Come out of Babylon and be not partakers of her sin
Dear friend,
When my children were young I used to read to them. One of my favorite stories to read was The Emperor's New Clothes. Maybe you also read that book to your children?
The fictional story was about an Emperor who wanted the most beautiful clothes that could possibly be crafted. Along came some weavers who labored for days and days over their looms spinning cloth, as well as, spinning a tale that only the most intelligent people could actually see the cloth they were creating. Everyone was so excited as the Emperor showed off his new clothes in a parade through the village. And, as expected, his subjects were equally impressed with the beautiful cloth and the exceptional tailoring of the Emperor's new clothes. The moral of the story was that the Power of Suggestion is an amazing power.
Blow The Trumpet, as you know, a website that promotes the book The Sabbath Test also
understands the power of suggestion that Sabbath keeping inside restaurants has on the
brethren. They have an excellent page about the Devil's Diner--how it might be marketed. http://blowthetrumpet.org/PardontheInterruptionTheDevilsDiner.htm They posed the question,
“Would you feel as comfortable eating there as you did prior to this "renovation"?
If your answer is `no' then you are simply a victim of good advertising.”
But, back to the story of the Emperor.
The Emperor believed the Weaver's advertising that the cloth they were weaving was superior. At the end of the story a child looks at the Emperor's new clothes and exclaims, “But, daddy. . . he's naked!”
Christ conveyed an equally important lesson to his disciples that unless they became as little children they would not inherit the Kingdom of God. I've heard many COG sermons from a variety of ministers over the years where the answer to how to become like a little child was to believe whatever the authority figure, the minister, says. . . obey the pecking order . . .but, that is not the correct answer.
The correct answer to being like a child is to be totally honest with the Truth.
So, then what's the point I'm trying to make?
Simply put, the brethren, both ministers and lay members alike, MUST have a willingness to look at the Truth and to not be blinded by the advertising of any authority figure. Even God, Himself, tells us to choose . . . choose between life and death. God tells us to prove all things. To do that we must be willing to look at all the facts and then have the courage to make a choice. Living by Truth then turns one into a lover of the Truth. The love of the Truth is the only correct adult version of being like a child. To be subject to peer pressure or, “authority figure pressure” is immaturity.
Now, let's look at the Jewish calendar from the viewpoint of a child-a lover of Truth. For a moment set aside all preconceived ideas that have been placed in your mind by all kinds
of advertising from all kinds of sources. Take a neutral position-a “child-like” position that is always asking “why'?
First, let's look at the Jews from the viewpoint of Stephen, the first martyr of the New Testament Church. In Stephen's final words he was giving a brief history lesson before he reached his inspired message to the Jews:
Here are a few of Stephen's words to the Jews:
Acts 7: 41-53 “And they made a calf in those days and offered a sacrifice to the idol and rejoiced in the works of their hand, BUT GOD TURNED AND GAVE THEM OVER TO WORSHIP THE HOST OF HEAVEN. . .and you took up the tent of Moloch and the star of the god Rephan, the figures which you made to worship and I will remove you beyond Babylon. . .YOU WHO RECEIVED THE LAW AS DELIVERED BY ANGELS AND DID NOT KEEP IT” (Revised Standard)
Was God always involved in the Jewish religion? Did God ever back away, turn from what the priests were doing in the Temple?
Actually, yes and many times and sooner than most want to admit.
At the time of King David, the Tabernacle of the Lord with all the rituals was at Shiloh (Psl 78:60) and then at Gibeon (I Chron 16:39).
The Ark was on the other side of town, at Mt. Zion in the Tabernacle of David. (II Sam 6:17) David was holding services where the Ark was. The Ark was where God was.
The priests were doing rituals at the Tabernacle of the Lord, but God had “turned” away from the priesthood and was with the Ark at David's Tabernacle. And, David's Tabernacle-the one with God's presence---is to be rebuilt (Act 15:16). See Tabernacle of David parts 1 & 2 for more info: http://www.lightontherock.com/transcripts.htm
Now, the calendar theory, that the Jewish sages transmitted the Oral Law, which included a verbal calendar from generation to generation with an unbroken chain of verbal calculations, seems a bit lacking up against the facts of history contained in the Bible. Question: Were the calendar sages with David (a man after God's own heart) and the Ark or, were the calendar sages with the priests who were doing the rituals in the Lord's Tabernacle? Right here we see that there was a break in the flow of the “secret” calendar information, that is, IF the secret verbal information ever existed.
