Part 1: “Let there be…”

Is there a calendar described in the Bible? God commanded observances on specific days of the month throughout the year long before the Gregorian Calendar we now use was created.

From Adam to-date

Since the creation of Adam until today (right now today), there has only ever been one authorized calendar which men should follow – and that is the one authorised by God Himself. Mankind over the centuries has created many other calendars which are astounding in their mathematical complexity and their incredible accuracy, based on the movement of the sun, moon and sometimes the stars. We have had Egyptian calendars, Assyrian, Hindu, Chinese, Mayan, and the Julian calendar of the Roman Empire. These a just a few of many. But none of these are God’s Authorised Calendar.

The incredible work of science and calendar calculations

Mathematical computations concerning our incredible solar system are astronomically complex! The time the earth takes to go around the sun alters marginally every year. The moon’s rotation around the earth is different every month. The number of days in a solar year today is 365.242188 days. The average number of days for the moon to go around the earth, according to NASA, who uses the most advanced technology ever created by man (apparently), is 29.530588 days. Yet, this is only 1 or 2 millionth of a day different to what the Hebrews were using to calculate their Calendar, 1500 years ago, and probably longer going back to Moses. Now by using these figures given here – and (dividing the days in a month into the days in a year, we can calculate how many months there are in a solar year. The answer is – there are 12.36826669 months every year. (hoping you are still reading on, the computation alone can be stressing!)

The point is this: – ALL calendars which use a solar year, need to be adjusted to keep the months in line with the years. Today the commercial, secular world uses the Gregorian calendar, as we all do. This was created by the authority of Pope Gregory 13th in 1582.

The Gregorian calendar conundrum

The main ongoing adjustment which has to be made in this Gregorian calendar is that every four years, the 1st March is postponed one day – how dare they – how can you change time like that? That’s what is said about God’s authorised calendar, but calendar adjustments are a fact of life. So every four years, with great skill, the mathematicians create the 29th February. This is really good news for those who were born and observe birthdays on the 29th February, because they live four times longer than anyone else. Never fear – today would be your aha! moment!

Misalignment and self-appointed times

Why are we even addressing this subject? Because the church has over the decades, been accused of keeping God’s holydays at incorrect times. This can have a serious effect on our faith. Seeds of doubt can be sown in people’s minds. Also, historically, the calendar issue has been used as a tool for self-appointed leaders to lead people out of the main body of Christ, which they do so at their own ultimate peril.

An important principle to remember brethren, is that God’s Authorised Calendar has been given to us as a means to an end – a means to fulfil God’s great purpose for us now – TODAY! The calendar is not the end in itself. In other words, some believe the Calendar is more important that its purpose – and in so doing, lose sight of God’s purpose altogether.

So firstly, what is God’s purpose? 2 Chronicles 30.

At this time, Israel had gone into captivity, but the remaining nation of Judah was turning to God under the leadership of Hezekiah. And Hezekiah announced that he was immediately restoring the Passover right then and there in the second month of the religious year.

2 Chronicles 30:12-13 Also the hand of God was on Judah to give them singleness of heart to obey the command of the king and the leaders, at the word of the LORD. Now many people, a very great assembly, gathered at Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month.

Wait a minute – this is unlawful according to strict biblical law! Unleavened Bread had to be kept in the first month. We find an allowance was made by God in Numbers 9:11 that they could keep the Passover in the second month in extenuating circumstances, as we do today – but NOT the festival of Unleavened Bread. So what was more important here? The Calendar OR the purpose of the Holydays? At this time, King Hezekiah was leading a movement to remove paganism from Jerusalem. AND THAT WAS THE IMPORTANT ISSUE!

2 Chronicles 30:14-17 They arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they took away all the incense altars and cast them into the Brook Kidron (pagan altars). Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the second month. The priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought the burnt offerings to the house of the LORD. They stood in their place according to their custom, according to the Law of Moses the man of God; the priests sprinkled the blood received from the hand of the Levites. For there were many in the assembly who had not sanctified themselves; therefore the Levites had charge of the slaughter of the Passover lambs for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to the LORD.

Understand this, the Law (in Leviticus 15) threatened death to anyone who attended the services of the sanctuary in a state of ceremonial uncleanness.

2 Chronicles 30:18-20 For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good LORD provide atonement for everyone (and then comes the condition of being pardoned)  who prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.” And the LORD LISTENED to Hezekiah and healed the people.

So what was important to God? It was their repentant attitude AND Hezekiah’s prayer to Him to forgive them of any ceremonial lawlessness they were guilty of in their zeal to serve Him at this time.

2 Chronicles 30:21 So the children of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing to the LORD, accompanied by loud instruments.

God would have been overjoyed by this as well.

Finally, His people are beginning to worship Him after previously turning their backs on Him.

2 Chronicles 30:22-23 And Hezekiah gave encouragement to all the Levites who taught the good knowledge of the LORD; and they ate throughout the feast seven days, offering peace offerings and making confession to the LORD God of their fathers. Then the whole assembly agreed to keep another seven days, and they kept it another seven days with gladness.

 Solomon had done the same thing at the dedication of the Temple.

2 Chronicles 30:25-27 The whole assembly of Judah rejoiced, also the priests and Levites, all the assembly that came from Israel, the sojourners who came from the land of Israel, and those who dwelt in Judah. So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. Then the priests, the Levites, arose and blessed the people, (this was a petitionary prayer asking God for a blessing on the people), and their voice was heard; and their prayer came up to His holy dwelling place, to heaven.

So what was important to God? Keeping Unleavened Bread in the wrong month because of extenuation circumstances, OR, having potentially unclean people participating in the Passover – also because of extenuating circumstances? What WAS important was that His people were humble and repentant, and they were coming together to worship and rejoice before Him, TOGETHER! These were the important issues. We need to understand God’s thinking on these matters.

Look out for PART 2!!