After we left Khao-I-Dang we did not find out until the next day that the North Vietnamese had probed and killed 30 people right there at the intersection in front of the Khao-I-Dang Camp just after we left. You may recall that I wrote about the man at that camp who had been the only pastor in Cambodia, and how the Khmer Rouge had found him and put him into one of their killing fields camps. I told how God had actually sent one of his “shinning angels” to miraculously protect him from certain execution, just like others Billy Graham wrote about in his book, Angels.
However, we wanted to visit one more refugee camp before dark, Sa Kaeo II. By now things were working just as the KGB had planned. The North Vietnamese Communists were coming into Cambodia and driving the Khmer Rouge out. This was a new camp and was already mostly populated by Khmer Rouge refugees who were themselves escaping Cambodia.
When we arrived, they were pulling this enormous chain across the entrance to block any North Vietnamese tanks from coming in. There were no UN people there. The place was run by a Thai officer. They called him down to the entrance to check our credentials, and right away we found how casual this place was. He came down only clad in his T-shirt and his drawers. He was really nice. He put a soldier on the outside step of our little bus with his automatic weapon and told us to go anywhere we wished.
Everything there was made of big stalks of bamboo, and most all of it was still green. The people here were much younger than the previous camp, and there were many young children.
I walked up to the top of a hill where a Swiss NGO had constructed a hospital. All workers at the hospital had already gone home, but there was a group of the most interesting young boys gathered there. They were all between the ages of 12 and 16. But what was so strange was that almost every one of them had some kind of injury. Some had lost a leg or an arm or and eye, but most just had flesh wounds that were almost healed. They all crowded around me, for they were all in the process of learning English in the hopes of getting to the US some day and had never met an American.
One of the older ones was named Hem-Hatch. He could speak fairly good English, so I asked him about all these boys. Where were their parents? He said: “No parents.” So I asked: “What is your story?” So, he told me that they all had the same story. They had all been in Cambodia in different villages. The Khmer Rouge had come to their villages and lined everyone up and started going down the line, shooting every person, one at a time. These guys saw their parents and siblings shot. They realized that if they did not get out of there, they were going to be dead. So, they just bolted for the jungle. They ran as fast as they could, zigzagging as they ran to dodge the bullets. Most had been hit at least once or lost an eye to the thorns as they crashed through the jungle. What a strange group of orphans, but they were full of energy and enthusiasm.
I corresponded with Hem-hatch for quite a while and sent him some Thai Baht that I could buy at a Dallas bank. I don’t know what finally happened to him. In the last letter I received from him he stated that he had the chance to go to France, but they were trying to get him to go back into Cambodia. I wrote him to get his rear-end into France, for I knew that the North Vietnamese were intercepting those repatriation busses as soon as they crossed the border and killing everyone on them.
When I got back to our little bus, the folks there had found this young lady. She was somewhere between age 19 to 24. She was one of those new Christians that were coming out of Cambodia that I mentioned earlier. And they were not just casual Christians. That terror had bonded them so close to God that it was spooky. This girl had taken upon herself the task to teach bible stories and Christian principals to every young child in the camp that she possibly could. She was teaching groups of children all day and into the night. There were 90,000 people already in that camp. She stayed on the verge of exhaustion all the time. Her dream was to get to the US and attend a bible-oriented college some day.
She gave me the name and address of a young lady friend who worked for the UN and would be able to bring things into the camp to her. When I got back to Dallas I went to several Christian book stores and bought all the different boxes of felt bible stories and sent them to her. Those are where you put up the different characters of a bible story on a felt board for the children as you tell the story. She wrote back how thrilled she was and how she used them to great effect for all those children. I also sent her quite a lot of Thai Baht so that she could buy things such as soccer balls for the older children.
So, before we left, we wanted to have a prayer for this lovely young Christian lady. I was sitting on the front row of the little bus and she sat just above me on the chrome supports. After we prayed, she prayed. And I will never forget for the rest of my life what happened. The bus was air conditioned, so it must have been cooler than normal for her. But as she prayed, I felt water dripping down onto me. When that girl prayed, the intensity of her prayer, the intensity of her communication with God, caused her to become wet all over. Evidently, because of the necessity of what she was doing, God had infused her with a prodigious amount of his mighty Spirit Power.
To this day, I feel guilty that I have never been able to pray like that……with the intensity of that girl.
Baylor grads remember the very popular physics professor at Baylor, Dr. Robert Packard. Many students wanted to take his introductory physics course which he made so very interesting for non-science students.
When he first came to Baylor his brilliance was little known. However, at that time, he taught me and a few others Baylors’ most advanced physics courses. We just loved him, for he was so close to God. He died recently at age 94. And he did not get to see the recent greatest breakthrough in all physics history. It is the most amazing scientific fete of all time.
