The Calendar of God
by Brian Convery, Edited 7-13-02
[Comments of Steve Bruns, (whose site we took this from) will be within brackets.]
The
Apostle Peter in his opening remarks to the Church, in his second epistle, tells us:
1:
“. . . To those equally precious with us having obtained faith in the righteousness of
our God and our Savior, Jesus Christ:
Peter
wrote this epistle during a time of confusion in and out of the Church.
In it he speaks to us about how to grow in faith until death, how to rely on the
Bible instead of following “cunningly devised fables” as 2Pet. 1:16 tells us.
He warns us about false prophets among us, false teachers among us, who will bring
in destructive heresies. He warns us that
these false teachers:
15:
“have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of
Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;” (2Pet. 2:15).
He
likens those false teachers who “love wages” and “speak great swelling words of
emptiness” and those who were called and are allured by them in unflattering terms:
22:
“. . . as a dog returns to his own vomit and a sow having washed, to her wallowing in
the mire.” (2Pet. 2:22).
He
also reminds us that:
4:
“. . .For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue from the beginning of
creation. And that;
He
encourages us to:
14:
“. . . be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;” (2Pet.
3:14).
And
once again cautions us about false teachers who do not understand the scriptures:
16:
“. . .in which are some things hard to understand, which those untaught and unstable
twist to their own destruction, as also the rest of the Scriptures.” (2Pet. 3:16).
Here
Peter is referring to the Apostle Paul’s teachings as well as the entire Bible.
He tells us Paul received wisdom to be able to write to us.
Paul received this instruction from Christ not from the other apostles.
Paul
is the apostle who was called out of Rabbinical Judaism, out of errors, and became a
Christian.
13:
“For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the Church of God
beyond measure and tried to destroy it.
Peter
goes on and sums up his second epistle as he started it:
17:
“. . . do not be led away with the error of the wicked;
My
purpose in writing this study is not to belittle anyone who is called of God, for many are
as the scriptures tell us. Rom. 12 states:
4:
“For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same
function,
These
are compelling words from the apostle Paul. They
are simple to say, but difficult for many to implement and follow.
They are a description and definition of how the body of Christ is constructed and
how it is to function.
Yes,
we are all placed in the body for different functions, individual members, but all one
body, for a purpose which appears to be a mystery to most in this day and age.
These
same words are also patterned in Ephesians, the fourth chapter.
Paul clearly defines them and also adds to them the purpose for such things.
1:
“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with
which you were called,
We
are all given the spirit of God, when the Father decides and as such we all have the fruit
of the spirit available to us. Yes, we are
all one body. But now Paul will go on and
show what we are individually given. For as
Romans 2 told us, we have different functions and we are not to treat these functions more
highly than we should, but to be of the same mind toward one another and associate with
the humble.
So
now Paul goes on here in Ephesians 4 to teach a mystery to the men of this age.
A mystery that most human beings do not, and for that matter, cannot understand at
this time, but the called of God should.
7:
“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
The
first gifts Christ gave to His body were that of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors,
and teachers, to build up those being called, to use the scriptures to teach and lead the
body until they are united in the faith once delivered (the Bible), and to help everyone
called to grow in its use and understanding so that all could use the word of God to
discern good from evil by reason of their own use so that they could all minister one unto
another. These gifts were given in the order
of their initial use and are not to be used as layers of ranking as so many are deceived
into doing today. Those who received these
gifts initially were to use them to teach those called of God to break the bonds of
Judaism, the traditions of the elders and to lead them to the knowledge of Christ and the
plan of salvation. After that, they were used
to do the same for the Gentiles, to lead them from their dead idols to the living Christ.
Paul
continues in Ephesians 4:14-16:
14:
“that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every
wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in
wait to deceive,
It
is in this understanding and venue that I write. There
are so many subjects that could be addressed, but the one of concern here is the calendar
of God. I read so much gibberish about it
from those who are called teachers in the Church. Most
of what I read is a mixture of the milk of the word and the guile of men.
There is a lot of confusion within the Church on this simple subject, when there
should be none. It can only be simple
however, if we acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever,
Heb. 13:8; and that he will never leave nor forsake us Heb. 13:5.
For the faith once delivered (the word of God) contains everything we need to know
for salvation. It was not written for all
mankind at this time, but for those called by the Father, to qualify to be a fitting bride
for His Son.
Paul
tells us in 1 Cor. 2:12-14:
12:
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God,
that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
When
we go outside of the Bible to clarify what is being said, we are to do so only in the
meaning of a word, the history of the times in question, the meaning of particular worldly
practices, etc. We are to never seek
spiritual understanding outside of the Bible. We
are not to turn to the spirit of the world to define the word of God.
Judaism
is one such result of men doing this. The
tradition of the elders which were the Mishnaic, or oral law, which have become the basis
of the written Talmud were the result of such corruptive activities.
The words of Christ Himself throughout the gospels confirm such things.
A simple reading of Matthew 15 & 23, as well as Mark 7, are just some of the
clearly spoken words of Christ on the subject. The
tenets of Judaism reject the Bible as the authority in such things.
Paul
who rejected Judaism to follow Christ told Timothy:
16:
“But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.”
(2Tim. 2:16)
And:
16:
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
Do
we believe that! Or do we believe Rabbinical
Judaism, Roman Catholicism, or some other teaching of men.
The
Bible teaches us in patterns. They are found
woven throughout its entirety as Isa. 28:10-13 tells us.
Paul encouraged Timothy to:
13:
“Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love
which are in Christ Jesus.” (2Tim. 1:13)
So
with this in mind, lets study the pattern of the calendar from the word of God for the
spiritual understanding of it. We will also
use the knowledge of man to learn the meaning of key words and the historical perspective
of a particular time or event.
We
read in Isaiah about how God teaches these patterns and why God does it this way.
Isa. 28:9-13:
9:
“Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? [Here
comes the answer.] Those just weaned from milk. Those just drawn from the breasts. [Not to
those who are still being fed milk whether from breast or bottle.]
