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The Some Facts of Tisha B’Av
(“the Ninth of Av”)

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According to the Bible, the First Temple’s destruction began on the 7th of Av (2 Kings 25:8) and continued until the 10th (Jeremiah 52:12). According to the Talmud (Rabbinical Oral Law,) the actual destruction of the Temple began on the Ninth of Av, and the temple continued to burn all night and day throughout the Tenth of Av. Official Rabbinical Judaism combines the dates of the first and second temples destruction so as to observe both on the 9th of Av – Tisha B’Av.

Antique images of Jews at the Western Wall (AKA the Wailing Wall).
Images by Felix Bonfils.

Tisha B’Av marks the end of the three weeks called “between dire straits” and is regarded as the saddest day in the Jewish calendar.

This year Tisha B’Av falls on August 7th in the Gregorian calendar. Jews fast for about 25 hours, beginning just before sunset on the eve of Tisha B’Av and ending at nightfall the following day. Although the fast ends at nightfall, according to tradition the First Temple continued burning throughout the night and for most of the following day of the tenth of Av.

Depending on the piety of the different religious sects, in addition to fasting, other pleasurable activities are also forbidden, such as no washing or bathing, no application of creams or oils, and no marital relations.

This year Tisha B’Av falls on a Saturday, and since Jews are not supposed to fast or mourn on a Saturday, Tisha B’Av is being observed on Sunday and restrictions end Monday morning. Religious Jews refrain from involvement in activities that would be considered joyous until Monday morning, such as eating meat, drinking wine, and listening to music.

In Israel, all restaurants and places of entertainment are legally closed from sundown of Tisha B’Av until sundown the next day. Establishments that break the law are subject to fines. In the diaspora, however, secular Jews do not observe Tisha B’Av as in Israel, or as they do observe Yom Kippur.

On the 9th of Av, the following  passage of Isaiah 1:1-18 is being red in the synagogues:

The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: “I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me…They have forsaken the Lord, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward. Why should you be stricken again?…Your country is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire; Strangers devour your land in your presence; And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers. So the daughter of Zion is left as a booth in a vineyard, As a hut in a garden of cucumbers, As a besieged city.”

Nevertheless, the Lord, the God of Israel has also promised to bring back His beloved people, the Jewish people from the diaspora, back to the land of Israel, the Land of Promise. And we are now witnessing the fulfillment of His promises. Israel is back physically. Now God wants to bring Israel back to Him spiritually, through faith in Messiah Yeshua.

The 9th of Av and the Weeks “Between the Straits”

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“From the straits I called to the Lord.” Psalm 118:5

The Month of Av in the Hebrew calendar starts this coming Saturday. The three-week period between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av is known as the Dire Straits (or “distress” see Lamentations 1:3—“All who have overtaken her have done so in the midst of her distress”.)

Roman Triumphal arch panel copy from Beth Hatefutsoth, showing spoils of Jerusalem temple. Image by Wikimedia Commons.
Roman Triumphal arch panel copy from Beth Hatefutsoth, showing spoils of Jerusalem temple. Image by Wikimedia Commons.

The period of the Dire Straits starts on the 17th of Tammuz – the month before Av. Jerusalem’s walls were breached and Jerusalem fell; Jerusalem’s two Temples on the Temple Mount were destroyed on that same day, the 9th of Av, and the two Jewish exiles – first to Babylon for 70 years, and second throughout the world for about 2000 years – occurred on the 9th of Av.

The Jews have experienced many calamities over the centuries, and it is amazing to learn that most of those calamities occurred on the same day of the year, the 9th of Av.

The destruction of the Jerusalem Temples, especially that of the Second Temple, changed the path of Jewish history and the Jewish nation as the Jews were dispersed in the Diaspora among the nations (few Jews remained in the land) and survived against all odds. They went through persecution, expulsions and relocation, suffering, and calamities. Nonetheless, the Jews as a people were preserved by Jewish tradition and a longing to return to Jerusalem.

The 9th of Av, Tisha b’Av, commemorates a list of catastrophes so severe that Jews believe God appointed this date for Jewish suffering.

