‘Tis the season to be jolly, and few are as jolly as Pastor Keith Johnson, especially when he is visiting Israel. Johnson’s love of the holy land and everything biblical led him to create the fascinating and entertaining mini-documentary, “Reclaiming the Real Hanukkah”.

Johnson is the founder of the Biblical Foundations Academy International, the holder of Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois, the author of several religious publications, and has been involved for over two decades in full-time Christian ministry work. His love for all things Biblical led Johnson to learn the language of the Bible, Hebrew, in order to authentically study the word of God.

In contrast to last year’s fiasco when Johnson was called a “Grinch” for telling the true story behind Christmas in his documentary “Now is the Time” and demonstrating that Biblically there is no connection to the shopping and partying extravaganzas used to celebrate the holiday, “Reclaiming the Real Hanukkah” is a captivating journey.

His “Now is the Time” experience lead Johnson to question the historical source for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. He soon realized that Hanukkah is not “a Jewish Christmas” but rather the time when Jews all over the world recall the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem which had been defiled by the ancient Greeks in 168 B.C.

“I have been captivated by the land, language and people of Israel for over two decades,” Johnson told Breaking Israel News. “It continues to amaze me when I am able to read the pages of Scripture like a map that leads me to treasures of information, inspiration and revelation for this generation.”

That passion galvanized Johnson to come to “Hanukkah headquarters”, as he likes to say, to really explore the story of the miraculous event. “I found the perfect pair to join me for our Hanukkah project in Rich and Margaret Pogin, a Jewish and Gentile couple,” shares Johnson with Breaking Israel News. “They were willing to travel to Israel and do whatever was necessary to uncover what Hanukkah meant historically and what it means for this generation!”

The “Reclaiming the Real Hanukkah” documentary includes an engaging investigative journey around Israel, a visit to a brand new Hanukkah archeological discovery that sheds light on how the early Christian community honored the heroes of Hanukkah and an in-depth discussion with Biblical scholar Dr. Clyde Billington, who discusses how the Book of Daniel lays out many aspects of the Hanukkah story with prophetic accuracy.

“As someone who studies Hebrew, I learned that the name Hanukkah came from the Hebrew word which means ‘dedication’,” notes Johnson to Breaking Israel News. “This is one of the reasons BFAinternational.com just finished producing a Biblical Hebrew audio course for beginners. We strive to help people improve their Hebrew Bible translations in order to reap the treasure chest of original words found in Scripture.”

Today, efforts are being made to erase Jewish history and claims to the Temple Mount, the site where the Jewish Temples and the rededication of the Temple took place. Johnson’s “Reclaiming the Real Hanukkah” documentary comes at an auspicious time in Israel’s history as the memory of what the Maccabees fought for is more important than ever.

“To read in Deuteronomy 20:5 about the dedication of a house and the historical Hanukkah (rededication) of the altar by the Maccabees that took place up on the present day Temple Mount was eye opening,” states Johnson emotionally. “With the renewed focus of the world on the Temple Mount and brand new Hanukkah archeological discoveries, the call of the ancient Maccabees can be heard again!”

To learn how you can obtain a copy of “Reclaiming the Real Hanukkah”, click here.