The Apostle Peter in his opening remarks to the Church, in his second epistle, tells us:

1: ". . . To those equally precious with us having obtained faith in the righteousness of our God and our Savior, Jesus Christ:
2: Grace to you, and peace be multiplied by a FULL KNOWLEDGE of God, and of Jesus our Lord." (2Pet. 1:1-2).

15: "have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;" (2Pet. 2:15).

22: ". . . as a dog returns to his own vomit and a sow having washed, to her wallowing in the mire." (2Pet. 2:22).

4: ". . .For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue from the beginning of creation. And that;
5: they willfully forget that by the word of God the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
6: by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.
7: But the heavens and the earth now are kept in store by the same word, reserved for fire until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." (2Pet. 3:4-7)

14: ". . . be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;" (2Pet. 3:14).

16: ". . .in which are some things hard to understand, which those untaught and unstable twist to their own destruction, as also the rest of the Scriptures." (2Pet. 3:16).

Paul is the apostle who was called out of Rabbinical Judaism, out of errors, and became a Christian.

13: "For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.
14: And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
15: But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace,
16: to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,
17: nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus." (Gal. 1:13-17)

17: ". . . do not be led away with the error of the wicked;
18: but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. . ." ( 2Pet. 3:17-18)

4: "For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,
5: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
6: Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;
7: or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;
8: he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
9: Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
10: Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
11: not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12: rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
13: distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
14: Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15: Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16: Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17: Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18: If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men." (Rom. 12:4-18)

Yes, we are all placed in the body for different functions, individual members, but all one body, for a purpose which appears to be a mystery to most in this day and age.

These same words are also patterned in Ephesians, the fourth chapter. Paul clearly defines them and also adds to them the purpose for such things.

1: "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
2: with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
3: endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4: There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling;
5: one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
6: one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Eph. 4:1-6)

So now Paul goes on here in Ephesians 4 to teach a mystery to the men of this age. A mystery that most human beings do not, and for that matter, cannot understand at this time, but the called of God should.

7: "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
8: Therefore He says: When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.
11: And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, [For what purpose?]
12: for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying [uplifting] of the body of Christ,
13: till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;" ( Eph. 4:7-8, 11-13)

Paul continues in Ephesians 4:14-16:

14: "that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive,
15: but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head, Christ.
16: from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."

Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 2:12-14:

12: "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13: These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14: But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

Judaism is one such result of men doing this. The tradition of the elders which were the Mishnaic, or oral law, which have become the basis of the written Talmud were the result of such corruptive activities. The words of Christ Himself throughout the gospels confirm such things. A simple reading of Matthew 15 & 23, as well as Mark 7, are just some of the clearly spoken words of Christ on the subject. The tenets of Judaism reject the Bible as the authority in such things.

Paul who rejected Judaism to follow Christ told Timothy:

16: "But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness." (2Tim. 2:16)

16: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17: that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2Tim. 3:16-17)

The Bible teaches us in patterns. They are found woven throughout its entirety as Isa. 28:10-13 tells us. Paul encouraged Timothy to:

13: "Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus." (2Tim. 1:13)

We read in Isaiah about how God teaches these patterns and why God does it this way. Isa. 28:9-13:

9: "Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? [Here comes the answer.] Those just weaned from milk. Those just drawn from the breasts. [Not to those who are still being fed milk whether from breast or bottle.]
10: For precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.
11: For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people,
12: To whom He said, This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest, And, This is the refreshing; Yet they would not hear.
13: But the word of the LORD was to them, Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little, That they might go and fall backward, and be broken And snared and caught."

14: " . . . scornful men, Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem," (Isa. 28:14)

You be the judge yourself, whether Christ, the Word of God, has forsaken us and left us to the deceptions and error of the Rabbis, Romans, or Babylonians as to the calendar of God.

We read in Eccl. 3:1-8:

1: "To everything there is a season [#2165], A time [#6256] for every purpose under heaven:
2: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
3: A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up;
4: A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
5: A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
6: A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
7: A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
8: A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace."

The Hebrew word for season here is #2165, in the Strong's:

"zeman from 2163; an appointed occasion: season, time."

This is the only place in the Bible #2165 is translated as season. This is significant. There are 6 Hebrew words translated as season or seasons in the Bible. The translators have done this fairly randomly. In fact, the word season only appears about 37 times in the O.T. That's not a wide usage of the word in any shape or form. I will point out here that the only one of the six which has a consistency of referring to a "growing season" and those "events or things" associated with it such as "rain in it season" or "stock of corn cometh in his season" is #6256 and at that it is used sparingly. It is also the word we see here in Eccl. 3 that is translated "time". #6256 or "et" is the Hebrew word which is used on the few occasions the Bible uses the word season associated with the things related to the solar year or that determined by the sun. That, my friends, is very important as we will see, for God chooses His words carefully, with purpose to fit the patterns They have placed in the Bible, the word of God, and through Their creation.

The Hebrew word for #6256 in the Strong's is:

"eth from 5703, time, especially (adverbially with preposition) now, when, etc."

"et #6256, time, period of time, appointed time, proper time, season. . . Basically this noun connotes time conceived as an opportunity or season. First, the word signifies an appointed, fixed, and set time or period . . . This noun also is used of the concept, proper or appointed time. . . A third use connotes 'season' or regular fixed period of time such as springtime. . . This noun also is applied to differing extensions of time. . ."

Peter told us earlier, that:

4: ". . . For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as from the beginning of creation." (2Pet. 3:4)

Remember what the apostle Paul told us in Rom. 1:20:

20: "For the unseen things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, both His eternal power and Godhead, for them to be without excuse,"

We need to go to the beginning to see what God did to assist us in our ability to obey the commandments of God and we will, but first we need to go over several things.

In Lev. 23 we find the only chapter in all the Bible describing all the feasts of the Lord, the statutes of God, commanded by God, to be kept in our worship of Them.

Lev. 23:4 states:

4: "These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times." [#4150 moed]

We are also told in verse 37:

37: "These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day"

5: "because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, andMy laws."

4: ". . . For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."

Lets remember these events we are going to read about took place before the creation of man and for that matter, before the other 3 types of flesh which would inhabit the earth with us. 1Cor. 15:39:

39: "All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fish, and another of birds."

28: "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

11: "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? . . ."

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

15: "and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth; and it was so.
16: Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. The stars also. [The stars are used for navigation.]
17: God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth,
18: and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good."

We live in a time when knowledge has increased and many run to and fro. Daniel told us of such things in Dan. 12:4:

4: "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."

33: "and those of the people who understand shall instruct many," (Dan. 11:33)

10: "Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand." (Dan 12:10)

Some of this increased knowledge is a great aid to our understanding of the patterns God has put in place. One such understanding is that of the great migration of birds, etc. We know for a fact, that the chief reason for triggering the migration is the decreasing amount of sunlight, or for that matter, the increasing amount during a day which enables an enzyme to activate in the brain of the 3 types of fleshes which are prone to migration.

Mankind in general has pondered the migration of billions of birds from the beginning. How did they know when to fly south in great formation and swarms and then to return north again at seemingly the same time of year over and over again? How did fish know when to spawn, some in the spring and some in the fall?

Science has discovered this is not just happenstance. It is part of every species that migrates. God designed in each of the other three fleshes and the subsequent different species, a chemical balance in their brains which reacts to the sunlight. That is why we see them having clearly defined patterns at different times of the year. They are affected by both the sun and the moon, with the sun having the greatest effect. Each of the species has no choice in its pattern, for God has set it in them, so that they keep their "appointed times." This is in part what we refer to as instinct. They have no choice as to keeping these "appointed times." They have to respond. Only death, captivity, or dismemberment will keep them from doing so. Man, however, is different. God made man in Their image and likeness. Man is a free moral agent. A spirit was placed in man which enables us to have creative ability through reason and thought. But more than that, man is able to judge between right and wrong, and thus we had the tools to have dominion over the earth. Man was not subjected to it, but rather it was to him. No other part of the physical creation can reason and comprehend ethical decisions. This was all done by God with an incredible purpose in mind.

