The Calendar, Part 12

Today I want to continue our Bible study series on the calendar. I know Passover is coming up. We've had a lot for that. I will have a couple of samples before the Passover to get some sermons leading into that as well. But I wanted to kind of continue that because I'd like to be able to conclude it by June. If I can't, I'm not going to give one in April because there's so much going on with the Holy Days and everything.

But I'd take two more, and that way one in May and one in June and we can conclude it. Last time I covered the postponement rules of the Hebrew calendar, showing their amazing accuracy and how they tie in with Psalm 81 verse 3. I also gave the history of the Julian and Gagorian calendars, showing how the Julian calendar was drifting back towards winter while the Hebrew calendar was not. When they noticed that, they corrected that back to the time of Pope Gregory XIII.

So today in Part 2, I want to cover why there are no calendar conflicts in the Bible, especially at the time of Christ. That's the main thing I'm going to focus on today. Because at the time of Christ, there were probably at least three Jewish groups counting differently to Pentecost. They all used the Hebrew calendar, but they counted differently to Pentecost. And yet there seems to be no conflict there, mentioned anywhere in the Bible or in the New Testament, about any different calendar questions that arose.

Bible silence on any controversy or questions surrounding the calendar. So my title here for the Bible study today is the Calendar Part 12. Why are there no calendar conflicts in the Bible? That's a question I'm going to address. Why are there no calendar conflicts in the Bible? When there are, in history, possibly different versions that could have been used and probably were used.

When we look closely at the Word of God, both the Old and New Testaments, there is absolutely no evidence there are any conflicts over any matters concerning the calendar. Now, in the early New Testament Church, as I mentioned, there was conflict over a matter of, as I said, Acts 15 shows, there was conflict over the matter of circumcision, whether Jews had, a person had to be circumcised to come into the church or not.

But there are no conflicts mentioned or even hinted at concerning each of the calendar. So if there had been big issues, you'd think they would be mentioned somewhere. So why weren't there? Why not? Why is there no hint of any controversies over the calendar at all? Well, the Jews at the time of Christ, as I said, they had at least possibly three different methods for counting to Pentecost.

That would be a variance for that particular Holy Day anyway. We know the Sadducees, that that was the Priestly class. They counted as we do today in United. They counted from the weekly Sabbath that occurred during the days of Unleavened Bread.

Pharisees, on the other hand, another major religious group in the New Testament, they counted as Orthodox Jews do today. They counted from the first Holy Day Sabbath, from the first day of Unleavened Bread. And there's some evidence at the Essenes, another kind of an isolated group that kept to themselves.

But they seem to have counted from the last day of Unleavened Bread. There's some evidence of that, possibly. So all three of these groups then could have arrived at a different day for observing Pentecost. And at least two of them would have for sure, the Sadducees and Pharisees. Now, counting to Pentecost is actually a different issue, which I'm going to cover in my final Bible study in this series. I'm not going to go into that today, but that's actually a separate issue. But the question for today that I want to address is, why are there no apparent conflicts in regards to the calendar in either the Old or New Testaments?

Because you don't see anything there at all in that regard. I'm going to give you the answer up front. The answer is really very simple, but I'm going to prove it.

A little different approach today. But the reason there are no conflicts regarding the calendar, or issues surrounding the calendar, is because everyone among the tribes of Israel and we can take this all the way back, everyone among the tribes of Israel recognized a single authority for establishing the calendar, which was to be used for observing God's annual feasts and holy days. They all looked to one single authority. Now, let's go back way back. Let's go prior to Noah's Flood. Prior to Noah's Flood, it would appear that the authority was none other than God Himself.

Because prior to the Flood, it appears the form of governance that was being used was a theocracy, God-rule, that is, God was ruling directly over the affairs of mankind up until the time of the Flood. That's what early chapters in Genesis indicate. Now, after the Flood, then, God began working through Abraham and Abraham's descendants.

