Habakkuk 1:5 Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. -LORD God
Memory Verse: Mark 2:10-11But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.”
Scripture: Matthew 9:2-8, Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:18-26
Object Lesson: Imagine a world where if you break any traffic law that you have to pay a ten million dollar ($10,000,000) fine. If you are unable to pay the fine, you are sentenced to death. Regardless of the infraction, this is the just punishment.
Even if you run a stop sign, drive under the influence, or go two miles per hour over the speed limit, enforcement and punishment are consistent and there are no exceptions. The system is absolutely just.
If this were really the case, the roads would be empty. So you run a stop sign and the camera takes a picture of your infraction. The police come and haul you away to jail. You are waiting for trial and pending sentence. You know you did it. As you are cuffed and transferred to the judge in the court, a complete stranger comes in on your behalf and pays your fine. He plops down $10,000,000 on your behalf. Your debt has been paid.
Justice has been served in that the fine has been paid. You could not afford the fine, but the judge accepts the payment of the fine by this gentleman on your behalf. You are spared death and your life has been pardoned.
Doctrinal Emphasis: Forgiveness
Key Theme: Sin is forgiven once and for all.
The primary word for forgiveness in the New Testament is aphiemi/ἀφίημι. It means to remit or forgive debts or sins. It involves the complete removal of the cause or offence. This remission is based upon the vicarious and propitiatory sacrifice of Christ. Jesus took our place. Definition provided by Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.
Only God can forgive sins. The Pharisees and scribes of the day knew this all too well in Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:18-26, Matthew 9:2-8. This is the reason they took such offence when Jesus forgave the sins of the paralytic. As far as they were concerned, this was a blasphemous act and speech by Jesus. In their eyes, He was an ordinary man and not God. He was not even a member of the religious structures of the day. No mere man can forgive sins.
Jesus is not just an ordinary man. Jesus is God and He has the ability to forgive sins.
On an individual level, the forgiveness of sins is complete and distant. Psalm 103:12 states “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Nations and individuals are forgiven of their sins. Israel’s sins corporately are forgiven in Psalm 85:2, “Thou didst forgive the iniquity of Thy people; thou didst cover all their sin.” This is also stated in Jeremiah 36:3b in reference to the house of Judah, “…then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin.”
Personally, we have to be forgiven because we are all born sinners. Ephesians 2:1 tells us that we are all spiritually dead. This is part of our family tree passed down by Adam.
Fortunately, we have redemption through the blood of Christ, the forgiveness of trespasses and sins, for His name’s sake (Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14, 1 John 2:12).
The same concept is articulated in the Old Testament on personal level in…
Isaiah 43:25, “I, even I, am the One who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.”
The forgiveness of sins does not mean that we are free to do whatever we want without consequence. We should not choose to abuse the work of the cross. Paul shuts down this argument in Romans 6:1b-2. “…Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”
Jesus’ work on the cross is clearly an act of grace and mercy towards sinful man. Honestly, is this any way to respond to a Man who suffered and died a horrible death on our behalf because of all of our sins?
What if the roles were reversed in the sense that you had bailed someone out of deep trouble? What if that person (the one you bailed out of trouble) chose to continue the behavior that landed them in trouble? What would you think if the person you spared continued to live in a sinful manner? After all, you were willing to pay the fine with your life for the sinner.
Have some empathy, put yourself in Jesus’ sandals. Try to look at this issue from His view…
There are consequences for our bodily actions. Physically, we die. The wage of sin is death. If God did not punish sin, He would fail to be just.
SCRIPTURE teaches that there is an appointed date for the Rapture. Acts 17:31 …because He has set a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all people by raising Him from the dead.
While only God knows the exact date, many prophecy watchers believe it could be the Feast of Trumpets.
Here are 10 reasons why:
1. TRUMPET THEMES
The fundamental theme of the Feast of Trumpets is the sounding of trumpets (Lev. 23:24). In the Bible, trumpet blasts are associated with . . .
• Resurrection (1 Thess. 4:13–18).
• The opening of a door to heaven (Rev. 4:1).
• A gathering of the people (Isa. 27:13).
• The coronation of a king (1 Kings 1:39; Ps. 47:5; 98:6) .
• Approaching danger (Ez. 33:4; Jer. 4:19–21).
• A battle cry (Jer. 4:19–21).
• A time of wrath and judgment (Joel 2; Zeph. 1:14–16).
