the day of dedication 2011

De!cation Rebuilding god’s church &

Restoring the truth

What is Dedication? This is a holy convocation that has dual meanings

1. The rebuilding of God’s church & the restoration of the truth

2. Committing your entire life unto the purpose of serving & obeying God (see presentation on “This Spiritual House”)

God established 3 great feasts in the law for us to keep every year throughout our generations including Passover, Pentecost & Tabernacles

The leaders of Israel called for all of the children of Israel to celebrate certain feasts & fasts based on events that occurred during their time, which includes the Day of Dedication

We acknowledge the Day of Dedication because we are also looking for the rebuilding of God’s Church & the restoration of the truth

©2011 Household Of Israel Temple Of Jesus Christ. All Rights Reserved

Key TermsRebuild: to build something again after it has been destroyed; to remodel or make extensive changes to

Restore: to return to former condition, place or position

Cornerstone: the first stone set in construction of the foundation and serves as a reference for other stones, thus determining the position of the entire structure

Foundation: the natural or prepared ground or base on which a building rests or the beginning of something

Altar: a table or structure where one brings offerings of thanksgiving unto the Lord; it is often the place where communion (Lord’s supper) is blessed and consecrated


2 Historical EventsThere are 2 major historical events that we reference in the bible when celebrating the Day of Dedication

The time when Israel dedicated the foundation of the new temple under the Medes & Persian empire

The time when Israel dedicated the altar of God under the Greek empire

Both of these events showcase the rebuilding of God’s church and restoration of his truth


Dedication of the

Foundation


History Reveals....During the reign of the Medes & Persians, Cyrus the Great was commanded by God to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1: 1-4)

By this time, the first temple of God that King Solomon built had long been destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon

Many of the children of Israel returned to Jerusalem to begin the rebuilding & were provided with bountiful resources including silver, gold, precious vessels & animals

Cyrus the Great


Dedication of the FoundationIsrael built the altar first and began making sacrifices during the 7th month on the Day of Trumpets (Ezra 3: 1-3)

The foundation was not laid until the second year on the 24th day of the ninth month (Ezra 3: 8-10 & Ezra 3: 11-13)

They celebrated the laying of the foundation with praising and giving thanks to God

Some people shouted with joy while others wept remembering the temple that Solomon built


The Cornerstone & FoundationThe cornerstone & foundation are critical to the integrity of a building’s structure

The angles and lines of an entire building is determined by the cornerstone; therefore it needs to be placed first with great precision

When laying a foundation, a builder needs to first dig deep to a stable rock level

They then lay the foundation with great stones

If the cornerstone or foundation are not constructed properly, the whole building is off


Spiritual Relevance Christ is our chief cornerstone & foundation

The laws of God are also represented by the foundation

The physical structure of a church is not nearly as important as a church’s doctrine, which can be likened to its spiritual structure

Christ is also a builder and is responsible for constructing a church’s spiritual structure (or doctrine)


Spiritual Relevance Just as a physical building’s lines & angles are measured by the cornerstone, Christ measures his churches with precision, ensuring that they measure up to his holy standards

He lays the foundation of his churches by giving its members the laws of God, which includes the 10 commandments & testimonies of Jesus Christ

When a church’s doctrine is built upon the laws of God, this will ensure that the integrity of the church’s spiritual structure is not compromised with the pagan beliefs of this world


Spiritual Relevance NOT EVERY CHURCH in this world is considered a church of God

Why?.....many religious systems in this world have developed ideologies that do NOT advocate the keeping of God’s laws, replacing them with their own man-made traditions such as...

Worshipping on Sunday as opposed to Sabbath

Celebrating Easter instead of Passover


Dedication of the Altar


History Reveals....Under the Greek empire, there was a very wicked king by the name of Antiochus IV Epiphanies (I Maccabees 1: 10)

A proclamation was sent out to his entire kingdom stating that all people should be “one people”

He wanted all nations to abandon their beliefs & to follow his law & religion

Many of the Israelites but NOT ALL consented to the religion of Antiochus (I Maccabees 1: 41 -43)

Antiochus IV Epiphanes


History Reveals....The Greek King banned the Israelites from offering sacrifices in the sanctuary as well as following the sabbaths & feasts

Instead, they were commanded to set up altars to Greek gods in the holy sanctuary as well as sacrifice swine’s flesh (“abomination of the desolation) & other unclean beasts