Some of the catastrophes and calamities that happened to the Jews on the 9th of Av were:

586 BCE: The First Temple was destroyed on the 9th of Av in the year 586 BCE when most of the Jews from Judah and Benjamin were exiled to Babylon and Persia (Jeremiah 52).

69 CE: Five centuries later in 69 CE, the Romans attacked, torched, and destroyed the Second Temple on the 9th of Av, the same day as the first temple’s destruction. Most of the Jews were exiled to the Roman Empire. Many were sold into slavery and many were tortured and killed.

133 CE: When the Jews rebelled against Roman rule, they believed that their leader, Simon bar Kochba, would bring them victory and fulfill their messianic longings. However, in 133 CE, the Jewish rebels were brutally butchered in a final battle at Betar. The date of the massacre was the 9th of Av!
     A year after their conquest of Betar, the Romans plowed over the Temple Mount and built on the ruins of Jerusalem a pagan city that they renamed Aelia Capitolina.

1290 CE: on the 9th of Av, the Jews were expelled from England.

1492 CE: the Golden Age of Spain came to an end for the Jews. The Spanish and Portuguese Inquisition forced mass conversion to Catholicism upon the Jews. Furthermore, Queen Isabella and her husband Ferdinand banished the Jews from Spain and Jewish property was confiscated. The edict of expulsion was signed on March 31, 1492, and the Jews were given exactly four months to leave the country. The Hebrew date when no Jew could no longer remain in Spain was the 9th of Av.

WWII and the Holocaust were actually the outcomes of WWI that were set into motion also on the 9th of Av. As we know, 6 million Jews were tortured and murdered in the Holocaust as part of the Nazi’s “Final Solution” to get rid of all the Jews. After the war, Gentiles in Russia, Poland, Ukraine, and Hungary continued to persecute and murder Jews.

1949 CE: Israel won the war of independence. Yet, the Old City of Jerusalem remained in Jordanian hands, and Jews were forbidden to go up to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall except for one day, the 9th of Av.

2000 CE: Arab terrorist attacks and violence erupted in Jerusalem while Jews observed the 9th of Av.

2005 CE: The forced evacuation of Jewish settlers from Gaza in 2005 occurred on the 9th of Av.

According to God’s plans, the 9th of Av was meant to be a day of joy and celebration. When God led Israel out of Egypt into the Promised Land in the year 1313 BCE, the 9th of Av was the day they were to enter the Holy land at Kadesh Barnea (the shortest distance from Egypt to the land of Israel.) Twelve men were sent to spy out the land. However, 10 spies (besides Joshua and Caleb) through lack of faith and full of fear brought back a negative report and said it was better to return to Egypt rather than be killed by the giants in the land. Because of their unbelief, the day of joy turned into a day of mourning.

God was highly displeased by Israel’s rebellion and lack of faith and made the people wander in the Sinai desert for 40 years until that whole generation died; only their children would have the privilege of entering and possessing the Promised Land. (Num. 13-14)

God has faithfully brought back His beloved Israel to the Land He promised their forefathers, and today the nation of Israel is again in the land of Israel. One day, the people of Israel will look upon the one they have pierced, Yeshua, (Zech. 12:10,) and they will proclaim, “Baruch haba beshem Adonai” (blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord) Matt. 23:39.) Yeshua said that on that day they would see Him again, but this time they will see Him as their Messiah and Savior. They will mourn for Him as for a firstborn Son (Zech. 12:10). And then, All Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26.) On that day, God will turn the mourning into great joy again.

Please Pray With Us

This is a dangerous time for Israel and the Jewish people world-wide. We are seeing evidence of rising antisemitism in many countries, including the United States. Please pray for our people, wherever they may be, for safety and especially for salvation.

The Danger of the Islamic Month of Ramadan

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Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 123:44

In Islam, fasting is one of the major acts of worshiping Allah. Muslims believe that its spiritual dimensions purify the soul, instill self-reflection and inspire virtuous living.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. During this month, Muslims worldwide fast and abstain from sexual relations from dawn to dusk (then they can eat as much as they want until dawn the next day.) The fast excludes the elderly, the weak, the mentally ill, and those who have chronic illnesses.

