Introduction


IAUA God's Sacred Calendar
IAUA End Time Ministry
Preparing for the End of Time
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The Gregorian Catholic Calendar (1582) used by most of the world is an invention of the Roman Catholic Church. The Gregorian Calendar, with religious holidays designed and enforced by the Catholic Church, is a counterfeit. A return to all truth is also a return to understanding and observing God's Sacred Calendar.

Sometimes people protest when I refer to the Gregorian Calendar as the Roman Catholic Calendar. It takes its name from a Roman Catholic pope, Gregory, who decreed all should follow its definition. This calendar truly symbolizes the change of "times and laws". The Catholic Church demonstrates its true power by the widespread use of the calendar and especially the observance of the Catholic pagan holiday substitutes for God's holy days, the yearly Sabbaths.

There have been many different calendars used by different peoples and societies in the course of history. It is interesting to note, the further back you go in history the closer other calendars match the principles you will learn about God's Sacred Calendar. When you consider this, you will realize it must be this way. The original calendar was God's Sacred Calendar. There was no other calendar for thousands of years.

The original Roman Calendar (circa 700 B.C.) appears to have been a luni-solar calendar and started with the spring equinox, which is actually an approximation of when the Sacred Calendar starts. The Roman calendar was a very haphazard affair. The pagan calendars have always been at the mercy of kings and priests.

The Julian Calendar (46 B.C.) was a solar calendar, which was reasonably accurate for a time with leap years every four years. By this time, the New Year was starting at the winter solstice, the birthday of the Sun. The current date of December 25 has actually moved around quite a bit as far as its relationship to the solstice. This will be obvious as you study about calendars.

The Gregorian Calendar used in the world today was imposed on the world by the power of the Catholic Church. It still took centuries of time. Though the calendar is quite accurate now, there were arbitrary changes in the dates based on "traditions" which upset quite a few people. The power of the Catholic Church and tradition keeps this calendar in force.

This book uses the unqualified, capitalized term Calendar to refer exclusively to God's Sacred Calendar. When other types of calendars are mentioned in comparison, they will either be in lower case or qualified such as the Jewish Calendar.

This book investigates the purpose and design of the Calendar. The Calendar needs to replace the Gregorian calendar as the focus and guide of our lives. We need to learn how the Calendar is determined and understand how it is to guide our lives. So much has been lost about how to determine the Calendar. Even those who believe in the importance and function of the Calendar disagree on God's design for its determination.

This book represents the results of my studies to uncover the truth about the Calendar. Everyone who desires to follow the will of God needs to investigate and understand this issue for themselves. The weekly Sabbath is the most critical issue of the end time. The weekly Sabbath is only the tip of an iceberg and receives support by a complete understanding of the Calendar.

Biblical Principles and Witnesses

The Bible is the absolute foundation for determining the design and purpose of the Calendar. The Bible is clear on the principles of the Calendar. The Bible is not scientifically clear on how to determine the details of the Calendar. We will examine the most credible witness of millions who have followed the Calendar, to the best of their understanding, to support our determination of the details of Calendar determination.

The identification and examination of Biblical principles and the most credible witnesses to the Calendar is the purpose of this book. The importance of two or three credible witnesses is an established Biblical principle found in the Torah and repeated in the New Testament.

6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
Deuteronomy 17:6

This principle applies in capital offense cases and in the establishment of guilt for any sin.

15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.
Deuteronomy 19:15
The Savior applied this principle to any disputed matter and made it the heart of His principles for conflict resolution.
16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Matthew 18:16

The apostle Paul invoked this principle in his dealings with the contentious Corinthians.

1 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
II Corinthians 13:1

God provides two witnesses in the Bible to teach us truth and lead us to truth. His law is His first witness and the second is His prophets.

20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
Isaiah 8:20

God provides these same two witnesses at the end of time to testify to the truth and lead us to truth.

3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Revelation 11:3

Calendar Determination

The first principle of Calendar determination is clearly established. The Bible bases the Calendar on the movements of the sun and the moon. We need to consider carefully the record of the fourth day of creation to establish this principle.

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon 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.
19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Genesis 1:14-19

We focus on verse 14 with a close examination of the Strong's Concise Hebrew Dictionary definition of two important Hebrew words.

14 God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be signals [H226] for appointed times [H4150], days, and years.
Genesis 1:14 (paraphrased)

Astronomical Signals

The Hebrew word H226 “EThTh”, translated 'sign' indicates the sun and moon are the signals for events on the Calendar. It is important to note signals occur just before the events they signal.

  1. sign, signal
    1. a distinguishing mark
    2. banner
    3. remembrance
    4. miraculous sign
    5. omen
    6. warning
  2. token, ensign, standard, miracle, proof
    Strong's Concise Hebrew Dictionary #0226

Appointed Times

The word translated seasons is the Hebrew word H4150 "MUODIM", which has a very special meaning. It is a very valuable study of the Bible to look up the many uses of this word and the various translations. I believe the best general translation in all cases, picking from those given in Strong's Concise Hebrew Dictionary, is "appointed time". A specific definition I would suggest is more like "designated times" or even "holy days".

  1. appointed place, appointed time, meeting
    1. appointed time
      1. appointed time (general)
      2. sacred season, set feast, appointed season
    2. appointed meeting
    3. appointed place
    4. appointed sign or signal
    5. tent of meeting
Strong's Concise Hebrew Dictionary #04150
I suggest an important extension to Strong's Concise Hebrew Dictionary. I believe "MUOD" also refers to the day of the new moon, the beginning of the new month. The month is an appointed time, a part of the Calendar and closely associated with the feasts. While the word is never explicitly translated as referring to the month, a careful consideration and study of the previous verses in Genesis and others will show a clear relationship.