To
those who are called of God and who are permitted to go beyond the milk of the word as
Hebrews 6:1-3 tells us. These patterns of
teaching will be refreshing and a rest. But
to those who are still feeding on the breast or:
14:
“ . . . scornful men, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,” (Isa. 28:14)
These
patterns will be a snare to them, and they will be caught and fall backwards and be
broken.
You
be the judge yourself, whether Christ, the Word of God, has forsaken us and left us to the
deceptions and error of the Rabbis, Romans, or Babylonians as to the calendar of God.
We
read in Eccl. 3:1-8:
1:
“To everything there is a season [#2165], A time [#6256] for every purpose under heaven:
This
pattern of everything having a season and a time for every purpose under heaven is the
foundation to, not only the calendar of God, but also to the purpose of it and the plan of
salvation.
The
Hebrew word for season here is #2165, in the Strong’s:
“zeman
from 2163; an appointed occasion: season, time.”
The
BDB (Brown Driver Briggs) says of it, “appointed time, time.”
This
is the only place in the Bible #2165 is translated as season.
This is significant. There are 6
Hebrew words translated as season or seasons in the Bible.
The translators have done this fairly randomly.
In fact, the word season only appears about 37 times in the O.T.
That’s not a wide usage of the word in any shape or form.
I will point out here that the only one of the six which has a consistency of
referring to a “growing season” and those “events or things” associated with it
such as “rain in it season” or “stock of corn cometh in his season” is #6256 and
at that it is used sparingly. It is also the
word we see here in Eccl. 3 that is translated “time”. #6256 or “et” is the
Hebrew word which is used on the few occasions the Bible uses the word season associated
with the things related to the solar year or that determined by the sun.
That, my friends, is very important as we will see, for God chooses His words
carefully, with purpose to fit the patterns They have placed in the Bible, the word of
God, and through Their creation.
The
Hebrew word for #6256 in the Strong’s is:
“eth
from 5703, time, especially (adverbially with preposition) now, when, etc.”
Vine’s
has a lot to say about the word,
“et
#6256, time, period of time, appointed time, proper time, season. . .
Basically this noun connotes time conceived as an opportunity or season.
First, the word signifies an appointed, fixed, and set time or period . . .
This noun also is used of the concept, proper or appointed time. . .
A third use connotes ‘season’ or regular fixed period of time such as
springtime. . . This noun also is applied to differing extensions of time. . .”
The
principle being taught here in Ecclesiastes is clear.
There is an appointed time for every purpose under heaven.
Peter
told us earlier, that:
4:
“. . . For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as from the beginning of
creation.” (2Pet. 3:4)
He
said this in context of scoffers coming in the last days walking according to their own
lusts. But Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday, today, and forever. He is not led
by His lusts and never has been.
Remember
what the apostle Paul told us in Rom. 1:20:
20:
“For the unseen things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, both His eternal power and Godhead, for them to be
without excuse,”
So
lets see what both these apostles understood about what took place with creation and its
significance to us in understanding the unchanged calendar of God which governs God’s
“appointed times” for all creation, so that we are without excuse.
We
need to go to the beginning to see what God did to assist us in our ability to obey the
commandments of God and we will, but first we need to go over several things.
In
Lev. 23 we find the only chapter in all the Bible describing all the feasts of the Lord,
the statutes of God, commanded by God, to be kept in our worship of Them.
Lev.
23:4 states:
4:
“These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their
appointed times.” [#4150 moed]
The
instruction here is simple. There is no
mystery to what is said and note this proclamation was to be done “at their appointed
time” not years or centuries in advance, but year by year.
We
are also told in verse 37:
37:
“These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to
offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a
sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day”
All
this is very specific. No wishy-washy statements there. The
called of God are commanded to keep these appointed times on their day, just as the
fathers had after the example of Abraham. Moses,
coming after him, was used by God to once again bring them (that is wayward Israel) the
knowledge of these times and how to keep them and how to determine when they were, (just
like Abraham had done and taught his children). In
Gen. 26 we read about God telling Isaac He will extend the blessings to him that He had
extended to Abraham for a very specific reason. Gen. 26:5:
5:
“because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and
My laws.”
Yes,
Abraham kept the statutes, the holy days of God, at their “appointed times” long
before Moses instructed Israel on them. Abraham
taught them to his children. That is why
Peter tells us in 2Pet. 3:4:
4:
“. . . For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the
beginning of creation.”
Yes,
the promise to the called of God has not changed nor has the method of how to determine
God’s “appointed times”, so that we too can do so (just as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
kept them in their day) by the same method used since the beginning of creation. So lets go to the beginning of the creation chapters to see what God
did to enable us to keep Their holy days in their day.
Lets
remember these events we are going to read about took place before the creation of man and
for that matter, before the other 3 types of flesh which would inhabit the earth with us. 1Cor. 15:39
39:
“All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh
of beasts, another of fish, and another of birds.”
Gen.
1:28 tells us what God purposed for man on earth.
28:
“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth
and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over
every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Now
that is not a politically correct statement at the end of the age.
God fully intended man to have dominion over the three other fleshes and God gave
man the tools to be able to do so. Some are
seen and some are not. The ones that are not
are from the spirit of God and the spirit in man. The
other 3 fleshes are led by instinct, but man is very different in this point.
God placed in man a spirit which is used to reason between right and wrong. That is why it can be said that man is a free moral agent.
No other flesh can make moral and ethical decisions.
The apostle Paul confirms the presence of this spirit in man in 1Cor. 2:11 when he
contrasts this spirit with the spirit of God.
11:
“For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? .
. .”
So
here in Genesis we are going to see some of the other tools God gave man to follow through
with Their commanded and intended purpose for us so that we are able to keep our
“appointed times of meeting” with Them, after Their image and likeness.
Gen. 1:14:
14:
“Then God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day
from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; “
Now
to me that cannot be any clearer, as to intent of what is being said or to its
application. There are, however, many
teachers today who would try and convince us that God has not given us instruction in the
Bible as to how to keep His “appointed times of meeting”.
