Sacred Calendar Booklet
"For as the new heavens and the new earth,
which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord,
so shall your seed and your name remain.
And it shall come to pass,
that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another,
shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD."

(Isaiah 66:22-23)

 A FREE printed copy of the Sacred Calendar booklet is available upon request.

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Contents

Part One

  1. Introduction / Aim
  2. Prophetic Time Spans
  3. The Nation of Israel
  4. The Christian Church & Israel
  5. The Almighty's Seal & Signature
  6. The Antichrist and his Mark
  7. The Millennial Reign
  8. Summary

Part Two:

Questions & Answers

Question 1: When does a month begin in the sacred calendar?
Question 2: When does a year begin in the sacred calendar?
Question 3: From where should the new moon be sighted?
Question 4: What are the harvest times in Israel?
Question 5: Why do some years in the Sacred Calendar have 13 months?
Question 6: Why do the Festival dates in the calendar printed by Stewarton Bible School (SBS) sometimes differ from the dates shown in the popular Jewish calendar?
Question 7: Do all Jews use the popular Jewish calendar?
Question 8: How does SBS set up the calendar?
Question 9: How may a religious organisation check to see if the pre-printed calendar it uses is correct?
Question 10: Where does faith come into this matter of keeping Feast Days?

APPENDIX A: New Moon Times & the Beginnings of Months for the years 1994 - 2005
APPENDIX B: 1994 Examples
APPENDIX C: Prophetic Time Spans
APPENDIX D: Scheduled Events in the Diary of God



Part One

1. INTRODUCTION / AIM

The aim of this booklet is threefold:

  1. To make the reader aware that Jehovah (Yahweh) the Almighty God of Israel uses His own calendar as the basis of His 'diary' to organise His work on earth; and that He has already appointed certain days, seasons and years in it during which He will perform His mightiest deeds in the Programme of Salvation.
  2. That the Almighty is about to draw universal attention to those appointed times by displaying signs in the sun, moon and stars.
  3. That the nation of Israel is still the chosen people of God; and that believing Gentiles, by virtue of their faith in Jesus Christ (Yeshua the Messiah) are grafted into the 'Olive of Israel' and are, thereafter, expected to express their faith in the LORD God of Israel by keeping His commandments.

The reader is advised to carefully preserve this booklet, for it contains rare information concerning the appointed days on which divinely predicted signs in the sun, moon and stars are expected; signs which will not only confirm the Holy Bible as the Word of God, but will cause all humanity to prepare for the Day of Judgement. With these opening thoughts in mind let us proceed.

The Need for a Calendar
Pause a while and consider the civil calendar hanging on your living room or office wall and ask yourself these questions. Why is it there? What is its true purpose? Where and how did the calendar originate? Is a calendar essential?

Your response would probably go something like this. The calendar is there to help me, my family and my fellow-workers keep track of time. Its purpose is to keep us in touch with appointments and events at home, in the office and abroad. No, I have little knowledge of where and how it originated.

Before answering the next question, Is it essential? try to imagine a world without a calendar; a world without pre-numbered days, months and years. Could society operate in a world without a calendar? I suppose it could - after a fashion; but it would be a crippled society at best. Why? Because planning further than a few days ahead would not be possible. All official, social, religious and sporting appointments would be extremely difficult to make; for no one would know on which day to meet. The entire legal profession, with its millions of carefully dated documents, would also be thrown into a state of total chaos. The activities of travel agents, airlines, hospital/dental surgeries and countless business organisations and clubs would slow to a snail's pace; for no one would be able to organise events more than a few days ahead. Without a calendar there would be no diaries, no long-term business, social or personal planning. Without question, a world without a calendar would be a world of frustrating confusion. Yes, you may be sure that a calendar of some sort is absolutely essential.

Currently there are several calendars in use throughout the world. Most are religious calendars used mainly to identify the dates of religious festivals celebrated by the faithful of the world's many religions. Amongst these is the sacred calendar of the God of Israel, the calendar this booklet is about. The sacred calendar is based on the movements of the sun and the moon. It is also linked directly to many Bible prophecies which describe world-encompassing events shortly to take place. Bible prophecy clearly tells us that there is coming a 'great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.' After the tribulation there will be 'signs in the heavens.'

Matt.24:29   Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.

Knowledge of the sacred calendar will stand you in good stead when those signs in the heavens appear. But more of this later.

The Gregorian Calendar
Besides the various religious calendars being used by mankind, there is the popular civil or Gregorian calendar. This is the calendar that hangs on the wall of almost every office in the civilised world. The Gregorian calendar takes its name from Pope Gregory X111, who reformed the Roman calendar in the year 1582. Before that time the civil calendar was called the Julian calendar, after the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar who had also made some alterations to the calendar in the year 46 BC. One of Caesar's amendments was to pattern the civil calendar on the calendar of ancient Egypt, which was at that time the only calendar in which the lengths of the months and years were fixed by definite rules. In other words, the civil calendar which hangs upon your office wall is similar in structure to the calendar that was used in ancient Egypt. Like its Egyptian ancestor, the civil calendar is governed by the sun alone, and its months (January to December) are in no way influenced by the moon. In the civil calendar a new moon can occur on any day in the month; days begin in the middle of the night (0.00 hour) and years (in the northern hemisphere) begin in the middle of winter on the 1st January.

The Sacred Calendar
By comparison the sacred calendar is strikingly different. In it the days begin and end at sunset, months begin at the sighting of a new moon and the years begin in Israel's spring, when nature awakens from its winter sleep. Not surprisingly, therefore, many creatures from tiny birds keeping to their 14, 21 or 28 day cycles, right through to the complex human body, are designed to keep in step with the weekly and monthly periods of the Creator's calendar.

Interesting though these points may be, they are, nevertheless, of small account when compared with these two all-encompassing facts:

The Most High not only reveals His plans to His servants the prophets, but, like every good managing director, His plans are carried out on schedule - at appointed times. And those appointed times are all linked to the sacred calendar, which has been in existence since the creation of the world. We read of the sacred calendar's use in the account of Noah's flood which was over 800 years before Israel came out of Egypt.

Gen.7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
Gen.8:4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
Gen.8:13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.
Here we can see that the sacred calendar was in use many hundreds of years before the first Jew (Judah) was born. The sacred calendar is in fact the oldest calendar known to man; and, if we may put it thus, is the only one that is linked to the diary of the LORD God of Israel. Stewarton Bible School (SBS) therefore, considers it an inestimable privilege to tell you about it; to briefly explain its structure and above all to help you keep your weekly and annual appointments with the Creator of the mighty universe. With these thoughts in mind let us begin by defining some of the basic terms used in this booklet.

THE DAY

In the sacred calendar a 24 hour day is the period of time between one sunset and the next. According to the Scriptures, days begin and end at sunset and are divided into two parts, evening and morning.

Evening: when the sun is down.
Mark 1:32 : And at even, when the sun did set…For further proof that days start and end at evening, sunset, at the going down of the sun, see Joshua 8:29, Joshua 10:26-27, 1 Kings 22:35-36, 2 Chron.18:34, 2 Samuel 3:35

Morning: when the sun is up.
Thus in Genesis chapter 1 we read how "the evening and the morning were the first day," "the evening and the morning were the second day," "the evening and the morning were the third day" and so on.

THE MONTH

A month in the sacred calendar is measured by the moon. A month is the period of time between one new moon and the next. A month begins when the new moon is sighted with the naked eye. The moon orbits the earth in about 29.5 days. Months in the sacred calendar may, therefore, be either 29 or 30 days in length: they cannot be 28 or 31 days in length. Note that the new moon mentioned here is not the astronomical new moon (conjunction), which is invisible; but the visible new moon as it is first sighted with the naked eye by an observer at Jerusalem. This point is explained further in Part Two, Question 1.

Months in the sacred calendar are usually, though not always, referred to in Scripture by their numbers, not by their names: i.e. 1st month, 2nd month, 3rd month, 7th month etc. Unlike most weekdays, however, months in the sacred calendar do have proper names, most of which are found in the Bible. The names of months are given below:

MONTHS IN THE SACRED CALENDAR
No. Name Bible Reference Comment
1 Abib / Nisan Exo. 12:2, 13:4, Esther 3:7 Sprouting/Budding
2 Zif 1 Kings 6:1 Blossom month
3 Sivan Esther 8:9 Third month
4 Tamuz Jeremiah 39:2 Name not in Bible
5 Ab Numbers 33:38, Zech.7:3 Name not in Bible
6 Elul Nehemiah 6:15 The gleaning month
7 Ethanim / Tishri 1 Kings 8:2 Perennial/seventh
8 Bul 1 Kings 6:38 Rain/Eighth
9 Chisleu Nehemiah 1:1, Zech.7:1 The Hunter/ninth
10 Tebeth Esther 2:16 Winter/tenth
11 Sebat Zech. 1:7 Eleventh
12 Adar Esther 8:12 Fire/twelfth

Note:
When a 13th month is periodically added to keep the sacred Feasts 'in their seasons,' (agricultural seasons) then the 12th month is called Adar 1 and the 13th month is called Veadar or Adar 2. In the literature published by Stewarton Bible School we usually refer to months by number. We do this for two reasons:

THE YEAR

A year in the sacred calendar begins in Israel's spring (March/April) and is the time between one spring season and the next. When the sacred calendar is printed in advance the new moon nearest the spring equinox is chosen to begin the year; that is, the new moon which normally coincides with the natural conditions in Israel which the ancient Sanhedrin looked for when they selected Abib's new moon. See the answer to Question 2 at the back of this booklet concerning the choice of Abib's new moon.

Most years in the sacred calendar consist of 12 months, each of 29 or 30 days. Thus, assuming six months at 29 days and six months at 30 days, a normal year would contain about 354 days. This figure is about 11.25 days short of a 365.25 day solar year, which is the time the earth takes to complete one orbit of the sun. In order to ensure that the Feasts of the Most High occur at their appointed seasons (Passover in the Spring, First Fruits in the summer and Tabernacles in the Autumn) it is necessary for this 11 day annual loss to be made good every two or three years. This is done by intercalating (adding) an extra month after the twelfth month to make the calendar harmonise with the solar year and the agricultural seasons. This extra month (Adar 2) results in a leap year - which has 13 months. See Part 2, Question 5 for further details about leap years.

To summarise the foregoing we may say that in the sacred calendar:

Note: In the popular Jewish calendar the year begins in autumn with the month of Ethanim (Tishri). Strictly, this is the start of the agricultural year. The religious year begins in the spring with the Passover month of Abib (Nisan).

Exo.12:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
Exo.13:4 This day came ye out in the month Abib.
Exo. 34:18 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.

In ancient times, years were usually numbered from important events such as a ruler's birth, coronation or death. Examples are:

Gen. 7: 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
Isa.6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died…
Luke 3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee…

THE WEEK

The week is another important cycle operating within the sacred calendar. It was designed by the Most High to regulate the physical, mental and spiritual welfare of the human race. Peoples of all religions have a seven day week; a fact which is strong proof that all nations came from a common ancestor who received the seven-day week from the Creator. At first glance the week appears to have no connection whatsoever with the movements of the earth, the moon and the sun. The week, however, forms the basis of an important spiritual cycle of sevens, which we refer to as the Sabbatical cycle. The sabbatical cycle figures extensively in Bible prophecy. The Sabbatical/Jubilee cycles mentioned in Leviticus chapter 25 are briefly described later in this booklet.

In the sacred calendar the days of the week are not named but numbered: first day, second day, third day etc. The main exception being the seventh day of the week, which is called the Sabbath. In the Roman civil calendar, the one currently used by virtually all the world, the days of the week are named after various pagan or planetary gods:

When conversing with the peoples of this world, it is necessary to use these popular names (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday etc.), else few would know what we were talking about if only the Biblical numbering system were used. But it should be remembered that these popular weekday names have pagan roots and are not found in the Bible.

THE SABBATH

In the Scriptures the seventh day of the week is called the Sabbath. The word Sabbath is synonymous with rest, repose, restoration, refreshment, calm, tranquillity, freedom, peace, harmony, holiness and sanctification. It is, therefore, a fitting sign of the Creator's character and aims. The divine record of the creation is brief; but it leaves one in no doubt that the Creator rested on, blessed and sanctified the seventh day of the week at the creation of the world. Notice what His Word says on this matter in:

Genesis 2: 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2: And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3: And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

Many people will be surprised to learn that the true Sabbath day is not Sunday but Saturday. Sunday is the first day of the week. Saturday is the seventh and in Scripture is called the Sabbath of the LORD. In other words Saturday is the true LORD'S's Day. The Sabbath starts at sunset on Friday evening and ends 24 hours later at sunset on Saturday evening. Lev 23:32 "From evening unto evening shall you celebrate your Sabbath." The Sabbath commandment is part of the Ten Commandments, which were written with the finger of God!

Exo.24:12 And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.
Exo.31:18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. (See also Deut.9:10)
The 4th Commandment
Exo.20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9: Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
You may read the Bible from cover to cover and you will not find a single verse which cancels or amends the Sabbath commandment. That is a fact. You will, instead, find many texts which call for the observance of Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, commonly called Saturday.

Yahweh's Sabbath Day
In view of the above facts, it is a mistake to refer to the Sabbath as the Jewish Sabbath; or that it is only to be observed by Jews. The Sabbath is Yahweh's Sabbath; or, as the Scriptures put it: the Sabbath of the LORD thy God! To be sure it is kept by Israel and the Jews; but it is not for Israel alone, any more than the Ten Commandments are for the Jews alone. According to the fourth commandment, even 'strangers' (Gentiles) are expected to keep the Sabbath day. If they obey this royal command, Gentiles will also be greatly blessed. Notice the word 'stranger' in the following texts:

Exo.20:8-10 Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy...in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Isa.56:6: Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; 7: Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer…
Yes, the Sabbath belongs to the LORD and, like all the other nine commandments, He made it to be remembered and kept holy by all nations. In obedience to this commandment the seventh day Sabbath was kept by all the great and holy personalities mentioned in the Bible:

Neither is there any evidence in the New Testament to suggest that the Saviour or his Apostles changed the Ten Commandments and transferred the sanctity of the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week. Instead, Jesus kept his Father's commandments (John 15:10). If he hadn't done so he would have been classified as 'a sinner.' But we read that the Saviour kept the Sabbath day as it was meant to be kept, much to the annoyance of the Scribes and Pharisees who had burdened the day with many petty, man-made restrictions. These the Master brushed aside. Commenting on the eternal nature of his Father's law the Saviour said these words:

Matt. 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Moreover the Master advised his followers, who were mostly Jews at that time, to pray to God that He might allow them to keep the Sabbath at the destruction of Jerusalem: which was to take place in AD70, some 40 years after the resurrection.

But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter,
neither on the sabbath day.
(Matt.24:20)

Pause and consider this text and see how pointless it would have been for the Saviour to have given this advice to his predominantly Jewish followers if the Sabbath commandment was going to be abolished at Calvary. The truth is, the Saviour had absolutely no intention whatsoever of doing away with or changing the Sabbath commandment. He had an extremely high regard for his Father's law; which he was instrumental in giving to Israel in the first place. (James 4:12) In short, the true Sabbath day is still the seventh day of the week, the day commonly known as Saturday!

This unequivocal fact means that those who break the Sabbath commandment are guilty of sin, whether they realise it or not; for '…sin is the transgression of the law.' (1 John 3:4) For further proof of this astonishing fact, see SBS article Is Sunday the Christian Sabbath?

THE FEAST DAYS

Hanging from the Sabbath commandment in the law of the Almighty are the seven annual Sabbaths of Jehovah the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel. Unlike the popular holidays of Christmas, Easter, Hallowe'en etc., which have absolutely no scriptural backing whatsoever, the Feasts of the Almighty are the sacred memorials of the Creator's mightiest acts in the Plan of Salvation; each and every one of them being an appointed anniversary of a distinct, decisive achievement in His plan. Yahweh's Feasts are the high days in His Diary. He looks forward to them in much the same way as we would some special anniversary or event. At this moment in time, most of them point to realities that are still future. But all through eternity the redeemed host will look back at these days and will then - year by year - commemorate the mighty deeds the Most High and His Son performed on them for the salvation of the human race. "What" you may well ask, "are the Almighty's Annual Sabbaths?" There are six Feast days and one Fast day. I list them:

  1. The First Day of Unleavened Bread which falls on 15th day of Abib, the first month in the sacred calendar.
  2. The Last Day of Unleavened Bread which falls on 21st day of Abib.
  3. The Feast of First Fruits (Pentecost) which occurs 50 days after the Passover Sabbath.
  4. The Feast of Trumpets which falls on the 1st Ethanim (the 7th month)
  5. The Fast of Atonement which falls on the 10th Ethanim.
  6. The Feast of Tabernacles which falls on the 15th Ethanim.
  7. The Last Great Day which falls on the 22nd Ethanim.

These are the seven annual memorial Sabbaths of the Almighty; which all peoples, Jew and Gentile alike, are commanded to observe. These days do not belong to any particular race or religion. They are not Jewish festivals. They are the Almighty's 'appointment times' and all nations are required to keep them. The Most High refers to them as 'My Feasts, My Sabbaths.'

Lev.23:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2: Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

For further information about these divinely appointed memorial Sabbaths of the Most High see the SBS booklet entitled: The Feast Days of the God of Israel.

SIGNS IN THE SUN, MOON & STARS

The sun, moon and stars were originally created by the Almighty to draw universal attention to the spectacular deeds He planned to perform on the appointed Feast days, seasons and sabbatical years in the sacred calendar. This astonishing fact is mentioned in the very first chapter of the Bible. Genesis 1:14 which says:

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven
to divide the day from the night;
and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

According to Strong's Bible Dictionary

In other words: the sun and moon were set in the heavens to signal the appointed sacred seasons, the set feasts, when Israel was to gather in worship at the Creator's tent of meeting. To be sure the sun and the moon determine the literal days, nights, seasons and years and they directly influence the climate. But the language of Genesis 1:14 goes far beyond these natural events. It tells of the spiritual reasons why the sun and moon were created. They were created I repeat:

Several Bible prophecies confirm the message of Genesis 1:14 by telling us that just before Jesus Christ returns to earth there will be 'signs in the sun and the moon.' Consider these verses:

Joel 2:10 The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
Joel 2:30-31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. 32: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered
Amos 8:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:
Matt.24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Rev.6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13: And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind....
Rev.8:12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

These predicted signs in the heavens are scheduled to happen shortly before Yeshua the Messiah returns to earth; and happen they will. When they occur they will provide unmistakable evidence that one of the Almighty's appointed seasons has begun and that the end of this age has arrived. World shattering events will occur at that time and all mankind will then become aware of the LORD'S requirements and His anger at the refusal of many to obey His law.

