May/June 2005

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=100 BGCOLOR="#CCCCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000640egdysm.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000066" FACE="Arial" ><B>Church of God, In Truth</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><B>   |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church of God, In Truth"><B>home</B></A><B> | </B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Letters to the Brethren"><B>Up Level</B></A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="januaryfebruary_2012.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2012">January/February 2012</A>   |   <A HREF="novemberdecember_2011.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2011">November/December 2011</A>   |   <A HREF="septemberoctober_2011.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2011">September/October 2011</A>   |   <A HREF="julyaugust_2011.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2011">July/August 2011</A>   |   <A HREF="mayjune_2011.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2011">May/June 2011</A>   |   <A HREF="marchapril_2011.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2011">March/April 2011</A>   |   <A HREF="januaryfebruary_2011.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2011">January/February 2011</A>   |   <A HREF="septemberoctober_2010.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2010">September/October 2010</A>   |   <A HREF="julyaugust_2010.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2010">July/August 2010</A>   |   <A HREF="mayjune_2010.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2010">May/June 2010</A>   |   <A HREF="marchapril_2010.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2010">March/April 2010</A>   |   <A HREF="januaryfebruary_2010.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2010">January/February 2010</A>   |   <A HREF="novemberdecember_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2009">November/December 2009</A>   |   <A HREF="septemberoctober_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2009">September/October 2009</A>   |   <A HREF="julyaugust_2009.JulyAugust 2009" TARGET="_top" TITLE="JulyAugust 2009">JulyAugust 2009</A>   |   <A HREF="mayjune_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2009">May/June 2009</A>   |   <A HREF="marchapril_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2009">March/April 2009</A>   |   <A HREF="januaryfebruary_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2009">January/February 2009</A>   |   <A HREF="novemberdecember_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2008">November/December 2008</A>   |   <A HREF="septemberoctober_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2008">September/October 2008</A>   |   <A HREF="julyaugust_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2008">July/August 2008</A>   |   <A HREF="mayjune_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2008">May/June 2008</A>   |   <A HREF="id430.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2008">March/April 2008</A>   |   <A HREF="id422.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2008">January/February 2008</A>   |   <A HREF="id417.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2007">November/December 2007</A>   |   <A HREF="id410.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2007">September/October 2007</A>   |   <A HREF="id409.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2007">July/August 2007</A>   |   <A HREF="id399.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2007">May/June 2007</A>   |   <A HREF="id391.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2007">March/April 2007</A>   |   <A HREF="id385.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2007">January/February 2007</A>   |   <A HREF="id377.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2006">November/December 2006</A>   |   <A HREF="id369.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2006">September/October 2006</A>   |   <A HREF="id368.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2006">July/August 2006</A>   |   <A HREF="id354.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2006">May/June 2006</A>   |   <A HREF="id346.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2006">March/April 2006</A>   |   <A HREF="id338.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2006">January/February 2006</A>   |   <A HREF="id332.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2005">November/December 2005</A>   |   <A HREF="id331.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2005">September/October 2005</A>   |   <A HREF="id326.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2005">July/August 2005</A>   |   May/June 2005   |   <A HREF="id309.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2005">March/April 2005</A>   |   <A HREF="id308.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Thank You Letter">Thank You Letter</A>   |   <A HREF="id302.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2005">January/February 2005</A>   |   <A HREF="id295.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2004">November/December 2004</A>   |   <A HREF="id291.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2004">September/October 2004</A>   |   <A HREF="id287.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2004">July/August 2004</A>   |   <A HREF="id283.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2004">May/June 2004</A>   |   <A HREF="id275.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2004">March/April 2004</A>   |   <A HREF="id254.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2004">January/February 2004</A>   |   <A HREF="id253.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2003">November/December 2003</A>   |   <A HREF="id245.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2003">September/October 2003</A>   |   <A HREF="id242.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2003">July/August 2003</A>   |   <A HREF="id238.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2003">May/June 2003</A>   |   <A HREF="id231.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2003">March/April 2003</A>   |   <A HREF="id228.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2003">January/February 2003</A>   |   <A HREF="id221.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2002">November/December 2002</A>   |   <A HREF="id215.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2002">September/October 2002</A>   |   <A HREF="id211.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2002">July/August 2002</A>   |   <A HREF="id207.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2002">May/June 2002</A>   |   <A HREF="id203.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2002">March/April 2002</A>   |   <A HREF="id199.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2002">January/February 2002</A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#0000BF" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <B>Church of God, In Truth</B></div> <div> <A HREF="januaryfebruary_2012.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2012">January/February 2012</A></div> <div> <A HREF="novemberdecember_2011.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2011">November/December 2011</A></div> <div> <A HREF="septemberoctober_2011.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2011">September/October 2011</A></div> <div> <A HREF="julyaugust_2011.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2011">July/August 2011</A></div> <div> <A HREF="mayjune_2011.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2011">May/June 2011</A></div> <div> <A HREF="marchapril_2011.