Babylonian worship/ paganism

 2013

Everyman’s Sunday sungod in American religion

The Julian/Gregorian Calendar; Paganism in the roots of the Church

I send this updated article out every year since 2001 at this time of the upcoming pagan sungod birthday festival of the winter solstice, December 25^th, which is called generally today by Christians, “XMAS” or “Christ-mas” [“Mas”, death of (Latin), and “Christ”, ‘Christos’, the generic Greek name of the sun deities on Mount Olympus, “the anointed one”], which model Tammuz and Nimrod, the model sungods of world paganism.

I also send it out before Easter, the sungoddess holiday in the spring equinox timeframe. “EASTER” [EAOSTRE/ISHTAR] which is the 100% pagan holiday that the Christian Church clings too tenaciously, while also throwing out ALL of the Biblical Spring Feasts of Almighty God, including Yeshua’s Passover [Pesach], the Feast of unleavened Bread and the all important First Fruits of Resurrection occurring 3 days after Passover. 

Yeshua, our Savior, even under any other name or assigned Christian made up title such as the Catholic title of “Christ” or the KJV “Jesus” was never in Christmas or Easter, so why worry about it or try to shove him and his Holy Fall Feast of Tabernacles birth [not December 25^th] into a sungod, heathen holiday or tie him and His Spring Resurrection to a bare breasted sungoddess spring festival? It makes no sense at all and it is nonsense for Christians to mix the Holy things of YHWH God with pagan things dedicated to Satan’s kingdom and then to celebrate the mixture as ‘harmless’ or Christianized. Celebrate the secular midwinter solstice holiday and Easter if you wish, but do not tie them to Almighty God or to Yeshua/Jesus. That is wrong and it denigrates the Bible, God’s Word.  Do not say, “That is not what it means to me”. It does not matter to Yeshua or YHWH God what it means to you if you use that tired excuse for disobedience to the Word of God. Your worldview must line up with scripture if you are to follow the Savior at all. “This is the Way, walk ye in it”, says the Almighty. See my article on Yeshua/Jesus real birthday at the Feast of Tabernacles on my WordPress website.

Deuteronomy 12:28-32 says:

“Shomer [Obey] and hear all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you, and with your children after you le-olam-va-ed [forever], when you do that which is tov [good] and right in the sight of Yahweh your Elohim. When Yahweh your Elohim shall cut off the nations from before you, that you are going to possess, and you dispossess them, and dwell in their land; Guard yourself that you are not ensnared by following them, after they are destroyed from before you; and that you inquire not after their elohim, saying, how did these nations serve their elohim? Even so will I do too. You shall not do so to Yahweh your Elohim: for every abomination to Yahweh, that He hates, have they done to their elohim; for even their sons and their daughters they have burned in the fire to their [prosperity] elohim. Whatever I am commanding you, shomer [take care] to do it: you shall not add to it, nor take away from it [the Word].”

First of all, this examination of the Biblical Hebraic Roots of Christianityand its applicability to today’s Church systems is not an attack on either true Christianity or Christians in this 21^stCentury of the “Christian era”, but it is a course correction out of the shipwrecking rocks and shoals of error and illusions. Those who would take offense without consideration of the teachings given here should not fall into the same snare that Judah fell into when confronted with Jeremiahs proclaiming what YHWH told him to say to the people chosen by Yahweh to bear His Name. That snare which is called by Yahweh, “Lashan Hara” or the evil tongue; speaking slander and vilification against the messenger rather than considering the message that YHWH wanted the Prophet to convey to them.

This is an examination of the Pagan, Roman Catholic Gregorian Calendar used universally by Protestant Christianity today in place of Yahweh’s Calendar from the Bible. Some may consider that I am being cruel to fellow believers in Jesus/Yeshua, but I am really not writing this from any animosity whatsoever. I, exhorting as a Bar-Naba, hate lies and deception. I desire above all else to free my brothers and sisters from the “traditions of men, which put the things of the Almighty God to naught” in the minds of his children. The Scripture is true in its entirety and provides our only light. The lies of the clerics provide only darkness and have always done so.

2 Kefa (Peter), chapter 3:

 “And consider the long patience of our Master as salvation; even as our beloved brother Sha’ul (Paul) also according to the chochmah (wisdom) given to him has written to you; As also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things; in which some things are hard to understand, which they that are unlearned and unstable twist, as they do also the other Keetvay HaKodesh (Holy Scriptures), to their own destruction (and their students confusion). You then, beloved ones, seeing you know these things beforehand (from your youth), beware lest you also, being led away with the delusion of Torah-less-ness (lawlessness), fall from your ownsteadfastness. But grow in favor and in the da’at (grace) of our Master and Savior Yeshua ha Moshiach. To Him be tifereth (glory) both now and le-olam-va-ed (forever). Omein.”

In my reading and studying of the Hebrew Scriptures, I have yet to find one place that requires us to submit to any authority of those that:

1) Add to, delete from or change the teachings of Yahweh’s written Torahand:

2)    Refer to the Law given to Moshe (Moses), not as an authoritative code of instruction and teaching of believers; but as a mere “source of law” for the purpose of deriving and enacting new laws such as Ecclesiastical orRabbinical Oral Enactments, Takanot and Ma’asim.

Furthermore, I have yet to find one written Scriptural source (written Torah/Tanach and the written Gospels/Renewed Covenant) that says that we can only receive the Spirit of Elohim (Holy Spirit) on condition that we live according to the exacting standards of Pharisaic or Denominational Takanot and Geserot(decrees, regulations, doctrines and prohibitions added to Moses written words) and Ma’asim (Precedents of the Rabbis and Church Denominations).

The Pagan Calendar in use on the Roman Catholic continent of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea lands during the “Dark Ages” was called the Julian calendar and was created by that famous pagan, sun worshiping Roman dictator, Julius Caesar; a devotee of Sol Invicta Mithras and also Jupiter, the Roman Solar deities. This calendar received the blessings of all the Roman Catholic Popes and their pagan church until it was mathematically “corrected” during the reign of Pope Gregory in 1585. The changes were mathematical and minimal in scope and encompassed the additional “changing of days and seasons” in defiance of scripture. The Pagan prosperity sungod names that Julius Caesar gave to days, weeks and months remained intact by Pope Gregory and will be discussed later in this article. These calendars worked well for the Anti-Israel and Anti-nomian, sun worshiping Babylonian Papal system, which had successfully divorced the Christian church from its Hebrew roots and created a new man made religion called Catholicism [Universal, they hoped]. This religion followed Babylon and is correctly named, “The Second Babylon”.  Read Alexander Hyslop’s book of the same name, published in the 1850’s. It is excellent and correctly describes Christianity’s descent into Entropy and semi-paganism.

Yahweh God gave Moses in the Torah books, a perfect, Heavenly based calendar spelled out in detail in the Holy Torah as the eternal pattern written with the finger of Yahweh Elohim on Mount Horev; the true mountain of the Testimony. The New Year began at the new moon of the month of Aviv and the spring “Aviv Barley” in Israel before the spring equinox and was delineated in minute detail with many examples throughout Scripture. You, if you do not understand the Calendar of YHWH God, you will also never understand the Bible, and will never understand Bible Prophecy or the Gospel correctly. The Almighty does not like, nor does he comply with Pagan Calendars; but only his own Holy Calendar that began at Creation in Genesis 1:1! 

Exodus 12: 2: “This month [Aviv] shall be for you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year for you.”

For 3500 plus years or so after the Holy Mountain of YHWH God experience, the true descendants of Avraham, called Israel and not “Jews”, began their scriptural year at the new moon in accordance with scripture, starting at the spring Month of Aviv that is ordained by Yahweh God and then followed it by the great feast of Pesach [Passover] on the 14^th of Aviv as indicated in Leviticus chapter 23, which is the listing of Yahweh’s annual, Memorial times and seasons. It is worth noting here that these are Yahweh’s eternal feasts; and not “Jewish” feasts from Judaism’s modern calculated Calendar of the 2^nd Century CE. They are not even the “times and seasons of Moses law”, but they are Yahweh God’s Holy, everlasting Commandments ordained within the scope of HIS Eternal CALENDAR!

The true descendants of the two houses of Israel still obey these Holy Commands and the Holy types and patterns leading unto Yeshua, our Messiah, that they represent.