All of these themes are denotive of the Rapture and arrival of Judgment Day.
Furthermore, the Hebrew word translated “trumpet blasts” in Leviticus 23, teruah, may also refer to a “shout” (Strong’s 8643). The Rapture is when the Lord descends with a “shout” and a trumpet blast (1 Thess. 4:16).
2. JEWISH TRADITION
According to Jewish belief, the Feast of Trumpets is when . . .
• The resurrection of the dead occurs.
• The wedding of Messiah occurs.
• The time of Judgment begins.
These themes are denotive of the Rapture and arrival of Judgment Day.
3. INVISIBLE MOON
The Feast of Trumpets begins on the first day of the biblical month, when the moon is in its ‘New,’ or invisible, phase (Lev. 23:24). The Rapture is when the Church—symbolized by the moon—disappears, or is hidden from sight (Mic. 7:1, 2 NLT; Isa. 26:20).
4. DAY AND HOUR UNKNOWN
The Feast of Trumpets begins at the first sighting of the New-Moon crescent. Since no one knows exactly when the crescent will be sighted, “no one knows the day or hour” that the festival begins (Matt. 24:36).
5. HEAVEN’S GATE OPENED
The Feast of Trumpets, or New Moon, is when the eastern gate of Jerusalem is opened: “The gate of the inner court facing east is to be shut on the six working days, but on the … day of the New Moon it is to be opened” (Ezek. 46:1). The Rapture is when, after “six (thousand-year) days,” God’s people enter through the gate into heavenly Jerusalem: “Behold, I am coming quickly …. Blessed are those who … enter through the gates into the [holy] city (Rev. 22:12, 14).
6. SIGN OF THE WOMAN
The Feast of Trumpets coincides with an annual astronomical alignment in which the constellation Virgo is “clothed with the Sun with the Moon under her feet.” This alignment, called the “Sign of the Woman” in Revelation 12, marks the beginning of Israel’s Tribulation period and, some believe, the Rapture that precedes it.
7. PEACE AND SAFETY
The Feast of Trumpets coincides with the annual assembly of the UN, the organization established 77 years ago with the mission of “maintaining international peace and security.” This is significant because Scripture says the Rapture will occur while people are saying “peace and security” (1 Thess. 5:3).
Coincidentally, the UN’s 77th assembly this year ends on September 27—the Feast of Trumpets.
8. WHEAT GATHERING
The Feast of Trumpets occurs around summer’s end, when the wheat harvest is gathered into barns or granaries (Deut. 16:13). The gathering of wheat into a barn is a picture of the gathering of believers into the Father’s house at the Rapture (2 Thess. 2:1; Matt. 3:12).
9. APPLES AND GRAPES
The Feast of Trumpets is traditionally associated with apples and grapes, fruits that are harvested around this time. Some Jews even deny themselves apples and grapes until the Feast of Trumpets, so that they may eat them with increased enjoyment at the festival. This is significant because apples and grapes are the fruits mentioned in Song of Solomon’s rapture-allegory where the Gentile maid is in the presence of her beloved shepherd, a picture of the Church in the presence of the Good Shepherd, Jesus (Song 2:3, 5, 13, 15).
10. WEDDING REMINDER
The Feast of Trumpets is called a “memorial” blowing of trumpets (Lev. 23:24). While Leviticus does not specify what the trumpet blasts memorialize, the context suggests it is the trumpet blast at Sinai when God gave Israel the Law as a ‘wedding contract’ on the Day of Pentecost (Ex. 19).
Thus, the Feast of Trumpets is a day to remember Israel’s wedding and, by association, the Church’s betrothal that occurred on the same day, centuries later (Acts 2).
Since the Feast of Trumpets is a day to remember past weddings and betrothals, it is a fitting time for the ultimate wedding, the Rapture.
With the above 10 reasons in view, the Feast of Trumpets is a plausible time for the Rapture.
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But there is more. Five major factors make this year’s Trumpets festival particularly auspicious:
1. STAGE SETTING
The current year, 2022, has seen an escalation of end-times “birth pains” like no other: wars and threats of war, new and resurgent viruses, extreme weather, earthquakes, famine and shortages (Matt. 24:6, 7). Yet, for most people, life carries on more or less as normal.
That a façade of normalcy exists, even as the world teeters on the brink, is significant as this is how Jesus said it would be at His return:
“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed” (Luke 17:26–30).
