2 calendars of the Bible: 2 confusing or 2 simple? Part 1: Shoot out for the Truth. O Malley Family Bible Study May 23, 2011

Transcription

1 2 calendars of the Bible: 2 confusing or 2 simple? Part 1: Shoot out for the Truth O Malley Family Bible Study May 23,

2 You don t know if someone is lying to you if you are unfamiliar with the subject. Once you are familiar with a subject then you will be better able to determine whether a person or organization is lying to you. Everything that we see and don t see was created by Jesus. RSV John 1:3 all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. By that statement, science was created by Jesus and science must verify the bible since Jesus is not an author of confusion. RSV 1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, In the previous studies : Accused and Sentenced: The Death of Jesus (4/2/11): showed that all the events in the Gospel from Jesus eating the Passover lamb to dying and being buried as the Passover lamb occurred within a single day beginning and ending on sunset. Passover From Egypt to Pentecost (5/1/11): Jesus death was on the 14 th day of the first month on the Pre-Babylonian captivity calendar This study will show that the first day of the year is on the Vernal Equinox or the day after depending on the time the vernal equinox arrives each year. The scientific method of problem solving aides one to grasp the problem and leads one to a solution. This approach will be used to investigate whether the Lunar or Solar calendar is biblically accurate. This will show what day the year begins on.. The standard 6 step approach is: 1. State the Problem - A problem can't be solved if it isn't understood. Problem: Which calendar did Jesus want his people to celebrate the festivals on? The present Jewish 12/13 month calendar or a 12 month Solar calendar? 2. Form a Hypothesis - This is a possible solution to the problem formed after gathering information about the problem. The term "research" is properly applied here. Hypothesis: The 12 month solar calendar usage in the old and new testament is backed up by the Bible and science. 3. Test the Hypothesis - An experiment is performed to determine if the hypothesis solves the problem or not. Experiments are done to gather data. It is very important that good observations and records are made during an experiment. The bible states that Christians are not to believe everything that you hear. You are to test the Spirits RSV 1 John 4:1 BELOVED, DO not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. and to look up scriptures to prove or disprove what someone says. 2

3 RSV Acts 17:11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with all eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 4. Collect the Data - This is where you record your observations, measurements, or information from experiment. This study will cover 4 areas: Biblical, Agricultural, Astronomical and Archeological. The next study will look at the 5 th area: Historical. 5. Analyze the Data - Just what does all that data indicate about answering the problem you are solving? 6. Draw Conclusions - After examining the data from the experiment, conclusions can be drawn. In it's simplest form, the conclusion will be "yes" the hypothesis was correct, or "no" the hypothesis was not correct. A person at the end of this study should have enough information to be able to say that there were 2 calendars used the year that Jesus died and Jesus honored/promoted the Solar one. Biblical The bible verses should be sufficient to any Christian who wishes to verify the calendar issue. There are more scriptural verses than the one s about to be looked into but due to space I ve limited to 3 scripture verses that point to a 12 month calendar: 1) Noah s flood account 2) King Solomon s monthly provision requirements 3) The revelation tree account Noah s flood account Noah s flood account gives the average number of days in a month by referring to 2 passages: Genesis 7:11 and Genesis 8:3-4 RSV Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. RSV Genesis 8:3-4 3 and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters had abated; 4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat. Simple math: How many months were the waters flooded over the land? 1) 7 th month 2 nd month = months What s the average month in number of days? 3

4 2) 150 / (number of months from previous question) = 17th day of the 2nd month (Genesis 7:11) and the 17th day of the 7th month (Genesis 8:4) there were 150 days. The Bible says that there are 5 months (ie 7th month - 2nd month = 5 months). From simple mathematics 150 / 5 = 30. How long were the other months? Were there leap years? A complete calendar is not described in the modern Bible. Judah began using the Babylonian calendar when they returned from the 70 year Babylonian captivity. The 30 day average for a month is a key number that will be compared with astronomical data. King Solomon s monthly provision requirements 1 Kings 4:7 And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made provision. RSV 1 Chronicles 27: : Twelfth, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the Netophathite, of Othni-el; in his division were twenty-four thousand. The King s provision was quite substantial as seen in 1 Kings 4:21-28 ASV 1 Kings 4: And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought tribute, and served Solomon all the days of his life. 22 And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal, 23 ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and a hundred sheep, besides harts, and gazelles, and roebucks, and fatted fowl. 26 And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. 27 And those officers provided victuals for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon's table, every man in his month; they let nothing be lacking. 28 Barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds brought they unto the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge. Which tribe would provide substance to the King if there was a 13 th month? It took 24,000 people to provide substance to the King during a month s span. Was the King supposed to fend for himself or go on a fast for that 13 th month? Without a verse saying who would be supply the King and his household and army with food then this shows that there is only 12 months in a year on the calendar that Solomon used. The bible states that King Solomon was the wisest person (except for Jesus) ever to walk the earth (1 Kings 3:12 ) so how could King Solomon overlook a month in his provisions? RSV 1 Kings 3:12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. Revelation trees In the book of Revelation the tree of life is mentioned: 4

