Oil of Gladness instead of Mourning
By Bruce Larson
Throughout God’s Word, He promises to bring the Jewish people back to the land He promised them, to bless them, and give them a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). However, the history of the Jewish people has seen times of devastation and mourning.
Zechariah 7:2-3 tells a story about the town of Bethel sending two of their men “to seek the favor of the Lord,” and these men asked the priests and prophets in Jerusalem, “Shall I weep in the fifth month and abstain, as I have done these many years?” Zechariah 7:5 and 8:19 also refer to a fast in the fifth month.
What is this fast in the fifth month? Since the time of Zechariah, the Jewish people have fasted on the Ninth day of the Jewish month of Av. The name of this day is Tisha B’Av, which simply means the Ninth of Av, and it has come to be a day of fasting and mourning due to events occurring in Jewish history on this day. This year (2026), this fast began in the evening of July 22nd and continued through July 23rd. This article will briefly identify the horrific events happening on this day in Jewish history and then focus on the prophecies of restoration, fulfillment, blessings, and hope.
In Numbers 14:1, after the ten spies gave their report, the Israelites rebelled against God’s promise concerning the land and wept all night. The Talmud connects this event with the Ninth of Av, and this is the traditional origin of Tisha B’Av.
Destruction of the First Temple (586 BCE): Jeremiah 52:12-13 says that Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem on the 10th day of the 5th month, and he burned the temple. Rabbinic tradition explains that the destruction began on the Ninth and continued into the Tenth of Av.
Destruction of the Second Temple (70 CE): The Romans under Titus destroyed the Second Temple. The day of the burning of the temple was the Tenth of Av in the year 70 AD. The Jewish people have traditionally reckoned the Ninth of Av as the day of its destruction.
Additionally:
- The fall of the fortress city of Betar and the crushing of the Bar Kokhba Revolt by the Romans.
- The expulsion of the Jews in England and Spain
- On July 31, 1941, on the Seventh of Av, Hermann Göring signed the directive authorizing the preparation of the plan for the ‘Final Solution of the Jewish Question.’ Within months, the machinery of the Holocaust was being coordinated on an unprecedented scale.
There is a famous story found in the Talmud about Rabbi Akiva, who lived about 1900 years ago and was well beloved by the Jewish people. Rabbi Akiva and several other leading sages traveled to Jerusalem after the destruction of the Second Temple. While his fellow sages wept bitterly, mourning the sight of the ruins and a fox roaming the Holy of Holies, Rabbi Akiva laughed.
The sages asked why he was laughing. He explained that because the literal fulfillment of the tragic prophecy of destruction was fulfilled exactly as foretold, it was a guarantee that the joyous prophecies of rebuilding and redemption found throughout God’s Word would also undoubtedly come to pass.
We live in a very special time. We have had the privilege to witness God’s faithfulness to fulfill many prophecies, including gathering His people back to the land of Israel, rebuilding Israel’s cities, and restoring the land like the garden of Eden. And like Rabbi Akiva, we can rejoice that there are still prophecies to be fulfilled, such as bringing peace, security, and ending the insults from the nations. We know from God’s Word that He will provide for Israel “a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). I want to share some of these scriptural promises:
Ezekiel 34:28-30 “They will no longer be a prey to the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not devour them; but they will live securely, and no one will make them afraid. …and they will not endure the insults of the nations anymore. “Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people,” declares the Lord God.”
Ezekiel 36:35-36 “And they will say, “This desolated land has become like the Garden of Eden; and the waste, desolated and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’ Then the nations around you that are left will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolated; I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it.”
Isaiah 61:3-4 “To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning…”
Isaiah 35:10 “…With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
There are many more scriptures describing God’s promises of a peaceful, joyful, blessed future for the Jewish people. We have posted this article on the AMI Jerusalem Center website (www.amijerusalemcenter. org) under Articles, showing these additional scriptures.
Comfort My people: Why are these verses important to Christians? In Isaiah 40:1-2, the Lord says to “comfort My people… Speak kindly to Jerusalem; and call out to her, that her warfare has ended…”
Isaiah 62:6-7 says that we should remind the Lord of what He has promised: “until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”
Psalm 122:6-9 says we should pray for the peace of Jerusalem and seek her good. There is increasing anti-semitism in the world today, but the scriptures are clear, and as Christians we should pray for Jerusalem and seek her good, and comfort, love, and be kind to the Jewish people who still today have their eternal covenant with God.
