Tisha B'Av

My blog for today is a post sent to me by Bell Wholesale Travel - - the Travel Agency through whom I journeyed on my last trip to Israel (with Christian Coalition of Washington and Rick Forcier as our leader).  This post reminds me once again that God is a God of design - - and we should pay attention.  The list of awful events occurring on this particular date cannot be circumstantial.

Tisha B'Av Dear Christian Zionist Friends: This Saturday night, July 28, 2012, at 8:30pm until Sunday, July 29, 2012, at 8:45pm, is the fast of Tisha B'Av - the saddest day on the Jewish calendar.  "Tisha B'Av," (the NInth of Av) is the date on which both of our Holy Temples were destroyed, and exile, persecution and spiritual darkness began.  It is a day of communal mourning.  Aside from mourning our painful history, we take an honest look at our own behavior and sins. On Tisha B'Av, five national calamities occurred: During the time of Moses, Jews in the desert accepted the slanderous report of the 10 Spies, and the decree was issued forbidding them from entering the Land of Israel. (1312 BCE) The First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, led by Nebuchadnezzar. 100,000 Jews were slaughtered and millions more exiled.  (586 BCE) The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans, led by Titus.  Some two million Jews died, and another one million were exiled.  (70 CE) The Bar Kochba revolt was crushed by Roman Emperor Hadrian.  The city of Betar - the Jews' last stand against the Romans - was captured and liquidated.  Over 100,000 Jews were slaughtered.  (135 CE) The Temple area and its surroundings were plowed under by the Roman general Turnus Rufus.  Jerusalem was rebuilt as a pagan city - renamed Aelia Capitolina - and access was forbidden to Jews. Other grave misfortunes throughout Jewish history occurred on The Ninth of Av, including: The Spanish Inquisition culminated with the expulsion of Jews from Spain on Tisha B'Av in 1492. World War One broke out on the eve of Tisha B'Av in 1914 when Germany declared war on Russia.  German resentment from the war set the stage for the Holocaust. On the eve of Tisha B'Av 1942, the mass deportation began of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto, en route to Treblinka. Aspects of Mourning:  The Afternoon Before Tisha B'Av. During the afternoon prior to Tisha B'Av, it is customary to eat a full meal in preparation for the fast. At the end of the afternoon, we eat the Seudah Hamaf-Seket - a meal consisting only of bread, water and a hard-boiled egg. The egg has two symbols:  The round shape reminds us of a sign of the cycle of life.  Also, the egg is the only food which gets harder the more it is cooked - a symbol of the Jewish people's ability to withstand persecution. Food eaten at the Seudah Hamaf-Seket is dipped in ashes, symbolic of mourning.  The meal should perferably be eaten alone, while seated on the ground in mourner's fashion. When the afternoon prior to Tisha B'Av occurs on Shabbat, there is no Seudah-Hamaf-Seket with eggs and ashes.  Rather, the regular Shabbat "third meal" is eaten, albeit without guests and fanfare.  As there is no mourning on Shabbat. Prayer on Tisha B'Av Lights in the synagogue are dimmed, candles are lit, and the curtain is removed from the Ark.  The cantor leads the prayers in a low, mournful voice.  This reminds us of the Divine Presence which departed from the Holy Temple. Following both the night and day service, special "kinot" (elegies) are recited. In the morning, the Torah portion of Deuteronomy 4:25-40 is read, containing the prophecy regarding Israel's future iniquity and exile.  This is followed by the Haftorah from Jeremiah (8:13, 9:1-23) describing the desolation of Zion. In the afternoon, Exodus 32:11-14 is read.  This is followed by the Haftora from Isaiah 55-56. Since Tallis and Tefillin represent glory and decoration, they are not worn at Shacharit.  Rather, they are worn at Mincha, as certain mourning restrictions are lifted.  The Book of Eicha (Lamentations), Jeremiah's poetic lament over the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple, is read both at night and during the day. Birkat Kohanim (blessing of the Cohens) is said only at Mincha, (afternoon prayer) not at Shacharit (morning prayer). Prayers for comforting Zion and "Aneinu" are inserted into the Amidah prayer at Mincha. Shortly after the fast is broken, it is customary to say Kiddush Lavana.  (blessing of the moon) This year Tisha B'Av falls on Shabbat, and the fasting is pushed off until Sunday.  This gives us an opportunity for the gladmess, the sense of deep connection with our loved ones and the world, but without the attendant sadness. It is a tradition, that Tisha B'Av is also the birthday of our Redeemer.  This symbolizes the idea that from the ashes of the destroyed temple will rise an incomparably magnificent edifice; exile will give birth to redemption.  Thus Tisha B'Av is also a day of anticipation and hope, for: "One Who Mourns Jerusalem Will Merit To See Her happiness." Shabbat Shalom Madeleine Cohen

