Abraham Moves Again, Yahweh the First and the Last, Polytheism to Monotheism in Egypt

It is interesting how many times Abraham actually moved, and it didn’t seem to matter what the people were like, spiritually or physically.  Where ever he went he taught people about God. After Sodom was destroyed and before Isaac was born we run into an interesting story. Abraham moves to southern Philistia, where the very tall Philistines’ lived.  Once there however we find that the King Abimelech already has a personal relationship with the Lord. Abraham is surprised that they feared the Lord in their land.  Abimelech is the King of Philistia, and his name means my father the king or the father of a king.  It must have been a cultural practice in the time of Abraham for a king to take a women he liked after killing her husband, because as it was in Egypt, Abraham told Sarah to say she was his sister.  Later Isaac does the same with Rebekah also in Gerar. Abraham leaves richer then he was when he entered Gerar, just like with Egypt. So maybe it was also a custom that if the king wronged someone he gave them a lot of wealth as Nimrod also did with Abraham. 

Jasher 20:1And at that time Abraham journeyed from the plain of Mamre, and he went to the land of the Philistines, and he dwelt in Gerar; it was in the twenty-fifth year of Abraham's being in the land of Canaan, and the hundredth year of the life of Abraham, that he came to Gerar in the land of the Philistines.2And when they entered the land he said to Sarah his wife, Say thou art my sister, to any one that shall ask thee, in order that we may escape the evil of the inhabitants of the land.3And as Abraham was dwelling in the land of the Philistines, the servants of Abimelech, king of the Philistines, saw that Sarah was exceedingly beautiful, and they asked Abraham concerning her, and he said, She is my sister.4And the servants of Abimelech went to Abimelech, saying, A man from the land of Canaan is come to dwell in the land, and he has a sister that is exceeding fair.5And Abimelech heard the words of his servants who praised Sarah to him, and Abimelech sent his officers, and they brought Sarah to the king.6And Sarah came to the house of Abimelech, and the king saw that Sarah was beautiful, and she pleased him exceedingly.7And he approached her and said to her, What is that man to thee with whom thou didst come to our land? and Sarah answered and said He is my brother, and we came from the land of Canaan to dwell wherever we could find a place.8And Abimelech said to Sarah, Behold my land is before thee, place thy brother in any part of this land that pleases thee, and it will be our duty to exalt and elevate him above all the people of the land since he is thy brother.9And Abimelech sent for Abraham, and Abraham came to Abimelech.10And Abimelech said to Abraham, Behold I have given orders that thou shalt be honored as thou desirest on account of thy sister Sarah.11And Abraham went forth from the king, and the king's present followed him.12As at evening time, before men lie down to rest, the king was sitting upon his throne, and a deep sleep fell upon him, and he lay upon the throne and slept till morning.13And he dreamed that an angel of the Lord came to him with a drawn sword in his hand, and the angel stood over Abimelech, and wished to slay him with the sword, and the king was terrified in his dream, and said to the angel, In what have I sinned against thee that thou comest to slay me with thy sword?14And the angel answered and said to Abimelech, Behold thou diest on account of the woman which thou didst yesternight bring to thy house, for she is a married woman, the wife of Abraham who came to thy house; now therefore return that man his wife, for she is his wife; and shouldst thou not return her, know that thou wilt surely die, thou and all belonging to thee.15And on that night there was a great outcry in the land of the Philistines, and the inhabitants of the land saw the figure of a man standing with a drawn sword in his hand, and he smote the inhabitants of the land with the sword, yea he continued to smite them.16And the angel of the Lord smote the whole land of the Philistines on that night, and there was a great confusion on that night and on the following morning.17And every womb was closed, and all their issues, and the hand of the Lord was upon them on account of Sarah, wife of Abraham, whom Abimelech had taken.18And in the morning Abimelech rose with terror and confusion and with a great dread, and he sent and had his servants called in, and he related his dream to them, and the people were greatly afraid.19 And one man standing amongst the servants of the king answered the king, saying, O sovereign king, restore this woman to her husband, for he is her husband, for the like happened to the king of Egypt when this man came to Egypt.20And he said concerning his wife, She is my sister, for such is his manner of doing when he cometh to dwell in the land in which he is a stranger.21And Pharaoh sent and took this woman for a wife and the Lord brought upon him grievous plagues until he returned the woman to her husband.22Now therefore, O sovereign king, know what happened yesternight to the whole land, for there was a very great consternation and great pain and lamentation, and we know that it was on account of the woman which thou didst take.23Now, therefore, restore this woman to her husband, lest it should befall us as it did to Pharaoh king of Egypt and his subjects, and that we may not die; and Abimelech hastened and called and had Sarah called for, and she came before him, and he had Abraham called for, and he came before him.24And Abimelech said to them, What is this work you have been doing in saying you are brother and sister, and I took this woman for a wife?25 And Abraham said, Because I thought I should suffer death on account of my wife; and Abimelech took flocks and herds, and men servants and maid servants, and a thousand pieces of silver, and he gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah to him.26And Abimelech said to Abraham, Behold the whole land is before thee, dwell in it wherever thou shalt choose.27And Abraham and Sarah, his wife, went forth from the king's presence with honor and respect, and they dwelt in the land, even in Gerar.28And all the inhabitants of the land of the Philistines and the king's servants were still in pain, through the plague which the angel had inflicted upon them the whole night on account of Sarah.29And Abimelech sent for Abraham, saying, Pray now for thy servants to the Lord thy God, that he may put away this mortality from amongst us.30And Abraham prayed on account of Abimelech and his subjects, and the Lord heard the prayer of Abraham, and he healed Abimelech and all his subjects.

Jubilees records:

Jubilees 16:10 And in this month Abraham moved from Hebron, and departed and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur in the mountains  of Gerar. 11. And in the middle of the fifth month he moved from thence, and dwelt at the Well of the Oath.  

