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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The Lord is Coming! Are you ready? | |
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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 pray this newsletter finds you in good health and happy in the service of IAUA. This is day 17 of month 10 of the Biblical Calendar in the estimated year 6021 Anno Mundi. The Spring Sabbaths begin in 12 weeks and three days with God's New Year's Day, Unleavened Bread Sabbath, day 15 of month 1 (Monday, April 2 of the 2018, Gregorian Calendar, at sunset Sunday, April 1). Yearly Sabbaths 2018 Gregorian Calendar
Monday, April 2, 2018 Unleavened Bread Sabbath On God's Calendar the Biblical month begins on the global day after lunar conjunction. The Biblical year begins with God's New Year's Day (Passover) after the spring equinox (Spring Passover Rule). The Millerite Calendar (Spring New Moon Rule) is a month late next year. The Calculated Rabbinical Calendar will be two days early in spring and one day early in fall. I spent a lot of time pondering the last email from the long time newsletter reader responding in the last newsletter. God is a God of details but He is also a God of freedom of expression. It is a bit of a puzzling contradiction. Sometimes God specifies details and other times He provides freedom of expression. The example mentioned was that God specified the seventh day of the week as the day for weekly worship. There is no option to choose another day. He was specific that we are to do no work on that day. However, He was general in specifying that it is a day for holy convocation or sacred assembly. The things we do in holy convocation are not specified but are an opportunity for freedom of expression. It is important to recognize that any details we create and follow for holy convocation are benign traditions that we have created. They provide order to ease planning and expectations. These can vary over time and in different cultures. These benign traditions become malignant when they are stressed as rules that must be followed and anyone who doesn't follow them exactly as we expect is criticized. The command for no work can be emphasized to a level where it contradicts the principles of God's kingdom. Our Savior spoke in detail about this to contradict the artificial self-made rules of the Pharisees. (Luke 14:1-5, Luke 13:10-17, Matthew 12:1-14, ...) There are many traditional rules about what is proper on the Sabbath, even in our day. There is nothing wrong for a person to choose to live within certain rules they appreciate. It is wrong to force these rules on others. We can certainly suggest observance details we find useful for ourselves. There are many other examples I have pondered. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. It is our work to seek this truth and behave accordingly. It has been improperly said that "God helps those who help themselves." I believe it is more accurate to say that "God helps those who do their part in working with Him." We can't just sit back and let God take care of us as if we were invalids. Unfortunately, Satan is constantly at work to stir up animosity and disagreements. This happens in particular with close relationships such as family and especially our spouses. We have hard lessons to learn about standing up for truth without bringing out the proverbial baseball bat. Another example about the difficulties we face in seeking to follow truth. I don't remember the exact words of this discussion. Someone made a comment about the coming New Year's Day celebrations. I made a comment about it being the pagan new year. I was asked, "Why is it pagan since it is not a religious holiday?" I struggled to find the words to explain what is my best understanding. I pointed out that the pagan new year's day is based on the pagan, Roman Catholic, Gregorian calendar that is a counterfeit of God's Biblical calendar. I was asked, "Is it a sin to have a Gregorian calendar hanging on the wall?" The discussion was getting very difficult. I was sensing some defensiveness. Issues of what is "worship" versus following the traditional customs of the world we live in were discussed. The discussion ended awkwardly and we moved on to other things. A favorite saying of mine. So many details, so much confusion. Every day we are faced with struggles as we grow in our knowledge of God's Word. Do you seek to understand and follow the details of God's Word and recognize its freedoms of expression? I pray we may all continue to seek love, peace, and unity in truth preparing for the soon coming of IAUShUO (ee-ah-oo-shoo-oh) Messiah, the Son of God.
Frank T. Clark Next: 2018-01-12 Speed |
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Revised 2018-01-12 |