Feast framework - Transcript
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdAQLIThhZo
Abbreviations: C = Congregation; A = Pastor Adrian.
A: So let's dive into the feast framework. It's because we are in a seventh year, it's good to know what do we do in the seventh year; how does the seventh year work?
C: Rest the land.
A: We are going to jump straight into Leviticus.
The Seventh Year
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD. Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land. And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat. (Lev 25:2-7)
A: Just think of the implications of the land keeping a Sabbath. Why does the land need to take a Sabbath? What did Cain killing his brother do to the land? It caused infertility to occur within the earth. So, the Sabbath is part of the mechanism of Jesus blowing His Spirit upon the earth, to calm the earth. The land Sabbath is really important.
Timing of the seventh year
And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. (Lev 25:8-10)
A: If you are trumpeting the Jubilee on the day of Atonement, to count successive seven years correctly, you have to start on the day of Atonement. So, my deduction from this year is that the Sabbatical year begins on the day of Atonement. And we are going to explain why as we go along.
This is from Bible history. It says that wheat and barley is sown in October, in the Northern hemisphere; not in January/February or March. It's sown after the day of Atonement, and obviously not during the feast of Tabernacles.
Wheat and barley sowing time
"8 (2) October. (Heshvan, wheat, barley sowing). Farmers would be finishing with their grape and fig harvests, olives would be gathered, the fattened sheep would be slaughtered, and the sugarcane and dates would ripen, plowing would begin and the rains would loosen up the hard dry ground. During October were the heavier rains known in Scripture as "the former rains."" https://www.bible-history.com/geography/seasons_months_israel.html
A: Because you are planting immediately after Tabernacles you need to know if you should plant or not. That's why on the day of Atonement it (the trumpet) sounded that it's the end of the 49th year, or the end of the 6th year. If you wait until next April, you have already planted your crops.
C: Wouldn't you know if it had been decided in April before, if the year started in April/Passover, and come to that Tabernacle, you would already know you are in that particular year?
A: I suppose you could do that, but this is what I want to get to, about the whole principle of the feasts, and why the religious calendar is actually only the end of the whole seedtime and harvest cycle.
C: The spiritual application for this is that the seed grows after the Atonement.
A: Yes. At-one-ment; the seed is in the ground, goes through winter, comes out the other side.
The barley and wheat new year
Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. (Lev 25:3-4)
A: So, just making the point that during this year we are not going to sow.
I want to detour a little bit. This is quite interesting. Ellen White in 1899 wrote a letter to Stephen Haskell, and I think you will find some of this interesting.
Ellen White's letter to S.N. Haskell
I have things to send to you in writing that I deem very important, and I think it will be prepared in a form so that many may be benefited by it. I should oft be so pleased to have talks with you upon matters that are intensely interesting to me, that I am trying to write out, in reference to the specifications in Scriptural injunctions in regard to the duties one to another in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. We must just call to our minds those [precepts on] actual, practical missionary work, and work intelligently, and do the very principles of Christianity, the gospel of the Old Testament. (A: No anti-Semitism there!)
And this some call the Dark Ages. If so, it is not because they had no communication from heaven. [See] Leviticus 25. The Lord was over the whole earth. Every seventh year was a sabbatical year. This would be a wonderful arrangement down in this age of great light. Not only the agricultural processes were to be intermitted, but the cultivation of the soil was not permitted. It lay in its spontaneous growth for the benefit of the poor. All had free access to it — the strangers and the flocks and the herds. This was to invigorate the productive, worn - out soil, and to teach the Hebrew nation that God was the Householder, and the people were His tenants. The land had a sabbath, or yearly sabbath.
Then the jubilee, the fiftieth. The lessons given were to encourage liberality and overcome all stinginess, and to give lessons to all that it was the Lord’s land. He was to be regarded as its owner, that He would make it productive, if they were obedient, by giving them His blessing upon their lands. The lesson given was that the Lord was taking care of the poor, and that He had made provision for them; and every seventh year the spontaneous crops were for them. This is the principle of liberality; a provision was made by special interposition of God. The sixth year, under God’s supervision, the land yielded provision for three years; and it was a constant lesson that God was the Householder, and the land was His.
A: She is repeating that theme about how this seven year cycle is to teach us liberality, giving to the poor. This is practical Christianity being manifested here. And we are in a time now when this is becoming much more relevant. If we want to survive the Great Reset, we have got to have an economy of our own. And God has provided this for us in the Torah, to work on the land. For those of us who have been observing, I have had much evidence provided to me that the past 12 months have been a bumper year. Things have grown much more than they have in the past years. So, in the 6th year, things are prepared … But it's all anecdotal.