Einstein predicted its theoretical possibility 80 years ago with his famous E=mc2 formula, which states that energy and matter (or mass) are interchangeable. The formula has now been proved, for actual matter has been created from pure light……real matter from pure light only.
It has been done at the Brookhaven National Laboratory under the U.S. Department of Energy. They caused two gold (Au) ions to move in opposite directions at 99.995% of the speed of light. As the ions pass one another without colliding, two photons from the electromagnetic cloud surrounding the ions can interact with each other to create a matter-antimatter pair: an electron and a positron. It was possible by using some of the most powerful lasers ever created.
In UPTON, NY—Scientists studying particle collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC)—a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science user facility for nuclear physics research at DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory—have produced definitive evidence for physics phenomena predicted more than 80 years ago. The results were derived from a detailed analysis of more than 6,000 pairs of electrons and positrons produced in glancing particle collisions at the RHIC.
The primary finding is that pairs of electrons and positrons—particles of matter and antimatter—can be created directly by colliding with very energetic photons, which are quantum “packets” of light. This conversion of energetic light into matter is a direct consequence of Einstein’s famous E=MC2 equation, which states that energy and matter (or mass) are interchangeable. Nuclear reactions in the sun and at nuclear power plants regularly convert matter into energy. Now scientists have converted light energy directly into matter in a single step.
In other words, the results depend on the ability of RHIC’s STAR detector—the Solenoid Tracker at RHIC—to measure the angular distribution of particles produced in glancing collisions of gold ions (Au) moving at nearly the speed of light.
“On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords'”
It’s amazing how quickly life can change. Perhaps you’re looking back today and remembering all that’s occurred since the year began. Problems that consumed your heart last January are a distant memory, while blessings and opportunities that didn’t seem possible a few months ago have appeared by surprise.
If you focus on the ever-changing nature of life, you may feel discouraged about the future. But nothing will encourage you more than considering God’s absolute faithfulness through it all.
Though this year ends, He remains sovereign over all that exists. Allow this truth to comfort you as you face the unknowns ahead. He remains sovereign over all that exists. No problem is too overwhelming for your heavenly Father. He is your perfect leader, who guides you wisely to triumph no matter what happens. And his love for you never fails.
So, as the new Year begins, rejoice that the One who’s always King will always be with you. And that’s a fact that will never change.
From 1714 to 1718, James Oglethorpe was a military aide under the command of Prince Eugene of Savoy fighting to drive the Muslim Turks out of Belgrade, Serbia.
After the battle, at the age of 22, Oglethorpe returned to England, where he entered Parliament and worked for prison reform after one of his friends died in debtors prison.
In 1732, Oglethorpe founded the Colony of Georgia in America for poor debtors and persecuted Christians. Oglethorpe defended Georgia from attacks launched out of Spanish Florida.
General James Oglethorpe’s secretary was Charles Wesley. Charles’ brother, John Wesley, served as the colony’s Anglican minister. John Wesley’s efforts to evangelize the Indians proved more difficult than anticipated, and his strict religiosity was resented by the colonists.
In 1737, John and Charles Wesley returned to England where they were befriended by a Moravian missionary named Peter Boehler, who was waiting for a ship to sail to Georgia. Peter Boehler shared with the Wesleys regarding the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which resulted in their “Aldersgate experience” in May of 1738.
John Wesley wrote: “In the evening, I went very unwillingly to a Society in Aldersgate-Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ; Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me, that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”
John Wesley went over to Europe and lived with the Moravians for eight months. He accepted their faith “the religion of the heart.” The Wesleys’ began preaching that God’s grace was free for all. They influenced George Whitefield, who spread the Great Awakening Revival throughout the American colonies.
God is just, and therefore He must judge every sin; but God is love, as He provided His Son to take the judgement for our sins. The Lamb is God’s way to love us without having to judge us! This was foreshadowed when Abraham was taking his son, Isaac, to the top of Mount Moriah, Genesis 22:7-8: “Isaac spake unto Abraham. My father behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.”
This passage has a double meaning: First, that God will provide a sacrifice, a ram caught by its head in a thorn bush on top of Mount Moriah; and Second, that God will provide a sacrifice, His only begotten Son, upon whose head was a crown of thorns.
Charles Wesley wrote in a hymn published in 1738: “Amazing love! How can it be, That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?”
Charles Wesley was the 18th child of Rev. Samuel and Susanna Wesley, born December 18, 1707, in Epworth, England. Susanna Wesley home-schooled all her 19 children, giving them a classical education which included learning Latin and Greek. Charles Wesley excelled in his studies. He attended Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, where he came to the attention of Garret Wellesley, a member of the British Parliament with a large fortune in Daugan, Ireland. Having no child, Garret Wellesley offered to adopt Charles as his heir, but Charles declined. Garret Wellesley then decided to leave his estate to his cousin Richard Colley Wellesly, the father of Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, who became famous for his role in defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
After graduating from Oxford, Charles Wesley sailed to the Colony of Georgia in 1732, serving as secretary to the colony’s founder, General James Oglethorpe.