Even with the dominion that man was given, he was still accountable to obey God. The 3 other fleshes have no choice as to obeying their "appointed times." Only man has the ability to choose to obey his "appointed times" of God or not. Satan, the devil has used every means at his disposal to keep those, who are called of God from keeping these appointed times on their day. Lies, deceit, guile, ignorance, and direct disobedience can sum them up.

If a snow goose does not heed its "appointed time" in flying south from the shores of James Bay, it will die when the winter sets in. So too will man, if we do not keep our "appointed times" with our creator. We too will die from overexposure to the devil.

These are simple teachings and truths about simple patterns God has set in place. They are not mysteries to us, or at least they shouldn't be. We learn about God's eternal power and Godhead through the things which They made. We can learn about the entire plan of salvation from the things which just a few decades ago were unseen to us. The very life cycle of a woman and that of the moon and that of the festivals combine to clearly show and explain the plan of salvation. God is a family and is in the process of growing that family after the patterns of creation. Yes there is a second Adam and second Eve who will be fruitful and multiply in the family of the great Patriarch, God the Father. Now back to Gen. 1:14. The Hebrew words used here will give us clear direction as to how God intends us to use these two great lights.

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

The Hebrew word yowm #3117 means the daylight portion of a day and the combined 24 hour period of both light and day, depending on the context. Verse 19 tells us a day consists of both evening and morning as does verses 5, 8, 13, 23, and 31. Believe it or not, there are some teaching otherwise.

So here in Gen. 1:14 God first deals with the simple premise of what a day is. Then God moves on to state: "Let them be for signs." This is a very big statement in the pattern that God just established. These two great lights are to be used for "signs".

The Hebrew word used here in the Strong's is #226:

"owth probably from 225 uwth (in the sense of appearing); a signal (lit. or fig.); as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc."

Vine's says of it:

"ot (226) 'sign, mark'. . . This word represents something by which a person or group is characteristically marked. This is the emphasis in Gen. 4:15: 'And the LORD set a mark (NASB 'sign') upon Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.'. . . Num. 2:2 uses ot to represent a military banner, while Job 21:29 uses the word of the identifying banners of nomadic tribes. . . [Rahab's trustworthy mark was the scarlet cord in Josh. 2:12.] "The word means 'sign' as a reminder of one's duty. This usage first appears in Gen. 9:12: "This (the rainbow) is the token [sign] of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature . . ."

"uwth, a prime root; properly to come, i.e. (implied) to assent."

In summing up this word we see it definitely means "something visible!" Remember what we are talking about here. The sun and the moon. And what were they to do, "give light on the earth" verses 15 and 17. It was their light which was important, that is why the sun rules the day and the moon the night, verse 16. Neither has any authority outside of their "visible light" which is used as a sign. This is all simple to comprehend. There is nothing difficult about it. We must let the Bible tell us how we use and apply these tools. Both the sun and the moon have their own specific purposes. So unless you are without sight or live in an environment where you have no access to the outdoors, you can see both.

Remember in verse 14 of Genesis 1, God says that they are to be used for 4 things; signs, seasons, days, and years. Verses 15 and 17 clearly tell us once again that their fundamental purpose is to give light. They both rule during their light giving periods, not their dark times. Again, that is why the sun rules the day and the moon the night. We are being told here that we are to use their light in relation to signs, seasons, days, and years. It appears that many who teach about the calendar are lost on this point (that God teaches here) based on their calendar conclusions of how they use these two great lights.

The next tremendously important word used here by God is translated as seasons here in verse 14. It is a word which is used and abused by many in their struggle to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ. This is not the same Hebrew word translated "season" that we looked at earlier in Eccl. 3:1 which states:

1: "To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven."

"moed, from #3259 ya'ad; properly an appointment, i.e. a fixed time or season; specifically a festival; conventionally a year; by implication an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by extension the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed before hand)."

Listen to what the Vine's has to say about the word.

"Moed, 'appointed place of meeting, meeting.' The noun moed appears in the O.T. 223 times, of which 160 times are in the Pentateuch. [That is the first 5 books of the O.T. written by Moses]. . . The word moed keeps its basic meaning of 'appointed,' but varies as to what is appointed according to the context: the time, the place, or the meeting itself. The usage of the verb in Amos 3:3 is illuminating: 'Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?' Whether they have agreed on a time or place of meeting or the meeting itself is ambiguous. The meaning of moed is fixed within the context of Israel's religion. First, the festivals came to be known as the 'appointed times' or the set feasts. These festivals were clearly prescribed in the Pentateuch. The word refers to any 'festival' or 'pilgrimage festival,' such as Passover (Lev. 23), the feast of Firstfruits, the feast of Tabernacles, or the Day of Atonement. . . The word moed also signifies a 'fixed place.' This usage is not frequent: 'For thou hast said in thine heart, `I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will also sit on the mount of the congregation (moed) in the sides of the north . . .' (Isa. 14:13) . . ."

That is as thorough and concise an explanation and usage of the meaning of the word moed as you will find. It is also very accurate in stating that translators have a great difficulty in giving it a proper translation in the context it is used. That happens because they do not understand the plan of salvation let alone the purpose and pattern, so they apply a translation to it which fits into their limited understanding. That is why we see it translated in Gen. 1:14 as seasons when moed should be more accurately translated as "fixed time" or "fixed place" or "meeting". This is why it is often translated as "appointed time." Remember this word applies to two or more "meeting" at a fixed time or place. The translators here assume it is referring to "seasons" when in fact, God does not use moed for this, but as we saw earlier a different Hebrew word. Run through the usage of the word moed and you will see how it is tied to all the feasts and to very specific days. God inspired this word to be used here in Gen. 1:14 to teach us that Their commanded festivals or our "meeting" with Them at specific "appointed times" was (and would always be) determined by the activities of the two great lights. All the four fleshes, which inhabit the earth are tied to them for their "appointed times."

The apostle Peter's words ring loud and clear once again,

4: ". . . For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."

You can take all the human reasoning and the vain babbling, about how God has never given us a calendar to follow in the Bible, and throw it out the window of your mind, with all the other lies and deceit of confused individuals. We are going to see that Jesus Christ is the same, "yesterday, today, and forever" and that He will never "leave nor forsake us." Our Savior is the author and finisher of our faith, not any man or any organization. I remind you of what the apostle Paul told the Corinthians.

24: "Not that we have dominion [rule] over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand." (2Cor. 1:24)

The Hebrew word for days here is #3117 in the Strong's. I mentioned it earlier. The understanding of this word is very simple. It is used two ways in the Bible. One is to describe the light portion of a day, or daylight. The second is to describe a 24 hour period of time from one sunset to another. Lev. 23:32 cannot be any clearer as to when it starts:

32: "It shall be to you a sabbath of rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall observe your sabbath."

"sanah (8141), 'year.' This word has cognates in Ugaritic, Akaddian, Arabic, Aramaic, and Phoenician. Biblical Hebrew attests it about 877 times and in every period. The Hebrew word signifies 'year'. . . There are several ways of determining what a 'year' is. First, the 'year' maybe based on the relationship between the seasons and the sun, the solar year or agricultural year. Second, it can be based on a correlation of seasons and the moon (lunar year). Third, the 'year' may be decided on the basis of the correlation between the movement of the earth and the stars (stellar year). . . An exact picture of the Old Testament 'year' is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain."

Let me repeat one more time, that in Gen. 1:15, 17 that their purpose was to, "give light on the earth." All other purposes are secondary to God. Here God tells their purpose was to give light for signs in determining, "appointed times, days, and years." Remember, "something visible."

Now lets see what God says about which of the great lights is used to determine appointed times, days, and years respectfully. Psa. 104:19:

19: "He appointed the moon for seasons [#4150 moed]; The sun knows its going down."

