We experience earthly relationships in many different ways. Some are wonderful, and some are not so good. Without going into a long list of good vs evil, please let me say that one relationship is absolutely essential and the best we could ever have. This relationship is available to every human on this earth, just for the asking. There are no works that we could ever do that would earn us a favored position, and there’s no price we could ever pay to buy or impress this “King.” (any emphasis mine)

Yes, our King, our Creator, our Savior. John 10;9-10, “I am the Door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

Our King of Kings is Jesus the Christ. The “thief” mentioned here is Satan, and all his minions. Jesus explains how He sees us in John 10:14-16; “I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own, and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one Shepherd.”

Because of the Lord’s covenants with Abraham and David, Jesus was born as a Jew. All through the Old Testament, we’re told of the “Coming Messiah,” and our Savior fulfilled these prophecies. He was here to offer eternal life to His people, but when He mentioned “other sheep,” this brought every living soul into the same status as God’s chosen race. The Son of God was preparing to offer Himself as a perfect sacrifice for everyone in the world from that time forward, all the way to the end of His millennial reign on this earth. All who would receive and accept Him, that is.

No matter how “good” anyone might believe they are, we could never offer a pure enough sacrifice to satisfy our Heavenly Father. One sin, no matter how large or how small, is enough for us to be cast into the lake of fire forever. God can tolerate no sin.

Looking first at Romans 3:9-10, “What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin. And as it is written, None is righteous, no not one.” Going to Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

The next step is Romans 6:23; “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Before Calvary, sacrifices had to be made on a regular basis in accordance with Mosaic Law and to follow the will of the Father. Jesus gave us a brand-new covenant that made the Law obsolete. Hebrews 10:2-4, “Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshiper, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sin? But in these sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” Hebrews 10:14 completes this with, “For by a single offering, He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”

Through the pure, sinless blood sacrifice made by Our Savior, we can have our sins removed as far as east is from west (Psalm 103:12). The best part is, it is our free-will choice for this to happen. Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13 all say that “All who call on the Lord will be saved.”

There is a huge “however” that goes with this. All who refuse to receive and accept Jesus as their Savior will be condemned to the lake of fire with Satan and all his demon followers forever (Revelation 20:11-15). For the false prophets that tell you that there are many ways to Heaven without Jesus, you can look for them to be in that long line at the Great White Throne Judgment. One more thing: all “religions” do not worship the same God.

The steps to receive and accept your free gift from the Savior are not hard, except for those who believe it cannot be this simple. First and foremost, Jesus paid the total price for all of our sins, and to believe there are formal “rituals” or specific works or tasks that can be done to “earn” our eternal Home is to say Jesus fell short on His mission, and that would be a costly insult.

As stated, we’ve all sinned, and the first step is to confess this and ask Jesus to forgive us. We must believe His death was for all sins, mine included, and His blood at Calvary cleansed all who would call on Him. When we ask His forgiveness, we also ask Him to be our Savior forever. He will turn no one away that truly calls on Him.

Romans 10:9-13 gives these simple steps, which are not complicated. John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 advise us there’s no other way to the Father except through Jesus. One more verse to consider: Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Sadly, Satan and his followers will try to convince you otherwise. Jesus knows more will accept this world than will accept Him. Matthew 7:13-14 tells of the straight and narrow path leading to eternal life vs the broad path that leads to eternal condemnation.

The Savior cares for us so much that He was willing to suffer a cruel human death on a cross. I have heard people say they can’t be forgiven for what they have done. My comment for that is Jesus died for all sins, and how many sins did we commit at the time of His crucifixion? The one that is unforgivable is to reject Jesus and the gift He offers. He will force no one to call on Him, but as stated, He will turn no one away who truly asks His forgiveness.

Charles Frederick Weigle (1871 -12/1966) was a devout Christian and songwriter. He came from a large German-American family. He wrote a song that is so inspirational and tells us that “No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus.”

1) I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus since I found in Him a friend so strong and true. I would tell you how He changed me completely; He did something that no other friend could do.

Ref) No one ever cared for me like Jesus; there’s no other friend so kind as He; No one else could take the sin and darkness from me; O how much He cared for me.

2) All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me. All my heart was full of misery and woe. Jesus placed His strong and loving arms around me, and He led me in the way I ought to go.