Josephus records:

CHAPTER 12.CONCERNING ABIMELECH; AND CONCERNING ISMAEL THE SON OF ABRAHAM; AND CONCERNING THE ARABIANS, WHO WERE HIS POSTERITY.
1. ABRAHAM now removed to Gerar of Palestine, leading Sarah along with him, under the notion of his sister, using the like dissimulation that he had used before, and this out of fear: for he was afraid of Abimelech, the king of that country, who did also himself fall in love with Sarah, and was disposed to corrupt her; but he was restrained from satisfying his lust by a dangerous distemper which befell him from God. Now when his physicians despaired of curing him, he fell asleep, and saw a dream, warning him not to abuse the stranger's wife; and when he recovered, he told his friends that God had inflicted that disease upon him, by way of punishment, for his injury to the stranger; and in order to preserve the chastity of his wife, for that she did not accompany him as his sister, but as his legitimate wife; and that God had promised to be gracious to him for the time to come, if this person be once secure of his wife's chastity. When he had said this, by the advice of his friends, he sent for Abraham, and bid him not to be concerned about his wife, or fear the corruption of her chastity; for that God took care of him, and that it was by his providence that he received his wife again, without her suffering any abuse. And he appealed to God, and to his wife's conscience; and said that he had not any inclination at first to enjoy her, if he had known she was his wife; but since, said he, thou leddest her about as thy sister, I was guilty of no offense. He also entreated him to be at peace with him, and to make God propitious to him; and that if he thought fit to continue with him, he should have what he wanted in abundance; but that if he designed to go away, he should be honorably conducted, and have whatsoever supply he wanted when he came thither. Upon his saying this, Abraham told him that his pretense of kindred to his wife was no lie, because she was his brother's daughter; and that he did not think himself safe in his travels abroad, without this sort of dissimulation; and that he was not the cause of his distemper, but was only solicitous for his own safety: he said also, that he was ready to stay with him. Whereupon Abimelech assigned him land and money; and they coventanted to live together without guile, and took an oath at a certain well called Beersheba, which may be interpreted, The Well of the Oath: and so it is named by the people of the country unto this day.

Something we have to realize is that Sarah was about 89 years old.  I do not know anyone that looks so beautiful at 89 that a King, half her age would want to take her for a wife.  Once again Sarah was wed to a king without consummation. God protected Sarah for the sake of salvation of humanity. 

Abraham was thinking that the king did not fear God, but we have to observe that Abimelech did fear God, and responded personally to the Lord (in his dream). How did Abimelech know about Elohim? We have to remember that Abraham made disciples where he went, but he had not been in Gerar before.  Yet Melchizedek, Shem, did live nearby in Salam, Jerusalem. With the school of God that Shem had established in Salam, the knowledge of Elohim was spreading throughout the region.  With an established location in Jerusalem, and Abraham moving all over the Middle East, there became pockets of people who believed in God.  This is why some ancient religions seem so close to following the bible.  This is another function of the Melchizedek Priesthood, of which we are a part, teaching others. 

Gen 20:1-18 And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar.2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.3 But God (Elohim)came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord (Yahweh), wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?5 Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.6 And God (Elohim) said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.8 Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.10 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?11 And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God (Elohim) is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake.12 And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.17 So Abraham prayed unto God (Elohim): and God (Elohim) healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.18 For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.KJV

When we see the mixing of the usages of God and Lord in the bible we have to wonder why this mystery exists.  When we see God we have to think Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. When we see Lord as in Yahweh, we have to define who of the Father Son or Holy Spirit that is. It becomes confusing when we try to explain form the English language the Trinity because the idea of three beings, which is a Hebraic and an Aramaic understanding, seems strange as we are using what we think of as a singular word. The idea of Elohim being a plural, meaning three or more does not communicate in the English word God. The Greek word Theos, meaning multiple or many Gods is closer to the Hebraic understanding. Therefore it is important to identify each usage of God or Lord to find the established pattern of understanding that is truly communicated in the Hebrew.  Moses freely wrote using several usages of God or Lord but something changed to make people believe there was only one God, rather than a Father a Son and a Holy Spirit. And while the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one in purpose or in unity, there are still three of them and they have different functions independent of each other but not contradictory of each other.

The Exodus took place around 1457 BC.  The common knowledge of the Hebrews would have been the plurality of Elohim.  Cultural changes sometimes take over and eventually in time make our understanding cloudy as to what took place. Moses would have died around 1407 BC so that after that time error could have started creeping in. In Egypt there was a Pharaoh who changed religion because of a corrupt priesthood.  Akhenaten changed religion from polytheistic to monotheistic to usurp the Amen priesthood. He ruled from Amarna between 1351-1337 BC.  The Amen priesthood had become quite wealthy as they had started selling indulgences to people so they could go into the afterlife.  Prior to this in Egypt, people were taught that their hearts had to be light as a feather to enter into the afterlife.  This was depicted by a picture of a balanced scale with a person’s heart on one side and a feather on the other side.  People were taught to be lighthearted.  By the time Akhenaten became Pharaoh the Amen priests were selling little dolls, or statutes, and if you bought enough indulgences, you could get into the afterlife.  In this period pictures depict a balanced scale with a heart on one side and dolls on the other side. Needless to say the priests became rich.  Akhenaten wanted to do away with the priesthood so he established the one god theory.  He had pictures depicted of the sun with rays coming down as god, Aten, and if anyone wanted to consult with Aten they had to go through him. He made himself the only connection to god and did away with the Amen temples and priesthood. He wasn’t popular and he lived in fear for his life.  Because the Hebrews came out of Egypt many people in later years assumed the Hebrews had the “one God” theory.  After Akhenaten’s death and the death or murder of his son Tutankhamen, Egypt went back to worshipping many gods and being spiritually led by priests. 

The Hebrews who were now separated from Egypt were still influenced by Egypt.  In later years Ramses decided he was not only a Pharaoh but a god.  The problem was laws in Egypt did not provide for rulers to be gods so Ramses co-led Egypt with one of his sons so that he could be the spiritual leader. Fort the Hebrews under the Levitical laws, kings could not be priests and the two lines could not inter marry.  But prior to Levitical law, at the time of Abraham, under the Melchizedek priesthood people were king/priests.  The Levitical law made it impossible for a king or ruler to call himself God as in other cultures, and the Hebraic usage of these words clearly marks the intricacy of who the Messiah will be when he comes. Also the preciseness of the words Moses uses makes it impossible for Israel to be tricked into a multi god culture. He has clearly identified the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit from the beginning of Genesis, all in unity, and they do not work against each other. Moses makes a statement that is very often misquoted. Many people say the Lord our God is one, but that is not actually what the bible says. Moses uses his words precisely and wants us to understand them so Hebrews will later be able to identify the Messiah when he comes.

