The early settlers of America, who braved the privations of those incredibly difficult years, were a fabulous lot, indeed. We can hardly imagine the burdens they endured to make a new life for themselves in a new land. Their turning point began one Friday in the middle of March, 1621.

Samoset

An Indian, wearing nothing but a leather loincloth, strode up their main street to the common house, and to their startled faces boomed in flawless English, Welcome.

His name was Samoset, a sagamore (or chief) of the Algonquins. He had been visiting the area for the previous eight months, having learned his English from various fishing captains who had put in to the Maine shore over the years.

He returned the following Thursday with another Indian who also spoke English, and who was to prove a special instrument of God for their good, beyond their expectation. His story was to prove no less extraordinary than the saga of Joseph being sold into slavery to Egypt. His name was Tisquantum, also called Squanto.

Squanto

His story began in 1605 when Squanto and four other Indians were taken captive, sent to England, and taught English to provide intelligence background on the most favorable places to establish colonies. After nine years in England, Squanto was able to return to Plymouth on Captain John Smiths voyage in 1614.

Lured and captured by the notorious Captain Thomas Hunt, he and 27 others were taken to Mlaga, Spain, a major slave-trading port. Squanto, with a few others, were bought and rescued by local friars and introduced to the Christian faith. Thus, it appears that God was preparing him for the role he would ultimately play at Plymouth.

He was able to attach himself to an Englishman bound for London, then he joined the family of a wealthy merchant, and ultimately embarked for New England in 1619. He stepped ashore six months before the Pilgrims landed in 1620.¹

When he stepped ashore he received the most tragic blow of his life. Not one man, woman, or child of his own tribe was left alive! During the previous four years, a mysterious plague had broken out among them, killing every last one.² So complete was the devastation that the neighboring tribes had shunned the area ever since. The Pilgrims had settled in a cleared area that belonged to no one. Their nearest neighbors, the Wampanoags, were about 50 miles to the southwest.

Stripped of his identity and his reason for living, Squanto wandered aimlessly until he joined the Wampanoags, having nowhere else to go. But God had other plans.

Gods Provision

Massasoit, the sachem (or chief) of the Wampanoags, entered into a peace treaty of mutual aid with the Plymouth colony that was to last as a model for forty years. When Massasoit and his entourage left, Squanto stayed. He had found his reason for living: these English were helpless in the ways of the wilderness. Squanto taught them how to catch eels, stalk deer, plant pumpkins, refine maple syrup, discern both edible herbs and those good for medicine, etc.

Perhaps the most important thing he taught them was the Indian way to plant corn. They hoed six-foot squares in toward the center, putting down four or five kernels, and then fertilizing the corn with fish: three fish in each square, point-ing to the center, spoke-like. Guarding the field against the wolves (who would try to steal the fish), by summer they had 20 full acres of corn that would save every one of their lives.

Squanto also taught them to exploit the pelts of the beaver, which was in plentiful supply and in great demand throughout Europe. He even guided the trading to insure they got full prices for top-quality pelts. The corn was their physical deliverance; the beaver pelts would be their economic deliverance.

The First Thanksgiving

The Pilgrims were a grateful people”grateful to God, grateful to the Wampanoags, and grateful also to Squanto. Governor Bradford declared a day of public Thanksgiving, to be held in October.

Massasoit was invited and unexpectedly arrived a day early”with an additional ninety Indians! To feed such a crowd would cut deeply into their stores for the winter, but they had learned through all their travails that God could be trusted implicitly.

And it turned out that the Indians did not come empty handed: they brought five dressed deer and more than a dozen fat wild turkeys. They helped with the preparations, teaching the Pilgrim women how to make hoecakes and a tasty pudding out of cornmeal and maple syrup. In fact, they also showed them how to make one of their Indian favorites: white, fluffy popcorn! (Each time you go to a movie theatre, you should remember the source of this popular treat!)

The Pilgrims, in turn, provided many vegetables from their gardens: carrots, onions, turnips, parsnips, cucumbers, radishes, beets, and cabbages. Also, using some of their precious flour with some of the summer fruits which the Indians had dried, the Pilgrims introduced them to blueberry, apple, and cherry pie. Along with sweet wine made from wild grapes, it was, indeed, a joyous occasion for all concerned.

The Pilgrims and Indians happily competed in shooting contests, foot races, and wrestling. Things went so well (and Massasoit showed no inclination to leave) that this first Thanksgiving was extended for three days. The moment that stood out the most in the Pilgrims memories was William Brewsters prayer as they began the festival. They had so much for which to thank God: His providing all their needs”and His provision of Squanto, their teacher, guide, and friend that was to see them through those critical early winters.

A National Institution

By the end of the 19th century, Thanksgiving Day had become an institution throughout New England. It was officially proclaimed as a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Traditionally celebrated on the last Thursday in November, it was changed by an act of Congress in 1941 to the fourth Thursday of that month.³

Originally observed to acknowledge the provision of God, let us also make this national holiday a very special time to thank Him for our own provision”our families, our sustenance and, above all, our redemption in His Son!

