Emmaus Road Ministries

Numbers 13:31-33
“But the men who had gone up with him (Caleb) said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
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T’shah B’Av, which is the 9th day of the month of Av on the Hebrew calendar, is easily the saddest day of the year for our Jewish brothers and sisters.  It is on this day that we remember what happened to 6 million innocent people at the hands of Hitler and his evil regime.  But that is, by far, not the only evil that has been done to them on that date on their calendar. 😭

If you happen to be a Jewish person reading this, many of the details will no doubt be all too familiar to you. We who are believers in the 1st century Rabbi Who walked on water and rose from the dead, share your pain. We believe He is haMoshiach and walked this earth some 2000 years ago.

If you do not share that belief, that’s ok. However if you will keep an open mind, you may find that there is be a pattern to all of these things of which you may not be aware.

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An Evil Day.

All over the world, Jewish people will solemnly commemorate all the evil done to them on this day throughout their history. I say, “Commemorate,” because, and I reiterate, this the saddest day of the entire year on their calendar. 

They will, in fact, have begun to contemplate the terrible things that happened 3 weeks prior, beginning on the 17th of the previous month, “Tammuz.” known as “The three weeks.” It begins in the summer and ends on the 9th day of the following Hebrew month of Av. The final nine days before “The Day” is a time of intensive mourning where they refrain from eating meat and drinking wine, and many do not even wear freshly laundered clothing.

Why the 17th of Tammuz? Because it was on that day many other things happened to cause them to pause, ponder, and reflect. How and why did the 9th ofAv come to be such an evil day?  In the article that follows, we are going to take a trip through history and read the account of what happened on the very first T’shah B’Av.  Perhaps we can bring some clarity, perspective, and understanding as to how and, more importantly, why all these began to happen.

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The trouble all began at the border of the land of Canaan. On their first approach to this Promised Land at Kadesh Barnea, the first of many terrible events happened. God, as you know, did not allow them to enter it and the entire nation had to turn around. They were sentenced to wander for an additional 38 years.

Let’s follow the story…………😓

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Twelve Spies.
Twelve spies were sent into Canaan to spy out the land.  They were only sent to check it out and tell of its abundance. Each one of them were tribal heads; leaders.  They were prominent men in Israel. Just as God said, they did indeed find a wonderful land, flowing with milk and honey.  When they came to the valley of Eshcol, there were huge clusters of grapes so big that two men had to carry them on a pole between them!  The word, “Eschol,” in Hebrew actually means, “Cluster of grapes.”
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Sadly, most of us humans are basically negative by nature. So, instead of just believing what God told them, what did they do?  Did they focus on His promises and stand on His word?  Unfortunately, no.  You and I are no different. Far too often, we don’t take Him at His word either; not at first anyway.  Most of the people on that fateful day long ago were just the same, lest we think we could have done better.

Ten of the spies were totally freaked out by the giants who lived in the land, (“The Anakim”) and brought back a bad report. The rest of the congregation believed them (not God) and wept all night. I mean, it’s not too surprising that they would be terrified of the Giants in the land. What a frightening sight that must have been! But God’s people are not to be ruled by what our eyes see. Abba wants us to walk by faith; not by sight.

While those giants were indeed frightening, remember what the Israelites had witnessed during their journey to this point? They were all seen first hand some of THE MOST INCREDIBLE miracles of protection and provision of all time up to that point. They should have had plenty evidence of His faithfulness and be able to fully trust God.

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We Were Like Grasshoppers?

Notice the words in bold font at the end of the opening passage: “There we saw the giants and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

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🤔 How did they know that’s what the giants thought?  Did they take a survey?  Did they run opinion polls? Of course not. It was simply their own point of view. They had no idea what the giants actually thought. But because of their own fear, they jumped to the above conclusion. This had the effect of causing a huge rebellion among the people which began a cascade of terrible events from that day to the present. 😭

The truth is, those giants didn’t think any such thing. In fact, they believed the exact opposite, as two other spies discovered 38 years later when they snuck into Jericho and were hidden by Rahav, the former harlot of Jericho.

(For the full story on Rehab and the two spies you may follow the link below:)

https://emmausroadministries.international/2021/12/07/see-i-have-given-you-the-city/

Giants?

These giants were the after-flood version of the Nephillm, the demon-human hybrids that God destroyed in the flood of Noah’s day.  After the world-wide deluge, those same angels who refused to keep their place, began having children by human women…..again!! 🤢

Yes, you read that right. Demonic angelic creatures took human form, had sex with willing (and unwilling) human females and had children by them. These giant hybrids were known as the “Anakim and Refaim.”  YUK! 🤮

If this is a new concept for you and you’d like to know more, you may follow the link below to learn about that topic:

As It Was In The Days Of Noah: Flood Series Part 7.

