What if the Hebrew calendar IS the one that Jehovah goes by?
I always had this question as a kid that absolutely no one could explain to me. If the Bible said to keep the SEVENTH day (Saturday) as a day of rest…..why/how/when did “we” make the first day of the week, Sunday, a day of rest??? And at the age of 58….I STILL don’t “get”it. Ok, yes, I understand about the evolution of our calendar based on switching from moon to a sun based system, and from a sunset to a sunrise based system. But why?
We can look back in history and know that the Romans started this. They established the Julian calendar which we kept until the 15th century when we started the Gregorian calendar. That was Pope Paul III – once again, a Roman Catholic. It would take another 200 years for this calendar to be widely accepted and wasn’t introduced in Russia until 1918!!!
The Hebrews have always kept the same calendar, and it is based on the Torah which are the first 5 chapters of the Bible. Today’s calender is overlaid onto a Gregorian calendar so you can easily understand the dates.
They still KEEP the seventh day as a holy one, as a day of rest. It starts Friday at sunset and ends Saturday at sunset.
Here are the criteria for the Hebrew calendar – which I consider to be Jehovah’s calendar:
1. It was lunisolar –basedon the moon phase and the time of the solar year
a. 12 lunar months of 29 or 30 days each
b. Num 10:10 shows the importance of lunar months
2. Each month starts with a new moon
3. Each day starts at sunset
a. Genesis “there was evening and there was morning”
4. The next day starts at the next sunset
a. No time zones
b. No standard time deviations
5. There are 7 days in a week.
6. It was observational. The beginning of each month was determined by the high court based on testimony of witnesses who had observed a new crescent moon.
a. The timing is now done mathematically
7. There is an 11 day difference between 12 lunar months and 1 solar year, soothe Hebrew calendarisadjusted about every 2-3 years.
8. It starts with Adams birth.
Nisan (Aviv) 30 days
Lyar 29 days
Sivan 30 days
Tammuz 29 days
Av 30 days
Elul 29 days
Tishrei 30 days
Cheshvan 29 or 30 days
Kislev 29or 30 days
Tvet 29 days
Shevat 30 days
Adar 29 days
Leap year:
Adar 1 (30 days) added after Shevat and the regular Adar becomes Adar II
Days of the Week (each day begins at sunset the evening before)
Yom Rishon 1st day Sunday
Yom Sheni 2nd day Monday
Yom Shlishi 3rd day Tuesday
Yom Revi 4th day Wednesday
Yom Chamishi 5th day Thursday
Yom Shishi 6th day Friday
Yom Shabbat 7th Day Saturday – rest da
EX 13:4 Aviv (Nisan), Ex 12:2, is the first month of the year
EX 23:16: seasonofthe fall Festival of Booths is called the end of the year
Biblical references to months: (all are Canaanintenames)
Aviv: first month - spring-ripening of barley
Ex 12:2
Ex 13:4
Ex 23:15
Ex 34:18
Deut 16:1
Ziv second month- light
1Kings 6:1
1 Kings 6:37
Ethanim seventh month – strong
1 Kings8:2
Bul – eighth month
1 Kings 6:38
Because there were no calendars or clocks, they watched the skies to determinine which festival to keep. These are the 3 High Holy Days.
Pesach – Passover – 7 days with and 8th day – 15 Nisan
Lev 23:4 Passover begins on the 14th day of Nisan.
Lev 23:5 Feast of unleavened bread begins on the 15th and lasts 7 days
The first day is holy, no work is done
Shavuot – Feast of Weeks – 50 days after the day after Passover
Sukkot – Feast of Tabernacles – 7 day festival with 8th day – last great day of the year.
What if this is Jehovah’s calendar? If we study and learn this calendar, we can then understand events, times, places of the past….as well as prophecy in the future.
So, of course, in using a Gregorian calendar, the Roman Catholics can quite easily point out that Jesus was resurrected on Sunday.
1. This calendear did not exist when Jesus was here on earth.
2. Jesus was Jewish and would have observed a Hebrew calendar
a. He kept the Sabbath – Luke 4:16
3. On the Hebrew calendar, Jesus arose at sunset on 11 Nisan, Saturday. It was day 4 of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, also the Feast of First Fruits began at 1 moment after sunset.
4.Remember that the term “dawn” of a “new day” would physically be at dusk on a Hebrew calendar as their day begins at sunset.
5. Jesus rose at “dawn” which was sunset on Saturday.
6. Anything that takes scripture and makes it read that Jesus rose on a Sunday morning thus becomes a deception –something that Jesus warned against.
Time and again, scripture tells us to keep the Sabbath. The seventh. Nowhere does it tell us to keep the first. And before you begin to quote scripture, re-read the above and look at that scripture from a Hebrew standpoint. After all. ALL of scripture was written by Hebrews, to them, about them. There was absolutely, positively, without question….not a single solitary church in existence at the time it was written!!!
Eight times scripture refers to the first day of the week:
1. Matthew 28:1: "In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher."
In the consistent New Testament, this reads: But late of-the-Sabbaths, with-the getting-light-on with-reference-to day one, of-the-Sabbaths, Mary the Magdalene came and the other Mary to-observe the grave.
a. It was a Hebrew Sabbath – our Saturday. The consistent New Testament takes the meaning of the original Greek word and places it in scripture. So that Greek word literally meant “Sabbath”.