3) Every day He comes to me with new assurance. More and more I understand His words of Love. But I’ll never know just why He came to save me, till someday I see His blessed face above.

All the signs are present that we are in the last days just before the tribulation/wrath begins that will last seven long years. It will be a time you don’t want to be here for. Evil is gaining speed, and soon there will be a trumpet and a shout that will call up all our Savior’s “flock” to meet Him in the air, in order to be kept from that wrath. It could be any minute of any day now. Calling out to Jesus today to be your Savior would not be too early. To wait could place you in that terrible time and could be a costly mistake.

The very last line of the song is powerful. “But I’ll never know just why He came to save me, till someday I see His blessed face above.” It would be wonderful if you would be there with me.

Shalom ‘b Yeshua Hamaschiach”

(Peace in the name of Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah)

huebshman46@gmail.com

 

 

Zechariah 7:13 – “Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts.”

According to history, many events considered disastrous by the Jews have occurred on the Ninth of Av, also called Tish’a B’Av, the saddest day in Jewish history.

The date for Tish’a B’Av 2021 is Sunday, July 18, in the Hebrew Year 5781.

Tish’a B’Av begins at sunset Saturday, July 17, and ends at sunset Sunday, July 18.

Tish’a B’Av is the culmination of a three-week period of increasing mourning that begins with the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz. During this three-week period, the Scroll of Lamentations is read, prayers are recited during the evening services, and the Torah Scroll cabinet (Ark) is covered by black cloth. In some synagogues, the Scroll of Job is read on the morning of Tish’a B’Av.

Tish’a B’Av primarily commemorates the destruction of the first and second Temples, both of which were destroyed on the ninth of Av. The first Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC, and the second Temple by the Romans in 70 AD.

The First Occurrence

• Av 9, 1312 BC – Only two of the twelve spies sent by Moses to observe the land of Canaan, Joshua and Caleb, returned with a positive report. The ten-spy report caused the Hebrews to cry, panic, and despair of ever entering their Promised Land. For this, they were punished, and Yahweh decreed that their generation would not enter the land and that for all future generations, this date would become one of crying and misfortune for their descendants, the Jewish people (Numbers 13:25-14:12, Zechariah 7:3-5, 8:19).

First and Second Temple Destructions

• Av 9, 586 BC – The First Temple built by King Solomon was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, and the Judeans were sent into Babylonian exile. About 100,000 Jews were killed during the invasion. The remaining tribes in the southern kingdom were exiled to Babylon and Persia.
• Av 9, 70 AD – The Second Temple built by Ezra and Nehemiah was destroyed by the Romans on August 4, 70 AD. Over 2,500,000 Jews died as a result of war, famine and disease. Over 1,000,000 Jews were exiled to all parts of the Roman Empire. Over 100,000 Jews were sold as slaves by Romans or were killed and tortured in gladiatorial “games” and pagan celebrations.

