Av is the fifth month of the Hebrew calendar, and usually falls in the months of July and August on the Gregorian calendar. Tisha B’Av — also known as the 9th of Av — is what the Jews would consider “a date that lives in infamy.”
According to Jewish scholars, on the 9th of Av the following historic catastrophes occurred:
- Ten Jewish spies returned from the Promised Land with a bad report (leading the people to lose heart and be consigned to wander in the wilderness for 40 years).
- The First and the Second temples were destroyed.
- The Battle of Betar was lost (the Jewish rebellion under Simon bar Kochba was crushed and the remaining rebels were annihilated).
- The Romans plowed the Temple Mount — in fulfillment of the prophecy of Micah 3:11-12.
- Jews were expelled from England (in 1290 AD).
- Jews were expelled from Spain (in 1492 — the same year Columbus “sailed the ocean blue”).
- Both World Wars in the 20th Century began — unleashing horrific tragedy upon the Jewish people.
Given all the sadness tied to this day, it is long been recognized as a Jewish day of mourning. But even as they commemorate tremendous suffering, the Jewish people also demonstrate a resilience that has inspired believers and objective skeptics alike. Asked by King Louis XIV of France to provide proof of God’s existence, Blaise Pascal responded, “Why the Jews, Your Majesty, the Jews!” (The same statement is ascribed to insightful individuals in England and Russia.) The point is that in spite of their suffering, the Jews are still here. Their very presence proves that God’s promises are “Yes and Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
And, although Satan was the instigator of all those historic tragedies, God repeatedly turned ashes into beauty for the Jewish people. He did that through Joseph’s life. He did it again through Ruth. He will do it again when yet another threatened catastrophe will lead the Jewish people to cry out, “Baruch haba b’shem Adonai” — Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD. That prophecy points forward to a time that will lead up to Jesus’ glorious Second Coming, His establishment of the Millennial Kingdom, and His reign from David’s throne on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.
The Cross represents another historic catastrophe. Following Jesus’ death, His disciples despaired. When the Shepherd was arrested and then struck down, they scattered — just as He had foretold. Peter had denied Him three times, in spite of his own vehement profession of allegiance. The death of God’s own Son seemed to represent an unprecedented victory for Satan and unmitigated disaster for the people of God. And yet…
And yet, God turned that tragedy into the greatest victory in human history. The disgrace of the Cross became our freedom from sin. The humiliation of Christ’s shameful death became the Good News that we call the Gospel — because it provides the salvation of God to all who believe.
The 9th of Av will fall on August 5th this year. Jewish people will spend the day reflecting and mourning. The Christian sacrament of Communion offers us a regular opportunity to reflect and mourn — but our mourning is surmounted by the joy we have in knowing that Jesus lives.
Death could not hold Him. The tomb could not keep Him. Satan could not lock Him away.
When Jesus stood in the synagogue in Nazareth, He read verse 1 and the first half of verse 2 from Isaiah 61:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent ME to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners; to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD…
Jesus stopped reading at that point, sat down, and said to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:16-21). At that moment, the rest of verse 2 and all of verse 3 still awaited fulfillment:
…and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes; the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.
If you are close to a Jew on the 9th of Av, mourn with them on that day of sadness as a good friend should. And then take the opportunity to tell them about the Good News that turns ashes into beauty, mourning into joy, and despair into praise. That is the power of the Gospel.
Blaise Pascal not Blaine Pascal. Fantastic article. Thank you so much.
Thank you for catching the typo. It’s now fixed.
Maybe the hook in Putin’s mouth will be triggered that causes him to look at Israel’s natural resources?
I see it as beginning sundown August 6…ending nightfall August 7.
Ever since the Garden of Eden, Satan has been attacking, brutalizing, and murdering God’s people – the ultimate example being Satan’s plot against Jesus who said, “He was a murderer from the beginning.” (John 8:44 NIV) As stated in 1 Chronicles 21:1 NIV, “Satan rose up against Israel” during the time of King David and has been very actively attacking and murdering Jews and Christians alike to this day. Jesus addresses this problem that has been faced every day by Jews and Christians for thousands of years in Matthew 6:34 NIV, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own,” in John 16:33 NIV, “In this world you will have trouble,” and in Matthew 13:30 in the parable of the wheat and the tares, “Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time, I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.” Jews and Christians have been forced to live with Satanic powers and evil people during their lifetime on Earth for thousands of years. Therefore, both Jews and Christians are future-oriented for the blessings of heaven and the Kingdom of God, not present-oriented, experiencing the curses on Earth by both judgments by God and attacks by Satan causing tragedies during their lifetimes…
Interesting but many have passed since Israel became a nation once again. We will have to wait and see if anything pops this year.
The days of our lives are seventy years;
And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,
Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow…pS 90:1a
Jesus told us:This generation shall not pass away till he comes. 70 has already passed in 2018 which puts His return at 2028 or thereabouts if the biblical span of 80 is correct? With some drift of dates through calendar variations He surely will have completed the Great Trib by then. Labor and sorrow will certainly be their experience in the few remaining years of the prophecy.
My certainty that the great event must be soon led me to write a new song in 2019:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qP40WQRRYA
I thank God that Lamb & Lion is one of the few faithful prophetic ministries. We have almost none here in the UK.
Jews were expelled from Spain (in 1492 — the same year Columbus “sailed the ocean blue”).
This came about as Spain was trying to get the Muslem hordes out of Spain which was the beginning of Europe pushing them back to the Middle East. As part of this, Spain included the Jews since they were not trusted by the Spanish.
“Even so, come quickly Lord.”
This is very well written, and essential parts of history being told and remembered.
Thank you for your article about the history of the Israeli people.
May they all be given a Good News, and come to know Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
We sure need to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem daily. This world is living in Distress with perplexity and chaos, and incredible signs are coming. Luke 21:25. There are wars and rumors of wars on the Horizon.
Satan’s goal is to rule the world instead of God and have all humanity worship him. Isaiah 14:12-14. Before the Savior’s birth, Satan tried to destroy the Jewish people to prevent the Redeemer from coming.
There is a reason why Scripture calls Satan “the ruler of this world” John 12:31 “the God of this age” 2 Corinthians 4:4, and the “Prince of the power of the air” Ephesians 2:2. The world and its godless, evil system are under his control. They belong to his spiritual kingdom of darkness Eph. 6:12 and his influence is universal.
In real estate it is said: location, location, location; in biblical prophecy is: context, context, context! In Mark 13, Jesus is talking about the End of Age, and the context is the Great Tribulation and its signs,, the second coming of Jesus and the gathering of the ones saved during the Tribulation (the Church have already been raptured and is coming with Jesus). “This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened” (Mark 13:30) – “this generation”, according to the context, is the generation that sees what is described in Mark 13:5 -25. The “his elect” are the ones saved during the Great Tribulation.