Papal, Catholic, pagan Rome adopted the pagan sungod calendar of her predecessor and mentor, Caesar’s Imperial Rome. Julius Caesar got his calendar from the pagan religions of both the Eastern and Western sun worshiping religions of his ancestors. Roman Catholicism viciously attacked all who kept the Scriptural calendar and slaughtered millions of Jews and true Christians who followed Yahweh’s ancient ways. She insisted on controlling the calendar and ordered all to adopt her corrupt computations. The results were predictable. By the year 1582 the Julian calendar was off by 11 days and began to be embarrassing to the “fisherman, lord god, the pope”. Pope Gregory XIII then called on his own church version of the “Gestapo”, the Jesuits for a fix. They then provided a Jesuit, Christopher Clavius, S.J, who became the architect of the Gregorian calendar! This heathen was a German Jesuit mathematician and “pseudo astronomer” and became the main engine of the modern Gregorian calendar used by Christianity today. With this Jesuit calendar, came also the Jesuit astronomy or, as is known today, the “heliocentric universe”. With his introduction of the new Catholic calendar, Pope Gregory XIII demonstrated to the world that the changing of “times and seasons” is centered in Rome, and not on Scripture and certainly not centered on the Holy One of Israel. This was an interesting “trick” and was probably related to countering the Protestant reformation, which was going on in Europe at the time. The protestors failed to protest or counter this change and the Christian Church remains ignorant of it to this present day! As most of the other calendars in the world attest, the Popes usually adjust the calendar to the particular god of each nation/religion. Pope Gregory has clearly demonstrated that his god was and is the Catholic sungod in the sky, and it is not centered on Yeshua, the Son of Yahweh, and Savior of mankind.

The idea that Christians chose to celebrate the birth of Jesus on 25 December because this was the date of an already existing festival of Sol Invictus Mithra was expressed in an annotation to a manuscript of a work by 12th-century Syrian bishop Jacob Bar-Salibi. The scribe who added it wrote: “It was a custom of the Pagans to celebrate on the same 25 December the birthday of the Sun, at which they kindled lights in token of festivity. In these solemnities and revelries the Christians also took part. Accordingly when the doctors of the Church perceived that the Christians had a leaning to this festival, they took counsel and resolved that the true Nativity should be solemnized on that day.”

The Gregorian calendar was accepted in England and her colonies by an act of Parliament in 1752! Russia would not accept this Roman calendar until the Communist revolution in the early 20^th century.

Protestants in early America used to recognize that Solar phenomena have no particular bearing on standard Christian practice, but now have fallen to the point that, on Easter morning [a pagan goddess, Ishtar/Semiramis, festival]; they go to the cemetery and face the rising sun in worship, not recognizing that they are following the ancient heathen worship of Semiramis/Mary, the “queen of heaven”! It is easy to deceive the unlearned or mistaught as Yahweh showed Ezekiel and Jeremiah.

The Gregorian calendar is named for an infamous persecutor and killer of Protestant Christians and Jews, most notably, the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in 1572; Pope Gregory XIII.

The Holy One of Israel gave a name ONLY to the 7^th day of the week, which He called Shabbat [Sabbath];the only day of the seven-day week that He designated as a Holy day of rest. The other 6 days, He numbered 1 through 6, [Exodus 20:11, Deuteronomy 5:12-14; etc]. He also designated as His Appointed Times, the seven Annual Feasts of YHWH and no other feast, to be observed in perpetuity by all of his people, Israel and including those grafted into Israel. Read Romans 9, 10 and 11 to get a glimmer of how you are seen by Yeshua.

Rebellious pagan Men gave names to all 7 days of the week and the months of the year, which they named after PAGAN deities. The deities of the week are symbols equivalent to the sun, moon and 5 major planets. The months of the year are named after the PAGAN Sungods of Rome, Greece, Ireland, Scandinavia and other European Nations, including Germany. Roman numbers designates some months for the months 7,8,9 and 10, September, October, November and December.

The word PAGAN [a Gentile] means a heathen; one who is not a Hebrew, Nazarene or even a true Christian. One cannot be “A Gentile saved by faith” This is FALSE and ignorant at best! You can only be one or the other, and you cannot be both, that is; you are a FORMER Gentile.

The terms Pagan, Gentile and heathen specifically refer to one or all of the ancient polytheistic peoples, especially the Greeks, Romans and the Muslim descendants of Edom in particular. Heathen is applicable to all idolaters and worshipers of false, twisted gods.

The Biblical day always begins at sunset as defined at creation in Genesis, while the Gregorian Catholic day begins at midnight, which figures because that hour is called in history as the “witching hour”. Go figure!

The following descriptives contain some mind-blowing facts that you never knew before and that may be damaging to your former complacency on these matters!

Now we will define each day of the week:

1] Day 1 is called as such by Yahweh. It is called by pagans as SUN-DAY; so named for the “day of the venerable sun”. The sungod, “Sol Invicta” is called Nimrod, Tammuz, Ra, Osiris, Helios, Apollo, Ogmios, Mithra, Zeus, Jupiter, St. Elias and many more, but you get the idea. Christians worship on this sun-day, thus obeying the edict of the first Pope, Emperor Constantine Ist,given in 321 C.E., which changed the scriptural Sabbath from the 7^th day to the 1^st day of the week, SUBDAY. No Scripture exists requiring this change, but Scripture is twisted unmercifully to try to justify this pagan practice. The Sunday symbol is the solar disc or the solar disc in the center of the cross of Mithra, which is the symbol of the Roman Legions sungod, Mithras. Rome murdered millions of true, Messianic believers and Jews on this Roman sungod cross. The Medieval horizontal “Rack” of the Catholic Inquisition was a variation on the Cross of Crucifixion adopted by Rome to kill freedom lovers and Jews. Roman Catholicism, along with Islam, together, is the longest-lived murder cults on planet Earth!

 2] Day2 is called as such by Yahweh. Pagans call it MON-DAY in honor of the Moon goddess, personified as Selene, Semiramis, Luna and Mani among others. The symbol is the crescent Moon. Islam worships this god as Allah, the Moongod of Islam and the Curse [Strongs H#421-423] of everyone else.

3] Day 3 is called as such by Yahweh. Pagans call it TUES-DAY in honor of the demonic force [the Force] of power, energy and endurance personified as Ares, Tiwas, Tiw, Tuisco and Tyr among others. The symbol of this wargod is the red planet Mars.

4] Day 4 is called as such by Yahweh. Pagans call it WEDNES-DAY in honor of the demonic spirit of Gnostic knowledge and wisdom, personified as Woden, Odin and Hermes. The symbol of this false oracle is the planet Mercury.

5] Day 5 is called as such by Yahweh. Pagans call it THURS-DAY in honor of the idol of Thunder, personified as Thunor [Thor]. Other names for him are Zeus, Taranis, Perun, Perkunis and St. Olaf among others. The symbol of this sungod is the planet Jupiter.

6] Day 6 is called as such by Yahweh. Pagans call it FRI-DAY worshiping the goddess of sexual love, Frigga. The symbol is Venus. Muslims worship this day as their sabbath but do not exhibit love as westerners know it, but only love death which is dedicated to their idol, Allah; which means “the CURSE” in Hebrew, [Strongs concordance #H421-423].

7] THE Holy and Eternal 7th Day SABBATH is called by YHWH God the SHABBAT, and it is called by men as Saturday, the day of Saturnalia after the worship of the sungod Saturn and it is designated by pig/pork eating as worship, pagan feasting on forbidden garbage eating animal foods and the committing of sexual sins, including Homosexuality, bisexuality, animal sex, pedophilia, rape and the worship of Nimrods penis in all of its pagan forms. Obelisques are towers representing Nimrods erect, uncircumcised penis, including the one centered in Washington, DC. It is dedicated to George Washington, a 33^rd Degree Mason and worshiper of the Masonic Temple’s many sungod’s. Groves, Wiccan Circles, prostitute temples worldwide, pornography, Homosexual baths, massage parlors, gentlemen’s clubs, drinking and drugs are but a few of the rotten fruits of this pagan and rebellious substitute day. Christians shop, work, drink, eat Biblically forbidden foods and watch pagan games and Hollywood “R” rated entertainments on YHWH God’s Holy Day. They condemn themselves to the lake of fire for doing such defiant abominations.

The months of the pagan year in the Gregorian calendar; when they are set against the Scriptural months, in this list beginning roughly with the Bibles first month of AVIV in the spring; read as follows with their deities defined:

4] April = Aphrodite. A pagan Greek sexual fertility spring goddess, who is also called the Roman goddess, Venus. The Anglo-Saxon name for this month is Eastermonath, the month of the goddess EOSTRE/Ishtar whose name is the origin of the word EASTER. April is named in honor of her. Even Christians celebrate Easter instead of Passover and they are ignorantly worshiping Semiramis or Ishtar, a satanic goddess idol!

5] May = Maia, the Greek goddess of spring, identified with the goddess of fertility, Bona-Dea. She is included with April as a spring goddess of fertility to cover all Passover eventualities with pagan festivities. Mayday is the day of little schoolgirls worshiping Nimrods penis by dancing around the “Maypole” of Nimrod and garlanding it with flowers as a preparation for later demonically led sexual activity. I saw this display of American schoolteacher ignorance as an ignorant young gradeschool boy on school playground equipment poles. IT IS SICK!

6] June = Juno; another goddess and wife of Jupiter; this time it is a Roman demon who is also known as the Greek goddess, Hera. Her chief claim to fame is as another “queen of heaven” and as a divine “watcher” over the female sex. This ties in with the month of June as being the most auspicious time for marriage in America.