Rev.6:16: And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

If you believe the message of Genesis 1:14 then at each sacred festival you should be on the watch for celestial signs in the sun, moon and stars. Failure to keep the Almighty's appointments could mean that when those signs occur - as they surely will - the spiritual significance of the feasts and the prophecies to which they relate will be lost to you. To be sure you will marvel at those celestial signs, all humanity will, but you will not realise their spiritual significance and will be completely oblivious to what they mean and, more importantly, what you are expected to do.

Note:
Astrology is the study of the supposed influence of the stars on human affairs. A horoscope is an astrologer's forecast of future events, based on the position of stars and peoples' birthdays. The study of astrology and the daily reading of horoscopes is strongly condemned in the Scriptures. (Deut.4:19, 2 Kings 23:5) The signs in the sun, moon and stars mentioned in this booklet have nothing to do with the study of astrology or the reading of horoscopes. The celestial signs prophesied in the Scriptures will occur at the Almighty's appointed time. When they appear, it will be too late to rush about improving your understanding of God's Word. That must be done now, before it is too late. If on the other hand you are a believer, then do not be terrified when those signs appear, because they spell out good news to the obedient.

Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen,
and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven;
for the heathen are dismayed at them
.
(Jer.10:2)
2. PROPHETIC TIME SPANS

Bible prophecy is the news in advance. It is the Almighty telling humanity and the angel host what He is about to do or allow Satan to do. Studying Bible prophecy is like taking a look at the Diary of the Most High. When studied in conjunction with the sacred calendar, Bible prophecy is the most reliable evidence the church has that the Almighty is working to a divine timetable; one that is infinitely more reliable than the diaries and wall charts business managers use. Bible prophecy is also the LORD'S way of warning all mankind of approaching danger.

2 Pet.1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21: For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
Amos 3:7 Surely the LORD GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
Eze.33:11: Say unto them, As I live, saith the LORD GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
The Almighty does not want anyone to die; or even be caught unawares by the calamities about to occur on earth. So, through His prophets, He warns mankind to repent and live. Consider this amazing prophecy about end-time calamities preceding Jesus Christ's return to earth. Here we are given a preview of our earth being turned upside down and shaken by mighty earthquakes.

Isaiah 24: 1 Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. 2: And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. 3: The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word. 4: The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. 5: The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 6: Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

verse 19: The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. 20: The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. 21: And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. 22: And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. 23: Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

Rev. 16:19 ... and the cities of the nations fell...!

It is virtually impossible to imagine the devastation that will occur when these prophecies comes to pass. The very idea of the earth being 'utterly waste,' 'turned upside down' and 'reeling to and fro like a drunkard' is beyond human imagination! All the cities of the nations will then collapse in ruins and international trade will come to a shuddering halt. Yes, these are amazing prophecies and they are bound to happen at the 'appointed times' in the Almighty's calendar. This fact about 'appointed times' is repeatedly mentioned in the Scriptures. (i.e. Gen.18:14, Exo.9.5, 2 Samuel 24:15, Dan.8:19, 10:1, 11:35, Hab.2:3, Acts 17:31, Gal.4:2) Consequently when we study Bible prophecy in conjunction with the sacred calendar we are in fact looking at the 'Diary of the God of Israel.' We are being given a preview of earth-shaking events before they actually take place! The Most High is revealing His plans to us simply because the events that are about to occur concern the whole human race. In the books of Daniel and Revelation there are several prophecies involving exact periods of time. In this booklet these are referred to as Time Prophecies or Time Spans. They are:

  1. The 3.5 year period of Daniel 7:25, Daniel 12:7 & Rev.12:14
  2. The 42 month period of Rev.11:2 & Rev.13:5
  3. The 1260 day period of Rev.11:3 & Rev.12:6
  4. The 2300 day period of Daniel 8:14
  5. The 1290 day period of Daniel 12:11
  6. The 1335 day period of Daniel 12:12
  7. The 1000 year period of Revelation 20:2-6

Millions of Christians know little or nothing about these prophecies. They have never heard a sermon about them or studied them. Of the believers who have read them, the majority think that these prophecies have already been fulfilled and, therefore, do not concern the Christians living in our day. This is a tragic mistake, because these Time Prophecies concern events scheduled to occur in the days just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. In other words, they concern all humanity - today! Proof of this fact is given below.

No student of Bible prophecy will fail to recognise that current world events perfectly match the Master's warnings recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. The Saviour predicted that just before his return to earth, there would be an increase in wars, famines, disease epidemics, earthquakes, drought, floods, high winds, sexual immorality, violence and widespread unbelief. These signs are now evident all over the world. They are proof that we have reached the closing days of this age, the 'time of the end.' Also notice that the time prophecies listed above are not vague generalities, but exact periods of time. Important questions are : What do they mean? When do they start? When do they end? How do they concern me? You need to know the answers to these questions; because drifting in blissful ignorance towards disaster is certainly not for the sober minded.

A DAY FOR A YEAR

Before we attempt to answer these questions, let us first examine a popular theory which says that in Bible prophecy one day represents one year. Many Christian groups believe that these time spans in Daniel & Revelation (the 2300, 1260, 1290, 1335 days) all represent years and that they have all been fulfilled. For example the 2300 day prophecy of Daniel chapter 8, they believe, is telling of a period of 2300 years; and the 1260 day prophecy of Revelation 12:6 was 1260 literal years: all in the past! Is this the case? Does one day in Bible prophecy always represent one year? The answer is, not always. A prophetic day equals a year only when the prophetic language so implies, as it does in Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:1-6. If the language does not give this clear indication, as it does not in Dan.8:14, Dan.12:11-12, Matt.27:63, Rev.11:3 and Rev.20:4-5, then a day is a normal day and a year is a normal year.

How can we be sure that the time spans mentioned in Daniel 8 and Daniel 12 are literal days and not years? The answer is, we are plainly told by an angel messenger that this is the case; that the 2300, 1260, 1290 and 1335 day time prophecies will occur at the 'time of the end.'' Yes, we are told this fact. Here is proof.

The 2300 day Prophecy of Daniel 8
Dan:8:17 So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.
Dan.8:26 And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.
Most Bible students know that the phrases 'the time of the end' refers to the last days, that is, the time just prior to the Saviour's return. In other words this prophecy would find fulfilment 'many days' after it was given and it would come to pass in the days just before the Saviour returned to earth, in the appointed time of the end! We have now reached that time!

The 1260,1290 & 1335 day Prophecies of Daniel 12
Dan.12:8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9: And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10: Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
Dan.12:13 But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.
What are these texts saying? They are saying that the time prophecies of Daniel will be understood and then fulfilled 'at the time of the end,' at the 'end of days.' They would not be fulfilled in the distant past; but in the last days! The angel also told the prophet Daniel that he would 'rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.' In other words, Daniel would die and rise from his grave at the end of that time. We know from our study of Lesson 6 that the resurrection does not take place till Jesus Christ returns to earth. This means that these prophecies will end at Christ's return when Daniel, along with millions of other believers, will rise from their graves. (1 Thess.4:16-17).

This means that these prophecies, the longest of which is 2300 days (just under 6.5 years) will occur in about a seven year period just before the Saviour returns to earth. I repeat, the events predicted by these prophecies did not start in the distant past thousands of years ago. Instead, they will be understood and then fulfilled, as these texts clearly say, 'at the time of the end;' and that time, dear reader, has now arrived. In short, the day-for-a-year principle does not apply to the end-time prophecies of Daniel 8 and 12; and placing them in the distant past is a serious error. Not only is it wrong, but it is dangerous, because few believers will trouble to study them if they think they have all been fulfilled - when they obviously haven't.

Why, then, have some Christians placed these time prophecies in the distant past and used the 'day for a year' theory to explain them. The answer is because there is one prophecy in the book of Daniel where a prophetic day does represent one year and a prophetic week does equal seven years. That prophecy is found in Daniel chapter 9. It is the '70 weeks of years' prophecy concerning the return of the Jews from Babylon to the Promised Land, the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem and the death of the Messiah. In the prophecy recorded in Daniel 9 a day does equal one year. But not in the prophecies of Daniel 8 and 12. Remember this vital difference.

When comparing the prophecy of Daniel 8 with that of Daniel 9 we learn the following:

The 2300 day Prophecy of Daniel 8.

  1. This prophecy was given in the third year of the Babylonian king Belshazzar, about 553 BC, which was some 15 years before the 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel 9.
  2. In this prophecy a day equals one day of 24 hours, not one ordinary year.
  3. This prophecy concerns the 2300 day defilement of the heavenly sanctuary by the 'little horn' (the Beast, the Antichrist) who will dare to challenge the angelic host above and cast some of them down to earth. The Antichrist even challenges the 'Prince of the heavenly host' (Yeshua the Messiah). A more blasphemous move is hard to imagine.
  4. As pointed out above, the 2300 day prophecy is scheduled for fulfilment many years after it was given. It would come to pass at 'the appointed time of the end.' We are not told the starting year, but we are told that the central character is the little horn power (the Antichrist); and we know that he is scheduled to make his appearance just before Jesus Christ returns.
  5. Like the prophecy recorded in Daniel 7, this prophecy tells of the death of the 'little horn' power at the second coming of Jesus Christ. He is to be 'broken without hand.' That is, he will be supernaturally destroyed by the word of the 'Prince of princes' (Jesus Christ) at his return. These are vital clues, because they point to our immediate future.

The 490 year Prophecy of Daniel 9

This prophecy concerns a period of time lasting '70 weeks of years.' Seventy weeks of years equals 490 years. (70x7 = 490 years)

  1. This 490 year prophecy was given to Daniel in the first year of Darius the Mede. This was about 538 BC, some 15+ years after the vision of Daniel 8.
  2. In this prophecy the angel Gabriel tells the prophet Daniel the starting date. It was to start 'from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem.' This command was issued by the Persian king Artaxerxes. In this prophecy one day does equal one year. There is no doubt about this fact.
  3. At the divinely appointed time the Jews returned from Babylon and rebuilt Jerusalem. The prophecy went on to tell of the life and sacrificial death of Yeshua the Messiah (the Anointed One - Jesus the Christ).
  4. This prophecy drew to its close when the Saviour gave up his life on Calvary and the Jews stoned Stephen to death and, as a nation, rejected the Gospel.

As we can see the vision of Daniel 8 was given some 15 years before the prophecy of Daniel 9. More importantly, the starting dates of the two prophecies are over 24 centuries apart. The 490 year prophecy started when the 'commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem' went forth and ended 490 years later in the days of the Apostles. At its basic level the prophecy of Daniel 9 has already been fulfilled. It is past. But the 2300 day prophecy of Daniel 8 is still future. It will start at the 'time of the end' and end when the Messiah returns to earth and supernaturally destroys the Antichrist 'without hand.' The 2300 day prophecy is a 'high-level' forecast of the Antichrist's attack on the heavenly sanctuary and the throne of God! When that time comes, and it is very near, the 'little horn,' the 'man of sin' will rise from the Abyss and enter heaven itself. He will then defile the heavenly sanctuary and dare to take over the throne of the Almighty GOD! This blasphemous act, prefigured at its lower level by Absalom's rape of his father's wives on the palace roof (2 Samuel 16:20-22) is scheduled to take place in the very near future. See article Who/What is the Antichrist?

Having incorrectly assumed that the day-for-a-year principle applied to all the time prophecies in Daniel and Revelation, some leaders have placed the 2300 day prophecy of Daniel 8 in the past. They believe it started in the 457 BC and ended 2300 years later in the mid nineteenth century. But that is an error. One could hardly call 457 BC or even the nineteenth century the end of the world!

The 1335 day Prophecy of Daniel 12 is also future. Daniel was told by the heavenly messenger that he would be raised from his grave at the end of this period (Dan.12:13); and we know that the resurrection takes place at the Saviour's return. (1 Thess.4:16-17) The next question is: If these prophecies have not already occurred, then when do they begin? The answer is: No one knows the exact year, but here is a vital clue to consider:

The last-day time prophecies of Daniel 8 and 12 all slot into periods of time between Feast days in the sacred calendar! Begin counting from a sacred Feast in one year and lo! 2300, 1260, 1290 or 1335 literal days later another sacred Feast occurs.

These exact counts of 2300, 1260, 1290 or 1335 etc. are not limited to a single decade or century. They occur over and over again throughout time, keeping step with the sun and the moon; which, as we have already pointed out, were initially created by God to highlight the mighty deeds He planned to perform on His Feasts. At this very moment in time these exact counts move within the sacred calendar like cogs within the wheels of a divine wrist watch; moving that is, towards the appointed festivals when the prophecies they are designed to measure begin to occur. A few examples of exact counts which occur between a Feast day in one year and another Feast some 2300, 1260, 1290 or 1335 days later are given at Appendix C.

We now have three vital clues concerning the Time Prophecies in Daniel and Revelation. They are:

  1. Genesis 1:14 tells us that there will be signs in the sun, moon and stars to signal the sacred feasts of the Almighty God.
  2. Daniel 8:17,19,26 and Daniel 12:8-9 tells us that these prophecies will begin fulfilment at the 'time of the end' in the 'last days:' and will end at the resurrection when Jesus Christ returns to earth.
  3. These Time Prophecies slot into periods between a feast day in one year and another feast day 2300, 1260, 1290 or 1335 days later.

Understanding these three clues will ensure that the obedient followers of the Most High, the ones keeping Yahweh's Feasts, will not be caught unawares by events at the crisis at the end of the world which will be signalled by signs in the sun, moon and stars. In other words, when a celestial display coincides with a Feast day in the sacred calendar, (as promised in Genesis 1:14) it will be a clear signal to the festival-keeping church that one of those Time Prophecies has begun. That is the point being made here. The reader is advised to study this section again and again to fully grasp its significance.

SABBATICAL & JUBILEE YEARS

In Leviticus chapter 25 we are told that every seventh year is a Sabbatical year, a year of rest for the land. We are also told that every fiftieth year is a Jubilee.

Lev.25:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, 2: Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD. 3: Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; 4: But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.
Verse 9:Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. 10: And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. 11: A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. 12: For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. 13: In the year of this jubile ye shall return every man unto his possession.

A Jubilee is the 50th year; the year after the seventh sabbatical year. A Jubilee is not the 1st year of the next fifty year cycle. The Jubilee is a year in its own right. The next seven year cycle begins on the 51st year. Put differently we may say that there are two Jubilees in every century and 70 Jubilee cycles total 3500 years not 3430 years. Any Jewish rabbi will confirm this fact.

The Jubilee year is heralded the autumn before, on the Day of Atonement, by the blowing of a Yobel (shophar): the ram's horn trumpet. Lev.25:8-13. See passage quoted above. Close study of Leviticus chapter 25 reveals the following:

  1. The Jubilee is a Sabbath Year for mankind and the land. Israel was to live mainly off the crops produced in the 48th year; crops which would last for the 49th and 50th year, all the way through to the harvest of the 51st year.
  2. The Jubilee is a Year of Liberty! All prisoners and slaves were to be released.
  3. The Jubilee is a year of Financial Redemption, when all mortgages and debts were to be cancelled.
  4. The Jubilee is the Acceptable Year of the LORD, when all forms of isolation would end and happy communion with one's family and the LORD will be restored.

Sad to say, ancient Israel failed to recognise the lessons from Yahweh's Jubilee blueprint. The nation seldom - if ever - kept it as instructed. Nevertheless the Most High is keeping to His appointed plan, and the spiritual realities to which a Jubilee points (redemption, freedom, reconciliation and miraculous growth) will be fulfilled when the appointed time arrives and the redeemed slaves of sin finally meet their heavenly Father and enter their eternal inheritance. The Jubilee Year will be announced on a soon-coming Day of Atonement with a trumpet blast from heaven, as foreshadowed in the blueprint instructions given to Moses.

A JUBILEE SERMON

Can we identify a Jubilee Year? I believe we can, but not with absolute accuracy - yet. This is how we in SBS see it. According to Luke 3:1-21 Jesus was baptised by John in the 15th year of the Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea. Depending on which historian you believe, that was between the years AD 26 and AD 30. For the purpose of this booklet we'll say that the 15th year of the Emperor Tiberius was AD 28.

Luke 3:1: Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 2: Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3: And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

If you study Luke chapters 3 and 4 you will see that immediately after his baptism Jesus went into the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil (Luke 4:1-13). Then after 40 days he returned to Nazareth and entered the synagogue (verses 14-19). In the synagogue he was given the Scriptures to read and after finding the place he read from Isaiah chapter 61. That chapter tells of the spiritual realities to which a Jubilee points. It tells of how the Messiah would:

That sermon was preached in the 15th year of the Emperor Tiberius; when the Saviour began his earthly ministry in fulfilment of the prophecy.

A JUBILEE YEAR

Compare those spiritual realities with the directions listed in Leviticus 25 and you will see that the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar was in all probability a Jubilee year and the Saviour was, in fact, preaching a Jubilee sermon! That is why the Master stopped his normal work and invited his disciples to give up theirs in order to proclaim the Gospel of Salvation. He was, in fact, keeping the Jubilee command to rest from his ordinary labours. The year in question was, as recorded in Luke 3:1, the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar; which, give or take a year or two, was AD 28. If AD 28 was a Jubilee, then the next Jubilee would occur 50 years later in AD 78 and the one after that in AD 128. In other words the 28th and 78th years in every century are Jubilee years. Counting 2 Jubilees to every century would bring us to the start of the 40th Jubilee in the year 'about' 1978. Again I use the word 'about' simply because historians differ as to which was the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar.

TIME CYCLES OF 40s

Bible students all know that many events recorded in the Scriptures occurred in cycles of 40: 40 days, 40 nights, 40 years in the wilderness etc. We also know that many, if not all, Old Testament experiences have high-level spiritual parallels.

1 Cor.10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

The word 'ensample,' in this context, means to 'prefigure a future person or thing.' In other words, Israel's bygone experiences, as recorded in the Old Testament, were types, shadows, examples, living blueprints and real-life dramas which prefigured realities scheduled to occur on a world scale in our day! One such reality is that Yahweh's people, like ancient Israel in the wilderness of Sinai, are also circling in the spiritual wilderness of human society; but this time it is for 40 Jubilees! The 40 Jubilee cycles are due to end in about AD 2028. Will time last that long? Will our wilderness wanderings last all of 40 Jubilees - till AD 2028? We think not, because the Master clearly told us that the time will be cut short.

Matt.24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

This means that the Saviour could return before the 40th Jubilee cycle has run out - before AD 2028. How many years before that date we do not know. Indeed no one knows the exact time of the Saviour's return; any more than a midwife knows the exact moment of a child's birth, especially if a premature birth is involved.

Matt.24:36: But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

What we do know is that we are well into the 40th Jubilee since Yeshua preached his Jubilee sermon in the 15th year of Tiberius (AD 28). We also know that the 'time will be cut short.' Moreover we know that when one or another of those Time Prophecies is about to begin, the Almighty will signal the day, the season or the year with signs in the sun, moon and stars.

How does Israel reckon a Jubilee?

