Many things in the Tanakh were hidden until the advent of
Christian verse marking. Many chapters started traditionally
with what is in Christian Bibles the last verse of the
previous chapter.
Many marvelous revelations of dates and word meanings
have been uncovered and shared [many notable on this forum].
The LORD is speaking to Israel prophetically. He is
pointedly referring to His appointed times.
On 1 August [our 8th month] 2016, at evening, will the
fast of Tish'a B'Av be concluded. Later follows the sixth
month, Elul--a month of deep introspection, confession of
sins, and teshuvah [repentance].
I think that God's Chosen People will be properly
prepared in their hearts to fulfill this Scripture:
"Then
I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the
family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They
will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him
as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as
for a firstborn son who has died.
Zechariah 12:10 NLT
We look at 10 December 2016, and we note that the Torah
reading portion is Parashat Vayetzei.
It is written,
Jacob’s Dream
10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran.
11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that
night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones
of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in
that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there
was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it
reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were
ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the LORD
stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of
Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on
which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14
Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and
you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to
the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring
shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold,
I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will
bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you
until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob
awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this
place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and
said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than
the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
Genesis 28:10-17 ESV
This, in its turn,
reminds us of [is a remez (hint) for] John 1:43-51.
We read,
43 The next day Jesus decided to
go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come,
follow me.”
44 Philip was from Bethsaida, Andrew and Peter’s
hometown.
45 Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, “We
have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote
about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from
Nazareth.”
46 “Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good
come from Nazareth?”
“Come and see for yourself,” Philip replied.
47 As they approached, Jesus said, “Now here is a
genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.”
48 “How do you know about me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus replied, “I could see you under the fig tree
before Philip found you.”
49 Then Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi, you are the Son of
God—the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus asked him, “Do you believe this just because I
told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see
greater things than this.”
51 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all
see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down
on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between
heaven and earth.”
John 1:43-51 NLT
Salvation in Jesus Christ comes at no cost to you. He
paid it all! Such a deal!!
It is written,
4
But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born
of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy
freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he
could adopt us as his very own children.
6 And because we are his
children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our
hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” 7
Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child.e
And since you are his child, God has made you his
heir.
Galatians 4:4-7 NLT
It looks to be as if the
appointed time for Messiah's Second Coming is fast
approaching, one year after many of us thought He
would arrive. But just think how many precious
souls--brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers,
friends, and friends' families have come to be saved
in 5776 even by the end of January!
Truly, its is
written,
22 The steadfast love of the
LORD never ceases;b
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
25 The LORD is good to those who
wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
26 It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.
Lamentations 3:22-26 ESV
~Blessings,
Mike Colunga
PS
I meant to say that 1 August 2017, at evening,
is the end of 9 Av 5777. By then, I hope that
mourning has turned to celebration!
Please see:
Please read Zephaniah 3:18 NLT