7] July = Julius. Julius Caesar; the Emperor of Rome and self-proclaimed sungod; the creator of the Julian calendar who proclaimed his own deity prior to being ventilated by many knives by some disgruntled senators. So much for proclaiming, “man is god”.

8] August = Augustus. Named after the [guess who], the Roman Emperor, Augustus Caesar; another ultimate politician and Obamanation.

9] September, the 7^th month of the Biblical year [Sept] = Pomona;Named after the Roman goddess of fruit and fruit bearing trees. Wine, anyone?

10] October, the 8^th month of the Biblical year [Oct] = Astraea, a Greek goddess. The Latin word Octber means eighth, so how did eighth become tenth? The Middle English word is Octobre, meaning a time to brew English/German Ale, called “Oktoberfest”.

11] November, the 9^th month of the Biblical year [Nov] = Samhain. The name comes from the Catholic “All Saints day”, but the festival is really a Samhain [Satan] festival; known as Halloween, a celebration of devils.

12] December, the 10^th month of the Biblical year [Dec] = Decima/Vesta. This is the middle goddess of the three fates and the Middle English spelling is Decembre. The Latin word is from decem meaning 10^th. So why is the Catholic Calendar calling it the 12^thmonth? Well, my confused American Christian friend, it is to sneak in “Christmas” with its lies so you will celebrate the Winter Solstice with the Wiccans and other pagans, who laugh at your naivete.

1] January = Janus, the two faced demonic god of endings, doors, theater and beginnings. The pagan new year is celebrated in January. The only “door” [dalet] that I recognize is the Holy One of Israel, Yeshua Ha Moshiach!

2] February = Februa, the Roman goddess of passion, death, purification and sex. Her orgiastic rites are celebrated on the 14^th of February, St. Valentine’s Day. Send someone a valentine and participate in this feast of Wiccan, pagan lust. In the middle ages, one sent a Valentine such that a demon of lust would inhabit the recipient person you wished to have sex with. The demon is still present, but Americans are mostly ignorant of this evil intentioned root. Or are they?

3] March = Mars, the Roman god of war, known in Greece as Ares and by the Nordic Vikings as Odin. This month in early spring was considered a good time to start a war. Check your history on this one. For instance, when a squad leader wishes his troops to move out, what word does he use to get them going? Yes, you guessed it. MARCH!

The modern Protestant Christian Churches; in their zeal to accept and incorporate these pagan deities into their doctrines, holy days, holidays and ecclesiastical dogma, throw out and dispense with entire books of the Bible, notably the first 5 books of the Torah {Pentateuch] of YHWH God, to their eternal shame. It is little wonder that the new Babylonian system of Roman Catholicism calls the Protestant Denominations “wayward daughters, soon to return to the fold”. I am still waiting for the Protestants to complete the Reformation and cast aside their pagan doctrines. I do not think it will happen soon without church persecution and mass repentance on the part of the many Denominations naming the 400 year old name of “Jesus”, an English title which means nothing in the languages of Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek. His Grace is sufficient, however, to cover that little bit of ignorance, so Yeshua allows His Western children to call him by that name anyway. His mercy endures forever and he allows a multitude of errors in Christians as a good Savior does. He does not expect a believing toddler to do everything that a teenager or a mature grownup would be expected to do.

Sha’ul (Paul) told the Thessalonians that before the Messiah returned, there would be a “falling away” (apostasy, a “departure from truth”). This departure from the truth would then open the door for something evil called “the man of lawlessness” to come forth. This “coming of the lawless one” would be accompanied by “all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders” which would “deceive those who are perishing.”

“They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved,” Paul writes. “For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.” In preparation for the return of the Messiah, God is also sending powerful revelation to graciously expose the ancient lie, so that those who love the truth can depart from error and be freed from the bewitching influence of the spirit of lawlessness.

The Roman Pope has taken upon himself the role of a type of Ante [in place of]  -“Christ” and as it is documented in encyclicals and edicts, his supposed right to “change times and seasons” in direct defiance of scripture. The many denominational Christian Churches have not only kept silent, but have slavishly followed the Roman Catholic calendars pathwayto destruction and divine judgment. Take note of the many goddesses named in the calendar, which universally represent the concept of a “queen of heaven”. Roman Popes have also placed Miriam [Mary] in this same category with the “Queen of heaven’s” named witchcraft pagan attributes, again, in defiance of Scriptural truth. After all, the Popes are all called “Lord God, the Pope” by the followers of this form of the Babylonian religion.

There is an excellent article outlining the “ABCs of the Biblical Calendar” on the website http://www/yrm.org/abccalendar.htmthat describes the Scriptural remedy to this sad state of affairs. Many will read this article and others of similar warning, but I think that few Christians will ACT upon what they read. The Bible is very clear on Yahweh’s position and instructions on His appointed times and seasons and His Calendar is very easy to understand, but, sadly, the majority will place the “traditions of men/ elders/ leaders/ pastors and Rabbis” foremost in their minds above the clear, Holy, Torah instructions and teachings of Yahweh God in His written word.

Much has been written and posted on the Internet on this subject and I add my humble observations to the lot and hope that someone’s mind and heart may be stirred to study to show themselves approved to YHWH God and then apply these teachings to their lives.

Blessings B’Shem Yeshua Ha Moshiach,

Walking on the road to Emmaus,

Rabbi James Talbott, the Wilderness Teacher

The following World Net Daily article of 10/16/2013 is added as an addendum under the fair use agreement cited next and is a second witness, if you will, to my annual essay at the head of this tome.

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BLOOD MOONS: CHRISTIANS ‘ON WRONG CALENDAR’

How Western days, dates may mislead believers

Comment by Rabbi James Talbott;

“This could be funny in timing, as I wrote a long dissertation on the subject, “WRONG CALENDAR” several years ago. Christians did not get it then and they still do not get it today, having ignored or denigrated Gods Holy Days for centuries. Perhaps these new books by famous Christian writers such as John Hagee and Pastor Biltz will help the pew puppies figure it out better than this old man did. ALL Bible prophecy will be misinterpreted without a clear understanding of the 8 Feasts of YHWH God, including the 7th day Sabbath, as listed in Leviticus 23; the same Holy God Appointed times, years and seasons mentioned in Genesis, chapter 1 and which Yeshua/Jesus also celebrated for His entire life!” 

Earthquakes, floods and storms are being reported around the globe, and many Christians, as they have for centuries, are watching for signs of Jesus’ return.

They’re also studying the Bible and tracking events.

But what if the Gregorian calendar, which the Western world has used for generations, doesn’t align with God’s timeline?

Pastor Mark Biltz, founder of the El Shaddai Ministries and proponent of the Hebrew Roots Revival, believes the Gregorian calendar is not in sync with God’s calendar.

“The problem is that we have not been tuned in nor have we been on the right calendar. Our current Gregorian calendar is based totally on the sun. It is a very accurate calendar, but it is not the calendar God uses. The Muslims’ Islamic calendar is based totally on the moon. It, too, is a great calendar but it is not the one God uses,” Biltz explains.

He believes that God created a specific way for tracking time and that he revealed it to men.

“In Genesis, concerning the sun, the moon and the stars that He created, He also said, ‘let them determine the seasons, days and years.’ So while most people on this planet use either the sun or the moon to determine their calendar, it is only the ancient biblical calendar used by the Jewish people that God utilizes to get His messages across,” Biltz explained.

Biltz believes that the reason why Christians aren’t on the right calendar is due to faulty translations of the Bible from the original Hebrew into English.

“When God said the sun and the moon were to determine the seasons, days and years, He was not talking about winter, spring, summer and fall. The problem is the English translations. The same Hebrew word translated into English as ‘seasons’ in Genesis 1 is translated into English as ‘feasts’ in Leviticus 23:2. The Hebrew word is ‘moed’ and is better translated as ‘divine appointments.’ When it talks about days and years it is referring to determining the Holy days such as Passover and the Feast of Rosh Hashanah and not to Labor Day!” Biltz states.

Biltz believes the details of the biblical calendar easily can be integrated into the Western world’s traditional calendar, because for a time he lived in an area that used both Central and Mountain Time.

“I lived in Garden City, Kan., where many people had two clocks because they were on the time line differentiating between Central Time and Mountain Time. To communicate with each other, even being only a few miles away we had to know whose time zone we were going to use. Well, we also need to have two calendars in this world if we want to include God in our conversation,” the pastor said.

Biltz believes that God wants to reveal the biblical calendar so that people can understand the signals He uses to communicate.

Blitz is particularly focused on total lunar eclipses, also known as blood moons, and what they mean in God’s plan for mankind.

His research on the topic was the basis for John Hagee’s latest bestseller, “Four Blood Moons: Something is about to Change,” and was used by Biltz to produce a new calendar with his findings.

Biltz is also currently at work on a book for WND that will delve even further into the topic.

“Scientifically you can only have a solar eclipse on the first day of the Jewish calendar and you can only have a lunar eclipse on the 15th of the Jewish calendar. Throughout history there are thousands of eclipses that happen but they don’t always fall on the feast days. So when eclipses fall on the feast days, we have to consider what signal it is that God is trying to send us,” Biltz says.