Continuing:
I cannot write out all that is contained in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. But I think our people in this enlightened age of 1899, if they would go back to the period they call the “Dark Ages” and bring into their practical life the lessons that Christ gave to the Hebrews, they would act out the obedience God required of them. Their hearts would not be so full of selfish principles that when His brethren working in hard fields should ask a favor, that they would close the door of their heart and say, No. - Sunnyside, Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia. Letter 221, August, 1899
A: So, this system is to design liberality. And I have certainly experienced this through the tithing system. There are other statements where EGW talks about how the tithing system of Israel would teach us about the character of God. … I have become more giving since I adopted the system of the Torah. God has provided more for me to give, and because He knows I am willing to give it, He gives me more. This is how it operates. … The divine pattern of tithing has completely transformed my relationship with money; how I don't stress about money like I used to. ... The 1. tithe goes to the ministry, the pastors. The 2. tithe is for you to attend feasts, to do your own evangelism, to bless whoever you want. It's a whole budget; the second 10th percent of your income, God gives you to bless your family, go to feasts, etc.
Context of the feasts
Gen 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
A: So, all through human history, seedtime and harvest remains. What is the seed? We are all familiar with the parable of the sower:
"Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. (Luke 8:11-15)
A: The whole point of seedtime and harvest is to teach us the principle of how God's word goes into a man's heart and produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, temperance, goodness, etc. It is a physical example of what God is trying to do with each one of us.
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. (James 5:7-8)
A: James is quoting from Joel 2:23:
Joel 2:23 Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you— The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month.
A: The word month is supplied; not sure if it should be there. But the point is that God is providing you the rain, and that will bring it to the harvest. We plant seeds, but it's not the farmer that brings the fruit to its fullness. It's the sun that shines, and the water that comes down; all of this is out of the farmer's control, that brings it to the completion. "Can you by anxiety add one inch to your stature?" No, you can't. You need to be doers of the word, as in listening to what the word says; "shema Israel", meaning listen, be attentive, let the word go deep into your heart. And the sun of righteousness will pour upon you everything you need to grow.
Religious calendar is a harvest calendar
Luke 10:2 Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
A: Why am I quoting this verse? Because Jesus is calling disciples to go and gather the harvest. The whole context of the gospel is a harvest mindset. It is the context of harvesting! So, the feast calendar is a harvest concept.
"Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: 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); 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. (Exo 23:14-16)
A: During the Feast of Unleavened Bread what harvest was occurring? Barley. Waving the sheaf of barley during this feast was a giving thanks to God for the first fruits, which was the barley. The Feast of Harvest is the harvest of wheat, seven weeks later; it's Pentecost. The Feast of Ingathering is the harvest of fruits; grapes, figs, dates. Do you see how all of the feasts are harvest principles? But, there would be no harvest unless the seed is planted in October the year before, particularly for the wheat and barley, which are annuals. As for the fruits, the trees are there. … So, the beginning of the agricultural year must start in October, but the feasts are focusing on the harvest component of the annual year. That's why the feast calendar is only 7 months, whereas the annual calendar is a full 12/13 months cycle.
Comment from the live chat: Father bids the Son to return when the harvest is fully developed. The fruit of the Spirit is fully mature and Christ is completely replicated in the people; can't put a timeline on that!
A: Ok. So, we are talking about the completion of someone's character. And there is a process. As we look at the agricultural world, we see the process of seedtime, watering, sunshine, development, nurture, protecting from seeds, giving nutrition, etc. to bring it to completion. And the feast calendar is a celebration of gratitude for God providing these things three times in the year. So it's a celebration of harvest. And all of these things are aimed at pointing to the harvest of human souls. In the final year of human history, the perfection of human character will be exactly on the calendar. The feasts three times in the year, it will be exactly in that order. Why? As we have been studying, it's when the holy Spirit, the "water", is being poured out in great power; that's when we come to the fullness of completion.
Let's read on:
Again the people were reminded of the sacred obligation of the Sabbath. (A: How they were reminded?) Yearly feasts were appointed (A: Do you see a connection between the Sabbath and the feasts?), at which all the men of the nation were to assemble before the Lord, bringing to Him their offerings of gratitude and the first fruits of His bounties. PP 311.2
A: So, the feasts were an offering of gratitude and praise. Again, you can "trip over" the language; "It's an obligation; you MUST do it; you MUST thank God …". Won't you just thank God for doing all these things? So, don't get caught up in the language.
