August 6 and August 9

August 6 and August 9 are big days for some individuals and in history!

1. August 6, Shiloh was born to Troy and Shawna – happy day then and now and many more!!!  August 9, Johann Bach was born in 1648.
2. August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay dropped ‘Little Boy’ over Hiroshima detonating about 2,000 feet above ground and destroying five square miles of the city instantly killing about 80,000 with tens of thousands more dying of wounds and radiation over the following months. Despite the surrender of the Nazis, the Japanese were determined to fight until none remained.  The bombing of Hiroshima on August 6 and of Nagasaki three days later (August 9) brought the Land of the Rising Sun to her knees and spared tens of thousands of lives on both sides of the war.
3. August 6, 70 AD, the Roman general Titus and the 5th, 10th, 12th and 15th Legions entered Jerusalem.  After four years of conflict, the Roman army had surrounded Jerusalem and built a wall around the city.  For Passover, they allowed pilgrims to enter but not to leave which had the effect of more rapidly depleting the food supply.  Those who tried to escape were crucified – as many as 500 a day often in contorted postures as sport.  The Romans entered the city and then had to battle to capture the temple area which was then set ablaze on August 9.  Tisha B’av, is an annual fast held by many Jews remembering the destruction of the second temple by the Romans in 70 AD (or CE as is more common today).

Jesus told of the day:  Matthew 23:37-39, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”  24:1-2, Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple.  And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things?  Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

The Roman campaign to end the Jewish uprising was not completed until 73 AD with the conquest of Masada – a mesa fortress on the southwest coast of the Dead Sea.  The Roman 10th Legion besieged the last element of Jewish resistance for some 3 months building a siege ramp.  When the fortress was finally breached, they found nearly 1,000 dead by their own hand rather than be captured by the Romans (three hid and lived).

The Jewish struggle with Rome did not cease with the destruction of Jerusalem or the defeat of her zealots in 73.  About 60 years later, the Jews reconstituted militarily under Simon bar-Kokhba and at first were successful in battling the Roman “occupiers.”  However, Rome sent more troops (6 legions and more from 6 other legions) and the obvious happened – the uprising was crushed!  The last elements of the Jewish resistance were finally eliminated on August 9, 135 AD.  The Romans were so angered by the uprising that they made it their mission to completely devastate the land of any Jewish remembrance so every village was leveled and even removed.  That is why many places mentioned in the Bible have not been found by archeologists today.

God foretold of this event:
Daniel 9:26, And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself (Jesus’ crucifixion in 30 AD);  And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary (70 AD).  The end of it shall be with a flood (135 AD), and till the end of the war desolations are determined (for centuries a wasteland).  27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. (Israel back in the land)