Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you and His glory appears over you. (Isaiah 60:1-2)
What is the 9th of Av? And what does it have to do with light and darkness that was prophesied over 2500 years ago?
The 9th of Av is the most ignominious date on the Jewish calendar. Coming in late July or early August (it fell on July 30 this year), it has played host to some of the most defining tragic events in Jewish history, including:
586 BC -- Destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians
70 AD -- Destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans and start of the second Jewish exile
135 -- Fall of Betar, last stronghold of the Jewish revolt against Roman occupation
136 -- Jerusalem was destroyed and the Roman city of Aelia Capitolina established to replace it
1096 -- Pope Urban II declared the First Crusade, murdering masses of Jews
1290 -- King Edward I expelled all Jews from England
1306 -- Jews expelled from France
1492 -- All Jews expelled from Spain
1555 -- Pope Paul IV confines the Jews into a walled ghetto in Rome
1648 -- Cossacks massacred thousands of East European Jews
1914 -- World War I began, culminating in World War II and the Nazi Holocaust
1941 -- Plans for the "final solution to the Jewish problem" were laid out by the Nazis.
2005 -- Israel planned to forcibly evacuate all Jews from Gaza on the 9th of Av. (The evacuation was rescheduled for Av 10 after it was brought to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's attention he'd "coincidentally" slated his unilateral disengagement on Tisha b'Av.)
In light of this horrible history, how can one rejoice and walk in the light?
Please take note that the prophesy of Isaiah 60 will be fulfilled against a backdrop of darkness that will envelop the entire earth. This is nothing new; it has its precursor in what are arguably the two most important events of Jewish history--the Exodus (which occurred in the middle of the night, in the midst of thick oppression in Egypt) and the Ressurrection (which also took place in the middle of the night, against the backdrop of calamity and heavy mourning). Consider also the rebirth of the modern State of Israel: it occurred against the backdrop of the Holocaust, the most horrific suffering to ddate in Jewish history.
So it will be with the final redemption. It will come against the backdrop of great, worldwide suffering--not only on the part of the Jewish people but also on the part of those who love the Jewish Messiah. No one will be exempt. It is against this backdrop that the Isaiah 60 prophesy will be fullfilled--in Jerusalem, in all Israel, and in the body of the Jewish Messiah worldwide. We WILL walk in supernatural light. We WILL walk in supernatural joy.
This year, I am taking part in a major evangelistic push called "21 Jump Street" (click here for more info.) It's purpose is to mobilize believers to "push" outside their comfort zones and get the gospel to whomever and wherever. Guess when it started? The day after the 9th of Av! Already there are many reports of people in darkness having encounters with the living God. Coincidence? Hardly! Light always comes out of darkness.
One of my favorite Passover songs is Karev Yom. It tells not only of what things were like for the Jews of Egypt some 4000 years ago; it prophesies to a day of great darkness in the future. Consider the words:
"A day approaches which is neither day nor night.
Most High, let it be known that Yours is the day and Yours is the night.
Watchmen, arise to your position in the city, all the day and all the night.
Shine! Shine! Shine! Shine!
Shine like the light of day and the dark of night."
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