“When you consider the last time there were four blood moons in a row … falling on the feast days was in 1967 and 1968 when Israel recaptured Jerusalem. The time before that was the two years right after they became a nation in 1948. You can’t help but stand there with your mouth opened wide with the impeccable timing and signals sent to the world by the Creator of the universe,” Biltz concludes.

Now, for the first time, a calendar showing the impending “signs in the heavens” is available. The exciting features of the 16-month calendar include:

• The signs in the heavens – the actual dates from NASA when eclipses will occur, including Comet Ison
• Intertwining the civil calendar with the biblical calendar
• Dates of significant biblical events from history
• Personal photos of Israel from yearly tours sponsored by El Shaddai
• Weekly Torah portions with New Testament readings listed
• A full-page write-up explaining the Feasts of the Lord
• Annual biblical holidays and Sabbaths highlighted

Biltz’s message centers on the fact that the messianic prophecies that Jesus fulfilled 2,000 years ago, when He came the first time, happened to the very day.

Biltz explains how His second coming events will also happen to the very day of the Fall Feasts.

Yeshua died for our sins on Passover, Biltz says, was buried on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, was resurrected from death on First Fruits, and then sent the Holy Spirit to indwell believers on the Jewish Feast of Pentecost (Shavuot).

If He fulfilled the Spring Feasts to the very day on His first coming, Biltz argues, He will fulfill the Fall Feasts to the very day on His second coming.

Biltz also reveals a link between charts of solar and lunar eclipses from NASA’s website and Israel’s history, the biblical feast days and the signs in the heavens, drawing clear similarities between them and showing how they line up through history.

Hagee’s “Four Blood Moons” points out that on Passover in 2014, the first of a series of mysterious astronomical events will occur that will have the whole world looking up at the night skies.

The story actually began in 2008 when Biltz made an astounding discovery – a story broken first by WND.

Biltz had been studying prophecies that focus on the sun and moon, even going back to the book of Genesis where it states the lights in the sky would be “be for signs, and for seasons.”

“It means a signal, kind of like ‘one if by land, two if by sea.’ It’s like God wants to signal us,” he said. “The Hebrew word implies … not only is it a signal, but it’s a signal for coming or His appearing.”

Biltz notes that the word “seasons” implies appointed times for God’s feasts and festivals.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Joel states, “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.” (Joel 2:31)

In the New Testament, Jesus is quoted as saying: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light. … And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:29-30)

Acts 2 states: “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord (not Sunday) comes.”

“God wants us to look at the biblical calendar,” says Biltz. “The reason we need to be watching is [because] He will signal His appearance. But we have to know what to be watching as well. So we need to be watching the biblical holidays.”

Biltz noticed that “blood moons” result from lunar eclipses.

When checking the schedule for eclipses, Biltz found two – one on Passover; the next on the high holy day of Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the seventh Hebrew month. Two more take place in 2015, also on biblical “feast” days.

Hagee also has taken Biltz’s findings and authored the first book about the blood moons that some believe will herald the Second Coming of Jesus.

This Article is Included with comment by Rabbi James Talbott,

Yeshua HaTikvah Yisrael Ministry, walking on the road to Emmaus, Okanogan, Washington

The creation week

The Word of YHVH begins with the creation of the first week in whose pattern we see a shadow picture of how the world will exist in the following 7,000 years.

Much can be said about the hidden meaning of YHVH’s first week in which He has given us the model to follow: six days work is to be done and the seventh day is a rest for YHVH (Exo 20:8-11)

There is a common understanding of the sages, found in Sanhedrin 97a, about the coming of the Messiah, regarding which R. Kattina said:

Six thousand years shall the world exist, and one [thousand, the seventh], it shall be desolate, as it is written, And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day [footnote: Isa. II, 11]. 

The Tanna debe Eliyyahu teaches likewise:

The world is to exist six thousand years. In the first two thousand there was desolation; two thousand years the Torah flourished; and the next two thousand years is the Messianic era [footnote: I.e., Messiah will come within that period], but through our many iniquities all these years have been lost [footnote: He should have come at the beginning of the last two thousand years; the delay is due to our sins].

The Sages describe the whole human history as a seven-millennium week, consisting of 6,000 years of human labor in developing the Creator’s world and a seventh millennium that is “wholly Shabbat and rest, for life everlasting” that is the Era of the Messiah.

As the Creator created the first week, He did not give proper names to the days, but he simply numbered them.

The beginning of months

The beginning of the months was given to the Israelites with the Law of Passover and the Unleavened bread,

This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. (Exo 12:2 JPS)

In the Jewish tradition, Mechilta, Shab. 63a, the Creator showed Moses the moon in its renewal and said to him, “When the moon renews itself, you will have a new month”. This month (lit., this renewal) was called by the Creator “the month of the Aviv” in Exo 13:4.

Note: Aviv is not a proper name for the first month, as Shabbat is not a proper name for the seventh day of the week, but a stage in the development of the barley crops when it is ripe.

Likewise, the Creator did not give proper names to the months of the year but simply numbered them.

We should clearly state here that neither do the Biblical months have names, nor the days of the week.

However, there are three Biblical months found in the Scripture with strange names attached to them:

(1) Ethanim, brooks, plural of ethan from an unused root meaning “to continue”, “permanence”, “permanent”. Ethanim is always used with the article the, hence the permanent brooks,

(2) Bul meaning “increase”, “produce”, is used for the eighth month, corresponding to November-December (1Ki 6:38),

(3) and Ziv, the second month of the year, corresponding to April-May found in 1Ki 6:1 and 1Ki 6:37. The word Ziv means “bloom” and it is called so, because in that month there is the bloom of the trees. Hence, Targum Jonathan translated Ziv “the bloom of the buds”.

These names, Ethanim, Bul, and Ziv are not mentioned anywhere in Leviticus 23 and, in fact, anywhere in the Torah. They appear four times and only in the Book of Kings to denote a historical account of using these names.

We should also state that all four references to these month names are in the account of King Solomon’s relation with the Phoenicians and their assistance with the construction of the Temple (1Ki 6:1, 1Ki 6:37-38, 1Ki 8:2).

Since, these names are mentioned only in Kings and only in relation to the building of the Temple, we may conclude that, most likely, they are of foreign, possibly, Phoenician origin.

In fact, in three of the four instances in which they appear, the author of Kings translates them into Torah month names with the formula: “in the month [foreign name], which is the [Torah designation] month.” 

However, there is another possibility that these words might not have been of pagan origin, because the seventh month, corresponding to October-November, called Ethanim, brooks, is called so because the permanent streams in Israel still flowed in that season of the year.

Such relations can be found for the other two months.

It is interesting to note that these names cannot be found in the parallel accounts in 2Ch 5:3-7. Nor can they be found in the writings of Flavius Josephus, who, if they were in circulation at that time, would have mentioned them. His account of the same event in 1Ki 8 is recorded in Antiquities, Book 8, Chapter 4:1, but the name Ethanim is not there.

Also, it is worth mentioning that 1&2 Kings and their parallels 1&2 Chronicles are post-exilic writings of the history of Israel in pre-exilic period.

Therefore, it is plausible that these names had been already adopted from the pagan practice to name the months, and simply applied to the Biblical months.

In fact, after the Jews returned from Babylon, they brought not only foreign [unconverted] wives and the square Aramaic script of Babylon that replaced the ancient Hebrew script, but also foreign names of the months in the Jewish calendar named after Babylonian deities.

Reckoning of hours

The Torah, the Prophets and the Writings do not number specific Biblical hours of the day. Only the Messianic Scriptures number specific hours in Matthew, Mark, Luke and Acts.

The third hour of the day (beginning with the sun rise roughly at six in the morning) is referred to in Mat 20:3-4, Mar 15:25 and Act 2:15 and corresponds to what today is known as 9 am.

The sixth hour of the day is referred to in Mat 20:5, 27:45, Mar 15:33, Luk 23:44 and Act 10:9 and corresponds to noon.

The ninth hour of the day is referred to in Matthew 20:5, 27:45, 27:46, Mark 15:33, 15:34, Luke 23:44, Acts 3:1, Acts 10:3 and Acts 10:30-31 and corresponds to 3 pm.

The eleventh hour of the day is referred to in Matthew 20:6 and Matthew 20:9 and corresponds to 5 pm.

The third hour of the night is referred to in Act 23:23-24 and corresponds roughly to 9 pm (as the night begins at sunset).

Although, we do not find specific hours of the day defined in the Torah, we do find the term אַשְׁמוּרָה ashmurah, which means “watch”, feminine from שָׁמַר shamar, to guard, to protect, to watch. Hence we find the terms “night watch” or “morning watch” in Exo 14:24, Jdg 7:19, 1Sa 11:11, Psa 90:4, Psa 63:6, Psa 119:148, and Lam 2:19.

The Rabbinic calendar vs. the Creator’s calendar

For instance, in the parts of the Hebrew Scriptures written during or after the Babylonian exile, five months appear with their Babylonian names.

