028 The Fifth Month of Av

The Watchman discusses the Fifth month of Av and the  biblical history of destruction associated with this month as well as how the mistakes of the past can be avoided during this season.

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Transcript

028 The Fifth Month of Av

Welcome to The Watchman Speaks! I’m your host, Lonnie Richardson.

It’s that time again. What time is it? It’s time for another month to come to an end and a new month to begin. At sunset, July 18, 2023, the month of Av or AB as it is pronounced will begin. It is the fifth month of God’s calendar as He established His time beginning in Exodus 12.

But let’s review quickly what I have already covered concerning the months of God’s calendar thus far this year.

The first month of Nisan (Aveev) is the Lord’s Passover. Israel was brought out of Egypt. Jesus died on the cross as the Passover lamb of God on the exact same day, on a full moon. The Passover is a time to celebrate as we reconfirm our covenant relationship with Jesus Christ. I might add that Jesus is in a covenant relationship with us. That’s half of the covenant. The other half is that we should be in covenant relationship with Jesus. That’s in the first month.

The Second month of Iyar is a month in which God established three of His covenant names. Yhwh Raphe (God is my Healer) in Exodus 15. Yhwh Y’reh (God who Provides) in Exodus 16. In Exodus 17 God is Yhwh Nissi (God is the Banner of Victory). Being re-confirmed, re-dedicated, re-assured in our righteous stance with Christ, we can settle securely into our position with God as our healer, our provider, and our Victory.  We need to do that for it prepares us for a fresh outpouring of Holy Spirit to come .

In the third month of Sivan (Sewan) we have been prepared for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Who doesn’t want or need that? It is a time of standing firm in the power and authority of Holy Spirit. Certainly, this along with the preparations that we have made in Nisan, Iyar, and Sewan, prepares us for the attacks that are coming within the season of the next two months.

In the fourth month of Tammuz is when the attacks and manifestations of the enemy begin to come forth with reckless abandon. A portion of Tammuz falls within the month of June, gay pride month. It is a time when the spirits behind the gods known as Baal, Ashtoreth (Ishtar), Molech, and Tammuz erupt. Stop and think about all the push back companies are getting for supporting and promoting gay pride month. This is directly linked to the attacks of the enemy during the month of Tammuz. If you will recall, or even if you don’t recall, the month of Tammuz is a time in which worship and praise must be elevated to maintain your faith in the face of the attacks.

Which brings us to the fifth month of Av (AB). DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF TO BECOME COMPLACENT DURING THIS MONTH! IF YOU THOUGHT THE ATTACK WAS VICIOUS DURING TAMMUZ, YOU CAN LOOK FOR THE ATTACK TO BECOME EVEN MORE SO THIS MONTH! PRIDE went forth in spiritual attacks during Tammuz. Av is the month of destruction brought about by pride, arrogance, and disobedience during Tammuz.

That’s right, the month of Av (AB) has been historically the saddest month in the biblical texts.

Why do I say that? Well consider these things. 

In Numbers 33:38, Aaron, the Priest and brother of Moses, dies in the 40th year after the Exodus from Egypt on the first day of the 5th month.  

It was on the 9th day of Av that the spies Moses sent into the Promised Land brought back a bad report, save for Caleb and Joshua.

It was on the 9th day of Av in 587 B.C. that Babylon destroyed Solomon’s temple.

It was on the 9th day of Av in 70 A.D. that Rome destroyed the 2nd Temple. I guess that it goes to show how much God was concerned with a building. 

It was on the 9th day of Av 1095 that the first crusade was launched, which brough about the slaughter of thousands of Jews 

On the 9th day of Av 1290 the Jews were expelled from England.

On the 9th day of Av 1492 Jews were expelled from Spain. 

On the 9th day of Av the Jews were deported from the Warsaw ghetto to the death camps, particularly Auswitz.

In Jeremiah 1:3, Jeremiah is called as a prophet for God to prophecy of coming destruction. Hence Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet.

In Jeremiah 28, Hanniniah releases a false prophecy that Judah would return to Jerusalem in 2 years. Such was not the case.

In Ezekiel 20:1, in the fifth month of the seventh year, elders approached Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord for them and God would not listen. Ezekiel 20, God gives reasons for His wrath. Idol worship, sexual immorality, disobedience.

In Zechariah 7:3 we find something to the effect, “Shall I weep in the fifth month?” And God answered, “When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months was it for Me you fasted?” Again, God recounts the hideous acts that brought about His judgment.

Av has become known as a month of unbelief and disobedience. It is also a month of destruction, judgment, and death. But it need not be so! We can learn from and benefit from 20/20 hindsight. 

Hebrews 4:1-2 tells the story. 

“Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to come short of it, For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard. For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, ‘AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.”

Although the month of Av has traditionally and historically a month of curse, God still would prefer it to be a month of blessing celebrating His goodness.