2. SABBATICAL SIGNS
The God of the Bible is known for giving a seven-day or seven-year warning before bringing judgment (Gen. 7:1–4; Josh. 6:1–5; Gen. 41). Moreover, the Lord orchestrates prophetic events according to His seven-year Sabbatical cycle (Dan. 9:24–27).
With these two facts in mind, it appears God has been issuing ‘trumpet’ warnings for the last three Sabbatical cycles:
In 2001, we saw the 9/11 attacks, followed by a record stock market crash on the Feast of Trumpets.
In 2008, we saw the Global Financial Crisis and another record market crash—a 777-point drop when Congress failed to pass a $700 billion bailout plan—on the Feast of Trumpets.
In 2015, we saw no financial crash but, instead, an extraordinary display of “signs in the sun, moon, and stars”—the signs that portend the Day of the Lord (Luke 21:25; Joel 2:31). Significantly, the final sign, a blood moon eclipse visible above Jerusalem, occurred on September 28, exactly seven years prior to the Feast of Trumpets in 2022.
3. WEDDING SIGN
On June 24 this year, all seven planets in the Solar System lined up in their correct order on the same side of the Sun, to form an ultra-rare “planetary procession.”
Seven days later, the Sun and Moon, which symbolize the Bridegroom and Bride in Scripture, came together in the constellation Gemini, the sign depicting the marriage union between a man and woman.
Notably, this ‘celestial wedding’ occurred on the biblical date Tammuz 1, exactly three months prior to the Feast of Trumpets on Tishrei 1. This is significant because a rabbinic law called Havchana requires a three-month waiting period before a Gentile bride can marry a Jew. (The purpose of the law is to ensure that the bride is not already pregnant before marrying, thereby avoiding any confusion concerning the lineage of the child.)
With the traditional three-month waiting period in view, it is possible that the wedding sign on Tammuz 1 was pointing to the ultimate Gentile–Jewish wedding, the wedding of the Church to Messiah, three months later at the Feast of Trumpets.
4. JUPITER NEAR APPROACH
On the Feast of Trumpets this year, Jupiter will make its closest approach to Earth in 70 years. This is noteworthy for a few reasons.
First, Jupiter, the planet with the red spot on its side, is a symbol of Messiah, wounded for our transgressions (Isa. 53).
Second, because it is the largest planet, Jupiter is called the King Planet. This is significant as Jewish tradition holds that the biblical month of Elul, which ends at the Feast of Trumpets, is when the “King is in the field,” i.e., nearest his subjects. It is thus striking that the King Planet is at its nearest point to Earth in 70 years as Elul ends and the Feast of Trumpets begins.
Third, in Scripture, the number 70 denotes a generation-timespan, a period of judgment, and/or liberation for God’s people (Ps. 90:10; Jer. 29:10).
With the above in view, Jupiter’s near approach on Feast of Trumpets signifies . . .
The number one reason Feast of Trumpets 2022 is particularly auspicious is a convergence of prophetic timelines. For details on this convergence, please see the article, video, or chart linked below.
The most important timeline pointing to 2022 relates to the Year of Jubilee. While numerous attempts have been made to pinpoint the Jubilee based on historical events or patterns, I believe that Daniel’s Weeks Prophecy provides the simple formula needed to calculate the year of redemption:
“From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the prince comes, there will be seven weeks” (Dan. 9:25).
Daniel says Messiah will appear “seven weeks,” or one jubilee period, after a restoration of Jerusalem.
The only modern restoration of Jerusalem occurred in June 1967, when the Jews took possession of the Holy City for the first time in nearly 2,000 years.
Counting seven weeks from the start of the first Sabbatical week following the restoration of Jerusalem, which is 1973, the Jubilee begins in 2022.
It is awe-inspiring to consider that 2,000 years ago, Jesus stood up at the synagogue to declare His role as Messiah and fulfiller of the Jubilee:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18, 19).
Today, if our reading of Daniel’s prophecy and the Sabbatical cycle are correct, “the Year of the Lord’s favor” is upon us.
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SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Scripture teaches that there is an appointed date for the Rapture (Acts 17:31). We are told to watch for this day, and that we will see it approaching (Mark 13:37; Heb. 10:25).
The themes of the Feast of Trumpets are denotive of the Rapture. Furthermore, a convergence of signs and timelines suggests that 2022 may be a climactic year.