Nisan was a name given to the first Biblical month, but the seventh month in the Rabbinic calendar; falls in March and April (Neh_2:1, Est_3:7).

Sivan was a name for the third month, but the ninth month in the Rabbinic calendar; falls in May and June (Est_8:9).

Tammuz was a name given to the fourth Biblical month, but the tenth month in the Rabbinic calendar; falls in June and July.

Elul was a name for the sixth month, but the twelfth month in the Rabbinic calendar; falls in August and September (Neh_6:15).

Kislev was a name for the ninth month, but the third month in the Rabbinic calendar; falls in November and December (Neh_1:1-2, Zec_7:1-3).

Adar was a name for the twelfth month, but the sixth month in the Rabbinic calendar; falls in February and March (Ezr_6:15, Est_3:7, 3:13, 8:11-12, 9:1, 9:15, 9:17, 9:19, 9:20-22).

But the worst thing that the Rabbis did was to name the fourth Biblical month (in June and July) after the name of the Sumerian and Babylonian deity Tammuz, a god of pastures and vegetation; consort of Inanna, another pagan deity.

Tammuz is mentioned only once in Eze 8:14: The worship of Tammuz.

The prophet Ezekiel was taken to the entrance of the gate of the Temple of YHVH, to see the women sitting there weeping for Tammuz, while the elders were secretly carrying on their idolatrous worship.

YHVH asked him,

Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each one in the room of his idols? For they say, ‘Yehovah does not see us, Yehovah has forsaken the land’. 

And if that was not evil enough, YHVH said to Ezekiel,

You are to see still greater abominations which they are doing.

And He brought him to the door of the north gate of the Temple, and the prophet saw women sitting there, weeping for Tammuz.

Then YHVH asked him again,

Have you seen this, O son of man? You are to see still greater abominationsthan these.

And He brought him into the inner court of the Temple, where were about twenty-five men turned their backs to the Temple of YHVH, but their faces toward the east, and they were bowing themselves eastward to worship the sun. (Eze 8:12-16)

The man-made traditions do not stop here. In the Rabbinic literature, there are four “new” years, despite the establishment of the Creator’s New Year and the Law of Passover in Exo 12:2.

For instance, in Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1 (literally “heads of the year”), we read about them:

(1) On the first of Nisan (the first Biblical month), the new year for the kings and for the festivals;

(2) On the first of Elul, the new year for the tithing of animals; but, Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Shimon say, it is on the first of Tishrei (the seventh Biblical month);

(3) On the first of Tishrei, the new year for the reckoning of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years and for the planting and for the vegetables;

(4) On the first of Shevat, the new year for the trees.

Pagan names for the months in the Christian tradition

On the Christian side of the man-made traditions, we find the names of the months given after pagan deities:

January is named after the Roman deity Janus. (Roman mythology) the Roman god of doorways and passages; is depicted with two faces on opposite sides of his head. It was originally the 11th month.

February is named for the pagan Roman festival of purification after the female idol February. It was originally the 12th month.

March is named after the Roman deity Mars; in the Roman mythology, Mars was a god of war and agriculture; father of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome; Mars is a counterpart of Greek Ares. After this Roman deity the small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun was named. It was originally the first month.

April comes from Apru, a Truscan form of Aphrodite, a goddess of love and beauty and daughter of Zeus in the Greek mythology; identified with Roman Venus (the second nearest planet to the sun). The Latin aprilis indicates a time of fertility. 

May is named after Maius, the Roman goddess of fertility, growth, and increase; a counterpart of the Greek goddess Maia, who was identified with the Roman goddess Bona Dea, whose festival was held in that month; hence May.

June is named for Juno. In the Roman mythology, June was the queen of the Olympian gods who protected marriage; she was wife and sister of Jupiter, the major Roman deity. In the Greek mythology, the counterpart of June was Hera, the queen of the Olympian gods, also sister and wife of Zeus, the chief Greek deity, and is remembered for her jealousy of the many mortal women Zeus fell in love with.

The following two months are named after Roman emperors, who were also considered gods in the ancient Rome:

July is named in honor of Julius Caesar, conqueror of Gaul and master of Italy (100-44 BC).

August is named in honor of Augustus Caesar (Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus), who established the Roman Empire and became emperor in 27 BC. He defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra in 31 BC at Actium (63 BC – AD 14).

And the last months of the Roman-Christian calendar are numerical:

September comes from the Latin root septem meaning “seven”, it was once the seventh month, hence September.

The original Roman republican calendar September was the seventh month of the year and had only ten months—Martius, Aprilis, Maius, Junius, Quintilis, Sextilis, September, October, November, and December. The last six months were assigned names according to their ordinal numbers—Quintilis is the fifth month, Sextilis is the sixth month, and so on.

October is named for eight (octo for eight); now it is the tenth month, but it was once the eighth month in the Julian calendar, hence October.

November likewise means nine (novefor nine); now it is the eleventh month, but it was once the ninth month in the Julian calendar, hence November.

December means ten (deci for ten); now it is the twelfth month, but it was once the tenth month in the Julian calendar, hence December.

While the pagan names of the months appear almost universally, the pagan names of the week days appear only in English.

Pagan names for the days of the week

The Christianity has also adopted foreign names for the day of the week.

As we know, the Creator YHVH never calls the days of the creation week with proper names, not even the day in which He rested from all His work in the creation: the seventh day Shabbat.

And because the Creator completed the work of creation on the seventh day (not on the sixth, as the Septuagint erroneously rendered it), the Hebrew word Shabbat simply means “cessation”, a stopping, from all work; Shabbat is not a proper name of a day that could be “reassigned” to the first day of the week erroneously taught in the Church.

Regarding the seventh day Sabbath, Apostle Shaul could not have been more assertive to the believers in Yeshua to observe it. He wrote,

So there remains a Sabbath observance for the people of Elohim. For the one, having entered into His rest, has himself also rested from his works, as Elohim from His own. Let us therefore do our utmost to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience. (Heb 4:9-11)

Note: the Greek word behind “Sabbath observance” is σαββατισμός sabattismos (not translated, perhaps, intentionally in KJV), the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew shabbat or shabbaton. Read more about the Creator’s day Shabbat Shabbaton.

Despite Shaul’s words in Heb 4:9-11, the Christian Church has embraced foreign practices and traditions of naming the days of the Creator’s week by giving them pagan names and thus having created its own Roman-Christian calendar.

The following names of the weeks (as they appear in English) are:

Sunday, the first day of the week, but in some Christian traditions, it is the seventh day. It is known as a day for worshipping the sun-god, hence the day of the Sun-god: Sunday. In the Egyptian mythology, the sun-god was Amon-ra; interestingly, ra in Hebrew means “evil”.

Monday is celebrated by worshipping Artemis who was associated with the moon, hence moon-day: Monday. In the Greek mythology, Artemis was the virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon-god; daughter of Leto and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana.

Tuesday is the day of Tiu, a god of war and sky; counterpart of Norse Tyra, also Teutonic Druid deity, that entered into English as Tuesday or Tiu-day.

“Teutonic” pertains to the ancient Teutons or their languages; Teutonic peoples are Germans, Scandinavians, and British. “Druid” comes from a pre-Christian priest among the Celts of ancient Gaul and Britain and Ireland.

Wednesday is Woden’s day. Woden is also known as Odin, a Celtic deity. That was a chief god; counterpart of Norse Odin and Teutonic Wotan.

Thursday is Thor’s day. In the Norse mythology, Thor was a god of thunder and rain and farming; pictured as wielding a hammer emblematic of the thunderbolt; identified with Teutonic Donar.

The Norse mythology is the mythology of Scandinavia (shared in part by Britain and Germany) until the establishment of Christianity.

Friday is Frigga’s day. In the Norse mythology, Frigga was a goddess of the heavens and married love; wife of Odin/Woden, hence Fri-day.

Saturday is Saturn’s day (or Saturnalia). In the Roman mythology, Saturn was a god of agriculture and vegetation; counterpart of Greek Cronus. To honor this pagan god, science named the giant planet that is surrounded by three planar concentric rings of ice particles, the 6th planet from the sun.

Note: It will be interesting for the reader to learn that the Hebrew word Shabbat is preserved in over 100 languages, but [perhaps] only in English a name of a pagan deity is given to the day of YHVH.

Pagan reckoning of the hours

The changes of the Creator’s reckoning of time unfortunately do not stop here, but continue to the recounting of the hours of the day. Today, the Gregorian calendar counts hours from midnight to midnight similarly to the way the Romans did.

As the Torah observant believer knows the day is clearly defined in the creation week as a period of twenty-four hours from sunset to sunset. Therefore, we may conclude with an absolute certainty that at 0:01 on the 1st of January nothing begins not an year, not a month, not even a day.

Speaking of the 1st of January, Christianity adopted the 25th of December as the birthday of “Jesus” and the 1st of January as the seventh day after his birth and therefore the day of his circumcision. And the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE formally ratified that day as the supersession of “the Church” over Israel as a chosen people, and the Replacement theology began. Thence, the adversary took the matter in his own hands and the rest is the present.