5 Revelation 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, [was there] the tree of life, which bare twelve [manner of] fruits, [and] yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of the nations. The tree has 12 fruits each one bearing on its given month. Is this verse an actual statement speaking about a physical tree? Is it speaking in symbolic language? Can it be both a physical tree and a symbolic message also? I believe one meaning is a physical tree and that in the future there is 12 months, same as during the time of King Solomon. Agriculture The calendar of the Bible is centered on the growing season. The three main festivals that are God ordained and were expected to be kept forever. The festivals are intimately tied to the planting, growth and harvesting of crops. RSV Exodus 23: "Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me. 15 You shall keep the feast of unleavened bread; as I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me emptyhanded. 16 You shall keep the feast of harvest, of the first fruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the feast of ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. The date for the festival of Passover/Unleavened Bread is fixed by the solar calendar based on three descriptions in the bible: 1) Abib is the name of the first month and Abib is described by Stongs Reference number 24 as green, ie a young ear of grain This is a certain growth development stage of a planted crop. 2) The first month is fixed by 2 winter crops and 2 spring crop dates 3) The wave offering on the day after the Sabbath in the middle of the Feast of Unleavened Bread depends on the harvest of Barley 2) The first month is fixed by 2 winter crops and 2 spring crop dates God rained down hail (Ex 9:13-35) during the 7th plague of Egypt that destroyed the Flax and the Barley but not the wheat and spelt. This gives a window of the growing season of the winter crop and the spring crop. RSV Exodus 9: (The flax and the barley were ruined, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were not ruined, for they are late in coming up.) The 10 plant stages of growth gives an approximate time of the Israelite Exodus from Egypt to be at the beginning of the Solar year (beginning at the Vernal Equinox). The Israelites left Egypt on Passover. The stage of the plant at their destruction gives the approximate time in the year when Passover is at. 5

6 Zadoks scale: 0 - Germination 10 - Seedling 13 - Tillering 23 - Stem elongation/jointing 32 - Booting 39 - Heading 43 - Flowering 49 - Milk 59 - Dough Ripening The Barley in the ear and Flax in the bud indicates they were in the ripening stage ready to be harvested. The Wheat and the Spelt were not ruined because they hadn t reached the jointing stage where the growth center of the plant moves from beneath the surface of the ground to above ground. If the hail happened prior to the plant s growth center movement to above the surface then hail wouldn t have killed the plant. This gives a very close approximation for the yearly celebration of Passover since it s near the harvesting of the winter grain crops and before the emergence of the jointing stage of the spring grain crop. 3) The wave offering The Temple priests would offer the first fruits wave sheaf offering during the feast of unleavened bread. The law stated that one couldn t eat any produce from that year s crop until the priest made the wave sheaf offering. RSV Leviticus 23:10-12,14 10 "Say to the people of Israel, When you come into the land which I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest; 11 and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, that you may find acceptance; on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord. RSV Leviticus 23:14 And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. This is a strong support for a fixed Passover date on the solar calendar rather than a movable Passover (could be 30 days different each year) on the 12/13 month Jewish calendar. In some years you may have the produce from your garden spoiling waiting until the wave sheaf is presented. The first fruits were to be unblemished at the time of the offering. Having the offering stashed in the corner of your 6

7 house for 30 days would not improve the quality of the offering. Having the wave sheaf offering fixed would allow the Israelites to begin to consume that years produce soon after harvesting it. Astronomy KJV Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. RSV Colossians 1:16 for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. The heavens were created by Jesus so there must be Astronomical evidence to support the bible if one diligently searches for it. Two areas are supported from Astronomy: Noah s flood account and The Passover timing Noah s flood account In the Biblical section of this study we calculated the average length of a month was 30 days (150 days / 5 months = 30 days). Astronomy will determine whether a lunar cycle has five 30 day periods grouped together. The moon orbits the earth in a slightly elliptical orbit in repeating cycles of 19.5 years. The month s length (29 or 30 day pattern) repeats itself every 19.5 years. If you measure for any 19.5 years the number of days from new moon to new moon you'll get a pattern that repeats every 19.5 years thereafter. I have listed the new moon dates for 20 years below. In the second diagram below I made it easier to notice the pattern by assigning 0 for 30 days and 1 for 29 days (leap years on 2000, 2004, 2008 were factored in). At no time are there 5 0s in a row (ie 5 30 day periods)- the most 0s in a row you can have is 4 (2008 to 2009 and 2000 to 2001). The maximum number of days for a 5 lunar month period of time new moon to new moon is 4x30+29=149 days. Noah s 5 month, 150 days is clearly not lunar based since a 5 month lunar period could bounce between 146 to 149 days but never 150 days. 7

8 The Passover Timing For the Passover accounts in the four Gospels to be true (ie Jesus is telling the truth and not a lie) then a special heavenly alignment must have occurred in the year that Jesus died. If that event happened then it can be verified. I believed in the Gospel accounts and by faith I searched out the heavenly alignment. That faith proved fruitful because that heavenly alignment was present the year Jesus died verified by NASA. 8