Now, back to what Stephen had to say. We know who Moloch was but who is the god Rephan that Stephen refers to shortly before the angry Jews stone him to death?
Well, let's try an Internet search and see what is out there. Actually, lots of stuff but for sake of brevity, I'll just use the following, which represent the basic views of what Rephan might be:
Copied From:
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc09.remphan.html
REMPHAN, rem´fan: The name of a deity mentioned only in Acts vii. 43. The readings of the name in the manuscripts are numerous, including the forms Rompha, Romphan, Rempha, Rephart, Raiphan, and Raphan. The passage is a free quotation from Amos v. 26, in which the New-Testament (A. V.) "Remphan" (R. V., "Rephan"; Westcott and Hort, Rompha) displaces the Old-Testament "Chiun" (Babylonian Kaawanu, "Saturn"), here following the Septuagint manuscripts BAQ, which read Raiphan or Rephan. No deity named Remphan or Rephan is known, nor is the form known to occur as a title or name for Saturn. On the ground that the change from the form Chiun to Remphan, etc., occurs in the Septuagint, which was made in Egypt, explanations have been attempted, but have proved unsatisfactory, which take into account supposed Egyptian names or combinations, e.g., a Coptic form
meaning "king of heaven" (it seems far to go to seek a Coptic form, and the Egyptian equivalent of this Coptic would bear no resemblance to "Remphan"), or an alleged title of Seb (= Saturn) meaning "youngest of the gods" (which is far-fetched, unusual, and unlikely). The best and generally accepted explanation is that the Septuagint form, which Acts borrows, is a mistake in the reading of the Hebrew for "Chiun," a mistake easily explicable when the form of the letters is taken into account.
Geo. W. Gilmore.
Bibliography: The commentaries on Amos and Acts; Schrader, KAT, p 409, note 1, 410 note 6; idem, in TSK, 1874, pp. 324 sqq.
Copied from:
http://ncbible.org/resources/ActsComm07.html
41) And so the people fashioned a calf [out of gold] and offered [an animal] sacrifice to this idol and [then] celebrated joyously over what they had done [See Exodus 32:4-6; 17-19].
42) But God turned [away from them] and allowed them to worship heavenly bodies [i.e., stars], just as it was written in the prophet [Amos 5:25ff], Did you offer me slain animals as sacrifices for forty years in the wilderness, you Israelites? - Just as Israel had turned back in their hearts to Egypt (vs. 39), God turned away from them. - This is the LXX of Amos 5:25 - 27.
43) [No], you set up a tent for Moloch [i.e., a heathen idol worshiped by the Ammonites] and [another one for] the star [representing the false god] Rephan and images used in worshiping them. I will allow you to be transported beyond [the country of] Babylon.' - Moloch was the sun-god also known as Baal. - Rephan may be related to the star Saturn. - At any rate, they chose idols over the God that had saved them from Egypt. - Both LXX and Masoretic text say Damascus instead of Babylon.
Copied From: http://www.ccg.org/english/s/p222.html
Why did they make a calf? Why not a lion or bear or an antelope? Why was it a calf and not a bull or a cow? The answers are to be found in the religious symbolism of the deities worshipped. We are dealing with the symbolism of the moon-god, which was symbolized by the upturned horns of the calf. These upturned horns of the calf are not found, as a rule, in the well-bred mature animals because they are culled. They are found in the calf and represented the crescent moon on the horizon, as it appears some period after the true phasis of the conjunction. This crescent was also carried in the ears as was the full round circle, which represented both the sun and moon and the Morning Star in their splendour, as part of the triune system worshipped in Egypt and in the northern Mesopotamian. . .