The nation of Israel also reckons a Jubilee to be the 50th year; and that there are two Jubilees per century. But Israel considers that Jubilee years occur in the 15th and 65th year of every century. Jubilee years, according to their reckoning, began in the autumn of 1815, 1865, 1915, 1965 etc. Arthur Spier, a world-famous Jewish authority, in his book The Comprehensive Hebrew Calendar says this about the Jubilee cycle:

"The 50-year cycle, or the Yobel (Jubilee) years. They were counted according to Maimonides, only as long as the Temple was in existence. Every 15th and 65th year in each century of the World Era are Yobel years, and the intermediary years represent the seven cycles of the Shemittah (release) years. 2815, 2865, 3815, 3865, 4815, 4865 would be examples of the Yobel years." (para C on page 225)

Stewarton Bible School agrees with Israel that Jubilee cycles are 50 years in length and that two Jubilees equal 100 years. But we have reservations about the Jubilee years being the 15th and 65th year of each century. Much rather would we go by the Saviour's Jubilee sermon in AD 28 and say that the 28th and 78th year of each century are Jubilee years.

NOTE: Israel is currently (1998) celebrating a civil Jubilee to commemorate the 50 year-old State; which was officially proclaimed a State on Friday 14th May 1948. Do not confuse this civil Jubilee with the sacred Jubilee mentioned in Scripture.

THE SPIRITUAL JUBILEE CROP

All Yahweh's agricultural laws have spiritual applications. In other words, laws concerning animals and crops also concern us humans who are as 'sheep in the Almighty's flock' and 'plants in His garden.' Few believers realise that the last day, commandment-keeping church is in fact the 'spiritual Jubilee crop' to which Leviticus 25 is pointing. A Jubilee crop according to that chapter is:

Yahweh gave the Jubilee illustration or model to teach mankind a mighty spiritual lesson about His last-day church, the real Jubilee crop! If you carefully read Leviticus 25:18-24 you will see how that the spiritual Jubilee crop (the end-time church) would, with divine assistance alone, produce spiritual fruit for Yahweh's honour and glory. So I repeat:

Commandment-keeping believers of the last-days are the real Jubilee crop! With Yahweh's help we are about to proclaim the Truth that will bear the everlasting fruit of righteousness for His glory.

Publishing truth-filled literature is an initial step towards learning and reproducing Truth. Very shortly, however, the Holy Spirit, unaided by popular material or mechanical resources such as money, printing/copying equipment, TV, radio, the Internet etc., will multiply the spiritual harvest the Jubilee crop represents. The final work of proclaiming the Everlasting Gospel to earth's billions will be done in the last days by preachers who will themselves comprise the Jubilee crop! Like the agricultural Sabbatical and Jubilee crops of Leviticus 25 we will fulfil Yahweh's plan and finish His work on time - aided by His Spirit alone! Without the help of money, television, radio, video/cassette tapes, the printing press or the Internet, the Everlasting Gospel will be 'preached' to all the world just as it was in the days of the Apostles. That will be the real Jubilee Crop. We will literally 'preach' the Everlasting Gospel like it has never been preached in earth's entire history; and the work will be finished - on time!

And this gospel of the kingdom
shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations;
and then shall the end come.
(Matthew 24:14)

3. THE NATION OF ISRAEL

The tiny nation of Israel is of mighty significance in this troubled world. With a population of about six million, Israel has become the focus of attention to all peoples. Geographically and economically, Israel sits at the control centre of the world. Its capital, Jerusalem, has been revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims for millennia; and Israel's God has been worshipped by billions of believers of all nations since time began.

Why is this tiny nation so important? And how is it that Israel exerts so great an influence on mankind? The answer is: Because the Almighty God is with Israel! Without Him, Israel would be as unimportant as the weakest nation on earth - as nothing! Yes, the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is with Israel. In the Bible He refers to Himself as the God of Israel or the holy One of Israel over 230 times! The pages of His diary are filled with appointments with Israel. Over the centuries the Most High has shared His plans with Israel. Through Israel came His law, His prophets and finally Yeshua His only begotten Son - the Messiah! Yes, Yahweh is with Israel! To be sure other nations and individuals count; but only as they affect Israel and relate to Israel's Saviour - the Son of God! The Bible is, in fact, the record of Israel's history and Israel's future. Let us further consider why this nation is so important.

ISRAEL, YAHWEH'S CHOSEN PEOPLE

No matter what the majority of mankind think, no matter what the Christian church may believe or preach, the fact is the nation of Israel is the chosen people of God! Not chosen because she is intrinsically better than other nations; but because of Yahweh's great love for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and because He is keeping to an oath made to Abraham many centuries ago. This fact is plainly taught in the Bible:

Deut.7:6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. 7: The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 8: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Deut.10:15: Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.
Deut.14:2 for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.
Isa.41: 8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. 9: Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away
Anti-Semitism
The people of Israel and the city of Jerusalem have been the focus of attention for centuries. Anti-Semitism began centuries before the days of Hitler's Germany and may be traced as far back as the 3rd millennium BC. Sad to say the Christian church is as guilty of Anti-Semitism as any other religious body. Consider these views as recorded by prominent writers:

Yes, anti-Semitism has been around for thousands of years and every nation and religion - including Christianity - is guilty. Today the eyes of the world are again on the people of Israel; simply because an all-out war in the Middle East would drag the whole world into war; not to mention its catastrophic effect on the economies of all nations. The Jews, bear in mind, are major players in world economic affairs and control more of the world's money than most people remotely imagine. Surrounded as she is by her enemies, Israel is a nation living under constant threat. Never a week passes but Israel is in the news. Why is this? What makes Israel so important? How has this tiny nation become the centre of attention to the whole world? What hypnotic power does Israel possess with God and man? The answers are many and amazing to say the least. Let us consider a few.

ISRAEL'S REBELLION

Israel was the name given to Abraham's grandson Jacob when he successfully wrestled all night with God at a place called Peniel, which means 'I have seen God face to face.'
Gen.32:27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28: And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

The Most High chose the descendants of this man Israel (Jacob), gave them His law and placed them in the Promised Land with the intention of using Israel as a channel of instruction and blessing to all nations. Through Israel came the law, the prophets and eventually the Son of the Most High (Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus the Christ)

Rom.3:1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? 2: Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. 3: For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

Alas! Israel, in the main, failed to live up to Yahweh's hopes. Israel rejected the Almighty's law and grievously sinned. Israel rejected the oracles of God, broke the everlasting covenant, murdered most of Yahweh's prophets and crowned her rebellion by crucifying His Son Yeshua. The story of Israel's rebellion against their God goes back a long way, long before New Testament times.

2 Kings 17:9 And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God … verses 13: Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. 14: Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God. 15: And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them. 16: And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
Jer.6:16 Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. 17: Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. 18: Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. 19: Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.
Matt.27:22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. 23: And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.

The reader must not forget, however, that ancient Israel's rebellion against Yahweh's law has been duplicated by the Christian church. Modern Christians, in other words, are no better than the people of ancient Israel. They too are rejecting Yahweh's law and polluting His Sabbaths just as Israel did. All nations are guilty of lawlessness, of sin. All have come short of the glory of God. So do not secretly look down on the Jew as though he were a spiritually inferior person, because we Christians are no better than the Jews.

Rom.3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12: They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

THE SCATTERING OF ISRAEL

How then did the Almighty respond to ancient Israel's rebellion and rejection of His law and of His Son? The Almighty carried out the punishments given through His prophet Moses. One of those punishments was banishment from the Promised Land. This happened: Yahweh scattered Israel, scattered His chosen people to the four corners of the earth. The warning to scatter Israel, if she persisted in disobedience, was made centuries before the event took place. Texts about the scattering of Israel are legion. I quote a few:

Deut.4:25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke him to anger: 26: I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. 27: And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you.
Deut.28:64 And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. 65: And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
Eze.20:23 I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries; 24: Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols. For further study see: Lev.26:33, Psa.44:11, Jer.9:16, Jer.49:32-36, Eze.12: 14-15, 22:15-16, Neh.1:8.
ISRAEL NOT ABANDONED

Even though ancient Israel sinned grievously and was scattered to the four corners of the earth, the Almighty did not abandon His people. To be sure He punished Israel over and over again with war, famine, and pestilence: but the Holy ONE of Israel has not abandoned His people. Israel is still the chosen race! The LORD God is still with Israel! Pause awhile and consider these little-known divine promises.

Eze.11:16 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Although I have cast them far off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. 17: Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.
Jer.31:35 Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: 36: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. 37: Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD.

The Apostle Paul continues this thought in the New Testament when he cautions Gentile believers not to imagine that God has abandoned or cast away Israel; because He hasn't.

Rom.11:1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2: God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying,

In other words, the people of Israel are still the chosen race and will continue to be as long as the immeasurable universe exists! Pause a while, dear reader, and dwell on that stunning fact! That is what the LORD God of Israel is saying in His Word.

THE RE-GATHERING OF ISRAEL

Even while the Most High was predicting the Diaspora (the scattering of Israel) He was also forecasting Israel's re-gathering. Over and over again He said that He would re-gather His scattered people; and bring them back from the four corners of the earth to the land He had promised to give them. That is why that land is called The Promised Land! The re-gathering of Israel is predicted over and over again in the Scriptures. Once more I quote and list a few of the many texts as proof:

Deut.30:1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 2: And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3: That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. 4: If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: 5: And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.
Eze.11:17 Therefore say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel. (Also read: Jer.29:14, Jer.31:10, 32:34-41, Neh.1:9, Psa.107:3, Isa.43:5, Eze.34:12-31. 37:21, Mic.2:12)

Is a re-gathering of Israel taking place? To be sure it is. Consider the statistics of Jews returning to Israel since the nation was reborn on 14/5/48.
          1948 ...    657,000
          1950 ... 1,203,000
          1958 ... 1,810,000
          1962 ... 2,069,000

Currently thousands of Jews, especially from the former Soviet Union, return to Israel every year and the population is heading towards 6,000,000 mark.

Isaiah 11:11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 12: And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Isaiah 43:5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; 6: I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;
Eze.39:27 When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; 28: Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which cause them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.

Yes, Bible prophecies concerning Israel's return to the Promised Land are being fulfilled before our very eyes. The descendants of Jacob are returning in their millions to the land of their fathers; and the Christian church, in the main, stands bewildered at events it doesn't understand, simply because it believes that Israel was abandoned by God and replaced by a Gentile church. Oh what a tragic misconception that is!

ISRAEL REFINED AS SILVER

What does Yahweh plan to do after re-gathering Israel? What does His Holy Word the Bible tell us? It tells us that the Most High is going to refine Israel as a silversmith refines silver; with the sole intention of producing an obedient and holy nation, a nation that will reflect His perfect character. He is going to do this for His great Name's sake, which Israel has profaned among the nations by its sinful practices. Yahweh is about to act, not because the Jews are better in any way than Gentiles, because they are not, but to clear His slandered Name and reputation throughout this rebellious planet.

Eze.22:15 And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee. 16: And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. 17: And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 18: Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. 19: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. 20: As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. 21: Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. 22: As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out my fury upon you.
Eze.36:21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. 22: Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. 23: And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. 24: For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 25: Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26: A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27: And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 28: And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
That refining work has already begun! Israel is being purified.

ISRAEL'S FUTURE

According to Bible prophecy Yahweh is going to gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle. The city is going to be captured and be under Gentile domination for a period of 42 months, 1260 days or 3.5 years. Texts concerning this last-day confrontation are numerous. Zech.12:3, Hos.10:10, Micah 4:11, Joel 3:1-14, Zech.14:1-2 and Rev.11. These predictions, though partially realised in days gone by, will all find fulfilment in the near future.

Points to note are:

  1. Israel is unwelcome in the Middle East.
  2. Israel will lose most of her friends as she clings to territory promised her by the Creator centuries ago. The world does not recognise the promises Yahweh made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, so is unimpressed with Israel's claim to the Promised Land. The world dismisses such claims as ridiculous. But mankind is about to learn two stunning truths:
  3. Muslim hatred will increase towards Israel. Israel's allies will desert her one by one; simply because religious and economic pressures will become too much for them. Israel will be shunned by hitherto friendly nations. She will even be looked upon as the cause of Middle Eastern turmoil; and her stubborn claim to territory and mishandling of Arabs will be abhorred. Soon world opinion will be galvanised against Israel. Anti-Semitism will sweep the globe and Jews will again be massacred in many lands. To be sure many noble efforts for peace will be put forth; but they will not produce peace. Peace in the Middle East will only come when Yeshua the Prince of Peace arrives. Till that time expect growing hatred, turmoil, violence and war.
  4. All nations will unite in an attack on Jerusalem and the city will be taken. For 42 months (3.5 years) Jerusalem, where our LORD was crucified, will be under the 'heel of the Gentiles.'
  5. After Jerusalem's 42 month subjugation the Messiah (Jesus Christ) will return to earth and deliver the city. He will descend upon the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and liberate the city.

When these final events occur, Israel will have reached a degree of purity and faithfulness never known before. The decimated nation will be as 'pure silver.'

4. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH & ISRAEL

Over the years the Christian church has made many serious mistakes; one of which was to suppose that because Israel, in the main, rejected the Son of God, Yahweh abandoned His chosen people and transferred His favours and work to the Gentile church. As mentioned previously, this is a colossal error; because the Most High promised never to abandon His chosen people Israel. All that happened when the leaders of Israel rejected Jesus Christ was that the Holy Spirit directed certain Apostles to take the Gospel to the Gentiles, who had previously been mostly excluded from Yahweh's Truth. When Paul and Barnabas answered that call, the 'Time of the Gentiles' began and a partial spiritual blindness settled on Israel. But Israel was not abandoned. She was simply blinded to the Gospel which she had stubbornly refused to accept. That spiritual blindness is being removed at this very moment as thousands of Israelis around the world accept Yeshua and the Gospel of Salvation their forefathers rejected many centuries ago.

ABRAHAM'S SEED

Another fact that comparatively few Christians realise is that every believer in Jesus Christ is considered by the Almighty to be a 'child of Abraham.' In other words Gentiles who believe in Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) are spiritual Israelites - Jews! Here is proof of this little-known fact:

Rom.2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Gal.3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27: For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28: There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29: And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
In the book of Romans Paul further figuratively explains how Yahweh prunes away unbelieving Israelites from the Olive of Israel and in their place grafts in believing Gentiles. In other words, believing Gentiles become spiritual Israelites and thereafter partake of the goodness of the Olive of Israel. Jews are not grafted into the Gentile church. It is the other way around; believing Gentiles are grafted onto the Olive of Israel; we become joint-heirs of the Kingdom of God with the Jews! Believing Gentiles, therefore, should not insult Israelis by assuming that Yahweh has abandoned them in favour of the Christian church. Because that is certainly not the case. To fix this little-known fact in your mind, let me again quote the Apostle Paul:

Rom.11:16 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. 17: And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18: Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 19: Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. 20: Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee… 25: For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26: And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Eph.3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

In view of these amazing facts, everyone, especially Christians, should treat the people of Israel - and their fellow Christians for that matter - with respect. To be sure, some Jews as in the days of old, are the 'children of the Devil' (John 8:44); but the whole nation must not be condemned because of the few. The Jew is the 'Apple of God's eye' and all who oppose them will find themselves fighting God! (Zech.2:7-8) How true were the words of the mercenary prophet Balaam, who, in spite of himself, pronounced this eternal truth as he lifted up his eyes and beheld the people of Israel:

Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.
(Numbers 24:9)

CHRISTIAN BLINDNESS

It is also a dangerous thing for Gentile Christians to smugly gloat over Israel's blindness in rejecting Jesus and his Gospel. Gentile boasting is out of order, because the church, though paying lip service to Jesus Christ, has rejected the very commandments the Saviour came to magnify. The Bible tells us that Jesus came to save mankind from sin, that is from disobedience.

Matt.1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS:
for he shall save his people from their sins.

Rom.8:3-4 ... God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

In other words, the purpose for which Jesus came to earth was to save believers from sin, that is, from breaking God's law, from disobedience. His final objective is 'that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us.' But what do we find in the Christian church? We find that millions, like ancient Israel, have abandoned the law of God and are sinning with impunity. Indeed the average person would be hard pressed to tell you even five of the Ten Commandments, let alone all ten. Why this almost incredible ignorance of so important a law? The answer is, because the Ten Commandments are not being taught in most churches and schools. The law of God is considered, by many, to be impossible to keep and is now obsolete. Some even go so far as to say that it is barbaric! As for the Sabbath commandment, it has become an embarrassment to most Christian ministers and priests. Few will ever preach about Sabbath-keeping. But the fact remains, that without the Ten Commandments it is impossible to define sin, let alone cope with sin's horrifying consequences.

The Bible says:
Rom.3:20 ... for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Rom.7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

In other words, God's law tells us what actions are right and acceptable and what actions are wrong and unacceptable - to Him. If the Ten Commandments are not taught in the schools and churches, then men, women and children will have absolutely no idea how to behave. Nor will they feel guilty when they sin. They will do as they please and the rule of the jungle will take over. Is it any wonder that there is so much evil in the world, so much violence and vice, so much sexual immorality and sin? It is because the knowledge of righteousness, which God's law alone imparts, is fading from the earth. Comparatively few people know anything about the Almighty's standard of morals. His commandments are not being taught any more; so evil is taking over. As for the weekly and annual Sabbaths of the LORD, they are despised and rejected. In their place we find an array of human traditions and pagan celebrations - all abhorrent to the Most High. Consider these staggering quotations about pagan holidays in the Christian calendar.


CHRISTMAS

Christmas is not a Bible festival. It is an ancient pagan festival masquerading as the birthday of the Son of God.

EASTER

What about Easter? How did this pagan, fertility festival enter the Christian calendar? Most certainly there is no mention of Easter eggs in the Scriptures; no mention of bunny rabbits. Where did they come from? Is it wrong to celebrate Easter? The facts will surprise you; but here are a few quotations about Easter from Alexander Hislop's famous book The Two Babylons, published by S W Partridge & Co., 4 Soho Sq., London. (ISBN 0 7136 0470 0).

Similar quotations can be found in Hislop's 330 page book about other pagan traditions which over the centuries have crept into the Christian calendar, false teachings such as:

Not one of these practices is endorsed in the holy Scriptures. They are pagan through and through. They were adopted centuries ago by a spiritually blind ecclesiastical hierarchy which had absolutely no idea of the sinfulness of its actions. Celebrating these pagan festivals is nothing but baptised idolatry; and as such is abhorrent to the Almighty and His Son.

THE TRADITIONS OF MEN

To be sure, there is nothing wrong with a human tradition - if it does not clash with a command of the Almighty God. But if a tradition conflicts with a divine commandment, as most of the popular Christian festivals do, then once they are recognised for what they are, their continued acceptance will neutralise one's worship, making it vain, pointless and futile. Their continued use can even jeopardise one's salvation. This frightening fact is clearly taught by the Master himself:

Mark 7:6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7: Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Matt.15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9: But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
The Christian church is guilty of placing the traditions of men above the commandments of God. The celebrating of Christmas, Easter, Ash-Wednesday, the Nativity of St John, the Feast of the Assumption, Hallowe'en and Sunday etc. are all human traditions. Not one of these festivals was authorised by the LORD God. They are all spiritual weeds in the Garden of Salvation. Celebrating them in preference to Yahweh's Sabbaths is no more than self-deluding idolatry. These facts may stun or even anger some who read them. But they must be told. Because replacing a divine commandment with a human tradition is a very serious sin. At the coming Judgement would you forgive me for not telling you the Truth?