9 For Jesus to have eaten the yearly Passover lamb and to have died as the Passover lamb a day prior to the Jew s Passover then both calendars had to be 1 day off from each other the year that Jesus died. To search for a year that this alignment occurs, you must understand when the Jew s calendar begins. Passover for the Jews is the 14 th day after sighting the first crescent portion after a new moon after the vernal equinox. A solar agricultural based calendar begins at the vernal equinox (March 19-22). For both calendars to align then the new moon must be 1 day prior to the vernal equinox There are differing accounts when Jesus was born. Some say at 6 BC and others at 0 BC. A 6 BC birth would have Jesus dying in 26 AD while a 0 BC birth would have Jesus dying in 33 AD. Using the data provided by NASA from the below web sites one can pull the new moon and vernal equinox dates and times from year 26 to year There are no heavenly alignments from the years of 26 to 32 AD that match the pattern expected listed above. There was an alignment in 33 AD as seen in the chart below. In year 26 the number of days difference between the new moon and the vernal equinox was 13 days way outside the expectations. No other year except year 33 fits the new moon 1 or 2 day prior to the Vernal Equinox. 9

10 Another sign in the sky in 33 AD was a total Solar eclipse the day before the vernal equinox. I haven t verified where the totality arc would cover but I would expect Jerusalem to be within the area. Archeology Archeologists dig up the past so there must be buried evidence that have been previously discovered that prove whether a lunar or solar calendar was in use in the past. A discovery in 1908 showed that a 12 month solar agriculture calendar was in use during King Solomon s reign. Gezer Calendar One of the earliest Hebrew epigraphs (from around the time of Solomon), written on limestone, the text seems to be a calendar of agricultural tasks and seasons: Around 1908 a calendar was found in the ancient city of Gezer (30km NW of Jerusalem) and the stone tablet had listed 12 months of agricultural tasks: Two months of harvest (August September) Two months of planting (October November) Two months are late planting (flax December January) One month of hoeing (February) One month of barley-harvest (March) One month of harvest and festival (April) Two months of grape harvesting (May June) One month of summer fruit (July) Paelo-Hebrew Script Modern Hebrew Script The original books of the old Testament (before the Babylonian exile) wasn't written in the modern Jewish Script (Babylonian derived Hebrew) but a far more ancient form of Hebrew called Paleo-Hebrew (Paleo 10

11 just means ancient). The script resembles Phoencian script and linguist lists Paleo Hebrew as an off shoot of Phoencian (who came first is up for discussion but I would put my money on Paleo Hebrew). The Gezer Calendar was written in Paeo Hebrew as seen in the picture above. The original Paleo-Hebrew writing was used until the fall of Judah. Some of the dead sea scrolls do have fragments of the old testament written in paleo-hebrew but the bulk of the dead sea scrolls are written in non-paleo-hebrew. In the agriculture section of this study the God ordained festivals were celebrated around the growing cycle. This Gezer calendar corroborates this and verifies King Solomon s provision requirements of 1 tribe per month. Conclusion One could already begin drawing a conclusion just by analyzing the Biblical, Agricultural, Astronomical and Archeological records. There is sufficient data to confirm that two calendars were indeed exist as described in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Why does this matter? What difference does this make? If someone doesn t tell the truth then they are a lier (either knowingly or unknowingly). If someone lies to you about one thing that can be verified biblically and scientifically then what else are they lying to you about? Is it a major lie or minor lie? How much lying is acceptable to you? You must test the spirits and study to show yourself approved to prevent from being misled. Next study will go over the calendar as described in the book of Enoch that back up the hypothesis that the solar calendar is the one that the Israelites followed. Regards, David O Malley 6/27/ Prayer Proclamations to bring down Curses from Jesus Christ 1/8/2011 God exists 1/15/2011 Moses: The Untold Years 1/29/ The Biblical Timeline: From Adam to /12/2011 Jesus: Going to the 4 th level part 1 2/28/ Jesus: Going to the 4 th level part 2 3/5/2011 Indiana Jones vs The Bible: Location of the Ark 4/2/ Accused/Sentenced: The Death of Jesus 5/1/ Passover: from Egypt to Pentecost 5/23/ Calendars: 2 Confusing or 2 Simple? Future O Malley Family Bible studies (not in order) - Fukushima Daiichi: Apocalypse or Normal? Another Prayer Proclamation that failed. - Passover innuendos in the Old Testament - Abraham sentenced Jesus to death - How to act when visited by an angel - from divorcee to conquistador - The fall of Babylon - The Trinity: 1 in 3, 3 in 1 or 4 by 2 from 1??? - pt 1 - The Salvation Cycle: From hearing to preaching - pt 2 - Snake Survival Manual: Their Anatomy & Characteristics - pt 3 - Dress Code Strictly Enforced: What you should & should not be wearing - pt 4 - Spiritual Warfare Academy: repair the breeches & deploy counter offenses - Book of Enoch summary - Fall of Jerusalem: departure of the King of Kings - Feast days then and now - Psalms 69 Jesus troubled life - 5 stones for 5 giants: Peace in the land at last - Fear of the Lord - To forgive or not to forgive that is the question - Caesarea Philippi: Portal to the underworld 11

12 - What Jesus expects - How to act when visited by an Angel 12