Brother John,
Will you graceously post the attached htm file:
passover response.htm
Thank You.
And may the Lord bless and gift you
with a double portion of His prophetic insight,
James Muecke
__
Thanks, James. I thought about 'double portion' today before I read your e-mail.
John
This is James Muecke’s (pronounced “Mickey’s”) response to Jean’s post of April 11th:
See her post at:
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/apr2008/jeans411.htm
The red text below contains the points in Jean’s post.
They are about determining the date of the Feast of Passover this year, and in turn, the Feast of Pentecost.
The black text contains James’ response to each point.
My hope is that the points in this post will help Jean and all other Doves to better understand the Hebrew Calendar and how it relates to major prophetic events that will dramatically affect every one of our lives in the near future.
Jean begins with:
Dear John, James, and all doves,
1. Jean’s point: Thank you James for your posting and ongoing search for eternal Truth (April 9). For an alternative interpretation of when Nisan 1 begins, I have found the articles on Passover at fossilized customs.com very useful.
James’ response: I’m sorry, but I could not make order out of the referenced website.
2. Jean’s point: The articles have helped me to see that there are several considerations or variables as to when Nisan 1 begins.
James’ response: Nisan (or Nissan) is the Persian name for the first month of the Hebrew year. This name was not used by the Jews until one thousand years after the writing of the Pentateuch, when Persia conquered Babylon, and the Jews were forced to learn the Aramaic language. The Hebrew name for the month is Abib (or Aviv), not Nisan.
There are really two (not several) considerations to take into account as to identifying the first day of the Hebrew new year. These two considerations must be taken into account for each new year.
First: The sighting in Israel of barley that has reached the abib state of development.
Second: The sighting in Israel of the crescent new moon (after the abib barley is found).
Once both of these conditions are met, the new year can begin.
3. Jean’s point: The state of aviv barley in Israel is only one factor to be considered.
James’ response: The aviv (or abib) barley is the key factor prescribed by the Lord for determining when the new year will begin. If we are to be obedient to the Lord’s directive in scripture, then abib barley must be found in Israel before the old year can end and the new begin.
See the biblical references for determining the beginning of the month of abib at:
http://www.karaite-korner.org/abib.shtml
If abib barley is not found before the end of the twelfth lunar month of any given year, then a thirteenth month must be added to the calendar for that year and the seven Feasts of the Lord will be delayed one full lunar cycle (one full lunar month).
The purpose for requiring the finding of abib barley is to enable the Jewish lunar months to stay in cycle with the solar year. Most lunar calendars have a similar dynamic feature.
This dynamic feature of the Hebrew calendar (finding the abib barley in Israel) is prescribed by the Lord. Although the calendar is dynamic, there is a significant reason that the Hebrew calendar is not something we have the authority to toy with.
Remember, the Hebrew calendar is a major prophetic instrument of the Lord. It is a prophetic calendar which points to the appointed times of the seven most significant events in redemptive history.
Specifically, the Hebrew lunar calendar is the only calendar in the world that is harmonized with the appointed times of the Seven Feasts of the Lord.
The effect of our changing the days and months of the calendar is significant. Functionally, it is no different than our attempting to change the appointed times of prophetic events.
One of the high goals of Satan is to get prophetic events to occur off of their appointed times. If Satan can get prophetic events to occur off of their appointed times, then he will have broken the sure trustworthiness of the Lord. He would attack the Lord in the high court by charging Him with not being trustworthy.
Attacking God for not being trustworthy is at the heart of Satan’s strategy for overthrowing the Lord. You could say this form of attack provides a legal reason for Satan to attempt to get the calendar off schedule.
Even though Satan will fail to change the appointed time of one prophetic event he is working as hard as he can to do just that.
In contrast, Satan can easily obscure the dates of the biblical calendar and give the appearance of changing the appointed times and events. He can do this by changing the methods by which calendar dates are determined.
This will also enable him to catch Christians (and in particular watchmen like the Doves) off guard and ambush us, which would provide him with a secondary militaristic reason for changing the calendar.
For and example, there is a lunar calendar that is a major exception to the dynamic features of most lunar calendars. Although the Koran prescribes a lunar calendar, it forbids having a thirteenth leap month. The effect is that the Islamic calendar does not remain in cycle with the seasons, or more importantly, it does not remain in cycle with the prophetic appointed times of the Lord.
I believe one of the dark intents behind the out-of-cycle Islamic calendar is to obscure the dates of the Lord’s Feasts, and therefore, obscure the set times of prophetic events.