Lets also pray that He might restore the religious freedom that those early Pilgrims cherished so dearly”and that the current enforced paganism that has invaded our land be curtailed. This country is now becoming what the Pilgrims had risked their very lives to flee from.

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Much of this article was excerpted from The Light and the Glory, Peter Marshall and David Manuel, Fleming H. Revell Co., Old Tappan, NJ, 1977.

Roman mural celebrating the taking of spoils from the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70

Tomorrow, the 9th of August, is the annual commemoration of Tisha B’Av, a very important and very mournful day for Jews worldwide.  The following web article by Koinonia House can be found here.

"Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem", by Francesco Hayez

On August 14th, our Jewish friends will observe Tish’ah b’Av (“The Ninth Day of Av”). This is a special day of mourning, since on this day four tragedies occurred:

1. On this day the First Temple, built by Solomon, was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, and the Babylonian captivity began;
2. On this day the Second Temple, the one expanded by Herod and the one which was standing during Christ’s ministry, was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D., precisely as Jesus predicted (Luke 19:43, 44);
3. On this day Betar, the last fortress to hold out against the Romans in the Bar Kochba revolt, fell in 135 A.D.; and,
4. Jewish tradition also regards this date as the date the Children of Israel were prohibited from entering the Promised Land (Num 14:34).

Jewish men praying at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem

It is a strange coincidence of history that both Nebuchadnezzar in his day and the Romans in theirs destroyed the respective temples on the same date on the Jewish calendar. And, as the rabbis remind us, “Coincidence is not a kosher word.” There are no “coincidences” in God’s kingdom.

Joy in Mourning?

Tish’ah b’Av is, thus, a day of intensive mourning for the destruction of the Temple and for Jerusalem. But coexisting with this sense of grief is a subtle sense of joy. The day is to include joy for the future restoration of the Temple and the coming of the Messiah.

The Sabbath before Tish’ah b’Av is called Shabbat Hazon, the Sabbath of Vision, because of the Scripture portion for that day:

For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Habakkuk 2:3

The ultimate focus of this special observance is, of course, the anticipation of the rebuilding of the Temple. Recitals include:

Tonight marks 1,935 years since the destruction of the Second Temple and as yet redemption has not come. Know ye that whoever has not been privileged to witness the building of the Temple, is regarded as having witnessed the destruction within his own lifetime.¹

Following this, a solitary candle is lit and the recitation of the Book of Lamentations is begun.

Yet, despite the solemnity of the fast, a subtle sense of joy is in the proceedings due to the anticipation of the ultimate rebuilding of the Temple.

Prophetic Scenario

One of the most exciting events on our prophetic horizon these days is, of course, the fact that the preparations have begun.

Destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans (1850 painting by David Roberts)

The Temple Institute in Jerusalem has fabricated most of the implements to serve in the temple. One can visit and view the headdress and breastplate (with the 12 precious stones) of the high priest. Special looms are weaving the linen for the priestly vestments. Scientists are scanning the world for the correct marine snails to yield the Levitical blue and royal purple dyes for the garments. Several hundred young men are training in the Yeshivas (special schools) to serve as priests. (All of them, of course, have Levi genes!)

Precise Location?

Despite the traditional view that the Muslim Dome of the Rock sits on the site, recent scholarship has cast doubts on this view.

Dr. Asher Kaufman’s research has suggested that the Temples actually stood 100 meters to the north. His publications caused quite a stir among the Christian community since that would place the Muslim structure in the “outer court” as suggested from Rev 11:1-2.

Tuvia Sagiv’s more recent research has indicated that the Temple more likely stood 100 meters to the south – between the Dome of the Rock and Al Aksa Mosque. Recent infrared studies seem to imply that Tuvia is correct.² This would also place the Muslim structures in “the outer court.”

Torah study is forbidden on Tisha B'Av, except for sad texts such as the Book of Lamentations.

These developments are of intense interest to prophecy students. Jesus, John, and Paul all make reference to a rebuilt Temple as standing prior to the Second Coming of Christ.³ It is going to be a major subject of interest in the coming few years as all this comes to a head.

It is, indeed, time to learn what the Bible has to say about these things. We are being plunged into a period of time about which the Bible has more to say than any other period of history – including the time that Jesus walked the shores of Galilee or climbed the mountains of Judea.

Stay tuned. It’s all coming, just like God said it would. He means what He says and says what He means. Let’s all do our homework. Are you really ready for all this? Pray about it.

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Sources:

Missler, Chuck, The Seat of Mercy, The Coming Temple: Update, Strategic Trends, Koinonia House.
Chill, Abraham, The Minhagim, Sepher-Hermon Press, New York, 1979. The customs and ceremonies of Judaism, their origins and rationale.