2 Esdras 2:38 Arise up and stand, behold the number of those that be sealed in the feast of the Lord;
A: Do you see that the sealing occurs during the feast? Because it's when the Spirit is poured out; that's when the fruit is brought to completion. If you are not participating in these events, opening your heart to receive the outpouring, you don't come to the fullness in order to be harvested.
Another evidence, and this is anecdotal evidence, but I've talked to people, and for myself, my wife and others will testify that this feast of Tabernacles has been the best; not necessarily in content, but in terms of experience, peace, joy, harmony with the brethren. It's because it is a Shabbath Shabbaton year. We can experience extra peace, the peace of God.
It was the peace and the joy that I was experiencing that made me get off Facebook. I don't need hundreds of videos of death and destruction. By beholding death and destruction, I become death and destruction. Facebook is getting darker. People are getting stressed, and so they "vomit out"their stress. I needed to get away from this, because I tasted something different, and I don't want to break/lose that. … Who says we stop surfing "the wave"? What if we can surf it right through to Passover; a six months wave! Of course, we are picking up the extra little bits from the weekly Sabbaths and new moons all along the way. But the peace that I have experienced helped me to see that I didn't need this (Facebook) energy any more. This is a Sabbath year!
And when we come to the rest for the land, what are we made out of? We are made of the dust of the earth. So, isn't that really a rest for us too? … I look forward to spending more time praying, walking in the forest, living off the earth, and just let the harvest come from the books and material that are already there, and let them do their work.
John 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast (A: Tabernacles), Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
A: Why did He say this on the last day of Tabernacles? Because that's when the Spirit is being poured out. That's when the Father has fully embraced His Son, kissed Him, and said "I love you." And the Son's heart is just bursting with the Father's love, just pouring out of Him like Niagara Falls. "Just come to Me! Enjoy the fact that you are a child of God." And you feel this at the feasts. And this is what brings us to completion, brings us to the harvest.
How does the year begin?
Planting (October); Winter; Barley harvest (March/April); Wheat harvest (May/June); Fruit harvest (August/September)
A: The actual year begins in March/April. But the feast calendar is a harvest calendar. That's the point I am making.
A harvest calendar should be connected to the harvest. The variation in the start relates to the free response of the seed to the sun and the rain.
A: This is important, because of how some people calculate the calendar. If the whole calendar is aimed at harvest, and then you have a system of calculation that has nothing to do with harvest [that is not logical.] The variation in starting the year relates to the fact that the seed is actually part of the equation. It's not just the sun and the moon that are playing a part in bringing the fruit to completion, but also the seed's response; the seed (God's word) in the soil which is the human heart. It depends on the condition of the soil as to how the seed springs up, and therefore the timing of when the barley becomes abib.
C: Therefore our focus should be on planting the seed in preparation for the harvest, and not how bad the world is going down the gurgler so quickly.
A: The conclusion that I came to, most of what we are hearing are lies; how can you prove any of this true? The whole concept of diplomacy is out the door, because everybody can chat to each other online directly, without diplomats, and all that kind of stuff. That's just show-stuff now, because people are just talking directly. So, just focus on what we are doing.
How does the harvest year begin?
And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month [moon] shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. (Exo 12:1-2)
Exodus 13:4 This day came ye out in the month Abib. [tender, green, young ear of grain.]
A: And notice what it says in Jeremiah to get the spiritual connection to what's happening.
Jer 2:3 Israel was holiness unto the LORD, and the first fruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil shall come upon them, saith the LORD.
A: Do you see the connection? Israel here is being presented as the barley! They are the first ones that came out; they are the rootstock of which all of us are grafted into. So, when it says the month of abib, this shall be the beginning of months to you, God is using the barley harvest to illustrate that Israel came out first. And when He brought them out of Egypt, isn't this a harvest principle? He's harvesting them from Egypt, and He's bringing them into the promised land. So, Israel is the first fruit. Who else is the first fruit? Christ, as it says in 1. Corinthians. And who is Israel? Jacob, the overcomer. Of course, it's Christ who is doing all the work in him.
So again, coming out of this month is connected to a harvest principle. And it's not just talking about harvesting of grain, it's talking about harvesting of souls. One is connected to the other; the visible is connected to the invisible, for those who are familiar with the Divine Pattern.