Will the trumpet blast that changes the world be heard at the impending Feast of Trumpets? Only God knows. But the prospect is utterly thrilling.
Torah Calendar, which bases festival timing on the projected sighting of the New-Moon crescent, has the Feast of Trumpets beginning the evening of September 27: https://torahcalendar.com/Calendar.asp?YM=Y2022M6
2. In the Bible, the Sun symbolizes Jesus the Bridegroom (Ps. 19:5; 84:11). The Moon, the Sun’s heavenly counterpart, represents the Bride, or Church. The Moon is emblematic of the Church as it has no light of its own, relying entirely upon the Sun for its light (Ps. 19:4, 5; 84:11). Likewise, man has no light of his own. We were created in the image of God to reflect His brilliance and glory (Gen. 1:27). When we turn to face the majesty of God, when we surrender to Him and seek Him with all our hearts, we reflect His glory, just like the Moon reflects the glory of the Sun (Matt. 5:14)
3. The UN was established 11 Sabbatical cycles ago on October 24, 1945, corresponding to the Jewish calendar date of the biblical Flood: Cheshvan 17.
4. More on why the Feast of Trumpets in late summer or early fall could be the time of the Rapture:
5. An indication that the Feast of Trumpets is a remembrance of the giving of the Law (Sinai) is the fact that Ezra read the Law to the Israelites, newly returned from exile in Babylon, on the Feast of Trumpets in Nehemiah chapter 8.
6. More on how the Feast of Trumpets relates to Pentecost:
*Jupiter, the planet with the red spot on its side, has 53 named moons. Coincidentally, Isaiah chapter 53 talks about the sin-bearing Messiah who was wounded for our transgressions.
*It was a Jupiter–Venus conjunction that produced the Bethlehem-Star sign at Jesus’ birth. Significantly the Bethlehem Star conjunction recently reoccurred on June 30, 2015, exactly seven years before the ‘wedding sign’ on June 30 (Tammuz 1), 2022.
11. Jubilee calculation:
The jubilee count begins at 1973 because Daniel says to count “weeks,” which are fixed periods on God’s calendar. Since the modern restoration of Jerusalem occurred in June 1967, after a portion of the current Sabbatical week had already passed, a count of seven full weeks could not begin until the start of the next Sabbatical week, which is 1973.
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Jubilee Q and A: Is the Year of Redemption Upon Us?
IMPORTANT MESSAGE: No one knows the day or hour of Jesus’ return (Matt. 24:36). However, a convergence of biblical signs and timelines suggests it is near. To escape the judgment reserved for a God-rejecting world, one must be in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. If you have not yet done so, call on His name and believe that He is the Son of God who died for your sins and was raised from the dead (Romans 10:13).
Key verse: “And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately” (Luke 12:36).
Each time a conversation gets to the direction of the return of Jesus Christ, many people are either dismissive, amused or unconcerned. This is because they think it is unlikely or if it will happen at all, that it would be in the distant future. In the process, they miss the essential lesson of ensuring that the Lord’s coming does not meet them unprepared.
Jesus Christ assures His disciples that almighty God has reserved a place in heaven for them. Believers should therefore, not misplace their priorities but jettison anything, including love of money, that could hinder their love, obedience and service to the Lord. They must allow their lives to shine brightly, while living in constant expectation of the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ so that when He comes, they would be ready. In fact, He would come when most people are not expecting Him.
Great blessings await those He will meet ready at His return. But those who fail to prepare for His coming and are consumed by the rat race, revelry and oppressive activities of the world, would suffer eternal separation from Him. Those that are ignorant of His advent will also face punishment; while those that knew but refused to get themselves ready, will get a more severe punishment.
This is a timely warning, especially in our present age when all talk about the return of Jesus Christ seem like fable to many. To be ready, you must not condone even the slightest sin in your life but shun all evil distractions of the world. You must diligently follow the Lord, faithfully engage in the service of winning and preparing souls for heaven and growing daily into the nature and stature of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: How ready are you to meet the Lord?
Tisha B`Av or the 9th of Av, not a good day on the Jewish calendar. Av is a Hebrew month. It is the 11th month of the civil calendar or the 5th month of the religious calendar. It usually occurs during July or August in the Gregorian calendar. This year, the 9th of Av is observed on sundown of Saturday, August 6th and ends at sundown on Sunday, August 7, 5782/2022. The month of Av is not named in the Bible.
