IAUA End Time Ministry
Preparing for the End of Time
The Lord is Coming! Are you ready?
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IAUA End Time Ministry |
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Preparing for the End of Time | |
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Dear Brothers and Sisters in
IAUA
(ee-ah-oo-ah) our Father,
Greetings on this day of preparation for the weekly sabbath. I hope this newsletter finds you in good health and happy in the service of the Lord. A reader responds: ----- "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Nothing I say here is intended to be argumentative or accusatory. Am I correct you told me that the Biblical year begins with the new moon closest to the vernal equinox? For the sake of this discussion, I'll presume that is what you told me. At any rate... I have been studying this issue a little bit. During that study, it occurred to me that God would not have instituted the Feast of First Fruits (the Wave Sheaf offering) on the second day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread if it were not possible to actually have obtained such first fruits from the Barley harvest. Such would be the case, e.g., if one new moon occurs 14 days before the vernal equinox and the next new moon occurs 15 days after the vernal equinox (there are 29 days in a lunar cycle). Thus, in this case, Passover would fall on the vernal equinox and the Feast of First Fruits would fall two days after that. Now, everything I have read leads me to the conclusion that the Barley Harvest would not be ready for first fruits at that time. The Barley harvest would begin more like two weeks after the vernal equinox. "And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled [in bloom]. But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were not grown up [yet]." Exodus 9:31,32 "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you." Exodus 12:2 "Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:)" Exodus 23:15 What is your response to that? Also, I found this to be interesting reading: http://www.karaite-korner.org/abib.shtml Then, I find this statement from Ellen G. White: "Anciently the year did not commence in midwinter, as now, but at the first new moon after the vernal equinox." The Great Controversy [1888 Edition], page 681. Also... "The modern Jewish calendar uses a rather easy method of determining exactly when Passover occurs. Yet, the common person cannot easily determine when that time is without doing some additional research astronomically. Judaism has traditionally set the beginning of the first month of the year - the month of Nissan - in the same manner as that described in Exodus 12:2. Here are the rules. The month of Nissan begins on the new moon that is closest to the month that Judaism traditionally recognizes as the "month" to which Exodus 12:2 applies. That is the month in which the vernal equinox occurs. We call the vernal equinox the first day of "Spring." It gets a little more complex - but not much. The first day of Spring (in 2005) is March 20. The new moon that is closest to the first day of Spring is March 11th. That fact alone seems to indicate that the celebration of Passover should be on the full moon that occurs on March 25th. That is not true, however, and this is where the astronomy part comes in. The declaration of Spring is made according to the equatorial vernal equinox. That is the time when there are equal amounts of light and darkness at the equator. Since the equator is south of Israel, that means that it will take five or six more days for there to be equal amounts of light and day at higher latitudes. Thus, the vernal equinox does not occur in Israel until many days after the equatorial equinox. Therefore, the closest new moon to the vernal equinox in Israel is April 10th. That begins the month of Nissan on the Jewish calendar because it is closest new moon to the month that Exodus 12:2 refers to as "this month." That is how Judaism locates the month of Nissan." (http://www.senac.com/nb/3849/bin/218.html) ----- I am highly impressed by the idea that the equinox for determining the start of the year is determined by the location of Jerusalem instead of the equator. This follows the idea that the start of the month is determined by the New Moon at Jerusalem and not some other arbitrary place on the earth. This also provides a solid basis for determining the local equinox by relatively simple methods. My studies have also led me to see that the "Feast of Ingathering" is Tabernacles and not the Last Great Day. Exodus 34:22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end. It is interesting to note that the quote from The Great Controversy [1888 Edition], page 681 is in the Appendix (also in the Appendix of The Spirit of Prophecy Volume Four [1884]) and cannot be found in any other writings. It is uncertain whether the contents of the Appendix were even written by Ellen. In the apparent absence of clear guidelines, those who are seeking to follow God's law will be led by the Holy Spirit to decide whether to follow a course of unity with a concensus decision or their own best understanding. May we all find peace and unity in the soon coming of IAUShUO (Ee-ah-oo-shoo-oh) Messiah, the Son of God. Shabbat Shalom
Frank T. Clark
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Revised 2005-11-18 |