. . . To this day, the star of the god Remphan or Kaiwan or Chiun stands on the Israeli flag
as the star of David, which it is not. It and the crescent moon stand on the flag of Islam also, symbolising the morning star of the planet, which is the god of this world (2Cor. 4:4). It is of note that the terms Kaiwan/Kiyyun and Remphan are understood to be interchangeable from New Testament and Old Testament. The LXX renders the text the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of your god Raephan ('Raiphan) (cf. Brenton's translation of the LXX). . . The same symbols and the same idolatry were woven into the tapestry of Judaic religious life. The observation of the crescent is merely another representation of the moon-god Sin and the fertility system that underpinned it in the various names and forms we find from place to place. Sin was also Enzu and Nannaru. . . . The terms relating to the horns of the calf are used by Kabbalistic Judaism even today, viz the upturned horns of the crescent moon on the horizon at the phasis. . . .(Rome) The system was regulated on an eight year cycle determined from the moon cycles. The Olympiad was the smallest unit of the moon system. Kings could reign for only eight years. On the New Moon of the eighth year in the dark of the moon, the sky was searched for signs as to whether the reign should be continued.
As I said at the beginning of these three quotes, they represent three different views:
(A) an intellectual view by a person who wrote a commentary-“an educated person” who discounts the connection but still has to admit some facts
(B) scriptural interpretation by someone who appears to have studied scripture and,
(C) an interpretation of an in-depth personal study by someone who gathered a lot of info
In my own studies I mentally group what I find into categories and then I go and see what does God have to say on the subject. What God says then becomes the plumbline and whatever lines up from secular research then becomes additional interesting information.
First, what does God say about “crescents” or, “cauls”? See Judges 8:21 & Isa 3:18 RSV & Modern Language) God condemns crescents & cauls as pagan symbols. For more about the pagan symbols associated with the Jewish Calendar see: http://www.postponements.com
Now, let's make what might at first seem like a side step. Let's take a look at the Jewish Calendar as if we were looking at a resume. I'm currently a manager for a multi-million dollar piece of real estate-my “little kingdom”. I have to hire employees and outside contractors to help me manage it on behalf of the investors who own it. I always look at references/resumes to size up a person before I meet them. Then, I listen to what they have to say, check their qualifications and then make a management decision-a “judgment”. If they don't live up to what they have led me to believe in a reasonable amount of time, then I fire them and start over. I mention this up front because I'm used to dealing with day-to-day life in a no-nonsense manner. So, let's check the Jewish Calendar Resume-their “advertisement” of the caretaker of God's Appointment Book-the Calendar. Let's see if their resume matches what some references.
John 8:43-47 tells us that the Jews are NOT of God. The Jews are of their father
the devil. Jesus answered and said unto them, YE DO ERR, NOT KNOWING
THE SCRIPTURES, nor the power of God. (Matthew 22:29)
Hummm. . . .in the business world this would mean that they really never held the job they
claim to have held. And, that appears to be exactly what Stephen believed about the Jews, too.
There are numerous verbal railings from Christ against the Pharisees and Scribes. Looking at the Jew's calendar we can see that Jesus was correct--they do not understand scripture because they keep Passover on the 15th, not the 14th and they do not count 50 days to Pentecost. They are “blind guides” just as He said. The facts support the conclusion that they are NOT qualified to be doing the job of “God's Will”. In other words, they are not the true senders of the invitations-the calendar--for the Holy Day meetings with the Creator.
So far, Christ and the first martyr of the New Testament Church have the same opinion of the Jews ability to handle scripture “truthfully”. Both are references that died for what they believed so that makes both Christ and Stephen top-notch references when put up against a Jewish calendar resume.
Now, what did the Apostle Paul have to say about his former way of life as a Pharisee? In present day English . . .
Paul said, his former life as a Pharisee was nothing but manure!
Amazingly, Paul made no reference to the good qualities of the Jewish calendar. Why was Paul so disrespectful to the Jewish way of doing things? Was Paul being disrespectful to the “inspired” Jewish Calendar that now guides the Body of Christ? If so, then that would also be disrespect toward God's Will, wouldn't it?
If the Jews had really been commissioned by God to be in charge of His Appointment Book, then why did Paul not make note of their redeeming qualities-their “great calendar commission”? Paul was not a person who refused to give out compliments. Let's look at what actually did Paul say:
“But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered THE LOSS OF ALL THINGS, AND DO COUNT THEM [but as] DUNG, that I may win Christ, (Philippians 3:7-8)
What was the “loss of all things”?