Then, when God led Israel out of Egypt, He had Moses build the tabernacle in the wilderness, which became the center of their religious worship and their holy day sacrifices, etc. All centered around the tabernacle in the wilderness. Then, after Moses and later on, Solomon built the permanent temple, as we know. After David, Solomon built a permanent temple which replaced the tabernacle in the wilderness.

That temple then became the center of their religious worship, holy day sacrifices, etc. Now, who was in charge of the tabernacle in the wilderness and who was in charge of the temple? Well, the Levitical priesthood was in charge. The sons of Aaron were in charge as appointed by God Himself. Let's look at that. Let's see that. Let's go back first to Exodus 4. Exodus 4, verse 1. Then Moses answered and said, but suppose... Because he was afraid they might question his... God's going to call the burning bush and He called Moses and said, I'm going to have you go before Israel and so on.

He said, wait a minute, why are they going to recognize me? So Moses answered and said, well, but suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice. Suppose they say, the Lord has not appeared to you. Now Moses knew he had, in the burning bush. He said, well, why did they say you're making this up? Just so you can be in charge. Suppose they say God is not appointed you to be in a position of authority over us. Because that's what God was doing. So God then gave him signs.

You can read it out there. I'm not going to go through it. But God then gave him signs to prove he was back in the authority that he was giving to Moses. But Moses was still reluctant. Dropping down to verse 10, chapter 4. Then Moses said to the eternal, Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent. Neither before nor since you have spoken to your servant. I'm slow of speech, slow of tongue.

Some, maybe he stuttered. I don't know. But he didn't have much confidence in God using him as a spokesperson to Israel. So the Lord said to him, verse 11, Who's made man's mouth? Who makes the mute or deaf for the seen or the blind? Have not I the Lord? Now therefore, then God said to him again, Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, And I'll teach you what you will say.

You don't have to worry about it. But Moses replied back in verse 13. He's still very reluctant. Oh, my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else you want to send. Pick somebody else, but don't pick me. So what is God's response in verse 14? God was getting a little bit impatient. And he got tons of patience, but he's starting to get to him a little bit. He says, So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses. And he said, Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know he can speak well. And look, here he is coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he'll be glad in his heart.

Verse 16, So he shall be your spokesman to the people. He'll be your spokesman for you. And he himself should be a mouth for you. So at this time then, God began to use Aaron of the tribe of Levi as his spokesman. And the tribe of Levi was then separated from the other tribes. Let's go through this history. This all ties into authority that God used. And that God plays for certain responsibilities. Go to Deuteronomy chapter 10, where it shows that Levi was separated out then from this point on. Deuteronomy chapter 10, and begin in verse 8, At that time the Lord separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to stand before the Lord to minister to him and to bless in his name as it is to this day.

Verse 9, Therefore Levi has no portion nor inheritance with his brothers, with the other tribes, because the Lord is in inheritance, just as the Lord your God promised him. So the sons of Aaron and the sons of Levi, Levitical priesthood, were separated and given authority, which everyone then had to recognize, that authority that God bestowed upon them. And let's go and look further into that.

Let's go to Numbers chapter 16. Go to Numbers chapter 16, and we'll begin in verse 1 and number 16, where someone challenged that authority. And Korah was a Levi, because, wait a minute, just a Aaronic priesthood? They're the only ones that can do this? Now Korah, the son of Isar, and so on, gives a different one, he was the son of Levi. And it says, verse 2, They rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown, and they gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and this authority that God had bestowed upon them.

And said to them, You take too much upon yourselves, for the whole congregation is holy, every one of them. And the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Eternal? Of course they weren't. God was the one who exalted them to use them for that responsibility, but here's the way they thought.

There was the same, well who gave you the authority to be over all the people of Israel, Moses and Aaron?

So here then we have contention challenging the authority of Aaron and his sons. What happened next? Numbers, chapter 17. Numbers 17, verse 1. So the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, and get from them a rod from each father's house, and get all their leaders according to their father's houses, twelve rods, one for each tribe, and write each man's name on his rod, as head of that particular tribe. And you shall write Aaron's name on the rod of Levi, for there shall be one rod for the head of each father's house.