But that’s not what Israel did. They turned away from entering into the Promised Land or God’s rest on an 80% negative report by the spies. They were in unbelief. They did not have the faith. They walked around in a desert until they died. But it doesn’t have to be that way now!

We can choose to be cursed in unbelief and disobedience!

We can choose to be obedient and blessed, breaking the curse!

We can believe God’s promise and enter into God’s rest!

This is what we prepared for during the months of Nisan, Iyar, and Sivan! To withstand the attacks of Tammuz and overcome the historical curse of Av so that we can enter into God’s rest!

Now having said all that, Consider the Book of Amos who prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem among other cities which occurred the 9th day of Av. In 3:8 Amos writes, “A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken! Who can but prophesy?” An interesting note here is that the constellation associated with the month of Av is Leo the lion. I wonder if that is merely coincidence?

The letter for the month of Av is the letter TET which in Hebrew is indicative of a womb. There are things that are being conceived this month. The Key word during this month is “discernment”. Be keenly aware of who you are partnered with and with whom you are in alliance with. Without discernment you may conceive something that you would rather not see birthed. Remember this, when a woman becomes pregnant, she can conceal her pregnancy for a short time. But in time that which is conceived will become obvious. Be certain that you have no part in the conception or birthing of something that God did not ordain or is evil. It could lead to your destruction. 

Now I’m going to divert and show you how things today are following in the path of the ancient times when Israel was disobedient and rebellious.

In those days God showed Ezekiel the abominations that were occurring, not just within the general population, but within the temple! There was the cultic pole of the Spirit of Jealousy (Ashtoreth, Ishtar). There was worship of graven and carved images on the walls within the temple. There were women weeping for Tammuz, mourning with Ashtoreth for Tammuz’ resurrection. There were men with their backs to the temple, prostrating themselves, worshipping the sun, or Baal. You can read about those things in Ezekiel Chapter 8. I covered those things last month. 

But the month of Av was the month of crushing judgment and destruction for Israel. Israel could have averted the catastrophe by simply turning back to God, but they didn’t. Israel had developed a stiff neck and hardened their hearts. They were a pride filled people. They were going to do, and they did do, what they wanted to do. It cost them.

I look across this land and I see it all happening again. Now some of you are going to start screaming “Replacement Theology!” Well, go ahead and scream long and loud. I will not be silenced because it is not replacement theology so much as it is simply a repeating pattern within God’s time within His seasons. But we need not repeat the pattern. We can make the choices to avoid the repetition of Israel’s demise. Or, can we?

Let’s look at some things that are going on at this time in our country. President Biden dressed the White House and the White House lawn in gay pride colors and threw a party celebrating and promoting the LGBTQ agenda. He did that with our tax dollars. He regaled with the LGBTQ community within the hallways of a major national landmark that once was a symbol of a God fearing nation. He has voiced his concern over the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade and has vowed to restore this abomination throughout the land. He has allowed our borders to be breached with illegal aliens bringing in tons of fentanyl that is killing our fellow Americans. Inflation has increased to the point that a working American can hardly afford the gas to go to work and earn enough to keep a roof over their head and feed his family. 

Yet President Biden has boasted that He has created 13 million new jobs, supposedly jobs that did not exist prior to the Covid 19 pandemic. I’d like to know where those jobs are and what they are and who is working those jobs. Perhaps those jobs are being worked by the illegal aliens that have breached our borders? I doubt it. What I do know is that around my part of the country there are “help wanted” signs everywhere in an attempt to fill old jobs that still have not been filled since shut down policies during the Covid pandemic. 

It would seem to me that if 13 million new jobs have been created then inflation would have decreased by now. I just don’t see it happening and I don’t feel it in my wallet. 

Instead, Uncle Joe wants to pass broad sweeping gun control laws to disarm the American public. Why not? It worked for Hitler. He wants every American driving an electric car even though the current power grid cannot withstand the demand currently experienced by America’s households. We have all these very real problems going on right here in America and Vice President Kamala Harris is more concerned with giving every American free High Speed Internet services and free child care. 

Now don’t get me wrong. I am NOT engaging in a political rant. But do you know what all these things that I have mentioned has done to the American People? 

It has divided them. Never, since the Civil War, has America been more divided. And it would seem that resurrecting those demons of the ancient past have been attempted by the current society with all this talk about racism, gay rights, women’s rights and so on. Americans today do not know what true racism is!   But all these things that I’ve mentioned has American citizens concerned and worried. Many people are afraid. It has diverted people’s attention distracting them from very real issues and very real, and viable solutions. 

ALL these things that I have mentioned are either the worship or celebration of idols or redirection of hope and faith. People are choosing sides between Political parties and Political leaders. People have taken their eyes off God and pushed God into the background noise that permeates the landscape.