 Deut 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.KJV

One OT:259 'echad (ekh-awd'); a numeral from OT:258; properly, united, i.e. one; or (as an ordinal) first: OT:258'achad (aw-khad'); perhaps a primitive root; to unify, i.e. (figuratively) collect (one's thoughts): (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Reading what this says Yahweh/Jehovah our Elohim is the number one, (in numerical order) Yahweh/Jehovah. Or the Lord our God is the first Lord, and we should love him with all our hearts, souls and might. Another way to read this if we take the understanding of strongs #258 into consideration, is that the Lord our God is a united Lord.  If you use the understanding of united there would have to be more than one in Elohim to be unified.  Most importantly we should see by this that Moses is making distinction between Yahweh/Jehovah and Elohim, and that either Yahweh is united in Elohim or Yahweh is the first of Elohim.  We are not speaking of multiple personalities in one being but multiple persons. Later when Jesus announces who he is this all makes more sense. Jesus is Yahweh and calls himself I AM.  Again we can see why Moses chose to identify who is who. Jesus is one of Elohim, the first, unified with Elohim. 

If the Jews would have accepted Jesus as Messiah, all of these things would have been clear, to them and later to us.  However we spend our days looking backward in time to piece together these mysteries so that we can know our Messiah better.  So once again we see another aspect of how the idea of the trinity became obscured over time. If Elohim is in unity, putting Yahweh first, then it makes sense when Jesus says he is the first and the last.  It also makes sense when he says that he was and is and is to come.

Isa 44:6 Thus saith the Lord (Yahweh)the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord (Yahweh) of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God (Elohim).KJV

Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.KJV

Let’s look at Revelation 1:8, in the KJV we have it translated without the usage of the word Theos.  Also added is the phrase the beginning and the ending.  The American Standard translates this accurately according to the Greek but let’s compare the King James the Greek and the American Standard.

Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.KJV

Rev 1:8

 I     am         Alpha  and       Omega, the  beginning and    the  ending, saith  the  Lord,       

                 1473  1510  3588 <255 a> 2532 3588 5598   9999 <9999>    <9999> 9999 <9999>  3004   9999 2962    3588

                  Egoó  eimi  tó   álfa   kaí  tó   Oó                                        légei       Kúrios  ho 

                                                                                                                      which is, and which was, and which is to come, the  Almighty.   

     2316   3801                                           3588 3841        

      Theós  ho-oón-kaí-ho-eén-kaí-ho-erchómenos            ho   Pantokrátoor

 (Interlinear Transliterated Bible. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.

Rev 1:8 I am the Alpha and the Omega, saith the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. ASV

This is the revelation of Jesus, given to John, as the first sentence of Revelations states, and Jesus calls himself the Lord God, the first and the last, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Isaiah records he is the first and the last.  Moses records Yahweh is the first. It would then seem clear that we are talking about the same person throughout the entire bible.  The one who was and is and is to come, is the same as Yahweh our Elohim who is the first Yahweh, as Yahweh is the first and the last and there is no other Elohim. He is the Almighty. He was (in the beginning), he is (the Lord of the Old Testament and the child born of a virgin and crucified and who rose on the third day), he is coming back as King of kings and Lord of lords. We have an incredible Lord who gave us a path in a fallen world.  Let’s follow Him. 

The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, Who Does Not Inherit the Kingdom of God, Eunuchs

The Day of Atonement is a day of remembering that God forgave the Hebrews of the sin of making and worshipping the Golden-Calf in the wilderness. Just 40 days before they heard the commandment about not having any graven images and then when they thought Moses had died they made an idol. Moses then begged God for the forgiveness of the Hebrews and God granted forgiveness on Tishri 9. On one hand it is a solemn day but it is also a joyous day as people are confident that God will forgive sins. It is also the time to plan for the year ahead, looking towards the future and the changes one may need to make to become better. This day it is believed that your name is written in the book of life, and the gates of heaven are open with you on the inside.  For the Christian it is a good time to connect with God.  The Jews fast from sundown to sundown, as a way of suffering and humbling before God.  We can do the same. If you are a Charismatic Christian you might spend time in your prayer closet, before the altar of God.  If you are a Catholic you might go to confession and proceed with the prayers recommended by the Priest.  Whatever way you come before God in worship, after confessing your sins from Rosh Hashanah, during the 10 Days of Awe, to the day of Yom Kippur that is what you would do to connect to God.  I know that some people would play the grace card in an effort to abstain from traditions and that is fine.  It is not a law for Christians, however having a clean heart before God is not a bad thing and just in case we get high minded regarding ourselves let’s look at what Paul tells us about the Kingdom of God.

When Paul writes to the Galatians he lists some things that, if done, will keep one from inheriting the kingdom of God. Galatia was in Asia Minor, where Turkey is today.  Their culture was different from that of the Jews.  They had not been following Levitical Law as a nation, so therefore these ideas were new to them, and needed to be mentioned. This was probably the first time they were told that their actions were wrong and that there were penalties for behaving in this way. 

Gal 5:14-21 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.KJV

Here are the definitions of verses 19-21; take note that the words adultery and the word murders do not appear in the Greek text, but were added to this list.  You can draw your own conclusions using the definitions and further research these words. Paul says the Spirit and the flesh are contrary to one another and those that do the works of the flesh do not inherit the kingdom of God.

Fornication NT:4202  porneia (por-ni'-ah); from NT:4203; harlotry (including adultery and incest); figuratively, idolatry: KJV - fornication.

Uncleanness NT:167  akatharsia (ak-ath-ar-see'-ah); from NT:169; impurity (the quality), physically or morally: KJV - uncleanness.

Lasciviousness NT:766 aselgeia (as-elg'-i-a); from a compound of NT:1 (as a negative particle) and a presumed selges (of uncertain derivation, but apparently meaning continent); licentiousness (sometimes including other vices): KJV - filthy, lasciviousness, wantonness.

Idolatry NT:1495 eidololatreia (i-do-lol-at-ri'-ah); from NT:1497 and NT:2999; image-worship (literally or figuratively): KJV - idolatry.

Witchcraft NT:5331 pharmakeia (far-mak-i'-ah); from NT:5332; medication ("pharmacy"), i.e. (by extension) magic (literally or figuratively): KJV - sorcery, witchcraft.