Verse 4, Then you shall place them in the tabernacle of meaning before the testimony where I meet with you. And it shall be that the rod of the man who might choose shall blossom. Thus I will rid myself of the complaints of the children of Israel which they make against you. Moses and Aaron. Dropping down to verse 8. Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron of the house of Levi hath sprouted and put forth buds, and produced blossoms, and yielded ripe almonds.

Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the children of Israel, and they looked, and each man took his rod. And the Lord said to Moses, Bring Aaron's rod back before the testimony, to be kept as a sign. It was the only one that abutted. So obviously God was shown by a miracle here that he had chosen Aaron as the vertical priesthood and the sons of Levi. So he said, Bring this back before the testimony be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their complaint away from me, lest they die.

So clearly they were showing who God had placed a certain responsibility upon here for the tribe of Levi and the sons of Aaron. So God made it clear that he had given authority in certain areas to Aaron and his descendants. What authority did he give him? Well, let's go to Numbers 18. Let's try to drop down here to Numbers 18, verse 1. Then the Lord said to Aaron, You and your sons and your father's house with you shall bear the iniquity related to the sanctuary, to the temple, or the tabernacle. And you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity associated with your priesthood.

God was bestowing a priesthood upon them, upon Aaron and his sons, upon the Levites. So Aaron and his sons would have to bear the guilt and the responsibility over matters associated with the sanctuary and with the duties of the priesthood. I mean, it was a tremendous responsibility, and they were to carry it out the right way because if they didn't, then they're going to be responsible for any errors they made.

They were going to be guilty of that. So they had to bear the guilt and the responsibility. Very, very serious responsibility that was passed on to them. Verse 2, this is also, This is also, You're telling Aaron here In other words, any members of the tribal Levi could serve with Aaron before the tabernacle. But only direct sons of Aaron could come near the articles of the sanctuary and the altar and serve within the temple and the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place and so on.

Only the descendants of Aaron could serve in the Holy Place and in the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle and then later in the temple. And of course, the High Priest was the only one, he had to be a descendant of Aaron, and he was the only one who then could serve in the Holy of Holies. And then only once a year on the Day of Atonement. However, the other Levites could serve in regards to other duties associated with the tabernacle.

Continue on here in Numbers 18, verse 4, But there may be no more wrath than the children of Israel. Behold, I myself have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel, and they are a gift to you, given by the Eternal, to do the work of the tabernacle of meaning. Therefore, you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and behind the veil, and you shall serve.

And I give your priesthood to you as a gift of service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death. So only certain ones could serve these certain duties. So God clearly gave authority to the tribe of Levi for doing the work associated with the tabernacle. And that would include doing the work associated with all the animal sacrifices made at the tabernacle or the temple, and then on all the annual feasts and holy days.

They would carry out that duty, those special sacrifices given in those days. And everyone in Israel recognized that particular authority that happened for the Levites and especially for the Aaronic priesthood as well. Now, what happened after King Solomon died? Well, as you know, after King Solomon died, Israel became divided into two kingdoms.

The northern kingdom of the ten tribes of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah, which included Jerusalem and the temple. Now, who comprised the southern kingdom of Judah? Let's go to 1 Kings 12. 1 Kings 12.21. Rehoboam was the son of Solomon, who became the king of Judah. He was a rightful king because he was the son of David and Solomon. And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem as the king of the southern kingdom of Judah, as the rightful son of Solomon, he assembled all the house of Judah with the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, the northern ten tribes.

Then he might restore the kingdom to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. In other words, what he wanted was to bring a united kingdom, because he was a rightful king. Rehoboam was the son of Solomon. And he wanted to bring the northern ten tribes back together, so it was to be one kingdom. It was to be the united kingdom, as it had been before Solomon died. What did God then communicate to Rehoboam? Verse 22. But the word of God came to Shammai, the man of God, saying, Speak to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, Thus says the Lord, You shall not go up nor fight against your brethren and children of Israel.