4. Jean’s point: I believe that Nisan 1 began a few days earlier.
James’ response: The beginning of all Hebrew months is determined by the sighting of the new moon. This is what makes the Hebrew calendar a lunar calendar, in contrast to the solar calendar that we use in the west. (It is what makes the Lord’s prophetic calendar a lunar calendar.)
While the time of the new moon can be easily figured out mathematically, the Hebrews were not to use mathematics for determining the new moon. The Lord did not want them to fall into the ways and excesses of astrologers, as other nations had done.
I also believe that this is why the Hebrews were to determine the new year by the harvesting of a sheave of abib barley and not by mathematics.
As stated, just as the abib barley must be found within the nation of Israel, the crescent new moon must be sighted within the nation of Israel.
In turn, the sighting must be made with the unaided eye as it has been done for three thousand four hundred years—this means no modern binoculars or telescopes.
If the calculatable new moon cannot be seen by the unaided eye because its illumination is to weak, or it cannot be seen because the sky in Israel is cloudy, then the beginning of the new month will be delayed until the sighting on the next, or even a third, evening.
In conclusion: The month of abib cannot begin until the barley is abib and the crescent new moon is sighted in Israel.
The barley was not abib after twelve lunar months in the last Hebrew year, so there was a thirteenth month in Israel this spring.
The abib new moon could not be sighted this year until the evening of Monday April 7, 2008 on the Gregorian solar calendar we use in the west.
This means that the Hebrew New Year began at sundown Monday April 7, 2008 and ended on Tuesday at sundown April 8, 2008 (on our calendars).
Below in green is the monthly report by the Karate Jews that was sent out this new year. Note that the report even gives the reason why the new moon could not be seen the evening before:
#327: New Moon Report – April 2008 – First Biblical Month
On Monday April 7, 2008 the new moon was sighted from several
locations around Israel. The moon was sighted:
*from Eilat by Eli El-Tanani and Shai El-Tanani at 19:13
*from Ashdod by Neriah Haroeh and Nilit Masliach at 19:15
*from Mitzpeh Ramon by Bart Vangronsvelt and Ganneke Kunst at about 19:15
*from Beersheva by Simchon Firouz, Kobi El-Tanani, and Ovadiah Firouz
at about 19:30
*from highway 6 by Chad and Barbara Peterson at 19:39
On the previous evening, Sunday April 6, the moon had a lagtime of 33
minutes and illumination of 0.52% which means it was not visible under
any circumstances from Israel.
Shanah Tovah!
Happy New Year!
Nehemia Gordon
Jerusalem, Israel
5. Jean’s point: This means that Nisan 14-15 will be on 4-18 to 19.
James’ response: Close, but by biblical methods the Passover will begin at sundown on Monday April 21 through sundown April 22.
This means the calendar date is off three days from the biblical date.
6. Jean: We start as we go from 18 to 19 in Israel.
James’ response: Close, but we start the evening of April 21 and go to April 22, which is the true Abib (Nisan) 14 through Abib 15.
7. Jean’s point: The process starts with the timeline there.
James’ response: I believe that you are referring to a reference point for a process to determine the times of the rest of the Feast of the Lord, in particular the Feast of Pentecost.
Since Passover begins on the evening of Monday April 21, 2008, the Feast of Unleavened Bread will begin on the evening of Tuesday April 22, 2008.
Because the day of the new moon rotates through the week these first two feasts can occur on any day of the week, but it is different for the third feast, the Feast of First Fruits.
The Feast of First Fruits is to occur on the day after the Sabbath after the beginning of the week long Feast of Unleavened Bread.
This means that the Feast of First Fruits will begin at sundown Saturday April 26 and run through sundown Sunday April 27 (the evening of Abib 19 through Abib 20).
Then, for determining the date of the Feast of Pentecost, we count seven complete Sabbaths from the Feast of First Fruits (7X7 days) plus one day after the seventh Sabbath (a total of 50 days), which brings us to the evening of June 14 through the evening of June 15 for celebrating Pentecost this year.
It turns out this year that it does not matter whether we celebrate the Feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread a couple of days earlier. From the Feast of First Fruits through the Feast of Pentecost, (and the rest of the seven feasts) the dates will be the same either way.
This can all be seen by studying and applying Leviticus Chapter 23.
8. Jean’s point: Add the 8 days for Passover/Unleavened Bread and we are on the timeline for First Fruits mentioned by M.J. Agee and Sam Orlando, among others. That will be 4-26.
