[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_single_image media=”104461″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”504489″ el_class=”test_jd”][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”112837″]The psalmist David reminds us that God made the moon to mark the times:
“He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.”
Psalms 104:19
Some of you probably read the blog post about the Passover (Pesach) of 2022 and discovered that it was April 17, 2022 in Jerusalem. This corresponded to the fourteenth day of the first biblical month determined according to the ancient Jewish rules of the luni-solar cycle which generally differs from the current Jewish rabbinical calendar. Therefore, the biblical new year began on April 3, 2022 at sunset in Jerusalem. We presented a screenshot from the NASA website that showed the first day of the first biblical month thanks to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), the orbiter that has been placed around the Moon since summer 2009. This date of the biblical new year is revealed thanks to the rules highlighted by the work of the Adventist researcher Grace Edith Amadon who studied in depth the question of the biblical calendar before World War II. Our second companion article on the biblical weekly Sabbath also laid the foundation for understanding the biblical calendar. You will discover in the book of Genesis that God created the weekly cycle and the astronomical luni-solar cycle from the beginning of our planet to help mankind situate himself.
The biblical new moon of the second biblical month
Image source: NASA website
See the “Mare de Crisium” in the image. This is one of the signs that identify the good new moon (according to the ancient Jews, it is the Second Moon or the Horned Moon)
The second Hebrew month, which we call Chodesh 2, began on Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at sunset in Jerusalem. Chodesh means month in Hebrew. Please note that the biblical calendar dates available on our site are based on biblical, historical, scientific and prophetic data.
You will also discover the explanation on the map of the approximate age of the Earth which combines data from several biblical and prophetic scholars, including William Miller.
Why restore the biblical calendar?
After years of research and prayer for the love of truth, HephzibahSDA has chosen to follow in the footsteps of Grace Edith Amadon to reconstruct the biblical calendar based on the dates of the feasts of the Lord highlighted in Leviticus 23. To do this, we rely on prophetic data, ancient Jewish almanacs and astronomical data in order to be as accurate as possible and in accordance with the Bible. The purpose of this calendar is not to Judaize or Babylonize the readers, listeners and internet users, but to show how these feasts have Christocentric and Messianic messages for our edification. The goal is also to help us better understand God’s times and his will through Yeshuah, the true sacrifice, the true Paschal Lamb who replaces the Levitical priesthood, the sacrifices of the old covenant.
God’s word reveals to us that at some point in the history of the Israelites, there were people who knew the times: “Sons of Issachar, having the understanding of the times to know what Israel should do”. In this sense, we believe that God used William Miller, Grace Edith Amadon and her associates as the sons of Issachar. We have simply tried to pick up the pieces of their work with the help of the Bible and the Spirit of prophecy so that it is accessible to many.
Did Jesus have the understanding of the times?
Yes, he is the very author of time (John 1). Many details in the Word of God reveal that Jesus’ life was timed according to the biblical calendar. Further study will also show us on the HephzibahSDA blog how Jesus’ current ministry in heaven is still patterned after this biblical calendar. We can better understand in a more precise and accurate translation, in the Strong and Chouraqui Bible for example, why the Apostle Paul states that the Sabbaths, the new moons ARE a shadow of things to come, but that the body (the focus) is in Christ (the Messiah). Notice that the tense is in the present tense. Meditate on this by comparing several versions of the Bible (Strong’s or Chouraqui…), and in what historical contexts the apostle Paul or Rabbi Saul said these things. We will soon talk about this in more depth, but in summary if the fulfillment of these things is not done through Christ, it is useless.
Jesus showed us for example how the new Passover that he embodies is eaten with grape juice and unleavened bread (Matzot). There is also the washing of the feet. Read Luke 22:7-23 We note that he disregards the animal sacrifice because he was the true lamb and refrains from eating bitter herbs which represent his suffering for us.
One of the greatest statements of Yeshua (Jesus) that confirms that Jesus does these things is the following:
Do not think that I have come to abolish the law (Torah) or the prophets (Tanakh); I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota or one stroke of a letter will pass from the Law (Torah/Tanakh) until all is accomplished. Whoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but he that keepeth them, and teacheth to keep them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:17-19. Read the version of the Chouraqui Bible for example.
Please note that the term law used by Yeshua refers to the Torah or Mosaic law which includes the five books of Moses, consisting of civil laws, ceremonial laws and the moral law (the 10 commandments, the only law written by the hand of God). The prophets mostly refer to the other books found in the Old Testament or Tanakh.
Why have we forgotten the biblical calendar?
This is a long story that we will not go into here. However, the Word of God in the book of Daniel reveals to us that in the history of our world, there would be a power that would try to change the times and the law (morality):
“He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall oppress the saints of the Most High, and shall hope to change the times and the law”
Daniel 7:25
Is it relevant to remember the biblical new moon?
The word of God reminds us that at the restoration of all things, that at every new moon and every Sabbath (weekly Saturday) all flesh worshipped the Lord of hosts:
“For as the new heavens And the new earth, which I will create, shall stand before me, saith the LORD, So shall your seed and your name stand. At every new moon and at every Sabbath, all flesh shall come and worship before me, says the LORD”
Isaiah 66:22-23
As a sign of gratitude, those who wish to do so can already mark this day by giving thanks to God in praise and prayer for his graces and benefits shown to them during the past month for example. It is also an opportunity to renew our covenant with him for each new month that begins. The weekly Sabbath of the 7th day, on the other hand, is part of the moral law written by God’s hand for humanity to recognize God as the Creator like our first parents Adam and Eve who were not of any religious denomination or ideological current.
The apostle Paul invites us to mark our time with prayer but also with moments of praise and worship by the Holy Spirit:
“Keep on singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and praising the Lord with all your heart; giving thanks for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”
Ephesians 5:19-20
Our prayer for the month of Chodesh 2 for each of us:
“Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.”
Proverbs 16:3
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