In 1739, Charles Wesley penned “Hark! how all the Welkin – Heaven – rings.” George Whitefield suggested the first line be changed to “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” The song was put to the music of Lutheran composer Felix Mendelssohn, grandson of the notable Jewish philosopher, Moses Mendelssohn. “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing” was first published in 1739 in the collection Hymns and Sacred Poems. It was republished in George Whitefield’s Collection of Hymns for Social Worship in 1754.
In America, at this time, the French and Indian War was heating up. British General Edward Braddock fought the Battle of the Monongahela in 1755, assisted by the young officer named George Washington, who was miraculously spared. Also at the battle on the side of the British was 20-year-old wagon driver Daniel Boone. Colonial Americans found hope in singing Charles Wesley’s hymn:
“Hark, the Herald Angels sing,Glory to the new-born King,Peace on earth, and mercy mild,God and sinners reconciled.
Joyful all ye nations rise,Join the triumph of the skies;with angelic host proclaim,Christ is born in Bethlehem.”
Hark! The herald angels sing,“Glory to the newborn King!”
Christ by highest heav’n adored,Christ the everlasting Lord!Late in time, behold Him come,Offspring of a Virgin’s womb,Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,Hail the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with man to dwell,Jesus, our Emmanuel,Hark! The herald angels sing,”Glory to the newborn King!”
Hail the heav’n-born Prince of Peace!Hail the Son of Righteousness!Light and life to all He brings,Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,Born that man no more may die,Born to raise the sons of earth,Born to give them second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing,“Glory to the newborn King!”
The same year Charles Wesley was born, 1707, Isaac Watts wrote the carol “Joy to the World,” which became one of the most published Christmas hymns in North America.
“Joy to the world! The Lord is come;Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.
Joy to the world! The Saviour reigns;Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found, Far as, the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,And wonders, wonders, of His love.”
At this time in Europe, composer George Frideric Handel was at a low point in his career, having suffered partial paralysis on his left side due to a stroke.
Incredibly, beginning August 22, 1741, George Handel composed “Messiah” in only 21 days, as part of a series of concerts in Dublin to benefit charities.
In Messiah, Handel included a line from the Book of Job 19:25:
“I know that my Redeemer liveth.”
The premiere was met with overwhelming success.
When it was performed in London, King George II stood to his feet during the singing of the “Hallelujah” Chorus.
In reflecting on the “Hallelujah Chorus,” 1742, Handel expressed what he saw in his mind and spirit that he expressed in the music:
“I did think I did see all heaven before me, and the great God Himself.
Another popular Christmas carol first published in 1751 was “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” originally written in Latin as “Adeste Fideles.” It is one of the oldest hymns, with attributions to 11th century Cistertian monks, 13th century St. Bonaventure, 17th century Portugal’s King John the Fourth, or 18th century John F. Wade, with music by John Reading:
“O come, all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him, Born the King of angels!
– Chorus –
O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
God of God, Light of Light,
Lo! he abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
Very God, Begotten not created.
– Chorus –
O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
Sing, choirs of angels, Sing in exultation;
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, In the highest;
– Chorus –
O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be glory given; Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing.
– Chorus –
O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him,
How the world’s most famous Christmas carol came to be written and set to music:
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.”
How “Silent Night” the world’s most famous Christmas carol came to be written and set to music:
The original church building near Salzburg, Austria, in which “Silent Night” was first performed
In 1818, a roving band of actors was performing in towns throughout the Austrian Alps. On December 23, they arrived at Oberndorf, a village near Salzburg, where they were to re-enact the story of Christ’s birth in the small Church of St. Nicholas.
Unfortunately, the St. Nicholas’ church organ wasn’t working and would not be repaired before Christmas. Because the church organ was out of commission, the actors presented their Christmas drama in a private home. That Christmas presentation of the events in the first chapters of Matthew and Luke put assistant pastor Josef Mohr in a meditative mood. Instead of walking straight home that night, Mohr took a longer way to his house. The longer path took him up on a hill overlooking the village.
From that hilltop, Mohr looked down on the peaceful snow-covered village. Reveling in the majestic silence of a wintry night, he recalled a poem he had written a couple of years before about the night angels announced the birth of the Messiah to shepherds.
Mohr decided those words might make a good carol for his congregation the following evening at their Christmas Eve service. The problem was he didn’t have any music to which that poem could be sung. So, the next day, Mohr went to see the church organist, Franz Xaver Gruber. Gruber only had a few hours to compose a melody that could be played on a guitar. By that evening, Gruber had composed a musical setting for the poem. That the church organ was inoperable no longer mattered. They now had a Christmas carol that could be sung without an organ.