James’ response: I believe that you mean here that the Feast of First Fruits will be on the evening of April 26 through the evening of April 27. This is the day after the Sabbath, as prescribed in Leviticus 23:11. This is correct, even with the Feast of Passover falling on a different date than you noted.
9. Jean’s point: We go through the full day 26 with the time in Israel.
James’ response: I am not sure what you mean here.
10. Jean’s point: If we waited to see the new moon, we would be 1 or 2 days late for Passover at the full moon.
James’ response: Look closely, Jean. Nowhere does the scripture say that Passover is at the full moon. The Passover is on the fourteenth day of the month that the Abib barley is found. This is also why the month is named Abib (or Aviv).
This means that Passover will fall at, or near, the full moon. But the scriptures do not prescribe that the Feast of Passover be on the full moon.
However, the scripture does prescribe that the new moon be sighted before a new month can begin.
11. Jean’s point: We cannot delay the arrival of the full moon.
James’ response: Neither can we rush the sighting of the new moon.
12. Jean’s point: Scripture tells us that Passover is at the full moon.
James’ response: See my response to Jean’s 10th point.
13. Jean’s point: James, why do you trust the opinions of Karaites on spiritual matters?
James’ response: The Hebrew term Karaite means “biblical”.
The Karaite Jews are the only people that are following the biblical directives for determining the dates of the Hebrew calendar, and therefore the true appointed times of the Feasts of the Lord.
Do you know of a Christian organization in Israel that is following the biblical directives for determining the abib barley and the sighting of the new moons?
14. Jean’s point: These are individuals who do not trust the Christ/Messiah as personal Redeemer.
James’ response: I know of no one that could be more trustworthy in reporting the abib barley and the new moon sightings in Israel than the Karaite Jews.
Soon, and very soon, these conscientious Jews will look on Him whom they have pierced and trust the Christ/Messiah as personal Redeemer.
15. Jean’s point: Why trust 2 male witnesses thereof to see a new moon and declare it?
James’ response: See the Karaite report for this new year in green under my response to your point number 4. There were five sets of two faithful witnesses each from all over Israel that gave reports within minutes of each other.
16. Jean’s point: Declare it to whom? Themselves? There is no earthly high priest in Jerusalem to whom it can be declared!
James’ response: The Sanhedrin has been reconstituted in Israel, and they receive a report from the Kariates. The priesthood is in the process of being re-established. Many Levites now receive the abib and new moon reports.
Furthermore, the abib and new moon reports are instantly sent throughout the world to report to Jews and Christians of the sightings.
17. Jean’s point: Our High Priest is in heaven. We are told in Revelation that He has all authority on earth and heaven.
James’ response: Yes, but this does not negate the sightings and reports of the Kariates, in harmony with the biblical instructions in any way.
18. Jean’s point: He knows when Nisan 1 begins. Also, there is no temple made with hands on earth in Jerusalem to whom 2 male witnesses can report anything!
James’ response: There is no temple today, but there will be one soon.
Even there is no temple today the Temple Mount Faithful have already re-created the temple furnishings, utensils, and priestly clothing for the soon to be built temple.
In the same way, the Karaites are now re-creating the biblical method for reporting the new year and the new months now.
19. Jean’s point: I would be very wary of giving my trust for spiritual matters, to individuals who do not accept and declare Christ/Messiah as personal Redeemer and our only hope for forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with Abba Father. Who might a blind guide or false prophet be?
James’ response: Yes, and be careful not to give a false report of, or even slander, the right at heart, and those who may be the chosen of God for a high task.
In turn, I do not trust spiritual matters to the understand of the Kariates, and I am not asking anyone else to do so. The Kariates at the most trustworthy for determining the biblical calendar than anyone else I know.
I have to rely on some conscientious group in Israel for biblically based sightings, and ultimately, so do all the rest of us that are watching.
20. Jean’s point: Please read the articles. They will assist you and other doves in asking questions and searching more deeply for His Truth. May your searches be blessed, James, and yours dear doves. We are indeed in a season to be watching for The Groom.
James’ response: The Kariate Jews reject the “fossilized customs” of the religious rabbinical Jews that so dominate Judaism today. They try to follow only the Old Testament Scriptures. This standard may very well enable them to see the Messiah much easier than rabbinical Judaism.
With Love and Shalom,
Jean Stepnoski
If you have read this far you are a true Dove.
Thank You and God Bless you in your Watching,
James Muecke
Oh Lord, Holiness is what makes Your house beautiful for days without end.