Hanukkah is the most joyous of the Jewish holidays, but its historical and prophetic implications give this ancient celebration a deeper significance most people are unaware of.

The story of Hanukkah takes us back to the days of the Medo-Persian and Grecian Empires, and their wars pitting their leaders Darius III and Alexander the Great. The story of Hanukkah recounts the tyrant-king Antiochus Ephiphanes’ attempts to make Israel bend to his will threatening its existence, and the Israelites’ courageous war to defeat him. The story of Hanukkah recounts how a lone crus of oil burned for 8 days, helping the Jewish people cleanse their desecrated Temple.

But more the anything, the story of Hanukkah is about the greatest miracle of all: The miracle of what God did in preserving His Chosen People.

And let us add one more significant item to the story of Hanukkah: What happened approximately 2,200 years will happen again at the end of the age. Indeed, the Hanukkah of history is a foreshadow of the future!