On Christmas Eve, the small Oberndorf congregation heard Gruber and Mohr sing their new composition to the accompaniment of Gruber’s guitar.
Weeks later, well-known organ builder Karl Mauracher arrived in Oberndorf to fix the organ in St. Nicholas church. When Mauracher finished, he let Gruber test the instrument. Gruber began playing the simple melody he had written for Mohr’s poem. Impressed, Mauracher took copies of the music and words back to his own Alpine village, Kapfing. There, two well-known families of singers — the Rainers and the Strassers — heard it. Captivated by “Silent Night,” both groups put the new song into their Christmas repertoire.
The Strasser sisters spread the carol across northern Europe. In 1834, they performed “Silent Night” for King Frederick William IV of Prussia, who liked it so much he ordered his cathedral Christmas Eve group to perform it.
Twenty years after “Silent Night” was written, the Rainers brought the song to the United States, singing the original German version at New York City’s Trinity Church.
In 1863, nearly fifty years after being sung in German, “Silent Night” was translated into English by either Jane Campbell or John Young. Eight years later, that English version made its way into print in Charles Hutchins’ Sunday School Hymnal. Today, the words of “Silent Night” are sung worldwide in more than 300 languages.
Artists who have recorded it in English include Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and Mariah Carey. Bing Crosby’s version is one of the best-selling singles of all time.
Here are the complete lyrics of Silent Night in English:
“Silent night, holy night All is calm, all is bright Round yon virgin mother and Child Holy Infant so tender and mild Sleep in heavenly peace Sleep in heavenly peace
Silent night, holy night Shepherds quake at the sight Glories stream from heaven afar Heavenly hosts sing halleluia Christ the Savior is born Christ the Savior is born
Silent night, holy night Son of God, love’s pure light Radiant beams from Thy holy face With the dawn of redeeming grace Jesus Lord at Thy birth Jesus Lord at Thy birth”
Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.
Does your heart yearn for peace? The hectic nature of Christmas sometimes inspires more weariness, conflict, loneliness, and feelings of unworthiness than the joy promised by the angles at Christ’s birth. The tumult within your spirit and unfulfilled dreams may leave you longing for rest. But be assured, your Savior desires to give you genuine tranquility in the midst of all the pressures of the season (John 14:27).
Friend, you will feel exhausted and overwhelmed when you believe everything depends on you. But Christ calms your soul by taking full responsibility for your needs as you obey Him. You’ll find peace when you trust Him, because you’re assured that the One who is best able to give you the victory in every situation will never leave or forsake you.
So when you feel overwhelmed, stop and spend time with your Prince of Peace. Then rejoice in the fact that he’s got everything under control (Psalm 103:19). Truly, He is always ready, willing, and able to help you (Psalm 46:1).
(Most gentile folks know that the Jewish people have a ceremony around our Christmas time. They call it Hanukkah. However, most gentiles know very little about it. I think it would be pertinent for you to know all about it. I have chronicled the story of Hanukkah for your benefit below. Do read it and find out all about Hanukkah.)
Hanukkah represents the Rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BC.
The origin of lights at this season can be traced back to the Jewish Festival of Lights, or Feast of the Dedication, in Hebrew called “Hanukkah.”
Solomon’s week-long dedication of the First Temple began on the 1st day of the Hebrew month Tishri, in the 10th century B.C., ending on the 8th day of Tishrei. (First Kings 8; Second Chronicles 7.)
Beginning in 597 B.C., the army of Babylon surrounded Jerusalem, deposed King Jehoiachin, and deported the first group of Jews.
Babylonian’s army returned and destroyed the First Temple on the 9th day of the month of Av, circa 587 B.C., and made a second deportation of Jews.
The prophet Jeremiah wrote in chapter 25: “And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord.”
And Jeremiah wrote in chapter 29: “For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.”
The prophet Daniel read Jeremiah’s prophecy and wrote in chapter 9: “In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.”
In 539 B.C., Cyrus of Persia captured Babylon, the ancient world’s largest city. Shortly after, Cyrus let Jews return to Jerusalem after 70 years of captivity.
The Book of Ezra, chapter 6, recorded how Jews built the Second Temple and dedicated it in 516 B.C.
Around 334 B.C., Alexander the Great invaded from the west and speedily conquered the Medo-Persian Empire.
The prophet Daniel foretold in chapter 8: “The male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. (That was Alexander the Great). He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns.”
Thus, the common understanding is that Alexander’s Empire, after numerous battles, was divided up thus:
Seleucus ruled the rest of the Middle East, Syria, Babylon, Persia, and parts of India, collectively known as the “Seleucid Empire.”
Lysimachus ruled Thrace & Asia Minor;
Cassander ruled Macedonia and Greece;
Ptolemy ruled Egypt and into the Middle East.
Around 167 B.C., out of the Seleucid Empire, there arose an aggressive king, Antiochus the Fourth Epiphanes.
