The Postponements: Addressing the Issues by
Dale D. Carmean and Jack M. Lane
Section 2:
Problems With The CalendarThe Hebrew calendar as we know it today is a product of the 10th century. History indicates that the calendar used in the first century A.D. is not exactly the same as today’s calendar.
There is talk today in Israel of reconvening a Sanhedrin to settle many issues, including problems with the calendar. For instance, the calendar is progressing gradually through the year, so that the spring Holy Days are moving closer to summer at the rate of four days every thousand years. Because of this progression of the calendar, and because of the intercalation of a thirteenth month at arbitrary times rather than when it is needed, the Holy Days can actually be off by a month! (The intercalary month is discussed later in more detail.)
It is generally acknowledged that only the Sanhedrin would have the authority to change the Hebrew calendar. But who would vest a modern-day Sanhedrin with such authority -- the government of men in Tel Aviv? Does the civil government of Israel have the power to authorize such activity if the calendar is truly from God? This is one of the thorny issues people must consider.
There are few calendar rules listed in scripture, and there are no rules of postponement in scripture at all. There is no place in the scriptures where God defines a calendar or tells us how to set up or administer a calendar. However, there are enough clues and principles in scripture to help us see at least part of the picture, even though we seem to be looking through a glass darkly.
Many people assume that the Hebrew calendar is a lunar calendar; that is, the first day of each month ought to be the day of the new moon. But the Hebrew calendar is not a true lunar calendar, nor is it a true lunar-solar calendar, which would use both the moon and the sun to set the days. It is a calculated calendar.
Rather than noting the exact time of each new moon every month (the actual time of lunation), the Hebrew calendar uses the mean time of lunation (the average amount of time it takes for one lunar cycle, averaged over 19 years) to calculate when the months supposedly begin, whether or not the "average" date is actually the new moon! This averaging of dates can affect when a Holy Day is scheduled, and can offset by one or two days when the faithful convene for Holy Day services! A church may meet on a day other than the day God intended! If God set up a certain day, and the Church meets on another day, was the appointment kept?
God says, in relationship to computing when His Holy Days will be scheduled, to use the first new moon and the seventh new moon, when they occur -- not the average time they occur, but the day they occur!
Allow us to quote from The Calendars of Ancient Egypt:
If the length of the synodic month [one full cycle of the moon] were exactly 29.5 days, and the time required ... were a constant, we should have a regular succession of lunar months with first 29 days and next 30, then 29 again, and so forth. [This is how the Hebrew calendar is set.] Since, however, the length of the synodic month ... varies, it is quite possible to have two 30-day months or two 29-day months in a row. When the synodic month is below average length ... it is possible to have three 29-day months in a row. Conversely, when the synodic month is lengthening beyond the average ... it is possible to have three, at times four, and very rarely five 30-day months in a row.The Hebrew calendar does not take these cosmic fluctuations into account. It simply calculates average times and lets it go at that. If we wish to do what God says to do, we cannot use the average length of the lunation of the moon to determine when His appointed times are. Rather, it would be appropriate, and highly accurate, to note each month’s actual new moon phase.The time required from conjunction to full moon is also variable. ... [There are times when] the moon travels ... from conjunction to full moon, and the time is shorter because the distance is less and its speed is faster than ... [at other times]. The necessary time for full moon varies from 13.73 to 15.80 days after conjunction. (Richard A. Parker, The Calendars of Ancient Egypt, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1950)
WRONG STARTING POINT
In addition, the Jews compute the year from the wrong starting point, according to God’s way of reckoning. The Hebrew calendar sets each year by calling the first day of the seventh month "New Year’s Day." That is, the Jews consider the new year to begin with Tishri 1, in the fall, rather than Abib 1, in the spring!
The complexity grows from there. Once they have determined when Tishri 1 falls, they then count backward 177 days to determine when the first day of Abib will be. This may set Abib 1 on a new moon day, or it may not.
The real problem with this system is that, because of the rules of postponement, Tishri 1 itself may or may not be on the day of a new moon. It may be set one or two days after the new moon! Each month should begin on a new moon, but in the Hebrew calendar this does not happen every month.
