Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Israel and the whole world suddenly turned to the Lord in repentance and confession, acknowledging the God of the Bible? What would people say? What would they do? And what would happen next?
At first, this idea might seem like a utopia, too perfect to ever happen. However, history shows it has occurred before, with one nation, Israel, even if only briefly.
The fact that Scripture records it for us in such detail and length reminds us that God can still bring anyone, anywhere, at any time to discover His wonders. In our previous study, we saw how the people of Israel rediscovered the Word of God, the written Torah. They had not lost it, but they had forgotten it, just as many do today when their Bible remains closed and collects dust.
However, during Nehemiah’s time, everything changed when, as we read in Nehemiah 8:2, “Ezra brought out the Torah before the assembly”, and in verse 5, we read that he “opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up.”
At this moment, a miracle began to unfold. Notice the recurring phrase, “Ezra opened the book, he opened it.” This word, open, פָּתַח (pātaḥ), is one of many synonyms for opening and is among the most commonly used. However, it also describes setting someone free, as in Isaiah 51:14, where a promise states that the exiles will soon be released. It is also used when a sword is drawn, as in Ezekiel 21:28, to signify judgment on the wicked.
Furthermore, this simple word is also used to describe what is engraved or carved, such as on the precious stones of the High Priest’s breastplate (Exod. 28:36). What we learn from this is that the Bible can be approached in two ways: simply reading what it says on the surface or digging deeper to be set free and have His Word engraved in our hearts. It is the latter that seems to have been lacking in Israel at that time; they had begun to read it and study it.
This realization, this encounter with God, caused the people to mourn, weep, and grieve. They were suddenly confronted with the truth of sin, both within the nation and in their own hearts.
What we see here illustrates what will happen when the Messiah returns. Many today say that He will come only once, but consider what the LORD says in this powerful prophecy in Zechariah 12:10: “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son…”
In ancient Judaism, this is seen as a Messianic prophecy. Notice how they recognize the One they previously pierced? They will mourn, but they will also find comfort. They will confess their sins as they did with Nehemiah and weep and mourn just like they did with Nehemiah, and even more so in Zechariah, because this time, the One who embodies the Torah itself will come to save them.
Notice what the people did and said in Nehemiah 8:6. Then Ezra blessed the LORD the great God. And all the people answered, “Amen, Amen!” while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground “.
They started by raising their hands; see, you don’t have to be Pentecostal to do that: it’s a very Jewish and biblical gesture. Then, feeling truly moved, they bow to the ground and begin to worship the LORD. But watch their very first reaction to the reading of the Word: they affirm it by shouting, “Amen, amen!” The word amen is much more than just a polite confirmation.
In scripture, it signifies a legal affirmation—an oath-like declaration that what has been spoken is true, binding, and must be accepted.
But why do they say the word twice? On the surface, this repetition clearly affirms the Law’s words. Just as the Torah requires two witnesses to establish something as true, the people respond with a double amen, declaring before God and others: “We agree. We affirm. We submit. This is truth.”
However, another part of Scripture repeats these same words, “Amen, amen,” in exactly the same form, which adds even greater significance to what is happening here. It appears in the Torah, in the Book of Numbers, chapter 5.
There is a strange yet significant story in the Torah about the suspected adulterous woman and the Bitter Waters. If a husband suspected his wife of unfaithfulness, he would bring her to the priest, who prepared a mixture of holy water, tabernacle dust, and ink from a scroll containing the written charges. She would then drink the mixture: if she was innocent, she would be cleared; if guilty, she would become sterile.
But this woman in Numbers 5 represents more than just an individual; she strongly symbolizes the nation of Israel because, in the Hebrew Scriptures, Israel is often described as Jehovah’s wife. Throughout history, Israel has frequently committed spiritual infidelity, yet God, in His mercy, has spared her from destruction. In her unfaithfulness, she did not produce spiritual fruit, just as the adulterous woman became barren.
Now listen to the oath the woman had to speak before taking the test, Numbers 5:22: “And the woman shall say, ‘Amen, amen.’” Here we see the same double affirmation present in Nehemiah. It’s as if Israel, standing before the Word of God, made a solemn vow: a promise of faithfulness, a renunciation of idolatry, and a full commitment to her divine Husband, the Lord. When the people in Nehemiah’s day shouted “Amen, amen,” they were reaffirming that very covenant of loyalty, declaring with both voice and heart that they belonged entirely to God.
Who else used this double amen? Jesus Himself. And He used it often, as if calling Israel back to the very oath she once made with God. We all recognize His words, “Verily, verily, I say to you,” or in modern translations, “Truly, truly, I say to you.” That word verily or truly is simply the Hebrew word amen. The Greek text preserves it exactly as Hebrew: amen.
Yeshua used amen about 76 times in the Gospels, but only in the Gospel of John does He repeat it twice, saying ‘Amen, amen,’ and it occurs 25 times in total. Each time, He emphasizes a profound truth from the Torah or the Hebrew Scriptures.
For example, when He spoke of the new spiritual birth in John 3, He reminded His listeners of Moses and the bronze serpent. When He revealed the divinity of the Son in John 5, He referenced the ancient prophecies and historical events that confirm His eternal divine nature. When He declared Himself the Bread of Life in John 6, He pointed to the Manna in the wilderness. When He proclaimed, “I am the Good Shepherd” in John 10, He referred to many passages where God Himself is called the Shepherd of Israel.
Each of these great revelations, and more, begins with one solemn declaration: “Amen, amen…So that Israel would remember. So that we would recognize Him. So that we might see in Yeshua, our true Savior, our Messiah, and the fulfillment of all Scripture.
Click Here for the Video : Nehemiah Part 5 – The Day the Torah Awakened Israel