2. Mark 16:2: "And very early in the morning THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun."
CNT: And very early in-the-morning, of-the day one of-the Sabbaths they-are-coming upon the tomb, as the sun was having-risen.
a. Same as 1. A. above
3. Mark 16:9: "Now when Jesus was risen, early the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven devils.
CNT: But having-stood-again in-the-morning on-first day of-the-Sabbath he-appeared first to-Mary the Magdalene, from who he-had cast-out seven little demons.
a. Once again, a Sabbath.
4. Luke 24:1: "Now UPON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing their spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
CNT: On-the-other-hand on-the day one of-the Sabbaths, of-deep daybreak, they-came upon the sepulcher, bringing spices which thet-prepared, and certain ones together-with them.
a. On a Sabbath
5. John 20:1. "THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher."
CNT: But on the day one of-the Sabbaths Mary the Magdalene is-coming in-the-morning, while being still dark, with-reference-to the tomb, and she-is-looking-at the stone having-en-and-still-removed out-of the tomb.
a. On a Sabbath.
6. John 20:19: "Then the same day at evening, being THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you."
CNT: Therefore as it was being evening on that day, namely-the day one of-the Sabbaths, and as the doors were having been-shut-and-still-shut were-in-which the disciples were having-been-and-still-were-gathered-together, because-of the fear of-the Jews, the Jesus came and stood into the midst, and he-is-saying to-them: Peace to-YOU..
a. On a Sabbath
7. Acts 20:7: "And upon THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together."
CNT: But in the first of-the Sabbaths, as we were having-been-and-still-were-gathered-together to-break bread, the Paul was-discoursing with-the, being-about to-be-being-out on-the next-day, and-additionally he-was-prolonging the word as-far-as midnight
a. On a Sabbath
8. 1 Corinthians 16:2: "Upon the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK let everyone of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him.
CNT: According-to number one of-Sabbaths let each of-YOU be-putting beside himself, storing something which if he-might-be-being-prospered, in-order-that not at-the-time-that I-might-come, then, there-might-be-coming-to-pass collections.
a. Again – Sabbath
I also went to a Greek interlinear and while I do not know Greek....you can easily read that the word is "sabbath" in the Greek.
What if Greek word really does mean Sabbath – Saturday, which began right at sunset on Friday. Then we should not be observing it on a Sunday morning for sure!!!
Andif the Hebrew calendar is the one that Jesus Messiah observed while He was here on earth, then we should do no less than observe it ourselves!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
If the Magi were Rabbi, then the carols are all wrong!
What if
The magi was a rabbi?
I grew up believing that there were 3 wise men who came to see the baby Jesus. That it happened sometime between birth and age 3. That they had names. That they brought him Frankincense, Gold and Myrh. That they were dressed like kings. They wore crowns and robes, adorned with jewels. You’ve seen the pictures just like I did as a kid.
But I had so many questions about all that. How could 3 people get the attention of King Herod?
Did King Herod die before they arrived?
If you simply read Matthew, Chpt 2, there are all kinds of what-ifs.
“there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem”
1. where does it tell us there were just 3 of them?
2. How did “wise men” turn into “3 kings of Orient” in the hymn?
a. The Orient would be “south east” of Jerusalem!
3. They went to Jerusalem….Jesus was born in Bethlehem
“we have seen his star in the east…”
4. they came from the east. But they saw his star “in” the east?
“when Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him”
5. 3 men got the attention of the King and “all” Jerusalem. Remember, there were hundreds of thousands of Israelites in Jerusalem when Jesus Messiah was born – all there for the census and the Feast of Tabernacles.
“and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, til it came and stood over where the young child was”
6. the star MOVED! So why do all the Christmas pagaents have it stationary over the stable???
“and when they were come into the house”
7. how did the stable get turned into a house?
“Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee nto Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him”
Herod died less than a month after Jesus Messiah was born. So that means these wise men had to be there before then!
“he took the young child and his mother by night and departed into Egypt”
8. Why at night?
“and was there until the death of Herod”
9. So, were they in Egypt less than 30 days?
So many “what if’s”
1. What if the star first appeared when Jesus was conceived at Hanukkah, BCE5?
a. Plenty of time for the wise men to travel – a full 9 months
2. What if the wise men came from Babylon?
a. It is directly east of Jerusalem
b. It was a Jewish center
1) 600 years earlier, Hebrews took Babylon captive
2) more ethnic Hebrews were in Babylon alone, than in all of Israel
3)Babylon was a Rabbinical headquarters and had numerous Hebrew seminaries.
4) It was a magnet for devout and ethnic Hebrews
5) Babylon’s royal treasure house still possessed the objects looted from the Jerusalem temple more than 500 years earlier.
6) Babylon’s rabbis werethe source of Jerusalem’s new copies of the Holy scripture scrolls
7) Babylon had been the source of the Talmud
Remember, the prophecy was a long, forgotten, unanticipated one. At least 600 years old? Who would even know what a star in the sky was for? Only learned men, great scholars, men who studied the Hebrew scrolls would know this prophecy and be actively looking for it.
3. What if there were hundreds in the group? Dozens of Rabbis, Hebrew seminary students, devout and faithful Hebrews. Many already making their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the High Holy days of Sukkot. Being devout Hebrews, they would have longed to go to Jerusalem forthis event.