C: Passover is the first harvest. Pentecost is the second harvest. Tabernacles as the third harvest must be the end of time?
A: Yes, Tabernacles is right at the end. But within that process we are going to see a repeating of all things, because the 144000 are the first fruits; they are the ones that are perfected; they are the ones that will go out to the world. So, there will be a barley harvest; then, they will be reaching out into the next layer of the community for the general wheat harvest. And then, there will be a reaching out to the whole world, and that will be happening at the very end. So, the same pattern is occurring.
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, [Moedim] and for days, and years: [Shana] And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. (Gen 1:14-16)
A: So, God mentions Moedim in Genesis 1. Moedim means feasts, appointments, gatherings. Remember, when it says seasons in English, what is a season to us? C: Change of weather. A: In the beginning, was there a change of weather? Was there summer and winter? No. It was constant, even temperature. Summer and winter came later. So, this word Moedim can't refer to seasons. It must refer to gatherings, feasts.
The word for year is Shena. It is three Hebrew letters, and in the Paleo Hebrew Shena is drawn as a seed, a set of teeth, and someone waving. It's testing the abib; testing the moisture content of the seed to see if it's ready; the year can begin. So, how do you begin the year? Barley harvest; it's in the word year!
Psa 104:19 He appointed the moon for seasons: [Moedim] the sun knoweth his going down.
A: So, it's telling you that the sun and the moon are part of the Moedim system, but it's all connected to the harvest; because what the sun and the moon do is to bring the grain to completion.
Now, put all this to one side. We are going to the story of Joseph. Are you familiar with the dreams of Joseph? Joseph is Jacob's son by Rachel, his cherished wife. Joseph is not so politically correct, because he has these dreams, and he just blurts them all out to his brothers. And when you see the dreams, you say, O Joseph, you could have been more discreet.
For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words. And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? (Gen 37:7-10)
A: Notice how Jacob interprets the dream. The sun and the moon are father and mother, and the stars are his brethren. Notice Joseph has two dreams. There is a king shortly after this that has two dreams. Let's have a quick look:
Two dreams as one
And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. (Gen 41:25-26)
Seven Cows and Seven Ears of Corn is one dream.
A: So, the point I am making here is that the dream about the seven cows and the dream about the seven ears of corn is one dream. So:
Sheaves of Wheat making Obeisance, and Sun Moon and Stars making Obeisance is one dream.
The Sun Moon and Stars, and the Sheaves of Wheat are all connected.
A: This is a big point! It is the ONE DREAM that involves BOTH sun moon and stars, AS WELL AS the sheaf of wheat/barley or the harvest. It's all connected; because they are all working together to bring about the harvest.
The Sun = Father
The Moon = Mother
Stars = Joseph and his brethren
Sheaf of wheat = Sons of Jacob
A: The parents aren't mentioned in the dream of the sheaf of wheat/barley; only the brothers are mentioned in the harvest. But in the other dream, the sun and the moon and stars are also involved. And then you connect all this together with the woman in Revelation 12, and you get something really cool.
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child [Seed] cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered [Harvest]. (Rev 12:1-2)
A: The sun moon and stars are all working together with the seed to bring about the harvest. This is all taking part in the woman who is the Church.
C: What is the sun and the moon in that context, under the Church's feet?
A: Adventism traditionally said the sun represents the brightness of the New Testament, which is clothing the woman. And the moon is the Old Testament foundation upon which she stands. That's one understanding. I would also suggest that, when you look at the story of the Cross, where the sun is darkened and the moon is turned to blood, that the sun and the moon represent Father and Son, and the stars fall from heaven. It's clearly a Father-Son scenario. In other pictures Jesus refers to Himself as the sun, but they're just patterns which we're working with here. When you look at Jacob and his wives, they're the ones that produced all the offspring; the Father and the Son are the ones that produced all the offspring of the universe; so you have that parallel as well.
C: So, you could say that upen her head was her brethren.
A: Yes, carrying them; they were stars in His crown or, in her crown. They added to her glory, which is another way of making obeisance.
Sun and moon related to harvest
The Sun = Ripens the grain.
A: The sun shines and ripens the grain; that's obvious. But listen to this about the moon:
Traditional Moon Planting is an ancient agricultural practice that has been used by farmers for several thousand years and is still practiced today.