The problem arises because, although one can look at the calendar and go to a Holy Day service on the 15th day of Abib (according to the calendar), that day may not actually be the 15th day following the new moon! We believe God does not want His people meeting for Holy Days on the wrong day. To a growing number of people, "the 15th day of the new moon" is rather plain. To meet on another day, even if the Hebrew calendar designates it as the 15th of the month, is wrong.
DONE IN IGNORANCE
Some people point out that God blessed their church with growth, with miracles and healings, and all sorts of blessings, while they were observing the Hebrew calendar. This is mentioned to "prove" that God backs up the Hebrew calendar. However, this assertion fails to take into consideration the knowledge and intent the people in the church had.
For example, in the past we observed Sunday, Christmas, etc., in our ignorance and innocence, and God allowed us to do what we considered to be right. But then, one day we learned the truth in God’s Word, that the Sabbath is still an obligation for Christians, and that God does not condone Christmas, but rather prefers we observe His Holy Days. At that point, we had to change to conform to our new, greater understanding. If someone came to an understanding of the Sabbath, but then defiantly refused to give up Sunday worship, with knowledge and intent, would God continue to bless that person? Probably not. God will not "back us up" if we deliberately disobey Him. The key is in whether we know we are disobeying God!
That’s why there is so much interest today about the calendar. People are seeing, for the first time, that their church may not have been correctly setting the dates for observing the Holy Days, and that we may need to change in order to please God, as God leads us to a deeper understanding. We are truly responsible for what we know (Luke 12:47-48). Once we understand more, we must live according to our increased understanding.
It’s not good enough to simply accept the Hebrew calendar on faith. We have accepted so much on faith in our religious lives, sometimes to our hurt. Now it falls on us as God’s people to truly prove all things (1 Thessalonians 5:21), for unless we prove all things, how will we truly have faith in the good things we must retain?
Is it wrong to prove something, rather than accepting it on blind faith? God doesn’t tell us to believe anything concerning Him simply on blind faith. Where God is concerned, there is always evidence for faith (Romans 1:18-20)! The example of the Bereans was cited in scriptures forevermore, commending them for going to the scriptures to prove if what they had been taught was true or not (Acts 17:11). There are a great many congregations of corporate churches today where that kind of behavior would simply not be tolerated. Their philosophy is stated, in so many words, as "Accept and believe what we teach, or you’re not welcome here." Are you attending one of those churches?
CALENDAR TOO COMPLICATED TO UNDERSTAND?
Some people feel that the calendar sounds too complicated. They say it’s just too difficult for them to understand, and they need to rely on someone else to tell them what they need to know.
What is difficult to follow or understand is the Hebrew calendar as the Jews have made it. Especially confusing and mind-bending are the four dehioth, or rules for postponement (discussed later in this article). The traditions and man-made legislation that are part of the calendar fly in the face of simple biblical instructions so much that, when someone tries to read the calendar and postponement rules for the first time and understand them, the mind tends to balk, because the traditional rules do not harmonize with an understanding of the Bible!
The calendar can be difficult to understand. God’s instructions, however, are quite simple. We can all understand what God wants us to know about finding when Holy Days are to be kept, without becoming entangled in ancient, man-made rules and regulations!
There is no scriptural authority for letting someone else do your thinking for you, just as it is not acceptable to have someone else repent for you, be baptized in your place, and overcome your temptations! It is the responsibility of each one of us to study into these matters and determine as best we can what God wants. As much as we might look up to a member of the clergy, or any other human being, we must not rely solely on their judgment to determine what we will believe or do.
God’s way is always the simple way. What makes the Hebrew calendar so complicated is the man-made rules added over centuries and millenia by men. Even more confusion comes from attempting to justify the use of these rules, and actually shoving God’s laws aside at times, in order to preserve their traditions! (See Mark 7:8-13).
We should point out that, although God’s way is simple, it’s not easy. God requires us to follow Him, and that’s not always an easy thing to do. The choice, as always, is ours.