The 9th of Av is a day of mourning in Israel. Tragedy came about because of the account of Numbers 13-14. This event occurred immediately after God had delivered Israel out of bondage in Egypt.
A Cliffs Notes like version is the Lord told Moses to send a group of spies to go scout the Promised Land. The spies came back and proclaimed the Jews could not take the land because of the inhabitants of the land were too big and too strong. The people rebelled against Moses. The people stated they would rather go back to Egypt. The nation (except Caleb and Joshua) did not believe God to give them the Promised Land.
Numbers 13:20 …and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.
We know it occurred during the grape harvest per the text (Numbers 13:20). This event is said to have occurred on the 9th of Av. God pronounced judgment on the nation at that time. And this date is said to be a reminder of nation Israel’s lack of faith in God.
Historically, the date has resulted in heartache for the Jewish people.
Here is a list of Jewish history on the 9th of Av/Tisha B `Av.
586 BC, the first Temple was destroyed.
70 AD, the second Temple was destroyed.
135 AD, Betar fell. It was the last fortress to hold out against the Romans during the Bar Kochba revolt.
136 AD, one year after the fall of Betar, the Temple area was plowed.
1290 AD, Jews were expelled from England.
1492 AD, King Ferdinand of Spain issued the expulsion decree, setting Tisha B’Av as the final date by which not a single Jew would be allowed to walk on Spanish soil.
1914 AD, World War I began the downward slide to the Holocaust.
We are less than two months from the onset of the Fall Feasts. It appears to be the close of a Sabbatical or Shemitah year. If history is any indicator, fasten your seat belts. Look at the world around us. There is significant geo political unrest. Global economies are headed towards recession. We are likely in for a wild ride.
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Over the past few years, the Temple Institute has chosen to look to the future and the promise of the building of the third Temple on Tisha B`Av or 9th of Av. They have chosen to post videos regarding the reconstruction of the third Temple.
Keep in mind, what Christians call the Old Testament is the source of information that is being referenced during the video.
The following is from Temple Institute out of Jerusalem, Israel.
We recently took to the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and asked the question: “What would building the Holy Temple mean to you?” We asked Israelis and tourists alike: men, women, older people and younger, religious and not religious, and were amazed at their answers. Everyone took time to think, to take a deep breath, and to answer us honestly, some with great hope and anticipation, some with skepticism and trepidation, but all with sincerity and heart. And now we are asking you: “What would building the Holy Temple mean to you?” “If you woke up tomorrow and the Holy Temple was built, how would it change your life?” “Will it bring peace to the world?”
Exodus 23:10-11 You shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield,but on the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.
So what is the big deal? Does God really care if this law is followed? After all, farmers have to make money. We all have to eat. How can we survive during the seventh year if food is not grown? Is God being unreasonable? Is this practical? Does God know what He is doing?
Are there consequences for Israel not keeping the Sabbatical or Shemitah year? God’s response is straight forward. He told Moses and nation Israel at Mount Sinai. If you do not keep the commandments, I will kick you out of the land and disperse you. There will be pain and suffering. See Leviticus 26:14-39 for Israel’s complete consequences of disobedience. Specifically, these are the issues related to the disobedience of the Sabbatical or Shemitah year.
Leviticus 26:34-35 Then the land will enjoy its Sabbaths all the days of the desolation, while you are in your enemies’ land; then the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it will observe the rest which it did not observe on your Sabbaths, while you were living on it.
Leviticus 26:43 For the land will be abandoned by them, and will make up for its Sabbaths while it is made desolate without them. They, meanwhile, will be making amends for their iniquity, because they rejected My ordinances and their soul abhorred My statutes.
Eventually, Israel disobeyed God and His commandments. God counted 70 Sabbatical or Shemitah years Israel had not kept. Judgment came via the Babylonians. Jews of all ages were slaughtered. The temple was raided. The articles for worship and service were stolen and taken to Babylon. The temple was burned. The walls of the city were destroyed. Buildings and resources were plundered. Those who survived were taken into captivity in Babylon. And why did these events take place?
2 Chronicles 36:21 to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept Sabbath until seventy years were complete.
And when 70 years were completed, a decree went from Cyrus. Israel went back to their land (2 Chronicles 36:22-23).