"I DON'T HAVE TIME."

The first two days of this week I was grieving over being a 'disposable friend' - - I won't explain the reasons....  But when I spoke to God about how I was feeling, what He said in reply was, "You are important to me."  Wow!  Even as I write it, it brings tears to my eyes.  Important to God.  What a concept!  And - - God has a sense of humor....  He gives us purpose which reaffirms our place in His grand plan.   That could segue to what He led me to this week as an addition to the things He has already called me to do - - but I'm not going there at the moment.  


I was just working on cleaning up emails a bit this morning - - had 98 unread emails in my inbox....  Need to see if I've neglected something important since so many people rely on email....  And in going through the emails found one that touched my heart, particularly in light of the first 2 days of my week, so I will share that - - and get to my next Jewish feast later....

A YOUNG MAN LEARNS WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IN LIFE FROM THE GUY NEXT DOOR

Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

"Jack, did you hear me?"

"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said...

"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.

"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.

"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.

"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.

Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture. Jack stopped suddenly...

"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

"The box is gone," he said

"What box?" Mom asked.

"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read. Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.

"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.

Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:

"Jack Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."

"The thing he valued most was... my time"

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.

"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.

"Oh, by the way, Janet,  thanks for your time!"  
 
The greatest gift you can give is  your time.

The Seven Jewish Feasts Commanded by G-d (5)

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[The pictures shown are ones I took on the 2011 Tour to Israel.  The first two are of the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, and the third photo is of a sign we saw on our walk from the tour bus up to the church.  I just thought folks would find it interesting.]  

Since the first 4 feasts have already been very specifically fulfilled by Yeshua (Jesus) it is not a stretch to believe that He will fulfill the remaining feasts as well - - and this particular feast is the next one to be fulfilled.  

I was alerted to the reality of Jesus' fulfilling every one of the feasts during our 2011 tour to Israel.  While we were standing outside The Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, our Jewish guide told us that if Jesus is the Messiah he will return at the Feast of Trumpets.   I don't recall his exact words.  I could not wrap my head around what he was saying.  I was preoccupied with taking pictures and my brain was already on overload, when I heard him state the correlation.  I affirmed that was indeed what he stated after returning home - - then got online not long after that and did the bulk of the research I have done on the topic. 

My online research states that Feast #5 will be fulfilled with the rapture of the saints.  Feast #5 is:  The Feast of Trumpets/ Rosh Hashanah                          

(Leviticus 23:23-25, 1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, Exodus 12:2, Numbers 29:1)

Tishri 1 comes in September or October annually, depending on the lunar calendar, and the correlation that was made is that when Jesus returns it will be with a shout and the blowing of a trumpet (which I suspect will actually be a shofar, in keeping with what was practiced.) 

Tishri 1 is the beginning of the Jewish civil year – but the 7^th month of the Hebrew religious calendar.  Tishri 1 is proclaimed as God’s New Year – the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve.  Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of 10 high holy days, which are set aside as The Ten Days of Repentance – days specifically focused on repentance, which concludes with Yom, Kippur, The Day of Atonement.