Let every man return to his house, return to his tent. For this thing is from me. Therefore they obeyed the word of the Eternal, and they turned back according to the word of the Lord. And then Jeroboam, so I'll stop there, verse 24. So, thus Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, became the king of the southern kingdom of Judah.

He said, Don't go and try to make a united kingdom. Keep it a divided kingdom. So Rehoboam then became just the king of the southern kingdom of Judah, which again included Jerusalem and the temple. And Solomon's servant, as you know, Jeroboam, he was a servant of Solomon, but he wasn't a rightful heir or king. But he'd taken over the northern, he was the leader of the northern ten tribes of Israel. So Solomon's servant Jeroboam then proclaimed himself, actually, to be the king of Israel, the kings of the northern ten tribes of Israel.

Now, after Jeroboam proclaimed himself to be the king of the northern ten tribes of Israel, what did Jeroboam do? This is very interesting and very pertinent to the calendar and calendar issues, and whose authority you look to. 1 Kings 12, let's drop down to verse 31, tells us what Jeroboam did. It said, He made shrines on the high places. He made priests from every class of people. Forget the Levites and sons of Aaron, why anybody should be able to be a priest? Aren't all the people holy? He made priests from every class of people who were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam, then he went a step further, he ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah. And he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did at Beth-El, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And at Beth-El, he installed the priests of the high places which he had made. He installed his own priests. So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Beth-El on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own hearts. I'm going to devise my own calendar. I'm going to decide what I'm going to deliver the holy days myself. I'm going to appoint them. Forget what God says. And he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar, and he burned incense. So what did Jeroboam do? Well, first he made priests of every class of people. Even as it appeared Korah wanted to do, when he said, well, all the congregations holy, every one of them, number 16-3. They were all holy people, but they had not all been given the responsibility of the priesthood. Only Aaron and only Levites had been given that. So Jeroboam then also took upon himself with no authority from God to do so, to appoint his own feasts and holy days. At a time on the calendar, he had devised in his own heart, it says. Very interesting. What happened to the Levites, who had been given authority over the temple and all the services? What happened to them? Where did they go? And all this was taking place. Turn to 2 Chronicles 11.

Very interesting history. 2 Chronicles 11, verse 5. So Rehoboam, the rightful king, son of Solomon, Rehoboam dwelled in Jerusalem, and he built cities for defense in Judah. Going down to verse 11, again, talking about Rehoboam, and he fortified the strongholds and put captains in them, and stores of food and oil and wine. Also, in every city he put shields and spears, and made them very strong, having Judah and Benjamin on his side. And from all their territories, verse 13, the priests and the Levites, who were in Israel, they were still up in the northern ten times of Israel under Jeroboam. And from all their territories, the priests and the Levites, who were in all Israel, took their stand with him, with Rehoboam. The legitimate king of Judah. They took their stand with the king of Judah. Why? Verse 14, For the Levites left their common lands and their possessions, and they came to Judah and Jerusalem. For Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from serving as the priests of the Lord. He had appointed anybody to be a priest, as we just read. Verse 15, Then he appointed for himself priests for the high places, talking about Jeroboam now, then he appointed for himself priests for the high places, for the demons and the calf-addles which he had made. Contrary to God, of course. So Jeroboam, the servant of Solomon, had rejected the authority of the Levites, and instead made priests from every class of people who were not the sons of Levi, as we read in 1 Kings 12.31. Now, once the Levites left their common lands and their possessions up in Israel, and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, where did others in the northern kingdom of Israel go to properly seek and worship God? Especially to observe God's feasts and holy days at their properly appointed time, instead of their wrongly appointed times that Jeroboam had made. 2 Chronicles 11, verse 16. And after the Levites left, those from all the tribes of Israel, who were in the northern kingdom now under Jeroboam, such as those who had set their hearts to seek the God of Israel and to worship God properly, what did they do? They came to Jerusalem to sacrifice the Lord, the God of their fathers. They weren't going to follow Jeroboam, and that was wrong. Verse 17, so they strengthened the kingdom of Judah.