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Bad Report.

Only two of the twelve spies brought back a good report:  Joshua and Caleb.  Sadly, the people believed the other 10 spies and were frightened to death. They took up stones and were ready to stone Joshua and Caleb to death for believing what God said! 🤯  Big mistake!!🤦‍♀️) As you know, being in the majority doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right thing to do or believe.

Let’s follow the account in Numbers…..

Numbers 14:10
“And all the congregation said to stone them (Joshua and Caleb) with stones. Now the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.”

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This rebellion was SO BAD that God Himself had to come down and break up the fight! 😲  He was so angry with the His people, He wanted to wipe them off the face of the earth…..But Moses interceded for them. 🙌🙏 

When did all this occur?   T’shah B’Av, the first of many evil days to come.

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Tragic Occurrences On The 9th Of Av.

Below is a list of some of the events down through Israel’s history that have occurred on this date.  It is a very long, very sad list of tragedies.  Are they merely coincidences?  You be the judge. However…..please don’t get the wrong idea that God is doing this. He is not. God is only good. He is not the author of evil. The one who hates us all is: satan. See if you can spot a common underlying theme.

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#1.  The Israelites accept the false report of the 10 spies that the land of Canaan would be “impossible” to conquer.  They even wept over the false belief that God had set them up for failure.  Really big mistake.  Afterward, they wandered in the desert for 38 more years.  Why did this happen? 

They didn’t believe God.
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#2.  Destruction of the 1st Temple by Nebuchadnezzar, which was built by Solomon.
This temple was the most beautiful building.  Why was it destroyed?  Because Israel kept rebelling against God. He had sent prophet after prophet after prophet after prophet to them to try and get them to stop worshipping other gods and following their heinous practices…..to no avail.  They would go along ok for a little while but, after a short time, would fall away again.

Finally, after years and years of this back and forth, He sent them into exile in Babylon for 70 years at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.  Why?

They didn’t listen to and believe God.
(70 years was due to the fact for 490 years, His people had not let the land have a sabbath of rest every 7th year. One year in exile for every sabbath year missed.)

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#3.  655 years later, to the day, the 2nd Temple, built by Ezra and Nehemiah and enhanced by King Herod, was destroyed by the Romans in 70A.D.  Why did this happen?  The Father had sent prophet after prophet to try to warn His people to return to Him and away from their worship of idols and their despicably evil practices.

Finally, Abba sent Y’Shua, His Beloved Son, into the world to be the final sacrifice and turn their hearts to the truth. There would be no more need for the blood of bulls and goats to only cover sin, but one perfect sacrifice to fully CLEANSE ALL SIN.

But what did their leaders do?  They didn’t believe He was their Moshiach: Messiah. They incited the people against Him. He was rejected and, ultimately, nailed to a cross where He died the most horrific death in all of history.

Three days later, He arose from the dead and 40 days later, ascended back to our Father.

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Please understand, they do not bear this guilt alone.  Remember, it was the Romans who physically nailed Moshiach Jesus there.  Every single one of us are guilty of the blood of the Lord because ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  Even so, God has remained faithful to them.  He was, and still is, very patient.  The Gospel after all is for the Jew first and also to the Greek, i.e. non-Jews.

After Jesus rose from the dead on the 3rd day and ascended back to His Father 40 days later, many Jewish people returned to offering bulls and goats as sacrifices in the Temple which, remember, they were no longer acceptable. Jesus was offered as the final One. Their sacrifices were rejected.

Always patient, The Father waited for 40 years, (40 is the number of probation), giving them chance after chance to accept their Messiah, when at last He said, “Enough.”  He no longer resided in that temple made by human hands because there was no longer a need for it. His beloved Son was the final sacrifice.

The only reason the Romans were able to destroy it was because God no longer dwelled in it nor was there to protect it.

Why did this happen?  They didn’t believe Jesus, Y’Shua, was the Beloved Son sent by His Father; the Moshiach: Messiah for Whom they had waited so long.

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God Has A Son?

If you are thinking that Christians believe in three Gods, we do not. There is only ONE GOD. “The Lord our God is ONE. He just happens to be One in THREE PERSONS: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There are many clues as to the truth of this fact. If you don’t believe me, the Torah is its own best commentary. One of the places you can see this concept clearly is in the Hebrew letters of Avrham’s name, which you can read all about by following the link below:

Abraham And Sarah: Patriarch Series Part 1

Are you sensing a pattern? Can you see it? More importantly, do you believe it? 😓

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The Diaspora.
After the Jewish people were cast out of their land for the last time, they were dispersed into every nation on earth.  Time after time, in country after country, the Jewish people were hunted, persecuted, rejected, and often killed. 😭 There was no rest for them wherever they went, so they were forced to leave.