The month of Av is biblically and historically a time when Israel had turned their back on God. The first time they were taken into captivity for seventy years. Isaiah knew. Jeremiah knew. Ezekiel knew. They all tried to warn the people, and no one would listen. 

The second time God scattered the Jews and destroyed the nation of Israel for 1878 years! Oh God is good at waiting until He can get people’s attention. When people are distracted and take their eyes off God who is omniscient, all powerful, and ever present, they sink into a quagmire of hopelessness. You know what? Peter did the same thing.

When Peter got out of the boat, as long as his eyes were on Christ, he walked on water. But when he took his eyes of Christ and saw the winds and rough seas around him he began to sink. At least Peter had the presence of mind to cry out to Jesus to save him. Jesus did save him. But remember what Jesus told Peter? Matthew 14:31 reads, “ Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

There are a lot of doubts circulating in America because America has turned her back on God, taken her eyes of Jesus, and neglected Holy Spirit. America is placing her faith in a political party or representatives of a political party. Why? Because America has become a “me first” society. Most people are only concerned about what they think is best for them, or what they want, instead of what is best for the whole. Now some would say that sounds a lot like communism. It’s not. I can be twisted into communism and it has been. But I fall into the camp that God’s will is what is best for the whole, not man’s will. 

The point that I’m attempting to make is this. This fifth month, the month of Av, has been traditionally, historically, and biblically a month when pride and disobedience to God has brought about great destruction. The fourth month of Tammuz, in June, is Gay Pride month. PRIDE comes before DESTRUCTION! But it doesn’t matter the source of pride. Pride comes before destruction. Whether it’s gay pride or American pride. Pride comes before destruction.

The fourth month of Tammuz was a month of pride. Destruction comes in the fifth month of Av. 

Question: Can destruction or judgment be averted if we humble ourselves before God in joyful obedience? I believe so.

What does that look like?

Well, I’ll tell you.

First, we need to realize who the higher authority is. It is not a President, Senate, House of Representatives, Governor, or Mayor. God is the high authority and the rest should be taking their cues from Him. I’m not seeing that from either side of the political aisle.

Second, we need to learn how to honor the Sabbath. Ignoring the sabbath was merely the beginning of Israel’s troubles with God. When the sabbath is ignored, it leads to apathy, disobedience, and worship of idols. Those idols can be manifested in many ways. The pursuit of money. Viewing sports or participation in sports. Hunting. Fishing. Golf, Motorcycling, boating, and the list goes on and on. I’m not saying that those things are bad in themselves per se. However, when those things take precedence over everything else, including the sabbath, then those things are idols. 

Thirdly, it probably wouldn’t hurt to develop an honest, intimate, walk with God. That means genuine worship and praise in spirit and truth. That means spending time in prayer and I’m not talking about asking God for what you want or what you think you need. God already knows our needs. I’m talking about interceding for others ahead of yourself. It means spending time with God in prayer and reading and study of His word.

When we take a spouse or we have a good friendship with someone we generally enjoy spending genuine heartfelt time with that person. We enjoy spending time with our children and our grandchildren. It’s the same thing with God. We should want to spend time with Him. Let me address that for just a moment.

What is a covenant? A covenant is an agreement, a promise, between two parties. God has made covenants with people and for His Name’s sake has kept those promises to people whether they kept their end of the covenant or not. He’ll do that, for a time.  

Question: Why will Christians not keep their end of the bargain or the promise or the covenant with God? Remember, a covenant is an agreement between two parties. 

“If you do this then I’ll do that.” 

“Fine. If you do that then I’ll do this.” That’s an agreement. It’s a covenant that supersedes contract.

Here’s the problem. God has ALWAYS kept His part of the covenant. So, why then do Christians have such a hard time keeping theirs? 

It boils down, rendered into its simplest form, to pride, arrogance, and disobedience.

It boils down to self-centeredness, sexual immorality, and a skewed sense of grace completely disassociated with mercy. It boils down to one thinking, “I don’t have to keep my part of the covenant, but God HAS to keep His!” Does He?

Have you read Hebrews Chapter 12 in regard to the Lord’s discipline? If you have not reaffirmed your side of the covenant during the Passover in the first month, IF you have not rooted yourself in the Covenant names of Yhwh Raphe, Yhwh Y’reh, Yhwh Nissi in the second month, IF you have not stood in the power of Holy Spirit in the third month, IF you have not raised your worship and praise in the fourth month, can you tell me why you have not done so? I can guess.

Either you didn’t know to, or you were afraid to, or you were too proud to do so. That being the case, beware of the destruction that may be waiting just around the corner.

Turn back God with your whole heart! No one knows when or how their end will come. It’s not IF the judgment will come if you have been to proud to call upon God, It’s a matter of when it will come. 

I am The Old Watchman, Ezekiel. Now you know. Consider yourselves warned! 

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