Here in Gen. 1:14, we can read that even before God created man, that They set in
place the timepiece and method for us to use in obeying Them.
They created the sun and the moon and set them in a pattern which occurs over and
over again for our use. Their patterns
determine the duration of a day, a year, and most importantly seasons (#4150) which should
be translated “appointed place of meeting” or “appointed times.” God says, They gave them to us “to be for signs”.
The reason God did that is so that no man could come to Them with an excuse.
All who have eyes to see, have the ability to know when God’s appointed times
are, not only the year, but the very day itself. We
as individuals do not need an interpreter for this purpose, just someone to show us how we
are to use the timepiece created by God so we can all do it ourselves.
It is very important to understand the meaning of the key Hebrew words used by God
here in Gen. 1:14, but lets read on to get specific instruction on how to use these lights
for their proper purposes. Gen. 1:15-18:
15:
“and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth;
and it was so.
Yes,
it was good. These tools were given to each
and every one of us who in turn are to use them to fulfill God’s intended purpose for
Them and us. It is important, however, to
understand that God created these lights before They created the fish, the birds, the
creatures which walk and crawl on the earth, and man.
Every living thing is tied into the pattern of these two great lights, the sun and
the moon.
We
live in a time when knowledge has increased and many run to and fro.
Daniel told us of such things in Dan. 12:4:
4:
“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many
shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
Daniel
also says of this time:
33:
“and those of the people who understand shall instruct many,” (Dan. 11:33) and
10:
“Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and
none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.” (Dan 12:10)
We
live in these times right now. Science today
has uncovered many wonders and mysteries of the natural world which man has pondered and
observed for millennia. We have answers to
many of these marvelous things. Some of them
are for the good and much for the bad, because man apart from God has only the knowledge
of the tree of good and evil. Natural man
does not have the benefit of the discernment of the spirit of God.
Some
of this increased knowledge is a great aid to our understanding of the patterns God has
put in place. One such understanding is that of the great migration of birds, etc.
We know for a fact, that the chief reason for triggering the migration is the
decreasing amount of sunlight, or for that matter, the increasing amount during a day
which enables an enzyme to activate in the brain of the 3 types of fleshes which are prone
to migration.
Mankind
in general has pondered the migration of billions of birds from the beginning.
How did they know when to fly south in great formation and swarms and then to
return north again at seemingly the same time of year over and over again?
How did fish know when to spawn, some in the spring and some in the fall?
Science
has discovered this is not just happenstance. It
is part of every species that migrates. God
designed in each of the other three fleshes and the subsequent different species, a
chemical balance in their brains which reacts to the sunlight.
That is why we see them having clearly defined patterns at different times of the
year. They are affected by both the sun and the moon, with the sun having the
greatest effect. Each of the species has no
choice in its pattern, for God has set it in them, so that they keep their “appointed
times.” This is in part what we refer to as
instinct. They have no choice as to keeping
these “appointed times.” They have to
respond. Only death, captivity, or
dismemberment will keep them from doing so. Man,
however, is different. God made man in Their
image and likeness. Man is a free moral
agent. A spirit was placed in man which
enables us to have creative ability through reason and thought.
But more than that, man is able to judge between right and wrong, and thus we had
the tools to have dominion over the earth. Man
was not subjected to it, but rather it was to him. No
other part of the physical creation can reason and comprehend ethical decisions.
This was all done by God with an incredible purpose in mind
Even
with the dominion that man was given, he was still accountable to obey God.
The 3 other fleshes have no choice as to obeying their “appointed times.”
Only man has the ability to choose to obey his “appointed times” of God or not.
Satan, the devil has used every means at his disposal to keep those, who are called
of God from keeping these appointed times on their day.
Lies, deceit, guile, ignorance, and direct disobedience can sum them up.
If
a snow goose does not heed its “appointed time” in flying south from the shores of
James Bay, it will die when the winter sets in. So
too will man, if we do not keep our “appointed times” with our creator.
We too will die from overexposure to the devil.
These
are simple teachings and truths about simple patterns God has set in place.
They are not mysteries to us, or at least they shouldn’t be. We learn about God’s eternal power and Godhead through the things
which They made. We can learn about the
entire plan of salvation from the things which just a few decades ago were unseen to us.
The very life cycle of a woman and that of the moon and that of the festivals
combine to clearly show and explain the plan of salvation.
God is a family and is in the process of growing that family after the patterns of
creation. Yes there is a second Adam and
second Eve who will be fruitful and multiply in the family of the great Patriarch, God the
Father. Now back to Gen. 1:14.
The Hebrew words used here will give us clear direction as to how God intends us to
use these two great lights.
14:
“Then God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day
from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;”
First
we see these two great lights would divide the day (#3117 yowm) from the night
(#3915 layil). Verse 16 tells us how
this is done. One is greater than the other.
The daylight portion of a day is ruled by the brighter and the night portion of a
day by the lesser. That is very easy to
comprehend. It is a pattern set in place by
God at creation.
The
Hebrew word yowm #3117 means the daylight portion of a day and the combined 24 hour
period of both light and day, depending on the context.
Verse 19 tells us a day consists of both evening and morning as does verses 5, 8,
13, 23, and 31. Believe it or not, there are
some teaching otherwise.
So
here in Gen. 1:14 God first deals with the simple premise of what a day is.
Then God moves on to state: “Let them be for signs.”
This is a very big statement in the pattern that God just established.
These two great lights are to be used for “signs”.
The
Hebrew word used here in the Strong’s is #226:
“owth
probably from 225 uwth (in the sense of appearing); a signal (lit. or fig.); as a
flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.”
This
word is very important so please think about this. Strong’s
clearly says the word means “something visible,” not something invisible. “In the sense of appearing; a signal.” That describes the word in a nutshell as we are going to see.
Vine’s
says of it,
“ot
(226) ‘sign, mark’. . . This word
represents something by which a person or group is characteristically marked.