The sun and moon are the signals for all the appointed times of God. Astronomical data is used to determine the Calendar. The importance of astronomy for this purpose must be emphasized. I think it is instructive to take note of this entry from the SDA Bible Student's Source Book which is also known as Volume 9 of the The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary.

1. Abraham, Astronomical Knowledge of, According to Jewish Traditions

Source: C. J. Gadd, History and Monuments of Ur (New York: E. P. Dutton and Company, 1929), pp. 176, 254. Used by permission of the publisher and of Chatto & Windus, Ltd., London.

[p. 176] In Berossus, the native historian who wrote in Greek at the beginning of the third century before Christ, a reference to these events was detected by subsequent writers upon Jewish history. Josephus has this: “Berossus makes mention of our father Abraham without naming him; he says, ‘In the tenth generation after the Flood there was among the Chaldaeans a certain just man and great, and well seen in astronomy.’” …
[p. 254] There has come down to us (at third hand) a fragment purporting to be quoted from the historian Eupolemus, an Alexandrian Jew who wrote several works on Jewish history which have not survived. It may be, however, that the fragment in question was actually written by an imitator of Eupolemus, in the second century. In any case his words are as follows: “in the tenth generation [after the Flood], in the city Kamarina of Babylonia, which some call the city Urié (that is, being interpreted, city of the Chaldaeans), there was born in the thirteenth generation Abraham, who surpassed all in (nobility of) birth and wisdom. He also it was who invented astrology and the Chaldaean art [of magic], and by reason of his eminent piety was well-pleasing to God.”

Neufeld, Don F., Seventh-day Adventist Bible Student’s Source Book, (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association) 1962.

Clearly, Abraham would be following the Calendar and would require a deep understanding of astronomy. This would be particularly true because the flood, which occurred only a few hundred years before his birth, probably resulted in changes to the orbit of the earth.

I doubt Abraham was actually involved in our modern understanding of astrology and magic. It may have appeared to be so because astrology is heavily based on astronomy.

When I first began studying the Calendar, the study of full moons, new moons, and equinoxes reminded me of things I had learned to avoid like astrology, solstices, birth month signs, and horoscopes. These things are Satan's counterfeits and corrupt interpretations of truth. God intends we should study and understand the movements in the sky according to what He specifies but avoid getting interested in the counterfeits.

The Jewish Calendar

The closest modern example of the Biblical Calendar is the Jewish Calculated Rabbinical Calendar. The Jewish people were the faithful preservers of the Calendar for many centuries. The preservation of the methods and knowledge for determining the calendar became the private reserve of the priests and a centralized authority in the centuries before the coming of the Messiah. Many of the common folk gave up their personal responsibility for knowing God's Truth and became dependent on the leaders. This has always been a dangerous trend for all churches, for all time, for all truth.

Jewish history and tradition tells us at some point the leadership began to time the start of the calendar year by the barley harvest. This is not what God commanded. It is true the barley harvest occurs at the same time and is part of the observance of First Fruits. Nevertheless, this is not the method of determination God specified. Many more corruptions entered into the Jewish Calendar over the centuries.

When the Jewish people lost the central authority for maintaining the calendar in the centuries after the Messiah came, a Babylonian/Greek formula for predicting the calendar was put into place. This formula was an impressive development but it was not completely accurate even as an average. God's direction to base the Calendar on the observation of the sun and moon was ignored and the formula became the rule.

The formula they adopted results in a Jewish calendar, which is a 19-year cycle of 235 lunar months. This is known as the Greek Metonic cycle and was a part of Babylonian Chronology dating to 626 B.C.

This formula results in a year that averages 365.2468 days long (exactly 365 days 5 hours 55 minutes and 25+25/57 seconds). The solar tropical year is about 365.24219 days long (365 days 5 hours 49 minutes and zero seconds). Therefore, the Jewish calendar year is about 6 minutes and 25+25/57 seconds longer than the solar tropical year. This results in a "drift" of the Jewish calendar of about a day every 224 years. This means the year begins later and later as the centuries pass.

This means, on average today, Jews celebrate their holidays, about 8 days later than did their ancestors in 4119 (Jewish year which is 358/9 AD Gregorian), at the time the fixed calendar rules were said to have been published by Hillel II.

If there is no Jewish calendar reform to account for the known astronomical differences, then eventually Passover will be celebrated in summer instead of spring.

A formula and mathematical calculation can provide a valuable guide to calendar determination. This is especially true when determining the calendar in advance. In modern times, the movements of the sun and moon can be correctly calculated for years in advance. Over time, these calculations must be updated slightly to remain accurate. The use of formulas must always be secondary and subject to astronomical observation.

At some point, the Jewish man-made rules and traditions also created rules called postponements which were not Biblical and corrupted the calendar even further. The beginning of the year was postponed a day or two based on arbitrary rules contrary to the commandment of God.

These errors and other disagreements in Calendar determination result in differences of a day or two in the beginning of the month and occasionally the exact month of the year can be in dispute. Astronomical data makes accurate determination possible, if you agree on the rules.

The confusion over the Calendar occurs because the Bible, which is the only completely trustworthy source, is not scientifically clear on determining the Calendar. This does not mean you cannot determine the Calendar, but it requires careful study of the Bible compared with outside sources. This study and uncertainty of interpretation required leads to differences of understanding.

The purpose of this book is to introduce you to the principles of Calendar determination based on the Bible and details that require consulting credible witnesses. This is my best understanding. You are responsible to consider this information and follow truth guided by the Holy Spirit.

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Revised 2015-08-16