2 Maccabees, 10
8. They ordained also by a common statute and decree, That every year those days should be kept of the whole nation of the Jews.
8. They ordained also by a common statute and decree, That every year those days should be kept of the whole nation of the Jews.
Chapter 10 of 2 Maccabees tells the story of how Judas Macabeu led his men to regain the temple of Jerusalem and purify it after the desecration by the Seleucids. He also describes how Judas and his men celebrated the party of dedication, which celebrates the redemption of the temple. The verses selected below are related to the themes of the chapter:
2 Chronicles 7:16: "For now I chose and consecrate this house so that my name will be in it forever; my eyes will be fixed and my heart every day." This verse talks about the importance of the temple as a place of worship and presence of God.
Psalm 118:27: "The Lord is God, and He has given us His light. Form a procession with branches to the altar horns." This psalm is often sung during the feast of dedication, and the selected verse talks about the joy of praising God in the temple.
Isaiah 60:1-3: "Rise up, shine, for your light comes, and the glory of the Lord is born upon you. For the darkness cover the earth, and the darkness the peoples; Lord will come to be born, and His glory will be seen on you. " This prophetic passage talks about the restoration of Israel and the arrival of the Messiah.
Hebrews 9:22-24: "Now, almost all things, according to the law, purify themselves with blood; and without bloodshed there is no remission. It was necessary, therefore, that the figures of heavenly things were purified with such sacrifices, But the heavenly things themselves, with sacrifices superior to these. For Christ has not entered a sanctuary made by hands, figure of the true, but in heaven himself, to now appear for us before the face of God. " This excerpt from the letter to the Hebrews makes a connection between the sacrifice of Jesus and the purification of the temple.
Revelation 21:22-23: "But I have not seen temple in it, for your temple is the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb." This verse describes the view of the apostle John of New Jerusalem, where there is no physical temple because God is the temple.
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