4. What if they all (hundreds?) arrive in Jerusalem on the first night of Sukkot, the beginning of the 7 day long Feast of Tabernacles, the first night of which is an Annual High Sabbath, a High Holdy Day, in the fall of BCE4. October 4 on our calendar.
They arrive at the same time Joseph and Mary arrive….right at sundown.
Jesus Messiah is born a little later that night. In a temporary tabernacle, a sukkah and placed in a food crib (because he is the Bread of Life.
5. It is doubtful that 3 wise men would get the attention of King Herod. But hundreds and hundreds of Hebrew Rabbis and scholars, a unified mob….highly respected Babylonian Hebrew rabbis….all asking where the new born King was….yes, that might just get Herod’s attention!!! Plus the attention of ALL of Jerusalem!
6. What if scripture is true and the star really did move? It was a guiding light? It then stood still directly over the Messiah? It did not rise. It did not set. It did not move across the sky. It was not a comet, alignment of planets, etc. What if no one else saw it? Jesus Messiah only spoke to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, while the others heard a voice, but did not hear a meaningful conversation. What if it wasThe Angel of The Lord?
7. What if the group of Rabbis departed Jerusalem and arrived in Bethlehem (4 miles away) the very next evening after the Messiah’s birth? The “Pilgrimage” Sabbath had ended, many Hebrews had departed and lodgings were now available indoors, so the baby Jesus had been moved inside a house. What if Joseph took the family and departed forEgypt very late that same 2nd night and never returned to Bethlehem? From birth to departure, Jesus spent no more than 36 hours in Bethlehem.
8. What if Epiphany is simply a Roman Catholic myth?
9. What if Mary is NOT supposed to be worshiped? Scripture tells us that the wise men ONLY bowed to and worshiped the newborn Messiah!!! How did the Catholics evolve that into worshiping Mary?
10. What if Joseph took his family to the nearest part of Egypt? Just outside the reach of Herod. Perhaps to current day Gaza or Sinai? Not Cairo. Not the Nile River.
11. What if Jesus was circumcised on the 8th day – it is a special Sabbath. It would only make sense that a Hebrew King be circumcised and named on a Sabbath.
12. What if King Herod did die within 3 weeks of Jesus Messiah’s birth? We know that he died late October BCE4? Jesus returned from Egypt less than a month after His birth. They went to Nazareth, avoided Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
13. According to Hebrew law, a woman was unable to enter a temple until 40 days after birth. At that time she was ritually cleansed and eligible to enter the temple. He would have been presented at the Hebrew Temple in Jerusalem to officially record his birth and to dedicate Him to God.
14. What if you know the scriptures? Then you will come to know that Christmas carols are merely folklore based on Roman Catholic myths and fables. No 3 kings. No orient!
What if the Magi was a Rabbi?
The magi was a rabbi?
I grew up believing that there were 3 wise men who came to see the baby Jesus. That it happened sometime between birth and age 3. That they had names. That they brought him Frankincense, Gold and Myrh. That they were dressed like kings. They wore crowns and robes, adorned with jewels. You’ve seen the pictures just like I did as a kid.
But I had so many questions about all that. How could 3 people get the attention of King Herod?
Did King Herod die before they arrived?
If you simply read Matthew, Chpt 2, there are all kinds of what-ifs.
“there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem”
1. where does it tell us there were just 3 of them?
2. How did “wise men” turn into “3 kings of Orient” in the hymn?
a. The Orient would be “south east” of Jerusalem!
3. They went to Jerusalem….Jesus was born in Bethlehem
“we have seen his star in the east…”
4. they came from the east. But they saw his star “in” the east?
“when Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him”
5. 3 men got the attention of the King and “all” Jerusalem. Remember, there were hundreds of thousands of Israelites in Jerusalem when Jesus Messiah was born – all there for the census and the Feast of Tabernacles.
“and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, til it came and stood over where the young child was”
6. the star MOVED! So why do all the Christmas pagaents have it stationary over the stable???
“and when they were come into the house”
7. how did the stable get turned into a house?
“Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee nto Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him”
Herod died less than a month after Jesus Messiah was born. So that means these wise men had to be there before then!
“he took the young child and his mother by night and departed into Egypt”
8. Why at night?
“and was there until the death of Herod”
9. So, were they in Egypt less than 30 days?
So many “what if’s”
1. What if the star first appeared when Jesus was conceived at Hanukkah, BCE5?
a. Plenty of time for the wise men to travel – a full 9 months
2. What if the wise men came from Babylon?
a. It is directly east of Jerusalem
b. It was a Jewish center
1) 600 years earlier, Hebrews took Babylon captive
2) more ethnic Hebrews were in Babylon alone, than in all of Israel
3)Babylon was a Rabbinical headquarters and had numerous Hebrew seminaries.
4) It was a magnet for devout and ethnic Hebrews
5) Babylon’s royal treasure house still possessed the objects looted from the Jerusalem temple more than 500 years earlier.
6) Babylon’s rabbis werethe source of Jerusalem’s new copies of the Holy scripture scrolls
7) Babylon had been the source of the Talmud
Remember, the prophecy was a long, forgotten, unanticipated one. At least 600 years old? Who would even know what a star in the sky was for? Only learned men, great scholars, men who studied the Hebrew scrolls would know this prophecy and be actively looking for it.