During New Moon and First Quarter phases, the Moon is increasing in light. In these two phases, sap flow increases in the above ground parts of plants, and these are the most suitable phases for sowing and transplanting annuals (and biennials). Flowering annuals, grains, melons and spring onions do well if planted in either phase but, generally, New Moon phase is best for leafy annuals and First Quarter is best for fruiting annuals.
During the Full Moon and Last Quarter phases the Moon decreases in light and sap flow in plants is more concentrated in the root area. As sap flow gradually slows during these two phases, Full Moon phase is best for sowing and planting because germination is lower, and regrowth slower, during Last Quarter phase. Because sap flow is lower in the foliage part of plants, crops or seed harvested for storage or drying are less likely to rot if harvested during the Moon’s waning period. https://aussieorganicgardening.com/2008/03/traditional-moon-planting/
A: So, why was the barley harvest after the Passover? Because it is in the waning period of the moon. So, the moon and the sun are BOTH helping to produce the harvest. And in this case it's helping with preservation of the grain so no rot is going to affect it. I just think that's awesome; the wisdom of God.
So again, with the two dreams being one, the idea of calculating the calendar without the idea of harvest being involved just doesn't make any sense. It's all about the harvest, this is the point we're getting to.
How does the year begin?
Sun and Moon = Source
Barley (First Fruits) = Channel
Any calendar method that ignores the channel of the harvest ignores the whole purpose of the harvest calendar.
Again the people were reminded of the sacred obligation of the Sabbath. Yearly feasts were appointed, at which all the men of the nation were to assemble before the Lord, bringing to Him their offerings of gratitude and the first fruits of His bounties. PP 311.2
C: If the calendar wasn't looking for the barley, but only looking at the sun and the moon, wouldn't that also work? You say the focus is on the barley, but that's the channel. The focus could be on the source also?
A: The whole package together is what I am saying. The sun and moon and the stars are there to produce the barley which is the end result, or the brightness of their glory. Seed planting and harvest. So the point of the sun and moon is to produce a harvest. That's their whole purpose.
C: And they are there to give the time.
A: Yes, the timing of how that all works.
C: Is the sun involved in the timing of the start (of the year) as well?
A: Absolutely. The sun is ripening it every day. As the days get longer, more heat is generated by the sun, and the barley starts to grow; as it comes out of winter and into spring. The sun is determining the overall timing; the moon is dealing with the micro elements of bringing it to the harvest.
Now we are shifting gears. I like to look at a number of layers. This is Ellen White's first vision, and why it is important. So, she has a vision, and sees people ascending from earth, and they are going up to the heavenly City.
Adventist Context
At this I raised my eyes, and saw a straight and narrow path, cast up high above the world. On this path the Advent people were traveling to the city, which was at the farther end of the path. They had a bright light set up behind them at the beginning of the path, which an angel told me was the midnight cry. This light shone all along the path and gave light for their feet so that they might not stumble. If they kept their eyes fixed on Jesus, who was just before them, leading them to the city, they were safe. EW 14.
A: The midnight cry! That is an important keyword. The midnight cry was a document written by Samuel Snow. We have it online (See Maranatha Media: https://maranathamedia.com/book/view/the-true-midnight-cry). It was written in 1844, just before she had this vision. She had the vision in December 1844; this document came out in July 1844.
The 10 points from the midnight cry (document) that you can read in this book are:
1. The earth is 6000 years old.
2. The 2520 year prophecy.
3. The 2300 year prophecy.
4. The Seventy Weeks of Daniel 9.
5. The year of the crucifixion being AD 31.
6. Friday is the day Christ died that year.
7. The Karaite Jewish Calendar being the correct calendar by which to determine the biblical festivals and thus determine the date Oct 22 1844 as the date for the day of atonement that year.
8. The giving of the law on Mt. Sinai was a type of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
9. The coming of Christ is connected to the Jubilee and then the anti-type of the feast of Tabernacles will occur with the marriage supper of the Lamb.
10. The period of the 1000 years after the coming of Christ is a Millennial Sabbath of Rest.
The angel said this light shone all along the path and gave light for their feet. This is the document that will guide you all the way to the City, with these 10 points. Very important document! This is the quote that has guided me. It said the midnight cry. What is the midnight cry? I asked the same question. As I read, O, this is what it is saying.