Subsequent Happenings on or Around Tish’a B’av

• Av 9, 71 AD – The Roman army plowed Jerusalem with salt on July 25, 71 AD.
• Av 9, 132 AD – The Romans crushed Bar Kokhba’s revolt and destroyed the city of Betar, killing over 100,000 Jews on July 8, 132.
• Av 9, 133 AD – July 29, 133. Turnus Rufus ploughed the site of the Temple. The Romans build the pagan city of Aelia Capitolina on the site of Jerusalem.
• Av 9, 135 AD – The destruction of Simeon Bar Kokhba’s army on August 5, 135 AD.
• Av 9, 1095 AD – The First Crusade was declared by Pope Urban II on July 20, 1095. The Crusades brought death and destruction to thousands of Jews, totally obliterating many communities in Rhineland and France.
• Av 9, 1190 AD – 500 Jews died as a result of the rich storming a castle in York, England, on July 14, 1190.
• Av 9, 1290 AD – July 25, 1290 – Jews forced out of England accompanied by pogroms and confiscation of books and property.
• Av 9, 1306 AD – July 22, 1306 – The Jews were expelled from France again, accompanied by pogroms and confiscation of books and property.
• Av 9, 1492 AD – August 11, 1492 – The Inquisition in Spain and Portugal culminated in the expulsion of the Jews from the Iberian Peninsula. Families were separated, many died by drowning, and there was massive loss of property by all.
• Av 9, 1648 AD – On July 18, 1648, Bohdan Zenobi Chmielnicki, the leader of the Cossacks, a military class of Ukrainian-southern Russians, began the massacre of tens of thousands of Polish Jews. This massacre continued until 1651.
• Av 9, 1914 AD — World War I begins on August 1, 1914. Russia also launched persecutions against the Jews in Eastern Russia on this same day. There were over 400 pogroms immediately following World War I in Hungary, Ukraine, Poland, and Russia.
• Av 9, 1929 AD – August 15, 1929. Mufti Hajj Amin Al Hussein stirred up riots against Jews at the Wailing Wall; Hebron Massacre ensues.
• Av 9, 1941 AD – On August 2, 1941, SS commander Heinrich Himmler formally received approval from the Nazi Party for “The Final Solution.”
• Av 9, 1942 AD – The mass deportation began of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto, en route to the Treblinka Concentration Camp; began on the eve of July 23, 1942.
• Av 9, 1989 AD – On August 10, 1989, the Iraqis walked out of the talks with Kuwait, then invaded Kuwait and set fires to the oil wells. This action finally led to the Gulf War in 1992.
• Av 9, 1994 AD – The Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was bombed, killing 86 and wounding 300 others on Monday, July 18, 1994. On that same day, the twenty-one pieces of Shoemaker-Levi Comet began bombarding the Planet Jupiter!
• Av 9, 2005 AD – Starting at midnight on August 14, 2005, the entry and presence of Israeli citizens in the Gaza Strip is prohibited.
• Av 9, 2006 AD — The Lebanon War breaks out. On August 3, 2006, the Vatican sponsored the “Rome Peace Conference” and put the finishing touches on the “Rome Peace Accord.” This agreement halted the Israeli defensive thrust into Lebanon, and a Hezbollah commando force abducted two Israeli soldiers.
• Av 9, 2012 AD – The 2012 Olympics were inaugurated in London, England, on the evening of July 27, 2012. This date marked the 40th anniversary of the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, during which eight Palestinian terrorists infiltrated the Munich Olympic village and killed eleven members of the Israel Olympic team.
• Av 9, 2014 AD – On August 5, 2014, Israel commemorated past and present tragedies, especially the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem and the subsequent exile of the Jews from the Land of Israel.
• Av 9, 2015 AD – On July 25, 2015, the Statue to Satan (Baphomet) was unveiled by the Satanic Temple in Detroit.
• Av 9, 2016 AD – August 14, 2016. The Islamic Movement in Israel called for a mass ascent of Muslims to the Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount, and many Arabs violently rioted. The Olympics in Rio were rife with anti-Semitic incidents.
• Av 9, 2017 AD – August 1, 2017. Muslims escalated a war for the Temple Mount following the capitulation by the Israeli government over security measures on the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, or Kotel.
• Av 9, 2018AD – July 10, 2018. Marchers of the Faithful Movement on Tish’a B’Av 2018 were attacked with stones and other dangerous objects by Arab Islamic rioters. On the night of this year’s Tu B’Av, a completely red lunar eclipse appeared in the heavens above Israel.
• Av 9, 2019 AD – August 11, 2019. Palestinian Muslims shouted at Israeli security forces (unseen) in the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. At least five vehicles were damaged in attacks by Jerusalem Arabs hurling stones between the start of Tish’a B’Av (which began with the fall of darkness on Saturday evening) and Sunday at 12 noon. An 18-year-old Jewish boy was seriously wounded Sunday morning when he was attacked by an Arab terrorist on Hagai Street in Jerusalem.
• Av 9, 2020 AD – July 30, 2020. Protests against the Israeli government due to the Covid-19 lockdowns continued unabated. Hamas views Israel’s intentions to extend its sovereignty over parts of the Jordan Valley, Judea and Samaria as a declaration of war.

Conclusions

Yahweh declared that Tish’a B’Av would be a day of mourning and misfortune. To see these occurrences as simply coincidence would deny His word. Let us pray that Av 9th this year is not yet another day of disaster for our Jewish brothers.

Website: https://raptureparty.net

Email: jeff@raptureparty.net