18 persecute the Jewish people . Centuries earlier however , in anticipation of this event , the Lord gave His people an amazing word of encouragement . As the Jewish exiles made their way back to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity to rebuild the Temple , the prophet Haggai declared :
“ Consider now from this day forward , from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month , from the day that the foundation of the Lord ’ s temple was laid — consider it … From this day I will bless you .” ( Haggai 2:18 )
Very rarely does prophecy come to us with a date on it , but this one did ! The day was the 24th day of the 9th month ( Kislev 24 ) on the Jewish calendar , which often coincides with December on our Gregorian calendar . From that day , the prophet foretold that there would be a turnaround from travail to blessing and it would somehow tie together with Jerusalem . In its original context , the word had to do with the laying of the foundation in the Temple , yet the date of Haggai ’ s prophecy would become crucial for future eschatological events . The 24th day of Kislev from Haggai ' s prophecy was the day in which the Jews defeated the forces of Antiochus Epiphanes and liberated Jerusalem from their hands ! Thus , the very next day , which would be Kislev 25 , the Temple would be rededicated and thus the Feast of Chanukkah was born !
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