So, Daniel wrote further: ” Around Out of one of them came forth a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land.”
That horn was Antiochus who attacked Jerusalem, as reported in 2nd Book of Maccabees 5:11-14: “The king thought that Judea was in revolt. Raging like a wild animal, he set out from Egypt and took Jerusalem by storm. He ordered his soldiers to cut down without mercy those whom they met and to slay those who took refuge in their houses. There was a massacre of young and old, a killing of women and children, a slaughter of virgins and infants. In the space of three days, eighty thousand were lost, forty thousand meeting a violent death, and the same number being sold into slavery.”
The prophet Daniel foretold in chapter 11:22-27: “While returning to this land with great riches, his (Antiochus) heart shall be moved against the holy covenant and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary with desolation.
Antiochus the Fourth Epiphanes tried to force the Jews to abandon their beliefs and adopt the Greek culture, as recorded in 2 Maccabees 5:11-14: “Not long after this the king sent an Athenian senator to force the Jews to abandon the customs of their ancestors and live no longer by the laws of God; also to profane the temple in Jerusalem and dedicate it to Olympian Zeus. They also brought into the temple things that were forbidden, so that the altar was covered with abominable offerings prohibited by the laws. A man could not keep the sabbath or celebrate the traditional feasts, nor even admit that he was a Jew. Women were arrested for having circumcised their children and were publicly paraded about the city with their babies hanging at their breasts and then thrown down from the top of the city wall. As were Others, who had assembled in nearby caves to observe the sabbath.
“Though they were persecuted, Daniel prophesied: “But their God shall be strong, and carry the people who know Him out to great exploits.”
Around 167 B.C., Mattathias and his sons began the Maccabean Revolt against Antiochus Epiphanes. Judas Maccabaeus was finally successful in driving the enemy out in 164 B.C.
When the Second Temple was cleansed of all pagan defilement, a week long re-When the Second Temple was cleansed of all pagan defilement, a week long re-dedication began on the 25th day of Kislev, circa 164 B.C. But there was a problem, there was only found enough holy olive oil to light the golden lamp stand, the menorah, for one day, and it would take a week before more could be made. The decision was made to relight it anyway, and miraculously, the light burned for eight days.
This is celebrated annually as the Feast of Dedication, also known as the Festival of Lights or HANUKKAH, which is the Hebrew word for “dedication.”
Flavius Josephus wrote in the Jewish Antiquities (12.7.6-7 316-325) that in 164 BC: “The generals of Antiochus’ armies having been defeated, Judah Maccabee assembled the people and told them that after the many victories which God had given them they ought to go up to Jerusalem and purify the Temple. But when he with the whole multitude came to Jerusalem and found he Temple deserted, its gates burned down, and plants growing in the Temple of their own accord because of the desolation, he and those with him began to lament.”
Josephus continued: “When he had carefully purged it he brought in new vessels, the menorah, the table and the incense altar, which were made of gold. And on the 25th day of the month Kislev, which the Macedonians call Apellaios, they lighted the lights that were on the menorah, and offered incense upon the altar, and laid the loaves upon the table, and offered whole burnt offerings upon the new altar.
As it happened, these things took place on the very same day on which, three years before, the divine worship had been reduced to an impure and profane form of worship; for the Temple had remained desolate for three years after being made so by Antiochus. “
Josephus concluded: “And so Judah and his fellow citizens celebrated the festival of the restoration of the sacrifices of the Temple for eight days. They honored God, and delighted themselves with psalms of praise and the playing of harps. Indeed, they were so very glad at the revival of their customs and, after so long a time, having unexpectedly regained their right to worship, that they made it a law for their posterity that they should keep a festival celebrating the restoration of their Temple worship for eight days.”
The New Testament Book of John, chapter 10:22-23, recorded that even Jesus observed the Feast of Dedication: “At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, ‘How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.'”
The many centuries of Hanukkah candles being lit during the winter might have been an inspiration for the Christian tradition of putting lights in tree branches to depict the sky above Bethlehem.
Various U.S. Presidents acknowledged Hanukkah: Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote to Samuel I. Rosenman, President of the Jewish Education Committee in New York, December 16, 1940: Dear Sam, Please convey my best wishes to your co-workers in the Jewish Education Committee of New York, at the annual Hanukkah Dinner. Our modern democratic way of life has its deepest roots in our great common religious tradition, which for ages past has taught to civilized mankind the dignity of the human being, his equality before God, and his responsibility in the making of a better and fairer world. The world is engaged in a great spiritual struggle to test whether that ancient wisdom is to endure, or whether some few men shall dominate multitudes of others and dictate to them their thinking, their religion, their living. We need the sustaining, buttressing aid of those great ethical religious teachings which are the heritage of our modern civilization. For ‘not upon strength nor upon power, but upon the spirit of God’ shall our democracy be founded.”
