The Faithful Movement Will March From Modi'in of the Maccabees to the Temple Mount During Hanukkah Carrying the Heritage and Torch of the Heroic Maccabees

On Tuesday, 23 December 2003 [28 Kislev 5764], the fourth day of Hanukkah, The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement will hold their traditional march from Modi'in, the village of the Maccabees, to Biblical Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.

This march of the Faithful Movement to the Temple Mount at this critical time in the history of Israel is no accident. The circumstances of the times of the great revolt by the Maccabees in 135 BCE are so similar to the times in which Israel is now living. [For a full text of the 1st book of the Maccabees, see the link on our home page—ed] Many enemies and terrorists are attacking Israel from without and within. On the other hand, there is cultural pressure on Israel to change and give up the most Biblical parts of the land in Judaea, Samaria, and Gaza to the most cruel enemies of the G–d and people of Israel, the so-called 'Palestinians'. This 'people; never lived in the land as a nation and never had a 'Palestinian' state there. This was given by G–d to Israel alone in an eternal covenant. He forbad His people to give away any part of the land to anyone else, especially to their enemies. At the same time, Israel today is also under pressure to change her godly Biblical identity.

The message of the Faithful Movement through this march will firstly be directed to the G–d of Israel: that we shall forever remain faithful to Him, to His eternal covenant with Israel, to His Word, and to His endtime plans. Secondly, like the Maccabees, through this march we will declare to the people of Israel and all the world that the Temple Mount can no longer be desecrated by the foreign Moslem and Arab enemies; that they should immediately be removed, the Temple Mount purified, and the house of G–d immediately rebuilt for His glory. It will be a unique march which will gave this critical time of Hanukkah a special and unique meaning in the midst of a time of terror in Israel. The light and heritage that the Faithful Movement will carry with them from Modi'in to the Temple Mount will light up the darkness of this time and bring great hope and strength to Israel which is so needed at this critical time.

The march will take place in the morning when the Faithful will came to Modi'in, 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Jerusalem. They will stand before the tombs of the Maccabees and the village where they lived and were raised. Modi'in was a village of priests who worshipped in the Second Temple. There the Faithful will commemorate their heritage and heroism of 2,138 years ago. It was then that the Maccabees started their great heroic revolt against the Hellenist Seleucid empire which had occupied the land of Israel, persecuted the Israelites, and forced them to accept Hellenist culture and faith. More than this, they placed an idolatrous statue in the Holy of Holies in the Temple. Under their pressure and persecution the back of most of the Israeli people was broken. This was a critical moment in Israeli history. All the nations under the Seleucid's control accepted Hellenism and became a part of it and, in so doing, lost their identities. The danger in Israel was that they would succeed there also and that this too would be the destiny of Israel.

However, at that critical moment, G–d raised up His messengers, the Maccabees. The revolt started in the small village of Modi'in. The man chosen by G–d to create this revolution and save Israel was the high priest Matatiyahu, the Hashmonean. He could not fulfil his task because Jewish worship in the Temple ceased when the Holy Place was desecrated by the Hellenists and their idol. One day, Hellenist soldiers came to Modi'in and erected an idol in the center of the village and, as was done all over Israel, they attempted to force the villagers to bow to the idol and to eat pork. The heart of Matatiyahu was broken when he saw this. He remained faithful to the G–d of Israel and to the Torah. The Spirit of G–d rose within him and he acted for the Name of G–d and His Word. He called on the people in Modi'in: "He who is with G–d will follow me!" As an example to all of them he destroyed the idol, burned the pork, and killed the soldiers. One — together with the G–d of Israel — against many pagans.

