Hello, John and Doves,
It is always important to refer to Scripture directly when describing some anticipated event.
Let us, for example take the Shmita year.
“The last Shmita year began on the Jewish New Year in September 2007, corresponding to the Hebrew calendar year 5768.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shmita#Shmita_2007.E2.80.932008
Now,
since the Shmita year is the Sabbath year [see article cited above],
the next Shmita year starts on 1 Tishrei 5775, which begins on the
evening of Wednesday 24 October 2014.
Some people get confused about the numbering of months and the beginning of the year.
The CIVIL new year nowadays [since 70 AD] starts on New Year’s Day, Rosh Hashanah [Head of the Year--http://www.gotquestions.org/Rosh-Hashanah.html].
Rosh
Hashanah is always 1 Tishrei to 2 Tishrei—a two day celebration that is
the modern equivalent to Yom Teruah [Day of Shouting/Feast of
Trumpets—see Leviticus 23:23-25].
However, the LORD told Moses when the beginning of months would be.
http://www.gotquestions.org/Jewish-calendar.html
It is written,
The First Passover
1While the Israelites were still in the land of Egypt, the Lord gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron: 2“From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you. 3Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household. 4If
a family is too small to eat a whole animal, let them share with
another family in the neighborhood. Divide the animal according to the
size of each family and how much they can eat. 5The animal you select must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no defects.
6“Take special care of this chosen animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then the whole assembly of the community of Israel must slaughter their lamb or young goat at twilight. 7They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the sides and top of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the animal. 8That same night they must roast the meat over a fire and eat it along with bitter salad greens and bread made without yeast. 9Do
not eat any of the meat raw or boiled in water. The whole
animal—including the head, legs, and internal organs—must be roasted
over a fire. 10Do not leave any of it until the next morning. Burn whatever is not eaten before morning.
11“These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed,
wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the Lord’s Passover. 12On
that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every
firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will
execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord! 13But
the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses
where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This
plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14“This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the Lord. This is a law for all time. 15For
seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast. On the first
day of the festival, remove every trace of yeast from your homes. Anyone
who eats bread made with yeast during the seven days of the festival
will be cut off from the community of Israel. 16On
the first day of the festival and again on the seventh day, all the
people must observe an official day for holy assembly. No work of any
kind may be done on these days except in the preparation of food.
17“Celebrate
this Festival of Unleavened Bread, for it will remind you that I
brought your forces out of the land of Egypt on this very day. This festival will be a permanent law for you; celebrate this day from generation to generation. 18The
bread you eat must be made without yeast from the evening of the
fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first
day of that month. 19During
those seven days, there must be no trace of yeast in your homes. Anyone
who eats anything made with yeast during this week will be cut off from
the community of Israel. These regulations apply both to the foreigners
living among you and to the native-born Israelites. 20During those days you must not eat anything made with yeast. Wherever you live, eat only bread made without yeast.”
Exodus 12:1-20 NLT
It
seems clear to me, now that I read the above passage, that the LORD has
likened this current Shmita cycle of seven years—1 Tishrei 5768 to 29
Elul 5775, erev Rosh Hashanah, to Holy Week long ago.
If
10 Nisan equates with the year 5768, then 14 Nisan must equate with
5773, the Jewish year just finished on the evening of 4 September 2013.
In
that case, since we are in the midst of the sixth year of the current
Shmita cycle, this year ought to correspond to the Feast of Unleavened
Bread of Holy Week, long ago.
The significance of that could well be the following scripture passage.
It is written,
The Hope of Eternal Life
3All
praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great
mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from
the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4and
we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven
for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5And
through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you
receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
6So be truly glad.
There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. 7These
trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire
tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than
mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials,
it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus
Christ is revealed to the whole world.
8You
love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him
now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.
9The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.
10This
salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about
when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. 11They
wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was
talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and
his great glory afterward.
12They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.
1 Peter 1:3-12 NLT
Could “last day,” in 1 Peter 1:5 refer to the seventh day of Unleavened Bread?
It is written,
Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread
5“The Lord’s Passover begins at sundown on the fourteenth day of the first month.6On
the next day, the fifteenth day of the month, you must begin
celebrating the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This festival to the Lord continues for seven days, and during that time the bread you eat must be made without yeast. 7On the first day of the festival, all the people must stop their ordinary work and observe an official day for holy assembly. 8For seven days you must present special gifts to the Lord. On the seventh day the people must again stop all their ordinary work to observe an official day for holy assembly.”
Leviticus 23:5-8 NLT
Again, it is written,
A Call to Remain Faithful
17But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said. 18They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. 19These
people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow
their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.
20But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,21and
await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal
life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.
22And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. 23Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.
A Prayer of Praise
24Now
all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will
bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single
fault. 25All
glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and
in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.
Jude 17-25 NLT
~Blessings,
Mike