The following is a quote from Joshua Himes. He was one of the main Millerite preachers. He did a lot of the groundwork from which Samuel Snow developed his document, the True Midnight Cry. Listen to what he says:
Originally, the Jewish year, as shown by Dr. Prideaux, was entirely inartificial (A: not manufactured; it followed natural processes), and continued thus so long as they remained in their own land, before their enemies began to reign over them. A few hundred years before Christ, they used an astronomical cycle of 84 years, with a certain number of intercalary years, containing thirteen moons each, instead of twelve, the usual number. This was found to be faulty, and Meto's cycle of 19 years, was substituted for it. To remedy its defects the Jewish calendar in its present shape was struck out by Rabbi Samuel without its being perfected; it was improved upon by Rabbi Adda, and afterwards perfected by Rabbi Hillel, about A. D. 360. (See Prideaux Con. vol. I, pp. 49-54.) According to this calendar, the Jewish year ends with the first new moon after the vernal equinox, which this year is March 21st. But according to the Karaite Jews, the true year cannot commence till the appearance of the next new moon in April. (That is because of the barley harvest.)
A: So, what year was after the first new moon after the vernal equinox? 1844. So, according to the vernal equinox method, as Joshua Himes was understanding it, the first new moon after the vernal equinox was in March, which would lead you to a September day of Atonement and not an October one. There are people who would contend, no, that is not true. But they (our pioneers) were back there, and that's what they understood from the information they had.
That the Karaite Jews are correct, is plain from the 23rd of Lev., which requires that the barley shall be ripe at the passover, on the 14th day of the first month, and which, at Jerusalem, is one whole moon later, than the Rabbins keep the passover, and who pay no attention to this requirement of God. Joshua Himes, Signs of the Times, March 20, 1844
A: The reason he says it is one whole month later is because in the 1840s it was one of the coldest periods in our human history, and so that pushed the harvest back a month. Living today, it's kind of going the other way. The barley is becoming ripe a lot earlier, and often it's earlier than the vernal equinox method. But he is saying that the Karaites' method of using the barley system, which is a harvest principle, is the correct method, not the vernal equinox method.
Vernal equinox in Midnight Cry
The word Karaite signifies "one perfect in the law." These accuse the Rabbins of having departed from the law, and conformed to the customs of the heathen; and the charge is just, as they regulate their year by the vernal equinox, in imitation of the Romans; whereas the law says nothing of the vernal equinox; Samuel Snow, The True Midnight Cry August 22, 1844. Reprinted in ST Oct 2, and Oct 9, 1844.
A: What did the angel say? Midnight Cry is the light that will light the path all the way to the City. And Midnight Cry says the vernal equinox method is heathen; it's imitating the Romans; it's incorrect; it's not according to the Torah.
So, how is it heathen?
Origin of new moon after vernal equinox
The earliest recorded New Year’s festivity dates back some 4,000 years to ancient Babylon, and was deeply intertwined with religion and mythology. For the Babylonians of ancient Mesopotamia, the first new moon following the vernal equinox—the day in late March with an equal amount of sunlight and darkness—heralded the start of a new year and represented the rebirth of the natural world. They marked the occasion with a massive religious festival called Akitu (derived from the Sumerian word for barley, which was cut in the spring) that involved a different ritual on each of its 11 days. During the Akitu, statues of the gods were paraded through the city streets, and rites were enacted to symbolize their victory over the forces of chaos. Through these rituals the Babylonians believed the world was symbolically cleansed and recreated by the gods in preparation for the new year and the return of spring. https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-important-events/ancient-origins-new-year-s-celebrations-001181
A: Didn't Samuel Snow say the vernal equinox method was pagan? It's pagan. It comes from Babylon. First new moon after the vernal equinox has as much holiness as Sunday in the Sabbath-Sunday debate. It has the same origin, Babylon. It is interesting that they used the word Akitu which meant barley, but it had nothing to do with the barley in the sense of determining the time. The time was determined only by the heavenly bodies, because in Babylon they worshiped the sun and the moon. Bringing human character to perfection is not part of Babylonian religion! It is a part of the Jewish religion.
As a sub note to this, once the new year began, from the beginning of the new moon, the Babylonians would have a Sabbath every seven days from that new moon. Have you heard of that? Lunar Sabbatarianism! This is also Babylonian. If you are keeping the lunar Sabbath, you're keeping the traditions of Babylon. This is not Torah; this is not biblical; this is Babylonian as I understand it.
C: It's kind of human wisdom to say that the time of light and darkness are equal. A yin-yang kind of power structure; co-equal.