Rosh Hashanah begins with the blowing of a trumpet made from a ram’s horn  (shofar), intended to awaken the listener from slumber and alert them to the coming judgment.*

Autumn or  ‘latter rains’ begin; time of planting seeds.  Deuteronomy 11:14; Joel 2:23

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, falls on the Hebrew calendar dates of 1 and 2 Tishri. Here are the coinciding secular dates for 2012 and following:

2012:   September 16 (at sundown) - 18

2013:   September 4 (at sundown) - 6

2014:   September 24 (at sundown) - 26

2015:   September 13 (at sundown) – 15

We might want to pay attention to these!  Jesus’ track record for fulfilling feasts on the exact date is worth noting!  

The trumpet shall sound.  The dead shall be raised!  In the twinkling of an eye!

As the Jewish faithful proclaim in anticipation:  Next year in Jerusalem!

It is true that we do not know the day or the hour  –  but even Jesus told us we would know the season, and just as Daniel realized in reading through the prophecy that foretold when the Babylonian Captivity would end, so we can read what was predicted over 2,000 years ago, and see that the season  is upon us.    

All of the major prophecies that had to be fulfilled have been - and are being daily with the vast increase in knowledge and the disasters in diverse places.  All signs point to Jesus' soon return.

One primary disclaimer I will make is that there are many points of view on precisely when Jesus will return for His church in relation to when He will come in His 'Second Coming' to rule and reign for the 1,000-year Millennium.  Whatever God does, I know He is the one in charge, and it will all come to pass in His time and for His glory!  

My goal is not to figure out an exact date – but to pay attention to God’s order and His declaration that ‘we will know the season.’  I think we are there….

The Seven Jewish Feasts Commanded By G-d (4)

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The fourth annual feast to be celebrated was the Feast of Weeks/Shavuot/Pentecost.  The countdown for this festival began the day after Passover and extended 7 weeks and a day – so the culmination came 50 days after Passover. It was a feast of anticipation.  My research stated that in the O T, it anticipated the giving of the Torah to Moses. 

As part of the feast offerings, they offered two loaves of bread, which perfectly represented the 2 tablets on which the original Ten Commandments were inscribed – and the two loaves can also extend to represent the Old and New Testaments.   It is easy to segue to a parallel of Jesus as the Bread of Life.  Jesus’ life being lived through the body of Christ was fulfilled with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  Pentecost represents the beginning of the ‘body of Christ’ on earth. 

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit perfectly fulfilled the timing of the historical Shavuot.   Jesus was seen over a period of 40 days between His resurrection and ascension – and just before He ascended He told His disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promised Holy Spirit.  Ten days later – on the Day of Pentecost – the Holy Spirit was given to them as tongues of fire fell on the gathered group of 120 followers, and those who had come to Jerusalem for the festival heard the 120 miraculously speaking the praises of God in their various native languages – languages they had never learned. 

I love that in the year Jesus was crucified that He sent the Holy Spirit on the exact day of the culmination of their annual designated celebration!   Over and over God’s intentional design is apparent.   He is a God of design and order.  It is truly exciting to see the parallels and conspicuous fulfillments!

I know I am just skimming the surface of all that could be gleaned from the feasts – but a brief overview is my intention.  Everything in the Old Testament points toward Jesus; everything in the New Testament reveals Him.   That is what I want to demonstrate. 

This is the final feast that has already been fulfilled.  We are still awaiting the fulfillment of the final three commanded feasts.  I’m eager to delve into the feasts that have not yet been fulfilled.  The track record so far is that every feast finds its fulfillment in Yeshua/Jesus, and that God is a God of order.  With that in mind, there is an air of anticipation in reviewing the final three feasts!

The Seven Jewish Feasts Commanded by G-d (3)

Sorry for being so slow at getting this series completed....we are promised an abundant life - - and sometimes that means 'lots of it!'