Any person who failed to obey the law of Antiochus would be put to death (I Maccabees 1: 44 -50)

Many of God’s people were killed because they refused to eat swine’s flesh & worship idols


Dedication of the AltarOn the 25th day of the ninth month Chisleu, which corresponds loosely to December 25th, King Antiochus commanded that the “abomination of desolation,” be sacrificed on the altar of God (I Maccabees 1: 54 -64)

This was a great feast day of the Greeks who made sacrificed to their gods and celebrated the rebirth of the sun god, Apollos Apollos


Dedication of the AltarSeeing all the abominable things that Antiochus & his people had done to Israel & the temple, the family of the Maccabees decided to fight back by defeating their enemies, purifying the temple and building a new altar (I Maccabees 1: 41-42 & I Maccabees 4: 36-51)

On the 25th day of the ninth month, the new altar was dedicated to God, which was exactly three years after the “abomination of desolation” was sacrificed on the altar

The people of Israel celebrated this great victory with days of dedication, songs, prayers and sacrificial offerings

The days of dedication were to be kept yearly in the same manner of the Feast of Tabernacles (I Maccabees 4: 52-59)


Spiritual Relevance On slide 3, we defined the ALTAR as.....

1. God’s table where one brings offerings of thanksgiving & the place where the communion of Christ (bread & grape juice) is blessed and consecrated

The altar spiritually represents the church

It is in the church that we bring bring forth offerings of thanksgiving in the form of songs, prayers, testimonies & tithes as well as feast on the word of God, which is represented by the communion


Swine’s Flesh & Idols Swine’s flesh (pig) was considered to be unclean and was not supposed to be used as a sacrificial offering

We also know that God strictly forbids the worshipping of any idols

During the rule of the Greeks, Antiochus not only wanted all people to worship idols but to have them placed in the temple of God

Antiochus also commanded that swine’s flesh be offered upon the altar of God

What Antiochus did was an abomination because the temple & altar are very holy


A Refrain in Time What Antiochus did during the Greek empire serves as a refrain for what is happening today

His actions represent the following......

Every church that proclaims the name of Christ but does NOT obey his laws entirely

Instead, they attempt to intermingle their own ideologies & man-made traditions (i.e. Swine’s flesh & idols) with the truth, forming their own belief system

When a church does this their offerings and belief system is deemed unclean in the eyes of the Lord


Bringing it All TogetherThe Day of Dedication, as with all holy convocations, is prophetic of our salvation and the 2nd coming of Christ

To reiterate, the theme of Dedication is centered around the REBUILDING of God’s church & the RESTORING of the truth


Rebuilding Remember that rebuild means to build something again after it has been destroyed; to remodel or make extensive changes to

When we say rebuild God’s “church” this not only depicts a physical structure but also a body of people

God’s children are currently scattered throughout the world & are corrupted by sin

In the last days, he will begin to open the eyes of the blind saints & gather them together in churches or booths

He will “lay the foundation” in the hearts of all his children by teaching us the laws God; thus, remodeling us on a spiritual level with his word


Restore Again, restore is to return to former condition, place or position

The law & word was established from the beginning and should be at the forefront of our lives; however, this is not the case

The saints lost the truth because it has been trodden down and intermingled with lies for several thousand years

During the last days, the everlasting gospel will be preached throughout the world

When this gospel is preached, the Holy Spirit will be sent out, & his people will be able to distinguish between clean doctrine vs unclean doctrine & holy vs unholy

Once more, God’s truth will rise above all the lies & be returned to the saints that lost it & he will remove his name from the churches that misrepresented him


How Do We Celebrate this Day?Because the foundation was laid on the 24th day of Chisleu (December), during the time of the Medes & Persian, we celebrate the Day of Dedication on the Sabbath closest to that date

This year, December 24th happens to be a Sabbath; therefore, we will acknowledge the Day of Dedication then

Because this is a holy Sabbath we refrain from any common or recreational activities

We decorate our church in white to represent the purity of God’s truth and gold to represent the eternal life we hope to gain

Our holy ceremonies includes songs of praise, prayer ceremony, hand washing & communion as well as testimonies


Special Thanks

This presentation was based on classes written by Evelyn C. Pointer including....

“The Dedication”

“The Dedication of the Foundation

“The Dedication of the Altar”


Questions?

For questions regarding this presentation please contact us via email

at [email protected] or by phone at 219.949.9308


the day of dedication 2011

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