Now, by what name did all who were part of the kingdom of Judah come to be called? Remember, we just said they were the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin. Now we've got some of the Levites coming down there, because they had been rejected, and they knew they were a legitimate priesthood that God had ordained. And they served at the temple, and the temple is down in Judah. So by what name did all those who were part of the kingdom of Judah come to be called? The southern kingdom of Judah was now comprised of the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, and the legitimate priests of the tribe of Levi, who came down there, as we just read. But they all came to be called what? It's an important part of history. There are several places we could go, but let's just go up in time a little bit until after the fall of Judah to Nehemiah. It was written in the 400s. We're going into history a little bit here. We actually go back prior to this, as we'll see in a moment where this can be known this. But let's read Nehemiah 1, the first two verses. Nehemiah 1, verse 1, The words of Nehemiah, the son of Ha-kaliah, it came to pass in the month of Shizlev in the twentieth year that I was in Shushan, the citadel, or the palace, that Hanani, one of my brethren, came with me from Judah, and I asked him concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity concerning Jerusalem. So all those in the southern kingdom of Judah, they all came to be called Jews. And the word Jews first appears in 2 Kings 16.6 in the Old King James at the time of Ahaz, at the time Ahaz was the king of Judah, and when Tigraph-Pileser was the king of Assyria, that's when it first appears in the Old King James, 2 Kings 16.6. And the word Jews first appears in the New King James in 2 Kings 25.25. But this tells us that sometime after the events described in 2 Chronicles 11 that we just read, all those who were part of the southern kingdom of Judah came to be called Jews, even though they came from three tribes, from Judah, from Benjamin, and from Levi. But they all came to be called Jews.

Now today, as you see often, today many people mistakenly refer to all of the Israelites as Jews. And you'll see that quite often. If you're watching television, you're doing a bit of history, they're called all Israelites, Jews. But actually it was the only the southern kingdom of Judah where everyone became to call Jews. And those were three tribes, Benjamin, Levi, and Judah.

Well, why is that significant? That's the question. It's significant for this reason.

Legitimate priests of the tribal Levi who were given authority over the temple and to serve in the temple, and who were the only authority, all Israelites, who truly wanted to see God recognized. That was the only authority they recognized for serving the temple, were the Levites.

The legitimate priests of the tribal Levi came to be called Jews. That's the point I want to make here.

So now then, let's move forward to the time of Christ, to the time of the New Testament.

Because the authoritarian body at the time of Christ, as I pointed out in a previous Bible study, was the Sanhedrin.

And the Sanhedrin was made up of men from which tribe? Primarily they were priests from the tribe of Levi, but they became to be called Jews. So the Sanhedrin was made up of Jews, but they were primarily priests of the tribe of Levi who came to be called Jews. And the Jews, quote-unquote, in the Sanhedrin were recognized as the authority over all things concerning the temple at the time of Christ.

And those Jews who were part of the Sanhedrin were primarily Sadducees, which is a priestly class. There were some Pharisees, but they're primarily Sadducees.

Of the tribe of Levi, but they were called Jews. Also within the Sanhedrins, I pointed out last time, was a group of Jews, primarily Sadducees, of the priestly tribe of Levi, who made up the Beth Din, B-E-T-H-D-I-N, the Beth Din of the Sanhedrin. And again, as I covered last time, Beth Din means House of Judgment. And the Beth Din was a House of Judgment within the Sanhedrin who comprised the Calendar Committee, who determined the Calendar, who determined when the Feasts and Holy Days were going to be observed, and who determined and proclaimed all of God's Feasts and Holy Days. And everyone in Judah at the time of Christ, in Judea, or the Southern tribe of Judah at the time of Christ, recognized those particular Jews, quote-unquote, as having the sole authority from God for determining the Calendar. Which is why there was no conflicts regarding the Calendar or Calendar issues, because they all recognized one authority and one authority only for determining when those days would be observed.

