What is "The Lord's Calendar," the Holy Day Calendar?
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The way the Lord's calendar is accounted is strictly biblical and entirely natural. His calendar is also rather technical and is particularly demanding of it's followers. With only a casual glance being given to the matter, some might think that what we're referring to is the familiar "Jewish calendar," but no, only the Karaite's maintain the biblical way of accounting.
Our presentation here is a brief yet fairly thorough laying out of the basics. This study is not intended to be comprehensive in scope. It's intended to explain enough about this vitally important system of the accounting of time for you to make sense of it. This is worthy of our special attention because it's a foundation for understanding and for tracking with the unfolding chronology of the end times.
Have you ever given any thought to how this age of the church, which has oft been characterized as a Gentile age, began on what is recognized as a Jewish/Hebrew festival called Pentecost or Shavuot? Rather than dismissing that as a strange coincidence, it should be recognized as a reason why that holy day was instituted on the calendar; for it to be celebrated in a prophetic sense, in advance, and certainly acknowledged on that day of significant fulfillment, and to be celebrated thereafter as a memorial and a witness to the faithfulness of an omniscient God. The events recorded in Acts 2 were not the first or the last in the series of events celebrated in the holy day Shavuot. Each celebration continues to prophesy about what is yet to come, on yet another anniversary.
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Colossians 2:16-17
For the Author of the Bible to refer to the appointed times as shadows is not to suggest that they are lacking in value. If we dismiss them as simply having been done away with, we will remain ignorant of the lessons they hold for us, about our past, present and future. Within these shadows of the reality found in Christ are the secrets of timing and sequencing, and in such as that are darkly concealed the deeper meanings that unfold to those who are granted eyes to see and ears to hear.
Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
Zechariah 14:16
There's a notion that's been very popular in recent years, that the holy days of Spring have already been fulfilled and that the holy days of Fall remain unfulfilled. False. None of the holy days have yet passed away, despite most or all having experienced some degree of fulfillment in Christ already.
Today, some consider the commands that relate to the holy days to be among the least of the commandments.
17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-19
With a very astute awareness that we can not neglect what the Lord has already revealed if we want to be privy to His plans, let's consider the fundamentals of His calendar, the means of His accounting of time through which His purposes are fulfilled.
Each day begins at the setting of the sun. Thus, the accounting of a day is determined by the witnessing of a celestial sign relative to a location on the earth.
The days of the week were established in the beginning, biblically, and they have been cycling ever since without dispute as to which day of the week it happens to be.
From month to month, the first day must be determined by watching for a pair of celestial signs. This involves the sign of the day that is the setting sun, plus the sign of the month that involves the phase of the moon. When the first crescent of a new moon is witnessed, within the usual range of twenty-nine to thirty days (because the viewing conditions do not always lend themselves to making such an observation), the next month begins at sunset.
From year to year, the first day must be determined by watching for three signs. The first day of a year is always going to be the first day of a month, so the usual two celestial signs are required to make that determination. Each year will have either twelve or thirteen months. Another sign must be watched for at the end of every twelfth that will determine whether another month must be added to complete the year. This requires an official assessment of the status of the barley crop in the land of Israel. It is a requirement of a holy day in the first month that the barley is ripe enough to make an offering of it to the Lord. If the barley will be ripe enough to be offered on schedule, the next month after the twelfth will be the first of the new year. If not, a thirteenth month is added to complete the year.
The holy days are determined according to the numbering of the years, the months of the year, the days of the month, and the days in the week. The celebration of each holy day is determined according to the specified signs and counts relative to the specified numberings of units. The weekly Shabbat is the seventh day of the cycle of a week. The shemitah year is the seventh year of the cycle of the shemitah. Yom Kippur, for example, is the tenth day of the seventh month.
While that technical means of accounting time might seem complicated, it's no more so than the alternate calendars that have been instituted, which should be seen as unauthorized departures from the Creator's own way of accounting. Keeping this biblical calendar is demanding in a way that requires vigilant watching and diligence in counting. You have to stay alert and attentive. You can't just print off a calendar for the year and make your plans accordingly.
The biblical calendar involves a situation where four different variants are in use. Those known as the Harvest and Sacred calendars begin in the Spring. The first month is known simply by it's numbering, like the others, biblically, but some came to call it Abib, or Nisan. Those calendars are offset by six months by the two that begin in the Fall, the Regnal and Civil calendars. On these, the first day is the holy day known as Yom Teruah, the Day of Trumpets, or, Shouting. Some call it Rosh haShanah, and some call that month by the name, Tishri.
After years of trying to get my mind wrapped around what the Lord was revealing to me about His calendar, I came to recognize a couple of very simple and rather profound truths.
The Lord's calendar celebrates the union of the Bridegroom and the Bride! The Messianic Bridegroom patiently but very eagerly awaits the appearance of His Bride, preparing her for when she will finally be ready to join with Him in marriage. The signs that signal the arrival of a new month and the arrival of a new year both picture the state of the Bride's readiness. The Moon represents the Bride (The Moon Bride), and the phases of the Moon, her state of readiness to be wed. The Barley crop also represents the Bride, and the crop's readiness to be offered as a sacrifice indicates her state of readiness to be wed. The watching with vigilance for these signs in the faithful keeping of the Lord's calendar is a continual celebration that anticipates their coming union. It's a beautiful expression of a most passionate and intimate love! This is our hope, beloved!
Here's what else I came to realize. The Lord's way of accounting the chronology of the end times is entirely consistent with that way of time keeping that is plainly described in the biblical text. In a designated season, the celestial sign that is appointed for this purpose must be witnessed. Then, units of time must be counted off until the appointed time arrives. The difficult part about all this has been that the system and all its details are entirely undiscoverable until the Lord revealed it. What is the celestial sign, and what are the units that must be counted off? How many units must be counted off before the appointed time arrives, and what happens then? When Cometh That Thief in the Night? That's what this adventure of discovery is about!
For those who are curious, we are not Messianic in the way of the Messianic fellowships that we're familiar with, but the Lord Y'shua has certainly made us aware of our relationship with Him as our King. We have learned to have great respect for the Hebrews, or, Jews, God's chosen people, and have come to understand the very special relationship Paul described in Romans 11. We know very well that there are pretenders who falsely represent themselves. We have no interest in persisting the celebration of traditions steeped in ignorance or idolatry. We have no interest in trying to carry any baggage that the Lord has not given us a burden to bear. We know very well that the Lord requires of us as individuals to become disciplined in ways that involve very personal curriculums. We recognize that the making of general rules about such matters is not for us to do. It is the Lord's own business how He chooses to train His servants and prepare His Bride. It's our business to respect and honor that.
If you want more detail like the scriptural commands that inform us about the keeping of the calendar or if you want to stay informed about where we are on the calendar from month to month, we invite you to explore these links to the reports from Israel.
Devorah's Date Tree
Renewed Moon