Immediately his five sons joined him, together with all the other villagers who felt the spirit of G–d in their hearts. The great Maccabean revolt had begun. They started as a small group but, as in modern Israel, G–d fought together with them and they went from victory to victory in the battles against the Hellenist soldiers. The main battle was in the place which was the focus of the revolt — the Temple of G–d in Jerusalem. They won the battle for the land, Jerusalem, and the Temple Mount. As G–d promised to Israel, a small minority together with G–d defeated the great majority of this great empire. They immediately destroyed the idol which had been placed in the Temple and purified the Holy of Holies and all the temple. They wanted to immediately reintroduce the worship in the Temple but they did not have sufficient pure holy olive oil for the seven-branched menorah. Then a further miracle occurred. In a corner of the Temple they found a small cruse of pure olive oil which was enough for one day. However, it burned for eight days, the time that they needed to acquire more pure olive oil.

From Jerusalem they continued the revolt and defeated the Hellenist forces in Israel and renewed Israeli sovereignty and independence throughout the land. It was one of the most exciting appearances of G–d in the life of Israel. It was a godly event which also changed the lives of so many Israelites who, because of weakness, had accepted Hellenism. Together with G–d, the heroic Maccabees saved the people of Israel from the danger of disappearing as a nation, a faith, a culture, and an identity. This great godly event became a godly message and a godly heritage to all the generations that followed forever. From that time onward, the Israeli nation has commemorated the event as G–d taught them by celebrating the Hanukkah holiday for eight days each year on the same date that the Maccabees liberated and purified the Temple - 25 Kislev. The holiday is celebrated for eight days to commemorate the miracle of the olive oil which could only happen because of the faithfulness of the Maccabees towards G–d and their readiness to sacrifice their lives for Him, His Word, His faith, His holy house, and for the holy land that He gave to Israel.

Some of the sons of Matitiyahu died in the uprising, together with other heroic Israeli fighters, but by their faithfulness to G–d they achieved their great victories and eternal life for all the following generations of the people of Israel. This enabled them to continue to carry-out the eternal mission that G–d gave them when He made the eternal covenant with them: to be a holy nation, a kingdom of priests, and a treasure among the nations. (Exodus 19:5-6)

As we stated above, the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement consider themselves to be the Maccabees of the godly endtimes, a very similar time in many aspects. Israel is again surrounded by 21 large Arab nations and tens of Islamic countries - 1,300,000,000 people in all. So often these Arab nations also have the support of almost all the world. Israel, a small nation of just over 5,000,000 Jews, is repeatedly attacked by these nations in wars and terror attacks. This started in 1948 when the State of Israel was re-established by G–d in the same holy land of the covenant and which, in those days, only numbered 600,000. The Israeli army — the Maccabees of our time — again together with the G–d of Israel, have repeatedly defeated their enemies. However they still continue with terror attacks and prepare for another major war to destroy Israel. They send many Arabs to immigrate to Israel and thus establish a power in the midst of the land in order to destroy her; mainly to destroy the faith, culture, and Word of G–d which is, and will always be, the foundation of the life of the Jews. They call these immigrants, who came in the twentieth century, 'Palestinians'. They call the land of Israel, 'Palestine', a people and a nation which never existed in the holy land of Israel. They decided to cancel the name Israel, which G–d gave to the land, and to completely change its character, culture, faith, and language. This is so similar to what the Hellenists attempted to do in this land and to the Israeli nation. The Arabs adopted the name 'Palestine'. This name was given to the land by the Romans in 70 CE after they destroyed the Temple and Israeli sovereignty. There is no doubt that they will try again and finally be defeated. They will be judged by G–d and will completely disappear from the stage of history, exactly as happened to the Hellenist and other empires, powers, and nations who tried to fight against the G–d and people of Israel. The cruel terror attacks against innocent Israelis and the preparations of the Arab and Islamic countries surrounding Israel to destroy her will not help them. Their destiny will be as that of all the other enemies in Biblical times and later who tried to destroy the people of G–d and who disappeared from the platform of history under the judgement of G–d.

Under this pressure and the pressure which comes from almost all the world, there are some Israelis who have been broken spiritually and ideologically. They have decided to adopt Western culture in the place of the culture and Torah, which G–d gave to Israel. They have become, as they call it, part of the greater world and the secular Western culture, which is based on Hellenist materialistic foundations. In Israel they are referred to as 'secular Israelis'. They remind one so much of those Israelis in the time of the Maccabees who decided to accept Hellenism and become a part of that culture.