This is the emphasis in Gen. 4:15: ‘And the LORD set a mark (NASB ‘sign’)
upon Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.’. . .
Num. 2:2 uses ot to represent a military banner, while Job 21:29 uses the
word of the identifying banners of nomadic tribes. . . [Rahab’s trustworthy mark was the
scarlet cord in Josh. 2:12.] “The word
means ‘sign’ as a reminder of one’s duty. This
usage first appears in Gen. 9:12: “This (the rainbow) is the token [sign] of the
covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature . . .”
Vine’s
goes on, but I think the meaning of the word is clear to all.
It means something you can see. It’s
root word clarifies this even more. It is
#225 in the Strong’s,
“uwth,
a prime root; properly to come, i.e. (implied) to assent.”
This
is very important once again. God used the
Hebrew word ot as a very key part of His instruction as to His calendar, His means
of determining His “appointed times of meeting” with men.
In
summing up this word we see it definitely means “something visible!”
Remember what we are talking about here. The
sun and the moon. And what were they to do,
“give light on the earth” verses 15 and 17. It
was their light which was important, that is why the sun rules the day and the moon the
night, verse 16. Neither has any authority
outside of their “visible light” which is used as a sign.
This is all simple to comprehend. There
is nothing difficult about it. We must let
the Bible tell us how we use and apply these tools. Both
the sun and the moon have their own specific purposes.
So unless you are without sight or live in an environment where you have no access
to the outdoors, you can see both.
Remember
in verse 14 of Genesis 1, God says that they are to be used for 4 things; signs, seasons,
days, and years. Verses 15 and 17 clearly
tell us once again that their fundamental purpose is to give light. They both rule during their light giving periods, not their dark times.
Again, that is why the sun rules the day and the moon the night.
We are being told here that we are to use their light in relation to signs,
seasons, days, and years. It appears that
many who teach about the calendar are lost on this point (that God teaches here) based on
their calendar conclusions of how they use these two great lights.
The
next tremendously important word used here by God is translated as seasons here in verse
14. It is a word which is used and abused by
many in their struggle to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ. This is not the same Hebrew word translated “season” that we looked
at earlier in Eccl. 3:1 which states:
1:
“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven.”
The
Hebrew word used here in Gen. 1:14 is #4150 in the Strong’s.
It is another incredible word used by God throughout Their instruction on the
calendar and the subsequent dates for Their Holy Days and Festivals.
It is the Hebrew word that God chose to attach to Their instruction about Their
“appointed times” for man. They didn’t
and don’t use any of the other 5 Hebrew words translated as “season or seasons” at
any time in relation to this subject. Strong’s says of this word:
“moed,
from #3259 ya’ad; properly an
appointment, i.e. a fixed time or season; specifically a festival; conventionally a year;
by implication an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the
congregation; by extension the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed before
hand).”
God
certainly chose this word with a purpose in mind. If
we do not grasp the meaning of the words God chooses we will fall far short of the lesson
being taught. Christ is called the Word for a
reason.
Listen
to what the Vine’s has to say about the word.
“Moed,
‘appointed place of meeting, meeting.’ The
noun moed appears in the O.T. 223 times, of which 160 times are in the Pentateuch.
[That is the first 5 books of the O.T. written by Moses]. . .
The word moed keeps its basic meaning of ‘appointed,’ but varies as to
what is appointed according to the context: the time, the place, or the meeting itself.
The usage of the verb in Amos 3:3 is illuminating: ‘Can two walk together, unless
they are agreed?’ Whether they have agreed
on a time or place of meeting or the meeting itself is ambiguous.
The meaning of moed is fixed within the context of Israel’s religion.
First, the festivals came to be known as the ‘appointed times’ or the set
feasts. These festivals were clearly prescribed in the Pentateuch.
The word refers to any ‘festival’ or ‘pilgrimage festival,’ such as
Passover (Lev. 23), the feast of Firstfruits, the feast of Tabernacles, or the Day of
Atonement. . . The word moed also
signifies a ‘fixed place.’ This usage is
not frequent: ‘For thou hast said in thine heart, `I will ascend into heaven, I will
exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will also sit on the mount of the congregation (moed)
in the sides of the north . . .’ (Isa. 14:13) . . .”
“In
both meanings of moed, ‘fixed time’ and ‘fixed place,’ a common denominator
is the ‘meeting’ of two or more parties at a certain place and time-- hence the usage
of moed as ‘meeting’. However, in
view of the similarity in meaning between ‘appointed place’ or ‘appointed time’
and ‘meeting,’ translators have a real difficulty in giving a proper translation in
each context.”
That
is as thorough and concise an explanation and usage of the meaning of the word moed
as you will find. It is also very accurate in
stating that translators have a great difficulty in giving it a proper translation in the
context it is used. That happens because they
do not understand the plan of salvation let alone the purpose and pattern, so they apply a
translation to it which fits into their limited understanding.
That is why we see it translated in Gen. 1:14 as seasons when moed should be
more accurately translated as “fixed time” or “fixed place” or “meeting”.
This is why it is often translated as “appointed time.”
Remember this word applies to two or more “meeting” at a fixed time or place.
The translators here assume it is referring to “seasons” when in fact, God does
not use moed for this, but as we saw earlier a different Hebrew word.
Run through the usage of the word moed and you will see how it is tied to
all the feasts and to very specific days. God
inspired this word to be used here in Gen. 1:14 to teach us that Their commanded festivals
or our “meeting” with Them at specific “appointed times” was (and would always be)
determined by the activities of the two great lights.
All the four fleshes, which inhabit the earth are tied to them for their
“appointed times.”
The
apostle Peter’s words ring loud and clear once again,
4:
“. . . For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the
beginning of creation.”
God
clearly tells us here in Genesis that Their “appointed times” are set by the visible
effects of the time clock They created.
You
can take all the human reasoning and the vain babbling, about how God has never given us a
calendar to follow in the Bible, and throw it out the window of your mind, with all the
other lies and deceit of confused individuals. We
are going to see that Jesus Christ is the same, “yesterday, today, and forever” and
that He will never “leave nor forsake us.” Our
Savior is the author and finisher of our faith, not any man or any organization.