The Muslims believe that a fasting person is rewarded manifold for all good deeds, and whoever fasts and prays during Ramadan with pure intentions will have their past sins forgiven.

During the month of Islam’s holiday of Ramadan, Muslims feel more zealous for their religion and the Jihad (Muslim holy war) which motivates them to launch more attacks against the infidels and all those who are viewed as enemies of the Islamic world.

Muslim worshippers gather for Friday prayers, next to the Dome of the Rock Mosque on the Temple Mount one day before the beginning of the Ramadan, last Friday, April 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

During Ramadan, Muslims believe that fasting and prayer bring them closer to Allah. Often Muslim families wake up together before sunrise for an early breakfast. They also invite one another to break their fast (every evening) together thereby strengthening friendships and ties among neighbors, families, and friends. Many people also bring meals to mosques to share with the community, especially the poor, the needy, the traveler, and those without family. Together, they attend nightly Ramadan prayers at the mosque.

This year, even before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the Palestinian Authority did its utmost to incite religious hatred and violence, spewing the libel that Israel is organizing an “escalation of hostilities” at the Temple Mount.

While the PA-incited terror rages, the PA Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred to the visits of Jews to the Temple Mount – Judaism’s holiest site – as “invasions of the Al-Aqsa Mosque” and warned of Israel’s alleged “malicious intentions.” They exaggerate by saying that there is a continuation of invasions by Israeli officials during the “blessed month of Ramadan, which will cause an explosion in the occupied Palestinian territories.*

The reality is that “Al-Aqsa Mosque” is only a small part of the Temple mount, and while Jews are permitted to enter the Temple Mount for limited hours of the day, and are only allowed to walk around the periphery, they are strictly prohibited from praying and entering the mosque itself. 

In order to continue their incitement of an imaginary Israeli plan to “break into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque”, the PA conveniently ignores this reality and refers to the entire Temple Mount as the “Al-Aqsa Mosque.” They claim that Jewish visits there are totally unacceptable at any time, and warn against “the occupation’s* attempts to implement a plan to break into the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan,” and against the “consequences this will have for the security and stability of the region and the world.”

While Jews visit the Temple Mount almost every day, Palestinians still claim that the continued Jewish visits to the Mount are a “new crime” and threaten that their response “will not be a regular light response.”

The PA incitement regarding the Temple Mount falsely claimed that “settlers are escalating their violations” and warned against non-existent attempts by “settler organizations under the auspices of the occupation (Israeli) police” to cause “an explosion”

“[PA] Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Fadi Al-Hadmi said: ‘The occupation authorities and the settlers* are escalating their violations in occupied East Jerusalem on the eve of the blessed [Muslim fasting] month of Ramadan.’ (the opposite is actually true.)

Just before Ramadan started, The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: ‘At a time when official Israel is attempting to hold the Palestinian side responsible for the escalation that it is creating and for its consequences under the slogan “the [Muslim fasting] month of Ramadan,” it is implementing a racist occupation policy, is continuing in its aggression against the Palestinian people every day, and is seeking to be aided by anarchy and violence to carry out its colonialist plans.’”

The Palestinians are actually turning the tables. They promote the lies that Israel has “cunning intentions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the month of Ramadan” and that the “occupation authorities”* are permitting “extremist settlers” to invade the Al-Aqsa Mosque (the entire Temple Mount). Furthermore, the PA contends that Israeli news warnings of Palestinian disturbances during the month of Ramadan are simply a prelude to Israel’s cunning intentions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque; the PA warns of the consequences of these attacks.”

As Palestinians carry out terror attacks and violence in E. Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, the Israeli police must use force to stop these attacks by any means. In turn, the PA accuses Israel of perpetrating the crimes that they warned about in the first place.

*PA terminology: 
“Occupied Palestine Territories” – the entire Land of Israel.
A “settler” – every Israeli Jewish citizen living in “Occupied Palestine.”
“Settler organizations” – Israeli authorities and government
“Settler’s terror” – “racist occupation policy” that is aided by anarchy and violence.

