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Elders Letter
James Russell, Elder
Dear scattered Brethren, and Co-workers:
Greetings from the office of the Church of God, In Truth. It has been an active month of March. Keeping God's
weekly Sabbaths and His annual Holy Days should be on our mind as this fresh spring season begins.
The apostle James spoke about Christian living and encourage its practice. “But be ye doers of the Word, and not
hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the Word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man
beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what
manner of man he was”( James 1:22-24). In other words, James knew that many men and women think God only
sees and hears them when they are praying! Keep in mind, sin nullifies the gift of eternal life, unless one repents
and change.
The Apostle Paul reminds all God’s called, “ Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his
servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be
thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was
delivered you. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in
those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin,
and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is
death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”(Rom 6:16 - 17, 20 - 23).
“Prove All Things” requires time and study. God’s calendar commands both! In the Bible the word equinox is not
used. The word turn is, the turning of the sun from the Southern hemisphere to the Northern hemisphere
(astronomically is called equinox). This turn is the signal for the beginning of Spring or the beginning of Autumn.
We are to look for these signs, when counting to God’s festivals, like, Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread!
This signals for us, to look for the new moon nearest to the Spring turn, this establish’s the new year for God's
calendar. If we adhere to this principal, we keep both the Spring feast and the Autumn feast at their appointed time.
The spring turn is not the sign for the first day of God's new year, but it is a sign for the beginning of spring. The
spring turn begins the spring season in God's 30 day month calendar. Like the day, God does not wait for the sun
to start a new day. He starts a new day at sunset! God starts a new month with the beginning dark new moon, He
does not wait for the light of the crescent moon to start a new month. Just like He does not wait for the spring turn
to start a new year. The spring turn of the sun from the Southern hemisphere to the Northern hemisphere marks a
complete circuit of the sun. This is called a tropical year or circuit of growing seasons. The dark new moon
regulates God’s 30 day months. The dark new moon nearest the spring turn begins the new calendar year according
to God's Word. "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night;
and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of
the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the
day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven
to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness:
and God saw that it was good" (Gen 1: 14-18).
Moses was given instructions on what month and day Passover was to be observed. "And the LORD spake unto
Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the
first month of the year to you. And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole
assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial;
and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for
ever (Exo.12:1- 2, 6, 14).
This first month called Abib, came from Moses, [Exo 13:4]. God numbers His calendar days from the beginning
[Gen 1: 5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31, – Gen 2:2], He does not name them! Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread and all annual
Sabbaths are set at specific appointed times! God begins His appointed time with Passover on the 14th of the first
30 day month and ends His appointed times with the 7th 30 day month on the Last Great Day. Remember God set
a day to be, from sunset to the next sunset! The first day of the first month is not important, except to count from.
The 14th day of the first month is extremely important, if you are praying to come under the protection of the blood
of Christ and inherit eternal life!
Both Passover and the Last Great Day are to stay within their 30 day month seasons, (appointed time). Passover is
to be on or after the spring turn. The Feast of Tabernacles, (sometimes called Feast of Ingathering) is followed by
the Last Great Day, that ends the Autumn harvest season. "The feast of harvest, the first-fruits of thy labours, which
thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end (turn) of the year, when thou hast
gathered in thy labours out of the field" (Exo 23:16). This end harvest season is to be within a 30 day month of the
autumnal turn. This seventh month in God’s calendar is the end of the agricultural year, all crops have been gathered
in. This seventh month is also called the 'turn of the year' or 'the end of the year', referring also to the end of the
agricultural season.
Keep in mind, barley and wheat had been gathered in by June. By the middle of September or the first half of
October, all the crops were gathered in, and fresh plowing started. "To every thing there is a season, and a time to
every purpose under the heaven" (Ecc 3: 1). "Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and
winter" (Psa 74: 17). "Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest
thou shalt rest" (Exo 34:21).
After reading these inspired verses, we understand we are to keep Passover and the Feast of Ingathering in there
correct time and season. So we need to know when the turn of the year is! If we keep Passover too late in the spring,
we will be keeping the Last Great Day too late in the autumn. Some years this could occur as late as November when
the rainy season has started.
If you always count from the beginning dark new moon after the spring turn for the first day, you will be keeping the
Holy Days out of the proper time and season some years. This leaves no room for the seven leap years, in the
nineteen year time cycle. This is why God's calendar is based on a lunar-solar calendar (Gen. 1:14). To keep the new
moon always after the spring equinox, places Passover as much as forty two days after the spring turn, and the Last
Great Day (which pictures the final harvest) forty two days after the autumnal turn. God says we are to keep His Holy
Feast in there appointed time! "He appointed the moon for seasons:[appointed times] the sun knoweth his going
down" (Psa. 104.19). "Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year" (Exo. 13:10). Our
great God does all things in harmony!!
