Who are the Macabees

L ESSONS IN H ISTORY

WHO WERE THE MACCABEES

By Melissa Pointer

CHAPTER 1

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ISRAEL UNDER GREEK RULE Israel was once a sovereign nation that was governed by holy laws.

Within its borders was the seat of truth and the most holy oracles.

However when Israel sinned and provoked the most High God he they were force to serve the Gentile nations. In the year 586 BC Nebuchadnezzer burned the temple built by Solomon. A second temple was built after the Medes and Persians conquered Babylon.

Alexander the Great conquered the civilized world in 331 BC and Israel found itself under Greek rule

Seleucid Rule

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∏ QUICK FACTS •

Alexander the Great’s empire was divided into four parts that often warred against one another

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The Greeks did not interfere with the way Israel obeyed God at first

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The High Priest office was considered a political office by the Greeks

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Jason bought the priesthood for himself and help corrupt Israel

After Alexander the Great died his empire was divided into four parts. At first Israel was under the Ptolemaic rule. However due to constant conflicts between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires it eventually became a part of the Seleucid kingdom. At first there were no major changes in how Israel kept the laws of God during the third affliction. In fact it is written that Seleucus of Asia took money from the treasury to assist with the sacrifices at the temple. Seleucus was one of the original generals that fought under Alexander the Great.

It would be over 150 years later when the 4th affliction would cause enormous suffering for the children of God. It should be noted that the Greeks viewed the high priest as a political leader. It was a post that they believed they could appoint whomever they decided would be best. When a righteous man was in the post the laws were kept and Jerusalem was at peace. In II Maccabees 3 it reviews over a period of time when Onias the high priest ensured that Israel kept the covenant of God. It was because of this devotion to the Almighty the inhabitants were protected from the Gentiles who intended to remove the money from the treasury that was set aside for the care of the widows and orphans. II Maccabees 3: 9-10, 23-28. The Greeks acknowledged that God kept his eye on the sanctuary and he defended it.

However when Antiochus IV also known as Ephiphanes took over the Seleucid kingdom Onias’s brother Jason hatched a plot to take the priesthood from his brother. He offered the new king 360 talents of silver and other revenue in the form of 80 talents. Jason promised to give Anitochus 150 talents on a regular basis because he wanted to promote the Greek life style in Israel.

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In I Maccabees 1: 11-15 it discusses in detail the intents of

Jason and his followers:

... In those days went there out of Israel wicked men, who persuaded many, saying, “ Let us go and make a covenant with the heathen that are round about us”: for since we departed from them we have had much sorrow. So this device much pleased them well. Then certain of the people were so forward herein, that they went to the king, who gave them license to do after the ordinances of the heathen: Whereupon they built a place

of exercise at Jerusalem according to the customs of the heathen: And made themselves uncircumcised, and forsook the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the heathen, and were sold to do mischief.

Jason’s corruption did not stop there. He encourage the people to adapt all Greek fashions and the sacrifices were neglected at the temple. The rapid decline of obedience into God occurred with the hellenization of the Seleucid Empire.

Antiochus was determined that the people that he ruled would be one and used hellenization to accomplish that goal.

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The ruins of ancient gymnasium. Activities like discus were used to give honor to the Greek Gods.

Hellenization was the adaption of Greek religion, culture and customs. It required that all other customs and beliefs be discarded.

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The Usurper is Usurped Jason the high Priest sent Menelaus to give 300 talents of silver to Antiochus. Menelaus then convinced the king to give him the office of the priesthood by offering him money above the 300 talents.

He was not interested in the priesthood but was interested in ruling his own people with cruelty. During this time Jason fled into the land of the Ammonites. Menelaus then took many of the holy vessels in the temple and sold them to the city of Tyus and gave them to a Greek official. He also had Onias murdered.

The love of money was the root of many evils in Israel. Jason purchased the office of the priesthood and then Menelaus did the same thereafter.