Paul was no longer a Pharisee. Paul claims to have given up ALL things-including his participation in calendar making? Yes, we know Paul was a tent maker but, as a Pharisee, a rather high ranking Pharisee, then wasn't the Apostle Paul also involved in calendar making prior to his conversion?
If we have faith in the calculated Hebrew calendar then shouldn't we also have faith that Paul did or, at least associated with or, maybe was personally related to those in the ranks of the Jewish community that made calendar decisions using the secret postponement rules handed down from Moses??? Yet, Paul breaks all ties with the Pharisees and calls that way of life “dung”. Why didn't Paul hang on to “calendar making?”
Why didn't Paul at least hang onto Moses' Seat?
Mathew 23 speaks of the "seat of Moses" --the scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: (Matthew 23:1-2). Those that follow the Jewish calendar use “Moses' Seat” as the main reason to follow the Jews' calendar. They then preach/advertise that Christ commanded his people to obey the Jews calendar.
What was Moses' Seat?
Exodus chapter 18 is the only account of Moses' seat and what he was doing when on the “seat”.
“And it came to pass on the morrow, that MOSES SAT TO JUDGE THE PEOPLE: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening. (Exodus 18:13)
There it is!!! That's what Moses did. . .he judged the people. There is no indication in scripture that “judging people” has anything to do with making or preserving a calendar. Judging is a civil function and the calendar is a religious function because the calendar is God's Appointment Book.
Moses did not give out laws or calendars . . .that came from God. God told Moses to count 14 days to the first Passover, etc. Per God's instructions, Moses wrote what God told him and we have it today in the Bible. There is no indication that the calendar was a verbal secret to be passed from generation to generation. Power of Suggestion is greatly needed to believe that the Jews could have kept something as complicated as a calculated calendar, verbally. They couldn't keep their worship of God accurate with written instructions. Verbal would have been totally impossible for generation after generation of mere mortals.
So, then the Biblical answer to What is Moses' Seat, is Moses' Seat was a civil court where “people problems” were adjudicated. And, Moses got so busy judging that he was wearing himself out. His father-in-law suggested that he delegate the judging (The Seat) to others. So, Moses had 70 helpers to judge people problems.
IMPORTANT POINT
There is no biblical indication that judging disputes between people yields a calendar.
Therefore, Moses' Seat has nothing to do with producing a calendar.
By the second century BC the priesthood was in shambles and the Pharisees, who were mostly laymen, gradually took over. They were self-appointed. God did not appoint them. Christ took a lot of time to warn His disciples to BEWARE of the TEACHINGS of the Pharisees and even called their teachings, LEAVEN but to keep civil order Christ told the people to obey the civil judgments. That principle applies to all people on the face of the earth-obey the civil authorities. Rom 13:1-7
In the period of time between Ezra and Nehemiah and up to the demise of the Temple, the Pharisees took it upon themselves to judge the people. But, they did not have the authority to pronounce binding judgments like the Sanhedrin did. The Sanhedrin was a mixture of Sadducees, Pharisees, a few priests and lay people. But, are “binding judgments” calendars? Or, are binding judgments of the Sanhedrin just the civil adjudication of more severe “people problems”.
Numerous times Christ condemned the Pharisees and called them hypocrites. To be a hypocrite is to hold up a standard for others that one is not willing to hold to them selves. Today we might say they “talked the talk, but did not walk the walk”.
Yes, the Jews preserved the Old Testament scriptures and like wise the Greeks preserved the New Testament scriptures but that does not mean that either group of “preservers” has the authority to direct the Body of Christ. The role they played in preserving scripture was more of a museum curator role. They had an object---the scripture-that they knew little about but wanted to preserve.
Now, some might say, “But, we keep the Calendar that Christ kept”!!!
Well, I can prove from scripture that Christ did NOT keep the Jewish calendar that you are using. And, I can prove it to you in 7 very simple steps:
1. Go to the following website:
http://www.cbcg.org/Calendar/index.html or, http://www.cbcg.org/hebrew_cal.htm
Click on the “Holy Day Calendar Generator” and then follow the steps to print the Calculated Hebrew Calendar that uses the postponement rules for the years 25 AD through 35 AD. What you should then have in front of you are 11 festival calendars.