Then came his disciples, and said unto him,
Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?
But he answered and said,
Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
(Matt.15:12-14)

5. THE ALMIGHTY'S SEAL

At its basic level a seal is a legal device used to stamp a name, coat of arms or logo on some impressionable material like wax, clay or paper. On the spiritual level Yahweh seals the impressionable minds of His people with His Law, His Name and His Character. In the covenant made at Sinai the Almighty wrote His law on tablets of stone. But the majority in Israel were unwilling to obey it. In fact they despised the holy commandments and broke them with impunity. In the new covenant, which is also made with the people of Israel, the Almighty plans to write His law in His true followers' minds and hearts. It will become part of our nature. Obedience will then be as instinctive as breathing.

THE SEALING WORK

The sealing work is detailed in Revelation chapter 7. It will not take place till the events of Rev. 6:12-17 (the 6th Seal) have occurred. Only then will the 144,000 Israelites be sealed. Who are these people? Where are they sealed? Who seals them? With what are they sealed?

The answer is:
The 144,000 are true Israelites who are sealed, in their foreheads (minds)by the Holy Spirit, with God's Law. In some mysterious way the Holy Spirit is going to impress Yahweh's law on every true believer's mind; overwrite with perfect obedience our natural tendency to sin. We will then instinctively obey the divine commandments and will obey them to perfection. By doing so we will reflect Yahweh's name, His character and His holiness in our every thought, word and deed. We will be perfectly holy people - through and through! That's what knowing the Almighty's Name means. And how do we know that we are to be sealed with obedience?

The answer is: the Bible tells us:
Isa.8:16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
Heb.8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. 8: For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10: For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, : for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
Heb.10:15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16:This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17: And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

THE ALMIGHTY'S SIGN (SIGNATURE)

At its basic level a signature is a sign or inscription of a person's name. If you were asked to sign a cheque or document, you would inscribe your name on it. Your sign is your signature, your name. On the spiritual level the God of Israel refers to His Sabbath days as His Sign or signature; and like His law He inscribes His signature on the obedient believer's mind.
Exo.31:12 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 13: Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you…16: Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 17: It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever:
Eze.20:12 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them. 20: And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.

Yahweh's Sabbaths (note the word Sabbaths is in the plural, meaning the weekly and annual Sabbaths) constitute His signature. They are the SIGN of the everlasting covenant. Throughout eternity they will be remembered (kept in mind) and celebrated as the memorials of salvation; the days on which Yahweh accomplished His mightiest deeds in the redemption of mankind. Yahweh's Sabbath days will be kept throughout eternity because they are the sacred seeds of His planting, eternal memorials of His mightiest deeds in the Plan of Salvation. Unlike pagan traditions, they will never be uprooted or forgotten.

6. THE ANTICHRIST & HIS MARK

Bible prophecy tells us that in the last days, just before the return of Jesus Christ, the Antichrist will come. He will pose as Christ himself. He will do mighty miracles and deceive millions into accepting the claim that he is the real Jesus Christ, God in human flesh! The Antichrist is known by various names and descriptions. They are:

The Bible gives us many clues concerning the identity of the Antichrist. Six clues are briefly considered below:

CLUE No.1 ... The Antichrist is the 'Lawless One'
2 Thess.2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

He is called the man of sin (another word for lawlessness) because he vainly thinks that he can change the law of the Almighty God. According to the prophet Daniel the particular commandments the Antichrist vainly imagines he can change are the ones which deal with the element of time. In other words the Sabbath commandments; for they alone deal with the element of time.

Daniel 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws:

The Aramaic word sh@na' {shen-aw'} means to change, transform, frustrate. And the Aramaic word z@man {zem-awn'} means a set time or season. In other words the Antichrist would attempt to change, transform and frustrate the Almighty's set or appointed times in God's law. And that is exactly what the Lawless One has tried to do by introducing all these pagan festivals.

CLUE No.2: ... The Antichrist lived before the year AD 96.
When the prophecy of the Revelation was being given (about AD 96) the Antichrist, the Beast was, to all intents and purposes - dead!

Rev.17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not...

CLUE No.3: The Antichrist will rise to life from out of the Bottomless Pit.
Rev.11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Rev.17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition…

What is the Bottomless Pit? Where is the Bottomless Pit?

According to Strong's Bible Dictionary the Greek word abussos {ab'-us-sos} translated 'Bottomless Pit' is the bottomless, unbounded abyss: a pit of immeasurable depth: a very deep gulf or chasm in the lowest parts of the earth used as the common receptacle of the dead and especially as the abode of demons

In the Gospel of Luke we read how evil angels in times past begged Jesus not to order them to the 'deep,' the abussos, the Bottomless Pit, the Abyss, the angel penitentiary where the Beast is being held captive.
Luke 8:31 And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.
2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.
Jude 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
In other words, many evil angels are currently being held captive in the Abyss (the Bottomless Pit, a place in the lowest parts of the earth) where they await their Day of Judgement. Free-roaming demons are terrified of being sent there. This clue tells us that the Antichrist comes from that place - the Abyss!

CLUE NO.4 ... When the Antichrist rises from the Abyss he will reveal himself to mankind and claim to be God!
Rev.17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
2 Thess.2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4: Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

CLUE No.5: .. The Antichrist will reign for three and a half years (42 months).
After being released from the Abyss the Antichrist will begin a world-wide reign of terror which is scheduled to last three and a half years or 42 months. During this period virtually every person on earth will worship the Antichrist as God!

Dan.7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

This makes a total of three and a half years or 42 months.

Rev.13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. 6: And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7: And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8: And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

CLUE No.6: Antichrist will attack the armies of heaven and challenge Jesus Christ at his coming.
According to the prophecy of Daniel 8 the Little Horn will attack the army of heaven, enter the heavenly Temple and cast many of God's holy angels to the earth. He will even dare to challenge Jesus Christ, the Prince of the heavenly host and will marshal the armies of earth to fight the Saviour at his second coming.
Dan.8:10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. 11: Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
Rev.19:19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20: And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

POPULAR OPINIONS ABOUT ANTICHRIST

Incredible as it may seem, not one of the popular opinions about the Antichrist which are circulating Christendom today fits these six scriptural clues. Let us now list some of the popular opinions concerning the Antichrist:

If you compare each of these entities with those six clues you'll soon see that not one of them can possibly be the Antichrist. Most do not fit even two clues, let alone all six. To find out the answers, see:  Who/What is the Antichrist?      What is his Mark?

7. THE MILLENNIAL REIGN

The Oxford Dictionary defines the word 'millennium' as the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ on earth... a period of great happiness and prosperity for everyone.

No one will doubt, but that the world desperately needs peace, happiness and prosperity. For six thousand years man has tried to govern himself and has miserably failed. Every style of government has been tried, not to mention the countless human laws that have been formulated in the process. All have proved incapable of bringing peace, prosperity and happiness to the human race. Look about you and take note of the misery in the world. Man's problems are totally out of control. We are all well able to recognise the world's problems, but no leader, group of leaders or government is able to cure them. Anarchy now faces many nations. Scores of political systems and thousands of laws have come and gone. All are impotent. All have miserably failed. But this will all change when the millennium starts. For the first time in human history the world will see a successful world government.

Bible prophecy tells us that the Messiah's millennial reign is near. It is about to begin. We have seen Israel regathered to the Promised Land. We now see world hostility against Israel rising by the week. Zechariah tells us in chapter 14 of his book that all nations will gather against Jerusalem to battle and the city will be captured. The Gentiles will then brutally dominate Jerusalem for three and a half years. We are nearing that time. Zechariah's prophecy goes on to say that Israel's Messiah, the Son of God, will then come and liberate Jerusalem from Gentile rule. He will then begin his world-wide reign from that city. Jerusalem's liberation will mark the start of the millennium - the Messiah's 1000 year Reign of Peace.

The first fact we need to know about the millennium is that it is a 'reign.' A reign involves a King, territory, peoples, laws, judges, administrators and officials of all kinds. Think for a moment of the sophisticated machinery of government in the tiny United Kingdom of about 55 million people. Then try to imagine what a 1000 year world government involving billions of people will be like. That will need some organisation! The prophet Daniel tells us (Daniel 2:44) that when the Messiah comes, every earthly government will be swept away; because all have proved themselves totally inadequate. Like the metal and clay empires in Nebuchadnezzar's dream they will all be swept away like worthless chaff from a summer threshing floor!

Dan.2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
Rev.11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Who will Reign with Christ?

The Bible tells us that the martyrs who died for Jesus Christ and Yahweh's law during the rule of the Antichrist will rise from their graves to reign with Christ for a thousand years. Along with prominent saints of ages past, these martyrs will form the new world government of the King of Kings. His government will not be elected by the people, but by God Himself. The Greek model of democracy will then be a thing of the past.

Rev. 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years… 6: Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Where will the millennium be spent?

The Bible teaches that the millennium will be spent on earth.

Rev. 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Many Bible prophecies tell of the Messiah's reign over all nations. Read these Psalms to get the picture. Psalm 2, Psalm 47, Psalm 93, Psalm 95, Psalm 96, Psalm 97, Psalm 98, Psalm 99, Psalm 110, Psalm 126.

MESSIAH'S POWER OVER THE NATIONS

When he returns to earth the Saviour will exercise absolute authority over all nations. He will administer the very law he gave through Moses many years ago; the law the nations of the world have rejected for generations. His absolute authority and power is figuratively described as a 'rod of iron.' No enemy will dare defy the Son of God and his government at that time; and it will not be long before the peoples of the world realise that he is indeed the Prince of Peace! These facts are clearly taught in the following Scriptures:

Rev.2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Rev.12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron…
Rev.19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16: And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Yeshua the Messiah's rule over all nations is prophesied in scores of Bible passages. Indeed that is what the Disciples and most of Israel expected when Jesus came to earth the first time. They expected him to overthrow their Roman rulers and establish the Kingdom in their life time. Little did they realise that his first task was to pay the price of sin by dying on the stake. But those kingdom-prophecies have still to be fulfilled; and they will be at the soon-coming millennium.

INDIVIDUAL AUTHORITY

In the millennium certain believers will be promoted to positions of high rank. Those who have made good use of their time and talents during this age, will be given great authority. Their power will extend over entire cities to a degree not seen in this present age.

Rev.3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Psa. 47:2 For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth. 3: He shall subdue the people under us, and the nations under our feet.
Luke 19:17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. 18: And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19: And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
Rev.2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

YAHWEH'S LAW WILL BE TAUGHT TO THE WHOLE WORLD

During the millennium, Yahweh's law will be obeyed by all nations. As mentioned previously, that is the Messiah's ultimate objective; to save mankind from sin and to re-establish Yahweh's law in the minds of men.
Micah 4:1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 2: And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3: And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more…7: And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever..
Isa. 42:4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law… 21: The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable
Isa.51:4 Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.

Zechariah chapter 14 introduces the millennial age. The chapter tells of the liberation of Jerusalem and how the Messiah will be king over the whole earth. The chapter ends with all nations keeping the laws of the Most High. The Feast of Tabernacles - that great feast which symbolises the very presence of Yeshua the Messiah (He is the very 'Tabernacle of God'), will be kept by all the nations of the world. The prophet tells us that fearsome punishments and plagues will be meted out on nations that refuse to send delegates to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles.
Zec.14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one…11: And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. 12: And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth…16: And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. 17: And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. 18: And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. 19: This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
In view of these prophecies concerning the end time, it is utter folly to dismiss the Feasts of the Most High, especially the Feast of Tabernacles, as being inapplicable to Gentile nations.

PEACE AT LAST

Implementation of Yahweh's law throughout the world will have unprecedented results. Indeed, trying to imagine that utopia is difficult enough, how much less can we describe it. Very briefly I list just four of the many improvements the millennial reign of the Messiah will bring. With Satan's evil influence out of the way and every governmental post filled by a believer of absolute integrity and great ability:

  1. World-wide peace will be experienced for the first time ever.
  2. The crime rate of all nations will collapse virtually to zero as the penal code recorded in the Bible is implemented by an all-knowing king and his trusted officials. The results will astound all nations.
  3. Unemployment will be a thing of the past as millions of people will be required to restore our shattered and polluted planet.
  4. Proper housing and health care for all peoples will then become a reality; and the gift of healing will be widely used.

We could write at length on this subject, but the Bible tells us that the reality will go far beyond anything we can imagine.

PREPARATION FOR THE MILLENNIUM

Preparation for the millennium should begin right away. It is dangerous to neglect salvation and to put off for tomorrow something that can be done today. A new government is about to take over the earth. Are you preparing for that event? We realise that the very idea may appear farcical to many; but the Scriptures abound with proof of it.

When our earth was created it was perfect in every way. There was no sorrow, no sickness, no war and no death. All was perfect happiness, health, harmony and peace.

Gen.1: 31: And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good...

But, alas! that state of perfection soon vanished. Satan and his brain-child (sin) arrived on the scene and, as Yahweh had correctly predicted, there followed doubt, sin, separation, sickness, hatred, violence and death. Man was given six thousand years to go his own way, to find out for himself if what God had said was true or false. After all, God did not want to be accused by man or angel of wiping out opponents without allowing them a chance to prove themselves. But the six thousand years of man's self-rule have been an unprecedented disaster and are almost over. Nothing worked as man had expected: no ideology, no ism, no political system, no law (and thousands have been tried) has been able to bring peace and prosperity to earth's millions. Man has miserably failed in every important department of life.

The coming millennial rule of Yeshua the King will change all that. It will be a reign of peace for all mankind. During the millennium (the Sabbatical, seventh thousandth year) Jesus Christ will demonstrate how Yahweh's government and His laws really do work for the benefit of mankind. God's sacred commandments, despised for nearly six thousand years by multiplied billions of people, will at last be honoured by all the nations of the world. Then every tongue in the vast universe will confess that Yahweh was right all along; that He is holy, just and good; that His commandments are not a barbaric code at all, but a 'law of liberty,' a transcript of His own holy character, a perfect constitution designed to protect life for all time.

James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
In short, to 'Fear God and keep His commandments' (Ecc.12:13) is the only way to prepare for the millennium. Any other course of action, however appealing it may appear to be, is courting disaster.

THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT

After the millennium the second general resurrection will take place and then will come the appointed Day of Judgement! (Rev.20:7-15) In the diary of the Almighty the Great Day of Judgement has already been appointed. The dictionary describes an 'appointment' as an arrangement to meet or visit at a particular date and time. And that is exactly how the Almighty makes His appointments. They all relate to particular dates and times in His calendar - the sacred calendar. Of course we do not know the exact year of the Judgement, but God knows. Not only has He appointed the date, He has also appointed the Judge.

The Appointed Day of Judgement & the Appointed Judge

Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
Rev.20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13: And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14: And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15: And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

THE NEW EARTH

After the Great Day of Judgement, the next event in the Diary of the Almighty is the Creation of the new universe.

Rev.21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2: And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3: And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4: And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5: And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6: And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7: He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8: But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
It is not possible to imagine, far less describe, the glory and bliss of the earth made new. The finest scenes on this planet and our happiest moments are as nothing when compared to the paradise to come. The new earth will be a wonder to behold and a glory to live on. No one can afford to miss it. You must make sure you and your loved ones are there. Your invitation to that eternal paradise has all the guarantees of the Word of God! Yahweh sent His only begotten Son to die for your sins, so that you might accept His offer of everlasting life in that new universe. Accept His offer before it is eternally too late! The apostle Paul summarises in 1 Cor.2:9 the prospect of living in paradise for all time with these wonderful words:

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man,
the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

The Bible begins with the record of a perfect creation which went tragically wrong when man chose to believe Satan rather than God. Then followed the story of salvation; of how Yahweh the Almighty God of Israel, the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob set about rescuing mankind from the consequences of sin.

The story of salvation is the greatest drama of all time; a love story of unparalleled appeal. The Bible then tells of how the Almighty sent His only begotten son Yeshua to die for the sins of the world; and how that anyone - Jew or Gentile - may live for all time if they simply accept His free gift of salvation. Sad to say millions treat this astonishing offer of mercy and everlasting life with unbelief and even a measure of contempt. Oh what appalling ignorance has sin spawned in the human heart! What greed! what hatred! what pride! that man should foolishly fight his Maker and choose eternal death instead of eternal life. This is one of the greatest mysteries of all time. The Bible ends with a final invitation to accept the Water of Life, freely! It is a touching appeal by Yeshua himself to accept life before it is eternally too late. Dear friend, you can not afford to ignore so great an offer! Here it is in Rev.22:17:

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.
And let him that heareth say, Come.
And let him that is athirst come.

    And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely!

8. SUMMARY

Millions of genuine believers know little or nothing about the Sacred Calendar. But you are not amongst them; because now you know! This booklet has introduced you to spiritual specifications and truths of awesome significance. You now know the following facts:

  1. That the sacred calendar forms the basis of the Almighty's Diary; the diary in which He has appointed certain days, seasons and years to perform His mightiest acts in the Programme of Salvation. He calls these appointed days His Sabbaths, His Feast days. (Lev.23:2)
  2. That Bible prophecy tells us that at the 'time of the end,' the time just prior to the return of Jesus Christ, there would be signs in the sun, moon and stars; and that these signs will coincide with the Feast Days in the sacred calendar. (Joel 2:31, Joel 3:15, Amos 8:9, Matt.24:29, Rev.6:12, Gen.1:14)
  3. That the Time Prophecies of Daniel & Revelation are directly linked to the Feast Days in the sacred calendar: and that these prophecies would be fulfilled at the time of the end, which is now upon us. (See Appendix C for examples of these counts.)
  4. That the nation of Israel is still Yahweh's chosen people; a people which has been brought back to the land of Israel to be purified as silver and that believers in Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) are grafted into the Olive of Israel.
  5. That Yahweh's Law constitutes His Seal; and His weekly and annual Sabbaths constitute His Signature - His Sign. In other words, Yahweh seals and signs His people with obedience - with holiness.
  6. That the soon-coming Antichrist will govern the whole world for a period of 3.5 years during which time he will compel all nations to receive his Mark, the mark of disobedience - the signature of sin.
  7. That the Saviour's millennial reign is also an appointed part of the sacred calendar; a sabbatical thousand years of world-wide peace and righteousness, when all the nations of the world will learn to obey the Law of the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel.
  8. That the millennium will be followed by the creation of a New Universe where the redeemed will dwell for eternity.