During this time Antiochus declared that all Israel should forsake their laws and sacrifice swine’s flesh. Those who would disobey the king would be killed. The details of this hardship is discussed in detail in I Maccabees 1:41-61.

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To establish his authority over the Jews Antiochus decided that hellenization should be firmly

∏ The Abomination of Desolation Antiochus Ephiphanes came to suppress what he believed to be a Judea revolt. It had gotten back to him that Jason had assaulted Menelaus’s seat of power. Even though Jason had killed many of his own nation in the process without mercy that did not stop Antiochus from attacking Jerusalem with great ferocity.

He was assisted by Menelaus.

They took the holy vessels and removed the things other kings in the past that had sent to glorify the place.

established in Jerusalem and the their previous religion would have to be rooted out completely. He sent an Athenian to establish the worship of Jupiter in the holy temple; acts of prostitution, riotous behavior occurred in the same place that priests used to commune with God. Even the altar was profaned with swine’s flesh and other unclean meats. The Gentiles drew pictures of their gods in the books of the law and the Jews were compelled to keep the fast of Bacchus (the god of wine). It was during this time that the woman with seven sons were murdered because they refused to eat swine’s flesh.

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When you read over the history of our people under the Greeks it is steeped in tears, sorrow and blood. It should be noted that if Israel had not rejected God’s law that these afflictions would not have occurred. It was the lust of the flesh and the pride of life that lead to so much sorrow and pain. Even still there are examples of great devotion to God’s law. When read about Eleazar one of the principal scribes that stood up to the kings’s servants and refused to take part of the idolatrous feast; he did not want to lead others a stray even by the appearance of eating swine. He was given the option to bring his own meat to the feast but he would not because he did not want to lead others a stray or anger the most high God. He took his position as a leader seriously and while they flogged him he said these words...

It is manifest unto the Lord, that hath the holy

knowledge, that whereas I might have been

delivered from death, I now endure sore pains

in body by being beaten: but in soul am well

content to suffer these things, because I fear him.

off the tongue and dismembered one of the men in front of his brothers and mother. Now think about if a paper cut is painful or an eyelash in your eye causes you grief; how would having your members being cut feel. Or the possible fear before it happens when you know what they are going to do to you. Or for a woman to be willing to see her sons die and then to experience the same painful death; it is an example to all of us that it is not impossible to be obedient under adverse conditions.

We all must remember that as long as Satan has access to our minds we must continue to fight to maintain our spiritual temples. We cannot be willing to sell ourselves to obtain wealth and prestige in this world. We also cannot allow abominations to be set up within us. There is simply no excuse to take part in corrupt traditions. Or to allow our fears and discomfort to sway us from being obedient. We must be dedicated to God in the way he was so dedicated to us that he was willing to give his only begotten son for us.

II Maccabees 6: 30.

The powerful bonds of family and the love of children did not stop others for obeying God as well. One of the most notable example is the woman with with 7 sons. They were flogged because they refuse to eat swine. The king decided that flogging was not sufficent. He then heated pans and cut 6

CHAPTER 2

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THE MACCABEES The Maccabees were Levites that lived in the city of Modin. They did not agree with the process of Hellenization. They believed firmly in keeping the covenants of God. In fact one of the first acts of the Maccabees was killing those who sacrificed to the greek gods. These are not the priests that people think of in today’s era. These men were fierce warriors and they had sincere devotion to God. They protected their people and fought against the Gentiles.

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∏ KEY POINTS •

Mattathias was a priest that had five sons

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He did not let the fear of death or filthy lucre sway his commitment to God

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Those who did not defend themselves on the Sabbath were killed without mercy

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People who loved the law began to join the Maccabees

Trust versus Fear Mattathias was a priest and he had five sons. The two books of Maccabees are named after his son Judas (who was also called Maccabeus). After he learned about how the temple was corrupted and people were being killed for obeying God his family was in great consternation and sorrow. It is true that the Greeks intended to use bribes, lucre, force and fear to cause Israel to reject God. The punishment for not yielding to the king was severe. There are examples of women who circumcised their babies of being thrown headlong with their children from a wall and them burning those in caves that tried to keep the Sabbath day holy. You can see that you would have to have true dedication to God and be firmly planted on the foundation of his word to not move to the left or the right.