In 1951, President Harry S. Truman received a presentation of a Hanukkah menorah from Israel’s Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion.
On December 17, 1979, President Jimmy Carter was the first President to participate in Hanukkah. He walked from the White House to Lafayette Park to light the National Menorah erected by the American Friends of Lubavitch.
Carter said: “The first candle that I lit, the shammes candle, has given its light now to five other candles. It has not itself been diminished. It shows that when we give life and love to others, the life and love in our own hearts is not diminished. It grows the more we share it. So, tonight we pray that our closeness to God, our memory of these fine commitments of human beings down through the ages will strengthen our desires to share our life and our love.”
President Ronald Reagan stated in his Hanukkah Message, 1983: “Whether we be Americans or Israelis, we are all children of Abraham, children of the same God. The bonds between our two peoples are growing stronger, and they must not and will never be broken.”
President George H.W. Bush stated in his Hanukkah Message, 1991: “When Judah Maccabee and his followers prepared to rededicate the Temple in Jerusalem, they found only enough oil to light the menorah for one night. Miraculously, it lasted eight.”
President Bill Clinton stated in his Hanukkah Message, 1997: “From the days of the ancient Maccabees down to our present time, tyrants have sought to deny people the free expression of their faith and the right to live according to their own conscience and convictions. Hanukkah symbolizes the heroic struggle of all who seek to defeat such oppression and the miracles that come to those full of faith and courage. This holiday holds special meaning for us in America, where freedom of religion is one of the cornerstones of our democracy. The coming year will mark the 50th anniversary of the State of Israel, where the story of the first Hanukkah took place so many centuries ago. May the candles of the menorah light our way to a true and lasting peace for the people of the Middle East.”
George W. Bush remarked lighting the Hanukkah Menorah in the White House, December 10, 2001: “Tonight, for the first time in American history, the Hanukkah menorah will be lit at the White House residence. The magnificent menorah before us was crafted over a century ago in the city of Lvov. The Jews of Lvov fell victim to the horror of the Nazi Holocaust, but their great menorah survived. And as God promised Abraham, the people of Israel still live. We’re reminded of the ancient story of Israel’s courage and of the power of faith to make the darkness bright. We can see the heroic spirit of the Maccabees lives on in Israel today, and we trust that a better day is coming, when this Festival of Freedom will be celebrated in a world free from terror.”
President Donald J. Trump remarked on Hanukkah, December 12, 2017: “The miracle of Hanukkah began more than 2,000 years ago, when the practice of Judaism was made punishable by death. A small band of Jewish patriots rose up and reclaimed their Jewish identity by vanquishing a mighty army. In their pursuit to rededicate their holy temple, the Jewish heroes found only enough oil to light the temple’s menorah for one night. However, a miracle occurred and with God’s grace the oil lasted for eight days. On this holiday, we are proud to stand with the Jewish people who shine as a light to all nations. We also stand with the people of Israel, the Jewish State, which has itself a miraculous history of overcoming the tallest of odds. We hope that those observing the holiday here, in Israel, and around the world have a wonderful holiday.”
“When the fullness of the time came, God sent forth his Son“
This Christmas, are you waiting for some precious promise to be fulfilled? Do not despair—God always keeps His Word. Yet just as the Savior appeared in a way and time that were completely unexpected to anyone—so will the blessings He has for you.
For example, the nation of Israel thought the Messiah would appear during a time of national crises. But the Lord had better plans. He waited until the message of the gospel could be carried to the ends of the earth so the whole world could embrace the good news. It was the only time in history that one could travel safely across the whole known world on the safe Roman roads and safely cross all national boundaries without a visa.
How Christ came contradicted the Israelites’ expectations as well. They imagined a great conqueror who would build the kingdom for Israel—not a baby in a manger. Yet Jesus had a greater purpose—saving their souls, not just their land. Therefore, if you’re discouraged because God’s promise to you is not yet fulfilled—remember, His answer may not appear in the manner or time you suppose. But rest assured, He has greater plans than you can imagine. So continue to trust and obey Him completely, and anticipate the blessings He has promised you with joy.
In the Battle of Princeton: “Washington advanced so near the enemy’s lines that his horse refused to go further”
Frederick the Great of Prussia called these ten days “the most brilliant in the world’s history.” At that time.
After winning the Battle of Princeton, Christmas Day evening, 1776, George Washington’s 1,200 man force faced General Cornwallis’ 4,500 man British army. Washington was fighting the army of the globalist King of Great Britain, the most powerful military on the planet.
On the night of January 2, 1777, Washington left his campfires burning and marched his army around the back of a portion of Cornwallis’ army – the 1,400 British troops camped at Princeton, New Jersey. He ordered his soldiers to march in absolute silence, even wrapping their guns with heavy cloth to lessen the noise of troop movement.