A: "You will know good AND evil." And it's completely arbitrary. There is no natural principle on earth that is responding; there is no response from humanity. The gods have determined it, and humanity has no input into the process. In the barley system, humanity has input into the system; that's the point that is being made; because it is relational; rather than the faithless to say that the gods have determined it, there is nothing I can do about it. The God of Israel is not like that. This is why Peter says, Hastening the coming of the Lord. We can hasten the coming of Christ with our response to the message that's been given. In the other system you can't do anything; it's all predetermined. That is why the whole concept of probation which says God has determined it, He's drawn a line in the sand, He knows when it's going to end, it's all determined by God. But the second coming as we understand it, is partly humanity responding.
Now, some more statements that you need to be aware of. It's in the book The Seventh Month Movement, see the link here: https://maranathamedia.com/book/view/the-seventh-month-movement-the-midnight-cry-and-the-karaite-calendar This is the Catholic fathers, the anti-semitism of Rome:
Anti Nicene fathers
…And when the Jews are feasting, do you fast and wail over them, because on the day of their feast they crucified Christ (A: "We didn't crucified Christ; we are not full of hatred and enmity towards God. We are better than them."); and while they are lamenting and eating unleavened bread in bitterness, do you feast. But no longer be careful to keep the feast with the Jews, for we have now no communion with them; for they have been led astray in regard to the calculation itself, which they think they accomplish perfectly, that they may be led astray on every hand, and be fenced off from the truth. But do you observe carefully the vernal equinox, which occurs on the twenty-second of the twelfth month, which is Dystros (March), observing carefully until the twenty-first of the moon, lest the fourteenth of the moon shall fall on another week, and an error being committed, you should through ignorance celebrate the passover twice in the year, or celebrate the day of the resurrection of our Lord on any other day than a Sunday. Anti-Nicean Fathers Volume 7 – Constitutions of the Apostles 07.07.09
8. If any bishop, or presbyter, or deacon shall celebrate the holiday of the passover before the vernal equinox with the Jews, let him be deprived. Anti-Nicean Fathers Volume 7 – Constitutions of the Apostles 07.07.16
A: What does that tell you? That the Jews could actually celebrate BEFORE vernal equinox.
C: That's not in line with the current rabbinic calendar, is it? A: No. C: So, they were more Karaites back then.
A: I found that statement fascinating. Because if they had a spring that came early, the barley came early, they could have it in March.
Conclusion
The Feast Calendar is a Harvest Calendar.
A: This is the whole point. The idea of having the barley when it ripens being connected to the beginning of the year makes perfect sense. And this is borne out by the dreams of Joseph, where the sun and the moon and the stars connected to the sheaves of the wheat or barley. It's all one; it's all connected together.
It is directly connected to seedtime and harvest, a symbol of the seeding the gospel into the hearts of men and then harvesting them.
The date Oct 22 1844 was calculated using the method of the Karaites using the first new moon after Barley was abib.
A: This is the Midnight Cry. This is what the angel told us, and is what will light the path all the way to the City.
First New Moon after the Vernal Equinox originated in Babylon.
The Anti-Nicene Fathers forbade keeping Passover with the Jews before the vernal equinox (which was obviously what the Jews were doing).
A: And it says earlier in that quote, that sometimes the Jews are so crazy that they celebrate the Passover twice! That just shows you the mindset of the Jews. They loved feasting, and they tried to get as much as the presence of God as they could. C: And this was a Torah option wasn't it? A: Yes, if you couldn't get to the first one, you could go to the second one a month later; because sometimes you weren't sure. So they do it twice just to make sure, which is really cool.
In answering a comment from the live chat about the Gregorian calendar: The biblical year begins when the barley is beginning to ripen. All the work of the sun, moon and stars is focused on the harvest. And this is what the plan of salvation is about, isn't it? All of the resources of heaven are focused on bringing humanity to completion. And that's what the feasts are all about; it's all focused on a harvest principle. And the first new moon after the vernal equinox is not focused on those things; it's arbitrary. But like we said, the equality of light and dark plays into the knowledge of good and evil, and a whole lot of other stuff ...
In the future, we will do more material on this subject, but I just wanted to bring some points together for you.
The material about the Babylonian origin of the vernal equinox is in the book online. It's interesting that part of the Babylonian ritual was to take the king and slap him in the face and to make him cry. It has very strong illusions to what they did to Christ. It's an attack on Christ.