Setting Elohim aside

We have been warned by the messenger of the Almighty who spoke to Daniel concerning the ten-horned beast and his reign–the last empire of this world. The messenger warns that,

It speaks words against the Most High, and it wears out the set-apart ones of the Most High, and it intends to change appointed times and law, and they are given into its hand for a time and times and half a time. But the Judgment shall sit, and they shall take away its rule, to cut off and to destroy, until the end. (Dan 7:24-26)

Dan 7:25 refers to the last ruler of this world and says that he will speak against the Most High. Here the Hebrew word לְצַד means properly against or at the side of. It denotes that he will speak in such a manner that he both will set aside and make people set aside the laws of YHVH, and by doing this he will set the Most High aside.

The word דָּת dat is Aramaic for the Hebrew מִצְוָה mitsvah, a command, a law and points to arrangements of laws and ordinances; and זְמָן zeman is Aramaic for the Hebrew מִקְרָא mikra, an appointed time, a rehearsal, in Lev 23, and means an appointed occasion.

Note: This part of Daniel and others were written in Aramaic, a language close to Hebrew.

These appointed times and commands are the foundations and main conditions, emanating from YHVH, of the life and actions of men in the world. YHVH commands us to do them, because by them we shall live.

The sin of the wicked ruler in speaking against YHVH thus setting Him aside, or replacing Him with an image of Him, therefore, consists in this, that in these ordinances and laws he does not regard the fundamental conditions given by the Creator, but so changes the laws by which humans must live that he puts his own “laws” in the place of the Torah.

Thus, he does away with the commandments of life, not only of YHVH’s people, but of all men, changing even the secular laws, so that they could suit him better.

But, the people of YHVH are most affected by these changes, because they hold the commandments of life according to the will of the Creator, and therefore, are the first victims of the adversary who will enact his own “laws of observance”.

Sadly, the mainstream Christian Church (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and the countless Protestant denominations) has blindly followed the deception of the one who speaks against the Most High and has set aside, not set apart, the Torah of YHVH.

Thus, we witness today counterfeit “holidays”, which are either altered beyond recognition Biblical holidays, such as the Festival of the Tabernaclesand the birth of Yeshua the Messiah to the winter solstice “Christmas”, the Passover and the Festival of First-fruitsto “”Good Friday” and the spring equinox of the pagan goddess Easter, and probably the best counterfeit Pentecost for the Festival of the Weeks; or, blunt satanic days, such as “Halloween”.

The adversary knows that his time is running out and his end is rapidly coming. He knows that he does not have time to fight non-combatants; they are already loss. His primary target in the remaining allotted time will be the Torah-observant believers in Yeshua the Messiah, whom the Father has called “set-apart” and “remnant” in Rev 12:17 and Rev 14:12.

The faith in both Torah and the Messiah is necessary for salvation and those who guard them will be called the set-apart and the remnant. The rest of no concern to the dragon. This we studied in “Two things one needs to get saved” and “We are not under the Law of God exposed“, and in other articles of Time of Reckoning Ministry (TORM).

With all that being said, we may conclude that these are just a few examples of paganism that changed the faith, or as the present author says,

“Faith did not change Rome, Rome changed the faith.”

Much can be written about this ongoing issue in the faith today, yet we need to conclude with the wisdom of the wisest man,

And besides these, my son, be warned. Making of many books has no end, and much study is a wearying of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the entire matter: Fear Elohim and guard His commands, for this is for all mankind! For Elohim shall bring every work into judgment , including all that is hidden, whether good or whether evil. (Ecc 12:12-14)

His son according to the flesh said it likewise:

But if you wish to enter into life, guard the commands. (Mat 19:17)

Whoever, then, breaks one of the least of these commands, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 5:19)

To learn more about the set-apart days of the Creator and how His Messiah Yeshua has fulfilled them, please, visit The Appointed Times of YHVH series of Time of Reckoning Ministry (TORM).

Navah

May we merit seeing the coming of our Mashiach speedily in our days.

21.)

That is how it began. The celebration of New Year’s began in ancient Babylonia in Mesopotamia. It was a pagan custom of ancient sun-worship.

The celebration of New Year is never once commanded by God, never celebrated by Noah, Adam, Eve, Abraham, Isaac or Jacob and Moses forbade it!

Don’t say “it doesn’t matter.” It does matter to God whether we adopt the customs of the heathen. He tells us to “Learn not the way of the heathen” (Jeremiah 10:2). Regardless of how much you claim to love God, if you make excuses for disobeying Him by worshiping these pagan gods you don’t love Him! 

                                                       A Pagan Roman Feast
The New Year’s festivities that had originated in Babylon found their way to Greece and finally to Rome. The Romans called it “Saturnalia” — in honor of Saturn. Among them it was extremely popular — a time of revelings, drinking bouts, orgies — finally ending in HUMAN SACRIFICE!

“The first day of the Saturnalia shifted during the lifetime of Rome … it began around the middle of December … and continued until January first. In its midst was December twenty-fifth, the day, as the Romans calculated, when the sun was at its lowest ebb ….” (E. W. Count’s “4000 Years of Christmas”, page 28.)

It was Julius Caesar, Emperor of pagan Rome, who instituted the New Year’s festival on January first. In 46 B. C., Caesar adopted the Julian calendar. He transferred to the first of January ALL of the licentious customs surrounding the Roman Saturnalia!
Accepted by “Church Fathers” But how did such a thoroughly pagan day ever insinuate itself into the modern “Christian” calendar?

Read the answer from church history — about 375 A.D. This is the period Emperor Constantine imposed “Christianity” on the Roman world.

 Saturnalia 

“There were many immigrants into the ranks of the Christians by this time,” writes Earl W. Count. “The Church Fathers discovered to their alarm that they were also facing an invasion of pagan customs. The habit of Saturnalia was too strong to be left behind. At first the Church forbade it, but in vain” (page 31).

Rather than resist the influence of pagan customs, the Catholic Church fathers compromised!

“The Church finally succeeded in taking the merriment, the greenery, the lights, and the gifts from Saturn and giving them to the Babe of Bethlehem …. The pagan Romans became Christians — but the Saturnalia remained!” (E.W. Count, page 31.)

Modern Christians have gone A STEP FURTHER!

Rather than present a gift to Yahshua (the Christian Messiah) on the day they falsely assume to be his birthday, the world is busily trading presents among themselves! The “Messiah” has been not only forgotten during the pagan celebration of Christmas, but is not so much as toasted amidst the partying of New Year’s Eve! Furthermore, to celebrate pagan holidays [worship of Roman gods] claiming it is in honor of the messiah, is literally cheating on God and saying “I’m cheating on God in honor of Him”- Does that make any sense?! 

During the Middle Ages many of the ancient Roman customs were maintained and augmented by the incoming heathen rites of the Teutonic peoples. It was during this period that the customary yule log and mistletoe were added to the popular New Year’s festivities. The yule log is a carry-over from the bonfires of sun-worship, and mistletoe is a parasite used in Druid rites as a symbol of sex-worship!

As Teutonic customs were added, the date of New Year’s celebrations was temporarily changed to March 25, to coincide with the Germanic spring rites of fertility.

Finally Pope Gregory re-instituted the ancient pagan Roman date of January first. He imposed it on the whole Western world in 1582 when his Gregorian calendar “reforms” were accepted. All Roman Catholic countries accepted this change AT ONCE! Sweden, Germany, Denmark and England, the strongholds of Druid customs, finally acquiesced to Rome in the 1700’s!

Janus, the two faced Roman god of the New Year- The month of Januray was named after the pagen god Janus

The Modern Attitude of Compromise
Today, New Year’s Eve has become a time for people to wallow in excesses of liquor! The modern attitude seems to be, “have a wild time on New Year’s Eve, and turn over a new leaf on New Year’s Day!”

New Year’s resolutions are empty and meaningless, usually trifling matters of jest! Few people make a lasting change. If you want to make a change DON’T WAIT UNTIL JANUARY TO DO IT, do it NOW!  Most people seem to have convinced themselves that God is out of the picture for good. That God is not concerned with their modern revelings, drunken parties, promiscuous behavior! Even church ceremonies “ushering in the new year” is an abomination and is still worship of the Roman god of the new year, Janus whether you like it or not. 

What does God have to say about New Year’s? Does He condone observing a pagan festival? practicing pagan customs in the name of Christ?  God Labels New Year’s Celebrations “PAGAN”!
God Almighty does not compromise! Notice the Eternal’s stern warning to Israel as they conquered the pagan nations of the promised land:

“Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou INQUIRE NOT AFTER THEIR GODS, saying ‘How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.’ THOU SHALT NOT DO SO UNTO THE ETERNAL THY GOD: for EVERY ABOMINATION to the Eternal, WHICH HE HATETH, have they done to their gods ….” (Deut. 12:30-31.)

 Janus, the Roman New Year god

What were the customs God hates and condemns in Deuteronomy? What are those pagan rites that are an ABOMINATION to Him?