British commander Lord Cornwallis ordered Colonel Mawhood to join his regiments to the rest of the British army. This providentially, resulted in the British ceasing to patrol the very roads Washington was marching on.
At daybreak, January 3, 1777, Washington attacked the British from behind. This was similar to what the British did to the Americans at the Battle of Brooklyn Heights a little over four months earlier.
At this Battle of Princeton, the surprised British immediately fought back, sending forth a bayonet charge which killed dozens of American soldiers. One of those killed was General Hugh Mercer, who had fought with Washington in the French and Indian War, and in the Battle of Trenton. Hugh Mercer’s descendants included WWII General George S. Patton.
After Mercer was killed, the British pressed their counter-attack. The American militia under General John Cadwalader began to panic and flee. To stop the retreat, General George Washington immediately rode to the front of the line and ordered the soldiers to stop running away. He commanded them to turn around and follow him back to the front lines. Washington rode extremely close to the British, within just 30 yards.
Turning and facing his men, Washington yelled: “Halt!” “Aim,” then “Fire!”
The British immediately fired a volley in return. The field of battle was filled with a cloud of smoke. Many thought Washington was surely shot, as he was exposed to fire from both sides.
Irishman John Fitzgerald, who was an American aide-de-camp, pulled his hat down to cover his eyes so as to not see Washington killed. But when the smoke cleared, to their dismay, Washington was seen on his horse, waving to his men to charge ahead. The Americans charged and won a great victory at the Battle of Princeton.
An estimated 100 British were killed or wounded, and over 300 captured, as compared to only 23 Americans killed and 20 wounded. Enthusiasm swept America. Though it took nearly seven more years of fighting till the Revolutionary War ended, this battle was a major turning point.
British historian Sir George Otto Trevelyan wrote of the American victories at Trenton and Princeton: “It may be doubted whether so small a number of men ever employed so short a space of time with greater and more lasting effects upon the history of the world.”
President Calvin Coolidge stated October 28, 1925: “Distinguished military critics have described Washington’s campaign of Trenton and Princeton as a military exploit of unparalleled brilliancy.”
The equestrian statue at Washington Circle in Washington, D.C., depicts General Washington at the Battle of Princeton. At the statue’s dedication in 1860, sculptor Clark Mills stated: “At the Battle of Princeton where Washington, after several ineffectual attempts to rally his troops, advanced so near the enemy’s lines that his horse refused to go further, but stood and trembled while the brave rider sat undaunted with reins in hand.
But while his noble horse is represented thus terror stricken, the dauntless hero is calm and dignified, ever believing himself the instrument in the hand of Providence to work out the great problem of liberty.”
Yale President Ezra Stiles described General George Washington as the American version of the Israelite commander Joshua, in an Election Address before the Governor and General Assembly of Connecticut, May 8, 1783: “Congress put at the head of this spirited army, the only man, on whom the eyes of all Israel were placed. This American Joshua was raised up by God, and divinely formed by a peculiar influence of the Sovereign of the Universe, for the great work of leading the armies of this American Joseph, and conducting this people through the severe, the arduous conflict, to liberty and independence”
“Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.”
Life is one continuous decision-making process from childhood through the golden years. Thankfully, God is willing to give us clear guidance about every choice we make—regardless if it’s major or minor. However, when He speaks, He expects us to respect Him, doing as He instructs.
In fact, His Word tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10 NIV). In other words, if you’re going to be wise, you must honor His direction, serving Him instead of yourself. And you do so because of your steadfast confidence in His sovereignty and character.
So consider—are you in the midst of a difficult situation today? Friend, understanding that the Savior is perfect in His knowledge, all-sufficient in His strength, and unconditionally loving toward you is key to submitting to Him for your future. So reevaluate your situation in light of His trustworthy character an obey however He directs you to proceed. Because you’ll be sure to make excellent decisions when you do.
(You hear a lot about the help that France gave to the American Cause in the Revolutionary War. However, Spain gave enormous aid also. In fact, without Spain’s help, General Washington’s army would probably never have defeated the British Forces. Below for your edification I have chronicled some of that Spanish aid:)
The Aid of Spain
During the Revolution, America benefited from the Spanish and French navies laying siege to British controlled Gibraltar. It was the longest siege the British had ever endured, and one of the longest in naval history, requiring an enormous amount of British military resources that would have otherwise been sent to America.
On the night of August 8, 1780, a large convoy of British ships and merchant vessels left the English Channel. In the dark, Spanish Admiral Luis de Córdova y Córdova’s flagship slipped between the lead British ship and the rest of the British fleet. Córdova mimicked the signal shots of the lead ship to fool the British convoy into following him into a trap.
When dawn broke, the British convoy was surrounded. A British officer wrote: “At day-light we found ourselves in the center of thirty ships of the line and four frigates, all Spanish. We tried to run, but found it impossible.” It was one of the largest naval captures in history, 55 ships and over a million British pounds of supplies, robbing them of resources intended to fight Americans.