Palestinians wave a PLO flag at a tense protest at Damascus Gate during Ramadan 2021 | File photo: Oren Ben Hakoon

Right after Ramadan started on Saturday, violence started at Damascus Gate in East Jerusalem late on Sunday after the evening Ramadan prayers. The Israel Police which had been preparing for months for such confrontations, determined to stop them.

Many young Palestinian men rioted near Israeli police officers. A crowbar was thrown at police officers who responded by drawing guns (without shooting) against the Palestinians who gathered around them. Some of the Palestinians threw stones and bottles. One police officer was hit on the head while another officer broke his arm. The Israeli police do everything to keep order without causing harm or death.

During the rioting, Israeli officers attempt to arrest only those responsible for the incitement. However, sometimes, things go out of control and there is no choice but to use harsh measures.

While the Israeli police do everything possible to maintain the peace on this Ramadan holiday, the Palestinians choose to disrupt. This coming Friday will be dangerous, as tens of thousands of Muslims gather on the Temple Mount for the first Friday prayers of Ramadan.

The Israeli police are anticipating possible violence and preparing for such. Even one incident in this volatile situation can get out of hand and cause a disaster. Please pray.

The 10 Days of Awe

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God’s Calendar
The Fall Appointed Days: Part 1

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month…”  Leviticus 23:23-24a


According to God’s calendar (Hebrew), the fall holidays are in the seventh month, and usually according to the Gregorian calendar in either September or October. The fall holidays in 2021 are:

  1. The Memorial Blowing [Day of Trumpets, today’s Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year] (September 7-8)
  2.  The Day of Atonement [Yom Kippur] (September 16)
  3. The Feast of Tabernacles [Sukkot] (September 22-28)

The fall holidays point to the present and future ministry of Yeshua.

We are nearing the end of the month of Elul, the last month on the Jewish calendar that ends on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year’s Eve (Leviticus 23:23-24).
 

Teshuvah

Every year, in the month of Elul, usually in August, Jews enter the season of Teshuva. Teshuva or repentance is returning to Father God (Elohim.) This is a word that indicates a turning back (shuv) to God. This word appears in Genesis 3:19 when the Lord tells Adam, “and to dust you will return (tashuv).”

The season of Teshuvah begins on the first day of Elul and ends 40 days later on the 10th of Tishri at sundown –  the end of Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement.

Teshuva indicates both a turning away from evil and a turning toward what is good, God’s ways. In turning toward God, one dedicates his entire soul to serving Him. Traditionally it is considered to be a time of introspection, when Jews are taking stock of their lives, evaluating their actions, and contemplating what they have accomplished during the previous year, both materially and spiritually.

Each morning for the 40 days of Teshuvah the shofar is blown at the Morning Prayer service to call everyone to repent and return to God. Psalm 27 is recited after each morning and evening service. “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”

The following month in the Hebrew calendar is Tishrei. The first day of Tishrei is Yom Teruah (Day of Trumpets, Leviticus 23:24.) Rosh Hashanah is also called Yom Hazikaron – Day of Remembrance and Awakening. “Awake you sleepers from your sleep! Raise yourselves you slumberers! Examine your deeds and return unto God in repentance. Abandon your evil ways, your unworthy scheming – every one of you.” (from The Gates of Repentance, a Rosh Hashanah prayer book that cites Maimonides’s “call to awakening”.)

There are ten days from Yom Teruah to Yom Kippur. These 10 days are traditionally referred to as the “10 Days of Awe.” These are the most intense days of praying and repenting, leading up to the climax of return, which is Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement. This was a time traditionally believed that Father God would draw His ear close for the prayers of the penitent.

Isaiah 55:6 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;”

In biblical times, the HaCohen HaGadol (High Priest) would enter into the Holy of Holies in the Holy Temple, only once a year, on Yom Kippur. He would sprinkle blood on the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant, as an atonement for the entire nation of Israel.
 