By the way, the CBCOG website is the strongest supporter of the Calculated Hebrew Calendar of this church era, so you will be getting a truly authentic Hebrew Calculated Calendar with all of the applied postponement rules via the most modern software technology.
NOTE: You may have to install free downloads to run the generator. The necessary links are on the same page. If your computer is rather old, you might have to make a trip to the Public Library and run those calendar copies off on library equipment. It will be well worth the effort, I promise!
We all agree that Christ was crucified on a Wednesday, so if you have a yellow highlighter, now highlight (or, circle) ALL of the Wednesday 14th Passovers as they are listed on these official Hebrew Calculated Calendars . . .
only mark the Wednesday Passovers.
3. Luke 3:1 ”Now in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Ceasar. . .” Okay, Roman Year was the 15th year of his reign? Let's do an Internet search to find out. . . .at the following encyclopedia link is a biography of Tiberius Ceasar: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiberius “the second Roman Emperor, from the death of Augustus in AD 14 until his own death in 37AD.”
AD 14 . . . the year Tiberius became the second Roman Emperor
+ 15 years
AD 29 was then the 15th year of Tiberius' reign on the Roman Calendar
Therefore, the events of Luke 3:1 happened in 29AD.
Separate the 29AD calendar from the other calendars and place it off by its self.
Now, read Chapters 3 & 4 of Luke. What happened in those chapters? Christ was baptized and began His 40-day fast. For sake of time, I'm sure we agree that this was the beginning of Christ's ministry that lasted 3.5 years. If it was not the beginning, then what else could have possibly been the beginning of His ministry? Therefore, Christ's 3.5 year Ministry began in 29 AD
On top of the 29AD calendar place the 30AD calendar. Count one year.
Now, place the 31AD calendar on top and count two years.
Now place the 32AD calendar on top and count three years.
Now place the 33AD calendar on top and find a half year and a Wednesday Passover.
Got a BIG problem, right? Yup, the problem is the postponement rules re-arranged the Holy Days and now Passover on the Jewish Calendar, does not agree with Passover on God's Calendar.
But, all calendars have problems, right? Man-made calendars have problems. God's does not.
The year of the Crucifixion, according to Scripture, is the Spring of 33AD and there was a Wednesday Passover according to Scripture but the Postponement Rules DELAY the Holy Days and cause a Friday Passover.
But, wait!!! Isn't that the same “calendar that the Catholic Church used to create Good Friday? And, wasn't one of Herbert Armstrong's booklets, “The Crucifixion was NOT on Friday?”
Conclusion,
There was no calculated Hebrew Calendar at the time of Christ.
And, scripture proves the Jewish Calendar is not of God.
Now, where ya gona go for a Holy Day calendar when the Jewish one you worship with, did not exist at the time of Christ??? As the first martyr of the New Testament Church so rightly said of the Jews, God turned away from the Jews and allowed them to worship the whole host of heaven (Acts7:42). They HAD a calendar with THEIR worship but it was not a calendar that governs the Body of Christ.
Here in the latter days many brethren come out of the idolatry of the so-called Christian religion to then dabble in the idolatry of the Jews. Many of the brethren participate in a calendar that worships the whole host of heaven because the Jews are into idolatry-the Jews have the gods of Moloch and Rephan. To point out the idolatry of the Jews and their calendar of pagan worship still in use in these latter days of the New Testament Church d is to step into the shoes of Stephen who was stoned to death for pointing out this fact. The fact being the Jew's worship/calendar is pagan.
The first martyr of the New Testament Church should make us all consider more deeply what was the purpose of his death? We all know God does nothing unless He reveals it to His Prophets and therefore shouldn't we listen to what Stephen had to say?
How appropriate that the last era of the Church has the analogy of God on the outside asking to come in. How appropriate that the last era of the Church should be described as being naked-for you see, the last era of the Church has accepted the advertising of the greatest weaver of all. . .the devil. The Truth is that the children of the devil have the devil's calendar. The children of God will have God's Calendar.
And, what is the command FROM GOD to the brethren in the latter days?
COME OUT OF BABYLON
AND BE NOT PARTAKERS OF HER SIN
Sincerely, P.H.