These facts you now know. Most importantly, this booklet has presented you with a challenge you will never forget and must not ignore. That challenge is to put your faith into action; to demonstrate that you trust and love the Almighty enough to keep His commandments. To be sure, the first step towards salvation is to put your faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God and accept him as your personal Saviour from sin. Your second step is also vitally important. It is to obey the Almighty's commandments. Your obedience will prove that your faith is alive; that you have truly repented of past sins and now want to obey your heavenly Father. That is the challenge you now face; and there is no way you can lightly dismiss it, or even forget it. It is, perhaps, the greatest challenge you have ever faced in your life. If you meet it with living faith in the Saviour and begin to keep Yahweh's sacred appointments, His weekly and annual Sabbaths, you will be greatly blessed, in this world, during the millennium and throughout the endless ages of eternity. We will not even contemplate the results of wilful disobedience, because that course is certainly not for you. Instead, we will pray, that Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, will grant you His Spirit to trust and obey Him.

AMEN

Part 2

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Since the first publication of this booklet in 1979, Stewarton Bible School (SBS) has received many queries about the sacred calendar. In Part Two some of the most frequently asked questions are answered. The Appendices contain information as to how the sacred calendar is set up. New moon times and the beginings of months are given at Appendix A. They should be carefully preserved, because they will keep you informed as to the appointed festival days and seasons when in some future year SIGNS in the sun, moon and stars are scheduled to occur. Stewarton Bible School does not - indeed it cannot - predict the date of Jesus Christ's return. No one knows that date except our heavenly Father (Matt.24:36). What we do say, however, is that when those celestial signs are seen by all the world on a sacred season, day or year, then a vitally important phase of human history will have begun and you need to be aware of that fact. SBS offers this work to the reader with much prayer, trusting that he/she will greatly benefit as a result of its study. Now to those questions and answers.

Question 1

When does a month begin in the Sacred Calendar? Does it begin on the day of the astronomical new moon (conjunction), or when the new moon is first sighted with the naked eye?

Answer

A month in the sacred calendar begins with a first sighting of the new moon. An 'astronomical new moon' (conjunction) occurs when the sun and moon are in a straight line with the centre of the earth. The new moon is not visible to the naked eye at this time; but becomes visible between about 15 and 48 (or more) hours later. In ancient days months began when the new moon was first seen with the naked eye. The ancients literally 'looked out' for the new moon and when it was seen they pronounced the start of the new month. They didn't publish the calendar several months or years in advance as we do today; but started each month when they actually saw the new moon. That is the original and best way to determine the beginning of a month. It completely eliminates the one day discrepancies that even the most conscientiously produced pre-printed calendars are liable to contain.

When, however, astronomers began to calculate the circuit of the moon around the earth, conjunction times became available and calendars based on these times began to be produced, months or even years in advance. The question is: What should we do, now that conjunction times and phases of the moon charts have become available? Do we use computer produced calculations and print a calendar in advance or not? Our answer is as follows. Some Christian groups - including SBS - publish calendars in advance by using mathematical calculations of some sort. However, because the ancient method was to lookout for the new moon each month, we in SBS use computer calculations but also allow a certain period of time for the new moon to become visible, before determining the start of each month. This means that after we have made an allowance for a first sighting with the naked eye, the pre-printed calendar SBS publishes is very much in line with the sacred calendar used in ancient Israel. In 1978 we asked a group of believers in Jerusalem to confirm our findings by actually checking the calendar SBS published against first sightings of the new crescent moon. After looking out for the new moon for several months Elder Charles Dugger of the Jerusalem Church of God wrote this:

"We find that the moon really is new over Jerusalem each month by your calendar and is off as much as two days by the Jewish calendar. Therefore we wish to publish the truth - and we simply need a list of the moonrise after conjunction at Jerusalem. Brother Loughran just list them so that we can take the list straight to the printers."

First Visibility

The next question is: How long after a conjunction does the new born crescent become visible? The answer is: It is not possible to infallibly predict the exact date and time of the first sighting of a new moon. Various factors such as atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity along the light path, altitude, latitude/longitude, fog, cloud/dust cover, glare etc. can all affect a first sighting. That is the reason why in the calendar and festival charts SBS publishes we use the words: "a likely first sighting should occur," because no one can infallibly predict the moment when the new moon will become visible to the naked eye. The general consensus of authoritative opinion is that a first sighting of the new moon could occur any time between about 15 and 48 hours after a conjunction. I quote two world famous authorities on this matter:

ROYAL GREENWICH OBSERVATORY (UK)

"It is not possible to predict accurately the dates on which the new crescent Moon will first be seen each month since there is no collection of reliable, fully documented, observations that can be used to establish the conditions that must normally be satisfied at the time of first visibility.

The simplest basis for prediction is that the Moon should be more than a certain age (measured from the time of astronomical new moon) at the time of sunset at the place concerned. It is, however, better to use the true elongation (the angular separation) of the Moon from the sun at this time, rather than the age. The new crescent is not normally visible until the Sun is below the horizon and so it is desirable to take into account the altitude of the Moon during twilight. The chances of seeing the new crescent depend slightly on the distance of the Moon from the earth, being greatest when the Moon is closest (i.e. at perigree). The local conditions, especially the height of the observer above sea level and the character of the surrounding surface, are important, and even when the sky is free from cloud there can be considerable variations in clarity of the atmosphere from day to day. The visual acuity of the observer is also significant.

It must be realised too that there are considerable variations in the astronomical conditions with both longitude and latitude on the earth so that even if the weather conditions were good everywhere, the dates of the first sightings would differ from place to place. Predictions can, therefore, only be valid, for restricted areas.

Under ordinary conditions, the first sighting will not occur until the age of the Moon exceeds about 30 hours, but a few reliable reports are known of sightings, under very good conditions, when the age has been only 20 hours or even less. It is unlikely that the new crescent will be visible unless the elongation exceeds 10 degrees and the Moon exceeds 5 degrees when the Sun is 3 degrees. It is interesting to note that the new moon can always be seen 30 days after the previous one and in half the cases it can be seen 29 days after, because the length of the synodic month is 29.53 days... Since it is clear that any prediction of the date of first visibility must be uncertain, it is necessary to decide whether to prefer an early prediction that could not be substantiated by direct observation if conditions prove to be good, or a late prediction that could be vitiated by an observer on the previous day.

The simple rule that this Office recommends is that the age of the Moon should be 30 hours at the time of sunset at the place concerned, but this rule is not so reliable in middle and high latitudes."

US NAVAL OBSERVATORY

"Under optimal conditions the crescent moon can be sighted somewhat less than 15 hours after astronomical New Moon. Usually, however, it is not seen until it is more than 24 hours old. Often it is not seen for more than 48 hours... But despite these advances we still cannot predict the exact time or geographical location at which the young crescent will first be spotted."

You will see from these two quotations that the shortest time lapse for a possible first sighting is 'somewhat less than 15 hours,' and the longest to 'more than 48 hours. ' How then does SBS set out a calendar when it is not possible to infallibly forecast a first sighting? Our answer is: SBS allows at least 24 hours for 'a likely evening (or morning) first sighting' of the new moon to occur before it begins a month. The method we use is explained in the answer to Question 8 and examples are found at Appendix A.

Note: The reader should remember, however, that pre-printed calendars based on calculations were not used by the ancient Israelites. They literally looked out for the new moon each month and then counted to the feasts. This is still the best method.

Question 2

When does the year begin in the Sacred Calendar? Does it begin in Israel's autumn as the Jewish calendar shows? Or should the year begin in the spring with the month of Abib (Nisan)? And if it begins with Abib, then how is Abib's new moon decided? Is it the new moon nearest (before or after) the Equinox? Or is it the first new moon after the spring equinox?

Answer

According to the Scriptures, the religious calendar begins in the spring with the Passover month of Abib, the month of Israel's Exodus from Egypt. In the popular Jewish calendar the year begins in the autumn at the end of the agricultural year. But in the religious calendar, and that is our prime consideration in this booklet, a year begins in the Passover month of Abib. Yahweh directed Moses in the following words concerning the first month of the year:
Exo.12:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2: This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
Exo.14:3 And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. 4: This day came ye out in the month Abib.
The name of the Exodus month is Abib. The word Abib means 'sprouting, budding,' a 'green ear of corn.' In other words in Abib the earth will spring to life, plants will sprout and bud and the corn (sown the previous year) will have green ears. The first month is also called Nisan. (Esther 3:7)

"Abib most nearly approaches our month of March, though in some years its end moves some distance into April." (Westminster Dictionary of the Bible. page 3, article Abib)

In ancient days, before the exact equinox times were known or calendars printed in advance, the Sanhedrin selected Abib's new moon on the basis of certain natural conditions because Yahweh's Feasts are directly linked to the agricultural seasons in Israel.

THE NATURAL CONDITIONS looked for were:

In modern times Abib's new moon is selected months and even years in advance mainly because computer calculations of the sun's and moon's movements are widely available and there is no Sanhedrin to give the go-ahead as in days gone by. The scriptural guidelines concerning the link between the Feasts of the Most High and the harvests in Israel are, nevertheless, still being followed. They are:

1. Abib's new moon must occur before the spring harvest begins.
Deut. 16:9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.
This instruction concerns the waive sheaf which is cut and waived before Yahweh at the Passover festival in the middle of Abib. Since the spring harvest in Israel begins in late March/early April (see agricultural chart under Question/Answer 4) this means that the 1st of Abib would begin some 15 days before the waive sheaf was cut; which means that Abib's new moon would occur at about the time of the vernal equinox. The Westminster Dictionary of the Bible article Year confirms this:

"The year began with the month of Abib or Nisan (Exodus 12:2, 23:15, Esther 3:7)
with the new moon next before or next after the vernal equinox."

2. Ethanim's new moon occurs after the autumn harvest.
The second clue fixes the festival of Ingathering (Tabernacles) at the 'end' of the agricultural year. Here is the Almighty's command concerning the feast of ingathering (Tabernacles).

Exodus 34:22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.
The Hebrew word translated "year's end" is t@quwphah or "tequphah." It means at the end, the circuit of time, the revolution, the equinox. In other words, Yahweh is here telling Israel that the Feast of Tabernacles should occur at about the time of the autumnal equinox, when the agricultural year is at its end. This is a vital clue because it links the harvest festival of Tabernacles to the autumnal equinox. A look at the agricultural scene in Israel will reveal that the harvests are mostly gathered in before the tequphah - the equinox. In fact the main (wheat) harvest begins in the summer months of May and June and is finished by August. The vintage (grape harvest) follows and is normally finished by the autumnal equinox. This is when Yahweh commanded Israel to keep the harvest festival of Tabernacles; at the 'end ' or the turn of the year when the harvests are gathered in. For more information concerning Harvest Times in Israel see the answer to Question 4.

In summary we may say that in a pre-printed calendar, the first and seventh months of the year should still be geared to the agricultural harvests in Israel; the first month Abib, the month of green ears, starting about 15 days before the barley harvest is begun; and the seventh month (Ethanim/Tishri) starting after the vintage is gathered in. By starting Abib with the new moon nearest (before or after) the spring equinox, these two divine requirements are met.

Notes

  1. If Abib were to begin 15 days before the spring equinox (the earliest it can ever be if the 'nearest before or after guideline' is being followed) then the spiritual Passover will coincide with the celestial passover. In other words: the sun will be 'passing over' the equator at the same time the sacred Passover service is being celebrated. This phenomenon (of the celestial and spiritual Passovers coinciding) happens very rarely.
  2. Note also that by choosing the new moon nearest the equinox, the Passover Service (which occurs 14 days later on the evening of the 14th Abib) will never fall before the spring equinox; that is - before the 20th March. The Passover Service may - very rarely - coincide with the equinox, when the sun will also be apparently 'passing-over' the equator; but it should never fall before the equinox. This means that when a calendar is printed in advance, the very earliest date for the 1st Abib will be the 7th March. It is perfectly in order to begin Abib before 20th March: the Jews do this in many years. But, I repeat, the Passover Service should not be celebrated before the equinox.
Always bear in mind, of course, that in ancient Israel the calendar was not published in advance. The choice of Abib's new moon depended on those 'natural conditions' mentioned previously. Equinox times and phases of the moon calculations are simply a convenient forecasting facility, which allow us to keep in step with the seasons - and hence the harvests - in Israel.

Question 3

From where should the new moon be sighted? Can the lookout party be posted anywhere on earth? Or is Jerusalem the only authorised lookout point?

Answer

In ancient Israel new moon sightings were made from Jerusalem, a city about 2500 feet above sea level. Arthur Spier writes on page 1 of his book The Comprehensive Hebrew Calendar, published by Behrman House, Inc., 1261 Broadway, New York, USA:

"In the early times of our history the solution was found by the following practical procedure. The beginning of months were determined by direct observation of the moon. The new months were sanctified and their beginnings announced by the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, after witnesses had testified that they had seen the new crescent and after their testimony had been thoroughly examined, confirmed by calculation and duly accepted. The Jewish communities were notified of the beginning of months (Rosh Hodesh) in early times by kindling night fires on the mountains and later on by messengers."

In short: months began when the new moon was first sighted from Jerusalem. As soon as the new born crescent was sighted from the capital the news was sent to the rest of the country. Such was the practice in ancient days. 'But,' you may well ask 'what of today?' As you can imagine, first sightings of the new moon vary from place to place. The moon may be seen at one place, only to be missed at another. Atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity along the light path, altitude, latitude, longitude, cloud, fog and dust etc. can all affect a first sighting of the new moon. Even a distance of a few hundred miles in any direction could make the difference between seeing the new moon and not seeing it. On top of this is the fact that most city dwellers are not able to get away from the glare of the city lights each month to 'look out' for the new moon.

Some festival-keeping groups believe that: "A month should begin at whatever moment the new crescent is first sighted, regardless of location."

The Stewarton Bible School does not agree with this stand, simply because first sightings of the new moon can occur a whole day apart in different parts of the world. Believers assembling at a central point could therefore find themselves in dispute as one party could justifiably claim to have seen the new moon on a certain day and another party deny having seen it. For example a Californian believer could, in certain months, see the new moon a whole day before or after his Jerusalem counterpart. So when he arrives in Israel for the Passover, when will he keep that service? Will he go by his Californian sighting, or will he fall into line with the believers in Jerusalem? The answer is obvious, and it has the backing of history: he will follow the Jerusalem lead. Stewarton Bible School's stand, therefore, is:

The beginnings of months should be decided on the evidence of a first sighting from the standpoint of Jerusalem, because that is the Almighty's spiritual capital of the world and the main assembly point for festival-keeping believers.

Such was the practice of ancient Israel. All new moons were announced from the main assembly point of Jerusalem. To be sure the folks from Nazareth, Dan, Beersheba and further afield were equally able to look out for the new moon, and they probably did; but even if they had seen the new moon locally, a first sighting from Jerusalem always took precedence over local first sightings. Also when Messiah walked the earth the beginnings of months were proclaimed on the evidence of a first sighting from Jerusalem; regardless of whether or not pilgrims had seen the new moon in Asia, Persia, Ethiopia, Mesopotamia or Rome. Pilgrims from those distant lands (Acts 2: 9-11) all subordinated their local observations to first sightings from Jerusalem. And that is exactly what will happen in the millennium and on the new earth. The beginnings of months will be proclaimed from Jerusalem and all the world will obey.

Question 4

What are the harvest times in Israel?

Answer

The agricultural year in Israel begins in the autumn (after the harvest festival of Tabernacles) with ploughing and sowing. Harvests in Israel begin in spring in the month of Adar (February/March). The following harvest times in ancient Israel are obtained from the Readers Digest book entitled Jesus and His Times, pages 100-101.

MonthsWeatherCrops & activity
Tishri (Sep/Oct)First rainsPloughing begins
Heshvan (Oct/Nov) Ploughing / grain planting
Kislev (Nov/Dec) Grain planting continues
Tebeth (Dec/Jan)Main rains 
Sebat (Jan/Feb)  
Adar (Feb/Mar)Spring rainsAlmond in bloom / flax harvest
Abib (Mar/Apr) Barley harvest begins
Zif (Apr/May) Barley harvest completed
Sivan (May/Jun)Dry seasonWheat harvest begins
Tamuz (Jun/Jul) Wheat harvest completed / first figs
Ab (Jul/Aug)Summer heatVintage (grape harvest) begins
Elul (Aug/Sep) Date harvest / summer figs

From the above, one can see that the harvest season in ancient Israel began in Adar (Feb/March) and continued by stages into autumn. The barley harvest began in March-April: the first sheaf being cut and waived in the middle of Abib, which could be any time between 21st March and the middle of April. It is the same in modern Israel. Concerning the wheat and grape harvests, the Westminster Dictionary of the Bible says this:

"In Palestine wheat was sown in November or December, after the rains began. The harvest was in April, May or June in Palestine varying according to the locality and the weather at the time." (page 635)

"The vintage began in the middle of September and continued into October. It was a season of festivity. In the vineyards there were singing and joyful noise, and the treaders in the press kept time by shouting as they trod the grapes. (page 629)

These details concerning harvest times in Israel are vital when determining the start of a year in the sacred calendar and the sacred Festivals in it. The answer to the next question will clarify this point further.

Question 5

Why do some years in the Sacred Calendar have 13 months?

Answer

In the Sacred Calendar normal years have 12 months and leap years have 13 months. The extra month is periodically added to keep Yahweh's Festivals in step with the agricultural seasons in Israel (Deut.16:6). Agricultural produce (flocks, grain, fruit, wine, oil etc.) are shadows and types of the spiritual realities and fruit Yahweh is producing in the lives of His people. In order to keep these spiritual lessons in mind the Most High arranged for His Festivals to coincide with the agricultural seasons in Israel.

Lev.23:4 These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
Exo.34:22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.
But what have these facts to do with adding a 13th month? To explain further. The moon orbits the earth in just over 29.5 days. A twelve lunar-month year totals about 354 days. This is about 11.25 days short of a 365.25 day tropical (sun) year. If a 13th month were not added periodically, Abib would begin about 11 days earlier each year. The month would retreat to winter, then autumn, then summer and Yahweh's festivals would not occur 'in their seasons' as required by the law. For example, the Feast of First Fruits (Pentecost) could then occur in the middle of winter, when there would be no fruit in the field. In the 12 lunar-month Islamic calendar the festivals occur about 11/12 days earlier each year. This can be seen in the chart below:

Civil YearIslamic New YearRamadan
198814 August18 April
19894 August7 April
199024 July28 March
199113 July17 March
19922 July5 March

In the sacred calendar the festivals must coincide with the agricultural seasons: Passover in spring, First Fruits in the summer and Tabernacles (ingathering of the main harvest) in the autumn. To maintain this order, a thirteenth month must be added periodically to make up for that annual 11.25 day loss.

Question 6

Why do the festival dates in the calendar printed by SBS sometimes differ a day or two from the dates shown in the popular Jewish calendar?