Hatred NT:2189 echthra (ekh'-thrah); feminine of NT:2190; hostility; by implication, a reason for opposition: KJV - enmity, hatred.

Variance NT:2054 eris (er'-is); of uncertain affinity; a quarrel, i.e. (by implication) wrangling: KJV - contention, debate, strife, variance.

Emulation NT:2205  zelos (dzay'-los); from NT:2204; properly, heat, i.e. (figuratively) "zeal" (in a favorable sense, ardor; in an unfavorable one, jealousy, as of a husband [figuratively, of God], or an enemy, malice): KJV - emulation, envy (-ing), fervent mind, indignation, jealousy, zeal.

Wrath NT:2372  thumos (thoo-mos'); from NT:2380; passion (as if breathing hard): KJV - fierceness, indignation, wrath. Compare NT:5590.

Strife NT:2052  eritheia (er-ith-i'-ah); perhaps as the same as NT:2042; properly, intrigue, i.e. (by implication) faction: KJV - contention (-ious), strife.

SeditionsNT:1370 dichostsis (dee-khos-tas-ee'-ah); from a derivative of NT:1364 and NT:4714; disunion, i.e. (figuratively) dissension:KJV - division, sedition.

Heresies NT:139 hairesis (hah'-ee-res-is); from NT:138; properly, a choice, i.e. (specially) a party or (abstractly) disunion: KJV - heresy [which is the Greek word itself], sect.

Envyings NT:5355 phthonos (fthon'-os); probably akin to the base of NT:5351; ill-will (as detraction), i.e. jealousy (spite): KJV - envy.

Drunkenness NT:3178 methe (meth'-ay); apparently a primary word; an intoxicant, i.e. (by implication) intoxication: KJV - drunkenness.

Revellings NT:2970 komos (ko'-mos); from NT:2749; a carousal (as if letting loose): KJV - revelling, rioting.

(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Next we see that Paul scolds the people of Corinth because they bring their personal fights to the unbelievers in the courts to be judged. He says it would be better to be taken advantage of than to allow the heathen to judge these matters.  Corinth was in Greece and the Greeks did not follow the Levitical Law as a nation either.  These ideas are a little different compared to the list he gave to the Galatians.  Because of the Greek culture we will see a theme here that Paul has to confront. 

1 Cor 6:4-11 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.KJV

Fornicators NT:4205 pornos (por'-nos); from pernemi (to sell; akin to the base of NT:4097); a (male) prostitute (as venal), i.e. (by analogy) a debauchee (libertine): KJV - fornicator, whoremonger.

Idolaters NT:1496 eidololatres (i-do-lol-at'-race); from NT:1497 and the base of NT:3000; an image- servant or) worshipper (literally or figuratively):KJV - idolater.

Adulterer NT:3432 moichos (moy-khos'); perhaps a primary word; a (male) paramour; figuratively, apostate: KJV - adulterer.

Effeminate NT:3120 (mal-ak-os'); of uncertain affinity; soft, i.e. fine (clothing); figuratively, a catamite: KJV - effeminate, soft. **Catamite young partner of a gay man, a boy kept by a man for sexual intercourse

Abusers of themselves with mankind NT:733 arsenokoites (ar-sen-ok-oy'-tace); from NT:730 and NT:2845; a sodomite: KJV - abuser of (that defileself) with mankind.

Thieves NT:2812 kleptes (klep'-tace); from NT:2813; a stealer (literally or figuratively): KJV - thief. Compare NT:3027.

Covetous NT:4123 pleonektes (pleh-on-ek'-tace); from NT:4119 and NT:2192; holding (desiring) more, i.e. eager for gain (avaricious, hence a defrauder):KJV - covetous.

Drunkards NT:3183methusos (meth'-oo-sos); from NT:3184; tipsy, i.e. (as noun) a sot: KJV - drunkard.

Revilers NT:3060 loidoros (loy'-dor-os); from loidos (mischief); abusive, i.e. a blackguard: KJV - railer, reviler.

Extortioners NT:727 harpax (har'-pax); from NT:726; rapacious: KJV - extortion, ravening.

(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Before we get the urge to wave our finger at others we have to look at this list from 30,000 miles up.  Forty percent of Paul’s list is correcting sexual practices among the people. Paul says that that some of them were among those who did those things but now they are cleaned. The Greek society became dominantly Patriarchal. We looked at this, previously but I want to develop this point further.  God intended balance between male and female. In a Patriarchal society men dominate everything from business, to church to home life to government.   Eventually the Greeks thought of women to be lower than dogs.  Today in some cultures that are highly patriarchal, spousal abuse, rape and pedophilia continue to increase and are hardly punished. We have seen in some countries today that the women who were raped are accused of the wrong doing. The problem with male domination is that once men who have high driving personalities have eliminated women as leaders in society, there is no one left to dominate but other men. Not all men want to dominate men sexually but some do.  We see this today in many secret societies in the upper echelons of ruler ship, whether religion or business or government. The Greeks used young boys to fulfill their desires rather than women, hence the effeminate (catamite) as well as the abuser or sodomite. This is intentional homosexuality, people making the decision to live in this way.

We have a group of people that are not intentional in their actions.  Hermaphrodites are born with both male and female reproductive organs. It is hard to say that God knit and formed us in our mother’s womb and that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, but then we condemn people when they are not right physically. Jesus pointed out that some were born that way. Just as a person who is physically or mentally disabled, we have to understand that Hermaphrodites are loved by God.  Something corrupted our genetics; it is not just sinners and unsaved people but everyone.  How many good Christians have a disabled child? Are we to suppose that they must have sinned? Endocrinologists’ would explain that our hormones are complex and that they are not the same for all men or all women.  How many people need some type of hormone replacement? And when male or female hormones get out of balance what happens then? Do you know any women with polycystic ovarian syndrome or any balding men or women? This means we are to walk in love towards everyone, not point fingers.  Some people choose a homosexual lifestyle and some people are born without the correct combination of body parts. However the goal of each person is to deny ourselves and to die to ourselves.  Everyone can be made clean. And God has a plan for their lives, we just haven’t taught them about it.