This is what happened to Israel historically. The Jews were kicked out of the land again in 70 AD and scattered throughout the globe… Israel became a nation again in 1948.
For whatever reason, there is an element of the Jewish people who are interested in giving the land its rest this Sabbatical year ending 5782 or 2022 in a western Gregorian calendar.
The Shemitah started in the late Summer or early Fall of 2021 and ends in late September 2022 on the Gregorian calendar. To the Jew, this will be their civil New Year, Rosh Hashanah, 5783.
Key Verse: Jeremiah 25:29 “For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.”
On December 25th, 1908, a newspaper published in Messina printed a parody against God, daring Him to make Himself known by sending an earthquake. Three days later, the city and its surrounding district were devastated by a terrible quake that killed 84,000 people! Payday is coming someday for all. It is the duty of the Christian to prepare for God’s judgment.
The passage under consideration unveils the decision of God against Babylon. Babylon would be destroyed for her wickedness and cruelty, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Jeremiah was to warn of this impending judgment. He was also assigned by God to inform people that the cup of His wrath was soon to be poured on Israel and other nations like Egypt, Edom and the Philistines.
comeandreason.com
Judgment is coming. God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world for her sins. The present world system will not escape the judgment of God. All human deeds are on record and there would be no room for falsification of facts. Every action of man will be judged. Every thought (good or bad) will be brought to light. Boys and girls, and all adults of every race and in every continent will face the consequences of their professions.
The treatment we give to the word of God will determine our eternal destiny. Therefore, believers should not relax in their evangelistic outreaches because the judgment of God remains unchanging for all unrepentant souls from generation to generation.
Persecutors of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ will not escape the wrath of God except they repent. The train of God’s judgment is coming slowly but surely and it is important for all and sundry to be prepared.
*THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:* Judgment day is coming!
Jesus has taken judgment for those believe His death on the cross paid the price for sin. He was buried and resurrected proving He has power over death and sin.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with Him.
Your unspoken responses—your body language, eye contact, and positioning—speak a thousand words to those you are trying to engage with. Hurting individuals are no stranger to stigmas and judgment. While they are used to physical touch being distorted and misused, they are equally used to being held at arm’s length.
One time, I met an individual who was walking around praying for Kansas City’s homeless. I had two black eyes and was sick. I weighed about 90 pounds and hadn’t changed clothes in days. I even had blood on my shirt. She asked if she could pray for me. I said, “Sure.” She asked if there was anything she could pray for me about that I needed at that moment. I said, “Food and a shower and clean clothes.” The entire time she prayed for those things for me, she was staring at the blood that covered my shirt.
The blood was from a beating I had taken from a buyer of sex. He had locked the doors of his car, and each time he’d stop and say, “Get out,” he’d lock the door again. He banged my head against the window, calling me a stupid, filthy ho. He’d drive, then stop, and repeat, until he at last let me out. I had a bloody nose, and I believe that is why he let me out. He cursed and punched me because I got blood on his car door.
The woman praying for me didn’t make eye contact with me. She just stared at the blood on my shirt, never connecting with me as an individual human being. I remember thinking, If she is one of those “Christians,” and I am asking her to pray for food because I’m hungry, how come she doesn’t have a sandwich or offer me some food? Was God, through prayer, going to magically put a sack lunch at my feet? As she spoke to my bloody shirt, she inadvertently confirmed the stigma and judgment I was so used to. She never once looked me in the eye.
A response like this carries a tremendous message to the hurting. It was as if she stood in shock at the sight of the bloody shirt, not truly hearing my words or seeing the person wearing the shirt. As far as I could tell, she was disregarding the pain that was right in front of her. She never asked, “What happened to you?” She just gawked. Her unspoken words and body language spoke thousands of words to me. I didn’t feel compassion from a woman who prayed for me. I felt inferior, isolated, and pushed away.
We can’t have these kinds of responses when engaging with hurting individuals. We have to hold ourselves together. Responses like these make them feel more shame, more hurt, and more brokenness. It is vital, no matter what is shared with us or what the person’s appearance is, that we never react in ways that dismiss their story or demean their humanity. Instead, we must always honor their hurt, their pain, and their journey.
Tisha b’Av: To the Jew, this is a date, the 9th of Av.
Av is a Hebrew month. It is the 11th month of the civil calendar or the 5th month of the religious calendar. The date usually occurs during July or August on the Gregorian calendar. The month of Av is not named in the Bible.