Answer

SBS does not use the popular Jewish calendar because it is influenced by certain human rules and traditions which result in the sacred festivals being celebrated - in certain years - on the wrong dates. Let me now - respectfully - explain further. As pointed out previously, in ancient days the sacred calendar was not published or printed in advance. The beginning of a month was determined by a first sighting of the new moon and the remainder of the month was simply counted to from that first day. This system worked well enough for centuries. In his famous book The Comprehensive Hebrew Calendar Arthur Spier explains on page 2 how a change came about.

"In the early times of Israel's history the beginnings of months were determined by direct observation of the moon; the first days of the months being announced by the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, after witnesses had testified that they had seen the new crescent and after their testimony had been thoroughly examined, confirmed by calculation and duly accepted. The communities of Israel were then notified by kindling night fires on the mountains and later by messengers…

This method of observation and intercalation was in use throughout the period of the second Temple (516 BC - 70 AD) and about three centuries after its destruction as long as there was an independent Sanhedrin. In the fourth century, however, when oppression and persecution threatened the continued existence of the Sanhedrin, the patriarch Hillel 11 took an extraordinary step to preserve the unity of Israel. In order to prevent the Jews scattered all over the surface of the earth from celebrating their New Moons, Festivals and holidays at different times he made public the system of calendar calculation which up till then had been a closely guarded secret. It had been used in the past only to check the observations and testimonies of witnesses, and to determine the beginning of the spring season.

In accordance with this system Hillel 11 formally sanctified all moons in advance and intercalated future leap years until such time as a new Sanhedrin would be established in Israel. This is the permanent calendar according to which the New Moons and Festivals are calculated and celebrated today by the Jews all over the world. It also applies certain rules by which the astronomical facts are combined with the religious requirements into an admirable calendar system "

The motives of the patriarch Hillel were, without a doubt, admirable; and for subsequent centuries Jewish communities around the world derived great gain from his work. Nevertheless locked into his system of calendar calculation lay FOUR ERRORS which in certain years clash with the requirements of astronomy and the law of the Most High. It is these four errors which periodically result in the wrong days being celebrated as God's festivals. What are these four errors?

1. Incorrect Equinox Dates
The first error is a purely mathematical one concerning the length of the solar year; a seemingly insignificant matter of 16.5 minutes a year. But which now, 1700 years later, has resulted in wrong Equinox dates being used in the selection of the 1st and 7th months of the year.

2. The Metonic Cycle
The second error is the association of the Jewish calendar with the Lunar Cycle of Meton, a cycle borrowed from the pagan calendar-makers of Greece.

3. Rule for Beginning 1st Tishri
The third error is the adoption of a man-made rule which dictates that the festival month of Ethanim (Tishri) must begin on the day of a conjunction. When applied, this rule directly conflicts with the ancient practice of literally 'looking out' for the new moon each month. The new moon, incidentally, is never visible at the time of a conjunction. Proof of this is given below.

4. Human Traditions
The fourth error is the adoption of several human traditions which do not allow the festival month of Ethanim (Tishri) to start on a Sunday, Wednesday and Friday; and the festival month of Abib (Nisan) starting on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Concerning these traditions the Jewish Year Book says this:

Let us now examine these four errors; which are, in fact, closely related to each other.

1. INCORRECT EQUINOX DATES
The first error is the use of incorrect equinox dates. Let me explain. There lived in the third century a Talmud scholar and astronomer by the name of Samuel Yarhinai. According to Samuel the length of the tropical (sun) year is approximately 365 days 6 hours. Yarhinai divided this time by 4 and assigned 91 days 7 hours and 30 minutes to each of the four seasons. Then by successively adding this time to any given equinox or solstice, Yarhinai reasoned that all the equinoxes or solstices of the following years could be arrived at. And once the date and time of the autumnal equinox was established for any given year, it would be a simple matter to select the new moon nearest it to begin Tishri (Ethanim). Having selected Tishri's new moon it would then be a simple matter to count to Nisan which in ordinary years is the seventh month from Tishri. That, basically, was the method adopted and published by the patriarch Hillel.

Believe it or not, Samuel Yarhinai's simplified method would have worked well enough if the year was exactly 365 days and 6 hours in length. The fact is, it is not. The correct length of a year is 365 days 5 hours 46.069 minutes: which is about 14 minutes less than Yarhinai's approximation of 365 days and 6 hours. As a result, the times of Samuel's equinoxes began to drift away from the true equinox times at the rate of about 14 minutes a year. This seemingly insignificant annual discrepancy of a few minutes added up to about one day in every century. And today, 17 centuries later, Yarhinai's equinox dates have moved some 16.5 days away from the true equinox dates of March 20/21 and September 22. According to Yarhinai's calculations the equinox dates are now April 7/8th and October 7/8th: which any high school student knows is a long way adrift from the true equinox times.

When Yarhinai's formula was first used in determining the autumn and spring equinox dates, it was useful enough; because the 14 minute discrepancy really made no difference at all to the selection of Tishri's and Nisan's new moons. In those early years the correct new moon was selected to begin Tishri and all the sacred festivals were in step with the agricultural seasons. But now, 17 centuries later, that 14 minute annual discrepancy has accumulated to about 16.5 days; and in the calendar of Hillel the autumnal equinox supposedly occurs on October 7/8th and the spring equinox on April 7/8th. As a result the wrong new moons (those closest to these incorrect equinox dates) are chosen to begin the Festival month of Ethanim (Tishri) and by effect, Abib. (Nisan). When this happens all the Festival dates in the Jewish calendar in that particular year are celebrated a month late! They are all out of step with the agricultural seasons and crops in Israel.

The Jews, of course, know all about Yarhinai's formula and its ill effect on the sacred calendar. They knew about this error long before SBS did. What is Israel doing about this? The answer is, the nation of Israel is currently awaiting the election of a new Sanhedrin to authorise a correction to the Jewish calendar. I quote again from Speir's book, page 227:

"The Tekufoth of Samuel, (Yarhinai) which are based on the length of 365.25 days for the solar year, deviate considerably from the true astronomical time. They are 17 days later than the astronomical equinoxes and solstices in our century, a difference which grows by 1 day almost every 100 years. The rebirth of the State of Israel rekindles in us the hope that a new Sanhedrin, recognised by the whole people of Israel, will be established again in our time. It will be the task of the Sanhedrin to make a decision as to when and how the sanctified calendar of Hillel 11 is to be modified in accordance with the requirements of astronomy and the Torah."

2. THE METONIC CYCLE
The second error concerns the use of the Metonic Cycle. About the year 433 BC the Greek astronomer Meton of Athens discovered that after a lapse of 19 years (235 lunar months) the phases of the moon recurred on the same day of the same month, within a few hours. For example if a new moon occurred on the 1st January at 9a.m. in one year, then 20 years later when the next cycle began a new moon would again occur on 1st January within a few hours of 9a.m. (subject to leap year disturbances). Meton concluded, that if the dates of the new moons are known in any one 19 year cycle, they are known for all subsequent cycles. In the course of time Jewish calendar makers began to use the Metonic Cycle to regulate the sacred calendar and after a few changes the following seven years in the cycle were declared to be leap years with 13 months each: the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th and 19th years. Ordinary years would have 12 months; leap years would have 13 months. This inflexible pattern of years and leap years was not used prior to the Dispersion, simply because at that time leap years were determined by the Sanhedrin on the evidence of the natural conditions mentioned in the answer to Question 1.

Some time after the Dispersion of Israel from the Promised Land, Hillel's new system, which was regulated by the Metonic cycle, superseded the age-old practice of assessing the natural conditions mentioned earlier. SBS is most certainly not condemning Hillel and his associates for making use of the Metonic cycle and the formula of Samuel Yarhinai while the Dispersion lasted. The scattered Jews had no other choice but to use a calendar based on the best calculations available at the time. But the circumstances have now changed. Israel is back in the Promised Land and the continued use of the Metonic cycle (which is still used in the pagan calendar of Greece), in the sacred calendar is being challenged. The time has come to unhitch the sacred calendar from the Metonic Cycle. Nor should we program ourselves into thinking that the sacred calendar must of necessity continue to be governed by the Metonic cycle. It need not be, for three very good reasons.

  1. The 19 year Metonic cycle is not absolutely accurate. New moons in corresponding cycles do not occur exactly on time! Were you to compare conjunction times in one cycle with those of subsequent cycles you will see how that, like Yarhinai's formula, there is a growing time difference which in years to come will distort the calendar.
  2. Extremely accurate computer printout of the moon's movements renders dependence on the Metonic Cycle obsolete.
  3. The Metonic cycle was first used in the pagan calendar of ancient Greece. On that score alone it is unacceptable in the sacred calendar.

3. THE RULE FOR BEGINNING TISHRI
Let us now consider the third: the rule concerning the choice of the first day of Tishri (Ethanim). The Jewish rule is:

"Rosh Hasanah must be on the day of the molad (conjunction)."

This rule is out of step with ancient Israel's method of starting a month with the sighting of the new moon. New moons, as stated previously, are never visible to the naked eye on the day of the molad (conjunction), but become visible many hours later. Consequently, every time this rule is applied, all the autumn festivals in that particular year are held on the wrong dates. They are celebrated one and sometimes two days earlier than the true dates hallowed by the Almighty's presence.

4. MAN-MADE RULES / TRADITIONS

Now let us look at the fourth error resident in the Jewish calendar. We'll begin with examining how the Jewish calendar makers arrive at Rosh Hashanah (Tishri 1st). I quote again from Speir's book, page 218-219 para 11.

"The calendar follows this rule:

Rosh Hashanah, the first day of Tishri,
must be on the day of the Molad. (conjunction)

There are exceptions, the so-called Dehioth (postponements) which take place in four specific cases. They are:
a) When the Molad Tishri occurs on a Sunday, Wednesday or Friday, Rosh Hashanah is postponed to the following day.
b) When the Molad (conjunction) Tishri occurs at noon (18 h) or later, Rosh Hashanah is postponed to the next day, or if this day is a Sunday, Wednesday or Friday, to a Monday, Thursday or Sabbath because of Dehiah (a)
c) When the Molad Tishri of a common year falls on a Tuesday, 204 parts after 3 A.M., i.e. 3d 9h 204p or later, Rosh Hashanah is postponed to Wednesday and, because of Dehiah a., further postponed to Thursday.
d) When in a common year succeeding a leap year the Molad Tishri occurs on Monday morning 589 parts after 9 A.M. i.e., 2d 15h 589p or later, Rosh Hashanah is postponed to the next day...
Note: In more than 60% of all years Rosh Hashanah does not occur on the day of the Molad but is postponed to one of the Dehioth. Therefore the Dehioth are actually not the exceptions to the rule but the rule...

Dehiah (a) mainly fulfils the following three religious requirements:
Yom Kippur (Tishri 10) shall not occur on the day before or after the Sabbath
and Hoshana Rabah (Tishri 21) shall not occur on the Sabbath.
"

Now what does all this mean? It means that the month of Tishri, though required by the Jewish rule to start on the day of the conjunction, actually starts in 60% of all years a day or two later because of the Dehioth. Strangely enough, the effect of these Dehioth (postponements) almost matches those made by SBS when we allow at least 24 hours after a conjunction for a first sighting of the new moon. But what of the remaining 40% of years when a postponement is not made and Tishri is begun on the day of the Molad? Without question this results in Rosh Hashana (the Feast of Trumpets) being celebrated a day or two earlier that God intended.

Let us now take a closer look at the two human traditions that distort the sacred calendar. I quote from the Jewish Year Book:
"The chief disturbing influence in the arrangements of the Jewish calendar is to:
prevent the Day of Atonement from immediately preceding or immediately succeeding the Sabbath, and Hoshana Raba, (Tishri 21) from falling on the Sabbath."

First Tradition
The first tradition concerns that staggering injunction: that the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) shall not precede or succeed the Sabbath. In other words: 'The Day of Atonement shall not occur on a Friday or a Sunday.' You may examine the Bible from cover to cover and you will not find a single verse to support this tradition - not one! It is a human tradition through and through and its result is to move the most important day in the sacred calendar (the Day of Atonement) from its divinely appointed position! To achieve this the calendar makers prevent the month of Tishri from starting on a Wednesday or Friday:

The Second Tradition
This tradition concerns a rite called the Waving of the Willows. It takes place on Hoshana Raba (21st Tishri), a date which, according to Jewish tradition, must not coincide with the weekly Sabbath (Saturday). To accommodate this tradition the month of Tishri is not allowed to begin on a Sunday; for if it did then Tishri 21st would fall on the weekly Sabbath, which the tradition doesn't allow.

The final outcome of the above 2 tradition-backed amendments to the calendar is, that the Feast of Trumpets (1st Tishri) is never allowed to fall on a Sunday, Wednesday or Friday! This means that in three out of seven years (42% of years if we apply the law of averages) the Feast of Trumpets in the popular Jewish calendar is moved from its God-appointed position. As a result all those believers who use the popular Jewish calendar will be celebrating the autumn feasts in 3 out of 7 years on the wrong days!

Moving Abib's 1st day
In addition to the foregoing, there is yet another set of alterations being applied to the calendar in certain years; to the 1st day of Nisan (Abib). Consider this astonishing fact:

Every time this man-made rule is applied (and again according to the law of averages that would be three times in every seven years) all the spring festivals and the Feast of Pentecost would be celebrated on the wrong dates.

These, then, are the man-made rules and traditions which distort the popular Jewish calendar and make it different from the one published by Stewarton Bible School. Pause dear reader and try to measure the seriousness of these unauthorised modifications to the sacred calendar. Do you suppose that the Holy One of Israel is pleased with them? We think not. That is the reason why we have pressed ahead with the corrections mentioned in this booklet.

NOTE: Having read the above answer, the reader is reminded that though Stewarton Bible School publishes these facts about the errors in the popular Jewish calendar, I am, nevertheless, 100% for Israel and its people.

Question 7

Do all Jews use the popular Jewish calendar?

Answer

No. The Karaite Jews, though an integral part of the Jewish nation, do not use the popular Jewish calendar because of the human traditions mentioned at the answer to Question 6 and other reasons besides. I quote from their calendar booklet published by the Universal Karaite Religious Council in Israel.

"Why do the Rabbanites differ from us (Karaites) in regard to the dates of their holy days? In ancient times, all Israel sanctified the new moon according to actual observance, by eye-witnesses. (Genesis 1:14; Psalm 104:19). However in the year 801 C.E., the Rabbanites abandoned this scriptural custom and introduced a calendar reform, which included the following innovations:
    a) PASSOVER (Pessah) can never fall on Monday, Wednesday or Friday: and it must coincide with the day of the 9th of Av of that year.
    b) SHAVUOTH can never fall on a Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday and it must coincide with the second day of Passover...
    c) ROSH HASHANAH (Feast of Trumpets) can never fall on a Sunday, Wednesday or Friday, and must coincide with the third day of Passover...
    d) KIPPUR can never fall on Sunday, Tuesday or Friday, and must coincide with the fifth day of Passover.
    e) PURIM can never fall on the Sabbath (Saturday), Monday, or Wednesday and must coincide with the sixth day of Passover.
All of these so-called "rules" have no basis in the Scripture, and are inventions of the Rabbis. In contrast we Karaites continue to base our calendar on the actual observance of the new Moon. Therefore the holy days fall on different days."

The reader will see from the above quotation that the Karaite Jews have also rejected the human traditions found in the popular Jewish calendar and have returned to the ancient method of selecting the 1st day of each month on the evidence of a first sighting of the new moon. The Karaite calendar, though printed in advance, also makes an allowance for a first sighting of the new moon before starting each month. To determine the 1st day of each month the Karaite calendar makers, I understand, base their calculations on sophisticated mathematical tables which even their rabbis find difficult to explain. If the reader wishes to contact them for more details on how their calendar is set up, their address is: The Karaite Jews in Israel, P.O.B. 101 Ramlah, 72100. ISRAEL.

Question 8

How does Stewarton Bible School (SBS) set up the calendar?

Answer

Stewarton Bible School is based in Scotland and does not have associates in Jerusalem to look out for the new moon every month. The pre-printed calendar we publish is, therefore, based on computer output supplied by Greenwich Observatory in England. We do however allow a period of time, at least 24 hours, for the new moon to be seen before a month can start. The method we use is as follows:

8.1 Conjunction Times
Our first step is to determine the 1st day of each month in the year. We do this by consulting computer-produced Phases of the Moon charts supplied by the Science Research Council, Royal Greenwich Observatory, Herstmoneux Castle, Hailsham, Sussex, UK. From these charts we find out the date and time of the astronomical new moon, the conjunction. In the calendar chart SBS produces we use the following abbreviations:

8.2 First New Moonrise and Moonset Times
Our next step is to find out the date and the time (in JST) of the first moonrise and moonset at Jerusalem, AFTER the conjunction. This information is also obtainable at a fee from Greenwich Observatory.

8.3 Likely First Sighting
We them endevour to determine when that first new moon is likely to be seen with the naked eye from Jerusalem. The first moonrise at Jerusalem after a conjunction takes place in the morning at about sunrise. However the new moon is not visible to the naked eye on this first morning because it is too young. But is 'likely to be seen' for the first time just after sunset on the evening of the same day - if it is more than 14.5 hours old. If and when the moon is sighted, that evening (at sunset) the new month will begin. Days, as we learned previously, all begin and end at sunset.

MORNING SIGHTINGS of the New Moon
If the moon's age is less than 14.5 hours and it is not seen on that first evening, it may be looked for at its second rising on the next morning when it will be over 24 hours old. Concerning morning sightings of the new moon I quote from the Westminster Dictionary of the Bible, article Moon, page 407.
"According to the Talmud, the Sanhedrin assembled seven times a year early in the morning of the 30th day of the month. Watchman were stationed on the heights about Jerusalem to watch for the new moon and report it as soon as seen. When the evidence of its appearance was deemed sufficient, the Sanhedrin pronounced the word 'McKuddash' (consecrated) and the day became the first of the new month, leaving 29 days for the preceding month. If fogs or clouds prevented the moon from being discerned, the day was reckoned as the 30th."

8.4 The Beginnings of Months
After allowing at least 24 hours for an evening or morning first sighting of the new moon, we then make a list of the new moonrise/moonset times and the starting dates of several months. See Appendix A

8.5 New Years Day
From this list of starting dates, New Year's day (1st Abib) is selected. See our answer to Question 2 as to how we decide on Abib's new moon.

8.6 Blank Calendar Chart
Then on a blank calendar chart (See Appendix B) we enter the 1st day of each of the 12 months: making sure that all dates match the correct days of the week. For example in 1994 the 1st Abib was 14th March. This happened to be a Monday; so in 1994 Abib began with a Monday. The 1st day of Zif (the second month) was Tuesday 12/4/94. This left Abib with 29 days. Had the 1st Zif been a Wednesday, Abib would have had 30 days. This process is continued till all 12 months are completed. Some months will have 29 days and others 30. Sacred calendar months cannot have 28 or 31 days.