I remind you of what the apostle Paul told the Corinthians.
24:
“Not that we have dominion [rule] over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy;
for by faith you stand.” (2Cor. 1:24)
So
we see that before any physical creature was created, God put in place a clock, a
timepiece which determines what a day is, what a year is, and what an “appointed time”
is. It is impossible for that part of creation governed by instinct to
willingly break from them. Only man, who has
a spirit in him, can do so. But keep in mind
to willingly break from these “appointed times” will result in chaos and confusion and
will ultimately lead to death, just as those who are ruled by instinct would.
This pattern is set and true and was instituted at creation and has continued
unbroken for all the four fleshes on the earth. In
verse 14 of Genesis 1 we are also told the two great lights are for days and years.
The
Hebrew word for days here is #3117 in the Strong’s.
I mentioned it earlier. The
understanding of this word is very simple. It
is used two ways in the Bible. One is to
describe the light portion of a day, or daylight. The
second is to describe a 24 hour period of time from one sunset to another.
Lev. 23:32 cannot be any clearer as to when it starts:
32:
“It shall be to you a sabbath of rest, and
you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to
evening, you shall observe your sabbath.”
Evening
here is ereb, sunset, not boger, sunrise, and certainly not midnight.
No, we do not look to the Egyptians or the Romans or any other confused people to
determine when God’s day starts. Also as we
saw earlier in Gen. 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, and 31 that a day consists of both an evening and
a morning. An ereb and boger.
Those are the two “appointed times” when the sun and the earth meet at
the horizon which are the onset of the dark and light portions of the day.
I really can’t explain it any simpler than that.
Unfortunately, there are individuals who can’t comprehend that teaching. The Hebrew word for years here in Gen. 1:14 is #8141 in the Strong’s,
shaneh from #8138, a year (as a revolution of time).
Vine’s has a lot to say about it, but in brief it says:
“sanah
(8141), ‘year.’ This word has cognates in
Ugaritic, Akaddian, Arabic, Aramaic, and Phoenician.
Biblical Hebrew attests it about 877 times and in every period.
The Hebrew word signifies ‘year’. . . There
are several ways of determining what a ‘year’ is.
First, the ‘year’ may be based on the relationship between the seasons and the
sun, the solar year or agricultural year. Second,
it can be based on a correlation of seasons and the moon (lunar year).
Third, the ‘year’ may be decided on the basis of the correlation between the
movement of the earth and the stars (stellar year). . .
An exact picture of the Old Testament ‘year’ is difficult, if not impossible,
to obtain.”
It
is only difficult for those who do not understand the patterns and plan of salvation of
God. We are going to see from the pages of
the Bible that it is not difficult at all to determine which ‘year’ God refers to in
Gen. 1:14 and Gods clear instructions as to using His tools which They gave us, to do so.
We are going to see which of the two great lights are used for a sign to determine
the “appointed times” for man to meet God.
Let
me repeat one more time, that in Gen. 1:15, 17 that their purpose was to, “give light on
the earth.” All other purposes are secondary to God.
Here God tells their purpose was to give light for signs in determining,
“appointed times, days, and years.” Remember,
“something visible.”
Now
lets see what God says about which of the great lights is used to determine appointed
times, days, and years respectfully. Psa.
104:19:
19:
“He appointed the moon for seasons [#4150 moed]; The sun knows its going down.”
What
else could be said! Now everyone knows the sun determines seasons.
That is how modern calendars work. God
must be mistaken!
Once
again I will repeat that the Hebrew word moed should not be translated season.
There is a better and more accurate Hebrew word for that purpose as we discussed
earlier and as God clearly points out here.
Here
we learn that the moon was appointed by God to be used to determine “appointed times”
(moed) and that the sun knows its going down, “sunset,” the beginning and end
of a day. The light of the moon determines how to determine the “appointed
times” of meeting between God and man and the dying light of the sun, or its going down,
determines a given day.
Is
this not simple to grasp. This is the simplicity of Christ.
Translators
struggle over this verse because they think the sun and seasons go hand in hand.
They think in terms of the solar year and Roman calendar.
God does not! God plainly tells us here, the moon, thus the lunar year, is to be used
to determine the “appointed times for man.” I will tell you though, that the sun determines the appointed times of
the other 3 fleshes, but that is the focus of another study.
Most
pagan festivals are determined by following the light of the sun.
Certainly those of the majority of professing Christianity today do. They use the sun to determine such “appointed times of meeting” and
very often their “places of meeting.” They
use the equinoxes and solstices to determine their festival dates after the solar cycle.
God uses the moon!
There
is not one place in the Bible, the inspired word of God, that states or even alludes to
tying the moed, “appointed times of meeting” between God and man to the sun.
Many today try to use human reasoning to teach around those, but do so to no avail.
They are no different than that of the universal church setting up her calendar
around the equinoxes and solstices and starting her day at midnight.
Psa.
104:19 also tells us the fading or dying light of the sun determines a day, not the light
of her going up. That is why God states His
day starts and ends at sunset, or ereb, evening.
That law, that pattern, ties the sun to a day. It has been that way since the creation.
God
is clearly telling us about the patterns of both great lights here and how they are to be
used as He says, not as man says. I hope we
all understand these things for there are many who teach the exact opposite of what God
states and many more who mix it all up and twist it so it has the appearance of godliness,
but not the substance.
Once
again, “He appointed the moon for ‘appointed times, moed, the sun knows
its going down.” The light of the moon is
used to determine God’s feasts and the light of the sun, specifically at its going down,
or sunset, determines a day. “Going down”
is the Hebrew word yarad and Strong’s says of it:
“a
prime root; to descend (lit. to go downwards; or conventionally to lower region, as the
shore, a boundary, the enemy, etc.; or fig.
to fall); causatively to bring down (in all the above applications).”
Yes
this lower region or boundary of the suns descent is the horizon.
