"Fair Use for Information and Discussion Purposes"

By Pastor F. M. Riley
August 6, 2014

“God that made the world and all things therein…….hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply, they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us.”
Acts 17:24-27

The Ninth Day of Av

Yesterday, August 5th, was the 9th day of Av on the Jewish calendar. Av is the 5th month of the year on the Jewish calendar. I am one who believes that this is an important day Scripturally and prophetically.

The religious Jews right to this day look upon the 9th day of Av as “Destruction Day,” for it was on this particular day of their year that both of their previous Temples were destroyed. The invading Babylonian armies burned Solomon’s Temple and the city of Jerusalem on the 9th day of Av. Centuries later, the Roman army burned Herod’s Temple on the 9th day of Av. But this is by no means why the Jews refer to this particular day as “Destruction Day.” Century after century, and year after year, terrible things have happened to Israel and the Jewish people on the 9th day of Av.

During the Second World War in 1938 it was on the 9th day of Av that Hermann Goering presented his “final solution” [to the Jewish problem in Europe] to Adolph Hitler and his advisors [Nazi henchmen]. Goering’s “final solution” was unanimously adopted by Hitler and his German government and put into operation immediately. The solution: Every Jew in Europe, men, women, and children, would be arrested and taken to the “death camps,” where they would be placed in the gas chambers and the ovens to be executed, and by this means Europe would finally be rid of the despised Jews. Folks, Genesis 12:3 is still in the Bible. Adolph Hitler and his entire Nazi organization are gone, and the Jews are still here. Glory to God!

During the Second World War, it was on the 9th day of Av that the Nazi’s decided to forcibly remove the Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto. Many weeks later, the last of the Jews were finally removed. Those Jews, men, women, and children, often barehanded, using only sticks, stones, clubs, and knives, often fighting their fists and teeth, whatever was available to them, had fought the well armed Nazi’s like entrapped wild animals, until they had drawn their final breath. What the well armed Nazi’s thought would be a “stroll in the park” turned out to cost the lives of hundreds of the Nazi’s, as the Jews in Warsaw fought viciously to protect their families, homes, and fortunes. The battle for the Warsaw Ghetto was one of the most shameful episodes of “man’s inhumanity to man” in the Second World War.

In more recent times it was on the 9th day of Av in 1990 that the armies of Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait under cover of darkness and the first Desert Storm War began. The aftermath of that war is still lingering in Iraq and the Middle East right to this day.
It was on the 9th day of Av in 1994 that the final piece of the 21 pieces of the Shoemaker-Levy
1
Comet plunged into Jupiter as the whole world watched this heavenly drama unfolding on international television.

There are many, many more terrible events in history which have happened to the Jewish people on the 9th day of Av, giving them reason to refer to this particular day each year as “Destruction Day.” On the spur of the moment I do not have my list at hand of all the things that have happened to Israel and the Jewish people on this day, but it is glaringly obvious that the God of Heaven Himself, who “appointed the times” attaches some importance to this particular day in His dealings with the Jews and the nations who choose to come against His chosen people. Take heed!

The Prophecies of the End-time

Any serious student of Bible prophecy knows that the prophecies of God’s inspired Word clearly and repeatedly predict that at the end of this present age, the Lord’s church and New Covenant believers will be resurrected and raptured out of “this present evil world,” Galatians 1:4. Once the Lord’s Gentile church and New Covenant believers are removed to Heaven, then the prophecies are quite plain that the Lord God will begin dealing with Israel and the Jewish people again, and a “remnant” of the Jewish people will turn back to the Lord God “with their whole heart” and be redeemed, Jeremiah 29:13-14. The redemption of “the remnant” of Israel will begin to occur during the first half of the Tribulation period, and will continue throughout the entire Tribulation. How close are we to this beginning point?

I do not know! But from all the “signs” which were predicted to occur just preceding the Tribulation, many of which have occurred, and others which are occurring daily right before our eyes, I highly suspect that we are living very close to the time “appointed” for the resurrection and rapture to occur.
The “Coincidence!”

Yesterday, August 5th, was the 9th day of Av on the Jewish calendar. In view of the many things which have happened in Jewish history on this particular day, did anything of prophetic significance happen yesterday? It sure did!

Archeologists have been constantly working in Israel and especially in Jerusalem for many years, digging up the ancient history of Israel and the Jewish people. At some time recently, the exact date not being given, archeologists dug up a treasure that had been lost when Bar Kochba and others led an uprising against the Roman Empire in the forty years between the ascension of Christ and 70 A.D. When the Roman army invaded Jerusalem and burned the Temple and the city, and drove the Jews out of Jerusalem, this treasure was lost and remained buried all of these years until recently found by the archeologists.

The treasure consists of 114 silver coins minted by Bar Kochba or other leaders of the insurrection, apparently intended to encourage the Jewish people to rise up against Rome, and to help finance the rebellion against the Romans. So the archeologists found a hidden treasure of silver coins! So what? Treasures are discovered by archeologists all the time. Indeed archeologists do discover many wonderful hidden things in their explorations. So what is so different about the discovery of this treasure? I’m so glad you asked!

The day chosen by the archeologists to reveal this discovery to the Jewish people and to the world is significant enough by itself; the 9th day of Av. But what is enscribed on the coins is even more prophetically intriguing. Each of these 114 silver coins has enscribed across the face of the coin,
“The Redemption of Zion.”

Glory! Glory to the Lord God of Israel! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
Folks, I consider this discovery to be a major “sign” that it is time for the Lord’s church and New Covenant believers to be removed by the resurrection and rapture, and for the Lord God to begin redeeming Israel and the Jewish people, making them once again His “legal” representative on earth among mankind. And the discovery of this treasure was revealed on the 9th day of Av.

Now some readers can call label this as just “coincidence” if they choose, but I won’t believe them. I learned several years back that there is no word in the Hebrew language for “coincidence.” The religious Jews believe that God Almighty superintends every event that happens in the lives of His chosen people, and that nothing that happens to them is “coincidence.” Amen! I heartily agree!

Conclusion

Dear readers, if you claim to be a true believer then you better “look up” for our Lord’s coming draws nearer with every passing day. I once knew a dear brother in Christ who had a literature ministry and wrote some great articles setting forth the prophetic truths of God’s Word. He always signed his articles by saying “Perhaps Today!” Yes indeed! Perhaps today! If not today, then tomorrow, next week, or next month. Regardless of the “date,” the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Will the Lord find you ready? Matthew 24:44.