"Let the children of Israel also keep the Passover at his appointed season. In the fourteenth day of this month, at
even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies
thereof, shall ye keep it" (Num. 9:2-3).
When keeping the beginning dark new moon closest to the spring turn [equinox] for the first month of the year, it
keeps the Feast of Tabernacles at its appointed autumnal turn. This also keeps the 30 day months of the growing
and harvesting in the correct time cycle. "Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing
time and in harvest thou shalt rest. And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the first-fruits of wheat harvest, and
the feast of ingathering at the year's end (turn)" (Exo. 34:21-22).
“IN THE BEGINNING ----”
“QUESTION ASKED THE WORLD WIDE CHURCH OF GOD IN 1980"
“ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS FROM GENESIS”
COULD YOU EXPLAIN HOW THERE COULD BE LIGHT ON THE FIRST DAY OF CREATION WHEN THE
SUN, MOON, AND STARS WERE NOT CREATED UNTIL THE FOURTH DAY?
Great destruction had occurred to the earth as pictured in Genesis 1:2. When God looked at the chaotic state before
Him, He saw an atmosphere filled with thick clouds. If there had been a human being on the earth's surface, he would
have seen nothing-because no light penetrated the saturated atmosphere. God's first act in recreating the earth's
surface, was to thin the clouds enough to let light from the sun filter to earth.Then, on the fourth day of creation, God
cleared the clouds away so that the sun, moon, and stars could be clearly viewed. Verse 16 tells us that God "made"
the sun and moon. The Hebrew word for "made" is asah. It could be translated as "made," "had made," or "will have
made." Any of these renderings could be correct. But the exact one would have to be determined from the context.
By looking at the context, it is evident that God already "had made" the sun, moon and stars long before and set them
in the sky.
Note what one well-known Old Testament introduction says On the subject: "In explaining this phenomenon it must
first be noted that the standpoint of the first chapter of Genesis is an ideal geocentric one, as though the writer were
actually upon the earth at that time and in a position to record the developing phases of created life as he experienced
them. From such a standpoint the heavenly bodies would only become visible when the dense cloud-covering of the
earth had dispersed to a large extent" (R. K. Harrison, Introduction 10 the Old Testament, p.554).
Therefore, the sun, moon, and stars were created long before the fourth day of creation. They were made visible again
on the fourth day of the week of re-creation of the earth's surface.
SECOND QUESTION
“MANY OF YOUR ARTICLES EFFECTIVELY REFUTE EVOLUTION AND SUPPORT THE BIBLE. YET
SEEMS TO BELIEVE THE EARTH IS A LOT OLDER THAN THE 6,000 YEARS THAT THE BIBLE
INDICATES. ISN'T THIS A CONTRADICTION ?”
The Bible reveals that God is the creator of heaven and earth "and all that in them is" (Gen. 1:1; Exo. 20:11). The
evidence from modern biology, geology, and paleontology supports a special creation. The theories of evolution or
theistic evolution are based on erroneous interpretations of that evidence.
The Bible, however, does not say when the original creation of the earth took place, Scientific evidence based on
studies of radiometric dating, geological stratigraphy and ecological succession demonstrate the earth is not merely
6,000 years old, but very old indeed.
Some people have attempted to figure out the date of creation based on the biblical ages of the patriarchs (for
example, the famous Usher dated creation at 4004 B,C,), But the date of the creation of man is not connected with
the age of the earth, Adam was created nearly 6,000 years ago; the earth is much older. In fact, you may be surprised
to learn that the pre-Adamic world was at one time inhabited by angelic beings!
The exact age of the earth is not revealed in Scripture, When the Bible is correctly understood, there is nothing to
keep one from accepting factual scientific evidence for determining the age of the earth.
THIIRD QUESTION
IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT VERSES 1 AND 2 OF GENESIS, CHAPTER 1, EXPLAIN THE
CREATION OF THE EARTH. YET, YOU SAY THESE VERSES DECRIBE EVENTS WHICH HAPPENED
BEFORE THE SEVEN DAY "CREATION WEEK." CAN YOU PROVE YOUR BELIEF FROM THE BIBLE?
Yes, we can! The Hebrew words for "without form and void" (Gen.1:2) are tohu and bohu. Translated into English
they mean chaotic, in confusion, waste, empty, Why would God create the earth in disorder and then have to
straighten it out?) That wouldn't make sense! The Hebrew word for "created" used in Genesis 1:1 implies that the
creation was a perfected work. It implies order and system, not chaos or confusion! We read in I Corinthians 14:33
that "God is not the author of confusion." God is the author of peace. He is the author of law and order.
God told Job that the angels shouted for joy when the earth was created (Job 38:7). This is further indication that
when God created the earth, He created it useful and beautiful.