The 10 Days of Awe

According to Jewish tradition, on Yom Teruah (Rosh HaShana,) God’s Book of Life and Death is opened in heaven and remains open for the Ten Days of Awe. They begin with the Day of Judgment. During these ten days of Awe, Jews are prepared to stand before God for judgment, as the book is opened. The names of those who have lived sinless and righteous lives during the past year are inscribed in the Book of Life. It is also believed that the gates of heaven are opened on Rosh Hashanah and closed on Yom Kippur. “Open to me the gates of righteousness. I shall enter through them. I shall give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord. The righteous will enter through it.” (Psalm 118:19-20, Isaiah 26:2.)

Jews believe that God makes His judgment at this time. However, once Yom Kippur ends at sunset, the book is closed for another year. It was during Yom Kippur, that men would traditionally tear their outer coats as an outward sign of repentance and mourning, and place ashes on their heads. Some would beat their chests violently in a show of repentance and pain, hoping that God would hear their cries of repentance, forgive their sins and inscribe their names in the Book of Life. A common greeting in Israel in those ten days of awe, and especially on Yom Kippur is: “May your name be inscribed in the Book of Life.”

Although this tradition is not biblical, the truth is that God does have a Book of Life. While in the wilderness journey, Israel sinned greatly by constructing and worshiping a golden calf. Moses fulfilled his role as a type and shadow of Messiah Yeshua and interceded for the people of Israel. Exodus 32: 31-33: “Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold. Yet now, if You will forgive their sin, but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” And the Lord said to Moses, “whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.”

In Revelation 20:11-15: “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

God sees the heart of men and desires true repentance, as He says through the prophet Joel: “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and He relents over disaster.” (Joel 2:12-13)

God called His people back to Him with weeping and fasting. “Submit yourselves therefore to God…Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:7-8

During the month of Elul, religious Jews blow the Shofar (Rams Horn) once a day also as a reminder to look deep within one’s self to find out what requires repentance. As the year draws to a close, it is the time to get rid of resentments and bitterness, in order to face the New Year with a clean heart.

In the Jewish tradition, Elul is also referred to as the month of mercy and forgiveness. It is the time to renew one’s efforts in prayer, Torah study, and charity, as well as asking forgiveness from one another for any wrongdoings. It is a Jewish tradition that God cannot forgive for sins committed against another person until one first goes to the person he has wronged and obtains forgiveness.

In Judaism the acronym of the letters in the word,
Elul – אלול are being used to express their love to God Elohim, according to the scripture from Song of Songs 6:3:

א – אני, (I am)
ל – לדודי, (for my beloved)
ו – ודודי, (and my beloved)
ל – לי, (is for me)

True Repentance


As Believers, we know that the throne of God is always accessible to us through Yeshua. He is our High Priest. We can approach any time to obtain mercy. Yet, we too can use this time as an opportunity to search our hearts, evaluate our achievements and consider where we may have missed the mark. It is a time we can rid ourselves of resentments, bitterness and disappointments.

We can use this time to sincerely search to see if there is anything in us in need of repentance. We need to recognize sins against others and sins against God and ask for His mercy as we extend mercy to those who have sinned against us, as Yeshua taught us to pray…“and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12.) And “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” 1 John 1:9.

As we take these steps to nullify our debts against others and search our hearts, we can draw closer to God and prepare for a new beginning through a greater dedication to Him and His Word, as well as through thanksgiving for His great love and mercies that endure forever.

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

This is a time of opportunity, while Jews and Israelis are more open than ever to hear from God. As they are seeking His mercy and forgiveness, we want to pray fervently to the God of Israel to touch hearts and open eyes to realize that there is forgiveness of sin only through the Blood of the Lamb of God, Yeshua the Messiah, Who takes away the sins of the world.

  • Pray for the Peace (Shalom) of Jerusalem, and for her to fulfill her destiny.
  • Pray that Israel and the Jewish people recognize Messiah Yeshua, as they seek God’s mercy and forgiveness.
  • Pray that the fear of the Lord falls on Israel at this time and that the Nation of Israel humbles herself before the God of Israel.
  • Pray that Israelis and Jews will acknowledge and confess personal and national sins, and repent of their sins.
  • Pray that many Israelis and Jews will embrace His Salvation, Yeshua, and have their names written in His Book of Life.

New Moon Celebration

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Exodus 12:1-3

Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month is the beginning of months for you; it shall be the first month of your year. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must select a lamb for his family, one per household.”

