"JESUS CHRIST THE SAME YESTERDAY, AND TODAY, AND FOREVER"
(Heb 13:8)
James Russell, Elder
Dear scattered Brethren and co-workers,
As God's up coming Holy Days approach. We are reminded in I Thessalonians 5:21 to "Prove All things, hold fast that which is good." The Church of God, In Truth will be -keeping God's Feast of Trumpets on September 18th. This is the beginning date for God's 7th month according to the moon phases that started in Genesis 1:1-5, that God calls "the first day" in His creation week! This date will differ from the Hebrew calendar pocket calendar that calculates it's time from Genesis 1:14- "the fourth day during God's creation week; a day in the middle of the week. When counting from God's first day of the week we find God's weekly Sabbath being the 7th day of the week! Counting from the fourth day of the week the 7th day Sabbath of the week is bypassed and postponed like the Hebrew calendar does for God's annual Holy Day Sabbaths! Jesus Christ warned us to ".....Beware you of the leaven [ sin ] of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy" (Luke 12:1). Christ is saying beware of the Jews oral laws and lip-services when it comes to the teaching of His Father's laws!
It has been said by some, there is no inspired calendar in the Bible. If that be the case, why call the Bible an instruction Book for mankind? Why would we be commanded by God to keep His weekly Sabbaths and annual Holy Days if He has not given us a calendar to know when they are to be kept? The definition of a calendar in Webster New Collegiate Dictionary is: 1). "A tabular register of days according to a system covering one year and referring the days of each month to the days of the week." 2). "A system for fixing the beginning length and division of time [as week and month] in a definite order." 3). "An orderly list." I ask, what is in this definition that constitutes a calendar, that's not found in God's Word? We can read in Genesis 1 how God divided the days and nights, weeks, months and years! "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" (Gen. 1:14). Then the LORD commands us to keep certain days for Holy use and certain days for la-boring. "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying , speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feast of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be Holy Convocations, even these are My feast. Six days shall work be done: but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation: ye shall do no work therein it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings" (Lev 23:1-3). Again I ask why would God command us to keep Holy certain days and not show us in His Word when and how to keep them.
The Pharisees and scribes were pressured by the Roman government in 358-9 AD to produce a Hebrew holiday calendar, so they designed one to fit their convenience by putting intercalations in it. Intercalate means:- to insert a day or month in the calendar. A synonym for intercalate is introduce. Webster's definition of introduce: 1). "To lead or bring in for the first time." 2). "To bring into play or bring into practice." Have you ever read in God's word where we are to intercalate or insert tradition of mans calendar dates into His inspired Holy Day calendar. God has told us we are "not to add to or take away from His Word" (Deu. 4:2; Deu. 12:3; Prov.30:5-6 ; Rev. 22:18-19).
The Pharisees, who practice keeping the Hebrew calendar inserted the POSTPONEMENTS [ delaying God's annual Sabbaths days ] into the Hebrew calendar, that most of the Churches of God keep today. The churches that follow the Hebrew calendar postponed rules are "adding to and taking away" from God's word, teaching and supporting Judaism, which Christ condemns. If our SAVIOR condemns it, it must be wrong. "Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch. Then came the Jews round about Him, and said unto Him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me. BUT YE BELIEVE NOT, BECAUSE YE ARE NOT OF MY SHEEP, AS I SAID UNTO YOU. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:23-27).
There are many going outside of what the Bible teaches, they are watering down God's Truth by practicing the confusing, hard to understand Hebrew calendar rules! One example of this I touched on in the first paragraph of this letter. Another example is Genesis 1:14 calling the waxing crescent moon the first day of the month - ignoring completely God's clear words that tells them when the first day is "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day" (Gen 1:1,5), not three days later. Genesis 1:14, is in the middle of the first week of God's creation when the crescent moon was seen after the true conjunction of God's first day. It is this same middle of the week the Hebrew calendar counts from for their holidays, that the Churches of God follow today! The young crescent moon is only identified with superstitious pagan idol worship. Notice what Isaiah was inspired to write; "In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires [crescent ornaments] like the moon" (Isa 3:18). Judges weighs in on the crescent moon, "u........And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments [crescent moons] that were on their camels' necks"(Judg 8:21). "And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, [crescent moons] and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels' necks"(Judg 8:26).
How do you know a true believer of Christ from one influenced by Jewish fables? By comparing what they practice with what is in the Bible. Remember, the difference between a true and false believer is that the true believer of God sees their mistakes and errors and repents of them!! When people become obsessed over something, they find it hard to change even when they are shown to be in error. The postponed Holy Days have become a good example of this!
The Hebrew calendar is of a PRIVATE interpretation, The apostle Peter was inspired to write, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet 1:20-21).
The Jews never accepted Christ as their Messiah. Therefore they did not receive God's Holy Spirit! I ask, "Why would you want to keep and follow their holiday dates for God's Holy Days?" Their intercalated postponements are of their own private interpretation-because they were never inspired or given God's Holy Spirit!
The Hebrew calendar being used today, looks for the pagan image of the crescent moon to start their count for their holidays, many Churches of God follow! What does God's instruction book say about this subject? "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth"(Exo 20:4).
Practicing postponing and intercalating calendar dates from those who plotted to have Jesus Christ killed are walking on quick sand and playing Russian roulette with their eternal lives! "Then assembled together the chief priests, [Pharisees] and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill Him" (Matt 26-.3-4). "After two days was the feast of the Passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests [Pharisees]and the scribes sought how they might take Him by craft, and put Him to death" (Mark 14:1). "And the chief priests [Pharisees] and scribes sought how they might kill Him; for they feared the people" (Luke 22:2).
These are also the same people who condemned the Apostle Paul for teaching Christ and His Kingdom. "And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you, but see ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles" (Acts 13:44-46).
In the First Epistle to the Thessalonians Paul wrote, "The Jews are responsible for killing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the Word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. For ye, brethren, became followers of the Churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews: Who both killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us, and they please not God, and are contrary to all men" (1 Thess. 2:13-15).
Judaism, is not the religion that God taught to Moses! Judaism is a man-made tradition that God condemns!! "I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive [ teacher of the Hebrew calendar] How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me, for he wrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?" (John 5:43-47).
Many who want to practice syncretism [mixing religions] judge themselves by themselves. They consider a man's reputation as good or bad in terms of their own traditions, instead of looking to God, His character and words, as their standards.
Something to think about! If you keep the Jewish Rosh ha shanah---you will NOT BE KEEPING THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS AS GOD SAYS IN HIS WORD !! The Feast of Trumpets pictures the prophetic return of Jesus Christ! That is one day Satan really wants to postpone!
"Jewish Holidays, a Guide and Commentary" by Michael Strassfeld.
"Rosh-ah-shanah is referred to in the Torah as the day of sounding the shofar. It was not called Rosh-ah-shanah the New year until Talmudic times, [around 200 A.D.]. The nature of the festival is unclear. The notion of Rosh-ah- shanah as the year may have come later in the tradition. Rosh-ah-shahah as the new year is tied to the creation of the world. Thus in the Talmud there is a debate as to whether the world was created in Nisan [ the month when Passover Falls] or in Tishri. In fact the Bible's silence about the fall new year and its celebration is hardly accidental. Celebrations of this festival were so fraught with pagan associations that the rather Puritanical Biblical authors probably opposed the festival altogether, much as later rabbis fraught against too much Paganism and magic for their comfort. Only in the Talmud does Rosh-ah-shanah emerge as a major Jewish festival, showing that the folk, then as later, did not always listen to their more Purist religious leaders. It is likely that especially the first Diaspora Jews, those of Babylonia, did much to support the acceptance of this festival, and gave it a legacy that is in many ways reminiscent of the ancient Babylonian new year."
Final plans are now being made for September 27th for Atonement, October 2nd - 9th for God's Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day that is COUNTED, as we are told in Leviticus 23 and Numbers 28 and 29.
Church of God, In Truth
P.O. Box 1120
Kimberling City. MO 65686
Tel: 417-338-0033
Fax: 417-338-0031
E-Mail: cogit@flash.net
James Russell, Elder Martin Martinez, Deacon Pete Fleming, Elder
Tel: 417-338-0033 Tel: 787-786-5856 Tel: 830-885-5502
E-Mail: cogit@flash.net E-Mail: martin2k@onelinkpr.net E-Mail: pmf@gvic.com