3. What if there were hundreds in the group? Dozens of Rabbis, Hebrew seminary students, devout and faithful Hebrews. Many already making their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the High Holy days of Sukkot. Being devout Hebrews, they would have longed to go to Jerusalem forthis event.
4. What if they all (hundreds?) arrive in Jerusalem on the first night of Sukkot, the beginning of the 7 day long Feast of Tabernacles, the first night of which is an Annual High Sabbath, a High Holdy Day, in the fall of BCE4. October 4 on our calendar.
They arrive at the same time Joseph and Mary arrive….right at sundown.
Jesus Messiah is born a little later that night. In a temporary tabernacle, a sukkah and placed in a food crib (because he is the Bread of Life.
5. It is doubtful that 3 wise men would get the attention of King Herod. But hundreds and hundreds of Hebrew Rabbis and scholars, a unified mob….highly respected Babylonian Hebrew rabbis….all asking where the new born King was….yes, that might just get Herod’s attention!!! Plus the attention of ALL of Jerusalem!
6. What if scripture is true and the star really did move? It was a guiding light? It then stood still directly over the Messiah? It did not rise. It did not set. It did not move across the sky. It was not a comet, alignment of planets, etc. What if no one else saw it? Jesus Messiah only spoke to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, while the others heard a voice, but did not hear a meaningful conversation. What if it wasThe Angel of The Lord?
7. What if the group of Rabbis departed Jerusalem and arrived in Bethlehem (4 miles away) the very next evening after the Messiah’s birth? The “Pilgrimage” Sabbath had ended, many Hebrews had departed and lodgings were now available indoors, so the baby Jesus had been moved inside a house. What if Joseph took the family and departed forEgypt very late that same 2nd night and never returned to Bethlehem? From birth to departure, Jesus spent no more than 36 hours in Bethlehem.
8. What if Epiphany is simply a Roman Catholic myth?
9. What if Mary is NOT supposed to be worshiped? Scripture tells us that the wise men ONLY bowed to and worshiped the newborn Messiah!!! How did the Catholics evolve that into worshiping Mary?
10. What if Joseph took his family to the nearest part of Egypt? Just outside the reach of Herod. Perhaps to current day Gaza or Sinai? Not Cairo. Not the Nile River.
11. What if Jesus was circumcised on the 8th day – it is a special Sabbath. It would only make sense that a Hebrew King be circumcised and named on a Sabbath.
12. What if King Herod did die within 3 weeks of Jesus Messiah’s birth? We know that he died late October BCE4? Jesus returned from Egypt less than a month after His birth. They went to Nazareth, avoided Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
13. According to Hebrew law, a woman was unable to enter a temple until 40 days after birth. At that time she was ritually cleansed and eligible to enter the temple. He would have been presented at the Hebrew Temple in Jerusalem to officially record his birth and to dedicate Him to God.
14. What if you know the scriptures? Then you will come to know that Christmas carols are merely folklore based on Roman Catholic myths and fables. No 3 kings. No orient!
What if the Magi was a Rabbi?
Friday, October 30, 2009
If you celebrate Halloween, then you are celebrating a pagan holiday.
Does anyone know how it originated or what it represents?
Halloween = All Hallows' Eve, the eve of All Saints' Day which is November 1. A time of pagan festivities. It originates from the celtic festival of Samhain. The word, Samhain, means "the god of the dead. The Celts believed that the border between this world and the otherworld became thin on Sanhain, allowing spirits to pass through. It is the night during which the division between the world of the living and the other world was blurred so spirits of the dead and inhabitants from the underworld were able to walk free on the earth. It was believed necessary to dress as a spirit or otherworldly creature when venturing outdoors to blend in, and this is where dressing in such a manner for Halloween comes from.
Also known as "the day of the dead".
Costumes, lanterns, trick or treat, pumpkin carving, bonfires and more.... each one of these traditions has it's origins in a pagan ritual that has evolved into today's activities.
Now, the church decided to establish All Saints day on November 1, so that the eve, October 31, would be the beginning of honoring saints. Incorporating pagan holidays into the "christain" calendar was simply a method for the Roman Catholic church to convert the pagans. Pope Gregory the First said in 601AD, - if a group of people worshiped a tree, rather than cut it down, consecrate it to Christ and allow it's continued worship.
All Saints day was a celebration of the start of a new cycle of fertility for the celtic Goddess Eiseria. So that, in itself, is also pagan.
If you don't do the research, then you will think it's just another "fun" holiday. But if you do the research, you will know that this is yet another pagan holiday and should not be observed by anyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah.
Halloween = All Hallows' Eve, the eve of All Saints' Day which is November 1. A time of pagan festivities. It originates from the celtic festival of Samhain. The word, Samhain, means "the god of the dead. The Celts believed that the border between this world and the otherworld became thin on Sanhain, allowing spirits to pass through. It is the night during which the division between the world of the living and the other world was blurred so spirits of the dead and inhabitants from the underworld were able to walk free on the earth. It was believed necessary to dress as a spirit or otherworldly creature when venturing outdoors to blend in, and this is where dressing in such a manner for Halloween comes from.
Also known as "the day of the dead".
Costumes, lanterns, trick or treat, pumpkin carving, bonfires and more.... each one of these traditions has it's origins in a pagan ritual that has evolved into today's activities.
Now, the church decided to establish All Saints day on November 1, so that the eve, October 31, would be the beginning of honoring saints. Incorporating pagan holidays into the "christain" calendar was simply a method for the Roman Catholic church to convert the pagans. Pope Gregory the First said in 601AD, - if a group of people worshiped a tree, rather than cut it down, consecrate it to Christ and allow it's continued worship.
