Tish B'Av

What is Tish B'av? It means 9th of Av in Hebrew. Av is the 5th month in the Jewish Calendar, and the 9th is simply the ninth day. It is typically a day of morning because many very tragic things have taken place in the History of the Jewish People, being called "the Saddest Day in History". The three weeks prior to the 9th of Av are known as the "Dark Times", this period has hosted a long list of calamity in Jewish history that is hard to ignore. For Jewish people and those who side with Israel, this has become a day of fasting and lamenting. Here is a list of Historical events, that we are aware of, that have happened to His people during the "Dark Times":

1. The twelve scouts sent by Moses to observe the land of Canaan returned from their mission. Two of the scouts, Joshua and Caleb, brought a positive report, but the others spoke disparagingly about the land which caused the people of Israel to cry, panic and despair of ever entering the "Promised Land". For this, they were punished by God that their generation would not enter the land. Because of the Israelites' lack of faith, God decreed that for all generations this date would become one of crying and misfortune for their descendants, the Jewish people. (See Numbers Ch. 13–14)

2. During Tisha B'Av Solomon's Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians which began the 70-year captivity. The Babylonians worshipped among their deities, the god, Jupiter, who was equated with Marduk. At the time, the Babylonians thought Marduk to be more powerful because he conquered Judah. The resulting victory shifted many Judeans' loyalties and this brought about the unfaithfulness and idolatry of Judah. Later, the destruction of the Second Temple occurred on Tisha B'Av which began the 1,931 year exile.

3. During Tisha B'Av, the Romans' destroyed the Temple Mountand plundered Jerusalem. The Bar Kochba revolt (aka Simon BarCochba, a Mashiach-type to the Jews) was halted by EmperorHadrian (135 C.E.), and the fortress of the Betar rebellion wasoverrun. The following year Hadrian built a pagan Templeof Jupiter with a city dedicated to the god, Jupiter (the BabylonianMarduk), on the original Temple site. Hadrian renamed Jerusalem'Aelia Capitolina' and also renamed Judea 'Palestine.' The Jewswere forbidden entrance to the city, and even to look upon it.Later in history, the Temple Mount was again renamed by theMuslims as Al Aksa Mosque and Dome of the Rock. Today,"under the Dome of the Rock is a pentagon-shaped rock withone portion elevated (where icons or statues of idols, i.e.,Ashtoreth, were housed...)."

4. Christians continued the lamentations of Israel when PopeUrban II began the First Crusade, and in 1290, where the Jewswere removed from England under King Edward I.

5. In 1492, the Spanish Inquisition removed Jews from Spain, and in thissame year, the Messianic Jew, Christopher Columbus, sailedin search of the New World and hopes for the future. This may be true for those who immigrated to the America's, but not so for those throughout many parts of Europe.

6. In 1555, the Jews were separated and moved into a Roman ghetto.

7. In 1914, World War I began which lead to the eventual rise of Hitler.

8. In 1942, Nazism, World War II, and the Holocaust killed Polish Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto who were taken by the Nazis on Tisha B'Av, deported, and numbered among the 800,000innocent victims exterminated at Treblinka.

9. In 1990, the Gulf War begins, and Saddam Hussein (a type of Nimrod/Marduk) raised his fist against Kuwait and the world; and in a symbolic representation of Marduk and Hadrian's planetarydeity, the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9, in 1994, smashed 20+ fragments into the planet Jupiter striking the planet with an estimated energy equivalent of 6,000,000 megatons of TNT. The resulting explosions created a scattering of fireballs that left behind huge, dark variations on the planet's surface.

Coincidence??? We think not - although we don't profess to fully understand it. As a result is has become a traditional day of fasting and lamenting for the Jewish community. We have chosen to use this day to intercede on the behalf of Israel by fasting and praying for her. We stand with them in Sympathy and we pray that they will know that Yeshua/Jesus is Messiah.

You are welcome to join us, from where you are. If you do choose to interceed for Israel on Tish B'Av (this year it is Sunday August 10th) please let us know in the comments section below of this post. It will be encouraging to see Believers standing together for Israel.

FYI - this is not one of God's "Appointed Feasts" mandated by Himself directly in Scripture - rather it is a community observance for the Commonwealth of Israel.

P.S. You also might keep your eyes and ears peeled in the news as it pertains to Israel.