8.7 Determining The Feast Days.
Once the blank calendar chart is filled in for the whole year, we then count to the Almighty's Feast and Fast days as follows:

Notes:
1) The Passover Service (communion) is held in the evening which begins the week of Unleavened Bread. This week is often referred to as the Passover week.
2) If the 50 day count to Pentecost is made from the 'morrow after' the weekly Sabbath, then Pentecost will always fall on a Sunday.

Yahweh's Feasts are sacred days on which no work should be done. They are eternal memorials of man's salvation which is made possible by Yeshua's sacrifice on Calvary. Failure to observe the Almighty's festivals is a serious sin. For further information see The Feast Days of the God of Israel.

Question 9

How may a religious organisation check to see if the pre-printed calendar it uses is correct?

Answer

The organisation should post a few believers on a high point at Jerusalem to look out for the new moon each month. A sighting of the new moon would confirm the pre-printed dates given by SBS for the first day of each month. Some years ago we invited a body of believers in Jerusalem to check the calendar published by this school. They did so for several months. Again we quote from Charles Dugger's letter dated 22/11/78:

"We find that the moon really is new over Jerusalem each month by your calendar and is off as much as two days by the Jewish calendar. Therefore we wish to publish the truth - and we simply need a list of the moonrise after conjunction at Jerusalem. Brother Loughran just list them so that we can take the list straight to the printers."

To SBS this was valuable confirmation that, as far as a pre-printed calendar is concerned, the method we are using is reliable. We now invite any believer or group of believers in Jerusalem to check out the calendar SBS publishes against first sightings of the new moon with the naked eye. Please write to or email SBS Scotland if you find that the starting date of the festival months of Abib or Ethanim as shown at Appendix A are incorrect.

The alternative to publishing a calendar in advance, is to post a lookout group at Jerusalem who would announce to the world - month by month - when the new moon is seen. This is still the best method of ensuring the correct starting dates of months. But we do not know of any group which does this on a monthly basis. To our knowledge they all publish their calendars and festival dates many months in advance; so they must all be using calculations of some sort.

Note: Many believers become polarised about the matter of keeping the correct Feast days. It is, of course, very important: and that is why SBS makes such an effort to get it right. But let no one forget that the Great Feasts (the realities to which the current feasts merely point) will be miraculously highlighted by signs in the sun, moon and stars! We will not then be dependant upon computer printout, or the knowledge and skill of leaders feverishly arguing amongst themselves as to who is correct. In the near future the sun and moon will clearly mark out the correct feasts, sacred seasons or sabbatical year just as they did when the Saviour hung on the cross. On that occasion the sun went out for three hours. That was no eclipse by any means; for an eclipse only lasts a few minutes. When the sun went out on that memorable day, even the Roman soldiers were staggered into saying "Truly this is the Son of God!" It will be the same in the near future; the promised signs in the sun, moon and stars will mark out the sacred times for all to see.

Having said that, it still behoves true believers to attend the sacred Feasts; because the Almighty God of Israel may well, as on that memorable Day of Pentecost long ago, have some extra ordinary gifts to bestow on His obedient people;

Question 10

Where does Faith in God come into this matter of keeping Feast days?

Answer

Faith is confidence, reliance or trust in the Almighty. It is taking Yahweh at His word, believing Him, trusting Him implicitly. Without faith it is impossible to please the Most High. (Heb.11:6) Faith knows that El-Shadai (God Almighty) and His son Yeshua (in Yahweh is salvation) will always do what they have promised. Mature faith never asks God for visible manifestations or miracles to prove His love or His power. Mature faith believes the Almighty without any proof and accepts what the Father and Son have to offer without doubting their word. Faith, however, is not a blind belief born of ignorance. Instead, it is intelligent, spiritual confidence based on the Almighty's absolute reliability, His past performance as seen in His creation, in fulfilled prophecy and in answered prayer. Faith is an action of the mind. It is an inner conviction that the LORD God of Israel is holy, just, merciful and good and that He loves every one of His children. Faith is invisible righteousness and is sometimes called the 'righteousness of faith.' Faith is the main factor which distinguishes the people of God from the rest of the world. Believers have faith in God. Unbelievers do not; many do not even believe that He exists. We are saved by faith in Yahweh's only begotten son Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ). Nothing else can save us. This is the very first fact we learn about salvation; that it is a free gift which we receive from God - by faith! The Bible says: the just shall live by faith!

OBEDIENCE, on the other hand, is faith in action. Obedience is the fruit of faith. Obedience is practical righteousness. It is speaking the truth and doing good works. Obedience is following in the footsteps of the Almighty and His Son. Obedience is the visible expression of our love for the Most High. Obedience is the best and, perhaps, the only tangible evidence that our faith is alive. Obedience is living faith! Without obedience all professions of faith are nothing but self-deluding presumption; because where there is no obedience there really is no faith.

The Bible says:
James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
But obedience, important as it is, cannot save us from the consequence of our past sins. The Bible tells us that the penalty of sin is death, eternal death! (Rom.6:23) And since all of us have sinned at some time or the other. So we all need a Saviour to save us from that death penalty. Only Yeshua the Messiah, the Saviour of the world, can do that for us. We cannot save ourselves. Neither can our obedience save us; however perfect it may happen to be. Obedience cannot cancel past sins or lift that death penalty. To cancel past sins we need help from above. We need a Saviour. We need Yeshua (Jesus) to wash away the record of our past sins. That's where faith comes into the picture. The Almighty sent His son to save the world, to save you and me from sin and its eternal consequences - death! Yeshua (Yahshua) is the Saviour. His name means 'Yahweh is salvation.' He alone can save us from sin and its eternal consequences - death! That's why he came to earth; to save his people from their sins. (Matt.1:21) In short: we receive him by faith, we accept him by faith, we live by faith in the Son of God, who gave himself for us - that we might inherit eternal life.

The Saviour doesn't only save us from the consequences of our past sins; he also annihilates from within us the tendency to sin in the future. That is the Saviour's ultimate objective, to save us from our sins - past, present and future; to annihilate within us the tendency to sin in the future. In other words, he came to make us obedient.

Rom.8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Believers accept the Saviour by faith. Countless millions of Gospel tracts echo this basic truth about salvation. But having accepted salvation through faith doesn't mean we can thereafter blatantly disobey God, by breaking the very commandments that define sin and classify us as sinners in the first place. That would make a mockery of salvation. That would make Yahweh's people the laughing stock of every evil angel in the universe. It would prove how ineffective the Saviour's efforts have been to save his people from their tendency to sin. Instead we believers should express our faith by keeping the Almighty's commandments, by being obedient, by not sinning in the future.

The Bible says:
1 John 2:3: And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4: He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Put another way, we may say that faith and obedience are two sides of the same spiritual coin. If either is missing the coin is worthless. Consequently to the two most important questions ever asked:

  1. 'What must I do to be saved?'
  2. 'What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?'

these two vital answers are given; each spelling out the same eternal truth in two different ways. Here are the two answers:

PAUL said:
Acts 16:30: And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31: And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
JESUS said:
Matt.19:16: And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17: And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

As you can see there really is no conflict between Paul and Jesus, between faith and obedience; any more than there are two roads to salvation or eternal life. Both Paul and Jesus are saying the same thing in different ways. Paul speaks of faith, that invisible action of the mind. Jesus speaks of obedience, the visible actions that reflect what is in the mind. The Apostle James says the same thing in yet another way. He wrote
James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

In short, Obedience is faith in action, living faith! You cannot have one without the other. Both are absolutely essential if you want to please God. That is what the Bible teaches. Dare we say anything different!

Appendix A

New Moon Times & The Beginnings of Months

Years 1994 - 1999       ....... & .......       Years 2000 - 2005

The following chart will help you see how SBS sets up the calendar. Please study it in conjunction with the guidelines given in the answer to Question 8. An asterisk (*) means that if the new moon is not seen at Jerusalem on the given evening, it may be looked for at its second rising on the following morning. For further information see Morning Signtings.

Conjunction
Times in ET
First Moonrise
after conjunction
in Jerusalem
Standard Time
Next Moonset.
A likely first
sighting should
occur this evening
FIRST DAY
of the month
DateTime
1994 
Jan. 1123 11
Feb. 1014 31
Mar. 1207 06
Apr. 1100 18
May 1017 08
June 908 28
July 821 39
Aug. 708 46
Sep. 518 34
Oct. 503 56
Nov. 313 37
Dec. 223 55
1995 
Jan. 110 57
Jan. 3022 48
Mar. 111 49
Mar. 3102 09
Apr. 2917 37
May 2909 28
June 2800 51
July 2715 15
Aug. 2604 33
Sep. 2416 56
Oct. 2404 37
Nov. 2215 44
Dec. 2202 24
1996 
Jan. 2012 51
Feb. 1823 31
Mar. 1910 46
Apr. 1722 50
May 1711 47
June 1601 37
July 1516 16
Aug. 1407 35
Sep. 1223 09
Oct. 1214 16
Nov. 1104 17
Dec. 1016 58
1997 
Jan. 904 26
Feb. 715 08
Mar. 901 15
Apr. 711 03
May 620 48
June 507 05
July 418 41
Aug. 308 15
Sep. 123 53
Oct. 116 53
Oct. 3110 02
Nov. 3002 15
Dec. 2916 58
1998 
Jan. 2806 02
Feb. 2617 27
Mar. 2803 15
Apr. 2611 43
May 2519 34
June 2403 52
July 2313 45
Aug. 2202 04
Sep. 2017 02
Oct. 2010 10
Nov. 1904 28
Dec. 1822 44
1999 
Jan. 1715 47
Feb. 1606 40
Mar. 1718 49
Apr. 1604 23
May 1512 06
June 1319 04
July 1302 25
Aug. 1111 09
Sep. 922 03
Oct. 911 36
Nov. 803 54
Dec. 722 32
DateTime
1994 
Jan. 1206 41
Feb. 1106 31
Mar. 1306 07
Apr. 1105 13
May 1105 06
June 1005 24
July 905 08
Aug. 805 58
Sep. 605 49
Oct. 606 50
Nov. 406 45
Dec. 306 35
1995 
Jan. 207 09
Jan. 3106 30
Mar. 206 19
Mar. 3105 27
Apr. 3005 17
May 3005 23
June 2804 57
July 2805 32
Aug. 2706 14
Sep. 2506 02
Oct. 2506 56
Nov. 2306 48
Dec. 2206 32
1996 
Jan. 2106 59
Feb. 1906 17
Mar. 2006 10
Apr. 1805 23
May 1805 26
June 1604 55
July 1605 23
Aug. 1505 56
Sep. 1305 37
Oct. 1306 17
Nov. 1207 04
Dec. 1106 51
1997 
Jan. 906 29
Feb. 806 46
Mar. 906 03
Apr. 806 01
May 705 20
June 605 37
July 505 14
Aug. 405 48
Sep. 205 28
Oct. 206 00
Nov. 106 36
Nov. 3006 19
Dec. 3006 55
1998 
Jan. 2907 14
Feb. 2706 33
Mar. 2805 48
Apr. 2705 50
May 2605 16
June 2505 48
July 2405 31
Aug. 2205 16
Sep. 2105 52
Oct. 2106 25
Nov. 2006 59
Dec. 1906 39
1999 
Jan. 1807 01
Feb. 1707 05
Mar. 1806 19
Apr. 1706 15
May 1615 37
June 1405 10
July 1304 54
Aug. 1205 48
Sep. 1005 35
Oct. 1006 16
Nov. 805 59
Dec. 806 34
DateTime
1994 
Jan. 1217 38
Feb. 1118 21
Mar. 1318 57
Apr. 1118 38 *
May 1119 12
June 1019 37
July 919 03
Aug. 818 58
Sep. 618 10
Oct. 618 09
Nov. 417 37
Dec. 317 16
1995 
Jan. 218 09
Jan. 3117 58
Mar. 218 44
Mar. 3118 27 *
Apr. 3019 03
May 3019 30
June 2818 58 *
July 2818 56
Aug. 2718 44
Sep. 2517 57
Oct. 2518 02
Nov. 2317 37
Dec. 2217 22 *
1996 
Jan. 2118 21
Feb. 1918 11
Mar. 2019 02
Apr. 1818 47
May 1819 24
June 1618 58 *
July 1619 04
Aug. 1518 52
Sep. 1318 01
Oct. 1317 50
Nov. 1218 00
Dec. 1117 40
1997 
Jan. 917 27 *
Feb. 818 28
Mar. 918 20 *
Apr. 819 16
May 719 03
June 619 41
July 519 10
Aug. 419 08
Sep. 218 17
Oct. 217 58
Nov. 117 48
Nov. 3017 12 *
Dec. 3017 45
1998 
Jan. 2918 40
Feb. 2718 33
Mar. 2818 25 *
Apr. 2719 27
May 2619 17
June 2519 53
July 2419 18
Aug. 2218 33 *
Sep. 2118 14
Oct. 2117 55
Nov. 2017 49
Dec. 1917 18
1999 
Jan. 1817 55
Feb. 1718 47
Mar. 1818 39 *
Apr. 1719 42
May 1619 37
June 1419 28
July 1319 08 *
Aug. 1219 17
Sep. 1018 27 *
Oct. 1018 07
Nov. 817 15 *
Dec. 817 12
Date 
1994 
Jan. 13
Feb. 12
Mar. 14Abib 1st
Apr. 12Zif
May 12
June 11
July 10
Aug. 9
Sep. 7Ethanim 1st
Oct. 7
Nov. 5
Dec. 4
1995 
Jan. 3
Feb. 1
Mar. 3
Apr. 1Abib 1st
May 1 Zif
May 31
June 29
July 29
Aug. 28
Sep. 26Ethanim 1st
Oct. 26
Nov. 24
Dec. 23
1996 
Jan. 22
Feb. 20
Mar. 21Abib 1st
Apr. 19Zif
May 19
June 17
July 17
Aug. 16
Sep. 14Ethanim 1st
Oct. 14
Nov. 13
Dec. 12
1997 
Jan. 10
Feb. 9
Mar. 10Abib 1st
Apr. 9Zif
May 8
June 7
July 6
Aug. 5
Sep. 3Ethanim 1st
Oct. 3
Nov. 2
Dec. 1
Dec. 31
1998 
Jan. 30
Feb. 28
Mar. 29Abib 1st
Apr. 28 Zif 1st
May 27
June 26
July 25
Aug. 23
Sep. 22Ethanim 1st
Oct. 22
Nov. 21
Dec. 20
1999 
Jan. 19
Feb. 18
Mar. 19Abib 1st
Apr. 18Zif 1st
May 17
June 15
July 14
Aug. 13
Sep. 11Ethanim 1st
Oct. 11
Nov. 9
Dec. 9
MOON TIMES FOR THE YEARS 2000 - 2005 are given at Section 3.

2. Beginnings of Months

Years 1994 - 1999

Months 199419951996199719981999
1ABIB
2ZIF
3SIVAN
4 
5 
6ELUL
7ETHANIM
8BUL
9CHISLEU
10TEBETH
  
11SEBET
12ADAR
13ADAR 2
Mar.14
Apr.12
May12
June11
July10
Aug.9
Sep.7
Oct.7
Nov.5
Dec.4
1995 
Jan.3
Feb.1
Mar.3
Apr.1
May1
May31
June29
July29
Aug.28
Sep.26
Oct.26
Nov.24
Dec.23
1996 
Jan.22
Feb.20
Mar.21
Apr.19
May19
June17
July17
Aug.16
Sep.14
Oct.14
Nov.13
Dec.12
1997 
Jan.10
Feb.9
Mar.10
Apr.9
May8
June7
July6
Aug.5
Sep.3
Oct.3
Nov.2
Dec.1
  
Dec.31
Jan.30
Feb.28
Mar.29
Apr.28
May27
June26
July25
Aug.23
Sep.22
Oct.22
Nov.21
Dec.20
1998 
Jan.19
Feb.18
Mar.19
Apr. 18
May17
June15
July14
Aug.13
Sep.11
Oct.11
Nov.9
Dec.9
1999 
Jan.8
Feb.7