All Saints day was a celebration of the start of a new cycle of fertility for the celtic Goddess Eiseria. So that, in itself, is also pagan.
If you don't do the research, then you will think it's just another "fun" holiday. But if you do the research, you will know that this is yet another pagan holiday and should not be observed by anyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Sukkot - the birthday of the Messiah
Imagine living in the year 4 CE. It is October 4, or 15 Tishri 3758 on the Hebrew Calendar. At sunset, tonight, it is the dawn of Sukkot, (starts at sunset on October 2, 2009) the first day of a High Holy Day, a Pilgrimage Sabbath. Everyone who is Hebrew is required to travel to Jerusalem to attend this 8 day festival. In addition, the Roman Empire has ordered that a census be taken…..and you have to travel to the town of your ancestors to be counted as part of that family’s descendants. There are thousands and thousands of people in Jerusalem for the High Holy Day which starts tonight. Each family is required to build a sukk’ah, a temporary dwelling, a booth, a temporary tabernacle, and dwell in it for the 7 days of this feast of tabernacles, or sometimes called the feast of Ingathering.
These booths are erected to house families with some bare comforts and food for the seven days. (It would be like us going camping for a whole week these days.) Food is placed in an animal-fodder crib for storage in these temporary tabernacles (sukk’ah or booth). The King James Bible has translated the word for food crib as “manger”. After the 7 day long feast, there is an additional Sabbath Day on the 8th day called the Shemini Atzeret Sabbath “The Last Great Day” because it is the final annual Holy Day that was God-established. The next Holy day is the next Passover.
It is the fall of the year as the harvests are being brought in (gathered). Shepherds are in their fields watching over their flocks. Jerusalem is flooded with people as everyone is required to go there for this Festival. Everything is full. And there are sukk’ahs everywhere. Perhaps thousands of them! Overwhelmingly massive crowds of Hebrew Pilgrims attending this High Holy day, this first day of the Feast. Crowds have previously arrived (to build their temporary tabernacles to stay in) and crowds are still continuously arriving, to lodge through the entire region. By sunset, Jerusalem and all of the surrounding villages are completely full. Even the nearby city of Bethlehem. Not a place to be had anywhere.
Two young Hebrews, Joseph and Mary, need to do 2 things. They need to go to Jerusalem and they need to go to Bethlehem because that’s where Joseph must go to register for the census. It is literally just 4 miles from Jerusalem. A "stop on the way". Mary is pregnant. They get to Bethlehem. She goes into labor. No place to stay. She is offered a sukk’ah (not a stable) as a place to deliver her baby, and she then placed her baby in the food crib.
IF that is in fact what happened, consider these possibilities:
the Messiah was born on the first day of Sukkot – The Festival of Tabernacles, the Feast of Ingathering, a High Holy Day. This day is a Sabbath.
He was born in a temporary tabernacle, a sukk’ah, (not a stable) because he came to tabernacle with us.
He was placed in a food storage crib because He is the “bread of life”.
As tradition, He would have been named and circumcised on the 8th day which would have been a Sabbath,
9 months prior to Sukkot is Hanukkah, the Festival of lights. The dedication of the Temple celebration. He would have been conceived during this holiday because He is the light of the world.
Zechariah 14:16-17 says that one day in the future all nations will be required to honor this feast.
For me, this is all I need to know. I LOVE this story. My Messiah was born in the fall of the year, when it was warm, in a temporary tabernacle, on a Sabbath that was a High Holy day, on the first day of the Feast of Ingathering, and was placed in a food storage crib because He is the bread of life. He was conceived during the Festival of Lights because He is the light of the world.
I will start this day to keep this feast – in my heart – as I truly believe this is how He was born. No "Merry Christmas" from me as that date is simply a pagan holiday. But this night, this eve of Sukkot, may you be blessed, may your heart be softened, may you come to know that your questions can be answered - all one must do is study the Word.
Jn 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."
May this week be a true celebration of joy for you.
For more, click here.
These booths are erected to house families with some bare comforts and food for the seven days. (It would be like us going camping for a whole week these days.) Food is placed in an animal-fodder crib for storage in these temporary tabernacles (sukk’ah or booth). The King James Bible has translated the word for food crib as “manger”. After the 7 day long feast, there is an additional Sabbath Day on the 8th day called the Shemini Atzeret Sabbath “The Last Great Day” because it is the final annual Holy Day that was God-established. The next Holy day is the next Passover.
It is the fall of the year as the harvests are being brought in (gathered). Shepherds are in their fields watching over their flocks. Jerusalem is flooded with people as everyone is required to go there for this Festival. Everything is full. And there are sukk’ahs everywhere. Perhaps thousands of them! Overwhelmingly massive crowds of Hebrew Pilgrims attending this High Holy day, this first day of the Feast. Crowds have previously arrived (to build their temporary tabernacles to stay in) and crowds are still continuously arriving, to lodge through the entire region. By sunset, Jerusalem and all of the surrounding villages are completely full. Even the nearby city of Bethlehem. Not a place to be had anywhere.