King Carlos III of Spain, together with King Louis XVI of France, secretly supplied five million livres worth of materials and arms to America through a front trading business — “Roderigue Hortalez and Company.” The company covertly worked with Connecticut merchant Silas Deane and Thomas Morris, the half-brother of Robert Morris, the “Financier of the Revolution.”
Similarly, The Dutch secretly funneled supplies and weapons to America through the Spanis Island of St. Eustatius. including muskets, cannons, cannonballs, gunpowder, bombs, mortars, tents, and clothing enough for 30,000 soldiers.
King Carlos III gave a directive to the Spanish Governor of Louisiana, Bernardo de Gálvez, to allow military supplies, weapons, uniforms, and medicine to be shipped up the Mississippi River to the Ohio River to aid the Continental Army troops under the command of General Washington and Brigadier-General George Rogers Clark. In 1777, the value of the supplies delivered was over $70,000.
Bernardo de Galvez
Barnardo de Gálvez’s uncle, José de Gálvez, as Inspector General of New Spain, appointed the Franciscan Junipero Serra as head of the 21 missions in California, where he baptized over 6,000 Indians.
Bernardo de Gálvez corresponded with Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and American General Charles Henry Lee.
In 1779, Gálvez recruited troops from Cuba, México, Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Costa Rica, free Blacks, Indians, Creoles, and French Catholic Acadians -“Cajuns” to fight t He negotiated with Texas governor Domingo y Robles in June, 1779, for 2,000 head of cattle to be driven to Louisiana to feed his troops.
They defeated the British at Fort Bute, Baton Rouge, and Natchez, freeing up the lower Mississippi Valley.
In 1780, Galvez captured Mobile in the Battle of Fort Charlotte, and in 1781, defeated the British at Pensacola, driving British forces out of that west area and the Gulf of Mexico. Fort Charlotte was previously called Fort Conde by the French before they were defeated by the British in the French and Indian War, 1763. The British claimed the Louisiana Territory east of the Mississippi, calling it British West Florida.
Don Bernardo de Gálvez
The British Colonial period on the Gulf Coast ended in spectacular fashion during the American Revolution. In March 1780, Don Bernardo de Gálvez, the Spanish governor of Louisiana, led more than a thousand troops to Mobile and laid siege to Fort Charlotte. For 14 long days, Spanish guns battered the old fort. Faced with the complete destruction of his ragtag army of 300 men, including armed slaves and volunteers from the town, British Captain Elias Dumford surrendered Fort Charlotte.
Gálvez, with 32 ships and 3,000 troops from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Mexico, Canary Islands, along with black militia and Native Americans, fought many battles along the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast, including the Port of New Orleans, Fort Bute, Baton Rouge, Natchez, and Nassau, Bahamas. After a two month siege, he captured Pensacola and effectively drove the British out of the Gulf of Mexico.
Galvez in Gulf of Mexico
Gálvez also sent reinforcements to St. Louis, near where the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers meet, to repel the British in the Battle of Fort San Carlos, May 25, 1780. Gálvez actions prevented the British from attacking Washington’s army from the west.
In 1783, Gálvez went to France and helped in the negotiations which culminated in the Treaty of Paris, ending the Revolutionary War. In gratitude for his support of America, General Washington invited Gálvez to ride next to him in the July 4, 1783, victory parade in Philadelphia.
In October of 1784, Bernardo de Gálvez was made Governor of Cuba, Louisiana and the Floridas, where, as a gesture of goodwill, he released all American sailors imprisoned for smuggling. Galveston, Texas, was named for him. A statue of Gálvez is in New Orlean’s Spanish Plaza and in Washington, DC., near the Department of State. Congress awarded Gálvez honorary American citizenship – one of only seven other people to be thus recognized.
(So, Spain helped greatly in the Revolutionary War.)
Thomas was missing when Jesus first appeared to the disciples, and he was also the one to voice the greatest doubts about the resurrection. He declared that he wouldn’t believe Christ had risen from the grave unless he touched Jesus’ hand and side (John20:25). You can imagine the shock and embarrassment he felt when Jesus appeared.
Yet what happened to Thomas can be instructive for you today, especially if God made you a promise that you’ve waited a long time to see fulfilled. What you believe about Him will ensure either your success or your failure.
You may, like Thomas, demand the Lord show you signs, but when you do so, you only prove the weakness and immaturity of your faith.
But Jesus said, “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed” (John 20:29). If you’ll unwaveringly trust Him to do as He said, you will receive great blessings. You’ll not only see your dearest prayers answered, but you’ll glorify Him, and your faith will grow.
So don’t embarrass yourself by doubting Him. Trust that He is able, and that one day your faith will be turned to sight.
True Texan Tales 