Five Catastrophes and Three Weeks of Sorrow

So now, with that being said, let's look at some of the examples or some of the things that occurred on this day, Tammuz 17th, and then we'll tie in the three weeks of sorrow before we end. So, five catastrophes that occurred on Tammuz 17th, the fast of the fourth month, and Zechariah 8.

1. Moses broke the two tablets of the Torah. When Moses descended from Mount Sinai and saw Israel worshiping the golden calf, he shattered the tablets in grief and in anger. This occurred on Tammuz 17th.

2. The walls of Jerusalem were breached by Nebuchadnezzar on Tammuz 9th. Okay, so he breached the walls on Tammuz 9th, and then on Tammuz 17th, the Babylonian army broke through the walls of Jerusalem, leading to the destruction of the First Temple on the Ninth Day of Av and the exile of Judah to Babylon.

3. The daily sacrifice was abolished during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. The daily temple sacrifice ceased because there were no more lambs available, marking the beginning of the end of the First Temple. Nebuchadnezzar surrounded them and cut off the food supply. That's why there were no lambs in the temple in the city.

4. A Roman officer named Apostamus publicly burned a Torah scroll, an act of deep desecration against the Jewish people and the Word of Elohim.

5. An idol was placed in the temple, either by King Manasseh, who was an evil king, or by the Romans. An idol was erected in the Holy Temple on Tammuz 17th. Idolatry, a direct violation of the commandments of Yah.

6. Additionally, the Romans breached the walls of Jerusalem on Tammuz 17th during the siege that led to the destruction of the Second Temple.

So again, my friends, you see all these calamities that happened on this cursed day of Tammuz 17th, and it will happen again in the future, some way, somehow. Although Tammuz 17th became a cursed day in Jewish history, Israel's history, and is a fast day according to the prophet Zechariah, it will become a joyful and glad and cheerful feast day during Messiah's millennial kingdom. Amen. Amen and amen.

Okay, a couple more points before we close tonight. Number one, the three weeks of sorrow. If one's not familiar with that, it goes on the two days that we're talking about tonight, Tammuz 17th, for three weeks to the Ninth Day of Av, the next month, the fifth month, the Ninth Day. That is when both temples were destroyed was on the Ninth Day of Av. It is the most cursed Jewish day in history. The Ninth Day of Av, a lot of calamities, a lot of exiles of the Jewish people in England and Spain and you name it, Spanish Inquisition. So we'll go through that in three weeks. But again, these are very important markers. The fast of the fourth and the fast of the fifth, Tammuz 17th, the Ninth Day of Av. Fast of the fourth to Tammuz 17th, fast of the fifth, Ninth Day of Av, a very important season that we're in. That doesn't mean that you have to be depressed for all three weeks. Of course not. Please enjoy life, especially if you're living accordingly. Enjoy life. You know, just understand and reflect in prayer, meditation, you know, what this day truly means to in history with Israel, personally for ourselves, but also prophetically when we look at our Jewish friends and also our Christian friends, you know, with what this day truly means. No idolatry is what this day truly means, and something to remember what this day means.

So again, this begins what they call the three weeks of sorrow, or the dire straits, wherever we do remember why the temples were destroyed because of disobedience. Also, the book of Jeremiah, the book of Lamentations is read as well, and that's why we're going to be going through those. I think it's a very important time to do that. You know, I think most people do it anyhow. So, we'll be doing it online. The book of Jeremiah, we'll go through the entire book. We're going to go by the order of the kings by their reign because you'll read it in a more proper order than just reading the book the way it's written, laid out. It's not in order. So, we'll just read it according to the kings, and you'll be in mostly proper order. But I think Jeremiah and Moses are two great prophets that we need to read during this time because look at what they said to Israel and to all people who love God: we've got to get this right. We've got to get this right because bad things are going to come if not. You know, we all know bad things are going to come; that's prophesied. But our job is the Great Commission. Our job is to love people. Our job is to do our part, just like Moses did his part for the people and for God, the two greatest commandments.

So during these three weeks, for me, it's about the Great Commission, and it's about getting people to understand why all these bad things happened to the temples, to Jerusalem, to the people, and why they were exiled because of disobedience. And it goes back into idolatry. It goes back into all breaking God's commandments, especially in the promised land. And unfortunately, today we're seeing the same things today in the promised land. And it just grieves all of us, I'm sure. But we've got to get it right because God is very serious about His land. Again, this is His land, and that land has commandments and statutes and ordinances that it has to follow. If not, the land will vomit the people out of the land, just like it did before, twice. And we've got one more bad time coming.

My friends, right now is the time to intercede for Christians, for Jewish people, for Israelis, for atheists, for Buddhists, for whoever, because idolatry is all over the place, as we all know. And that's truly what this day truly is about. Tammuz 17th, the three weeks of sorrow, it only gets stronger. And then boom, the Ninth Day of Av is the culmination of the remembrance of these things. And then after that, we get a Day of Love on the 15th. But before that Day of Love, I think it's obviously important to recognize what we've talked about tonight and what the scriptures have talked about tonight in the heart posture that we have to have on all of these points that we've read tonight.