Friend or Foe?
By Daniel Gwertzman
“A Psalm of David. Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday.” (Psalms 37:1-6)
David wrote those words long ago. However, this is part of the process of bringing the light of the Lord into the darkness of our world. Who is friend and who is a foe? Well, it all depends on who has vision.
“The upright see it and are glad; But all unrighteousness shuts its mouth. Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things, and consider the lovingkindness of the Lord.” (Psalms 107:42-43)
The age we live in is a restless time characterized by lawlessness, confusion, and a lack of truth. Everyone has a narrative, but not shared values or a spiritual center. It is an age of victimization and when grievances against society are the rule. So, who is your friend or your foe? In a time of such upheaval, those who share your spiritual values rooted in the Word of God, even if they don’t agree with you on every point, are your friends, and those who oppose the Word of God are your enemies.
At a time of rising antisemitism, Jews and Christians must come together in support of their common spiritual values and the manifestation of God’s presence in the land of Israel and among its people.
“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later time some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received in gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.” (1 Timothy 4:1-5)
We live in a strange world in which at present there are more than 30 wars taking place. Some with much larger death tolls and recorded instances of mass starvation as well as documented cases of atrocities, and yet most of the world’s attention is focused on Israel, a country of 10 million people which has been forced to fight on 7 different fronts. At the same time, Iran has attacked 12 different nations. One of Iran’s principal sources of income has come from selling human hair for wigs. This they take from the dead bodies of the 40,000 victims whom they have killed during their demonstrations against the current regime.
So why all the focus on Israel? This is a war against the God of the Bible. If Israel can be destroyed, God’s prophecies and His message to humanity can be removed. This is a war not against Judaism, but also against Christianity.
“and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason, God will send on them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”
(2 Thessalonians 2:10-12)
It is for this reason you must maintain your contact with the land and people of Israel where you can see the prophecies of the Bible fulfilled. As you bless Israel, you shall be blessed and realize the truth of the Word, deepen your connection with your faith, and contribute to revival and hope. Join the supporters of the AMI center and help us to push back the spiritual darkness.
“The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease. For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul. Therefore, I have hope in Him. The Lord is good to those who wait for Him. To the person who seeks Him.” (Lamentations 3:22-25)
Jerusalem and What It Meant to Me Growing Up in a Divided City
By Amit Hizak
Jerusalem as a Capital is mentioned 669 times in the Bible and 140 times in the New Testament. This is a city which has a history going back 5000 years. The City of David was the Capital of the United Kingdom of Israel. It is where David brought the Ark of the Covenant and where his son Solomon built the First Temple to house it. It is a Holy City where Biblical events echo to this day with a rich Jewish Heritage. From the Capital of an ancient homeland, Jerusalem has been transformed into a modern city of a reborn country.
The first Church was founded here and spread Christianity worldwide, and we all expect a revelation of a New Jerusalem yet to come. It was conquered by Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Moslems, the Crusaders, Saladin, the Ottomans, and the British Empire.
Growing up in Jerusalem has contributed so much to my understanding of the uniqueness of living together with Christians and Moslems, who all devote their lives to God, each in their own way with different customs and rituals. I am used to regularly hearing prayer and bells chiming along with Imam’s calling people for prayer from the minarets. As a child, the Jordanian border split the city in half. The border was a few minutes away from my home. While standing on high places, one could watch the other side separated by fences and walls.
In June 1967, as soon as the other half of Jerusalem was liberated, my mother took us to see what was beyond the wall. We walked through the Old City Market to the Western Wall, which was a narrow alley where Jews were praying and weeping. We moved to live on the Mount of Olives, where we watched over the Old City, a precious site, always to be remembered.
“And many peoples will come and say, ‘Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths.’ For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3)
For me, Jerusalem is an eternal symbol of coexisting in peace. More than all this, it is a call for all our friends to stand up for Israel and the Jewish People who need your prayers and support more than ever. Together we can fight hate and pray for unity and peace.
“Thus says the Lord, I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.” (Zechariah 8:3)