The first three feasts were all fulfilled in the events of Holy Week, and today's entry brings us to Feast #3, The Feast of First Fruits/ Yom HaBikkurim, The Grain Harvest.  It came to be celebrated on Nisan 16, and it honored bringing the firstfruits of the Winter grain harvest to the Temple. 

In Jesus' resurrection, as explained in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, He became the firstfruits of those who have 'fallen asleep'.  He arose from the dead, and so shall we!  He was the perfect fulfillment of these first 3 feasts, and it was no coincidence that He arose on Nisan 16 - - on the third day - - in perfect harmony with the feast being celebrated, with Him as its fulfillment.

Further, it is significant that in John 12:24-25 he said "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."  (ESV)

It is no accident that the dates for the celebrations came when they did - - or that Jesus' fulfillment of (1) being the perfect Lamb of God, whose blood was shed for the remission of sins; (2) being the bread of life - broken for us; (3) being the grain of wheat that was the firstfruits of all who would be raised together with Him in eternal life - - all occurred on the precise dates of the celebrations!  Jesus is the absolute fulfillment of what was previewed in the Old Testament.

Leviticus 23:9
1 Corinthians 15:20-23

The Seven Jewish Feasts Commanded by G-d (2)

It seems appropriate that if I am going to talk about Jewish feasts, I should write G-d, as the Jewish faithful do.   The reason for that is that G-d written without the 'o' represents the unspeakable Name of G-d.  We on the New Testament side of knowing G-d, are most familiar with His grace, but historically, the Jewish faithful were poignantly aware of G-d's power and majesty, and acutely aware of His justice.  While we freely print the English symbols of the Tetragrammaton, YHWH, in as carefree a manner as we would write any other name, to them that name was unspeakable - - and held in absolute reverence and awe.

It was the name that we came to write as Yahweh, and later, Jehovah.  G-d in all His power and glory.   Acknowledging that we are finite and He is infinite is part of honoring writing His name as G-d.  Having explained that - I won't continue doing it.  Because of Calvary, where Jesus' became the final sacrifice for sin separating man from God, the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, welcoming us to have a personal relationship with God.  God in all His magnificence and glory wants a relationship with man, and came in the form of a man to earth, paying the price himself for our sin to restore the relational level He had with man in the Garden of Eden - - close, intimate, walking with His created....  That, too, is awesome!

So - - I've been diverted from writing and need to finish what I started!  That brings us to the second feast commanded by God.  It is connected to the first feast, but very specifically commanded as an entity of its own:  The Feast of Unleavened Bread.  The origination of this feast commemorates the unleavened bread that the Hebrew children had to bake to prepare for their flight from Egypt immediately after that very first 'Passover'.

The first feast - Passover - was to be celebrated annually on Nisan 14 (formerly called Abib) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread began the next day, on Nisan (aka Abib) 15.  That was the month they were brought out of the land of Egypt - - which became the first month of their year - - and it falls in March or April annually, as their calendar is a lunar calendar, so the correlating date they celebrate according to our calendar varies according to the cycle of the moon.

That is a bunny trail opportunity I just can't avoid commenting on....  Jesus had to die on Passover to be the fulfillment of that feast - - and He did!  Now, as we will see, He fulfills or will fulfill every other commanded feast as well.   That is what makes this study of the feasts so exciting.  Everything that happened in the Old Testament foreshadows what will happen in the New Testament....and we see the pattern clearly from our vantage point!

Anyway - - back on task!

Unleavened bread didn't deteriorate.  It was the leaven that made it spoil; therefore leaven was a symbol of sin.  The Feast of Unleavened Bread lasted for 7 days.   No leaven was allowed in the house.  'Sin' was banished.

Jesus fulfilled this feast when He was buried.  Just as sin deteriorates, decays and destroys lives, death deteriorates, decays and destroys the body - - but not Jesus' body!  He overcame death by rising again on the third day, unharmed, unscathed.  There was no sin in Him to cause decay - - just as there was no leaven in the bread of the feast.

