WHY PRAYER DEDICATION ON DECEMBER 20, 2015?

1. The Month of Tevet

a) So says the Almighty: The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore, you shall love truth and peace. (Zachariah 8:19)

b) Tevet is the tenth month on the Jewish calendar, counting from Nissan. Its name—which is mentioned in the Book of Esther—was acquired in Babylonia, and shares a root with the Hebrew word tov, good.

c) This month begins with the last days of Chanukah. By internalizing the message of the ever-increasing lights of the menorah—reminding us of the power of good over evil — we are able to reveal the good which is hidden in our lives and in the world around us.

d) The 10th of Tevet is a fast day, commemorating the start of the siege of Jerusalem in the year 3336 (425 BCE), which led to the destruction of the first Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple) three and a half years later on the 9th of Av.

2. Why Prayer Dedication on December 20, 2015?

a) The prayer dedication for GCC Mountain on December 20, 2015 falls on the 8th of Tevet in the Jewish Calendar, preceding two days before the 10th of Tevet, which is a fast day, commemorating the start of the siege of Jerusalem in the year 3336 (425 BCE), which led to the destruction of the first Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple) three and a half years later on the 9th of Av.

b) Traditionally, only intensely devout Jewish individuals would fast on the other two days, which occur on the eighth and the ninth days of the month.

i) A fast was established on the eighth day of Tevet in response to the completion of the translation of the Torah into Greek (which led not to becoming a light unto the nations but rather to assimilation).

ii) In later generations, the fast of the ninth day of Tevet was identified as the yahrzeit (the day of passing) of both Ezra and Nehemiah, the two leaders of the Jewish return to the Land of Israel and the spiritual renaissance that followed the 70 year long Babylonian exile and succeeded in reconstructing the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

3. What is the significance of Prayer Dedication on December 20, 2015?

a) We must do what the Lord asks us to do for this special assignment. There maybe some significance for Prayer Dedication on December 20, 2015. Perhaps this will be / is the special memorial day when the Lord asks us to dedicate the GCC Prayer Mountain, just two days ahead of the fasting month of Tevet in the Jewish Calendar.

b) Just as King Solomon dedicated the Temple (1 Kings 8:22-61), asking God to hear and answer the petitions of the people in the Temple as well as outside facing the Temple, subsequently he blessed the assembly after the prayer dedication. Likewise, we will do the same in this manner.