Once again I will repeat that the Hebrew word moed should not be translated season. There is a better and more accurate Hebrew word for that purpose as we discussed earlier and as God clearly points out here.

Here we learn that the moon was appointed by God to be used to determine "appointed times" (moed) and that the sun knows its going down, "sunset," the beginning and end of a day. The light of the moon determines how to determine the "appointed times" of meeting between God and man and the dying light of the sun, or its going down, determines a given day.

Is this not simple to grasp. This is the simplicity of Christ.

Translators struggle over this verse because they think the sun and seasons go hand in hand. They think in terms of the solar year and Roman calendar. God does not! God plainly tells us here, the moon, thus the lunar year, is to be used to determine the "appointed times for man." I will tell you though, that the sun determines the appointed times of the other 3 fleshes, but that is the focus of another study.

Most pagan festivals are determined by following the light of the sun. Certainly those of the majority of professing Christianity today do. They use the sun to determine such "appointed times of meeting" and very often their "places of meeting." They use the equinoxes and solstices to determine their festival dates after the solar cycle. God uses the moon!

There is not one place in the Bible, the inspired word of God, that states or even alludes to tying the moed, "appointed times of meeting" between God and man to the sun. Many today try to use human reasoning to teach around those, but do so to no avail. They are no different than that of the universal church setting up her calendar around the equinoxes and solstices and starting her day at midnight.

Psa. 104:19 also tells us the fading or dying light of the sun determines a day, not the light of her going up. That is why God states His day starts and ends at sunset, or ereb, evening. That law, that pattern, ties the sun to a day. It has been that way since the creation.

God is clearly telling us about the patterns of both great lights here and how they are to be used as He says, not as man says. I hope we all understand these things for there are many who teach the exact opposite of what God states and many more who mix it all up and twist it so it has the appearance of godliness, but not the substance.

Once again, "He appointed the moon for 'appointed times, moed, the sun knows its going down." The light of the moon is used to determine God's feasts and the light of the sun, specifically at its going down, or sunset, determines a day. "Going down" is the Hebrew word yarad and Strong's says of it:

"a prime root; to descend (lit. to go downwards; or conventionally to lower region, as the shore, a boundary, the enemy, etc.; or fig. to fall); causatively to bring down (in all the aboveapplications)."

There are some today that teach the moon and sun are both used in determining what is a "month" and "appointed times." That is not the case here in Psa. 104:19 and as we will see shortly, not the case anywhere else in the Bible. God inspired another key Hebrew word to be used to describe when the light of the moon is to be used to determine the new moon or month. I do hope you all take the time later to read Psa. 104 in its entirety for it is full of many of the wonders God has set in place in the natural world from the beginning, etc.

Do you remember what Rom. 1:20 told us?

20: "For the unseen things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, both His eternal power and Godhead, for them to be without excuse,"

So if the word of God clearly ties the moon to the "appointed times" of God, we then are tied to the lunar cycle and lunar year, not the solar in determining when and how to determine these very special "times of meeting" for God and man. Lev. 23:37

37: "These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire [That's not money folks.] to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day."

Lets continue to see what God has to say about the timepiece in the sky, and specifically as it applies to the moon determining Their "appointed times of meeting."

Genesis 1 has made it clear that it is the light of the 2 great lights that we use as "visible signs" or "visible marks" in our determination of days, years, and appointed times.

Just as a meeting of the sun at the horizon determined a day, so too does "a meeting" which takes place, determine the start of a month. Once again, God states we are to use the light of this timepiece to determine days, years, and appointed times, not the darkness! The world declares the darkness of the moon cycle as the new moon. So too do the Rabbis. This is called the conjunction. That's when the moon comes between the sun and the earth. This is where it is not visible to us. It is dark with no light hitting the earth for us to see. Rabbinical Judaism declares this is part of their secret knowledge in understanding how to determine "appointed times." Is this what God teaches? If so, then they have changed the patterns set at creation. Gen. 1:15:

15: "and let them be for lights [not darkness] in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth; [for visible signs, verse 14.] and it was so."

17: "God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth,"

The meeting of the two great lights proclaims a very clear and visible sign in the western sky every 29 or 30 days for all men to see. You do not need a benefactor between you and God to declare the new moon for you. There is nothing secretive about it. The light of the moon rules the night. When the sun sets, it loses its authority to the moon. Many of the called of God have believed the lie, the heresy, of Rabbinical Judaism on this point.

The Rabbis have their own calculated calendar. Many organizations teach this is to be followed in determining the "appointed times of meeting" of God. These organizations declare the Rabbis, or Rabbinical Judaism, received and carried on secret knowledge at Mt. Sinai as to how to calculate the new moon and the calendar. These organizations teach, or agree to the teaching, that God gave Moses two forms of commandments at Mt. Sinai. One was the written commandments for all to see and secondly, oral commandments for a chosen few, an elite group to have to lead the unknowing and confused others who only got the inferior written form.

Christ absolutely and categorically condemns this teaching in Matt. 15, Matt. 23, and Mark 7 for just a few examples. He called them the "traditions of the elders." We know them today as the "oral law" or Mishnaic law. They are taught to be superior to the written law by Rabbinical Judaism and are codified in the Rabbis Bible, the Talmud. So did God give secret knowledge to Moses which he in turn passed on to a group of elites or as Christ calls them, benefactors?

Either God is lying or those who teach such things are. It's one or the other, no gray areas! Ex. 24:3:

3: "So Moses came and told the people ALL the words of the LORD and ALL the judgments [ordinances]. And ALL the people answered with one voice and said, ALL the words which the LORD has said we will do."

4: "And Moses wrote ALL the words of the LORD. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel."

7: "Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, ALL that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient."

14: "not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth."

It will take a great amount of humility to do so and a great amount of character to change, to do what is right.

Paul turned from Judaism to worshiping God in spirit and in truth as he tells us in Gal. 1:13-14:

13: "For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it.
14: And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers."

From time to time, when it served the purpose of preaching Christ to the Jews, he would remind those who still followed the tenets of Judaism that he too once walked in that way. 1Cor. 9:20:

20: "and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; . . ."

In spite of the clear instruction and vivid examples of such things, there are teachers today who try to put us into such bondage to Rabbinical Judaism, and thus themselves. They turn to Rom. 3:1-2 to try to use "A" scripture to prove that God says, that is the right thing to do to support their erroneous doctrines.

1: "What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision?"

2: "Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles [scriptures of the O.T.] of God."

7: "Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: 8: `These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 9: And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"

The whole Bible was entrusted to those Christians who truly follow Christ for He is the author and finisher of our faith. He is the Alpha and the Omega of the entire Bible not just selective sections.

I encourage you to read all of Matt. 23. In verse 13 God calls the Rabbis by their real names in His eyes.

13: "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in."

Christ calls them fools, hypocrites, blind guides, serpents, etc. in this chapter. But the blind teachers of this age, turn to verses 2-3 to proclaim we are to follow their doctrine and teachings in spite of what Christ declares about them over and over. The most common translation of the Greek goes as such:

2: "saying, the scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3: Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say and do not do."

The scribes and the Pharisees did sit in Moses' seat. Now what was that? Go back and search the scriptures. Moses' seat was civil government. He was trained in those responsibilities at Pharaoh's court for his future responsibilities with God. Moses was not a priest. He did not sit in Aaron's seat. Aaron was a priest and ruled over the things of the temple. These are two distinctly different roles, and they still were at the time of Christ. Moses = civil, Aaron = religious. That is why we only see the scribes and Pharisees mentioned here in regard to Moses' seat. They were the lawyers and politicians of their time. The Sadducees, on the other hand, were the descendants of Aaron who controlled the temple in Jerusalem. These things are clearly seen in the scriptures and are attested to by history. Yet many confused teachers uphold Rabbinical Judaism all the same for they try to modernize it in such a way that the called of God will be in bondage to them, and that they may appear to be enlightened benefactors who are chosen to lead the poor, dumb sheep. Read verses 4-10 and see if you can recognize any of their signs and patterns that Christ identifies them by.