Matt 19:10-12 His disciples say unto him, If the case of the man be so with his wife, it is not good to marry. 11 But he said unto them, All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. 12 For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. KJV

Isa 56:3-5 Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree.4 For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;5 Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off.KJV

If some are born with mixed reproductive organs or some made that way (there are accidents in circumcisions as well as female genital mutilation) there is a great reward if they serve God celibate.  That is impressive.  In Levitical times eunuchs were not allowed to serve in the congregation because they were not whole.(Deut 23:1He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord.KJV) The same was true of the blind, lame, or someone with scabs; they were not allowed to serve in the priesthood. However Jesus says some want to become eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake, so that they can serve.  We cannot help how our bodies formed in utero, or how they might have become, therefore how can we condemn those whose reproductive organs were not properly developed or who were made deformed. Solomon writes:

Wisdom 3:14-15 And blessed is the eunuch, which with his hands hath wrought no iniquity, nor imagined wicked things against God: for unto him shall be given the special gift of faith, and an inheritance in the temple of the Lord more acceptable to his mind.15 For glorious is the fruit of good labours: and the root of wisdom shall never fall away.KJV

I am not speaking of those who choose homosexual practices without the physical issues as having great rewards, only those who are born or have become as such.  Romans tells us that God gave people over to depravity when they denied him as creator, that is all of us.  For two hundred years we have allowed the idea of evolution, from monkeys to man, to infiltrate our society and we have forgotten our creator.  We are all to blame as we have allowed Darwinism into our schools as fact when we know there is only evolution within a species not from monkeys to man or apples to oranges.  Here is something we need to think about.  If someone who was born or became a eunuch or hermaphrodite has never heard about the rich rewards God gives to them if they live according to his plan, can we condemn them for living in homosexuality? We can’t ask people to drop their drawers, have an ultra sound and some blood tests before we decide if we can love them (agape).  I think if the church was not homophobic we would simply love and help everyone, and if we had read what Jesus and Paul teach then we could explain that everyone can be washed clean. So what does one do that has both male and female reproductive organs? I don’t have an answer other then living as a eunuch. That is where the reward is. But I do know that God loves them as much as anyone else and it would seem that they have special rewards for the hardships of this life. If you know of someone in this type of situation, love them, hug them and show them that God has not forgotten them. They have a reward with God if they so choose.

Jesus and Paul both dealt with the idea of the disciples leaving their wives to be celibate so they could preach, but both Jesus and Paul said that that is not for everyone. Self control is the issue whether food or sex, controlling our bodies is the key.

1 Cor 7:6-9 But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.7 For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.KJV

Mark 10:13-15 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.KJV

With innocence of heart we are to receive the kingdom of God.  The Day of Atonement is almost upon us. After reading over who does not enter the kingdom we can see if any of these negative things are in our lives and repent of them. We can also see if we have any hardness of heart towards others who may be living after the flesh.  This is our chance to get it right with God. Have we thought evil of others when we have no knowledge as to how they might have been born?  It is a hard question to face, but facing it before God, in humility is what Yom Kippur is for.  After repenting we set our sights on the year ahead, changing our behaviors as needed.  I’m pretty sure this topic has struck a nerve in everyone. That is because we have never really dealt with this issue in the church. Instead we have acted like the towns people in Frankenstein, with torches and pitchforks ready to attack the monster.  Yet Jesus said some are born without the right body parts and some have become that way.  This is not an excuse for abusive behavior; we are to die to self, every one of us. And when people don’t die to self they abuse themselves and sometimes others. It is revealing as to what is in our hearts, the hardness we may have and the opportunity to forgive, to be forgiven, and to get clean before God.

Peter tells us to be holy.

1 Peter 1:13-16 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.KJV

It must be possible if he tells us to do it.  We can start in our minds. Paul tells us how.

2 Cor 10:3-6 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.KJV

This is how we look to the year ahead and make changes to our lives.  Every day we cast down any thought that butts up against the knowledge of God.  Then we make sure we don’t act on any thoughts that are against the knowledge of God.  We get cleaned up on the inside and pursue a direct path to keep clean the entire year.   Asceticism is a call to all of us with everything and not just for the really bad things; cookies can be as bad as anything else.  Has this stirred up enough emotion to chuck the grace card for today and to make a valiant attempt at reconciling our hearts and lives to God? How about a year ahead of walking in agape? May your name be written in the Book of Life.

What's with all these asteroids and what do they mean?

I can’t jump to any conclusions but I would say the heavens are trying to tell us something.

Short write up on the asteroids, how far they are and when they will be their closest.  None of them will be close enough to hit the earth but it is more significant that they appear at the time of the Fall Feasts. I’ve compared these asteroids with NASA’s JPL and Stellarium  and added EW Bullingers’ definitions of the constellations from his book Witness of the Stars.  The meanings are quite astounding. 

For perspective the moon is:

Moon is .0027AU orbiting the earth

Asteroids:

2011 SE58 .0023AU 9/27 back side of earth from sun 9/29 crosses between the earth & sun .0167 AU

On the 27^th in the leg of Scorpio then on the 29^th jumps to Cancer

2011 SR25 .193AU 9/27-9/29 stays on the back side of earth

In the head of Pegasus

2011 SO5 .0145 AU 9/30 Back side crosses to front side 10/1 .0166AU

On the 29^th in the head of Orion, on the 30^th in the club of Orion

When I say back side think 2 dimentionally.

Sun        Earth     Asteriod

If the asteroid is on the back side I mean it is not between the earth and the sun. 

Here are the constellation definitions for the 29^th of September, 2011, when the asteroids will be crossing through.  If the plug-ins are correct for Stellarium this is what we have for Rosh Hashanah.

On the 29^th

SE58 in Cancer

Messiah’s Redeemed Possessions held fast. The Arabic name is Al Sartan which means who holds or binds, and may be from the Hebrew to bind together.  In the center of the sign there is a remarkably bright cluster of stars so bright that they can be sometimes seen with the naked eye. It looks like a comet, and is made up of a great multitude of stars.  Modern astronomers have called it the Beehive. But its ancient name has come now to us as Praesepe, which means a multitude, offspring.

SO5 in the head of Orion

Light breaking forth in the Redeemer, The Coming Prince, Coming forth as light.  

SR25 Neck of Pegasus

The brightest star on the neck Hebrew name is Markab which means returning from afar. Not only shall they be received but they shall be brought near. They will not have to be fetched, but they will be caused to come to those for whom they are procured, and will yet be brought by Him who has procured them.