The gentile Gregorian calendar, based on the sun, substituted God’s biblical (Hebrew) calendar that was based on the moon as if saying that the substitute was a better way. They made a different day for the Sabbath, they made different dates for the Set Times of the Lord (the Jewish holidays) and omitted the celebration of the New Moon from the calendar.

This month some nations joined in Jerusalem for the first time to celebrate the New Moon, thereby reconnecting with God’s biblical calendar. It’s a huge thing, since the Gregorian calendar is actually part of the root of anti-Semitism, denying that God chose the Jewish nation to establish His calendar in the world.

When God took Israel out of Egypt and established her as a nation, He declared that this would be the first day of the first month (first new moon.) Our New Moon celebrations fulfill the declaration He made, that Israel and the nations would gather on God’s timetable.

The Lord’s Supper – Victory Meal

In Jeremiah 31, God promises: “The time is coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. God speaks of the new covenant He would give to Israel. We usually stop at the verse where the Lord declares, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” However, in the very next verse, 35 “This is what the Lord says, He who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar – the Lord Almighty is His Name: 36 “Only if these decrees vanish from my sight,” declares the Lord, “will Israel ever cease being a nation before Me.” He confirms this promise again in the next verse, “ 37 This is what the Lord says: “Only if the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the descendants of Israel because of all they have done,” declares the Lord.”

God affirms that His commitment to Israel is not dependent on what she does or doesn’t do. It is only because of His faithfulness that He will never reject Israel and Israel will never cease from being a nation before Him. Therefore, taking the Lord’s Supper on the New Moon is a victory meal, like a victory shout, that Israel exists before Him as a nation and that the One who brought us out of Egypt, the One Who was, is still alive and is the One Who is to come. As we line up with this promise, we are on a journey to the throne.

What will all nations sing before His Throne? The song, “Redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb,” and “Worthy is the Lamb.” This journey started in Exodus, when He said in chapter 12:2, “This is the first of your month and the first of your year” and in the next verse He instructs to choose and take a lamb.

At Passover, all the people of Israel passed through the doorposts covered by the blood of the lamb. That event began the journey to the Throne. And each month, more people enter by one thing – by the Blood of the Lamb of God, Yeshua/Jesus. Each month we get closer and closer to His coming – the One Who was, Who is, and Who is to come. We are not just wandering around in this world. We have a purpose; we know where we are going.

The New Moon is a sign of the New Covenant in His Blood, and God’s eternal commitment to Israel. Even before He gave the Ten Commandments, He commanded:

“This is the first of the month”. That was the basis for His people’s calendar. It echoes way back to creation when He made the moon for signs and seasons.

For a long time, it was removed from our understanding. But now we are enlightened. 

People may object saying that it is not in the New Testament. But in the Gospels, we see Yeshua honoring the Sabbath, honoring and celebrating the biblical feasts, so we have no reason to think that He didn’t celebrate the New Moon. On the other hand, there are no instructions to eliminate this set time. 

We can’t know when Passover is if we don’t mark the New Moon of that month. We can’t go up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles if we don’t recognize the first of the seventh month. Colossians 2:16-17 “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.”17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is Christ.”

At the time of the New Moon, the sliver of the moon is so small that you can barely see it.
At the time of the New Moon, the sliver of the moon is so small that you can barely see it.

A shadow speaks of something real, a substance, which is Him. It’s all about Him. The New Moon celebration is not to be removed but to be fulfilled; Yeshua is its meaning. Therefore, it’s so significant that the nations honor this day.

Finally, the nations are saying, “We have joined the New Covenant by the Blood of the Lamb, and we recognize God’s eternal calendar by which He moves.”

May the nations reject the false calendar they set up and celebrate the New Moon to say, “We are joining in and honoring Jerusalem, the city of the Great King, the Coming King.”

Celebrating with the blowing of the silver trumpets in “My House”.

We are thankful for “My House” where we can celebrate every first of the month on God’s calendar until He returns to rule and reign from Jerusalem. This is a thanksgiving feast. To God be the Glory! Amen!