A true Christian today follows Christ throughout the whole Bible (the old and the new testaments) and preservers and obeys the very word of God in its entirety. And further more, the true Christian will proclaim it, all of it. Paul understood all these things. In Col. 2:16-17 he tells us:

16: "Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a feast day or a new moon or sabbath, 17: which are a shadow [forerunner] of things to come, but the substance [body] is of Christ."

1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2: He was in the beginning with God. 3: All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4: In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5: And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."

14: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

That is not an accusation, but an observation and I hope many repent of it and follow the right path unto the kingdom and salvation of God.

Now back to these great patterns set in Genesis as to determining the "appointed times" of God. I hope it is clear, or at the least apparent, to you that God says we are to use the moon in determining such "appointed times."

So how do we do this?

Just as the sun has a definite observable starting point in determining the start of a day by using its light, so does the moon have such a defined start for a month. That is when it is first visible after the pattern and law set in Genesis, as to its light and not its darkness.

The Hebrew word for new moon and month and its root word will show us this is true and bear it out. That word is #2320 in the Strong's:

"chodesh; from #2318, the new moon; by implication a month."

"2318, chadash; a prime root; to be new; causatively to rebuild."

Vine's says of the Hebrew word hodes,

"(2320) 'new moon; month.' This noun occurs 283 times in biblical Hebrew and in all periods. The word refers to the day on which the crescent reappears: 'So David hid himself in the field; and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat.' (1Sam. 20:24). Isa. 1:14 uses this word of the feast which occurred on that day: 'Your new moons (festivals) and your appointed feasts my soul hateth . . .' Hodes can refer to a 'month,' or the period from one new moon to another. . . These 'months' are sometimes named (Exod. 13:4) and sometimes numbered (Gen. 7:11)." [That is simple enough and concurs with the Bible)]

Now for its root word in Vine's.

"Hadas (2318), 'to renew.' This verb occurs in post-Mosaic literature. . . The root is found in all the Semitic languages with the same sense; usually the radicals are h-d-th."

Remember the Hebrew word for sign is #226; ot, a signal, flag, beacon, etc. Its root word means "to come." These words used of God are all very important to our instruction as to obeying God.

With what we have covered, it is clear to see that God has set in place the sun and the moon in specific patterns as our timepiece, which is the means by which we count; appointed times, days, and years. It should also be clear that God says we determine these appointed times by using the light of the moon. Thus the appointed times of God's calendar for man are based on the lunar cycle and thus the lunar year. It is also plain to see that we use the new crescent, and not the old crescent, and not the dark conjunction, to start our counts.

Lets briefly review the differences between a lunar and a solar year other than one is based on the moon and one on the sun.

The solar year consists of approximately 365 1/4 days. That is why each 4 years we have a leap year to bring the number of days back in line with the sun, otherwise the numbered years would be going out of sync with the actual solar year and the months would not end up in the proper solar season. This has happened in the past and the current calendar used by most of the world is a result of that very thing. Man adjusts this mathematically, and this actually extends out for adjustments of a full day in certain centuries as well as leap years.

A lunar year on the other hand consists of approximately 354 days. These are determined by 12 months, or 12 cycles of the moon, which consist of approximately 29 ½ days each. It is simple to see there is an 11 day difference between the lunar and solar years. God clearly stated we are to use the moon not the sun in determining Their appointed times. These appointed times are symbolically tied to agricultural periods in Palestine so as to symbolically tie God's plan of salvation to various harvests and specific growing seasons. These harvests depict the resurrections, early and late, and the last one of cleaning up the useless fruit. The sun controls the growing seasons to a great extent. There are also other factors as well, but they are not in need of mention for this study.

The lunar calendar, in order to keep in sync with the symbolism of the different agricultural seasons, needs to have its leap years as well. These assure that it stays in sync with them. If not, you would find the Passover being kept in the summer, then the fall, then the winter, and then in the spring once again. This would not support the patterns of the plan of salvation as found in the things which are made. We are going to see clear instruction from God on how this was and is and will be done. This is called intercalation.

The calendar of Rabbinical Judaism uses the method by which there captors in Babylon used and taught them. They intercalate a set number of years in a 19 year cycle to do so. In fact, seven times in one of these 19 year cycles they add one month to the year. This ancient pagan practice adds a 30 day month in the third, sixth, eighth, eleventh, fourteenth, seventeenth, and nineteenth years, every 19 year cycle.

There is no variation, they are locked in regardless of anything else, even the word of God. The Rabbinical version of this was finally set in the 10th century A.D. and it continues in that form until today. It is very important to note and should come as no surprise that the Rabbis do not use the method of intercalation taught in the Bible.

However, there are sects of Judaism which do use the method God teaches in the Bible. We will address this later. I say this with no relevance to following men, one over the other, but to show that all who profess to be Jews, do not keep the same tenets.

The Rabbinical calendar followed by many organizations starts its new year in the fall, on the Feast of Trumpets, at the first day of the seventh month. At least some of the time they do, for often they delay or postpone the start of the seventh month to keep their traditions. These are the dehiyyah of the Rabbis which we will review later. They also count backwards 177 days from their new year to determine which day is the Passover. If that sounds confusing, just wait until you see why and how later. This is the result of an elite group of individuals, or should I say, a group of, "elites" claiming to have secret knowledge of God for the express purpose of having dominion over your faith. We will see how quite often this displaced the feasts, or appointed times, from falling on the day God intends them to.

Once again as a reminder, the words of Christ to them:

6: ". . . Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.
7: Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
8: These people draw near to Me with their mouths, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.
9: And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." (Matt. 15:6-9)

14: "Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates. . ."

There is a very big difference!

Now lets look at how God says to determine what the start of His new year is and how to intercalate the months to the growing seasons from His instructions to Moses and thus, to us. Ex. 12:2:

2: "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you."

4: "On this day you are going out, in the month Abib."

Here in Exodus, we find ourselves reading about one of the great epic moments in man's history. Not just in the physical things which were about to happen, but the spiritual symbolism of what they foreshadowed and the renewal of a relationship to the descendants of Abraham. They had lost their way as to the teaching and understanding their father had taught them prior to their bondage in Egypt. God was about to awaken them and instruct them as to what was required on their part to enter into a bonding relationship with Him. Their father Abraham had entered into such a bond with God. He willingly left his country, his family, his friends, houses, etc. He left all the comforts of that, as well as the pagan influence and the opportunities to turn back to it, and entered a wilderness to learn from God and to trust in His words, and not that of men or a man. God blessed him for it. The same pattern is found in the words of Christ in the gospels. Luke 18:29-30:

29: "So He said to them, Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30: who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life."

We read of this same pattern in Heb. 11:13-16:

13: "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14: For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.
15: And truly if they had called to mind that from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.
16: But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly opportunity. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them."

Once again here in Exodus God was about to teach the descendants of the father of the faithful all about that. Here God is about to introduce the promise to Israel. His unbreakable promise He had given to Abraham His friend. God was going to find out if Israel would obey His voice and keep His charge, His commandments, His statutes, and His laws.

We have read about and studied these events extensively in the past. But in this study we are particularly focusing on their ability, as well as ours, to focus on obeying His voice in regard to keeping His statutes.

Strong's says the Hebrew word used for statutes here in this sense is:

"2708, chuqqah; feminine of 2706 and means substantially the same. #2706 is: chog; from 2710, an enactment, hence an appointment (of time, space, quantity, labor or usage)."