That is the means by which we determine the start and finish of God’s day. That is how we use the light of the sun.
We can all witness this visible sign, each and every day as the sun disappears
behind the horizon and then we enter the time of twilight, the time of its fading light
and that of darkness setting in. It’s so
very simple, if we listen to God.
There
are some today that teach the moon and sun are both used in determining what is a
“month” and “appointed times.” That
is not the case here in Psa. 104:19 and as we will see shortly, not the case anywhere else
in the Bible. God inspired another key Hebrew
word to be used to describe when the light of the moon is to be used to determine the new
moon or month. I do hope you all take the
time later to read Psa. 104 in its entirety for it is full of many of the wonders God has
set in place in the natural world from the beginning, etc.
Do
you remember what Rom. 1:20 told us?
20:
“For the unseen things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, both His eternal power and Godhead, for them to be
without excuse,”
There
is so much to say about the creation of God, but today we are dealing with just a small
part of it. I have addressed the whole of the subject, of the patterns of creation
which point out God’s purpose and eternal power and Godhead in the six tape Bible study
entitled “The 2 Covenants,” which is free for the asking.
But to the subject at hand.
So
if the word of God clearly ties the moon to the “appointed times” of God, we then are
tied to the lunar cycle and lunar year, not the solar in determining when and how to
determine these very special “times of meeting” for God and man.
Lev. 23:37
37:
“These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim holy convocations, to offer
an offering made by fire [That’s not money folks.] to the LORD, a burnt offering and a
grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day.”
God
didn’t create the game of horse shoes. It
doesn’t count being close! One preacher
told me and others, that it was okay to be “approximately close.”
God says it needs to be on its exact day which God has chosen.
To be able to do this and be without excuse in doing so, God put a very simple and
clear pattern in place to follow. God has
given us clear instruction to follow if we listen to Him and not follow another.
There is nothing “secret” about this knowledge.
It is there for all to see and understand. We
who are called of God should not be swayed by those who are deceived and deceiving to
follow another way. Satan has used his tools
and power at his disposal to deceive even the elect of God.
Lets
continue to see what God has to say about the timepiece in the sky, and specifically as it
applies to the moon determining Their “appointed times of meeting.”
Genesis
1 has made it clear that it is the light of the 2 great lights that we use as “visible
signs” or “visible marks” in our determination of days, years, and appointed times.
Just
as a meeting of the sun at the horizon determined a day, so too does “a meeting” which
takes place, determine the start of a month. Once
again, God states we are to use the light of this timepiece to determine days, years, and
appointed times, not the darkness! The world
declares the darkness of the moon cycle as the new moon. So too do the Rabbis. This
is called the conjunction. That’s when the
moon comes between the sun and the earth. This
is where it is not visible to us. It is dark
with no light hitting the earth for us to see. Rabbinical
Judaism declares this is part of their secret knowledge in understanding how to determine
“appointed times.” Is this what God
teaches? If so, then they have changed the
patterns set at creation. Gen. 1:15:
15:
“and let them be for lights [not darkness] in the firmament of the heavens to give light
on the earth; [for visible signs, verse 14.] and it was so.”
Verse
17:
17:
“God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth,”
Yes,
we are able to see the great events which determine a day, year, and appointed time.
We cannot see a conjunction. It is
invisible. It can only be calculated and for
that matter, only be accurately calculated with the technology we have at our disposal
today and primarily in the past 3 decades. It
is an error to use the conjunction as the new moon as God clearly tells us.
It is also an error to use the last stage or visible sighting of the dying moon as
the start of the month. That pattern is only
tied to the sun and the day. God
differentiated that in Psa. 104:19 when He specifically singled out the sun as using its
dying light. We are going to see how God
leaves no doubt in this shortly, for the new moon is a time of rebuilding, not dying, and
certainly not invisibility.
The
meeting of the two great lights proclaims a very clear and visible sign in the western sky
every 29 or 30 days for all men to see. You
do not need a benefactor between you and God to declare the new moon for you. There is nothing secretive about it. The light of the moon rules the night. When the sun sets, it loses its authority to the moon.
Many of the called of God have believed the lie, the heresy, of Rabbinical Judaism
on this point.
The
Rabbis have their own calculated calendar. Many
organizations teach this is to be followed in determining the “appointed times of
meeting” of God. These organizations
declare the Rabbis, or Rabbinical Judaism, received and carried on secret knowledge at Mt.
Sinai as to how to calculate the new moon and the calendar. These organizations teach, or agree to the teaching, that God gave
Moses two forms of commandments at Mt. Sinai. One was the written commandments for all to see and secondly, oral
commandments for a chosen few, an elite group to have to lead the unknowing and confused
others who only got the inferior written form.
Christ
absolutely and categorically condemns this teaching in Matt. 15, Matt. 23, and Mark 7 for
just a few examples. He called them the
“traditions of the elders.” We know them
today as the “oral law” or Mishnaic law. They
are taught to be superior to the written law by Rabbinical Judaism and are codified in the
Rabbis Bible, the Talmud. So did God give
secret knowledge to Moses which he in turn passed on to a group of elites or as Christ
calls them, benefactors?
Either
God is lying or those who teach such things are. It’s
one or the other, no gray areas! Ex. 24:3:
3:
“So Moses came and told the people ALL the words of the LORD and ALL the judgments
[ordinances]. And ALL the people answered with one voice and said, ALL the words which the
LORD has said we will do.
So
here we see in black and white that ALL the people heard ALL the words.
Verse 4:
4:
“And Moses wrote ALL the words of the LORD. And he rose early in the morning, and built
an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of
Israel.”
And
where did Moses write ALL the words of the Lord? Verse
7:
7:
“Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they
said, ALL that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient.”
I
certainly hope that puts to rest the “Jewish fable” about secret knowledge being
passed on from Moses to a group of elites and so forth to our day.
That is no different than the pagan doctrine of “apostolic succession.” Never forget what Paul told Titus in Titus 1:14:
14:
“not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth.”