Greek God of WINE!
Theodor H. Gaster writes concerning the familiar “New Year’s babe”:

Pagen god  Dionysus

“Actually the New Year babe is FAR OLDER than he looks. In ancient Greece, it was customary at the great festival of Dionysus to parade a babe cradled in a winnowing basket. This was taken to symbolize the annual (or periodic) rebirth of that god as the spirit of fertility!” (New Year.)

Who was this Dionysus?

None other than Bacchus — the god of wine! In his honor the Greeks held a festival called the “Festival of the Wine-Press” at the time which corresponds to our months of January-February!

Today more alcoholic beverages are consumed during the “holiday season” than at any other time of the year! New Year’s Eve is noted for its licentious, wild, and wanton partying. People are deceived by riotous pagan holiday spirits — for the most part emanating from liquor bottles — all the while calling it “Christian”!

  “Father Time”   

Another symbol of New Year’s celebrations is equally pagan! It is the familiar figure of a white-haired man carrying a scythe. What does he represent? The ancient Greek god Cronos. It is from the name “Cronos” we derive our “chronograph” which measures time.

Among the Greek gods, Cronos originally cut a swath of HUMAN SACRIFICE with his sharpened scythe! The “silent reaper” anciently “reaped” little children in horrible episodes of mythical CANNIBALISM! This Greek rite of human sacrifice was adopted by ancient Rome, where human sacrifice was practiced at least until 300 A. D.

No wonder God Almighty warns the pagan New Year’s celebration is AN ABOMINATION to Him! See Deuteronomy 12:31.

Strange as it seems, the professing Christian world praises and practices customs and days of pagan origin — thinly cloaking them in “Christian” sounding names! You too, may have accepted these vain traditions of men, never realizing they are PAGAN TO THE CORE!

The Christian bible says”In VAIN do they worship me,” said Yahshua “teaching for doctrines the commandments of men!”

         It is possible to WORSHIP GOD — and still do it ALL IN VAIN!

“Full well YE REJECT THE COMMANDMENT OF GOD, that ye may keep your own tradition,” He continued, “… making the Word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered!” 

Many people will confess, when forced to, the pagan origin of these days. But they stubbornly REFUSE to stop observing them! God is their Judge!  Don’t you make this mistake!

When Does God Begin the New Year?

Remember! It is God Almighty who created the Universe. He set the heavenly bodies in their courses at Creation. It is by His “master-clock” that time is determined.

The earth’s rotation regulates the length of a day — the lunar phases indicate the length of a month. And the orbit of the earth around the sun dictates the length of a year!

But ONLY God has the AUTHORITY to set the date of the beginning of the new year!

God’s sacred calendar year begins in the spring — not in the middle of a dead winter! Notice Exodus 12:1-2, “And the Eternal 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.“

The first month of God’s sacred calendar is called, in the Bible, “Abib”. It means the month of “green ears.” Later, the Jews called it “Nisan” — a Babylonian word having the same meaning.

It was in the month of Abib or Nisan that Israel came out of Egyptian captivity under Moses (Ex. 34:18). The Hebrew month Abib overlaps the months of March-April on the pagan Roman calendar in use today.

God placed the beginning of the sacred year in the early spring to mark the beginning of the seasonal harvests. The two annual harvests in Palestine foreshadowed God’s Plan for the twofold SPIRITUAL harvest of souls to be born into His Kingdom.

Your Bible speaks of a great false religious system which will “think to change times and laws” (Dan. 7:25). This system has deliberately thought to change the beginning of God’s calendar year in an attempt to hide God’s Plan for the salvation of mankind! But man has no authority to change God’s “master-clock.”

Satan, however, has cleverly deceived the world into believing the new year begins on January first!

Why National Captivity?

The very same pagan practices God condemns in the Hebrew Bible (aka Old Testament) are being perpetuated in our modern world today!

The very same festivals of paganism adopted by ancient Israel have become an integral part of this modern society!

The reason God Almighty took ancient Israel into captivity is because they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them, that they should not do like them!”

What was the result of Israel following the customs of the heathen nations around them?

“Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight …. and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight …. SO WAS ISRAEL CARRIED AWAY OUT OF THEIR OWN LAND TO ASSYRIA UNTO THIS DAY!“

Israel NEVER returned as a nation to the land of Palestine!

Israel was lost! Its true identity was concealed until modern times! Now there is proof that the lost ten tribes of ancient Israel (supposedly) migrated throughout Africa and were sold into slavery during the Atlantic slave trade (this is to be verified). 

Deut 28:45-48- All these curses will come upon you and pursue you and overtake you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you will not have hearkend to the voice of Yah your God amid gladness and goodness of heart when everything was abundant.  So you will serve your enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, in nakedness and without anything  and he shall put a yoke of iron around your neck until he destroys you.

Modern Paganism Will Be Punished!

Do you suppose God has changed His mind about compromising with paganism?

“For I am the LORD, I CHANGE NOT!” warns the Eternal Yah in Malachi 3:6. This same reminder is repeated in Hebrews 13:8.

Speaking to the modern nations of Israel today, Almighty God says, “As for you, O house of Israel, thus saith the Eternal God; Go ye, serve ye every one his idols and thereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me: but POLLUTE YE MY HOLY NAME NO MORE with your gifts and with your idols” (Ezek. 20:39).

In other words, God is saying, “Be pagan if you insist; but quit calling it a tribute to Him.”

God continues to warn modern Israel against the holidays of paganism, in Hosea 2:11:

“I will also cause all her mirth to cease, HER feast days [days THE  PEOPLE chose], HER new moons [marking the beginning of the pagan New Year], and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts.” Notice that these were Israel’s feast days — those Israel had acquired from the pagan nations around them — NOT those God had originally instituted through His Torah! “And I will visit upon her the DAYS OF BAALIM, wherein she burned incense to them …” (verse 13)!

The very same punishment awaits any nation today that forsakes God’s law as revealed in His Torah, and turns to the customs of pagan nations — observing pagan days of worship!

Does it make any difference if YOU continue observing pagan customs — like New Year’s?    IT CERTAINLY DOES! God says so!

What You Should Do

According to the Christian bible, God Almighty prophesies a final revival of Babylonian religion in great power just before He cuts short man’s misrule of this earth.

New Year’s celebration began in Babylon 4,000 years ago. It is practiced today by almost every people on the face of the earth. Satan has indeed deceived the whole world! 

But God Almighty has sent His ministers to warn this world — to cry aloud, and spare not, and SHOW HIS PEOPLE THEIR SINS (Isa. 58:1). Punishment will not be forever withheld!

May God help you to HEED THIS WARNING, and FORSAKE THE PAGAN PRACTICES of this modern world! Come out from among her (BABYLON) while there’s still time and REPENT!  

The Roman Empire followed the Julian calendar – one based on the sun (a ‘solar’ calendar). Today, many Protestant countries have adopted the Gregorian calendar, which is also a ‘solar’ calendar. Every four years an extra day is added to keep the calendar in step with the Earth’s progress around the Sun. In fact, the Gregorian calendar year differs from the solar year by just 26 seconds!

The Gregorian calendar is today’s internationally accepted civil calendar and is also known as the “Western calendar” or “Christian calendar”. But should Christians follow it’s times and festivals? Are Christians aware that Christmas and Easter are based on pagan sun worship?

See also Sabbath or Sunday Worship?

Is the Christian Calendar Biblical?

Why should Christians follow a calendar considered to be revision of the Julian calendar which was itself a revision of the pagan Roman and Greek calendars? Even days of the week and months of the year are from pagan Rome and Greece, link.

Also, since Christianity has Jewish roots, why does the church largely ignore the Jewish (Hebrew) calendar? By ignoring the Hebrew calendar and the embedded mystery of the Hebrew feasts, the church could be accused of spiritual naivety! There is something deep and wonderful here. So by adhering to a pagan-based solar calendar is the church losing out? Moreover, is it being misled? Let’s consider the Christian ‘special days’.

The Christian Calendar: Roots of the ‘Western’ Christmas

Pope Francis holding the Monstrance. Image End Times Prophecy

The Early Church: First note that the birth of Christ was not celebrated, commemorated, or observed, neither by the apostles nor in the apostolic church – it was sufficient to know that Christ had risen. Bearing in mind that the early church was essentially Jewish (a Judeo-Christian community) this was consistent with the Jewish tradition of not celebrating birthdays, link, link.

Pagan Roots: December 25 (close to the northern hemisphere winter solstice of 21 December, link) hosted the sun-related festival natalis solis invicti – the Roman “birth of the unconquered sun”. Pagan Rome also held the festival of Saturnalia between December 17-25, which spanned the winter solstice. Saturnalia was a Roman festival in honour of the deity Saturn, link. 