Two young Hebrews, Joseph and Mary, need to do 2 things. They need to go to Jerusalem and they need to go to Bethlehem because that’s where Joseph must go to register for the census. It is literally just 4 miles from Jerusalem. A "stop on the way". Mary is pregnant. They get to Bethlehem. She goes into labor. No place to stay. She is offered a sukk’ah (not a stable) as a place to deliver her baby, and she then placed her baby in the food crib.
IF that is in fact what happened, consider these possibilities:
the Messiah was born on the first day of Sukkot – The Festival of Tabernacles, the Feast of Ingathering, a High Holy Day. This day is a Sabbath.
He was born in a temporary tabernacle, a sukk’ah, (not a stable) because he came to tabernacle with us.
He was placed in a food storage crib because He is the “bread of life”.
As tradition, He would have been named and circumcised on the 8th day which would have been a Sabbath,
9 months prior to Sukkot is Hanukkah, the Festival of lights. The dedication of the Temple celebration. He would have been conceived during this holiday because He is the light of the world.
Zechariah 14:16-17 says that one day in the future all nations will be required to honor this feast.
For me, this is all I need to know. I LOVE this story. My Messiah was born in the fall of the year, when it was warm, in a temporary tabernacle, on a Sabbath that was a High Holy day, on the first day of the Feast of Ingathering, and was placed in a food storage crib because He is the bread of life. He was conceived during the Festival of Lights because He is the light of the world.
I will start this day to keep this feast – in my heart – as I truly believe this is how He was born. No "Merry Christmas" from me as that date is simply a pagan holiday. But this night, this eve of Sukkot, may you be blessed, may your heart be softened, may you come to know that your questions can be answered - all one must do is study the Word.
Jn 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."
May this week be a true celebration of joy for you.
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Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Rosh Hashanah
September 18, 2009. Rosh Hashanah.
Lev 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first [day] of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
Rosh Hashanah begins a new year on the Hebrew calendar. Tradition says that on this day we examine our past deeds and ask for forgiveness for our sins....review the history of the Jews and pray for Israel.
It is stated that the destiny of all mankind is recorded by G-d in the Book of Life.
I wonder how "christians" ever got so far away from scripture. This is a quite clear - what to do and when to do it.
Lev 23:24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first [day] of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.
Rosh Hashanah begins a new year on the Hebrew calendar. Tradition says that on this day we examine our past deeds and ask for forgiveness for our sins....review the history of the Jews and pray for Israel.
It is stated that the destiny of all mankind is recorded by G-d in the Book of Life.
I wonder how "christians" ever got so far away from scripture. This is a quite clear - what to do and when to do it.
Friday, July 3, 2009
If you know that Jesus died on Passover....
and that he rose at sunset on Saturday, why do you celebrate Easter Sunday morning services?????
If we can prove without a shadow of a doubt (well, if you really believe the Bible) that Jesus was conceived during Hanukkah and was born at Sukkot (early Fall), why do you celebrate Christmas as His birth?
If you never knew before and only followed the teachings of your "church" - that's one thing. But if you KNOW now.....and you STILL celebrate Christmas and Easter.....why?
Here's another one of those childhood questions I always had. "If you know something is wrong....and you do it anyway...can G-d forgive you? And if you keep doing it over and over and over.....while you KNOW it is wrong....will He keep forgiving you over and over and over?
I seriously doubt it!
So, the question today.....if you know Jehovah Jesus Messiah was born in the fall and you celebrate Christmas, and you know that He died at Passover and you celebrate Easter, are you STILL a sinner?
And if you are STILL a sinner, how can you claim that you are saved? How can you claim to be a "Christian"?
But an even greater question perhaps.....if you are celebrating holidays that are based on paganism, that are filled with pagan rituals, that have literally nothing to do with the birth, death or resurrection of Jesus....aren't you a pagan? How can you be a "Christian" if you are a pagan? And if you are a "Christian", how can you continue to follow paganism?
Trust me - it is more than difficult to leave behind a pagan ritual when it's all you have ever known your entire life. When it's what made you happiest as a child, as a mom. When it's what brings back some of the most joyous memories in your life.
On the other hand - giving up these things that are tied to paganism has brought a different, greater joy to my soul than I could ever imagine!
It did not happen overnight. It took nearly 5 years in transition. I used to decorate 3 Christmas trees with 1500 Hallmark ornaments and host huge parties every year. I sang in the Living Christmas Tree in San Diego for 3 years. Most of my friends cannot understand why or how I could give it all up.
The problem became that once I knew and understood and could prove to myself that Christmas has zero ties to Jesus and is 100% pagan - I simply walked away from it.
The next question to ponder....how did we ever get "religion" so messed up? Why do Christians celebrate so many pagan holidays? Who makes these decisions? Who leads the "church" down this path? I just don't think that Jehovan G-d is out there directing this "path" the church has taken.
Just a few things to think about for the moment:
Rev 12:9....the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who decieves the whole world......
Isaiah 14:12-15, satan said:
I will ascend to heaven
I will raise my throne above the stars of G-d
I will sit entrhoned on the mount of assembly on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds
I WILL MAKE MYSELF LIKE THE MOST HIGH
So the question becomes.....HOW is (or did) Satan make himself to be like G-d?
Maybe think of it as a constant war that's been going on for about 6000 years now. G-d on one side, Satan on the other side trying to make himself appear to be like G-d. If he is doing that....then how do we know who the real G-d is?
And what if Satan is using the church with all of it's pagan holidays and pagan rituals throughout the world to make himself "like the most high".
