Why was Passover a month late in 1997?
SHOULD GOD’S PEOPLE FOLLOW THE HEBREW CALENDAR?
CAN WE CHANGE GOD'S WORD?
Which Passover date did you have marked on your Gregorian calendar for 1997? Was it March 22 or April 21? Are you sure you took the FIRST, and not the SECOND, Passover?
You and I know only one of these dates was correct, but which one? It is scripturally clear we are to prove all things! (I Thes. 5:21).
Passover 1997 was in a postponement year, according to the rules of the Hebrew calendar. Within God's creation, a 19 year time cycle exists. This cycle of 19 years or 235 lunations of the phases of the moon, are repeated on the same days of the year, or approximately so every 19 years, says Jean Meeus, in his book, "Astronomical Tables of the Sun, Moon and Planets;" Section 4-1. When counting the new moons over a period of 19 years, starting with the new moon nearest the spring equinox, will keep the Holy Days (always) in their season, at the turn of the year (Ex.34:22; Ex23:16).
There are seven years within a nineteen year time cycle that have thirteen months. Leap years have been set for the 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 19th years. These years are called leap years, AND have been interculated (added) and fixed, for the purpose of keeping the Holy Days in their season. Interculation is God ordained, BUT THE YEARS WERE NEVER INTENDED TO BE "FIXED" YEARS!
The leap years of the Hebrew Calendar appear in different years than they would, when using God's natural nineteen year time cycle. Four out of the seven FIXED leap years, in the Hebrew Calendar, cause years that should not be leap years, to be deemed as such! THIS WAS THE CASE IN 1997! The SETTING of these leap years, is where the error lies, not the leap years themselves! The Nineteenth and eighth leap years of the cycle are critical to a late Passover in that they follow, by only two years, a previous leap year. In 1967 (an "8th year") Passover fell on April 24th, the latest it has ever been so far.
Adding to this gross error are the Postponement rules called the Dehioth. They were added for the convenience of those who practiced Judaism; postponing God's Holy Time because of days they call forbidden days. These days are rearranged to prevent the Day of Atonement from occuring before or after God's weekly Sabbath; thereby postponing God's Holy Day for a preparation day. Doing this, they indicate a preparation day is more important than a Holy Day!
1997 is the 19th year of the 19 year time cycle according to the Hebrew calendar. Arthur Spier, the prime Educator and Expert for all who follow the Hebrew calendar, wrote in his 1960 Edition of "The Comprehensive Hebrew Calendar." On page 227, "From the two tables following, it is evident that the advance of Nisan toward May, at a rate of 4 days in a thousand years, has POSTPONED Pesah (Passover) already in the 8th and 19th years of the cycle more than a month from the astronomical spring equinox." And, "it will be the task of the Sanhedrin to make a decision as to when and how the sanctified calendar of Hillel II is to be modified in accordance with the requirements of astronomy and the Torah." 1997 IS - THE 19TH YEAR OF THE 19 YEAR TIME CYCLE!!
Let's take a comparative look at the chaos man has instilled in God's calendar.
Holy Day Calendar With and Without Postponements
1. All dates are calculated from Jerusalem time.
2. The top line in each table is calculated from the new moon closest to the Spring Equinox.
3. The second line in each table is the Hebrew calendar with Postponements, which many of the Churches of God use today.
1997 One Month off, because of a (miscalculated) leap year.
ABIB
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PASSOVER
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UL.B.
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PENT
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TRUMPETS
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ATONE
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F.O.T.
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L.G.D.
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Mar 9
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Mar 22
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Mar 23-29
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May 11
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Sep 2
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Sep 11
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Sept 16-22
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Sep 23
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Apr 8
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Apr 21
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Apr 22-28
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Jun 15
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Oct 2
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Oct 11
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Oct 1622
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Oct 23
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1998 No Postponement year.
ABIB
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PASSOVER
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UL.B.
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PENT
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TRUMPETS
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ATONE
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F.O.T.
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L.G.D.
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Mar 28
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Apr 10
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Apr 11-17
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May 31
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Sep 21
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Sep 30
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Oct 5-11
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Oct 12
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1999 A Postponement year.
ABIB
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PASSOVER
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UL.B.
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PENT
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TRUMPETS
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ATONE
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F.O.T.
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L.G.D.
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Mar 18
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Mar 31
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Apr 1-7
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May 23
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Sep 10
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Sep 19
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Sep 24--30
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Oct 1
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Mar 18
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Mar 31
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Apr 1-7
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May 23
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Sep 11
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Sep 20
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Sep 25-Oct 1
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Oct 2
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2000 A Postponement year.
ABIB
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PASSOVER
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UL.B.
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PENT
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TRUMPETS
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ATONE
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F.O.T.
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L.G.D.
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Apr 5
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Apr 18
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Apr 19-25
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Jun 11
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Sep 28
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Oct 7
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Oct 12-18
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Oct 19
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Apr 6
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Apr 19
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Apr 20-26
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Jun 11
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Sep 30
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Oct 9
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Oct 14-20
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Oct 21
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There are some who always keep the new moon "after" the spring equinox (Tekufoth in Hebrew) as the beginning of the first month. By keeping this observance you are not always keeping God’s Holy Days at the turn (equinox) of the year. "Celebrate the Feast of Weeks with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year " (Ex. 34:22 NIV). Interlinear Bible version says, "turn of the year." This is the most accurate. By not keeping Passover and the Last Great Day at the turn of the year, you could be keeping the feasts as far as 42 days away from what God calls the "turn" (tekufah or equinox). For some, Passover is closer to the end of spring then the first of spring, when there are green ears of barley. And November 2, the Last Great Day would be in the rainy season in Jerusalem.
When God spoke to Moses, he disclosed that the barley was in the head, (tender, green, young ear of grain) and not yet harvested. "Now the flax and the barley were struck, for the barley was in the head and the flax was in bud. But the wheat and the spelt were not struck, for they are late crops" (Ex. 9:31-32). This shows an early spring Passover, prior to the barley harvest.
If you marked April 21st. on your Gregorian calendar for Passover 1997, do you know how you, or the Church group you meet with today, arrived at that date?
Hillel II, in 358-359 A.D., was responsible for setting the interculating of the Hebrew Calendar, which added a thirteenth month, seven times in a nineteen year time cycle. God has provided an automatic interculating of months, simply by adding a month, when necessary, in order to keep His Holy Days in season. The artifical setting of these years distort God's True Calendar. "Every month must begin on a day close to the molad, (a mean conjunction). " Is this what God says? Close to the new moon (molad)? Where in scripture? ...Continuing. "For the beginning of the year, the first day of Tishri (Trumpets), the calendar follows this rule: Rosh Hashanah (Trumpets) should be on the day of the molad except for the so-called dehioth (postponement rule), which takes place in four specific cases. When the molad (a mean conjunction) Tishri occurs on a Sunday, Wednesday or Friday, Rosh Hashanah is postponed to the following day." This rule is quoted from "The Comprehensive Hebrew Calendar" by Arthur Spier, page 14 & 15. 1986, third edition.
We NEED to decide for ourselves; Are we going to follow MAN'S ways or GOD'S ways? We NEED to make a choice! NOW! GOD needs to know your attitude toward Him. A decision to follow man's imaginations, is a decision to abandon God's instructions!
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