Many
today who are deceived and deceiving, teach that we are to follow the fables and
commandments of Rabbinical Judaism as to the calendar.
While I might add, disagreeing with some of their resulting days to keep, such as
the 15th Passover and Sivan 6 Pentecost. How
convenient. How hypocritical.
Either they have this secret knowledge or they don’t.
I truly hope the scales fall from these teacher’s eyes as they did from Paul’s
and they turn to the truth of God and reject Jewish fables and start to worship God as God
declares on Their “appointed days” and are no longer deceived on this doctrine of God.
It
will take a great amount of humility to do so and a great amount of character to change,
to do what is right.
Paul
turned from Judaism to worshiping God in spirit and in truth as he tells us in Gal.
1:13-14:
13:
“For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God
beyond measure and tried to destroy it.
Yes,
Paul was more zealous for following the “traditions of the elders” than the way of
God. But Paul rejected his roots in Judaism, which is the following of the
“oral law” and he terms that way as “Jewish fables.”
From
time to time, when it served the purpose of preaching Christ to the Jews, he would remind
those who still followed the tenets of Judaism that he too once walked in that way.
1Cor. 9:20:
20:
“and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; . . .”
Paul
became a Christian! He clearly rejected Judaism, the commandments of men and their Jewish
fables, for the light of God.
In
spite of the clear instruction and vivid examples of such things, there are teachers today
who try to put us into such bondage to Rabbinical Judaism, and thus themselves.
They turn to Rom. 3:1-2 to try to use “A” scripture to prove that God says,
that is the right thing to do to support their erroneous doctrines.
1:
“What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision?”
Be
mindful here, we have two questions being asked in the context of one.
Paul answers them in verse 2.
2:
“Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles [scriptures of
the O.T.] of God.”
All
Paul is stating here is that the Jews have had an advantage for a long time because they
had the scriptures and the Gentiles hadn’t. Unfortunately,
most of them rejected them for “Jewish fables” and “commandments of men” as Christ
Himself told us time and time again. Matt.
15:7-9:
7:
“Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
These
deceived teachers declare that we are to follow the errors of Judaism because “to them
were committed (entrusted) the scriptures of God.”
Oh yes, they were entrusted with them. That’s,
all the Jews, as well as the rest of Israel, and they all rejected them for something
else. In fact, Judaism rejects the entire New
Testament scriptures of God as does modern Christianity reject or sets aside the Old
Testament scriptures.
The
whole Bible was entrusted to those Christians who truly follow Christ for He is the
author and finisher of our faith. He is the
Alpha and the Omega of the entire Bible not just selective sections.
I
encourage you to read all of Matt. 23. In
verse 13 God calls the Rabbis by their real names in His eyes.
13:
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in, nor do
you allow those who are entering to go in.”
Did
we get that! That is an incredible warning
from Christ about them and what they teach and do!
Christ
calls them fools, hypocrites, blind guides, serpents, etc. in this chapter.
But the blind teachers of this age, turn to verses 2-3 to proclaim we are to follow
their doctrine and teachings in spite of what Christ declares about them over and over.
The most common translation of the Greek goes as such:
2:
“saying, the scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.
They
do exactly what every politician has done since Satan rebelled against God.
The
scribes and the Pharisees did sit in Moses’ seat. Now
what was that? Go back and search the
scriptures. Moses’ seat was civil
government. He was trained in those
responsibilities at Pharaoh’s court for his future responsibilities with God.
Moses was not a priest. He did not sit
in Aaron’s seat. Aaron was a priest and
ruled over the things of the temple. These
are two distinctly different roles, and they still were at the time of Christ.
Moses = civil, Aaron = religious. That
is why we only see the scribes and Pharisees mentioned here in regard to Moses’ seat. They were the lawyers and politicians of their time.
The Sadducees, on the other hand, were the descendants of Aaron who controlled the
temple in Jerusalem. These things are clearly
seen in the scriptures and are attested to by history.
Yet many confused teachers uphold Rabbinical Judaism all the same for they try to
modernize it in such a way that the called of God will be in bondage to them, and that
they may appear to be enlightened benefactors who are chosen to lead the poor, dumb sheep.
Read verses 4-10 and see if you can recognize any of their signs and patterns that
Christ identifies them by.
A
true Christian today follows Christ throughout the whole Bible (the old and the new
testaments) and preservers and obeys the very word of God in its entirety.
And further more, the true Christian will proclaim it, all of it.
Paul understood all these things. In
Col. 2:16-17 he tells us:
16:
“Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a feast day or a new
moon or sabbath,
Yes,
we are still following the patterns of Christ which were set in place at the beginning of
creation. We follow Him and no other. Remember
John 1:1-5:
1:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And
verse 14:
14:
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of
the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Yes
brethren, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
He has not changed the patterns He put in place at creation.
We follow these patterns and those who teach should be instructing others to do the
same. Unfortunately as He prophesied in Eze.
34 (about our times) has become so clear. Many
are feeding on the called of God rather than feeding them.
That
is not an accusation, but an observation and I hope many repent of it and follow the right
path unto the kingdom and salvation of God.
Now
back to these great patterns set in Genesis as to determining the “appointed times” of
God. I hope it is clear, or at the least
apparent, to you that God says we are to use the moon in determining such “appointed
times.”
So
how do we do this?
Just
as the sun has a definite observable starting point in determining the start of a day by
using its light, so does the moon have such a defined start for a month.
That is when it is first visible after the pattern and law set in Genesis, as to
its light and not its darkness.
The
Hebrew word for new moon and month and its root word will show us this is true and bear it
out. That word is #2320 in the Strong’s:
“chodesh;
from #2318, the new moon; by implication a month.”
The
root word of chodesh is:
“2318,
chadash; a prime root; to be new; causatively to rebuild.”
Put
that together! The new moon is just that,
NEW! As in the sense of rebuilding.