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2011">March/April 2011</A></div> <div> <A HREF="januaryfebruary_2011.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2011">January/February 2011</A></div> <div> <A HREF="septemberoctober_2010.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2010">September/October 2010</A></div> <div> <A HREF="julyaugust_2010.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2010">July/August 2010</A></div> <div> <A HREF="mayjune_2010.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2010">May/June 2010</A></div> <div> <A HREF="marchapril_2010.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2010">March/April 2010</A></div> <div> <A HREF="januaryfebruary_2010.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2010">January/February 2010</A></div> <div> <A HREF="novemberdecember_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2009">November/December 2009</A></div> <div> <A HREF="septemberoctober_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2009">September/October 2009</A></div> <div> <A HREF="julyaugust_2009.JulyAugust 2009" TARGET="_top" TITLE="JulyAugust 2009">JulyAugust 2009</A></div> <div> <A HREF="mayjune_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2009">May/June 2009</A></div> <div> <A HREF="marchapril_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2009">March/April 2009</A></div> <div> <A HREF="januaryfebruary_2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2009">January/February 2009</A></div> <div> <A HREF="novemberdecember_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2008">November/December 2008</A></div> <div> <A HREF="septemberoctober_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2008">September/October 2008</A></div> <div> <A HREF="julyaugust_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2008">July/August 2008</A></div> <div> <A HREF="mayjune_2008.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2008">May/June 2008</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id430.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2008">March/April 2008</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id422.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2008">January/February 2008</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id417.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2007">November/December 2007</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id410.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2007">September/October 2007</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id409.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2007">July/August 2007</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id399.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2007">May/June 2007</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id391.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2007">March/April 2007</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id385.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2007">January/February 2007</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id377.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2006">November/December 2006</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id369.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2006">September/October 2006</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id368.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2006">July/August 2006</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id354.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2006">May/June 2006</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id346.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2006">March/April 2006</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id338.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2006">January/February 2006</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id332.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2005">November/December 2005</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id331.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2005">September/October 2005</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id326.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2005">July/August 2005</A></div> <div> <B>May/June 2005</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id309.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2005">March/April 2005</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id308.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Thank You Letter">Thank You Letter</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id302.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2005">January/February 2005</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id295.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2004">November/December 2004</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id291.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2004">September/October 2004</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id287.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2004">July/August 2004</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id283.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2004">May/June 2004</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id275.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2004">March/April 2004</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id254.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2004">January/February 2004</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id253.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2003">November/December 2003</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id245.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2003">September/October 2003</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id242.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2003">July/August 2003</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id238.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2003">May/June 2003</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id231.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2003">March/April 2003</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id228.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2003">January/February 2003</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id221.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2002">November/December 2002</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id215.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2002">September/October 2002</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id211.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2002">July/August 2002</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id207.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2002">May/June 2002</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id203.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2002">March/April 2002</A></div> <div> <A HREF="id199.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2002">January/February 2002</A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=380 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>May/June 2005</I></div> <bR> <div> James Russell, Elder</div> <div> Greetings,</div> <div> “Proving all things” is our responsibility. God's Word tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” A believer is made spiritually mature by keeping God's law - and setting forth the truth of the sanctifying power of His Holy Spirit. “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden. Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things” (Gal 6:3-6).</div> <div> Sharing is what I want to do today. Pentecost, which is just a few days from now, is being postponed by most Church of God groups because they are counting from the wrong new and full moon. That is why this Elder's letter is titled, “Worth Proving.”</div> <div> All of God's called out ones, that take their calling seriously, knows God's (Saturday) Sabbath was officially “changed” to Sunday by the Catholic church in 325 AD, but did you know that it was also on this date that Easter was instituted to fall on a fixed Sunday?</div> <div> Who moved? Did God alter His appointed times, or did man alter their traditions? Quoting from secular history we find this information: “<I>The proper time for celebration of</I> <I>Easter has caused much controversy. In the second century a dispute arose on this point between the Eastern and Western churches. The great body of Eastern Christians celebrated Easter on the Jewish Passover, the fourteenth day of the first Jewish month or moon, thinking of Christ as the true Paschal Lamb. The Western churches celebrated it on the Sunday after the fourteenth day, declaring it was the commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus. The Council of Nicaea (in 325) decided in favor of the Western usage. This however, only settled the point that Easter was to be held, not upon a certain day of the month or moon, but on a Sunday.</I></div> <div> <I>The time of Easter, being the most important of all the movable feasts of the Christian Church, determines all the others. It was debated, at the time of the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, whether Easter should continue to be movable, or a fixed Sunday after March 21 </I>(the Spring equinox) <I>should be adapted. It was deference to ancient custom that led ecclesiastical authorities to adhere to reckoning by the moon. </I></div> <div> <I>It is not the actual moon in the heavens, nor even the mean moon of astronomers, that regulates the time of Easter, but an altogether imaginary moon, whose periods are so contrived that the new (calendar) moon always follows the real new moon (sometimes by two, or even three days). The effect of this is that the fourteenth of the calendar moon_ which had from the times of Jewish law had been considered the “full moon” for ecclesiastical purposes_ falls generally on the fifteenth or sixteenth of the real moon, and thus after the real full moon, which is generally on the fourteenth or fifteenth day. As what is meant by the full moon is that it is the fourteenth day of the calendar moon, the rule is that </I><I><B>Easter Day is always the first Sunday after the paschal full moon</B></I><I>, that is the full moon which happens upon or after March 21 (the beginning of the ecclesiastical year) and if the full moon happens upon a Sunday, Easter Day is the Sunday following.” </I>New Standard Encyclopedia, 1945 edition, pages 109-110.</div> <div> Another reference:<I> “Easter, es'ter, a festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. By general agreement Easter Day fell on a Sunday; but for centuries, owing to changes in the calendars and other causes, there was confusion as to which Sunday should be thus observed. The rule adopted by the Roman Catholic church and by the Church of England is that Easter Day is the first Sunday following the Pascal full </I></div> <div> <I>moon. </I><I><B>This full moon is the one that occurs on or after March 21.” </B></I>The Standard Reference Work, Vol. III, 1925 edition.<I> </I></div> <div> 3<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >rd</FONT> Reference:<I> Easter, (Gr. Pascha, Passover, rendered Easter in Acts. 12:4 KJV, but correctly translated Passover in the ASV. The day on which the Church celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is no celebration of the resurrection in the NT. The Jewish Christians linked it with the Passover, and so observed it on the 14</I><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>th</I></FONT><I> day of Nisan, regardless of the day of the week. But Gentile believers, celebrated the Resurrection on the Lord's day, Sunday. This difference was settled by the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, which ruled that Easter should be celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox. This is the system followed today, the date of Easter varying between March 22 and April 25.”</I> The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, 1967 edition, pages 230-231. For other references see the March/April edition of the “Prove All Things” magazine pages 36-37.</div> <div> History proves who moved. God did not move His Passover or Days of Unleavened Bread! Secular history shows that 33 to 34 years before Hillel II published his postponement rules for the Hebrew calendar, in which he also altered leap years; the Roman Catholic Church had clearly established that Easter Sunday <B>always</B> follows God's Passover by only a few days, as we saw in the three references above - that is of course <B>if</B> God's people don't postpone it one month, as they have done this year and will do again in 2008!</div> <div> Easter day is traditionally the first Sunday following the Passover and the 1<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >st</FONT> Day of Unleavened Bread's full moon. This first full moon is the one that occurs <B>on or after </B>the Spring equinox [turn]. The second full moon after the vernal equinox [turn] belongs to God's second month of the year. Catholics seem to be able to accurately determine how to arrive at the proper day to observe Easter - why can't the Churches of God do the same for Passover? Most Churches of God this year, will actually be observing the 2<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >nd</FONT> Passover!</div> <div> The difference between some Church of God groups and the Church of God, In Truth, is that we are not afraid of making a change, after proving a subject such as this one. We recognize that change may be a challenge, but it is also a condition for <B>eternal life</B>! Any change will be difficult, to be sure, but it will also be rewarding. We are commanded to hold on to what is good, true and honest - then to incorporate what is proved into our life. For some people that is beyond achieving or even attempting.</div> <div> The reason I'm bringing this “worth proving” to your attention again, is because <B>all </B>of God's Holy Days this year are being observed one month late, because they are observing the <B>second</B> full moon after the spring turn [vernal equinox] as the erroneous Jewish/Hebrew calendar is doing. History that you just read helps to see Passover and the days of Unleavened Bread always proceeds Easter by only a few days!</div> <div> May God give you the strength of His Holy Spirit to prove all things!</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Church of God, In Truth</div> <div> P.O. Box 2109</div> <div> Corona, Ca. 92878-2109</div> <div> Tel: 951-737-0550</div> <div> Contact: James Russell Or Pete Fleming</div> <div> Tel:951-7370559 Tel:512-847-1131</div> <div> e-mail: <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#008000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B><U>cogit@flash.net </U></B></FONT>E-mail: <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#008000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B><U>pmf@asapchoice.com </U></B></FONT></div> <div> P.S. If you are no longer interested in receiving this “Prove All Things” magazine, please let us know and we will remove your name from our mailing list.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>