Fear and money were two What the Greeks were not counting on was tools the Greeks used to the great devotion and zeal of the Maccabees. bend the people to their will It was normal for hellenization to begin with the leaders; government officials to use the native rulers as an example. If they could show that the leaders would obey; then they would have less problems with the residents of that particular city. Mattathias was one of those rulers that they wanted to use to manipulate the people. He was offered gold and the friendship of the king if he would be the first one in Modin to offer sacrifice to idols.

Here is a portion of his response...

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...Then Mattathias answered and spake with a loud

voice, “Though all the nations that are under the

king’s dominion obey him, and fall away everyone

from the religion of their fathers, and give consent to

his commandments: Yet will I and my sons and

my brethren walk in the covenant of our fathers.

God forbid that we should forsake the law and

the ordinances. We will not hearken to the king’s

words to go from our religion, either on the right

hand or the left.”

many of the inhabitants of the city went into the wilderness so that could serve God. Here we can see a division of people. The leaders were in the mountains and larger multitudes of people were in the wilderness. Those in the wilderness were killed on the Sabbath day by the Gentiles. However the Maccabees refused to allow the Gentiles to root them out. Instead they said they would defend themselves from those who would try to decimate them. People began to flee to the mountains to gain protection from the persecution. In addition they were joined by other brave men in Israel that love the laws of God and were willing to defend them with their lives.

With time the Maccabees began to remove the altars and pursue those that had try to change the ordinances and corrupt the statutes of God. What is remarkable is how much these men loved the words of God and esteemed them to be greater than their loved ones or their lives. They truly put God first. We must also learn to trust in God completely so that we do not fear what men can do to us. This ferocity can only occur because you reverence God’s law with your whole being. You will not be willing to live your life as a living sacrifice if you do not revere God. They also exemplified

I Maccabees 2: 19-22

He then backed up these words by killing a Jew that intended to sacrifice to idols on the altar.

He then killed the government officials and destroyed that altar. His family followed him into the mountains and 9

that we must show sin no mercy because it will show no mercy to us.

Today we live in a society that has very little use for the Word of God. Sure they like the veneer of God but if you pull back the thin layer of it you see nothing but corruption.

For those of us that live in the United States we do not have the government forcing us to choose between our living and keeping God’s word. Often the choice is about living a more comfortable life versus less comfort. We will not be accepted by the people around us because of our peculiar beliefs, that strange religion that we seem to be devoted to. Is it worth it?

They will ask in multiple ways: you will deny your children these opportunities, you will prevent yourself from excelling at your company, shouldn’t family be the most important thing, isn’t life richer with friends and you have denied yourself so much and you don’t know for a fact what will come of it. In order to withstand this assault we must remember what Mattathias told his sons before he died:

Consider ye throughout all ages, that none that put

their trust in him shall be overcome. Fear not

then the words of a sinful man: for his glory shall

be dung and worms. To day he shall be lifted up

and to morrow he shall not be found, because

he is returned into his dust, and his though is 10

come to nothing. Wherefore, ye my sons, be valiant

and shew yourselves men in the behalf of the law;

for by it shall ye obtain glory.”

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The removal of enemies

KEY POINTS

As the picture on the right shows Israel was surrounded by hostile nations. During the reign of Antiochus strongholds were placed throughout the land of the Jews to ensure Hellenization was maintained. He set up men that would vex Israel: Philip a Phrygian was given Jerusalem, Andronicus was given Garizim, Apollonius to slay the young men and to sell the women and young children and of course Menelaus who despised his own people. Just like the woman was not afraid to die for God’s word; the Maccabees were not afraid to fight for God’s word and to be able to serve him without interference from the heathen.