"Huqqah (2708), 'statute, regulations, prescriptions, term.' This noun occurs about 104 times. Huqqah is found for the first time in God's words of commendation about Abraham to Isaac: 'because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments (miswah), my statutes (huqqah), and my laws (torah).' (Gen. 26:5), together with its synonyms mismeret, miswah, and torah. The primary use of huqqah is in the Pentateuch, especially in Leviticus and Numbers. It is extremely rare in the poetical books and in the prophetic writings (except Jeremiah and Ezekiel)."

"the meaning of 'fixed' is similar in usage of hoq, in the sense of the laws of nature: 'Thus saith the Lord; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth' (Jer. 33:25). Even as the Israelites had a period of rainfall from October to April, there was a fixed period of harvest (from April to June): 'Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in its season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of harvest.' (Jer 5:24). In addition to regulation of nature, the word huqqah signifies regular payments to priests. . . Lev. 7:36. In non-religious usage the word huqqah refers to the customs of the nations: 'After the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, shall ye not do; and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall you walk in their ordinances.' (Lev. 18:3). . . The most significant use of huqqah is God's 'law.' It is more specific in meaning than hoq [2706]. Whereas hoq is a general word for 'law,' huqqah denotes the "law" of a particular festival or ritual. There is the 'law' of the Passover (Exod. 12:4), Unleavened Bread (Exod. 12:17), Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:41), the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29), the priesthood (Ex. 29:9), and the blood and the fat (Lev. 3:17). The word huqqah has many synonyms. At times it forms a part of a series of three: 'Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God in not keeping His commandments (miswah), and his judgments (mispat), and his statutes (huqqah) which I command thee this day,' (Deut.8:11) . . ."

The patterns continue!

Remember what the apostle Peter told us in 2Pet. 3:4:

4: "For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as from the beginning of creation."

8: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

Abraham kept the statutes of God in regard to "nature" and to "appointed times." The two are inseparable. These are:

4: "the feasts of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times," (Lev. 23:4)

Every man has the ability to use Their timepiece but every man alive does not understand its purpose and how to apply it. If we yoke ourselves to Christ we start to learn these truths. In Exodus 12 and 13 we are told that the first month is called Abib. Once again there is a lot of meaning in a word. How do we know when Abib is? Remember the months follow the lunar cycle, so we need to know when in that yearly cycle it begins.

Strong's says of the Hebrew word Abib:

"24, Abiyb; from an unused root (meaning to be tender); green; i.e., a young ear of grain; hence the name of the month Abib or Nisan."

31: "Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in head [abib] and the flax was in bud."

There is no other start to the year. God does not recognize or authorize any other. We all have a choice to make. We follow God or settle for Roman paganism or Rabbinical Judaism or some other decrepit form of calendar. There is no compromise. We cannot blame another. We should not let another "prove all things" for us and blindly follow them. It is our responsibility individually, to seek out our own salvation.

Deut. 12:29-32 commands us not to apply pagan ways to our worship of God. The Rabbinical calendar is as pagan and man centered as any can get. It is full of hocus-pocus. It is full of error, of the vanity of men. It is a mixing of God's instruction with that of pagan worship and knowledge. That is the very thing God said not to do, and today we see the result of such disobedience in the confusion of many who are called of God. The Babylonians had a huge influence on the calendar of the Rabbinical Jews.

In the 4th century A.D. the Rabbis added even more twists to it, to add and take from it, to suit their traditions. We will read about all that in their own words later.

We are not to mix God's instructions for worshiping Them with pagan practices or pagan instructions on worship as Deut. 12:29-32 tells us.

29: "When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land,
30: take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, `How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.'
31: You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
32: Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it."

To this point we have covered: how the holy days, the "appointed times" of God are determined by the lunar cycle, by the light of the moon becoming visible; we calculate years by the lunar cycle, not the solar; we determine days by the sun; the month Abib starts the new year, and thus the yearly observance of God's festivals; Abib is named so because it is the time in which the barley is in head. That flies in the face of modern Christianity and Rabbinical Judaism.

Now we are faced with how do we intercalate or balance out the lunar year with the solar year so that these festivals, depicting the harvests of God, fall in their appropriate agricultural seasons.

As we saw earlier, the Rabbinical calendar intercalates 7 years in a 19 year cycle to adjust the two. This is the method the Rabbis learned when they were in Babylonian captivity. It made things simple and more convenient for them. Rather than wait on God from year to year to see if they needed to add an extra month, they opted for the pagan practice of convenience. It seemed like a sure thing. It did not matter if the barley was in green head or not when they started the month Abib because they stopped recognizing the month of Abib as the first month and opted for the seventh month, Tishri. Not all the Jews did this however. The priests kept the proper instruction as to the new year and the succession of months and to declaring new moons, and as to intercalating an extra month to keep the feasts in their perspective agricultural seasons.

During the time of Christ, these priests were known as the Sadducees as I stated earlier. The Rabbis were the wannabe Scribes and Pharisees. They were always at odds, or nearly always, with the priests or Sadducees as the gospels bear out. The Rabbis rejected the way of God for their traditions. The Sadducees were not perfect either, but they were in control of the temple and the calendar of their day. The Rabbis were not of the seed of Aaron but, all the same, wanted control of the temple and the setting of the calendar dates for festivals and thus have total control, political and religious, over the Jews under the Romans of course.

I am not attempting to kick a dead dog, but I will point out its error as defined by Christ in the Bible and as it is displayed today.

We are told in Eph. 5:8, 10-11:

8: "For you were once darkness, but now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light"
10: "proving what is acceptable to the Lord,
11: And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them."

We must learn to walk in the faith which was once delivered and that is the word of God. As Christians we treasure it. It is our Creator talking to us. God's calendar, as we are seeing, is clearly defined in that book. All we need for salvation is in that book. Christ has not left us nor forsaken us. He has not left us to the confusion and chaos of this world.

That is why God starts each year in the time of Abib or green heads of barley. We are going to see shortly God's very simple and specific commands on how to determine Abib and why we must be exact in doing so. But first let's review the Rabbinical calendar process to see the unfaithful method they, and those who lead their way, use.

Rabbinical Judaism bases their intercalation and thus, their luni-solar calendar, on a 19 year cycle. They follow the pagan Babylonian practice of adding an extra month in the third, sixth, eleventh, fourteenth, seventeenth, and nineteenth years of a 19 year cycle. It is often referred to as the Metonic cycle. They have declared these years as leap years centuries in advance of their happening. They have declared these as the years to add an extra month without ever knowing if the barley would be in a state of Abib or not.

God says to proclaim these feasts at their "appointed times," not decades in advance, and certainly not centuries in advance.

The Rabbis and all who follow them, as well as the pagan sects of Christianity after Rome, have taken upon themselves the authority to change times and seasons, for as we will see God gives us very simple yet specific instruction on how to proclaim and determine Abib, from year to year. With that He gives us the instruction how to add a month to the lunar year and when to do it.

In Dan. 2:20-23 we read:

20: "Daniel answered and said: Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. 21: And He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding. 22: He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him. 23: I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, And have now made known to me what we asked of You, For You have made known to us the king's demand."

There is no doubt to one called of God that God put in place the mechanisms which change times and seasons from year to year. It is They who set the bounds of such things. No man has the authority to change them. Daniel was part of the captivity in Babylon. He did not give in however. It is not a coincidence that he points out here, during that time of captivity, that it is God who changes times and seasons and not men. He didn't give in on that either. This is where and when a sect of the Jews were indoctrinated into adopting the 19 year cycle and its form of intercalation and took God out of the picture. Daniel here proclaims that error by enunciating who in fact controls it.

Many have stumbled over these same things over the years for it was pushed as coming from the "government of God," on earth. When we threw off that shackle of men and yoked ourselves to Christ, the only Head of His body, we had our eyes opened to His teaching of how to determine His "appointed times," His holy days and festivals. No man should ever be placed between you and your Husband, Jesus Christ. The only place in the entire Bible where God instructs us about keeping all His feasts or "appointed times" in one continuous lesson is Lev. 23:1-44. It is from these verses that we know what days are God's "appointed days." He addresses each of them in order of their pattern as it points to Their plan of salvation. Each on their own merits and unique laws. God starts out by telling us these are:

2: ". . . the feasts of the Lord which you shall proclaim holy convocations."