This year, the 9th of Av begins at sunset on Saturday, July 17, 2021 and ends at sunset on Sunday, July 18 on the Gregorian calendar.
The 9th of Av is a day of mourning in Israel. Tragedy came about because of the account of Numbers 13-14. This event occurred immediately after God had delivered Israel out of bondage in Egypt.
The short story is the Lord told Moses to send a group of spies to go scout the Promised Land. The spies came back and proclaimed the Jews could not take the land because of the inhabitants of the land were too big and too strong. The people rebelled against Moses. The people stated they would rather go back to Egypt. The nation (except Caleb and Joshua) did not believe God to give them the Promised Land.
Numbers 13:20 …and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.
We know it occurred during the grape harvest per the text (Numbers 13:20). This event is said to have occurred on the 9th of Av. God pronounced judgment on the nation at that time. And this date is said to be a reminder of nation Israel’s lack of faith in God.
Historically, the date has been challenging for the Jewish people.
Here is a list of Jewish history on the 9th of Av/Tisha B `Av.
586 BC, the first Temple was destroyed.
70 AD, the second Temple was destroyed.
135 AD, Betar fell. It was the last fortress to hold out against the Romans during the Bar Kochba revolt.
136 AD, one year after the fall of Betar, the Temple area was plowed.
1290 AD, Jews were expelled from England.
1492 AD, King Ferdinand of Spain issued the expulsion decree, setting Tisha B’Av as the final date by which not a single Jew would be allowed to walk on Spanish soil.
1914 AD, World War I began the downward slide to the Holocaust.
Recently, the Temple Institute has chosen to look to the future and the promise of the building of the third Temple on Tisha B`Av or 9th of Av. They have chosen to post videos of the reconstruction of the third Temple. This year is no different.
Below is a video and commentary from the Temple Institute. Rebuild the Temple…
A hot cup of coffee, a glance at the internet, a leisurely morning – what could we possibly be missing? Why the Holy Temple, of course! Time for all of us, not just the kohanim (Temple priests) to get up and get to work – rebuilding the Holy Temple in our day!
Be part of the action!
A big shout out to Samara and to Yosef and his amazing crew and our great actors for making this video shine!
Special thanks to Dena Davies of Debu Designs for the beautiful priestly garment!
Note: In the days of the Holy Temple the kohanim on duty sleep and get dressed each morning in the Beit HaMoked on the Temple Mount. Depicting a kohen getting dressed at home and carpooling to the Holy Temple was for illustrative purposes, only!
Key Verse: Job 24:24 “They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.”
Experiences in life differ from person to person. Sometimes, those who seem to be faring better are those least expected. This is more so when the best things in life seem to be happening to people we consider to be undeserving of God’s favor and mercy. What many lose sight of is that irrespective of how successful a sinner is on earth, if he does not repent, he will meet with an ignoble end.
Job’s friends had concluded that the enormity of the suffering and pain he was experiencing could only be because he was a great sinner. In his response, Job did not dispute that God reserves harsh punishment for the sinner. In seeking to show himself as undeserving of their negative characterization as a sinner, he outlined what a wicked man looks like. He likened such a person to a murderer who takes the poor and needy unawares and kills them. He is like an adulterer who disguises himself and commits immorality under the cover of darkness. He said such a wicked person goes to any length to device his evil acts and cover up his tracks.
But in the end, he is consumed by drought and heat. He is broken, forgotten and eaten by worms in the grave. Though exalted, he is soon cut down, withered and cast off with no remembrance any more. He obviously considered that he was not like the person he had been describing and therefore, wondered who could successfully contradict what he had said.
Sometimes, God allows such experiences to draw our attention to the fact that sin will always be judged and the outcome will be fearful and fiery. It is therefore necessary for the sinner to retrace his steps, turn from his life of indulgence and evil, and follow Christ without wavering. Otherwise, he is courting unmitigated disaster.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: No sinner can escape the long arms of heaven’s law.
I am no better than the person holding the sign on the corner asking for help. I am no better than the person in the person in the public records in the paper that was arrested. I am no better than the person that is a different race than me. I am no better than the person that has a different sexual orientation than me. I am no better than anyone. Stop treating others different & like they are less just because they are different.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God.
Ecclesiastes 7:20 Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.