There was no conflict because everyone recognized and honored the one and only two authorities for establishing the Calendar, by which the Feasts and Holy Days were appointed. And that authority, at the time of Christ, was the Calendar Committee within the Sanhedrin. And all scholars agree on that. Which is, I want to just point out something else here so you understand this more and more clearly. Which is why we read what we do, as recorded in John 7, verse 2, which some, not in our church, but some outside, they tried to twist that particular Scripture to make it sound as if the Feast of Tabernacles wasn't meant for Christians. It's only meant for Jews. It's a Jewish feast.

But nothing could be further from the truth. Let's go there. Go to John 7. I'll show you what I'm talking about. John 7, verse 2, verses. John 7, verse 1, after these things, Jesus walked in Galilee, for he did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. Verse 2 is the point in question. It says, now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. So people take that and they say, yeah, see? It's the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles, just for Jews. That meant for Christians. This is proof right here. Now use this Scripture to show that. Why did John call it the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles? If you want to go into proper history, in historical context, it's very important to understand properly. If somebody raises that question to you, you should know how to answer it. Why did he call it the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles? Because everyone at that time recognized the authority of the Jews within the Sanhedrin, who were primarily priests of the tribe of Levi. Everyone recognized they were the sole authority. Everyone recognized they were the sole authority for determining the calendar and for determining the appointed times for observing God's annual feast and Holy Days, like the Feast of Tabernacles. They were the ones that appointed when it was going to be observed every year.

Thus it is here referred to as the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles, because only the Jews of the Calendar Committee within the Sanhedrin had the authority to determine and proclaim when it was to be observed.

That's just a good interesting thing in history to recognize. That's taking you back into the actual history at the time this was written, to understand how they would have thought of that comment at that time and why that statement was made. Let's go to look at what Paul wrote to the church at Rome. Let's go to Romans chapter 3, beginning in verse 1, where Paul asks this interesting question. He said, What advantage then has the Jew? Remember Jews are made up of three tribes here. King of Judah is all called Jews, Benjamin, Judah, and Levi. What advantage then has the Jew? Or what is the prophet of circumcision?

And he says, Much in every way, chiefly because to them, to the Jews, were committed the oracles of God. My margin says Scriptures. Or sayings. I think it's the sayings. But the Greek word translated oracles literally means utterances of God. And that particular Greek word appears four times in the New Testament. It appears here. Also appears in Acts 7.38. It appears in Hebrews 5.12. And in Romans 3. Over here, this is Romans 3.2.

See, I'm missing one. This is Romans 3.2 here. So I forget that. I have to look it up. But the other two of them are Acts 7.38, and Hebrews 5.12. I'll have to look that up for next time.

Let's look at how it's used in Acts 7.38. Very interesting to see how it's used in Acts 7.38. Because it's clear in Acts 7.38 as to what the word is referring to.

Acts 7.38 is referring to Moses as the one... I'm not going to turn it. I'm just going to read it here, but you can turn it if you want. Acts 7.38 is referring to Moses as the one who received living oracles to give to us on Mount Sinai. Now, those living oracles, and in that context of Acts 7.38, can only be referring to the Ten Commandments, along with the other laws and statutes and judgments. Because that was given to Moses and Mount Sinai. As I pointed out in the previous Bible study, the endovale included a calendar by which Israel could know when to observe God's feasts in holy days. As indicated, when Moses went up to receive the new... You know, he came down... the first time he came down, he saw Israel in idolatry, and he broke the two tablets that God had given him. So then he had to go back up again and get two new tablets. Well, that's all being recorded in Exodus 34. Exodus 34 is the account when he had to go back up to Mount Sinai again to receive two new tablets of the Ten Commandments, like he had the first time. So, Exodus 34 is interesting because the second time he goes up there to get the commandments, and the statue of the gentleman gets the new two tablets of the Ten Commandments, it says he also... Exodus 34 includes observing the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Weeks of Pentecost, and the Feast of In-Gathering, and the Feast of Tabernacles. That's in the context of Moses going back up to receive the new two tablets of the Ten Commandments, as God was there talking to Moses about observing the Feast in Holy Days. And that's in Exodus 34, verses 18 to 23.

And it was to the Jews, those oracles of God were committed, as Paul tells us right here in Romans 3.