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Israel was surrounded by many hostile nations

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Antiochus set up forts and leaders to continue to oppress Israel

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The Maccabees were not afraid to fight back even though they had a small company of fighters

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Antiochus attempted to use significant force and numbers to root out the children of Israel

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Israel fought many enemies after the death of Antiochus

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With each battle the enemy increased and differentiated its resources

Now of course those same men set up did not simply allow Israel to begin to serve God in peace. In fact they brought multitudes like the sand of the sea to fight 11

against them.

However they did not know that the battle is not won by strength or valor.

They did not know that trusting in a rock shaped like a man could and would not save you. Which is why they repeatedly faced Judas and failed. Apollonius was killed in his fight against the Maccabees and when Seron a s Syrian prince decided to obtain fame by trying to slaughter the Jews he was overthrown. In fact the small company led

by Judas killed 800 men and the rest of them fled to Philistia. However during the rebellion of the Maccabees these strongholds were broken down and many of the enemies were removed.

him place strangers in the land that was inhabited by Israel.

Just like his father, Satan, Antiochus wanted remove the children of God immediately and would not be satisfied until no one would remember who they were and more importantly who God was and how to serve him. Being a good servant of the king; Lysias worked hard to obey his instruction. Just like Satan’s children obey the devil to fulfill his will. He gathered the mighty men from the king’s circle of friends: Ptolemee, Nicanor, and Gorgias. He also sent 40,000 foot men and 7,000 footmen to wipeout Israel.

The fame of this army was known throughout the lands and even the merchants took gold and servants so they could buy the remaining Israelites as slaves.

This information disturbed Antiochus and he decided to gather a great army to wipeout the children of Israel.

Unfortunately this began to bankrupt him and he had to go to Persia to obtain additional revenue. While he seek to build up additional money he instructed Lysias to raise his son and to squash to the rebellion in Judah.

So what did Judas do when he saw the armies coming near their borders? They decided to fast and call unto the Lord.

They also brought the tithes and the first fruits as offering.

They acknowledge that without God they could not stand...

To ensure the that the strength of Israel was rooted out and the remnant of the people removed Antiochus gave Lysias half of his forces and all of his elephantry. He also instructed 12

For thy sanctuary is trodden down and profaned,

and thy priests are in heaviness, and brought low.

And low, the heathen are assembled together

to destroy us: what things they imagine against

us, thou knowest. How shall we be able to stand

against them, except thou, O God, be our help.

is 6.5 times the amount of people. This is more proof that Satan will continue to upgrade his attack to break you. We have to remember that God will not put more upon us than we can bear and we can do all things Christ who strengthens us.

Lysias did not win that battle and decided to regroup and obtain more people to fight against the Jews. When the nations surrounding Israel heard that Jews had rebuilt the temple and began to serve God there again they sought to remove them form the earth: Edomites, Ammonites, the children of Bean and many others. Even when King Antioch died of a painful bowel affliction the heathen did not stop persecuting God’s people. Instead his son Antiochus Eupator escalated warfare with the children of Israel.

I Maccabees 3: 51-53

This is something we need to remember and have to apply to be acceptable to God; we cannot do anything without him and yielding to Satan never helps. We must remember if we give our very best effort we will succeed.

Now we all know that when Satan tempts you and you resist he just doesn’t give up and Lysias did not give up when his first attack on Jerusalem was not successful. Instead he decided to send 60,000 footmen and 5,000 horsemen to subdue them.

Think about it Judas had 10,000 men and he had to face a force of 65,000; that

I suppose he decided that footmen and horsemen would not be sufficient. Eupator utilized an elphantry against the children of Israel as well. There were 1000 men for every elephant as well as 500 horsemen. The men were heavily armed and protected. There were wooden towers that had 32 men in them besides the Indian that controlled the elephant. In addition Eupator had agitated the elephants with grape and mulberry juice. When you read

Imagine seeing thousands and thousands of shields surrounding you.

