Dear Friends.

As we progress to the Passover it is worthwhile to consider the matter of God’s Calendar (see the paper God’s Calendar (No. 156)). Judaism, using the calendar authorised by R. Hillel II in 358 BCE, intercalates seven times in every 19 years, according to fixed calculations. This year is one of those years and as a result they will be a month late in keeping Passover, however, it has been later in the last 50 years, sometimes falling as late as 25 April, when it has never, in all its history, ever fallen that late before.

Why do they intercalate this year? There is no valid reason for it in biblical terms and rules. Where did they get it all from? What is more important is the question: How did it ever get into the Churches of God? Who was foolish enough to inflict this on the Churches of God given the fact that we have never had anyone so uninformed before in the history of the Church. The answer is simple. It was done by Herbert W. Armstrong and his ministry. To this day, long after he is dead, they still perpetuate this apostasy, contrary to the express direction of the Bible.

The system of intercalation used by Judaism originated in Babylon ca. 380 BCE and was never used in the Temple system. It is a Babylonian invention that was transferred to Judaism by two Babylonian rabbis in 344 CE, enshrined by Hillel II in 358 CE, and modified after that up until the 12^th century with Maimonides (Rambam).

Anyone who purports to obey God and to keep His Sabbaths and festivals has an obligation to ensure that the calendar that they use is correct. More importantly, anyone who claims to be a minister or leader of any of the Churches of God has a serious responsibility to give an account of the calendar they use and teach.

We have issued a series of papers on the Calendar and one of those papers was written to deal with the postponements of Judaism in their calendar. That paper is The Calendar and the Moon: Postponements or Festivals? (No. 195). We have seen, however, that there are a number of other matters that need explanation regarding the Calendar, including the Jubilee system and the disparity that occurs within the time-frames used by the varying sects of the last three centuries of the Temple period. For example, in the writings of Josephus, we see two discrete systems used in the Calendar structure quite in conflict with one another. What is the explanation of it all and how is it to be reconciled? The High Priest seems to be using a system different to that used by Josephus, and so also is the emperor Julius Caesar. We see the relevance of archaeology to the Calendar, and how that shows what Christ was doing in declaring the acceptable year of the Lord in 27 CE at Atonement. We can see why Christ made that declaration given the known dates and declarations both before and after that event, which are all supportive of the Jubilee structure. We will see that Christ was declaring the Atonement Jubilee in the Jubilee year so as to clarify which of the sects had the system correct. It was the Temple system under the High Priest and the Sadducees – and not the Pharisees – that was correct, and Christ declared that to be so. We can determine that from the declaration of Julius Caesar and the archaeological finds near Bethlehem dated to 55 CE in the second year of Nero.

To that end we have written another work explaining these matters under the title Distortion of God’s Calendar in Judah (No. 195B)). In that paper we explain how the Hillel Calendar was affected and how it is going progressively later in its months and Passovers.

Anyone who keeps the Jewish calendar in 2008 will be keeping the festivals one month too late and keeping the Feast on the Eight Month, which was forbidden to Israel when it occurred under Jeroboam (see the paper Jeroboam and the Hillel Calendar (No. 191).
It is important that we all understand what is happening and that God does not honour these systems and distortions of His Calendar.
The Jews were sent into dispersion because of these errors. The Church of God is, however, without excuse.

The system of the Worldwide Church of God and the ministry does not follow the proper Calendar anyway. They did not keep a Sivan 6 Pentecost. They justify their indolence and error by asserting that the Oracles of God were given to the Jews, which is a blatant lie (see the paper The Oracles of God (No. 184)). God expects His Church to work in truth.

Please study the papers and be prepared to give an account of what is happening and what the correct system is.

There are very few people actually obeying God and following His Calendar correctly. Make sure you are one of them.

Wade Cox
Coordinator General