And it was the Jews, as you know, over the centuries, who over the centuries literally laid down their lives to preserve and to observe those feasts and holy days. And many Jews gave up their lives in order to hold onto and to observe God's annual feasts and holy days, especially when you look at the period of time between the Old and New Testament, and the time of Ithak, Tychus the Fourth. A lot of Jews gave up their lives rather than give up God's feasts and holy days to preserve them. They literally laid down their lives. And everyone recognized that the oracles of God, including the Ten Commandments, the Statute and Judgment, were committed to the Jews for them to preserve and to keep.

But now, and of course, Paul is pointing that out here in Romans 3. What about the Jews being unbelievers? A lot of Jews were unbelievers. Does that negate their authority over determining the calendar? Well, let's read it again here in Romans 3. Going on in verse 3. He asked that question, and Paul does. But what if some did not believe? What if some Jews didn't believe? Well, their unbelief made the faithfulness of God without effect. And he says, verse 4, Certainly not! Or in the Old King James, God forbid.

Indeed, let God be true, but every man a liar.

Now, the Sanhedrin and their calendar committee was dissolved over 1,600 years ago. And yet, Orthodox Jews around the world today used the Hebrew calendar with his four post-war rules to determine when to appoint the annual feasts in holy days.

And today, there is no longer a Levitical priesthood to look to in the same way as they could at the time of Christ. But since God committed the oracles of God to the Jews, we, as the United Church of God today, and all the other churches of God, most of them as well, still look to the Jews as the authority for which calendar to use. So we use their calendar, because that's the only authority you can get from the Bible to really look to for a calendar that's authorized in the Bible. But also, it's interesting that the writer of Hebrews, which may have been Paul, but we're not sure, the writer of Hebrews tells us there has been a change in the priesthood and a change in the high priest of that priesthood. This all ties in as well. Let's go to Hebrews 5.

Hebrews 5, verse 1, where Paul, the writer of Hebrews, says, For every high priest taken from one man is appointed for men, and things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.

But back to verse 14 of chapter 4, it says, But now Jesus, Son of God, has become our great high priest. Christ is now our great high priest. Hebrews 4, 14. But Christ did not glorify himself to become a high priest. He didn't appoint himself, did he? His father appointed him that way, to that position. Hebrews 5, verse 5, So also, Christ did not glorify himself to become my priest. He didn't appoint himself to that position. But it was he who said to him, the father saying to him, he was the father who appointed him. He said, You are my son, today I have begotten you. Verse 6, and he also says in another place, You, referring to Christ, the father referring to him, You are a priest forever, not just for your physical lifetime, as sons of Aaron were. You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.

So Christ is now our spiritual high priest forever, without end.

Hebrews 7, verse 26, For such a high priest was fitting for us, referring to Jesus Christ as our high priest, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens, who does not need daily, as the old former high priest, the sons of Aaron, to offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins, and then for the people's. For this, Jesus Christ did once and for all. He offered himself once and for all. Verse 28, For the law appoints as high priests men who have weaknesses, as it was back in the case of the Aaronic priesthood, the sons of Aaron, that law appointed a high priest, that law for the priesthood, talking about, appointed priests men who have weaknesses, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the son who had been perfected forever, or referring to Jesus Christ as our high priest. Now, since Christ is now our high priest forever, does that then change the priesthood from a Levitical priesthood to the spiritual priesthood of Jesus Christ? Well, let's read on. Hebrews 7, verse 11, Therefore, perfection were through the Levitical priesthood, which there wasn't, for under it the people received the law.

If perfection were through the Levitical priesthood, what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek and not be called according to the order of Aaron? Verse 12, it says, Well, there had to be a change. It's a change. Christ is now the high priest forever. So then he says, verse 12, For the priesthood, being changed, of necessity, there's also a change of the law. Now, I want you to look at this in context here, because people try to use this to say, God's law has done away. What's it talking about? What's the context? A change in what law? A change in the law concerning the priesthood and the laws and duties of the priesthood. That's the law that changed. We don't have an Aaronic priesthood anymore. We have a spiritual priesthood of Jesus Christ. And Christ is now our high priest. So the laws of the priesthood and things pertaining to the priesthood have changed.