THE CALL FOR UNITY
Some church leaders are calling for unity in the congregations. The calendar issues are condemned as being "divisive." Should everyone do the same thing simply for the sake of unity?
Unity among church members is a noble goal. We should all be "endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3). However, it should be obvious to anyone involved with religious life that doctrinal unity is virtually impossible among so many people with so many religious beliefs. Every church, whether Catholic, Protestant, Church of God, or local independent fundamentalist, has experienced division and disunity, time and again. Therefore, we must look on unity as a goal toward which we strive, but we shouldn’t be surprised if we don’t achieve it. Unity is really based on love -- godly love!
Should we follow a wrong practice for the sake of unity? If all the church members around you begin postponing the Sabbath and going to church on Sunday, what would you do? Go along with them for the sake of unity, or stand up for what you believe, and obey God regardless of the consequences?
When Herbert Armstrong changed the observance of Pentecost from Monday to Sunday, many people left WCG. Did they change for the sake of unity? No, they stood up for what they believed, even if it cost them membership in WCG! Who is right? Each camp thinks they are right.
Let’s suppose for a moment that, for the most part, the church people observe the Hebrew calendar, with its postponement rules, and believe that to be what God wants. Let’s also suppose that a minority of church members has come to recognize that God does not want us to observe the postponements, but rather determine the Holy Days by the new moons. (This example is, in fact, what is happening.) Should the minority change back to doing what the majority is doing? If the minority does not have the faith that it is right to do so, it would be sin for them to do it (Romans 14:23)! What, then, becomes of unity? We each must follow God the best way we know how, or we compromise our conscience.
"The unity of the Spirit" means unity with God, not unity with each other without consideration of God! "The bond of peace" has to do with our relationships with each other. So if each is convicted in his own heart, let each act accordingly, all the while esteeming others appropriately (Philippians 2:3), out of love for God and each other.
JUST HOW IMPORTANT IS THE CALENDAR?
One of the biggest problems concerning the calendar is our understanding of both the Hebrew calendar and its relative importance! The Bible doesn’t give us the means for calculating a calendar. Why is that? Why are there no calendar calculations in the scriptures?
The calendar has become very important to a lot of people over the last few years. If the calendar had been all that important to God, and He had wanted us to follow a specific calendar of His own design, He would have provided us with ample instructions in the Bible. Look at the detail God gives us in reference to the Tabernacle, the sacrifices, slavery, and other such things. Would God have forgotten to include "God’s Sacred Calendar" in the Bible?
What does that tell us? The inescapable conclusion is that God is not all that interested in calendars! There have been many calendar systems in use throughout history. God simply gave Moses instructions in accordance with the calendar system which Egypt, and much of the known world, was using at that time. God didn’t say, "Here’s a new calendar," or "Here’s My calendar." He said, "This month [or more literally, this new moon -- Hebrew chodesh] shall be your beginning of months [new moons]; it shall be the first month [new moon] of the year to you" (Exodus 12:2).
What did God instruct His people? He gave very explicit instructions on what days to observe, and what to do on those days.
"On the tenth day of this [new moon]" such-and-such will take place; "you shall keep [the lamb] ... until the fourteenth day of the same [new moon]" (Exodus 12:3, 6), etc.
The same holds true in Leviticus chapter 23. "These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations.... On the fourteenth day of the first [new moon].... And on the fifteenth day of the same [new moon].... In the seventh [new moon], on the first day of the [new moon].... Also the tenth day of this [new moon].... The fifteenth day of this seventh [new moon]...." (Leviticus 23:4-6, 24, 27, 34), etc.
What are we to learn from this? God gave specific and detailed commands regarding the Holy Days, even telling us when they are on a new moon or how many days we need to count following a new moon.
There is no "God’s Sacred Calendar" in scripture! There are, however, God’s sacred feast days, holy to the Eternal, with instructions on how to locate the exact day to observe them!
Primarily, we must locate the first new moon and the seventh new moon, and determine when the Holy Days fall based on that. There is no need to establish a new type of calendar, or to argue endlessly over what calendars we have at our disposal. The important thing to God is whether we will obey Him (1 Samuel 15:22)!