These pagan traditions influenced the early Christian church. The early church related the ‘Sun’ to the Son of God, and the ‘solstice’ to a rising of light (in the northern hemisphere), and wanted these pagan holidays around the 25th December metamorphosed into Christian ones, link. December 25 (the “birth of the unconquered sun”) was first referred to as Christmas Day in 324 AD, link and Western Christians first celebrated Christmas on December 25 in 336 AD, after Emperor Constantine had declared Christianity the empire’s favored religion.

Pagan Symbols in Church: The church also symbolised the pagan sun-god, as in the round sun-like wafer used in the Roman Catholic Eucharist. The Roman Catholic monstrance displays a round wafer of bread (called the Eucharistic Host) and in post-medieval times it took the form of a sunburst on a stand, usually topped by a cross. The monstrance is also used in some Anglican and Lutheran Churches, link. Even modern Bible translations present Jesus Christ as the ‘Sun’ of righteousness (Mal 4.2, NKJV).

“Glade jul” by Viggo Johansen. Public Domain image, link

The Christmas Tree: This also is of pagan origin. The Roman winter solstice was marked on December 25th on the Julian calendar. They knew that the solstice meant that soon farms would be green and fruitful again and so they marked the occasion by decorating their homes and temples with evergreen boughs. In fact, a fir tree (today’s “Christmas tree”) was as common in pagan Rome as it is today, link. In Rome the fir tree related to Baal-Berith, a pagan Messiah and a form of Ba’al-worship practised by ancient Israel, link. Holly, with its pricking leaves, white flowers, and red berries symbolizes the male reproductive urge [Collins, “Christmas Folklore”].

The Puritans banned Christmas because of its pagan origin, link and today the Seventh-day Adventistsdon’t celebrate Christmas or any other religious holidays or festivals, link

The Christian Calendar: Roots of the ‘Western’ Easter

The empty cross denotes the risen Christ

The Date: Unlike the Jewish feasts, which were instituted by God, Easter is a celebration instituted by man. The early church wanted to celebrate Christ’s resurrection, and there is clear evidence that Christians celebrated an Easter/Passover festival by the second century, link. They used the Jewish Passover on Nisan 14 (full moon), not to celebrate the first Passover, but to commemorate the sufferings of Jesus, the true Passover Lamb. The month of Nisan corresponds to March-April on the civil (solar) calendar. So the initial ‘Easter’ date was based upon the Hebrew calendar. 

But, in a move to align the celebration date to the solar calendar, the First Council of Nicaea (325 AD) fixed the date to the first Sunday following the full moon after the vernal (Spring) equinox, thereby moving away from the Jewish festival of Passover and moving away from the Hebrew calendar, link. As already noted, the official day of rest for believers was later moved away from the Hebrew Shabbat, to Sunday. Is it surprising that today’s church is largely ignorant of her Hebrew roots?

The Name: The term “Easter” is found in Acts 12.4 (KJV only):

And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter (Gk: pascha) to bring him forth to the people. (Acts 12.4 KJV)

Other translations translate the Greek word “pascha” as “passover”. It is argued that the KJV is accurate since here Easter actually referred to a pagan festival held late in the month of April, link, link. The festival involved the worship of the goddess Ishtar (pronounced “Easter”) and her son Tammuz (a Sumerian fertility god). Such a festival is described in Ezekiel 8.13-16.

Going deeper, this origin of Easter is traced back to the legend of the woman Semiramis, wife of Nimrod the Sun god, link. When he died, Semiramis had a son, Tammuz, and she claimed Tammuz was Nimrod reborn. This “Mother Goddess” was variously named as Ishtar, Eostre, Astarte, Ostera, and Eastre, link, link. The Western term “Easter” was derived from the Anglo-Saxon form of Ishtar, ‘Eostre’, International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia.

So it is claimed that the term “Easter” has its roots in ancient polytheistic religions and is derived from the names of the fertility goddess Semiramis. The pagan festival honouring Ishtar was held at the vernal (Spring) equinox, when the sun crossed the equator towards the north, offering new life. This pagan ritual involved the worship of Tammuz and the sun, and took place at sunrise on Easter morning. It is described as an abomination in Ezekiel 8.15,16. This is of course a legend and is claimed to be historically inaccurate e.g. Semiramis is not mentioned in the Bible, link. Nevertheless, Ishtar and Astarte can be linked to the “queen of heaven” (Jer 7.18), link.

Concluding: Many maintain that the traditional Easter sunrise service reflects an ancient pagan custom of sun worship and the worship of the god “Tammuz” at the vernal equinox, link. The pagan festival involved a celebration of reproduction and earth regeneration. So it is claimed that the “Easter bunny” (a symbol of fertility) and the “Easter egg” symbolize this Mother Goddess. On the other hand, some dispute the pagan roots of Easter, link.

Summary:
Unlike the seven God-inspired Jewish festivals, there appears to be no warrant in scripture for the observance of Christmas and Easter as holy days. These Christian celebrations are more related to pagan festivals wrapped around the Roman solar calendar, than to the God-inspired Jewish festivals wrapped around the Hebrew calendar. The various symbols of the Christian festivals (trees, mistletoe, rabbits, eggs) also have pagan origin. For Christians it is perhaps easiest to ignore such symbols compared to the festivals themselves.

Time to Reflect: Beware Deception

Long ago [Papacy 364 AD] the institutionalised church ruled that believers should not follow the Jewish Sabbath or Jewish festivals (as implied in Col 2.14-16). So today the mainstream Western church rests and worships on the first day of the Jewish week (Sunday) in accordance with New Testament tradition (Acts 20.7, 1 Cor 16:2). Believers regard Sunday as “the Lord’s Day” rather than the Sabbath. That said, according to the New Testament there are no other ‘holy’ days that the church should keep, link. So what about the main Christian Festivals?

Let’s assume that the birth, death and resurrection of Christ are so fundamental to mankind that we shouldcelebrate them. After all, Christ’s birth was God coming to man, His death was God reconciling man to Himself, and His resurrection was God proving to man that there is eternal life for believers. The early church used the Jewish Passover on Nisan 14 to celebrate the resurrection, and Jesus Himself told believers to proclaim His death (any time) as a sign of the new covenant (Mat 26.26-29, 1 Cor 11.23-26). But apart from a day of rest (which should be kept for the Lord) and given more than a hint of paganism in Christmas and Easter, how should Christians celebrate these truths? 

Charles Spurgeon on Christian Festivals

How should sincere believers celebrate the birth, death and resurrection of the Saviour of mankind? At the very least, they can minimise the pagan aspects – even the seasons and dates – and stress the mission of Christ, link. On the other hand, God did not give man specific dates to celebrate the mission of Christ, link, and even holy communion is not assigned a date:

We have no superstitious regard for times and seasons. Certainly we do not believe in the present ecclesiastical arrangement called Christmas [Charles Spurgeon, 1871]

Spurgeon’s disdain for sober Good Friday services was reflected in one of his sermons – in his words, “a superstitious ordinance of man”, link:

See how they observe Good Friday, a sad, sad day to many; yet our Lord has never enjoined our keeping such a day, or bidden us to look back upon his death under such a melancholy aspect [Spurgeon, Sermon no. 2248, “Sad Fasts Changed to Glad Feasts”]

Reflect on our Jewish Roots

If we adopt Spurgeon’s view, is there still a way of celebrating milestones in the mission of Christ without the taint of paganism? Perhaps the church should be paying more attention to the Jewish calendar and her Hebraic roots?

Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel (2 Tim 2.8, emphasis added)

Here Paul reminds us that Jesus is a Jew! The Jewish world maintains the statutes delivered by God to the Hebrew patriarchs, and these are also fundamental to Christian belief. In fact, prophecy indicates that the nations will eventually follow some Hebrew festivals. Moreover, serious consideration of the Jewish festivals suggests they hold a deep message for mankind (see sidebar) and some festivals even go through into the Millennium – they are ‘statutes for ever’ (Zech 14.16). The Western church needs to pay attention! She is missing something by ignoring Jewish feasts based on the Hebrew calendar. The difference in biblical basis between Hebrew and Christian festivals is striking, link.

Holy Feasts in the Hebrew Calendar

A Christian Passover: Since the death and resurrection of Christ occurred during the Jewish Passover, the early church kept the annual celebration of the resurrection in proximity to the Jewish Passover (Nisan 14), link. So today some Christians follow the early church tradition and observe a ‘Christian Passover’, a form of the Jewish Passover but with the freedom Christ gives from ritual (1 Cor. 5:7-8), link. The practice is found among Assemblies of Yahweh, Messianic Jews, and some congregations of the Church of God (Seventh Day), and is often linked to the Christian Easter, link. Organizations such as “Jews for Jesus” have long promoted Christian Passoverservices as a means for Jews to retain their cultural heritage while confessing their Christian faith. This thirst of Christians to revisit their Jewish roots has been well expressed by Bratcher, The Voice:

(There is) a renewed awareness of the importance of the Old Testament Scriptures as Christian Scripture; a desire or even a need in our modern world to recover a sense of the sacred through liturgy and sacrament; the willingness to find new and innovative ways to worship; and perhaps even the enjoyment that comes from acknowledging the continuity with a 3,000 year old community of faith