This is just a quick rundown but if you combine this with elenin in the brow of Virgo and Venus the bright and morning star in the belly of Virgo, with the moon at her feet this paints quite a picture.  I would guess that this doesn’t happen all that often, lol.  For better descriptions of Virgo see my previous blog post about the birth of Jesus and the Fall Feasts.

What Day Was Jesus Born? The Fall Feasts, Signs In The Heavens

It has never been my intention to be controversial for the sake of controversy.  The reason I think things seem controversial is that the devil has found a way to bind us in tradition so that we become emotionally attached to an idea, thereby causing controversy when questioned.  The devil seems to have found that blinding the minds of people keeps them from knowing Christ more fully.  I’m sure most people have heard, studied or questioned that the date we claim that Jesus was born, December 25^th is not accurate.  If you are a Catholic you would wonder why the date of the Immaculate Conception falls on December 8^th of 2010 when Jesus was born December 25^th.  Catholics wonder if Mary was pregnant for 17 days or 382 days.  I do as well. Something doesn’t seem right as Mary’s pregnancy was either the shortest pregnancy or the longest pregnancy in history.  We know Mary visited Elizabeth when Elizabeth was six months pregnant and stayed with Elizabeth for about three months.  So we have eliminated the shortest pregnancy in history and now have the longest pregnancy in history.  Or was Jesus born on a different day?

This was a subject that was talked about widely in the early 80’s as the Jesus movement of the 70’s brought into Christianity a lot of young adults who recognized that Jesus was not religious.  Traditions were no longer simply accepted but questioned and explored.  This is the thinking that some in the church condemned as rebellious, however this is also the thinking that teaches us more about the bible then the passivity of accepting and following tradition and practice blindly.  We do have one problem however.  The “world” accepts that Jesus was born on December 25^th and as soon as Halloween is over we are allowed to promote Christmas.  And just like the devil to first mess up the date of Jesus’ birth, we now have to fight to have songs about his birth playing in our stores at Christmas time.  Simply this is not a revolution to change the date of Jesus birth but if it turns out that we are forced to take Jesus out of the Christmas season we have a fall back date that the world cannot take away as it already exists as a holiday without commercialism.  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for presents, but the fact is that Jesus’ birthday doesn’t require gift giving. Therefore the devil cannot push the issue of taking Christ out of Christmas too hard or else Christianity will defect to Jesus’ actual birthday. 

I have previously written about this and will include several sites where research has been done.  There are three points I think we should look at, the physical dates, the astronomical signs in the heavens, and the bible codes.  I am grateful for those who have done so much research in this field, and I am thankful for the internet so that we can pull all the information together.  The principal date for the birth of Jesus is Tishri 1 of 3 BC.  Evidence of this day has been predominately researched in the area of Mary and her time of purification, and the astronomical occurrences in the heavens on Tishri 1 as well as what the Magi saw that announced the birth of the Messiah.  The evidence that seals the deal is the evidence of the bible codes, equidistant letter spacing (ELS). With this information, we have an indisputable date and year, Rosh Hashanah 3 BC. Because the Jewish calendar (a lunar cycle) is not the same as the Gregorian calendar (a solar cycle) Rosh Hashanah changes each year. For 2011 Rosh Hashanah starts at sundown on the 29th of September.  This is the day of blowing 100 trumpets in a call to repentance.  It is the day that Adam was created.  It is the day that Adam and Eve left the garden.  It is the day that Noah sent out the dove that brought back the olive branch. It is the day that Isaac was bound by Abraham. And it is also the day of Jesus’ birth. We have the first man Adam and the last man born on the same date.

The bible uses the expression that “No man knows the date or hour” as a Hebrew idiom for Rosh Hashanah because it is the time when the moon just starts to pass from a new moon (no moon visible) into a waxing moon (a crescent).  The tradition is that as soon as the first sliver of moon could be seen and confirmed by two witnesses the trumpets would blow and the celebration would begin.  During the day you could not prepare because you could not see the moon or what phase it was in.  Tishri is the seventh month and the first day is the day that the moon makes its first appearance as a sliver of a crescent.  This is why no man knows the day or hour that the trumpets will blow.

The Exact Day of Jesus’ Birth

The apostle John is presenting to his readers something of profound significance in a symbolic way. Revelation 12:1–3 shows a New Moon day that could only be observed from earth just after sunset, and the day was September 11^th. This fits well with Luke’s description of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Recall that,

“there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over the flock by night ... and the angel said ... unto you is born this day [which began at sundown] in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”

·         Luke 2:8–11

Jesus was born in early evening, and Revelation 12 shows it was a New Moon day.

What New Moon could this have been? The answer is most amazing. It is almost too amazing! September 11, 3 B.C.E. was Tishri One on the Jewish calendar. To Jewish people this would have been a very profound occasion indeed. Tishri One is none other than the Jewish New Year’s day (Rosh ha-Shanah, or as the Bible calls it, The Day of Trumpets ― Leviticus 23:23–26). It was an important annual holy day of the Jews (but not one of the three annual festivals that required all Palestinian Jews to be in Jerusalem).

What a significant day for the appearance of the Messiah to arrive on earth from the Jewish point of view! And remarkably, no other day of the year could astronomically fit Revelation 12:1–3. The apostle John is certainly showing forth an astronomical sign which answers precisely with the Jewish New Year Day. John would have realized the significance of this astronomical scene that he was describing.

The Star That Astonished the World by Ernest L Martin

http://www.askelm.com/star/star006.htm

One way you can look at the stars and the astronomical alignments for yourself is to download a free program called Stellarium. This program will allow you to see the planets in their constellations at any date.  One note however, there is no year zero (0) and stellarium runs from positive numbers to negative numbers with a year 0.  Therefore your year 3 BC is actually -2.  Other paid programs do not have this issue as they can move from BC to AD.  I will add a link in the end notes.

The planets’ alignment for Rosh Hashanah of 3 BC shows Venus and Mercury in Virgo, with Jupiter in Leo. We see in 2011 that Venus and Saturn are in her mid-section while Mercury is at her shoulder and comet Elenin is in her hair, and the tail of the comet would create a line along her brow line.  And as we can see in comparing both years of 3BC and 2011, the sliver of moon is at her feet. (Keep in mind that the pictures are an artist’s rendering of Virgo the outline of the constellation is what we need to look at.  Interestingly this alignment of Venus and Saturn in Virgo’s belly only happens this year, 2011. In some of the following Rosh Hashanah years ahead this is not the case as I looked at Rosh Hashanah through to 2015. So this is a unique alignment.