5: "On the fourteenth of the first month at twilight is the LORD'S Passover.
6: And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven days you must eat unleavened bread."

At the end of the cycle of the 12th month (in the lunar year) and the barley was not in the state of green heads, another month would be added to extend the year, to bring the method for determining the "appointed time" of God into sync with the growing season. The reason why is because the barley would not be ripe enough in the first half of the upcoming month. Remember the month of Abib is the month of green heads. It is to be that way from the first sighting of the crescent moon. As we are about to see, this has incredible significance to God and to us. Without this happening, God's plan of salvation would not be able to be acted out through Their "appointed times." The symbolism depicted by these great events, show us the plan of salvation in its steps as God has set in place by the observance of Their holy days and festivals, each on its appointed day. They are shadows of what is to come.

On the Passover, on the 14th of Abib, Israel was to sacrifice a male lamb in its first year. What if there were no lambs in their first year? That would be a real dilemma, for it is a law of the Passover. To use a sheep or goat, older than one year would destroy the symbolism of the great event which points to the unblemished and innocent lamb of God, Jesus Christ, dying for our sins as well as the command.

We are commanded to eat unleavened bread each of the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. What if there was no unleavened bread to eat? Not only the lesson to be learned, but the command as well would be broken.

Well, the very same thing applies to all the feasts of God. Each is a statute and has its own laws pertaining to it. There is another great event which takes place during the days of Unleavened Bread which determines which month will be the month of Abib. Lev. 23:9-14:

9: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
10: Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: `When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.
11: He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12: And you shall offer on that day, when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the LORD.
13: Its grain offering, two-tenths of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the LORD, for a sweet aroma; and its drink offering of wine, one-fourth of a hin.
14: You shall eat neither bread nor parched grain nor fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings."

The wave sheaf was to be offered during the days of Unleavened Bread. It was an offering of acceptance for all mankind. It started the count to the feast of the Firstfruits or Pentecost, the end of the first harvest as verses 15-17 teach us. The entire continuance of the plan of salvation after the Passover depends on the wave sheaf offering which falls during Unleavened Bread. This wave sheaf, or the first of the firstfruits of the barley harvest, is the focus of the Abib. What if there was no sheaf of the barley to wave? What if the sheaf was unacceptable for one reason or another? What if the sheaf was not mature enough to be ground into flour? What if there was no barley period?

This Abib was so important to the symbolism of God's plan of salvation that Israel could not eat of any of that harvest in any way, shape or form as verse 14 told us, until the sheaf was waved on the day after the Sabbath which fell during the 7 days of Unleavened Bread. By the way, that day is the first day of the week. It will always fall during the seven days of Unleavened Bread. It will never fall outside of them, as God insured, by making it happen on Sunday, the day after the Sabbath. Would God leave such an important event to chance? Not on our lives or for that matter on Jesus Christ's either. That is why the first month of the year in which these great events take place was called the month of Abib or green ears.

God has given us an absolutely clear way to determine and guarantees that Abib falls exactly as He intended it to.

At the end of the 12th month, and before the new crescent was to be seen, the priests would go out into the barley fields in Israel to see if the stalks of barley had developed green ears. If the stalks had green ears or heads on them then the priests knew that in fifteen days from then, they would be mature enough to use to grind into flour for the offering, after having waved them before God. If this was the case, the high priest would proclaim the imminent new moon as the first month of the year, the month of Abib or green ears.

If the barley stalks were not in a state of Abib at the end of the 12th month, the high priest would know a thirteenth lunar month would have to be added to allow the grain to mature so that the grain could be used according to the law of the statute of God.

So there would be no mistake as to when the barley could be acceptable, God clearly defines minimum standards for it. If it did not meet these criteria, it could not be used as the wave sheaf. We find this qualifying statement in Lev. 2:14. Here we will see the minimal acceptable state of the grain which can be used for a Firstfruit offering.

14: "If you offer a grain offering of your firstfruits to the LORD, you shall offer for the grain offering of your firstfruits green heads of grain roasted on the fire, grain beaten from full heads."

Notice the grain could be roasted to dry it out to speed the process up, of having grindable kernels. This applies to all Firstfruit offerings of grain. There is no exception. The barley harvest continued throughout the various altitudes, of Israel until Pentecost at which time the wheat harvest was underway.

At the end of the twelfth month, once again a decision was made by a clearly observable sign, as to whether the first of the year started or whether an extra month was added.

That brethren is the simple and clear instruction of God, from the pages of the Bible, as to how we keep Their "appointed times" on Their day. Many scoffers abound these days as to the promise of His coming as Peter tells us. He says this would be the norm in the last days. They flock to their teachers of "Jewish fables" and the "deceits of modern Christianity."

Israel was not to leave the promised land. Once outside of it, they would lose the tools of God they needed to be able to determine the "appointed times." Scripture is clear about the place which is to be used to make these determinations, these observations. It is the land of Israel which we call Palestine today.

The world calls it Palestine to honor the Palestinians and thumb their nose at God.

Israel, the ten northern tribes were taken into captivity by Assyria for a punishment by God. They were dispersed to the northeast of this region. From there they were scattered across Europe and eventually migrated to North America, Australia, etc.

This was not the case for Judah and Benjamin. They were taken captive many years later by the Babylonians. These captives could be fairly accurate in their observation of the new moons from that land but the observance of the Abib was a different story. That is why some rationalized about using the Babylonians method of intercalating via the 19 year cycle. It did not require any observation. It became acceptable for those who were the wannabees. It is no different than what the WCG experienced through the late eighties and nineties. A more comfortable doctrine would be floated and many would jump on.

Over time those who became known as the Pharisees and Scribes accepted this form of intercalation into their traditions. These folks had this as one of their traditions at the time of Christ but did not have control of the temple. They could not openly declare their methodology until after 70 A.D. when the temple was destroyed. It was shortly after this that the Rabbis started integrating their closed door proclamation of the calendar, for the priests had been scattered with the destruction of the temple. It was at that time that the Rabbis started adding all kinds of bizarre things to their calendar.

It is also important to note that at the time of Christ there were 3 calendars in play in Judea. The first was that of the Romans. It is often referred to as the Julian calendar. The second was that used by the priests. It was the one Israel had used from the beginning as to new moons and abib. It is the same one I have addressed in this study. All observation. The third was the civil calendar. This was the one promoted by the Pharisees, Scribes, and Royalty of the region. All civil functions were set by it. It was used to record birth dates, deaths, ordinations of royalty, etc. This calendar started in the seventh month of the year, Tishri. In time those who became the leaders of Rabbinical Judaism would promote this calendar as the more appropriate calendar, subordinating that ofGod. They have also done the same with their Mishnaic traditions, subordinating the Bible to them. The patterns and facts are very clear.

The Bible instructs us that it was a curse to Israel and Judah to be taken from the promised land. Israel was tied to the land. Jerusalem is the focal point of God on this earth, not Rome. It was here that we found Abraham giving tithes to God. It was here we saw the temple built and destroyed twice. It was here that we saw Christ teach the many. It was also from here that the new moons and the Abib were proclaimed. It was here that the pilgrimage festivals took place. It was that way when Christ walked the earth as a man, the begotten son of God. The Bible also tells us it will be that way in the future. I encourage everyone to read Eze. 45 & 46. They talk of the time when Christ will dwell in Jerusalem after His return. They tell us God's laws and statutes are kept faithfully by the inhabitants of the land. We see that, burnt offerings will once again be conducted, along with the observation of the new moons. Eze. 46:1 tells us where this will be done.

1: "Thus says the Lord GOD: The gateway of the inner court that faces toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened."