Conclusive proof is found in Isaiah 45:18, Notice: "For thus saith the Eternal that created the heavens; God Himself
that formed the earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain ..." "In vain" is an inappropriate
translation. The original Hebrew word is tohu. This is the same identical Hebrew word used in Genesis 1:2 meaning
"confusion" or "emptiness" or "waste" a result of disorder, a result of violation of law. Thus, this verse is a plain
statement that when God created the earth it was not tohu-in a state of confusion and disorder. It became that way
long before the seven day "creation week," which actually begins in verse 3.
An added point of evidence is verse 2 of Genesis 1. Here the English word translated "was" is from the Hebrew word
hayah. This word is translated "became" in Genesis 2:7, 9:15 and 19:26. In the first three chapters of the Bible, and
many other places where you find the Hebrew word hayah, it denotes a condition that was different from a former
condition. In other words, the earth "became" chaotic. It had not always been that way! ☜
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT PENTECOST WAVE SHEAF !
Original text~By Herbert W. Armstrong published by Ambassador College.
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"In Leviticus 23, we find all of God's festivals proclaimed holy convocations, in the one chapter. First is the
weekly convocation day; the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week. Then, beginning verse 4, follows a list of the
annual festivals, also commanded assemblies, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
First of these is the Passover, followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread with the two annual Sabbaths. Beginning
verse 9, we find instructions for the wave-sheaf offering. The Israelites were not allowed to harvest any of the early
grain crop until this day (verse 14). Then, on the day following the weekly Sabbath, in a solemn ceremony of the
Levitical priesthood (the rituals were mere substitutes and therefore not practiced today), the first sheaf of grain was
cut. This event always occurred during the days of unleavened bread (see, Joshua 5). The sheaf was then brought to
the priest. The priest solemnly waved it before the Eternal to be accepted for them. This pictures the resurrected
Christ ascending to heaven to be accepted by His Father as the very first human to be actually born of God -- the
first-fruit of the first harvest of souls! By comparing John 20:17 with Matthew 28:9, you will see that Christ
presented Himself before the Father on the morning after His resurrection the previous evening (I Cor.15:20,23;
Rom. 8:29; Col. 1:15,18). This fulfillment of the wave-sheaf offering actually occurred on Sunday, the morrow after
the Sabbath during the days of unleavened bread.
How to Figure Pentecost
Next comes Pentecost.
The word "Pentecost" is a Greek word, used in the New Testament, but not in the Old. It signifies "fiftieth (day)."
In the Old Testament this feast is called "Feast of First-fruits," and "Feast of Weeks."
Notice the properly translated plain instruction beginning Leviticus 23: 15: "And ye shall count unto you from [on,
or beginning with] the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven
Sabbaths shall be complete: even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days" And that
fiftieth is Pentecost!
"And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile
work therein: it shall be a statute
forever in all your dwellings
throughout your generations"
(verse 21). All other holy days
or festivals come on definite
days of definite months. But
this one annual Sabbath must be
determined by counting. It is
very simple and plain.
It is of very grave importance
that we figure the right day.
This day, and this only, is made
holy by the Eternal creator.
Suppose at the same time the
Church of God was founded,
the apostles had miscounted, And "when the day of Pentecost was fully come" (Acts 2.1) they, instead of being all
with one accord in one place were in discord, some having the day preceding, and some waiting until the following
day!
The Pharisees, who gained complete control of Jewish religious observances shortly after the middle of the first
century AD., figured (incorrectly ~ that is, from the wrong starting point) beginning with the day after the first annual
Sabbath. Before that time, however, the high priests of the family Boethus, who were Sadducees, had been in control
of matters concerning the festivals in Jerusalem. The Boethusians always counted beginning with the morrow after
the weekly Sabbath, the day we call Saturday, which fell within the days of unleavened bread. This historical
information has been for us in tbe Mishna. which was set in writing about AD. 200: The Boethusians say: "The
cutting of the sheaf does not take place at the end of the day of the feast [the first of the seven days of unleavened
bread], but only at the end of the next regular Sabbath" (Menahoth, 10,3).
This practice had been handed down among the priests .from generation to generation. And their method of
counting was done as long as they remained in control of the Temple and its rituals. Samaritans and Karaites (Jewish
sect dating from the eighth century AD.) have also continued to count from the weekly Sabbath, the seventh day of
the week.
Starting then to count from the offering of the wave sheaf, with that Sunday as day number one, we will
always come out on another Sunday- but NOT always on the same day of the month. It is something which must be
"counted"each and every year. Neither in the Hebrew (or biblical) calendar, nor in the Roman calendar which is
commonly used today can the day of Pentecost ever become fixed on a set day of the month
Quoting again from the Mishna, and speaking about the traditional practice which had been followed in
fixed on a set day of the month.
Jerusalem the Pharisees took complete control, "[The Boethusians say:] Pentecost always falls on the day after the
Sabbath" (Chagigah,)
This makes very clear the meaning of the last part of Leviticus 23:15; and the beginning of verse 16; “seven
Sabbath shall be complete; Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days"! ☜