Rev 12:1-2 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.KJV

This is the first sign in the heavens written in Revelation 12. On September 29^th,  2011, the Sun is in Virgo, the Moon is at her feet and moving under her feet.  Virgo has 12 stars at her head, along with Elenin and its tail. Venus, the bright and morning star is at her midsection along with Saturn.  However as we move into day two of Rosh Hashanah, the 30^th, Venus drops out of her mid section as if it has been birthed and the Moon drops into Libra, signifying judgment.  All of this happening on Rosh Hashanah of this year, the day of Jesus’ birth 2,014 years ago, and tells the story of the feasts, repentance, judgment, the coming King.

If we look at NASA’s JPL site for Rosh Hashanah this year 9/29/2011 we see planetary alignments on that date with the comet Elenin. On the 29^th Elenin will be located in Virgo’s head/hair which you can find if you add a plug-in onto stellarium. You can get directions by doing an internet search on “how to find Elenin in Stellarium”.  If our culture was an astronomically observant culture we would be interested in the planetary alignments.  Some great works to read are by Joseph Seiss , EW Bullinger, and Helena Lehman, which explain the Christian view of astronomy.  We should also remember from our research into Abraham going into Egypt that it was Abraham that taught the Egyptians about the constellations, their meanings, and their announcement of the coming Savior. What we do know from planetary alignments is that there is a greater pulling and pushing of our electromagnetic fields and this seems to cause increases in earthquake activity and volcanic eruptions.  What does all this mean? I don’t know, but I do know that there will be signs in the heavens and that is what I am to watch.  I am alright with not having answers to everything but I am willing to explore possibilities.

Luke 21:8-12 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. KJV

First Jesus says that there will be people that say they are the Christ, don’t follow them.  It could also be interpreted that there will be people that say Jesus is the Christ and they are His representative, but don’t follow them.  Food for thought.  Then he says Nation will rise… Nation is gentile nations that rise against the other gentile nations, not gentiles rising against the Jewish nations.  He then goes on to say there will be earthquakes, and the rest and then he says “but”. Before that the ones he was speaking to, his disciples at that time would be betrayed and killed for being associated with him. 

Luke 21:20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. KJV

He then tells them about what would happen when Rome would encompass Jerusalem in 70 AD.  Jerusalem has been abominated five times and desolated twice.  It was abominated by Shishak, Antiochus, Pompay, Sossius and Herod.  It was desolated by Babylon and Vespasian, since the final desolation there has been no temple to worship in, in Jerusalem. 

Luke 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. KJV

Jesus then says the Jews would be led away into all nations until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.KJV

Luke 21:25-28 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.KJV

After his disciples would be persecuted, Jesus says then Jersulam would fall. Then the Jews would be scattered all over the world until the days of the gentiles being grafted in are complete. Then there will be more earthquakes, more volcanoes erupting, more floods, harsh winters (as noted in the Aramaic texts) more turmoil everywhere, then look up.  Jesus laid out a timeline. What do we see when we look up, besides chem trails and falling space debris? We could see signs in the heavens.  If we understood the importance of the Feasts and the birth of Christ at the Fall Feasts, we would be far more circumspect in our walk. 

As just a fun “trouble making” side note, astrology is off in its dating of birthdates in constellations.  You can see in Stellarium that your birthday plugged into the system will show accurately what constellation you were born under.  The dates are off by about -15 days to almost -30 days or so.  Therefore you may not be born under the star sign you have been told your whole life. I believe the earth’s wobble was never taken into consideration, therefore, one more reason not to bother reading your horoscope.

With the understanding that Jesus was born on Rosh Hashanah, Tishri 1 of 3BC, we could then observe the Fall Feasts with new insight. The Fall Feasts are our time to remember the Messiah’s birth, repent, re-connect with God, and plan our future walk with God.  As kings and priests in the Melchizedek Priesthood, and not under the law that Jesus fulfilled, we can remember the fall feasts from a non legal perspective. On one hand it is a solemn time to confess our sins to God for his plan of absolution, on the other hand it is the time we rejoice in Messiahs’ birth and anxiously await his return.  As we observe the signs in the heavens and the signs in the earth, and ponder their meaning, we can look backwards through history to search out the biblical truths of the past.  I have left a huge amount of material in the end notes so that I don’t duplicate the work that others have already done.  Three things to look at are the dates in the bible, the signs in the heavens, and the words encoded in the bible, the bible codes.     

End Notes:

Stellarium.org

http://www.stellarium.org/wiki/index.php/Download

NASA’s JPL site small body data base with comet elenin alignment

http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=C%2F2010%20X1;orb=1;cov=0;log=0;cad=0#orb

Bible Codes for Jesus’ birth 9/11/3 BC

http://members.cox.net/8thday/birth.html

The Star that Astonished the World – on line book

http://www.askelm.com/star/index.asp

No man knows the day or hour/ Rosh Hashanah

http://www.hebroots.org/hebrootsarchive/9807/980715_c.html

Babylon Mystery Religion, by Ralph Woodrow

http://www.4shared.com/document/2HcVU5qt/Babylon_Mystery_Religion__Ralp.html

What day was Jesus born

http://ad2004.com/prophecytruths/Articles/Yeshua/yeshuabirth5.html

Signs in the Heaven

http://www.cortright.org/revsign.htm

More signs in the Heavens

http://www.sbcan.info/other-stuff/james/signs-in-the-heavens/

Astronomy Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D_Op5cdSLM

Difference between zodiac signs and why

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2011/0113/New-zodiac-signs-2011-Why-astrology-is-even-sillier-than-we-thought

What day was Jesus born - article

      September 11th             3 B.C. 

When was Jesus born? 
The traditional day celebrated in the church is December 25,
although that day wasn't designated until about 360 AD. 

      How can we know the exact day, and nearly the hour, of the birth of Jesus?

      Simple arithmatic.  A child could have done it, if only the basic assumptions had been
correct.  But they weren't.  In the 19th century, critical scholars made a crucial decision 
to reject a total lunar eclipse in January 1 BC and to accept instead one in March 4 BC, 
as the chronological cornerstone for dating the death of Herod the Great, and thereby,
the possible birth years for Jesus.

