Ninth of Av

Do you have a speculation on why God has chosen (has He???) the Ninth of Av for all this destruction?

References: Matthew 12:38-40; 16:4; 23:38-24:3; 26:60 and John 2:18-21

By Christopher J. Patton
Israel seeks a sign, a divine miracle. This attribute of the Jewish people has not changed, and neither has their God. The only sign Yeshua/Jesus gave to them while on the earth was His own death and resurrection in three days, but He also linked His death with the destruction of the Second Temple, which will be restored and re-built a third time just prior to His return. "Behold, your House is left to you desolate...until you say, "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord."

Jesus/Yeshua is alive. He is not dead. He has not changed. He ministers to His disciples through the Holy Spirit and to Israel He continues to give only the sign He said that He ever said that He would give them - the Temple. He repeatedly linked His own death and resurrection with the destruction and restitution of the Jerusalem temple. As the Second Temple was destroyed some years after His first appearance as the Lamb of God, so the Third Temple will be rebuilt some years prior to His second coming as the conquering Lion of Judah, King of Israel and King of Kings. His continuing acts of grace and His future judgment of the world are only possible because He was indeed resurrected into triumphant glory. Not only has He conquered death for all, but He has also defeated and disqualified the Devil from his present and historical reign as the god of this world.

Whenever something bad happens to the Jewish people on the Ninth of Av, it is another sign to them, a reminder that the Jerusalem temple is still desolate. These tragedies also testify that Jesus is resurrected and that there is now a temple made without hands, the Body of Believers born by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The repeating occurrence of desperate trials on this particular double anniversary of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem signifies that the temple’s continued desolation is due to the continuing intervention of the Hand of God in the affairs of mankind. It’s rebuilding will no less be a witness of His sovereign intervention in the affairs of mankind, too.

The God of Israel has not forgotten His people. They are precious to Him and chosen by Him. These trials repeatedly occur on the Ninth of Av on purpose, and not by coincidence. They have occurred on that day because there is a lesson to be learned by the people of the Savior. It is also no coincidence that this sign of the Temple being destroyed and raised up again in three days was also used to convict Yeshua/Jesus by the testimony of false witnesses procured by the corrupt leadership of the Jewish people who sought His destruction.

Yeshua/Jesus repeatedly referred to the Second Temple as a symbol of His own body. Through His atoning sacrifice as the Son of Man, the Savior enabled His prophecy that the temple of stone would be transformed to one of Spirit. Thus, the true believers would no longer worship in one contested geographical location but in Spirit and truth. (Read John 4:23-24 where the issue discussed concerns whether one should worship at the temple in Jerusalem or at the sanctuary in Samaria.)

Being born again we receive His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, as the agency of transformation, of becoming His body, which is the temple of that one, Holy Spirit. Jerusalem’s physical temple of stone was destroyed, as was His Body. By the power of the resurrection, a true temple of stone will be restored as His temporal throne of judgment and grace. Coming through the Tribulation, the remnant of Israel will, as a nation, receive Yeshua the Messiah as their personal Savior at the time of His return to His temple-throne on earth. In those days, He shall complete the promise of making all humanity one new man in Himself according to the covenants of promise made with the Patriarchs and Israel. (Ephesians 2:11-14)

Note:
Grant R. Jeffrey wrote a book titled, Unveiling Mysteries of the Bible. His chapter, “Israel’s Day of Tragedy – the Ninth Day of Av” documents the many events that took place on this day. Here are a few points to consider from his book:

Grant organizes his chapter around a list of eight major events that took place historically on the Ninth of Ave. This fact alone makes this Jewish fast day significant. I quote him, "As mentioned earlier the phenomenon of eight major historical disasters affecting one nation over thirty-five centuries happening on the same anniversary day is totally unprecedented in human history." (p. 130)

He found no comparable set of historical “coincidences” in any other nation's history.

He attributes it to God's foreknowledge and sovereignty. He runs statistics on the odds that it could have happened by chance alone. It comes out to 1 chance in 863 Zillion. That is six groups of triple figures, or 863,078,009,300,000,000. It's calculated by 1 (chance) x 365 (days in a year) x 365 x 365 (etc.)--you multiply 365 times itself 8 times.

He says, "The consideration of these facts will lead many to believe, with this author, that the only rational explanation for this phenomenon is that God has His hand upon the Jews and Israel and that the Bible, which reveals these staggering, historically verified events, is truly the inspired Word of God." (p. 131)

Concerning point #4 of his list, Roman army plowing Jerusalem with salt, he cites Micah 3:12 as being fulfilled: "Therefore shall Zion for your sakes be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest."