TheVision

The Jewish people observe a special date, Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, which falls this year on this Sabbath. The 9th of Av (Av is the fifth month on the Hebrew calendar) is the date of certain earthshaking events in history that befell the Jewish people, which they believe came about because of their sin. They observe this saddest day on the Hebrew calendar with repentance, fasting, and prayer. Some of the events in history associated with this date of Tisha B'Av include: the discouraging report of ten out of the twelve spies who were sent to scout the Promised Land, which caused the Israelites to refuse to go into the land which the LORD had promised them because of fear; the destruction of the first temple, Solomon's temple, by King Nebuchadnezzar of Assyria in 587 BC, after which the kingdom of Judah was sent into exile to Babylon; the destruction of the second temple, which was built under Ezra's leadership, by the Romans in 70 A.D., after which many Jews were dispersed out of the land of Israel, and into the nations; in 135 A.D., a subsequent rebellion on Tisha B'Av in which 500,000 Israelites were killed, was crushed by the Romans, and the ruins of the previously destroyed temple that were left on the temple mount site were buried. On this same date, the 9th of Av, during the first Crusade, 10,000 Jews were killed in 1096. Also on Tisha B'Av, the Jews were expelled from England in 1290 A.D., from France in 1306, and from Spain in 1492. The Jews were deported by the Nazis from the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland to the Treblinka Concentration/Extermination Camp on Tisha B'Av in 1942. The title given to this special Sabbath's readings is "HaD'varim-Chazon", which means "the words - the vision". The reference to the "words" in the title is because this Sabbath marks the beginning of the reading of the Book of Deuteronomy (chapters 1-3), which is the fifth book of the Torah. "The vision" mentioned in this special Sabbath's title refers to the vision that God gives to the Jews on this saddest day of Tisha B'Av: it is a hopeful vision of the third temple, prophesied by Ezekiel, which the Jewish people associate with the coming Messiah's Kingdom. In the last post, we learned that followng Tisha B'Av, on the fifteenth of Av, the most joyous day on the Hebrew calendar, marriage to one's destined soul mate is celebrated. Considering these things about the vision of the third temple received by the Jews on Tisha B'Av, and the soon-coming marriage celebration of the fifteenth of Av, I think of the assembly of the believers in Messiah/Christ, Jews and Gentiles together, which is the Church. Of these believers in Christ, Paul, an apostle who ministered to both the Jews and the Gentiles, wrote: "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are...And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's." (1 Cor. 3:16, 17, 23). He also wrote: "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Paul described the temple of God this way: "God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made of hands." (Acts 17:24, see also Acts 7:47-48). Peter also wrote of this temple associated with our Messiah: "...laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babies, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Coming to him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up to a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:1-5). Paul and Peter are describing a spiritual temple, built of believers in Messiah/Christ, which is being built upon the first Living Stone, Jesus. I am not suggesting that this spiritual temple referred to by Paul and Peter replaces the prophesied physical third temple that is to be built. I am suggesting that the vision of the third temple given to Jews on Tisha B'Av, while it may be about a physical third temple, because it is associated with the Messiah, it is also about a special temple in the Spirit. This spiritual temple is one in which we are called to be a part. It is helpful to look at the meaning of the number three, or third, the Hebrew word shelosh. That meaning includes the thoughts of "seeds, fruit, revelation, resurrection, new life, words of life, the giving of the Torah and the Spirit, the foundation of the Temple/House, the first and strongest geometric shape (triangle), harmony and unity, chain of continuity, the third day". The number three is also represented by the Hebrew letter gimel, which pictographically means: "something lifted up like a camel rising from its knees, to ripen, reward, nourish, mature, recompense, benefit, to gather, to carry". This is also what we know about the temple of the Messiah from Jesus: "...Jesus... said to them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.' Then the Jews said, 'It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?' But He was speaking of the temple of His body." (Jn. 2:19-21). Again, to me, all of these things point me toward a rich spiritual meaning, along with the natural meaning, of the vision of the third temple given by God to Jews on Tisha B'Av. Believers in Messiah, both Jews and Gentiles, should understand the impact of sin upon this holy spiritual temple, as sin also had impact on the physical houses or temples of God. Tisha B'Av reminds us that two temples, which the Jewish people thought could never be destroyed, did see destruction. They thought Jerusalem would be safe because of the presence of those temples of God, but Jerusalem was not safe from attack. Jesus was and is zealous for the house of God, from which He chased, with whips made of cords, those who practiced usury and thievery as recorded in all four Gospels (Mt. 21:12-14, Mk. 11:15-18, Lk. 19:45-47, Jn. 2:14-16). Jesus was not just zealous for a physical temple made of stones. He is zealous also for the living temple of God, those who believe in Him. God is zealous for His house, which contains the pattern of the salvation provided by His Son, and He will not tolerate it to be defiled by sin. Peter wrote to "lay aside" those things that defile the spiritual temple which God is building through His Son (see verses above). Paul wrote his comments about the spiritual temple of God, which we read above, by beginning with the comment, "for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?" (1 Cor. 3:3), and "...you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?..." (1 Cor. 6:8-9). The special scripture reading for HaD'varim-Chazon of this Sabbath comes from Isaiah 1. The LORD prophesies to the heavens and the earth about His people who have become a sinful nation, laden ("kabed"- heavy, hard, massive, burdensome, very oppressive, grievous) with iniquity, a brood of evil doers and corrupters; (spiritually) sick from head to foot with wounds, bruises and putrefying sores. Even though they make many prayers...their hands are full of blood (Isa. 1:1-15). These are the words (D'varim) from Isaiah 1, and this is the vision (Chazon): "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; Seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (v. 16-18). The Jews mourn and repent over the losses of Tisha B'Av. Shouldn't we, the spiritual temple of the Holy Spirit, also remember Tisha B'Av with repentance, and receive the renewing vision of the Messiah's Temple in us? These are "the words and the vision" of Tisha B'Av. If you would like to be part of the spiritual temple that the Father is building, you can pray: "Heavenly Father, I believe that You are building a temple not made by human hands, but a living temple made from living stones. The foundation of this temple is the sacrifice and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus, the Messiah, Who died for me, and the living stones are those who believe in Him, and are filled with Your Holy Spirit. Forgive me of my sin, cleanse me, and fill me with Your Spirit, and the vision of Tisha B'Av, which is the temple of Messiah's kingdom. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen."