The Calendar That Christ Used

The Gregorian calendar hanging on your wall or refrigerator is used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull Inter gravissimas issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of and replacement for the Julian calendar. But the LORD God gave the children of Israel a completely DIFFERENT calendar! And truly, without knowledge of this calendar, you CANNOT obey the LORD GOD!

Has the LORD God left it up to each individual to go by whatever calendar they choose? Have you ever thought about this? Sadly, most people don’t. Just like everything else in their religion ── they just assume that the calendar hanging on their wall (given to them by their insurance company) is a Christian calendar. Does the Lord GOD ── the very Creator of the known universe ── have His own calendar? And, has He actually preserved it for us today?

How is it possible that we ── true Christians ── know when to properly observe the Lord’s Passover, or the Days of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Tabernacles, along with the other holy days which the LORD God has commanded that we keep?

Notice ──

“The old Egyptian system, prototype of our present calendar, was composed of twelve 30-day months, each divided into three decades; then at the close of the 360-day year, five feast days were added to complete the 365-day year. The Julian calendar was an adaptation of the Egyptian system, but it took the five extra days and distributed them through the year, and added a new day every four years. Then, in 321 AD, an entirely new feature was introduced into the calendar by Constantine the Great. He commanded the observance of the seven-day week, and appointed the first day of the week ── Sunday ── as the Christian day of worship. (If you consult your own calendar, you will see that Sunday is the first column from the left). This was the first distinctly religious feature ushered into a civil and scientific calendar, and it was not pre-ordained nor written on tablets of stone, but was the whim of a Christian ruler, who exercised his regal arbitrary power, without doing much thinking about what the result would be. …

Our calendar is not Christian in origin. It descends directly from the Egyptians, who originated the 12-month, 365-day system. A pagan Egyptian scientist, {Ancient Greek astronomer} Sosigenes, suggested this plan to the pagan Emperor Julius Caesar, who directed that it go into effect throughout the Roman Empire in 45 BC. As adopted, it indicated its pagan origin by the names of the months──called after Janus, Maia, Juno, etc. The days were not named but were numbered on a complicated system involving Ides, Nones, and Calends. It was not until 321 AD that the seven-day week feature was added when Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity. Oddly enough, for his weekdays, he chose pagan names which are still used.”

(From “Journal of Calendar Reform,” Sept. 1953, along with footnote p. 128 {bracketed ours}).

A hieroglyphic calendar at Elephantine Island on the Nile

Théodule Devéria (French, 1831 - 1871) (1831 - 1871) – photographer

“Hear the word which the LORD speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2) Thus says the LORD: ‘Do not learn the way of the heathen; …’” – Jeremiah 10:1, 2.

Certainly, our Lord Jesus Christ did not use this heathen calendar!

What is God’s living word on what calendar our Lord Jesus used? What calendar did He go by?

The very first time within God’s living word that we come across any evidence of a God-given calendar is found in Genesis 1:14 – “Then God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15) and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth’; and it was so.”

Well, our present-day Gregorian calendar does not meet this qualification. It actually divides the year IN THE DEAD OF WINTER! It divides the day IN THE MIDDLE OF A NIGHT. And its months have no direct link to the moon.

It is not the LOD God’s calendar!

What, then, is the proper method for calculating time by the LORD God’s standard?

A True Unit of Time

In the Book of Genesis, it is revealed to us. Notice ──

“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. 4) And God saw the light, and that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5) God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. …” – Genesis 1:3-4, 5.

And then, six times the term “evening and morning” is used. Always with the evening (darkness) preceding the morning (light) part of each day. So, notice ── as revealed to us by our Creator God ── a day DOES NOT begin in the middle of a night, but it begins at sunset.

This true division of Night and Day was completely understood and followed when our Lord Jesus Christ was on earth. When the Lord’s Sabbath was drawing to a close – notice ── “When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.” – Luke 4:40.

Even though they fully understood when a day would come to an end, they weren’t aware that our Lord Jesus Christ was more than willing to heal on His Sabbath. Truly, the teachings and traditions of their Jewish rabbis caused them to be ignorant concerning healing on the Sabbath.

So, can the “lights in the firmament of the heavens” “divide the day from the night” ── unless the proper moment of sunset is used to properly divide a day from another day?

A day begins at sunset is also confirmed for us in Leviticus 23. Notice ──

“’ Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; … 32) It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall [humble] your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath.’” – Leviticus 23:27, 32.

Notice that the tenth day begins at the exact moment when the evening begins ── sunset of the ninth day.

Also, the exact moment for a day to end is shown to us in Leviticus 15, in which anyone who is designated as unclean was to bathe in water and be unclean until evening. “’ And when the sun goes down he shall be clean; …’” – Leviticus 22:7. A new day begins at sunset ── not at midnight!

How the Week Came About

Have you ever thought about how the period of time we call the week came about? Was it FIRST revealed to prophet Moses and the children of Israel after their exodus from Egypt? No.

Notice ──

Long before the Exodus, the patriarch Jacob was required to serve his relative Laban for seven years for his younger daughter, Rachel. But, following the first seven years Laban tricked him, bringing Jacob his older daughter Leah, and “he went in to her.” “So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, ‘What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?’” And, Laban answered, “’ Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.’” – Genesis 29:15-30.

A seven-day period, or a week, followed before he was allowed to have Rachel as his wife, with the stipulation that he had to work for him another seven years.

So, the children of Israel ALREADY KNEW the symbol of “a day for a year” ── truly an important key in properly understanding biblical prophecy. And, they ALREADY KNEW of a seven-day week. This is the first time the word week appears in God’s living word. The Hebrew word being šābûa’, meaning week (a period of seven). In Genesis 1 seven consecutive days are listed for us. The sixth of the seven days mentioned was nearly over when Adam was created.

“Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the SIXTH DAY.” – Genesis 1:31.

“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.”

Six of the days of creation came to an end, but one thing remained ── a day of rest.

Notice that our Lord Jesus Christ speaks of it ──

“ … ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.’” – Mark 2:27.

Throughout our history books, it has been recorded the existence of a seven-day week among many ancient nations long before the Exodus. It’s easy to understand why our LORD God commanded us to “’ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy’” because this special day was added to the six-day week the day AFTER Adam and Eve were created. It was made for them, therefore it was made at the time when they were made ── not some twenty-five hundred years later during the Exodus.

The Lord GOD had completed the creation of “the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them” in SIX LITERAL 24-hour DAYS, then, “on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3) Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, …” – Genesis 2:1-2, 3.

To sanctify means to SET APART FOR HOLY USE.

Friends, this weekly cycle of SIX DAYS of labor, and the SEVENTH DAY the Sabbath of the LORD our God has NEVER been lost by God’s true Church. And this seven day cycle continued down through our Lord Jesus’ time. It was a part of the calendar He kept.

Indeed, we who remember, keep, and observe the SEVENTH DAY OF THE WEEK, called Saturday, are remembering, keeping, and observing the same seventh day that our Creator rested on, blessed, and sanctified!

Now, the existence of our seven-day week demands an explanation. Astronomy does not reason why there is a seven-day week period. A seven-day week period is not divided evenly into 30 days. One source I found states, “The people who gave us the seven-day week were the Babylonians.” 1 Is there any truth to this?

Jeffrey H. Tigay writes  ── a modern biblical scholar who is best known for the study of Deuteronomy and for his contributions to the Deuteronomy volume of the JPS Torah Commentary (1996) ──

“It is clear that among neighboring nations that were in position to have an influence over Israel – and in fact which did influence it in various matters – there is no precise parallel to the Israelite Sabbatical week. This leads to the conclusion that the Sabbatical week, which is as unique to Israel as the Sabbath from which it flows, is an independent Israelite creation.” 2

David M. Henkin, a history professor at the University of California, Berkeley, stated ──

“Some people have argued that there are roots of this in Babylonia [which lasted from around 1900 BCE – 500 BCE] but the evidence for that is pretty slim …” 3

Truly, the only sound and logical origin is found in the literal truth of our Almighty Creator God ── the creation account we see in Genesis 1 and 2. The seven-day week points definitely to a literal SEVEN-DAY PERIOD in which the Lord GOD recreated the earth (cf. Psalm 104:30) and brought forth out of ‘tohu wa-bohu’ all life that had existed upon the earth (and I use the word “had” because mankind has committed specicide on certain animals, along with animals’ own natural selection).

Spring Begins A New Year

So, we see that a new day begins just as the sun sinks below the horizon and that a new week begins with the sunset FOLLOWING THE SEVENTH DAY.

Friends, this was true in Adam’s time, and it is still true nearly 6,000 years later!

Does God’s living word speak to us concerning a new month and a new year? Yes. When were they first made known to mankind?

Our great Eternal Creator God had instructed the children of Israel, while they were still held captive in the land of Egypt, as to when a new year began. Why?

Because this knowledge was lost to the descendants of Israel who had been held in slavery for nearly two centuries. They had lost the LORD God’s method of keeping time. The LORD God had to explain and reveal it. Concerning the first month of a new year, the LORD “spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2) ‘This month [the month of Nisan/Abib] shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the FIRST MONTH OF THE YEAR TO YOU.’” – Exodus 12:1-2.

So, the first day of this month ── which occurs at the beginning of spring ── would be the first day of a new year. The FIRST MONTH of our LORD God’s calendar is not January, which is in the dead of winter, but rather in the beginning of spring ── at the beginning of new life. Now, a NEW MONTH and a NEW YEAR begin together ON THE SAME DAY, completely independent of the weekly cycle.

Doing some research for January 1st, it’s interesting to note: How did January 1st become New Year’s Day? We can partly thank the Roman king Numa Pompilius. According to tradition, during his reign (c. 715–673 BC) Numa revised the Roman republican calendar so that January replaced March as the first month. … However, following the fall of Rome in the 5th century AD, many Christian countries altered the calendar so that it was more reflective of their religion, and March 25th and December 25th became common New Year’s Days. 4 Also, January 1st, 1622, the Roman Catholic Church officially adopted January 1st as the beginning of a new year instead of March 25th. 5

“In 1582, the Roman Catholic Church, under Pope Gregory XIII came up with a new calendar, called the Gregorian Calendar. … King Henry VIII of England had thumbed his nose at the pope and declared himself no longer under his control. So his Protestant daughter, now Queen Elizabeth I, wasn’t about to let Rome tell her what day it was. She was having none of this newfangled calendar. So for 170 years, Britain carried on with its old calendar.” 6 The colonies in America naturally followed suit.

The Word Month in the Bible

The word month in God’s living word in Hebrew is ḥōdeš, meaning month, or new moon. The Hebrew word for month when speaking of a calendar is identical to new moon or moon. The appearance of the new moon in our Western sky is just after sunset and is the approximate beginning OF A NEW MONTH! Now, one observer might see first, before all others, a faint slender crescent of a new moon ── should he therefore begin the month earlier than others? Is this man allowed to add a 13th month to the year, while others have to wait until the following year? No. Complete confusion would result.

Mankind is not left to himself to choose a calendar ── and all its constructs. The LORD God is! There is a guiding Authority who determines which months are to have a 30th day and which years have a 13th month. Adding the fact that the LORD God commands us to keep and celebrate the Holy Days, shows us that there is a guiding Authority for us today in this 21st century ── as well. Our Eternal God never fails to provide mankind with knowledge that we must know and can discover.

It was Almighty God who created the entire known universe! He set His heavenly bodies in motion creating a “master-clock” in which true time is determined. Note: Just recently read a great article in which scientists from MIT have developed what they believe is the most accurate atomic clock ever constructed. Be sure to check it out! Recall, that God says, “’ Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years.’” – Genesis 1:14. So the earth’s rotation regulates the length of a day and the lunar phases dictate the length of a month. And the orbit of the earth around the sun – sorry Aristarchus of Samos – dictates the length of a year.

Truly, certain men were given this awesome understanding based upon mathematical principles on which the LORD God’s calendar is based. And, the children of Israel accepted this understanding. The LORD God revealed to these men a calendar that was based upon the laws of mathematics and astronomy. A CALENDAR THAT FOLLOWS THE MOVEMENTS OF THE HEAVENLY BODIES! It is understood that planets can be used as a basis for a calendar, as they have natural time intervals that everyone can agree on.

Is Our Eternal Creator’s Calendar Still Accurate?

Who was it that has preserved God’s calendar down from the time of our Lord Jesus Christ? ── until even today?

Because, if we don’t have an accurate calendar, then in commanding us to keep, observe, and celebrate God’s Sabbath and Holy Days, we are commanded to do something impossible. If the LORD God’s calendar is lost from us, then God’s commandments regarding keeping, observing, and celebrating the Feasts are also impossible. However, since the LORD God DOES COMMAND IT, the calendar is preserved for us!

Who was it that had this awesome responsibility to preserve the calendar? Notice ──

“’ This is he [speaking of Moses] who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel [the angel of the LORD God] who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us.” – Acts 7:38.

ORACLES WERE COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE LORD GOD. These oracles were given to all the children of Israel ── to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. The house of Israel would go into captivity, losing her identity, her knowledge, and her understanding of the LORD God. And, she did not preserve the LORD God’s sacred calendar for us.

Who did?

Well, the house of Judah also went into captivity over 134 years later in 587 BC! Yet, they retained their knowledge of their identity and their God. Even today ── the tiny nation called Israel in the Middle East (truly known as Judah), the Jewish people, have continued in their retention of the knowledge of the Lord’s true Sabbath rest and even of the calendar (which they refuse to accept).

Our Lord Jesus Christ Kept and Followed His Calendar

Let us notice what our beloved apostle Paul asks ──

“What advantage then has the Jew, … 2) Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God.” – Romans 3:1, 2.

Friends, the JEWS ALONE were left to preserve for all mankind the LORD God’s living word, the holy Sabbath, along with God’s sacred calendar. Because, if they had not preserved this God-given commission, then our Lord Jesus Christ could not have accurately kept and observed His Passover, the Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Last Great Day in their proper seasons during His childhood. He would not have been able to live a sinless life. The LORD God gave the commission of preserving His sacred calendar to the Jews.

Now, our Lord Jesus Christ did indeed accuse the Jews of “’ laying aside the commandment of God [to] hold the tradition of men.’” – Mark 7:8. The commands that our Lord Jesus kept and followed were those written in the Law and the Prophets that Judah was commissioned to preserve. Yet, they themselves refused to believe and or obey.

Our Lord Jesus kept the very same holy Sabbath that the Jews were keeping. He kept the same Holy Days that they were keeping and celebrating ── proving that they (at that time) had a correct understanding of the times of the seasons. (Now, even at that time, certain heretical Jewish sects observed these Holy Days at the wrong times due to their complete misunderstanding of God’s living word). And, in speaking of His living word ── preserved for us with the Law and the Prophets (The Law, also known as the Law of Moses, consists of the first five books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah in Hebrew and the Pentateuch in Greek. The Prophets consists of several books grouped together, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, Amos, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, and Malachi). Our Lord Jesus Christ fully accepted His living word which had been entrusted to the children of Israel by the prophet Moses and the other prophets. He fully accepted and recognized that the Jews had carried out His commission.

Do you!?

Or, are you one of these so-called Christians that is protesting in the streets of the United States of America holding a Palestinian flag while burning a Jewish flag!? Are you ANTI-SEMITIC!?

Do you go to Sunday church every Sunday and read your Bible ── not fully recognizing and understanding that without the Jews preserving for us God’s living word, you wouldn’t be reading God’s living word!? You would possibly be reading some other group's preserved knowledge, or of a sabbath, or “holy” days. NOT THE LORD GOD’S!

So, properly understanding that the LORD God commissioned the Jews to keep His calendar intact ── even up to our day ── we are left with transferring the proper dates from the true calendar of God’s to this present-day Gregorian calendar. (Now I caution you ── do not accept the Jewish dates for the Lord’s Passover or the Day of Pentecost. Because the Jews of today have departed from God’s living instructions regarding when these holy days are to be observed).

If one lacks a reputable Jewish calendar ── to calculate the actual day on which the Feast of Trumpets [called Rosh Hashanah] falls upon in any given year, the expected new moon of Tishri in that year is calculated. This year the Feast of Trumpets is September 23rd. This glorious feast of a memorial of the blowing of trumpets is celebrated on the 1st day of the SEVENTH MONTH. The rest of the Holy Days of the year are quite easily determined from the date of this feast.

The Lord God’s Passover is the first full moon after the March equinox ── April 12th. Note: all these days begin the preceding evening. The Lord’s Passover is to begin Sunday evening just after sunset, which is the 14th day of the FIRST MONTH.

The seven days of the Days of Unleavened Bread are April 13th through April 19th.

The Day of Pentecost (which means, count fifty) is the FIFTIETH DAY AFTER THE WAVE SHEAF OFFERING. This feast will be on June 1st this year.

The Fall Feasts

The next Holy Day ── the Feast of Trumpets. Again, this year the Feast of Trumpets is September 23rd.

Then, on the “’ tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall humble your souls, …’” – Leviticus 23:27. The TENTH DAY OF THE SEVENTH MONTH is October 2nd. The day to humble yourself before the LORD God!

Then, “’ the fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD.’” – Leviticus 23:34.

The FIFTEENTH DAY OF THE SEVENTH MONTH brings us to October 7th through to October 13th.

The Last Great Day being October 14th.

It is crystal clear that the LORD God has provided all mankind with a holy and sacred calendar that was preserved through the Jewish people. Through them, the LORD God has given us a sacred calendar so that we would be able to keep, observe, and celebrate the holy Sabbaths and the Holy Days as commanded.

The dates for the Holy Days for this year, 2026, and 2027 are available on our website – Holy Day Information & Calendar (Lev. 23, Deut. 16) for your convenience. □

Bibliography:

1) Arndt, G., Why Does a Week Have Seven Days? everything-everywhere.com, 3 Oct. 2022

2) Tigay, Jeffery H. (1998). "Shavua". Mo'adei Yisra'el: Time and Holy Days in the Biblical and Second Commonwealth Periods (Heb.), ed. Jacob S. Licht: 22–23.

3) Baker, N. and Watson, J., Where does the seven-day week come from and why does it govern our lives? Abc.net.au, 4 Jan. 2022. Retrieved 9 Feb. 2025.

4) Tikkanen, Amy. "Why Does the New Year Start on January 1? ". Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Dec. 2018, https://www.britannica.com/story/why-does-the-new-year-start-on-january-1. Accessed 9 February 2025.

5) Johnson, B., Historic January, Historic-uk.com, Retrieved 9 Feb. 2025.

6) Lestz, M, New Year’s Day, Calendar Years, and the British Tax Year, Margo Lestz – The Curious Rambler, 31 Dec. 2017.

Holy Day Information & Calendar (Lev. 23, Deut. 16)

 Passover *                                                                                                                                                                                                     Feast of Trumpets 

Unleavened Bread                                                                                                                                                                                        Day of Atonement

Pentecost                                                                                                                                                                                                        Feast of Tabernacles

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Last Great Day    

_________________________________________________________________________________ 

Observed the Previous Evening

Please note - Sabbaths and Holy Days begin the previous day at sunset, and end at sunset on the above dates. *Passover is to be held "On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight (evening) is the LORD's Passover." This means that the glorious New Covenant ceremony should begin just after sunset (and just before it is dark outside) at the end of the previous day to the date shown above.

The LORD God's Sacred Calendar

God's sacred calendar goes back to the very first chapter of the living word of God - the Holy Bible - in which the sun and the moon were appointed to be for signs, seasons, days, and years - Genesis 1:14.

This is the very calendar that the children of Israel used when the LORD God (the Elohim; the family of God, which at this time consists of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ) led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. This sacred calendar has been in continual use for more than 3,400 years! It is also the same calendar used from the earliest days of our patriarchs to the very exodus from Egypt.

Most call this sacred calendar the "Hebrew Calendar," however, it long antedated the Jewish people. It has its very origin in the days of Adam, Seth, and Enosh.

The photo above lists the LORD God's Holy Days with the dates of the Gregorian Calendar. The Gregorian Calendar - the very calendar used in the majority of this world - was issued by the Roman Catholic Pope Gregory XIII which begins a new year in the DEAD OF WINTER! with its months (named after ROMAN gods and terminology) NOT about Genesis 1:14. Instead, all in contrast to the LORD God's sacred calendar.

But, isn't the Gregorian Calendar of "Christian" origin!? Doesn't it have the approval of nearly every so-called Christian denomination and group!? Well, notice this from ThoughtCo. -

"The division of time was further refined (after the Egyptians) by another Alexandrian-based philosopher, Claudius Ptolemeus, who divided the equinotical hour into 60 minutes, inspired by the scale of measurement used in ANCIENT BABYLON. Claudius Ptolemaeus also compiled a great catalog of over one thousand stars, in 48 constellations, and recorded his concept that the universe revolved around the Earth. Following the [destruction] of the Roman Empire, it was translated into Arabic (in A.D. 827) and later into Latin (in the 12th century A.D.). These star tables provided the astronomical data USED BY GREGORY XIII for his reform of the Julian calendar in 1582."

(The Origin of the Modern Calendar in Ancient Egypt (thoughtco.com)

IT IS OF BABYLONIAN ORIGIN!

Of course, further study brings one to the understanding that the entire Gregorian calendar is of pagan origins, with the single exception of the original seven-day week feature. Interestingly, upon perusing several Journal of Calendar Reform online books, you come to realize that their "World Calendar" that they want adopted worldwide would have all men give up the LORD God's seventh-day week altogether! Their proposed "World Calendar" contains one day each year (two in leap years) that is not counted as a day of the week! Therefore, the seven-day cycle of the week, which was implemented upon its creation by the CREATOR, would be broken!

The LORD God's Ordained Way

The LORD God ordained that a new sacred year begin at the beginning of SPRING in the northern hemisphere. Notice -

"Now the LORD [the same LORD God that all so-called Christians are supposed to be worshiping and obeying - right!?] spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 'This month [the month of Abib or Nisan] shall be YOUR BEGINNING OF MONTHS; it shall be the first month of the year to you.'" - Exodus 12:2.

The beginning of this month and all of our LORD God's months basically correspond with the appearance of the new moon in the west after sunset. The "day" was correctly observed by most of our peoples until only a few hundred years ago. The proper time to end a "day" and begin another "day" is at evening, at SUNSET, as the light from the sun begins to fade from the land. Notice the living eternal word of the LORD God concerning the humbling of yourself and the sabbath (rest) of the Day of Atonement ─

"And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 'Also the tenth day of the seventh month [the month of Tishrei] shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall [humble] your souls and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God. ... It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall [humble] your souls; on the ninth day of he month AT EVENING [sunset] from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath'" - Leviticus 23:26-32.

It was mankind that changed to beginning a "day" at MIDNIGHT!

The division of "day" and "night" was correctly understood in the days of our Lord Jesus Christ. On one occasion, a holy Sabbath was drawing to a close. Those who wanted healing waited, and - "When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them" - Luke 4:40. Of course, He could also heal on the glorious holy Sabbath!

So, in brief, the LORD God's Holy Days are to be kept in the following way. On two of them, no work (as in a regular and official activity that you do and receive money - a salary - for your activity) is to be done. The weekly holy Sabbath (the seventh day of the week; Saturday) and the Day of Atonement (a day to humble yourself before the Lord; many still fast (abstain from food and water following the Old Covenant). On the following six no servile work is to be done (however, food preperation can be) - the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15), the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, the Feast of Trumpets, the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day (Tishrei 22). The New Covenant Passover, Nisan 14, is to be observed with the ceremony of footwashing (if there are two or more people in attendance), followed by the symbols of unleavened bread and red wine. This is the only holy day not designated as a sabbath.

For New Covenant Christians, these glorious holy days ARE convocations (holy gatherings) that are commanded assemblies. Our early New Testament brethren recorded that these holy days (which are often misnamed "Jewish holidays") were kept by the true Church of God with the New Covenant understanding.

www.owensborocojc.com.                                                                                      

Pentecost Offertory: Unless They Are Sent Sermon

Leonard V. Johnson

Greetings Everyone all around the world! Our friends in Oklahoma! Welcome! In Fayetteville, North Carolina, in Hurricane, West Virginia, and Evansville, Indiana. Welcome to the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries here in beautiful Spring Hill, Florida! And, I’m Leonard V. Johnson.

     For this holy Sabbath day, I’d like to go over an offertory for tomorrow's Holy Day of Pentecost.

     Now, if you have your Bible in front of you, you might want to follow along. Let’s begin in the New Testament with the Book of Acts chapter 2. I’ll be reading from my purple New King James Version.

     Acts chapter 2 beginning with verse 1.

     "When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place."

     Now, these were all our Lord Jesus Christ’s disciples, gathered together to keep the holy Day of Pentecost. Yet, they were not the only ones that were in the city of David at the time.

     Let’s notice verse 5.

     "And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven." {1}

     And we see a list of those nations which were there notice beginning in verse 8.

     "And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? 9) Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10) Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11) Cretans and Arabs - we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God."

     So, Jews and proselytes. Proselytes were those who had converted from one religion to another.

     And then we see beginning in verse 14, the apostle Peter – and again, as I’ve mentioned before – I use the title apostle in his name because he deserves it. Many like to just say, Peter. I, personally, believe that we should show respect to all these men which our Lord Jesus Christ taught – and we should use their title with respect. As a sort-of example, when you go in to visit your doctor, do you call him or her by their first name!? Or do you use their title!? If you do use their first name – then maybe the two of you are golf buddies!? Just joking – don’t take me seriously here.

     But, the apostle Peter stands up and he begins to preach – some things from the Old Testament, and he brings up some things concerning our Lord Jesus Christ! And here again, you might think that it’s not important to use our Lord Jesus Christ’s title. Because many people just say His name – Jesus. Again, I just believe that proper reverence should be in order when we are speaking not just about One who became flesh and tabernacled among us – but in TRUTH we’re talking about the very CREATOR of all things! The known universe and of all spirits! I’m just saying. Now, to note – and I get this from David Wittenberg – who claims to be a Professor at the International School of Management Excellence in India commented on Quora – a site on which I have reservations with – he commented in this regard:

     “From the earliest days … people were referring to Jesus as Jesus Christ. … So, there is no single right or wrong way to use Jesus’ name and title. Most people will understand you if you use any of these forms.” 

     And I agree. It doesn’t have anything to do with salvation. But, a little humility does go a long way. So, whether one says just Jesus, or His name along with His title, it should be with great humility and reverence.

     But, getting back here – the apostle Peter brings up some important facts about our Lord Jesus Christ – and there’s one way to look at this is that the people who were converted and were from different areas and nations, and they can just go back and live in their areas and be like everybody else, and all one has to do is take care of yourself. That’s the way a great many appear to view Christianity. But interestingly, the apostle Peter says something which I want to speak about this holy Sabbath – here in the Book of Acts chapter 2. Over in verse 39.

     "For the promise [the promise of salvation] is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God [God the Father] will call."

     So, he wasn’t just speaking of the people who would end up seeing and being visited by them, he – of course – meant others whom God the Father was going to call. Now how did this happen!?

     Originally it was just Jews and proselytes which were called. But others ended up being called also.

Gentiles Called

     Turning with me to the Book of Acts chapter 9 we see that Saul was very upset and breathing threats against the disciples of the Lord. He went to Damascus; he was commissioned by the high priest to go there and bring back any of the Way, whether men or women and bring them back for imprisonment or worse.

     But our Lord Jesus had a plan for him. Now, of course, Saul had a terrible reputation. In fact, so bad was his reputation, that Ananias - who God had given a vision – had said to God, “Lord, I have heard a great deal about this man. He has done much harm to Your saints there in Jerusalem.” But, our Lord Jesus said to Ananias there in verse 15.

     " ... 'Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.'"

     And continuing through this chapter we see that Saul was converted.

     Now, this was indeed a part of God’s Master Plan – to call Gentiles. And the apostle Peter should have known that this was part of God’s Master Plan. But, the apostle Peter didn’t quite fully understand all of this.

     Over in the Book of Acts chapter 10, the apostle Peter has a vision – and I don’t want to cover all of this here in this sermon – we’ve spoken of this vision several times. In fact, you can go onto our website – www.owensborocojc.com and at the top type in “meat” or “unclean” and read our posted article by Minister Guy LaMar “Pork – Is It A Sin To Eat?” In that article, he goes over Acts chapter 10.

     Basically, God explains to him that Gentiles are going to be called.

     Let’s turn into the Book of Romans chapter 10. Let’s begin here in verse 12.

     "For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek [meaning Jew and Gentile], for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him."

     Notice verse 13.

     "For 'whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.' 14) How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15) And how shall they preach unless they are sent? ..."

     So, the LORD our God’s Plan is not to just call people to be just on their own – just live their own life – to just be with themselves.

A Great Commission

     God’s Plan is also to call others! And one of the things which our Lord Jesus Christ commissioned is mentioned in the Book of Matthew chapter 28 verses 19 & 20. He says –

     "'Go therefore and make disciples [meaning, teach] of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; ...'"

     So, our peoples have to be taught, and there are people that have to be sent.

     Turning again to the Book of Romans, this time chapter 15. Something which the apostle Paul said. Verse 27.

     "It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors. For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things."

     So, the apostle Paul is saying that those who have been the beneficiaries of spiritual information – the great and awesome knowledge from God along with His promises – have an obligation to potentially getting the good news out unto the world.

     Now, a great many of our peoples in this world have various attitudes against others, and on the Day of Pentecost, we learn that God the Father is indeed calling a few – a minute few in this age NOW!

     We have posted on our webpage – www.owensborocojc.com a seven-part series by Minister Michael C. Garrett entitled “Pentecost” in which he goes over in great detail anyone who wants to be of God.

     Again, these series of articles are available to read for free with no obligation whatsoever on our webpage www.owensborocojc.com. And I mention these great articles {2} because – not just for our friends around the world who are aware of being called by Father God, but others who God may be calling as well. Now, there are programs which we could use to make the article into a video – like InVideo in connection with a free program QuilBot – but to be honest, I don’t have a lot of time for all of that. That would be an excellent project for one of our dear friends of the same faith and like mind to contact us here and who would like to help in this regard. You certainly would be blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ and indeed help to spread the gospel around the world.

Be Not Ignorant of This Mystery

     So, indeed, God has a Master Plan in just calling you. As a matter of fact, let’s take a look at – again the Book of Romans chapter 11 –

     Going down to verse 25.

     "For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in."

     Notice that the apostle Paul calls this a mystery. And he says that many are ignorant of this – and he doesn’t want you to be ignorant of this. But, he’s talking about when “the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”

     Now, I’d like to read a transcript from a sermon of Minister Michael C. Garrett of the Owensboro Church of Jesus Christ in Owensboro, Kentucky. And if you’re in Kentucky or near enough to Owensboro to visit the Owensboro Church of Jesus Christ, we certainly invite you to visit us. Contact us here at pastorleonard1@yahoo.com and we will certainly let Minister Garrett know that you’re coming to visit on one of God’s holy Sabbath services.

     But this that I read is from the article entitled “Hidden Truths” {3} And I’ll be sure to leave a link for you for this article in the information section of this sermon here.

     “Now, was Paul intentionally saying that God’s Word is a mystery!? … In 1st Corinthians 2: verse 7 look at what he calls it - “ … the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, … Paul writes concerning his ministry and the Message which he was teaching – and he describes it as ‘revealing a hidden mystery, this hidden wisdom.’ Now the Greek word “mystery” is mystērion, meaning “secret.” This word only appears in the New Testament which lists it approximately 22 times. But this is not something that is mysterious or mystic, or even astrological or cultic. It actually means – and in Romans 11:25 I have noted ‘of obtaining eternal life, the hope of eternal life’ – a hidden truth. The truth that is hidden from most people. And I believe that this truth is hidden from most – if not all – of so-called Christianity.”

     Now, he also wrote in that same article –

     Jesus Christ made it known unto the apostle Paul that the Gentiles were also included in His Plan of salvation. And, that was a ‘hidden truth’ that they didn’t see coming. And I believe this is one of the reasons why the Jews gave Paul so much trouble when he was preaching to the Gentiles. Because they couldn’t believe that Gentiles (other nations) were being offered this same promise of salvation through the gospel and through the glorious Message which Paul preached.

     Now, concerning this “fullness of the Gentiles” – this ‘fullness of the Gentiles’ refers to the fact when this final end-time European military invades the Middle East and takes over Jerusalem and the newly built temple - whatever that consists of.

     Notice verses 31 – 32.

     "even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32) For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all."

     What the apostle Paul in essence is saying to us here is that in the Millennial reign of our Lord Jesus Christ – those Gentiles who were converted before the Millennium will also be in the kingdom of the LORD our God and will have the opportunity to become priests.

     And one of the glorious things which the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries and our affiliated churches – and if you’re wondering about those affiliated churches it’s the OWENSBORO CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST in Owensboro, Kentucky under the leadership of Michael C. Garrett, and THE INDEPENDENT CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF GOD in Athens, Alabama under the leadership of Guy C. LaMar. But, what we have been doing is reaching out not to just the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but also to the Gentiles. And at the beginning of nearly every sermon I say hello and welcome to our many brethren and friends from around the world – at the taping of this sermon for this holy Sabbath day – the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries website has reached nearly 10,000 people in the last four years. Now our website says that we have reached over 93,000 people in the last 10 years! We have also reached in the last two years – conservatively, over 97 countries and provinces. And, I don’t mention these stats to blow our own horn, but only for the glory of God! Could we be more effective!? Yes. I’m sure there are things we could be doing which would be. Again - That would be an excellent job for one of our dear friends of the same faith and like mind to contact us here and who would like to help in this regard.

Give As You Are Able

     Certainly the LORD our God calls people in relatively poor areas of the world. And certainly, with greater funds, we could more easily minister to them. And this is one of the things that offerings are used for.

     Notice the Book of 2nd Corinthians chapter 9 – again from the apostle Paul here –

     Verse 1.

     "Now concerning the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you."

    Here he’s telling the Corinthians that they were pretty good about sending things. And he was reminding them of that. And I say to our brethren and friends who are faithful to us and our affiliated churches - you are as well, and we thank you for that.

     So he’s speaking of “ministering to the saints” meaning assisting poor people – our brethren in much poorer places of the world. And he speaks of offerings in verse 6.

     "But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7) So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8) And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 9) As it is written: 'He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.'" 10) Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, 11) while you are enriched in everything for all liberality {4}, which causes thanksgiving through us to God."

     The apostle Paul is saying that God will bless you if you will provide the type of offerings that will help your poorer brethren. Now, we at the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries and our affiliated churches are not just speaking of our brethren in Africa, India, or Bangladesh – but also here closer to home – also here in the United States of America.

     In verse 13

     "while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, 14) and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. 15) Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"

     So, are you thankful for Father God calling you! Are you thankful for this glorious great gift!?

     So, I mentioned earlier that we do have to reach our peoples – not just ourselves. And one thing which we have done is post several online booklets onto Google to read. Such as “Is God a Trinity?” which is available to read. We also, with the great help of Brother Erick Odhiambo in Kenya, we have this booklet translated into Kiswahili for our brethren and friends who feel more comfortable reading Kiswahili. And as far as God’s Master Plan to call others we also have a seron on our YouTube channel entitled “Salvation OFFERED To All”

Offerings Commanded by God

     Well, let us go back into the Old Testament – the Book of Exodus chapter 23 beginning in verse 14.

     "'Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: 15) You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); 16) and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field. 17) Three times in the year all your males [meaning, the head of the household] shall appear before the Lord GOD."

     Now, the “Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors” is Pentecost. And we true Christians are the first fruits. And it also has another name known as the Feast of Weeks. And it was called that because you count the weeks – the first day after the Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread – seven weeks called the Feast of Weeks. And when you count up all those days it comes to 50 – and so it’s called PENTECOST.

     Also the Book of Deuteronomy chapter 16.

     Beginning in verse 16 it's referred to as the Feast of Weeks.

     "'Three times a year all your males [again, meaning the head of the household] shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks [as I just said, called PENTECOST], and at the Feast of Tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. 17) Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you."

     So, we are supposed to give according to the blessing which God has given us.

     Now, how do we give!?

     Well, here we’re talking about giving financial offerings.

     Many of you who live in the United States of America can simply write a check or get a money order and send funds to:

     Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries

     P.O. Box 6458

     Spring Hill, FL. 34606.

    Now for those of you who are outside of the United States as well as some who are in the United States you can also go to our website www.owensborocojc.com where we take PayPal and you give a donation through PayPal and it goes to support the work.

     So, this work of God is not just for us – not just for ourselves. We need to do this work. Our Lord Jesus says to go unto the world and teach all nations to observe all things that He has commanded – to make disciples.

     Please do your part, obey the LORD our God, and give an offering – like God commands on this holy day of Pentecost.

     This is Leonard V. Johnson of the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries.

Editor's Notes:

{1} Editor's note: Mr. Johnson says "under the sun" - it reads, "under heaven."
{2} Editor's note: They are not in fact articles, but rather a seven-part series of sermons given by Minister Michael C. Garrett in 2017.

{3} Editor's note: Mr. Johnson called this article "Hidden Truths." In fact, the article is called "'Mysteries' of God - Unlocking the Bible."

{4} Editor's note: Mr. Johnson mistakenly says "liberally." In fact, liberality means: the quality of giving or spending freely.

Pentecost - 2017 (VIDEO SERIES)

The Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries is so very pleased to present PENTECOST - 2017. A seven-part series of sermons.

Beginning June 3, 2017, to July 8, 2017.

In this in-depth series of inspired sermons, Minister Michael C. Garrett gives us an intense study of God's living word in relation to the Feast of Pentecost, also called the Feast of Weeks.

                                                              1.32:54

Here is a link to PART B of Pentecost - 2017.

Here is a link to PART C of Pentecost - 2017.

Here is a link to PART D of Pentecost - 2017.

Here is a link to PART E of Pentecost - 2017.

Here is a link to PART F of Pentecost - 2017.

Here is a link to PART G of Pentecost - 2017.

Here are some items of related interest:

Why So Many Don't Understand Pentecost - A great many throughout the remnant churches of God just simply observe these festivals because their congregation does, yet DO NOT fully understand why – the true meaning along with GOD’S PLAN in commanding them to be kept.

'The Firstfruits Unto the LORD' - The majority of this world’s churches that profess Jesus Christ consider the Day of Pentecost A.D. 31 the beginning of the New Testament Church of God. And that is true.

Day of Pentecost - 2019 (transcript) - We are here on an annual holy day – a special day. It’s good to be with you.

Why So Many Don't Understand Pentecost

by Leonard V. Johnson

Greetings Everyone! This year’s Pentecost will soon be here – May 31st at sunset until June 1st at sunset ~ 2025! Yet millions of our peoples around the world simply don’t properly understand what this Holy Day truly means!

A great many just simply can’t understand why we – the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries  – observe the Day of Pentecost, let alone all of God’s holy festivals, for that matter. And yes, we too have been “laughed to scorn” – cf. Matthew 9:24 KJV.

King Hezekiah of Judah had discovered that God’s holy days were to be kept, after both the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah had ceased observing them for a very long time. And the king had sent messengers into the kingdom of Israel, from city to city and even into Ephraim and Manasseh, to teach the people of God’s Holy Days. “But they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them” – 2 Chronicles 30:1-10.

A great many throughout the remnant churches of God just simply observe these festivals because their congregation does, yet DO NOT fully understand why – the true meaning along with GOD’S PLAN in commanding them to be kept.

We can certainly think of the untold millions who each year observe Christmas, New Year’s, Easter, Halloween, Mardi Gras, Día de los Muertos, etc. – holidays that are NOT holy convocations and are abhorrent to God! The LORD our God’s days HAVE MEANING! And God wants us to properly understand this meaning! That’s why He commands us to repeat this meaning every year.

Not To Angels

Now, it is true that God (the great and awesome Elohim – the family of God) placed angels on earth long before He created Adam and Eve. They are spirit beings wholly composed of spirit, not physical matter. Why is it that GOD placed many angels upon this earth? We find that angels were created long before the Earth’s creation. Why!? Why were they placed here!? – cf. Job 1:6; 2:1; 4:18; 38:4-7.

Well, we read in Hebrews 2:5, “For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, …” – meaning the soon-coming Kingdom of God “in subjection to angels.”

Now, I personally do not believe that GOD ever had any intention of placing the Kingdom of God under the subjection of angels. GOD truly had – and has – a Master Plan from the very beginning! Humans were NEVER an afterthought.

Angels are a free moral agent. And a man of great wisdom once told us that Godly character – either good or bad character – cannot be instantly created by fiat. GODLY CHARACTER must be developed by experience over time. Cherubims and angels were created with minds that can attain vast knowledge, can think and reason, come to conclusions, and make independent decisions. GOD taught them of HIS GOVERNMENT.

God’s government is based upon His holy, immutable, and relevant LAW – summed up with the TEN COMMANDMENTS. Giving first and foremost a return of the love of God that He gives to all His creatures – in obedience, reverence, worship, in fellowship with God, in a close relationship with God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Also, we are told by the Apostle Paul that never were the cherubims nor angels ever created to be sons of God –

“For to which of the angels did He [God] ever say: ‘You are My Son, …’” – Hebrews 1:5.

In a sense, cherubims and angels were placed upon the earth to finish its beautification and prepare the earth for mankind.

But Hêlēl – or rather, Lucifer the covering cherub, meaning “shining one” – led angels in the opposite direction – at least a third of the angels; Revelation 12:4. The way of vanity, lust, greed, jealousy, envy, wrong competition, strife, violence, chaos, destruction, resentment, bitterness, and rebellion against the Word (see John 1:1; later to be known as Jesus Christ) and His authority over them.

The angels sinned – 2 Peter 2:4. Lucifer and his angels under him set their character as evil. And since Adam too sinned against the LORD our God, rejecting the GOVERNMENT OF GOD, Lucifer has remained the “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4), and will not be removed until a successor qualified to ESTABLISH the Government of God on EARTH (see Genesis 3:15) and to also be inducted into office (see Daniel 7:13-14).

Now came the GREATEST and MOST AWESOME PLAN OF ALL TIME!

God is Reproducing Himself!

The God family – at this time consisting of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ – ARE REPRODUCING THEMSELVES!

So, what is to be said of the genetics of God?

In the 1st chapter of Genesis, we learn  –

Verse 25 – “Then God [plural in form] said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; …’”

So, notice it does not say, “My image,” it says, “’ Our image, according to Our likeness.’” And God did. Man is in the same form and shape as God. God has two hands, two feet, and five fingers. God has two arms and two legs. God has a mind. Yet, God did not make man of the same composition of which He is composed – Spirit.

So, creating mankind in “Our image,” but out of physical matter, yet needing the Spirit of God. A human being requires the gift of repentance, proper baptism, and hands laid upon them, the gifting of the Holy Spirit, with the help of the LORD God, changing to His character. And after this, the mortal human being could, by a resurrection, be changed to wholly spiritual composition, with a holy, righteous, and perfect GODLY CHARACTER – born a child of the LORD God!

So, God formed man not out of spirit, but out of the ground – physical matter. Animals breathe in and out of their nostrils, the breath of life. In other words, what came from the dust of the earth became a soul. And in God’s living word, He says, “’ Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die’” – Ezekiel 18:4, 20. And to this very soul, He stated, ‘If you partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, 'you shall surely die” – meaning, the second death spoken of in the Book of Revelation chapter 20, verses 14-15.

I’m sure you’ve read that many times before. But, do you believe what God said? What God told Adam “You shall surely die’”!

Now, because of the rebellion of Hêlēl – or rather, Lucifer and his demons – physical destruction occurred to the earth! Notice this – Genesis 1:2, “The earth [became] without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.” And, we’ve covered this many times before – the Hebrew words which our great Patriarch and Prophet Moses used are tohu and bohu – which truly means “chaotic and in confusion.” God – “in the beginning created the heavens and the earth … And God saw that it was good” – Genesis 1:1, 10.

In SIX DAYS God renewed the face of the earth – Psalm 104:30 – for the occupation of mankind.

All the physical known finite universe is created from matter.

Now, I suppose I should say here that I am rather ignorant on the subject of physics, so please, be gentle 😊 But, as I have mentioned before, the law of decay is a real physical law described in mathematical manners that describes the properties of a nuclear atom in a state of decay. The radioactive decay law states that this decay is constant. For if nothing is done about this law of decay, this corruption will ultimately lead to the complete annihilation of the universe. For I refer to a little physics here, the laws of thermodynamics.

• First Law - Energy cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system.
• Second Law - Entropy – or disorder – always increases.
• Third Law - The entropy of a system approaches a constant value as the temperature approaches heat, and eventual death.

The Apostle Paul tells us that this known universe waits for the revealing of the born children of God to stop its decay – “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19) For the earnest expectation of THE CREATION eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20) For THE CREATION was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it IN HOPE; 21) because THE CREATION itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption [as well as decay] into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22) For we know that THE WHOLE CREATION groans and labors with birth pangs together until now” – Romans 8:18-22.

And this bondage of corruption is exactly what the LORD our God describes in His living word. God, the CREATOR of the universe, gave mankind the highest possible honor in the created order. His living word describes for us the LORD our God’s glory and dignity, which He will give unto His born sons and daughters –

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, 4) What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? 5) For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6) You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands.” – Psalm 8:3-6.

So, the very Second Law of Thermodynamics surely testifies that EVERYTHING in the known universe is “winding down.” This agrees with the living word of the Eternal One. In who says, “ …’ For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, The earth will grow old like a garment, …’” – Isaiah 51:6. The presence of corruption in the known universe DOES NOT contradict God in His overall Plan for His universe. It gives further testimony to the sin of Adam and Eve – see James 1:15.

Le Moustier by Charles R. Knight, 1920

Neanderthals

So, in the formation of GODLY CHARACTER, man had to have a mind, to know and to think, to reason, to come to conclusions, and to make choices and decisions. Yet, a question can be asked – what about the Neanderthals?

Here is something by the renowned Professor Roy Schulz –

Using the general guide provided by the Bible, it is possible to isolate many specific features about the society before the Flood. Consider, first of all, the “giant” of Genesis 6:4. Can they be identified in terms of archaeology and history?

The English word “giants” is used in various places in the Authorized or King James Version of the Bible. It is translated from two original Hebrew words – Rephaim and Nephilim. The Rephaim are mentioned only after the Flood; they were tall men, like [the] Anakim. The term Rephaim [the Moabites calling them Emim] is translated “giants” in Deuteronomy 2:11, 20 and other places; and they are mentioned directly in Genesis 14:5 and 15:20.

However, in the Scripture we are presently concerned with – Genesis 6:4, which is primarily concerned with pre-Flood times – the original is Nephilim. This word nephal means “a feller” – one who fells a tree – or, by extension, one who brings down another because of his unusual strength. The term implies a “tough” or a bully, an individual of great physical might. Nephilim, then, were shorter, very stocky, and had tremendous power! In other words, they were giants in strength but not in tallness of stature. The point of emphasis here is that the word Nephilim does not require tallness as part of its definition! Any men of unusual height who existed prior to the Flood were distinct from the Nephilim.

In the history of ancient Europe, archaeologists have defined three basic cultural zones – Lower, Middle, and Upper Paleolithic. Now the Middle Paleolithic, which occurs well within the story of early human history, was the cultural zone of the famous Neanderthals. Now the Neanderthals were squat, stocky, powerful human beings! In short, the descriptions of the Nephilim and of the Neanderthals match perfectly! They are one and the same!

(Schulz, R., EXPLORING ANCIENT HISTORY -- THE FIRST 2500 YEARS, Social Studies Department Imperial Schools at Pasadena, Ca. 1967 – underlining and italics added for emphasis).

To give mortal man this mind power, God placed within humans a spirit that imparts intellect to the human brain – cf. 1 Corinthians 2:11. Many animals have brains larger than humans. And, not long ago, I watched on television “Blackfish” – which certainly tugged at the strings of my heart, showing us point-blank that orcas have emotions too! Of course, the debate in this world about whether animals have intellect is hotly debated. But, as an example, a young man meets a young woman. They are immediately attracted to one another. They both say to themselves, “Now there is someone I’d like to marry.” At that point, if emotions alone (or, for that matter, according to Colonel Sanders of the movie The Waterboy, the medulla oblongata) had their way, there would be a wedding. But the intellect intervenes, questioning the impulsive emotional response. Do animals have will!? Meaning, are they willing to give up a lifestyle for another? Are they willing to assume the added responsibility? Are they a free moral agent? – No. They lack a spirit that imparts powers of intellect.

Yet – and I’ve covered this before – this human spirit (Job 32:8-9) does not see – the brain sees through our eyes. The brain hears through our ears, etc. Knowledge is stored in the human spirit, working like this computer, storing instant recall for thinking. But the spirit is not the man–only something added. It is capable of receiving and storing knowledge only through the human brain and therefore confined ONLY to physical knowledge. Also, the spirit does not impart human life. Our life resides in our blood.

It is the Holy Spirit of God that imparts spiritual understanding – the love of God, the faith of Christ, and the power to overcome sin.

STAGES OF CREATION

Are you aware that the LORD our God creates in a process of duality? As an example, the creation of mankind began with a physical creation. This means that there’s a physical and then there’s a spiritual creation of mankind. The physical creation began some 6,000 years ago in the creation of Adam and Eve. But the spiritual creation actually began some 1,995 years ago in Jesus Christ!

That is the ultimate stage of mankind’s creation. And that is the stage that is going on now. And it has a lot to do with why I’m writing this up as well as why you are reading this right now, all around the United States of America and around the world.

So, the LORD God is calling us brethren. And He has called only those that He is going to use in the ESTABLISHMENT of His GOVERNMENT on Earth – the formation of the kingdom of God. God has called us to reveal knowledge to us, to make us a part of His government, and to see if we will obey Him and His immutable and relevant LAW.

Parenthetical

And I want to take a moment and pause here, because I’ve been speaking this morning with a dear Brother in Christ, via Facebook Messenger, and I want to remind us of just why we were called in this age, having to contend with and overcome Satan the Devil. Because the Lord our God has a MOST IMPORTANT purpose in calling us now, instead of later.

IMAGINE THIS! There are more than 8,225,730,050 1 human beings on earth today! Yet, of this vast sea of humanity, the Lord our God, in our very own time, has called and placed within the Church of Jesus Christ only a few. The others will be called later ── not of this age.

But why were you called now?

Comparatively speaking, Father God has been calling almost NONE in this age!

This article is on Pentecost – how many of us, brethren, have become unmindful of the MEANING of the Feast of Firstfruits? How many of us have become unmindful of the purpose for which God the Father has called us and placed us within the Church of Jesus Christ NOW! – After all, it’s His Church – cf. Matthew 16:18 – ahead of others?

The Day of Pentecost is called in God’s living word the Feast of Firstfruits. We, brethren, are merely the first minute (pronounced mī-noot) preliminary HARVEST of God’s children.

Also, how many of us in this 21st-century world have become unmindful of God’s purpose, and just assume that we were called and placed within Jesus Christ’s Church ONLY for our personal salvation? But what about the estimated Billions upon Billions that have died since the beginning of creation, and have never been called? For, except the Father call them, none could come to our Lord Jesus Christ! He says so!

The greater majority in this “Christian” world just suppose that Jesus the Christ came to Earth to “save the world,” or to “start a soul-winning campaign.” They assume that our Lord God started a religion to try and convert the whole world. And they truly believe this – that’s one of the main reasons why the Jehovah’s Witnesses knock on your front door! They believe this is THE “day of salvation” – and that this is the ONLY age in which humanity may be “saved.”

They interpret wrongly the Apostle Paul’s teaching –

“(For He says, ‘In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is an acceptable time. Behold, now is a day of salvation)” – 2 Corinthians 6:2 NET. {1}

Apostle Paul rightly contributed this to what our Lord Jesus Christ stood up and announced: “ …’ To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD’” – Luke 4:19.

The greater majority of the unlearned insist and argue that it says, “now is THE day of salvation.” And they misconstrue it to mean that this is the ONLY time when God is trying to convert and “save” the world.

Apostle Paul’s quote is from Isaiah 49:8, where it reads, “Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee …” not “the day.”

Turning to the Book of Romans in the 11th chapter, it becomes even clearer. There were some who were saying that God had cast away His people Israel, but the Apostle Paul clarifies their mistake. Paul reminds them that there was in the mid-first century a minute (again, mī-noot) few that had received the loving grace of God, compared to the some 200 million.

“What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8) Just as it is written: ‘God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day’” – Romans 11:7-8.

So, when our Lord Jesus Christ comes, the whole world is going to be called! They won’t be cut off from God anymore. It won’t be that God the Father calls only those He wants for say – a special mission. But – and I want you to understand this – they are not going to qualify to sit with Christ on His throne, as we must. They won’t have to overcome Satan the Devil; we do! You must understand this! Again, today is not God’s time of trying to “save” the world!

We, brethren, are called the Firstfruits. And we are called for a very special job – a special calling. We are called now to learn the living WORD OF GOD, THE TRUTH OF GOD, and the ULTIMATE PLAN OF GOD. To learn the gospel Message which our Lord Jesus brought from God the Father, and which is recorded for us in the writings of the New Testament, along with the Old Testament. Recall our Lord Jesus says, “ …’ hold fast what you have till I come. 26) And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations – ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; …’” And we, brethren, have to learn how to do that. As an example, if you were ruling with a rod of iron, what would you do to a radical Islamic state that commits heinous atrocities against humanity, and abhors and rejects Jesus Christ? What Would Jesus Do? Well, we have to learn how now, and we have to learn about God’s Government, how He governs, and how God teaches. And how God teaches us to live, and His Way of life.

Our Lord Jesus Christ came and preached the good news of the glorious kingdom of God, the establishment of the Government of God on this Earth. And this is one of the most important things to God at this moment. Because it is the basis of the development of GODLY CHARACTER, and for the LORD our God’s ultimate overall purpose for the whole of His universe.

We say to you so that the Spirit of God will come to you – “ … ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. WHOEVER desires, let him take the water of life freely.” – Revelation 22:17.

But the Holy Spirit had not yet come at that time. Because our Lord Jesus Christ had not yet been glorified. And God the Father did call some to our Lord. Jesus says that no one can come to Him unless the Father draws them. And Father did begin to draw some – in fact, only 120 had been drawn within the whole 3 ½ years of His ministry. On the Day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God came and entered into those 120.

Also, in Acts chapter 2 we read that there were many others from around the nations on the Day of Pentecost, and the Apostle Peter standing up with the eleven raised his voice and said to them, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” They were convicted in heart, because many came to realize that they were the ones who had the Savior of mankind murdered, or at least, had caused it. They asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” The Apostle Peter answered, “REPENT, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” And that day, about THREE THOUSAND were converted.

So then, NO ONE can come to our Lord Jesus Christ! God the Father has cut others off from Him. Why? Most people think it’s man cutting themselves off from God. No, God has cut Himself off from man. Most people will say, “This isn’t fair.” The LORD our God has not given them any chance at conversion – yet. He hasn’t given them any chance of salvation – yet. Again, most will say, “That’s not fair.” Why is it that the LORD our God gives some a chance and others not? Well, He gives us the answer –

“And He said to them, ‘To you [the disciples and to those whom God the Father will call afar off (Acts 2:39)] it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside all things come in parables, 12) so that, ‘SEEING THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE [or be aware or conscious of], AND HEARING THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND; Lest they should turn [repent], And their sins be forgiven them.’” – Mark 4:11-12.

The Apostle Paul teaches us that there is no partiality with God – Romans 2:11. The reason that the LORD our God has drawn some, as I stated earlier, is to prepare for the kingdom of God. And I want you to get this: He is not drawing us to just save us. NEARLY EVERYONE will eventually be drawn unto salvation in the end.

But – as I asked earlier – what about the estimated Billions upon Billions that have died since the beginning of creation, and have never been called?

Are they FOREVER CUT OFF FROM GOD? DO THEY NEVER HAVE A CHANCE FOR SALVATION?

God’s Master Plan – Involving Pentecost

We, brethren, are only the FIRSTFRUITS. And we are represented by the Day of Pentecost in the LORD our God’s annual Holy Day – just the first harvest. And we who are called now certainly have to overcome this evil present age, ourselves, and Satan the devil.

Truly, only a relatively few people on this Earth in this 21st century know and understand God’s Master Plan. And His Master Plan is given and unfolded before us through His seven annual Holy Days and the seven annual festivals. (Yes, there are SEVEN commanded holy convocation days of rest, other than the weekly Sabbath – 1st and last day of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and the four holy days that occur in the seventh month of the year.) And there are relatively only few on this Earth in this 21st century that actually observe them properly.

The LORD our God began to reveal this to me some forty-one years ago now. I found out that they are binding forever, and that they were observed by our Lord Jesus Christ and the original apostles along with the New Testament Church of God.

Now, most who profess Christ know something about Pentecost. Many properly consider it the beginning of the New Testament Church of God.

The apostles were told to wait in Jerusalem to receive the power of the Holy Spirit –

“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard Me; 5) for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’” – Acts 1:4-5.

So, they waited. And –

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” – Acts 2:1.

Notice it was when the Day of Pentecost had fully come. The Bible is clear that the events that follow were directly related to the fact that the Day of Pentecost had fully come. And the apostles were all observing it together.

Here is what happened –

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven [the sky], as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3) Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues [languages], as the Spirit gave them utterance.” – Acts 2:2-4.

They received some of the power of God’s Spirit. The Roman Catholics, the Eastern Orthodox, the greater majority of Protestants, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Church of God all believe that this was the beginning of the New Testament Church of God. And rightly so. The Holy Spirit (be sure to watch our sermon, The Nature of the Holy Spirit ── Being or Force?) was gifted at a certain time (the same time that many Jews observed Pentecost).

That was not a coincidence.

Many may not realize that Pentecost pictures more than just the gifting of the Holy Spirit and the beginning of the New Testament Church of God.

So, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ said that only a minute few are chosen – Matthew 22:14. So this smaller harvest will be made up of the relatively few brethren who are truly submitting and obeying God TODAY.

The vast majority of our peoples who have ever lived or will ever live will have their opportunity for eternal salvation during the Millennium and the “Great White Throne Judgment,” of which the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day picture. This is considered the great fall festival.

Sadly, to the majority of the world, the Day of Pentecost remains a mystery. But you are being given a chance to understand now. This holy day of Pentecost represents your chance in God’s Master Plan.

Again, a glorious meaning of the holy Day of Pentecost: “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the FIRST RESURRECTION. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of [God the Father] and of [Jesus Christ], and shall reign with Him a thousand years” – Revelation 20:6.

One of the amazing meanings of the glorious Day of Pentecost is now revealed to you. What is your next move going to be? □

{1} Editor's Note: The NETBible Tagger, Provided by bible.org even has this interpreted wrong. My NET Bible Version - A Faithful Version with Commentary rightly has this verse translated " ... now is a day of salvation."

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