Israel is now in a very critical time. It is not only a critical battle against so many enemies who want to destroy her physically. Within Israel a cultural and faith struggle is also taking place. The struggle is between those who are faithful to the G–d of Israel and His Word and those who want to make Israel a nation like all the other nations in the world based on so-called Western/Hellenic materialistic culture.

The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement, as the Maccabees before them, have continued to struggle since 1967 against, on one hand, those enemies of Israel who again have possession of the Temple Mount, have desecrated it and placed their foreign pagan symbols and mosques in the Holy of Holies. They daily destroy the holy remains of G–d's Temple with the goal of denying its godly Jewish identity. They continue their battle throughout the land to destroy Israel and to cancel its godly culture. We thank the G–d of Israel Who, in these critical days, has founded and anointed The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement. He has given the Movement the holy goal of removing the enemy of the G–d and people of Israel from the Temple Mount for the purpose of purifying the holy hill of G–d, rebuilding His holy Temple and renewing the holy worship.

On the other hand, the struggle of The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement, again, as in the time of the Maccabees, is against the impact and influence of secular and materialistic Western/Hellenist culture that has taken over most of the world and has penetrated Israeli society and occupied a part of the nation. These 'secular Israelis' are ready, not only to give up our godly historical faith, but also to "compromise" with the enemy and to give them the main Biblical parts of the land and sign false agreements with them. All this despite the fact that these same enemies have shown that they have no intention of compromising but intend to take over all the land of Israel and to destroy this godly state. The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement believes that Israel cannot merely be another "ordinary" nation in the world but that she must be what G–d designated her to be: "a holy nation, a kingdom of priests and a treasure amongst the nations" (Exodus 19:5,6), especially in the endtimes in which we are now living. The campaign and struggle of the Temple Mount Faithful Movement is for the Temple Mount, Jerusalem, and the land of Israel and her godly Biblical future. However, at the same time, it is a struggle for the godly identity of the people and State of Israel — the state and nation which must fulfil the mission and vision which G–d gave them when He made the eternal covenant with them and sent His prophets to them. The rebirth of the people and State of Israel was not an accident of history but a godly, prophetic endtime event for this purpose. Israel cannot run away from her eternal godly destiny and covenant.

The purpose of the Hanukkah event of The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement from Modi'in to the Temple Mount is to carry with us this Maccabeen heritage and to bring it to the attention of our people, all the world, and our enemies. The purpose is also to share it again with all the Israeli nation, to put it in their hearts, and also to encourage them to do what the Maccabees did at this critical time as the G–d of Israel expects of them in these last days.

In front of the tombs of the Maccabees we shall pray to G–d to give the Israeli nation, as in the time of the Maccabees, the strength to defeat their enemies and to remain faithful to His Word and mission. Then we will light the torch of the Maccabees and the Hanukkiah in a special ceremony. From the Tombs of the Maccabees the youth will run on the mountains of Beth Horon on the way to Jerusalem. The main battles of the Maccabees against the Hellenists took place on these mountains and here the major victories were achieved. On the way we will pass the tomb of the prophet Samuel.

When we arrive in Biblical Jerusalem we will demonstrate at the Jaffa Gate plaza. From there we shall march through the streets of the Old City to the Temple Mount. The climax of this event will be when we go up onto the Temple Mount carrying the torch of the Maccabees with us and lighting the Hanukkiah. The spirit of the Maccabees will touch the holy hill of G–d and His Holy Spirit.

Everyone who is able is invited to participate in this exciting event. We shall meet on Tuesday, 23 December at 9:00 AM, in the parking place in front of the Binyanei Ha'uma in Jerusalem across from the central bus station. From there we shall travel by bus to the tombs of Modi'in. There is no charge for the transport.

Let us together again lift up the flag of G–d and bring it to His holy hill in Jerusalem.

If anyone needs further information, please call our office between 2:00PM and 8:00 PM Israeli time.

[ Published: 18 December 2003 ]