Along with heavily armed soldiers. That is what was surrounded Jerusalem and the children of God. 13

about the battle in I Maccabees 6 it says that t h e mountains glistened when the sun shined upon them because of the amount of armor this army had.

For many people this would be intimidating but Judas fought courageously. The Maccabees did when that battle. However the fighting did not end with the death of the Judas or the death of his brothers. Until the evil root is removed from the children of God and Satan no longer has access to their minds and bodies he will be able to afflict them.

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CHAPTER 3

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THE FEAST OF DEDICATION During the ninth month on the 25th day the temple was cleansed and the profane items of the heathen were removed. A new altar was erected and the sacrifices were now being offered as they should be. It does not give the exact length of time for the Abomination of Desolation unto the dedication.

What we do know is that there were shrubs growing in the sanctuary like it was part of the wilderness. The gates were burned down and the priest’s chambers were pulled down as well.

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not be forced to eat swine’s flesh or have to see the holy books burned before them.

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The Dedication and the Maccabees

They were liberated from the reproach of the wicked. Tey also did not want to forget what God had done for them so they decided to keep the feast of the dedication of the altar for 7 days every year during the month of Casleu. The Temple was maintained even during the era of the Romans.

It was only during 70AD that the temple was finally destroyed.

The Maccabees understood the importance of the sanctuary and why it was important to cleanse it instead of building a fort to protect themselves against their many enemies. Why? Because God was the one who protected them and it was vital to revere him. They had to praise God for the wondrous miracle that he worked on their behalf. The Greeks used seemingly endless cruelty and violence to wipe them from the face of the earth but they were still standing. They had defiled the temple but God had enable them to restore the sanctuary so that they could serve him without the interference of the wicked.

It is written that the people fell upon their faces and praised the God of heaven for the success that he had given them.

Think about it they did not have to worry about being burned alive for keeping the Sabbath day holy. They would

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period of time to serve God in peace even though they were under the rule of others.

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The Temple and Symbolism

So you can see why the Maccabees were in great sorrow to see bushes in what was suppose to be a holy place.

Caricatures were drawn in the oracles of God. The altar was too corrupt to even use. Satan has always tried to violate the children of God whenever possible. It started with the garden of Eden with him entering into our minds. He had no right to be there only God should have access to our emotions and thoughts in that intimate way.

In order for us to truly be established on the Words of Jesus; we have to make sure our temples our clean just like the Maccabees cleansed the sanctuary. We have to remove anything that was used to reverence idols. Old bricks to untrue philosophies must be cast out. We need to carefully evaluate our lives to make sure we are acceptable to be a temple of God. For God will not dwell in a corrupt vessel.

None of us like abandon buildings or lots. It is a very shameful thing to look upon. Now imagine if your home was vandalized and part of it was burned. You would feel like it was one of the worst forcible violations. A person’s home is often their most costly possession and has significant symbolism. Now think about what the Temple meant to the children of God. It was the place where the priest would commune with God. It was a place where you could learn about the truth and give offerings to the Almighty. When Israel was a sovereign nation the temple was the most beautiful building in Israel and the world. When it was violently burned to the ground it had a significant impact on the children of God.

Our next step will be to do all acts of righteousness no matter how small or great: reading the bible daily, worshiping God daily, meditating, singing praises, fasting, being baptized, assembling and worshiping God on the Sabbath, keeping the feasts days and paying tithes. This is not an all inclusive list and this does not mean that you will not have struggles, sacrifices or burdens during this life. The end result is worth it because if we get on the foundation successfully we will gain eternal life.

When they were able to return to build it a second time it showed how God was still with them and had not left them.

He had not forgotten his people. Israel was able for a short 17