If you are like me, at first thought - that's impossible.
On the other hand.....if you know that Easter is a pagan holiday and Jesus did not rise from the grave on Easter Sunday morning -
and you know that Christmas is a pagan holiday and Jesus was born in the fall of the year during Sukkot -
could it be that the "church" really is Satan's playground? And that this is how he has made himself look "like the most high"?
I sort of think it starts to explain why no one in Sunday School could ever answer any of my childhood questions!
And now you can start to see why I don't attend church, or celebrate Christmas or Easter.
If we can prove without a shadow of a doubt (well, if you really believe the Bible) that Jesus was conceived during Hanukkah and was born at Sukkot (early Fall), why do you celebrate Christmas as His birth?
If you never knew before and only followed the teachings of your "church" - that's one thing. But if you KNOW now.....and you STILL celebrate Christmas and Easter.....why?
Here's another one of those childhood questions I always had. "If you know something is wrong....and you do it anyway...can G-d forgive you? And if you keep doing it over and over and over.....while you KNOW it is wrong....will He keep forgiving you over and over and over?
I seriously doubt it!
So, the question today.....if you know Jehovah Jesus Messiah was born in the fall and you celebrate Christmas, and you know that He died at Passover and you celebrate Easter, are you STILL a sinner?
And if you are STILL a sinner, how can you claim that you are saved? How can you claim to be a "Christian"?
But an even greater question perhaps.....if you are celebrating holidays that are based on paganism, that are filled with pagan rituals, that have literally nothing to do with the birth, death or resurrection of Jesus....aren't you a pagan? How can you be a "Christian" if you are a pagan? And if you are a "Christian", how can you continue to follow paganism?
Trust me - it is more than difficult to leave behind a pagan ritual when it's all you have ever known your entire life. When it's what made you happiest as a child, as a mom. When it's what brings back some of the most joyous memories in your life.
On the other hand - giving up these things that are tied to paganism has brought a different, greater joy to my soul than I could ever imagine!
It did not happen overnight. It took nearly 5 years in transition. I used to decorate 3 Christmas trees with 1500 Hallmark ornaments and host huge parties every year. I sang in the Living Christmas Tree in San Diego for 3 years. Most of my friends cannot understand why or how I could give it all up.
The problem became that once I knew and understood and could prove to myself that Christmas has zero ties to Jesus and is 100% pagan - I simply walked away from it.
The next question to ponder....how did we ever get "religion" so messed up? Why do Christians celebrate so many pagan holidays? Who makes these decisions? Who leads the "church" down this path? I just don't think that Jehovan G-d is out there directing this "path" the church has taken.
Just a few things to think about for the moment:
Rev 12:9....the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who decieves the whole world......
Isaiah 14:12-15, satan said:
I will ascend to heaven
I will raise my throne above the stars of G-d
I will sit entrhoned on the mount of assembly on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds
I WILL MAKE MYSELF LIKE THE MOST HIGH
So the question becomes.....HOW is (or did) Satan make himself to be like G-d?
Maybe think of it as a constant war that's been going on for about 6000 years now. G-d on one side, Satan on the other side trying to make himself appear to be like G-d. If he is doing that....then how do we know who the real G-d is?
And what if Satan is using the church with all of it's pagan holidays and pagan rituals throughout the world to make himself "like the most high".
If you are like me, at first thought - that's impossible.
On the other hand.....if you know that Easter is a pagan holiday and Jesus did not rise from the grave on Easter Sunday morning -
and you know that Christmas is a pagan holiday and Jesus was born in the fall of the year during Sukkot -
could it be that the "church" really is Satan's playground? And that this is how he has made himself look "like the most high"?
I sort of think it starts to explain why no one in Sunday School could ever answer any of my childhood questions!
And now you can start to see why I don't attend church, or celebrate Christmas or Easter.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
If our calendar didn't exist when Jesus died, then when did he die?
Think about it! If our calendar didn't exist when Jesus was here on earth. When did he die? When was he buried? When did he rise from the grave? And why do I even care?
Well, for one, I remember when I was a kid being so utterly confused by scripture and how it was "explained" to me by preachers and Sunday School teachers. For example:
Matt 12:40, For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth
Jesus was supposed to be in the grave 3 days and 3 nights. So if he died on Good Friday and rose on Easter Sunday....no matter how I did the math, I never got 3 days and 3 nights.
Friday - day 1 starts
Friday night -- night 1
Saturday - night 1 ends, day 2 starts
Saturday night, Night 2
Sunday morning, night 2 ends, day 3 begins.
So if He rose on Sunday morning.......
where did night 3 go? See the problem I had???
If we did not have a Gregorian calendar and only a Hebrew calendar, then we have to consider these facts:
Hebrew days end at sunset. The next day begins one minute after sunset.
The sabbath begins 1 minute after sunset on Friday and ends at sunset on Saturday.
The word "dawn" doesn't need to mean daybreak, first light. It can mean a new day, something new, so it could easily mean a new day that begins at sunset, the dawn of a new day. On a Hebrew calendar, each new day begins 1 minute after sunset. Hmmmm....dawn is dusk!!!
What if in the time of Jesus, 3 days and 3 nights meant 72 hours exactly? Literally?
John 19:31. The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day) besoughtPilate that theirlegs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
So the next thing we need to know is that a sabbath day that is a high (holy) day can be any day of the week. It does not have to be on a Friday night to Saturday night time frame. Because it is a "high day" it can be any day of the week.