Not in the sense of dying. The pattern
repeats itself every 29 or 30 days. It is the
light of the moon which rules the night. When
the first light of the new or rebuilding moon is seen over the western horizon after
sunset, we have the start of a new month. Then
for 14 or 15 days it continues to grow or rebuild until it is full.
Then it starts to diminish in brightness and size until it becomes a final
crescent, approximately 28 days into its cycle and then it disappears for 1 ½ to 2 days.
Then it starts its visible rebuilding process again, just like it has from the
beginning.
Vine’s
says of the Hebrew word hodes,
“(2320)
‘new moon; month.’ This noun occurs 283
times in biblical Hebrew and in all periods. The
word refers to the day on which the crescent reappears: ‘So David hid himself in the
field; and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat.’ (1Sam.
20:24). Isa. 1:14 uses this word of the feast
which occurred on that day: ‘Your new moons (festivals) and your appointed feasts my
soul hateth . . .’ Hodes can refer
to a ‘month,’ or the period from one new moon to another. . .
These ‘months’ are sometimes named (Exod. 13:4) and sometimes numbered (Gen.
7:11). [That is simple enough and concurs
with the Bible)]
Now
for its root word in Vine’s.
“Hadas
(2318), ‘to renew.’ This verb occurs in
post-Mosaic literature. . . The root is found
in all the Semitic languages with the same sense; usually the radicals are h-d-th.”
There
should be no misunderstanding as to the meaning of these Hebrew words and their intent.
The new moon refers to the crescent appearing. It is the new moon which is used to calculate the start of each month,
and then the number of days which follow until the next crescent appears at the start of
its rebuilding process. Its clearly
visible building process. It is by this method, by this light, that we determine the “appointed
times of meeting” between God and man. Each on their own day.
Remember
the Hebrew word for sign is #226; ot, a signal, flag, beacon, etc.
Its root word means “to come.” These
words used of God are all very important to our instruction as to obeying God.
With
what we have covered, it is clear to see that God has set in place the sun and the moon in
specific patterns as our timepiece, which is the means by which we count; appointed times,
days, and years. It should also be clear that
God says we determine these appointed times by using the light of the moon.
Thus the appointed times of God’s calendar for man are based on the lunar cycle
and thus the lunar year. It is also plain to
see that we use the new crescent, and not the old crescent, and not the dark conjunction,
to start our counts.
Lets
briefly review the differences between a lunar and a solar year other than one is based on
the moon and one on the sun.
The
solar year consists of approximately 365 1/4 days. That
is why each 4 years we have a leap year to bring the number of days back in line with the
sun, otherwise the numbered years would be going out of sync with the actual solar year
and the months would not end up in the proper solar season.
This has happened in the past and the current calendar used by most of the world is
a result of that very thing. Man adjusts this
mathematically, and this actually extends out for adjustments of a full day in certain
centuries as well as leap years.
A
lunar year on the other hand consists of approximately 354 days.
These are determined by 12 months, or 12 cycles of the moon, which consist of
approximately 29 ½ days each. It is simple
to see there is an 11 day difference between the lunar and solar years.
God clearly stated we are to use the moon not the sun in determining Their
appointed times. These appointed times are
symbolically tied to agricultural periods in Palestine so as to symbolically tie God’s
plan of salvation to various harvests and specific growing seasons.
These harvests depict the resurrections, early and late, and the last one of
cleaning up the useless fruit. The sun
controls the growing seasons to a great extent. There
are also other factors as well, but they are not in need of mention for this study.
The
lunar calendar, in order to keep in sync with the symbolism of the different agricultural
seasons, needs to have its leap years as well. These
assure that it stays in sync with them. If
not, you would find the Passover being kept in the summer, then the fall, then the winter,
and then in the spring once again. This would
not support the patterns of the plan of salvation as found in the things which are made.
We are going to see clear instruction from God on how this was and is and will be
done. This is called intercalation.
The
calendar of Rabbinical Judaism uses the method by which there captors in Babylon used and
taught them. They intercalate a set number of years in a 19 year cycle to do so.
In fact, seven times in one of these 19 year cycles they add one month to the year. This ancient pagan practice adds a 30 day month in the third, sixth,
eighth, eleventh, fourteenth, seventeenth, and nineteenth years, every 19 year cycle.
There
is no variation, they are locked in regardless of anything else, even the word of God.
The Rabbinical version of this was finally set in the 10th century A.D. and it
continues in that form until today. It is
very important to note and should come as no surprise that the Rabbis do not use the
method of intercalation taught in the Bible.
However,
there are sects of Judaism which do use the method God teaches in the Bible.
We will address this later. I say this
with no relevance to following men, one over the other, but to show that all who profess
to be Jews, do not keep the same tenets.
The
Rabbinical calendar followed by many organizations starts its new year in the fall, on the
Feast of Trumpets, at the first day of the seventh month.
At least some of the time they do, for often they delay or postpone the start of
the seventh month to keep their traditions. These
are the dehiyyah of the Rabbis which we will review later.
They also count backwards 177 days from their new year to determine which day is
the Passover. If that sounds confusing, just
wait until you see why and how later. This is
the result of an elite group of individuals, or should I say, a group of, “elites”
claiming to have secret knowledge of God for the express purpose of having dominion over
your faith. We will see how quite often this
displaced the feasts, or appointed times, from falling on the day God intends them to.
Once
again as a reminder, the words of Christ to them:
6:
“. . . Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.
And
Isa. 1:14:
14:
“Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates. . .”
We
have a clear choice to make. Keep the
“appointed times” of the Lord or those of the Rabbinical Jews or for that matter, of
Rome, etc. We have a clear choice to make as
to the new moon of God or that of Rabbinical Judaism.
There
is a very big difference!
Now
lets look at how God says to determine what the start of His new year is and how to
intercalate the months to the growing seasons from His instructions to Moses and thus, to
us. Ex. 12:2:
2:
“This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year
to you.”
We
are using the lunar cycle here to determine both month and year.
But what month are they in? Ex. 13:4:
4:
“On this day you are going out, in the month Abib.”
There should be nothing difficult in this instruction here from God.