No brethren, Christ has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. In summing up the tools we have been given to determine the "appointed times" of God, we see we are to use the light of the sun for determining a day. We are to use the sunset to start a 24 hour day. We are to use the first light, or rebuilding light, of the moon to determine a month starting, and the count to Their "appointed times." We are to use the lunar cycle, not the solar, in all aspects dealing with the "appointed times," except for the start and duration of a day. We have also seen that the first month of the year is in the spring, at the time of the Abib, the time when the barley is ready to be waved as the wave sheaf offering during the first month of the year.

So how do I, and others use these tools to determine the "appointed times of meeting" with our God?

First of all, we use the region of Jerusalem as the calendar dateline, not some creation of men running through the Pacific Ocean.

When the new moon is visible in what we call Palestine today, we start the first of the month that day.

When the barley, which by the way grows wild all over the region, is in a state of Abib, we declare the start of the new year at the next crescent. If it happens at the end of the 12th month then it is a regular year. If an extra month needs to be added, then it is a leap year.

Many ask how do you know when the new moon is visible there and when the barley is in a state of Abib, for you live in western New York. That's a good question and I will answer it shortly, but first listen to what Daniel has to tell us about our time. Dan. 12:4:

4: "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."

As for knowledge increasing, just look at the last one hundred years. The technological advancements are actually staggering in such a short period of time. Just look at the advent of the internet in the past few years. Any human being who has access to a computer and who is on-line has the sum total of human knowledge and experience at his fingertips. There are no more barriers to knowledge increasing.

With that in mind read what God tells Daniel farther on down in the twelfth chapter. Verses 9-10:

9: "And he said, Go Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
10: Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise [prudent] shall understand."

I am a carpenter by trade. At least I was for many years until I entered the owner management end of the business. I used to wear my tool belt whenever I worked. In that belt I had a hammer, a square, a tape measure, a utility knife, a chalk line, a pencil, nails, and other various things I needed for working.

I didn't attempt to measure something with my hammer or attempt to pound a nail with my tape measure. I was taught to use each tool for the purpose it was designed to be used for. When used properly you could complete a project in a timely fashion and have a quality product.

That is what we are to do with the tools we have at our disposal today, to grow in grace and knowledge and help build up the body of Christ.

Some of the tools I use to determine when a new moon is: 1) the U.S. naval observatory. I log onto their web site to a section called "Sun and moon data for one day." I enter the date and location of the area I want information on and it will instantly give me all the sun and moon data for that location for that day. It gives me the times of the beginning of civil twilight, sunrise, sun transit, sunset, end of civil twilight, moon set on the preceding day, moon rise, moon transit, moon set, and moon rise on the following day. It will also give you the phase of the moon with the percentage of visibility of it, in the waxing (growing stage) and its waning (dying stage) at that time. It will also give you the date and time of the conjunction which science today calls the new moon, as do the Rabbis. Every aspect of the sun and moon for any given day is available on it. They have these things down to the very second. This has only been possible in the last few decades. I compare the one for Jerusalem and the one for western New York to see if a pattern has developed between observation in Jerusalem and where I live. There has but I will not deal with that here at this time.

The second tool I use is that of the Karaites. They are a sect of Judaism. They are the descendants of the Sadducees from the time of Christ. They are at odds with those of Rabbinical Judaism, especially when it comes to the calendar. The Karaites are intently zealous about observation of the new moon and observation of the Abib. They have observers stationed throughout the region of Israel and they watch for the new moon crescent each month. They report their observations to fellow Karaites around the world on their web site. It is the Karaite Korner and the information is available to everyone. They do the same thing when it comes time to proclaim the Abib. They do no use irrigated, domestic fields of barley but that which grows by itself.

I have found that their observation of the first crescent is the same as the U.S. naval observatory almost every time. These are tools available to each and every one of us. We should learn how to use them. It doesn't take long.

I had one man tell me I was following a man because I used there two tools. He also told me that listening to any "Jew" was an error for they murdered Christ.

First of all, I do not turn to the Karaites for their doctrine. They happen to believe and follow the same teaching from the scripture as to observation, etc. They have done this for a lot longer than any of us have and have made the whole process a fine tuned event. They are correct in what they do so I use them to assist me in my pursuit. As for all "Jews" murdering Christ. Does this guy think he is exempt from that! We all took part in His death the first time we sinned.

Christ Himself pointed out differences between the Pharisees and Sadducees. He lumped them together when it came to being aware of their leaven. But the Pharisees were the ones He condemned over and over again. In Acts 6:7 we read:

7: "And the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith."

We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and yes, there are differences as to faith between those called "Jews" as well as those called "Christians."

There are others who also report sightings and the Abib in Jerusalem. All the reports I check always concur with the others from that region.

There are also other observatories that report the same sun and moon schedules as well.

I was asked what happens when it is cloudy on the night the new moon is to appear?

Another good question. I asked it a lot when I started observing. That is why I have been patterning the observation in Jerusalem, where I live, and that of the U.S. naval observatory. I have found that when it is visible in Israel, it has been visible in western New York if it is not cloud covered. If it will not be visible in Israel but visible here where I live, I do not keep that as the first day of the month. There are times when you can see the new moon on this continent before you can in Jerusalem. I remind and caution everyone that Jerusalem is God's calendar dateline. It always has been and always will be.

It is important to take the time to observe the New Moons each month. In doing so it becomes a habit and one can then understand the pattern which is set in place. The New Moon is not a holy day as some teach. You find this nowhere in the Bible. It was a day in which special offerings were given and we see David and Saul would have a special meal. The only time that the New Moon falls on a holy day is the first of Tishri or the Feast of Trumpets. It has become my practice to observe all the new moons with my family. This teaches an awareness that just does not come any other way. We need to get in sync with the method God requires of us to determine Their "appointed times."

It is a very simple process. We are not to rely on the errors of Rabbinical Judaism, or for that matter, Roman Christianity for our calendar doctrine or much else.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and no, He has not left nor forsaken us. He has given us gifts individually, to help us edify the body in love. And yes, we are to love (have outgoing concern) for one another. John 13:34-35 states:

34: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35: By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

As I stated earlier I think it is necessary to clear up some gross errors that teachers of the calendar put forth as truth today.

I got so tired of hearing about the "Sacred calendar" and how the Jews have preserved it, that I decided to go to them and see what they had to say on the subject, for what I was being taught was not what the Bible said. The Encyclopedia Judaica is an 18 volume set of books which is crammed with as much Jewish history as pride and research about ones own people and ways would allow. Rather than listen to deceived men try to rationalize and justify their following Rabbinical Judaism and not the instructions in the Bible, I purchased these books to read and understand what they proudly had to say. Either my former teachers were just blatantly deceived or they were lying, for the Jews contradict the majority of what they teach about the calendar they use.

In Volume 5 pages 43-53 a very thorough account is given of what the history books tell us about what was taught by the Jews and when. Following are excerpts and my comments added.

"The present Jewish calendar is lunisolar, the months being reckoned according to the moon and the years according to the sun. A month is the period of time between one conjunction of the moon with the sun and the next. The conjunction of the moon with the sun is the point in time at which the moon is directly between the earth and sun but not on the same plane and is thus invisible. [No light from either in that method. No visibility, no visible sign.] This is known as the molad ("birth" . . .). The mean synodic month (or lunation) is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and 3 1/3 seconds (739 parts (halakim); in the Jewish system the hour is divided into 1,080 parts each of which is 3 1/3 seconds). The solar year is 365 days, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds, which means that a solar year exceeds a lunar one (12 months) by about 11 days. The cycles of 12 lunar months must therefore be adjusted to the solar year, because although the Jewish festivals [not those of the Lord] are fixed according to dates in months, they must also be in specific (agricultural) seasons of the year which depend on the tropical solar year. Without any adjustments the festivals would "wander" through the seasons and the "spring" festival (Passover), for example, would be celebrated eventually in winter, and later in summer. The required adjustment is realized by the addition of an extra month (Adar II) in each of seven out of the 19 years that constitute the small (or lunar) cycle of the moon (mahazor katan.or mahazor ha-levanah). In 19 years the solar cycle exceeds the lunar by about 209 days, which are approximately 7 months. [Now listen to this.] In temple times [that includes the time of Christ and the early years of the Church] this intercalation was decided upon in the individual years according to agricultural conditions (Tosef., Sanh. 2:2; Sanh.11b); [Just as God commands] later, however, it was fixed to be in the years 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17 and 19 of the cycle. . ."