Now, who makes up that priesthood today? Those are called to be in the ministry of God's Church. Who don't do that by their own choosing, but it's a calling that God gives them. Those who are called into the ministry of Jesus Christ, who those may be, they make up the spiritual priesthood of Jesus Christ today, with Christ being the high priest. And the authority and responsibility of the priesthood today has been transferred to the spiritual body of Christ, into the spiritual priest that Christ has called to his church. And his church recognizes, as if that authority means transfer to the church, the church then recognizes the authority of the Jews when it comes to appointing God's annual feasting Holy Days, which is why we basically go by the Hebrew calendar of the Jews. Because we know God gave them that authority. And now that authority and responsibility has been transferred to the church, the church has chosen to recognize the Jews' calendar as the authority to use and go by. But the church, as an extension of the priesthood of Christ, also has authority and responsibility, which is why we have chosen, as most of the other churches of God have chosen as well, to count differently than the Jews do when it comes to counting to Pentecost. And I'm going to go into that in the final Bible study, all those differences in why we count the way we do. But it's interesting because Acts 2, chapter 1, I'm just going to quote it, it says, when the day of Pentecost had fully come, it says, they were all in one accord in one place, even though various Jewish groups at the time of Christ counted differently to Pentecost and would have observed Pentecost at a different day. So why then were they all with one accord in one place on that one particular day? We know historically the Sadducees and Pharisees for sure would have observed at a different time. Pentecost I'm talking about. Why were they all in one accord in one place at one time? Because they recognized and accepted and supported the authority of the Sanhedrin, which was the only final authority on issues of the calendar. And everyone recognized that authority had been given to them by God, to the Levites or the Jews within the Sanhedrin, the calendar committee. Now, others were free to count differently and free to observe Pentecost on a different day, and some undoubtedly did, but their authority was not recognized by the general population. They only recognized the authority of the Sanhedrin.

So in conclusion, then, why are there so many calendar conflicts today? Well, because many reject the authority of the spiritual priesthood of Christ. And many reject the authority of the Church. Instead, they want to be the final authority. That's the basic bottom line as to why there are so many calendar conflicts today. Because no matter what group you meet with today, I don't care what it was, a small independent group or a larger corporate group, you have to recognize somebody in that group as they're having the authority to determine which calendar you're going to use. And how do you substantiate who should be an authority? Are you going to choose who you want, or do you want to go by what you can recognize the most from what Scripture says? Which would be the Jews, the Hebrew calendar, or the Church?

Which recognizes the Jews, the Jewish calendar, other than the County of the Pentecost. But anyway, we'll end here for now. Next time I want to ask and answer this question, what is the distinction between the weekly Sabbath and an annual Holy Day Sabbath? Is there a distinction between them? So what is it? And why does it matter? Also, once again, reiterate something that's a warning for prophecy, it's very interesting, and then we'll do it again. Is there a prophetic warning in the Bible regarding end-time events which could affect the calendar? You know, it's very interesting, because it was pointed out to me by somebody in Seattle, and I looked this up, and I thought, well, I didn't know about this. That's already happened. There's one area of the world where the SDA's have a real problem, because the day's been changed, and their Sabbath is now on Sunday. Do you know that? And they got a coffin. Would we observe the day that comes up this Saturday, or would we observe Sunday now, because Saturday is now Sunday? See, a few years ago, there was a change in the international date line. They moved it, and it took this one group of people, and it moved them by a whole day. And the SDA's there on that little island, they got to work it out. Now, all of a sudden, their Saturday is the Sunday. So, we observe Sunday, we still observe Saturday. Interesting conflict. So, if somebody changed things on the calendar that changed the days of the week, how would we handle that? Well, we'll cover that next time. And the next time for all of us here will be on May 10th. For both CEDR and Bellevue, I'll cover the next part of the calendar at that time.