Sermon Tone Analysis

Tishri B’Av We know that times and seasons with God are important andsignificant.

Most western Christians have not been aware that thereis a season from the 17th of Tammuz to the 9th of Av which isextremely important.

This year the dates corresponding on ourcalendar are July 8 (17th of Tammuz) to July 29 (9th of Av.)

In casesome of you are not aware of the historical significance of the 9thof Av, here is a brief look at the tragedies that have occurred onthis date.

9TH AV 1200 B.C.- Israel told by God in the wilderness thatgeneration would not enter The land of promise.

586 B.C .-

TheBabylonian army destroyed the Holy Temple.

70 C.E. - Titus and theRoman army destroyed the Holy Temple 135 - "Bethar" the stronghold ofBar Kochba, fell ending the last trial for Jewish Independence.

136 -Rome began to erect the pagan city on site of the Temple dedication.1096 - The first crusades began.

1290 - The Jews were expelled fromEngland.

1306 - The Jews were expelled from France.

1492 - KingFerdinand and Queen Isabella signed expulsion.

By July, on the 9th ofAV, all Jews had to be out of Spain.

1648 - Chmelnicky massacred tensof thousands of Polish Jews.

1914 - Declarations for World World Ibegan.

1942 - Plans for the annihilation of Jews were draftedinitiating World War II.

Historically, the twenty-one days extendingfrom the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of AV represented a notabletime of bitterness and destruction for the Jews.

According to theRabbis, the demon that prevails during this time is also called"ketev" meaning destruction~/bitterness.

The Jewish Rabbis regarded"Ketev" not solely as a plague, but a demon with authority to causedeath and destruction through plagues.

It was during this precisetime that the Lord's prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalemwas fulfilled.

On the 17th of Tammuz 70 C.E. the Romans breached thewalls of Jerusalem.

For three weeks Roman troops ransacked anddestroyed the city until on the 9th of Av, they burned the Temple.

Inboth the Babylonian and Roman captivity, the Temple was destroyed onthis agonizing date.

During the Holocaust, the Nazis systematically chose the 9th of Av tocarry out murderous and other demonically inspired actions againstthe Jewish community.

The prophet Zechariah spoke of these dates inZechariah 8:19: "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'The fast of thefourth, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh, and the fastof the tenth {months} will become joy, gladness, and cheerful feastsfor the house of Judah; so love truth and peace.'

The fast of thefourth month was to be conducted on the 17th of Tammuz representing aday of mourning because of the capture of Jerusalem and the variousother calamitous events that took place on this date.

The fast of thefifth month was to take place on the 9th of AV because of thehistorical tragedies that occurred on this date.

These periods ofmourning and fasting were to be conducted until the promise of thecoming restoration of Judah and the Messianic Kingdom.

The ancientleaders recognized that the righteous must be hidden in the secretplace of the Most High during this time of trouble, which theybelieved was a dress rehearsal for the birth pangs of Messiah.

InIsaiah 26:17-21, the prophet Isaiah speaks of a season when therighteous are directed to hide themselves while wrath and indignationtake its course.

Zephaniah 2:3 also prophetically forecasts a seasonwhen the Godly are directed to seek the Lord...seek righteousness...and seek humility and perhaps be hidden in the day of the Lord'sanger.

According to these Rabbis, the heat of the noonday from 12:00until 3:00 was a time of extreme activity for this evil Spirit.

Evena review of recent years will reveal that this season of time hasproduced considerable destruction through storms, droughts, floods,extreme heat and famine.

If this evil prince continues to gounchecked through intercessory prayer, then great destruction willcome to people.

We must be brought out of darkness into light so thatwe would not perish because of a lack of knowledge concerning thisspirit and its operations.

On July 16, 1994, which is the 9th of Av on the Hebrew Calendar, thetwenty-one pieces of Shoemaker-Levi comet began its bombardment onthe planet Jupiter.

Jupiter is commonly recognized as a symbol ofidolatry and paganism.

One of the most devastating events in thehistory of Israel occurred when the image of Jupiter was placed inthe Temple of God.

We continue to observe the feast of Hanukkah as acelebration of the victory of the Maccabees in removing this pagangod from the temple and re-instituting temple worship.

It is clearlyprophetically significant that the Shoemaker Levi comet began itsassault on the planet Jupiter on this notable date.

The Heavensdeclare the Glory of God.

It is also significant that the comet wasbroken into twenty-one pieces also representing the twenty-one daysextending from the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of AV, the seasonwhich this prevailing spirit operates with its greatest authority.Even though Jupiter is a symbol of idolatry for the pagan world, itis also a term for righteousness in the Hebrew language.

The Hebrewname for Jupiter is Tzedeq and comes from the word  eaning"righteous" or "righteous one".

It is from this term that the nameMelchizedek is derived denoting "King of Righteousness".

Clearly, wecan see that Satan has perverted Jupiter into a symbol of idolatry.However, we can glean understanding from this term as a symbol ofrighteousness in the hope of our being cleansed by the Truth of God'sWord thereby making us a suitable habitation for His Holy Spirit sothat we can share in His holiness.