Thus we know that the day that Jesus died, that evening one minute after sunset, a sabbath that was a high (holy) day was beginning.
We also know that the day following Passover is known to be a High Holy Day Sabbath - an annual High Sabbath, not a routine, weekly Saturday sabbath. It is the first day of the 7 day long Feast of Unleavened Bread. Passover is not a high holy day. The day after it is.
If Passover is on Thursday (Wednesday dust to Thursday dusk)
And a High Holy Day Sabbath is on Friday (Thurs dusk to Friday dusk)
And a routine weekly Sabbath is on Saturday (Friday dust to Saturday dusk)
Take a look at
Matthew 28: 1 Inside the tail-end of a Saturday Sabbath, at the going doewn (dusk) of the sun, as time changed from the final moment of an old week, onward to the first moment of an entirely new week, at sunset, came Mary of Magdala and the other Mary walking toward the tomb to look at the sepulchre at the very beginning of a Hebrew's Sunday.2. and there was a great earthquake: for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door of the tomb and sat upon the stone.
that translation is from the Literal Expanded Version (LEV) which is a little more descriptive for these verses. But even if you read it in the King James and understand that the dawn of a new week would begin for the Hebrew calendar on Saturday evening at dusk......
Let's try this:
In the Hebrew year 3791, Passover was on the 14th day of the Hebrew 1st month, on a Wednesday, so it started on Tuesday, one minute after dusk and went til Wed. evening at dusk. (this is our year CE 31.)
I'm inserting a calendar that I put together here, just click on it to enlarge it:
Jesus had the "Last Supper" after dusk on Tuesday night. This was on Passover. So it really was a Sedar, His last Sedar.
Death occurred in the morning on Wednesday (still Passover).
Burial was completed at sunset, at the very end of the Hebrew calendar's Wednesday. One minute after dusk, the High Holy Day began. Thursday, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Death in the grave began here. (from one minute after sunset on our Wednesday to sunset on our Thursday.)
All of Hebrew's Friday (from one minute after sunset on our Thursday to sunset on our Friday)
All of Hebrew's Saturday (from one minute after sunset on our Friday until sunset on our Saturday).
3 days. 72 hours.
The resurrection was at one minute after sunset our Saturday which would be the first moment of a Hebrew Sunday. The dawn (beginning) of a new week, the dawn of a new day.
The Feast of First Fruits is the Sunday following Passover. (Note, this is the day that you add 50 days to and come up with the date of Pentecost.)
Jesus rose on the first moment on the Feast of First Fruits.
Passover would have been on April 24, 31 (Wednesday) the day that Jesus Christ was crucified.
He would have risen at sunset on Saturday, April 27, 31 if you want our calendar dates.
So much for my attendance at all those Sunday morning sunrise services!
One more thing to consider. The Feast of Passover is a 7 day feast which commemorates the night when (in Egypt) each Israelite family killed a selected lamb, painted it's blood on the intel and door-posts of their dwellings, roasted the lamb, prepared to depart Egypt before eating, ate the lamb in haste with bitter herbs and unleavened bread, were protected from death of their first born males by the lamb's blood and actually began the journey to depart from Egypt very early the next morning (still Passover day)
It would make sense that Jesus died on Passover. He is the lamb who's blood was shed for us. He IS Passover.
And it makes beautiful sense that he rose on the Feast of First Fruits.
If Jesus was born in BCE4 and was 30 when he was baptized (CE28), he would have been 33 1/2 by early Spring, CE 31.
On a bit of a side note, Easter has been around about 5000 years. And in the year CE31, it occurred 25 days BEFORE Passover!!! A tad difficult to rise from the dead before you die!
I remember asking where in the Bible it talked about "Good Friday" or used the term "Easter". You know, I was a child. They just blew me off!
Today, I understand that the concept of Good Friday is a myth and actually has no basis in Biblical fact. Easter is a pagan, heathen, springtime fertility festival. That's why they are NOT mentioned in scripture. Whether you agree with that or not, I don't see how you get an early morning Sunday sunrise out of this verse:
Matt 28:1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first [day] of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
That verse clearly states "end of sabbath" which would be at dusk.
Because I am studying the Hebrew calendar, because I am studying Hebrew life, traditions, holidays, values, and because I am looking at the original Greek and Hebrew scriptures - it is all making sense and falling into place.
But I also pray every single day that Jehovah Yeshua Messiah will soften my heart, open my mind, and allow me to understand. It is because so many of my friends continue to ask me about my beliefs that I am writing these blogs. In the hopes that you, too, will understand.
I do not celebrate Easter as it has nothing to do with the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Easter bunny does not come here. There are no eggs hidden anywhere.
I do, however, keep Passover. And I will continue to keep it every year.
I do not celebrate Christmas. There is no tree in my house, no gifts. Santa doesn't come down my chimney and there are no holly and berries here.
I honor Hanukkah - the Feast of Dedication
and I will keep the Feast of Tabernacles this year.
As I come to understand more and more.....and have more of those childhood questions answered, I come to love the Messiah as I never have before. My heart literally sings with joy.
So there's still that question........
why do we no longer use a Hebrew calendar? Just who is it that does not want us to know the truth? Who is it that is trying to confuse us. I know. And I'll be writing about that one day soon.
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