So, the three weeks of sorrow, or the dire straits, also commence on Tammuz 17th and end on the Ninth Day of Av, Tishab. These three weeks commemorate the sin of the golden calf on Tammuz 17th after the Exodus from Egypt and culminate on the Ninth Day of Av, which is when the 10 spies brought back the bad report during the second year of the Exodus as they were about to enter the promised land. So again, my friends, these are two great sins that our ancestors did. And I'm sure a lot of other people would do the same thing back in those days. So again, it's just to understand it, no condemnation. I mean, that's history; we just have to understand it. So these three weeks are very important because two bad things happened three weeks apart: Tammuz 17th, the golden calf, and then the Ninth Day of Av was the second year. So the golden calf happened the first year of the Exodus. Then they went through; they built the tabernacle; they set it up on Nisan 1. Then on the fifth month, they created the sin of the 10 spies brought back the bad report. They were actually sent out on Tammuz 1. They were actually sent out on the fourth month, on Tammuz 1. 40 days later, on the Ninth Day of Av, they brought back the bad report, 10 of them. That's why the Ninth Day of Av became a cursed day is because they did not have faith in Yah to deliver them in the promised land. They went against Him.

So, we all know what happened. They spent 40 years in the desert; everyone died but Joshua and Caleb and their families and the new generation that were under 20 years old, I believe. So again, God is very serious about these things, my friends, especially to our Israeli friends in the promised land. Very serious on what's going down right now with some of these things that we've seen with the homosexuality stuff, the pride in Tel Aviv, and many other things as well. We've got to be the light and we've got to do the Great Commission. No condemnation, no judgment. I love all people, but goodness gracious alive, let's look around, see what's going down, and let's quote the scriptures. And if they have a problem with Moses, then whoever that may be, Jews or Christians, then okay, that's on them. If they have a problem with Jeremiah, okay, that's on them. Because, as I say before, everybody says they love these people; they love the prophets; they love Moses. Everybody does. But when they read them, they're calling them out on what they do. So, I'm not sure how they're reading them, but they're calling people out. They're calling Christians out of creating different feast days than the Lord. He's calling you out in Exodus 32 through 34. He's calling you out, Christian friends, Israeli friends as well, who are in idolatry. So, to me, that's the story: to read what they say. And that's why they were persecuted; that's why some of them were killed; that's why they wanted to stone Moses. And guess what? When the Two Witnesses come on earth again, whoever you have on those, Enoch, Elijah, Moses, whoever, the Jews and the Christians will hate them again. And of course, Islam will as well because they will tell everybody to get it together and follow God's commandments. That's why they're sent for us to warn. Not about Antichrist. Forget Antichrist; who cares about Antichrist? I would be worried about the Day of Adonai, Yeshua, the Messiah, the sword out of His mouth, the righteous Judge. Who cares about Antichrist? Who cares about all this stuff? If I can say this in love, what I see personally is we've got to be careful of the spirit of fear. In Israel, in America, everybody is so concerned about everybody else on this earth but themselves and their nation. God says if we worry about ourselves and if we obey, we don't have to worry about our enemies. That's what God says. I don't know who believes that, but that's what God says. If we obey, we don't have to worry about our enemies. But if we don't obey, then He's going to bring the enemies against us, just like He says in His Torah. And everybody knows that. So, I'm not sure why we're so focused on Iran and nuclear weapons and the terrorists and all these people. Worry about us; worry about what we do, and God will take care of the nuclear weapons. He'll take care of Persia; He'll take care of Turkey and whoever else. But what I see is a spirit of fear everywhere. Everybody's worried about the wrong thing instead of worried about themselves and our nations that we are in, wherever that may be. Worry about that, and God will take care of the enemies. And if we don't, then yeah, I guess have the spirit of fear, everybody, because you need to be worried about nuclear weapons if you're out of alignment with God. Can't you see there's a huge difference in mindset here, in heart position? Everybody's so focused on the enemy or the terrorist or whoever you want to call these people. They need to be focused on themselves, and ourselves, and myself. And then God will take care of them, which He will, when they do that. When they repent, the Jewish people repent, He's going to take care of all these people, period. That's it. I mean, the gavel will be given, but until that time, until they repent, it's going to be this because they, and the Christian Zionists, and Christians are worried about the wrong thing. They've got the spirit of fear. Everybody's worried about nuclear weapons and North Korea and China, everybody else. Worry about ourselves, our nation, and obedience. If we do that, who cares what people do? Who cares what nuclear weapons? And none of that stuff really, who cares? But people need to really start to worry about Adonai and not about Antichrist. Who cares about Antichrist? Worry about Yeshua coming with the sword to all who practice falsehood. That's what I would be concerned with if I was out of alignment, worshiping a different way and acting, not even believing in Yeshua, whatever it may be. That's what I would worry about, not a human antichrist as indwelled by Satan. Who cares? We have more power than that. Please, the Holy Spirit does.