Well, there is nothing sacred about the Rabbinical calendar and in fact, the Jews call my former teachers, liars. Not only was it not used since the beginning, and not during the time of Christ, but not even until centuries later did it become the predominant calendar to Jews.

Listen to where it started. Volume 8 page 486:

"Because of the serious condition of the communities of Erez Israel and the deterioration of the Galilean center, Hillel II agreed in principle to limit the authority of the Nasi and his functions in connection with the proclamation of the New Moon, the fixing of the festivals, and the intercalation of the year. He there upon published sod ha-ibbur, ("the secret of intercalation") and kevi'uta de-yarha ("the fixing of the new month"). According to tradition mentioned by hai gaon and quoted in the sefer ha-ibbur of Abraham bar hiyya (ed. by H.Filipowski (1851), 97) this took place in 358 C.E. [A.D.]. Important too is the testimony of Nahmanides in the sefer ha-zakkut (Git., Ch. 4, Leghorn (1745), 439); "from the time of Hillel. . . in the year 670 of the seleucid era, 4118 A.M. [358 C.E.] (A.D.), the Sanhedrin in Erez Israel ceased and it ceased to have experts [elites], and it was he who regulated the order of intercalation, reckoned the years, and fixed the months for generations to come? [No observation there, and certainly no proclaiming from year to year.] Some regarded the year 344 as that in which the new calendar was introduced, and it is possible that it was not immediately publicized to the same degree in all localities. (Mayler). The opinion has been expressed that Hillel II was not the original creator of the fixed calendar but that it was the result of centuries of development which aimed at achieving a perfect system of fixing the calendar."

It is truly unfortunate that many, if not most of those called of God, are ignorant of these things. This is the result of hiring someone else with God's tithe money to do our "proving all things" for us. Lets all wake up and do our part as we are placed in the body. We all have something to offer to ourselves and others.

I was cut to the heart years ago when I began to understand what I had done when I read the following scriptures and understood their relevance. Heb. 5:12-14:

12: "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need to be taught again the first principles of the scriptures of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
13: For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
14: But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

Lets continue in Volume 5 page 44 now to see the commandments of God rejected for the traditions of elders.

"Fixing Rosh Ha-Shanah (New Year's Day). [They don't even call it by its biblical name of Feasts of Trumpets or Shouting.] The year begins on Tishri 1 [that is the 7th month which is contrary to God's command], which is rarely the day of the molad [They don't even keep it by their own calculations, and see why.], as there are four obstacles or considerations, called dehiyyot, in fixing the first day of the month (rosh hodesh). Each dehiyyah differs Rosh Ha-Shanah by a day, and combined dehiyyot may cause a postponement of two days: (1) mainly in order to prevent the day of Atonement (Tishri 10) from falling on Friday or Sunday, [that is because they didn't want to have the fast day side by side with the Sabbath because in either case they could not prepare food. This was considered a hardship imposed on them by following the "time" God declared as His "appointed times" so they change the method of determination so that this hardship does not affect them.] and Hoshana Rabba (the seventh day of Sukkot; Tishri 21) from falling on Saturday [that is the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles and they had a tradition, Hoshana Raba, of dismantling their booths on that day. If it fell on the Sabbath they would not be able to do so and thus not able to keep their tradition, so they rigged the calendar to allow themselves to do so and by the way they still do], but in part also serving an astronomical purpose [of which none is of God]. Rosh Ha-Shanah never falls on Sunday, Wednesday, or Friday. . . [Because of their traditions they reject the commandments of God and keep their own feast days.] (2) Entirely for an astronomical reason, if the molad is at noon or later, Rosh Ha-Shanah is delayed by one day or, if this would cause it to fall as above, two days. These two dehiyyot, owing to the mentioned limits on the number of days in the year, entail another two. (3) The third dehiyyah is as follows: If the molad in an "ordinary" (not leap) year falls at the third day (Tuesday), at 9 hours, 204 halakim, that is, 3:11 a.m. and 20 seconds -- Rosh Ha-Shanah is put off two days. A postponement to Wednesday is not permitted (as in 1), so that it is deferred to Thursday. The object is as follows: if the molad of tishri occurs at that hour, the outcome would be a year which is one day to long."

"Development of the present order of intercalation. There is, on the other hand, unimpeachable evidence from the works of writers with expert knowledge of the calendar that the present ordo intercalationis and epochal molad were not yet intrinsic parts of the calendar of Hillel II [once again not during Christ's time], these being seen still side by side with other styles of the ordo intercalationis and the molad as late as the 11th century. Also the four dehiyyot developed gradually. The dehiyyah as has been shown, grew out of the dehiyyah. [One good error deserves another in trying to fix the first one.] The general acceptance of the dehiyyah in the sense of 18 h., instead of 18 h. 642 p., as advocated by *Saadiah Gaon's antagonist *Aaron B. Meir in their controversy, is not earlier than the tenth century. These are likely to have affected the remaining two dehiyyot . . . By the tenth century the Jewish calendar was exactly the same as today. A slight variation still prevails, between Israel and the Diaspora, in respect of the "secondary" days of the festivals which lead in some years to fairly substantial differences in respect of the lectionary."

6: ". . . Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: `This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 7: And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' 8: For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men. 9: He said to them, All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition." (Mark 7:6-9)

Many today, who are starting to understand these things, are being snatched up by the author of confusion.

The Bible is our handbook to salvation. It is the faith once delivered. Everything we need to make it with is in there. We just need to learn how to use it. No one else can do it for you.

There are many running around today declaring a lunar solar calendar. They follow the Rabbis in declaring the conjunction as the new moon. The time of total darkness of the lesser great light. I call that the NO moon. No light shining on the earth with that method. Because they cannot see the conjunction it needs to be calculated as the Rabbis do. That is not the pattern God set in place at the beginning of creation.

Many today also stumble when they try to tie it into the sun for more than determining a day. They tell us we must set Abib by the spring equinox instead of by the method of observing the barley heads that God commands. I ask you, where in the Bible is there one instance, one allusion of that happening? There is none, not one!

God does not want us using the equinox to determine the first month of the year. Many of these teachers invoke the Hebrew word tekufah. It means turning or circuit as in a revolution or a lapse of time with the focus on the end.

Strong's say of it:

"8622. tequphah; from 5362; a revolution, i.e. (Of the sun) course, (of time) lapse: circuit, come about, end."

"a prime root; to strike with more or less violence (beat, fell, corrode); by implication (of attack) to knock together, i.e. surround or circulate: compass (about, -ing), cut down, destroy, go around (about), inclose, round."

22: "and you shall observe the feast of weeks of the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the years end (tequphah)"

". . . also the feast of ingathering at the turn of the year."

Not likely brethren. That goes against the entire pattern we have just read from the clearly defined word of God. When looking at the tequphah of anything we must look at what the context is, as well as, the word or words it is used in conjunction with to determine in which sense tequphah applies. That won't be hard for anyone to do for it is only used a handful of times in the Bible.

Here in Ex. 34:22, it is used in context with the harvest feast and more specifically with the year, "turn of the year" or "end of the year." One translator chooses to use "turn" and the other "end." Are both right? No, they are not! One is specific to turning or revolution, and the other is specific to a lapse of time or the end of a lapse of time. The Bible