But even though this people, whom God still loves so much, have a long history of not believing Him, He still looks out for them *as much as THEY will allow (See note below about why we pray).  It is He alone Who has preserved them to this day. 

The Church down through history has not exactly been kind and welcoming to Jewish people who wanted to believe in Jesus as Messiah. They were some of the worst persecutors of Jesus’ natural family. This was something the Apostle Paul was vehemently against. All who come to Jesus had different obstacles to overcome: Gentiles often had to stop worshipping idols and Jewish people had to realize they cannot obey the law fully and faithfully. No one can. That’s why we all need a Savior.

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Can you name any other nation that has gone through all that they have endured for 2,000 years and come back to be a nation once again, and had their ancient language resurrected? Has ANY other ancient language been brought back into common use? NO!!! You can’t name even one BECAUSE IT DOESN’T EXIST…..not a single one.  Israel stands alone in that category.  It is God by His grace Who returned them to their own land in 1948, just as He said He would through the prophets of long ago. (see Ezekiel 28:25; 34:6; 34:12; 36:19 I could go on and on)

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(*This is key. We have to allow the Father to intervene in our lives and world by covenant. He cannot enter in, as much as He might want to per the terms of our 6,000 year lease over the earth. The Jewish people do have a covenant but it is not the full agreement. Y’Shua constitutes the fullness of covenant. For more on that topic, you may follow the link below:)

https://emmausroadministries.international/2021/12/02/why-we-pray/

All those other world leaders and the nations that did evil to them ultimately paid a HEFTY price.  All have either disappeared from the world scene or are greatly diminished in power and influence. 

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The message is clear:  Mess with the Jewish people….. SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES.   
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More Evil Days.
Down through history, there have been so many instances of bad things that have happened to the Jewish people.  They are far too many to be mere coincidence.  The list continues below:

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#5.  The first crusade officially commenced on T’shah B’Av in 1096.  They destroyed Jewish communities in France and the Rhineland.
#6.  Jews were expelled from England in 1290 on this day.
#7.  They were expelled from France in 1306 on the 9th of Av.
#8.  The Jews were expelled from Spain on this day in 1492.
#9.  Germany, the most evil empire of its day, entered WWl on T’shah B’Av 1914.
#10.  When Hitler came on the scene, the beginning of his extermination of the Jewish people began on the 9th of Av.
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Chabad.org lists a couple of others: In 133 a.d. the battle of Betar was lost where the Jewish people rebelled against repressive Roman rule. The rebels were brutally butchered in the final battle. Exactly one year later, the Romans plowed over their holiest site, the Temple Mount, on the 9th of Av.

If you follow the link below you can read about a few more things that have not been included here:

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/946703/jewish/What-Happened-on-the-Ninth-of-Av.htm

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NOTE:  None of these world leaders knew nor did they care anything about the Jewish people or their calendar.   They had no idea what day it was…….yet history is clear and the correlation unmistakable. 😭😭😭
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All around the world, Jewish and Christian people remember the 6 million Holocaust victims who lost their lives beginning on this day.  So many sad occurrences.  So much sorrow.  So much heartache.  So much death and destruction. HOWEVER: Every evil nation involved in the horrific attempted genocide have either been destroyed and is no longer or have waned in importance on the world stage as I said above, and rightly so. (I guess they don’t read the Torah or, at least, believe it).

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AGAIN: The message is clear: DON’T MESS with the apple of His eye or you’ll be sorry. They are Jesus’ natural  family and He does not take kindly to those who come against them.
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Joy Comes In The Morning.
Through it all, they are THE ONLY NATION that has endured all the above, survived, and come back to be stronger than ever.  That’s a testimony to the GREAT GRACE of our Heavenly Father!

Many Jewish people today have even come to know and recognize that Jesus is haMoshiach in these last days, more than ever before in history.  For those who have not yet discovered the truth, I believe He is very soon going to turn their sorrow into GREAT JOY!

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On the greatest and most terrible day of all, when they are almost destroyed, the rest of the nation, who have not met Messiah, will shout for Him:  “Baruch haba b’shem Adonai:  Blessed is He Who comes in the Name of the Lord!” The Great Tribulation will come to a sudden and dramatic halt.  He will split the clouds and return to save them…..with the redeemed in tow…..and rescue His beloved people from certain destruction.  The entire nation will see and understand Him to have been the Messiah they missed and be saved in a single day!
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…..AND THE 9TH OF AV NO MORE SHALL BE AN EVIL DAY!