3. New Moon Times

Years 2000 - 2005

Conjunction
Times in ET
First Moonrise
after conjunction
in Jerusalem
Standard Time
Next Moonset.
A likely first
sighting should
occur this evening
FIRST DAY
of the month
DateTime
2000 
Jan. 618 14
Feb. 513 04
Mar. 605 18
Apr. 418 14
May 404 13
June 212 16
July 119 21
July 3102 26
Aug. 2910 20
Sep. 2719 54
Oct. 2707 59
Nov. 2523 13
Dec. 2517 22
2001 
Jan. 2413 08
Feb. 2308 22
Mar. 2501 22
Apr. 2315 27
May 2302 47
June 2111 59
July 2019 46
Aug. 1902 57
Sep. 1710 28
Oct. 1619 24
Nov. 1506 41
Dec. 1420 48
2002 
Jan. 1313 30
Feb. 1207 41
Mar. 1402 04
Apr. 1219 22
May 1210 47
June 1023 47
July 1010 27
Aug. 819 16
Sep. 703 11
Oct. 611 19
Nov. 420 36
Dec. 407 35
2003 
Jan. 220 24
Feb. 110 49
Mar. 302 36
Apr. 119 20
May 112 16
May 3104 21
June 2918 40
July 2906 54
Aug. 2717 27
Sep. 2603 10
Oct. 2512 51
Nov. 2323 00
Dec. 2309 44
2004 
Jan. 2121 06
Feb. 2009 19
Mar. 2022 42
Apr. 1913 22
May 1904 53
June 1720 28
Jul. 1711 25
Aug. 1601 25
Sep. 1414 30
Oct. 1402 49
Nov. 1214 28
Dec. 1201 30
2005 
Jan. 1012 04
Feb. 822 29
Mar. 1009 12
Apr. 820 33
May 808 47
June 621 56
Jul. 612 04
Aug. 503 06
Sep. 318 46
Oct. 310 29
Nov. 201 26
Dec. 115 02
Dec. 3103 13
DateTime
2000 
Jan. 707 00
Feb. 607 05
Mar. 706 17
Apr. 505 25
May 505 12
June 304 32
July 204 04
Aug. 104 59
Aug. 3004 55
Sep. 2804 48
Oct. 2805 41
Nov. 2605 29
Dec. 2606 11
2001 
Jan. 2507 14
Feb. 2407 00
Mar. 2506 04
Apr. 2405 40
May 2304 54
June 2205 18
July 2105 09
Aug. 1905 08
Sep. 1806 15
Oct. 1706 08
Nov. 1607 06
Dec. 1506 55
2002 
Jan. 1407 23
Feb. 1307 15
Mar. 1406 17
Apr. 1305 44
May 1305 22
June 1104 43
July 1105 23
Aug. 905 21
Sep. 705 19
Oct. 706 26
Nov. 506 23
Dec. 507 30
2003 
Jan. 307 15
Feb. 207 25
Mar. 306 31
Apr. 205 56
May 205 23
June 105 15
June 3004 50
July 3005 42
Aug. 2805 38
Sep. 2605 33
Oct. 2606 38
Nov. 2406 39
Dec. 2407 45
2004 
Jan. 2207 18
Feb. 2107 08
Mar. 2106 06
Apr. 2005 31
May 2005 12
June 1804 38
Jul. 1805 17
Aug. 1605 08
Sep. 1505 58
Oct. 1405 48
Nov. 1306 55
Dec. 1206 56
2005 
Jan. 1107 43
Feb. 907 01
Mar. 1106 36
Apr. 905 33
May 905 11
June 704 32
Jul. 705 06
Aug. 605 52
Sep. 405 38
Oct. 406 20
Nov. 206 11
Dec. 207 16
Dec. 3107 06
DateTime
2000 
Jan. 717 33
Feb. 618 12
Mar. 717 59 *
Apr. 517 47
May 518 43
June 318 39
July 218 32
Aug. 119 07
Aug. 3018 26 *
Sep. 2817 37
Oct. 2817 19
Nov. 2616 30
Dec. 2616 35
2001 
Jan. 2517 56
Feb. 2418 35
Mar. 2518 19 *
Apr. 2419 06
May 2319 00 *
June 2219 56
July 2119 34
Aug. 1918 55 *
Sep. 1818 43 *
Oct. 1717 49
Nov. 1617 43
Dec. 1517 10
2002 
Jan. 1417 45
Feb. 1318 26
Mar. 1418 08 *
Apr. 1318 45
May 1319 31
June 1119 22
July 1119 59
Aug. 919 21
Sep. 718 32 *
Oct. 718 13
Nov. 517 23
Dec. 517 38
2003 
Jan. 317 21
Feb. 218 14
Mar. 318 00 *
Apr. 218 38 *
May 219 17
June 120 02
June 3019 43
July 3019 50
Aug. 2818 57
Sep. 2617 59 *
Oct. 2617 40
Nov. 2417 00
Dec. 2417 45
2004 
Jan. 2217 41
Feb. 2118 40
Mar. 2118 26 *
Apr. 2019 10
May 2019 55
June 1819 38
Jul. 1819 48
Aug. 1618 57 *
Sep. 1518 25 *
Oct. 1417 24 *
Nov. 1317 15
Dec. 1216 50 *
2005 
Jan. 1118 00
Feb. 918 00
Mar. 1119 01 *
Apr. 918 50
May 919 46
June 719 34
Jul. 719 53
Aug. 619 33
Sep. 418 30 *
Oct. 417 51
Nov. 216 54 *
Dec. 217 06
Dec. 3116 59 *
Date
2000 
Jan. 8
Feb. 7
Mar. 8Abib 1st
Apr. 6
May 6
June 4
July 3
Aug. 2
Aug. 31Ethanim 1st
Sep. 29
Oct. 29
Nov. 27
Dec. 27
2001 
Jan. 26
Feb. 25
Mar. 26Abib 1st
Apr. 25
May 24
June 23
July 22
Aug. 20
Sep. 19Ethanim 1st
Oct. 18
Nov. 17
Dec. 16
2002 
Jan. 15
Feb. 14
Mar. 15Abib 1st
Apr. 14
May 14
June 12
July 12
Aug. 10
Sep. 8Ethanim 1st
Oct. 8
Nov. 6
Dec. 6
2003 
Jan. 4
Feb. 3
Mar. 4
Apr. 3Abib 1st
May 3
June 2
July 1
July 31
Aug. 29
Sep. 27Ethanim 1st
Oct. 27
Nov. 25
Dec. 25
2004 
Jan. 23
Feb. 22
Mar. 22Abib 1st
Apr. 21
May 21
June 19
July 19
Aug. 17
Sep. 16Ethanim 1st
Oct. 15
Nov. 14
Dec. 13
2005 
Jan. 12
Feb. 10
Mar. 12Abib 1st
Apr. 10
May 10
June 8
July 8
Aug. 7
Sep. 5Ethanim 1st
Oct. 5
Nov. 3
Dec. 3
Jan. 1 2006

4. Beginnings of Months

Years 2000 - 2005

Months 200020012002200320042005
1ABIB
2ZIF
3SIVAN
4 
5 
6ELUL
7ETHANIM
8BUL
9CHISLEU
10TEBETH
  
11SEBET
12ADAR
13ADAR 2
Mar.8
Apr.6
May6
June4
July3
Aug.2
Aug.31
Sep.29
Oct.29
Nov.27
  
Dec.27
Jan.26
Feb.25
Mar.26
Apr.25
May24
June23
July22
Aug.20
Sep.19
Oct.18
Nov.17
Dec.16
2002 
Jan.15
Feb.14
Mar.15
Apr.14
May14
June12
July12
Aug.10
Sep.8
Oct.8
Nov.6
Dec.6
2003 
Jan.4
Feb.3
Mar.4
Apr.3
May3
June2
July1
July31
Aug.29
Sep.27
Oct.27
Nov.25
Dec.25
2004 
Jan.23
Feb.22
Mar.22
Apr.21
May21
June19
July19
Aug.17
Sep.16
Oct.15
Nov.14
Dec.13
2005 
Jan.12
Feb.10
Mar.12
Apr.10
May10
June8
July8
Aug.7
Sep.5
Oct.5
Nov.3
Dec.3
2006 
Jan.1
Jan.31
Mar.1

Appendix B

Once the date of a month is established, as at Appendix A, the next step is to find out what day of the week that date falls upon. When that is determined you simply enter a 1 in the space for that day of the week. For example if it is a Monday, (as in the 1994 example below) then enter a 1 under Monday. If it is a Tuesday then enter a 1 under Tuesday. Then in the next weekday spaces enter 2,3,4,5,6 etc., all the way up to 29. At 29 stop and see what day of the week the next month starts at. If it is the weekday following the 29th, then the month you are working on will have only 29 days. If it is two week days away, then the month you are working with will have 30 days. Enter 30 in the next space and move to the next month.

1994 Examples




1st Abib was 14th March.
This was a Monday.
So the calendar for Abib in 1994 appeared like this:

The 2 highlighted days are Feasts.

First Month, Abib 1994
123456SABBATH
  1
14 Mar
2
15 Mar
3
16 Mar
4
17 Mar
5
18 Mar
6
19 Mar
7
20 Mar
8
21 Mar
9
22 Mar
10
23 Mar
11
24 Mar
12
25 Mar
13
26 Mar
14
27 Mar
15
28 Mar
16
29 Mar
17
30 Mar
18
31 Mar
19
1 Apr
20
2 Apr
21
3 Apr
22
4 Apr
23
5 Apr
24
6 Apr
25
7 Apr
26
8 Apr
27
9 Apr
28
10 Apr
29
11 Apr
         




1st Zif was a Tuesday.
This left Abib with only 29 days.
Had Zif started on a Wednesday, Abib would have had 30 days.
Second Month, Zif 1994
123456SABBATH
    1
12 Apr
2
13 Apr
3
14 Apr
4
15 Apr
5
16 Apr
6
17 Apr
7
18 Apr
8
19 Apr
9
20 Apr
10
21 Apr
11
22 Apr
12
23 Apr
13
24 Apr
14
25 Apr
15
26 Apr
16
27 Apr
17
28 Apr
18
29 Apr
19
30 Apr
20
1 May
21
2 May
22
3 May
23
4 May
24
5 May
25
6 May
26
7 May
27
8 May
28
9 May
29
10 May
30
11 May
     

Appendix C

Prophetic Time Span Examples

A prophetic time span is the period of time a Bible prophecy is scheduled to continue once it begins. The 2300, 1260, 1290 and 1335 day prophecies of Daniel chapters 8 and 12 are prophetic time spans. When they begin they will continue for 2300, 1260, 1290 or 1335 literal days. You will see from the examples given below that these time spans begin and end on divinely appointed dates in the sacred calendar, on the Almighty's annual Sabbaths, His Feast and Fast days. These prophetic time spans are all linked to the sacred calendar in the same way as your own annual leave from work begins and ends on appointed dates in the civil calendar. The following examples are not to be looked upon as SBS predictions of when the Time Prophecies will begin or end. Nor are they an attempt to date the second coming of Jesus Christ; a date no one, other than the Father, knows. (Matt.24:36) They are given simply to show how the time prophecies in Daniel and Revelation slot into periods between a Feast in one year and another Feast, Fast or sacred season 2300, 1260, 1290 or 1335 days later. This means that these Time prophecies could start any year in the near future. That is the point being made in this Appendix.

The 2300 day prophecy of Daniel 8

In certain periods there are exactly 2300 days between the Feast of Pentecost in one year and the Feast of Trumpets about seven years later. The first and the last days are both included in the count.

Example 1 Example 2 Example 3
22 May 1988 to 7 Sep. 1994 1 June 1998 to 16 Sep. 2004 22 May 1999 to 6 Sep. 2005
Year Month Days Year Month Days Year Month Days
1988 May
June
July
Aug.
Sep.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
10
30
31
31
30
31
30
31
1998 May
June
July
Aug.
Sep.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
 
30
31
31
30
31
30
31
1999 May
June
July
Aug.
Sep.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
10
30
31
31
30
31
30
31
 
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
Total





Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sep.
224
365
365
365
366
365
31
28
31
30
31
30
31
31
7
 
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
Total





Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sep.
214
365
366
365
365
365
31
29
31
30
31
30
31
31
16
 
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
Total





Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sep.
224
366
365
365
365
366
31
28
31
30
31
30
31
31
6
Total2300 Total2300 Total2300

The 1335 day prophecy of Daniel 12

In certain periods there are exactly 1335 days between the Feast of Trumpets in one year and the Feast of Pentecost several years later. The first and last days are both included in the count.

Example 4 Example 5 Example 6
17 Sep. 1993 to 13 May 1997 26 Sep. 1995 to 22 May 1999 22 Sep. 1998 to 18 May 2002
Year Month Days Year Month Days Year Month Days
1993 Sep.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
14
31
30
31
1995 Sep.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
5
31
30
31
1998 Sep.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
9
31
30
31
 
1994
1995
1996
1997
Total



Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
106
365
365
366
31
28
31
30
13
 
1996
1997
1998
1999
Total



Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
97
366
365
365
31
28
31
30
22
 
1999
2000
2001
2002
Total



Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
101
365
366
365
31
28
31
30
18
Total1335 Total1335 Total1335

The 1260 day (3½ years or 42 months) prophecies of Daniel chapters 7 & 12 and Revelation 13

In certain periods there are exactly 1260 days between the Last Day of Unleavened Bread in one year and the Day of Atonement 3½ years later. The first and last days are both included in the count.

Example 7 Example 8 Example 9
30 March 1997 to 9 Sep. 2000 18 April 1998 to 28 Sep. 2001 4 April 2002 to 14 Sep. 2005
Year Month Days Year Month Days Year Month Days
1997 Mar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sep.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
2
30
31
30
31
31
30
31
30
31
1998 Mar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sep.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
 
13
31
30
31
31
30
31
30
31
2002 Mar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sep.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
 
27
31
30
31
31
30
31
30
31
 
1998
1999
2000
Total


Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sep.
277
365
365
31
29
31
30
31
30
31
31
9
 
1999
2000
2001
Total


Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sep.
258
365
366
31
28
31
30
31
30
31
31
28
 
2003
2004
2005
Total


Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sep.
272
365
366
31
28
31
30
31
30
31
31
14
Total1260 Total1260 Total1260


The 1290 day prophecy of Daniel 12

In certain periods there are exactly 1290 days between New Year's Day in the sacred calendar and the Last Great Day of Tabernacles just over 3½ years later. The first day is not included in the count.

Example 10 Example 11 Example 12
25 March 1993 to 5 Oct. 1996 14 March 1994 to 24 Sep. 1997 21 March 1996 to 2 Oct. 1999
Year Month Days Year Month Days Year Month Days
1993 Mar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sep.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
6
30
31
30
31
31
30
31
30
31
1994 Mar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sep.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
17
30
31
30
31
31
30
31
30
31
1996 Mar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sep.
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
10
30
31
30
31
31
30
31
30
31
 
1994
1995
1996
Total


Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sep.
Oct.
281
365
365
31
29
31
30
31
30
31
31
30
5
 
1995
1996
1997
Total


Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sep.
 
292
365
366
31
28
31
30
31
30
31
31
24
 
 
1997
1998
1999
Total


Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
May
June
July
Aug.
Sep.
Oct.
285
365
365
31
28
31
30
31
30
31
31
30
2
Total1290 Total1290 Total1290

NOTE

The one month difference which occurs in some calculations is because an extra leap year is present in the count, hence a difference of 29 or 30 days. The one day difference that occurs in other calculations is because some counts have more 30 day months than others. The examples given above, nevertheless, clearly prove that the Time Prophecies of Daniel and Revelation slot exactly into periods of time between a sacred Feast in one year and another some years later. By implication this means that true believers should not only be studying those prophecies, but should be keeping those sacred appointments with the Almighty (His Feasts) at which times those selfsame prophecies are scheduled to begin. Festival dates may be considered on three levels
  1. TYPICAL DATES: These dates are kept in anticipation of divine victories which are planned to occur in a future year; but on the same day of the same month. At the moment (1998) most of Yahweh's feasts are 'shadows of things to come.' In other words the realities to which they point have yet to occur; they are still future.
  2. EVENT DATES: These are the actual dates on which the Almighty will perform His mightiest deeds in the Plan of Salvation. When these once in eternity' dates arrive, they will be highlighted by signs in the sun, moon and stars.
  3. MEMORIAL DATES: These are dates which will be celebrated throughout eternity by the redeemed as memorials and anniversaries. On these dates, throughtout time, we will look back with rejoicing as we remember the great deeds Yahweh and His Son Yeshua performed to secure our salvation.

Appendix D

Scheduled Events in the Diary of God

The facts presented in this booklet show that the Almighty is currently using His calendar as the basis of His 'Diary' to organise His work. They also show that He has appointed certain days, seasons and years in His 'diary' on which He has scheduled Himself to perform His mightiest deeds. He calls these appointed times His Sabbaths, His Feasts. In Appendix C we have seen how the Time Prophecies of Daniel & Revelation slot into periods between the Feasts. Indeed, knowledge of the sacred Feasts of the God of Israel is the key to understanding Bible prophecy.

Now let us very briefly consider those prophecies. The first question that comes to mind is: When do those Time Prophecies occur? The answer is: they occur at the 'in the time of the end, a period of time which starts about seven years before the Saviour returns to earth. The Time Prophecies being referred to will occur, we are told, at the crisis at the end of this age; the 'time of the end. When that soon-coming crisis begins, and it is almost upon us, the following events are predicted to occur:

  1. The shake up of our solar system as portrayed under the 6th Seal of Revelation 6:12-17. This event will be accompanied by awesome signs in the sun, moon and stars and a global earthquake which will devastate the cities of the whole world. Wait for this event. It is near.
  2. The sealing of the 144,000 servants of God will then take place.(Rev.7) The 144,000 are called 'Israelites.' This means that they are true believers in Yahweh the Almighty God of Israel. This number will obviously include tens of thousands of blood-born descendants of Jacob. Without a doubt it will also include obedient Gentile believers, who have been grafted into one or the other of the 12 tribes of Israel; believers who do not baulk at the idea of being called Israelites or Jews! These believers will all have the Father's name in their foreheads; which means they will not only know the sacred names, multiplied millions of men and angels already know the names of the Father and Son, but they will be absolutely holy people who will reflect Yahweh's character and obey His commandments.
  3. After the sealing of the 144000, the devastation under the first four trumpets of Rev. 8 will begin. The events under the 6th seal, the sealing of the 144,000 and the first four trumpets of the 7th seal could all take place in the first few months of the last seven year period before Christ returns.
  4. At Trumpet No.5 the Abyss, an angel penitentiary where the Beast is currently being held captive, will be opened and theAntichrist will come forth leading a horde of evil angels. They will torment mankind for a period of 5 literal months; that is, all except those who have been sealed with the Father's name, His character, His law. (Rev.9)
  5. The Antichrist will then magnify himself above all gods and will enter and desecrate the heavenly sanctuary for a period of 2300 days. During the latter part of this period, the Antichrist will capture the city of Jerusalem and kill Yahweh's Two Witnesses. He will then begin a 42 month Reign of Terror on earth. (Dan.7:25, Rev.11 & 13) During his evil reign no one will be able to buy and sell unless they have his Mark. Prophecy tells us that during Trumpet No.6 one third of mankind, about 2,000,000,000 souls, will die. It will be a slaughter greater by far than anything the world has ever seen. See Who/What is the Antichrist? and The Mark of the Beast for further information.
  6. During the latter half of the 2300 day period, the people of God will be escorted by holy angels out of the world's cities and miraculously fed and protected by God for 1260 days. This Coming Exodus is described in Revelation 12:6 and Ezekiel 20:35-44. Yes, believe it or not, Yahweh's church is to be miraculously protected and fed for 1260 days during the 6th and 7th Trumpets of Revelation.
  7. During this period of time the seven last plagues will be poured out on mankind. (Rev. 15)
  8. Babylon the Great, the spiritual harlot city of the universe, will then be overthrown; resulting in a total collapse in world trade. (Rev.18)
  9. Finally Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) will return to earth as promised. (Matt.24) He will descend on the Mount of Olives and liberate the city of Jerusalem. (Zech.14:3-5)
  10. At the Saviour's return the Antichrist will be burned to death in a lake of fire: and Satan the Devil, the one who gave the Antichrist power and authority, will be locked in the Bottomless Pit (Abyss) for a period of 1000 years. Note: that the Antichrist and the Devil are not the same being. They are two separate beings and one dies a thousand years before the other. (Rev.19:19 to Rev.20:3)
  11. The Messiah's 1000 year Reign of Peace will then begin. (Rev.20, Zech.14:6-21)
  12. After the millennium Satan will be loosed from the Abyss. He will then vainly try to muster his forces to overthrow the Almighty: but he will perish in the attempt and, like the Antichrist a thousand years before, Satan will be incinerated in the lake of fire. (Rev.20:7-10)
  13. The Day of Judgement will then arrive and all those whose names are not found in the Book of Life will also be cast into the lake of fire. From that second death there is no return. (Rev.20:11-15, Malachi 4)
  14. The Almighty will then create a new heaven and a new earth in which His saints will dwell in peace and harmony for all time. (Rev.21 & 22)
Briefly, that is the sequence of events entered in the Diary of Jehovah, the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel; events which are prophesied to begin shortly. See the booklet entitled Understand the Revelation where many of the above mentioned events are explained. The reader is advised to pay heed to these prophecies, for they are bound to happen. Blindly rejecting their warning messages and persisting in sin would amount to foolishness of the highest order, because:

The Scriptures Must Be Fulfilled.

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Elder: David B Loughran
Stewarton Bible School, Stewarton, Scotland
First published 1979 / Placed on the Internet 1996 / Updated: 1998
www.stewartonbibleschool.org