software, Pharaoh with algorithms, this is Nebuchadnezzar with machine learning. This is exactly what all those cheesy 1990’s low-budget prophecy movies told you was coming, and you didn’t listen. Here’s a fun fact – the very same people bringing you this dystopian AI digital prison are the very same people waging war in the Middle East, and today we help you connect all the end times dots.

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But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORTTO THE FIGHT!!!

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Donald Trump

President Trump Sees The ‘Handwriting On The Wall’ That War With Iran Is Virtually Unwinnable And Begins The Process Of Attempting A Face-Saving Exit

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President Trump Seeks Endgame in Iran War as NATO Offers No Real Help and Strait of Hormuz Remains Unsettled

After reducing much of Iran to rubble, and having come to the realization that this war is not winnable, President Trump is now reportedly preparing to walk away and leave the smoking ruins to whoever wants it, with the regime still firmly in place, and their ability to launch missiles on their neighbors still very much intact. History will not be kind to this conflict when it’s discussed , and will remain a black mark on the United States for a long time. Time to rename the Department of War, Pete.

“And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.” Daniel 5:25 (KJB)

What we are watching right now is not strength, it is the ugly public unraveling of a war plan that did not go according to script. Donald Trump entered this conflict speaking like a man who intended to break Iran, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and make the world bow to the image of American power. But here we are at the end of March 2026, and the picture looks very different. Trump has now told the New York Post that this war will not last “much longer” and that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen “automatically” after the United States exits. At the same time, White House messaging has shifted to say that fully reopening Hormuz is no longer one of the core U.S. objectives. That is not victory language, that’s a pivot.

Gas has gone over $4 per gallon, airlines say they are out of fuel in a few weeks, NATO has abandoned us, and our nation teeters on the edge of recession. Who thought this war was a good idea, anyway?

When a leader begins by drawing a hard line, then quietly starts redefining the goalposts in the middle of the fight, that usually means the original objective has become too expensive, too difficult, or too politically dangerous to keep defending. Trump had projected the image of decisive military control. Instead, the war has dragged on, the Strait remains disrupted, and the administration is now talking as though the problem will somehow solve itself once America leaves. And then there is the coalition problem. Trump did not get the united Western front that his yes-men in Washington assumed would appear on command. Key European allies have resisted direct support, with countries such as Italy, Spain, and France denying or restricting requests tied to the war effort. Even where some logistical help remains, this is nowhere near a broad NATO-style show of force. Europe is not marching in lockstep behind this campaign, and that matters. So what are we really looking at?

We are looking at the limits of the MAGA doctrine, and quite possibly the functional end of the MAGA Movement itself. We are looking at what happens when a government, drunk on it’s own power, believes it can ignite another Middle East war, manage global oil choke points, control allied governments, pressure Iran into submission, and still walk away looking triumphant. That fantasy is now colliding with reality. Oil markets have been jolted, global shipping has been thrown into uncertainty, and the world has been reminded yet again that once war begins, it rarely obeys the neat political storyline written for it.

This is why the current Trump line about Hormuz reopening “automatically” deserves to be called out for what it is: narrative management. If the Strait were going to be reopened by force, they would say so plainly. If the mission had succeeded on its own stated terms, there would be no need to soften the objective after the fact. Instead, the message now is that America can leave and the desired result will somehow materialize later. That sounds less like a commander finishing the job and more like a politician looking for the least damaging exit ramp. From our perspective, this is another reminder that the nations rage, the kings of the earth strut across the stage, and yet the whole thing is marked by pride, confusion, and instability. Men boast of order, but they keep producing disorder. They promise decisive outcomes, but they deliver wider chaos. They talk peace while dropping bombs, then talk inevitability when they cannot secure the very result they said was necessary at the start. That is not wisdom. That is the blindness of power drunk on its own mythology.

The real lesson here is not merely that Trump may be cutting his losses. The deeper lesson is that modern political power remains what it has always been when separated from truth: loud, forceful, theatrical, and ultimately fragile. This war was sold in the language of control. It is now being reframed in the language of retreat. And that is the headline beneath the headline. Trump can call it strategy, his boot-licking defenders can call it leverage, and Fox News can call it a recalibration. But to those of us with eyes that see, it sure looks like this war did not go as planned, the allies never truly came on board, the Strait of Hormuz remains the visible symbol of unfinished business, and the White House is already preparing the public for an ending that falls far short of the original implied promise.

One more thing. To say that Donald Trump has a ‘mercurial’ nature would be a vast understatement, so I will close with the possibility that he could change his mind by five o’clock tonight and send the ground troops in anyway. To quote Forrest Gump, our president is very much like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’ll get. Bring our soldiers home, it’s time to say goodbye to World War Trump.

Now The End Begins is your front line defense against the rising tide of darkness in the last Days before the Rapture of the Church

When you contribute to this fundraising effort, you are helping us to do what the Lord called us to do. The money you send in goes primarily to the overall daily operations of this site. When people ask for Bibles, we send them out at no charge. When people write in and say how much they would like gospel tracts but cannot afford them, we send them a box at no cost to them for either the tracts or the shipping, no matter where they are in the world. We have a Gospel Billboard program. We are now broadcasting Bible studies, Podcasts and a Sunday Service 5 times a week, thanks to your generous donations. All this is possible because YOU pray for us, YOU support us, and YOU give so we can continue growing.

nteb-free-king-james-bible-program-750-550

But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Time is short and we need your help right now. The Lord has given us an open door with a tremendous ‘course’ for us to fulfill that will create an excellent experience at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Please pray for our efforts, and if the Lord leads you to donate, be as generous as possible. The war is REAL, the battle HOT and the time is SHORTTO THE FIGHT!!!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” Titus 2:13 (KJB)

“Thank you very much!” – Geoffrey, editor-in-chief, NTEB

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