He clearly stated on numerous occasions that He is the Bread of Life.   When we eat of His body spiritually by ingesting His Word and investing ourselves in learning more and more of who He is, we, too, are protected from eternal decay - - from the sting of sin, which is eternal death, eternal separation from God.

Those of us who are alive now may not escape the first death - - but that death is just a transition that admits us to eternity  - - either to eternal life (which we begin here by accepting Jesus and what He did for us at the cross) - - or to an eternal 'death', referred to in the Bible as the second death, which is an eternity away from God and all that is good.  Even without flames, it would be hell...knowing that the decision made to turn away from all God so freely offered was a horribly bad decision.

Too often I am reluctant to risk personal rejection, so keep the best 'good news' ever offered to myself....  That is something I need to work on!  I need to remember that I'm offering the greatest opportunity for making a good choice anyone will ever have to make.  People don't mind a head's up on other good information.  For instance, I recently learned that there is a specific cancer that is caused solely by breathing the fumes of microwave popcorn.  Apparently to keep the popcorn from sticking in the bag, they spray a teflon coating on the inside - - and when the bag is first opened, breathing in that teflon-infused aroma causes lung cancer....   That's something that inquiring minds would want to know!  It is news welcomed with "Thanks for telling me that!"  Yet, the best good news ever is that Jesus died for man's sins - - and some people don't want to hear it!   In fact, they don't want to hear it so badly that they reject the messenger....  That doesn't mean we should stop proclaiming the truth - - in love - - always in love!   Jesus is THE WAY, THE TRUTH and THE LIFE.  No man comes to the Father except through Him!  (John 14:6)

Romans 6:23 states that the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  That isn't the first death it is talking about - - but the second death, the one that follows judgment. 

I know my eternal destiny - - and I want everyone I know and love to be there, too!  And I don't want people I know to stand before God that day and accuse me of never telling them about the One who is Truth and Life and Eternal Joy!  I will not force the conversation, but it is one I love to have!

For further reading on the Feast of Unleavened Bread:  Exodus 12; Exodus 34:18, 12:15, 13:4; Leviticus 23:4-8; Numbers 28:16-25; Deuteronomy 16:1-8; Romans 6:4; 1 Corinthians 5:6-8; 2 Corinthians 5:21

The Seven Jewish Feasts commanded by G-d (1)

The first of the seven feasts commanded by God was the Passover Feast or Pesach.  It celebrates the deliverance of the Hebrew slaves from 400 years of Egyptian bondage.  In (c.1446 B C), the final plague against Egypt was the death of all the firstborn of both people and animals of all the households that didn't have the blood of the lamb sprinkled over the doorpost as instructed.  The angel of death 'passed over' those households who had the blood of the lamb.  

That night the Hebrews were instructed to have their bags packed, and to prepare unleavened bread - and to eat the meat of the lamb they had slain.   (Exodus 12:1-13)  They were obedient, and they were saved. 

God commanded the Passover be an annual celebration of remembrance in Leviticus 23:4-5.

Jesus was the fulfillment of the significance of the Passover Lamb.  When He died on the cross, it was for our sins.  As the Lamb of God, His blood was poured out for all of mankind - - we just have to appropriate His sacrifice by asking Him to live in us and take charge of our lives...His blood over the door of our hearts.

When Jesus was with His disciples celebrating His final Passover feast on earth with them, He changed Passover forever.  He told them, ""As often as you do this, do it in remembrance of me."  No longer about the Hebrew children and their escape from Egypt - - about Him being the Lamb and us being saved from the slavery of sin by the shedding of His blood.

Every one of the seven feasts God commanded the Jewish people to keep have either already found fulfillment in Jesus - - or will find fulfillment in Jesus....which makes for some interesting observations.  My pursuit of doing some research on that was triggered by comments made by our Jewish guide in Israel on our tour in 2011.