      By so doing, the critics could argue Jesus had to born before 4 BC,  contradicting
Luke, who tied Jesus' 30th year to the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar, 27-28 AD.  Luke
effectively placed the birth in 3 BC, as did many of the early church fathers.  Ironically,
even the date used by the Pope during the Christmas Eve midnight mass ritual is itself 
consistent with the last half of 3 BC.

      All the available evidence has always pointed at the harvest period of 3 BC
as the focal point of the Nativity--including the possibility of a late summer birth. 

      In his second chapter, Luke tells what happened the day Mary came to the
Temple for purification 40 days after the birth of Jesus.  All one has to know is what 
day this was.  Luke plainly names the day.  In fact, he includes three statements 
identifying the day.  So what day was this?

      Yom Kippur.  The Day of Atonement.  The 10th day of the seventh month of the
Hebrew calendar. 

      In Luke's time, Yom Kippur was called three things: The day of the "Fast," the day
of the "Purification,"and the day of "Redemption."  Luke uses all three to identify the
day Jesus was brought to the Temple.  And he even quotes the Torah rule that mandates
the 40-day period for the mother to wait after the child's birth [Lk 2:22-38].

      And if there were any doubt that it was Yom Kippur,  Luke tells of a woman named
Anna who had been in the Temple for a "night and day" without leaving.  There was
ONLY ONE DAY A YEAR when a person could pray overnight in the Temple: Yom
Kippur.  All other days, the Temple was locked at sundown.

      This shows the 40th day of Mary's Purification had begun at the end of Yom Kippur,
the end of the 10th day of the 7th month, because we know the Purification was done at
the earliest opportunity--at the beginning of the 40th day after birth.  And since the 6th
month normally had only 29 days, simple arithmatic shows Mary's 39 days of Purification
had to have begun around sundown on the 1st day of the 6th month, called Elul.

      This was the night of the first sighting of the new moon of Elul.  The Magi in Babylon
were recording this sunset sliver of the new moon on a clay tablet.  The cuneiform tablet
the Magi made at that hour 2000 years ago, along with thousands of others from Babylon,
resides in the British Museum.  It is possible that this clay tablet was inscribed by one of
the famous Magi who later brought a strange set of gifts to Bethlehem.  So the new moon
seen by the Magi in Babylon at the very moment of Jesus being born is recorded on one of
the tablets now in London.  Cuneiform scholars have identified the date on this tablet as
equivalent to September, 11, 3 BC.

      The Hebrew lunar calendar dates vary with respect to our solar calendar.  So the 1st
of Elul was September 11th in 3 BC, but began on August 22 in 1998.  The same was true
in the days of the early church, of course.  In a given year, the 1st of Elul could have fallen
on September 8th, for example.

      This may solve another ancient mystery.  No one seems to know how Rome came to
honor September 8th as the birthday of Mary.  There is no Biblical,  historical,  or church
tradition to explain it.  It just emerges out of nowhere.  Rome keeps the 8th of December as
the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary [ie. conceived without original sin].  It is
a holy day of obligation for all Catholics to attend Mass.  This feast is clearly based upon
September 8th also, and mortal sin is attached to the failure of a Catholic to observe it, yet
the origins of these dates are unknown.

      On the other hand, we can now see that if Jesus were born on September 11th as Luke
indicates, then Jesus would have been conceived around December 8th in 4 BC. The now
mysterious Mary dates fit Jesus quite well.  How might this have happened?

      In the late 4th century, in early 380 AD, Pope Damasus I was endeavoring to force all
Christians in the Roman Empire to yield to his authority.  He got the Emperor to issue an
edict requiring them to practice the religion of  Rome.  We know that it is about this time
the Christmas midnight Mass was first celebrated and December 25th first identified as a
Catholic holy day.  It is said Damasus was seeking to lure the people away from pagan
rites honoring the birth of the sun god at midnight by compelling Catholic attendance at a
memorial in honor of Christ's death, ie the Mass. The people confused this Mass with the
pagan solar birth rituals conducted at that same time.  Gradually, the Christ-Mass became
associated with the Nativity. 

      Meanwhile, the true feast around September 8th, which naturally honored Mary in
giving birth to Jesus, was converted into a day commemorating her own birth, and an old
holyday honoring the conception of Jesus was converted into a day commemorating the
conception of Mary on December 8th.  Strangely, there is still widespread belief among
non-Catholics that this is the day Jesus was concieved--a possible lingering remembrance
of the original meaning of this date.

      We can also tell from Luke's Gospel that Jesus had been born in early evening, for
Luke says the shepherds were keeping watch by night, but still had time to go into town
and tell the people what they had seen earlier that evening.  People rose early with the sun
in those days, and would have been asleep by 9 or 10 pm.  Therefore, the birth had taken
place no later than 8 pm, and probably before 7 pm.  Yet Luke says it happened at  night,
which means after sunset--surely after 6 pm in September.  Hence, it follows that Jesus
was born within a few minutes of 6:30-7:30 pm on the evening of September 11th, 3 BC.

      A confirmation of this time is in the book of Revelation.  Historian Ernest L. Martin
consulted NASA lunar-phase tables and found the image of the heavens in Revelation 12
showed where the sun and the moon were, relative to Virgo, at the time Jesus was born,
pin-pointing sunset of September 11th of 3 BC.  It seems the moon moves so quickly it is
"beneath the feet" of Virgo only a few hours every month.  Moreover, the moon comes
within two lunar diameters of Virgo's feet at the time of a new moon but once in  30 years.
The only such occurance any time near the birth of Jesus was on September 11th, 3 BC.

      Most previous attempts at determining the birth time were based upon astrology and
dating the Star of Bethlehem.  No one considered 3 BC because that year had erroneously
been assumed to follow Herod's death.  However, Dr. Martin has proven that Herod did
not die in 4 BC, but in 1 BC.  Scholars are now generally accepting the new chronology for
Herod, and this in turn has allowed the confirmation of the New Testament date for the
birth of Jesus.  Unfortunately, many churches continue to promote the critics' errors and
paganized traditions about the Nativity.

      You may want to read more detail on the subject.
Above article was NOT published by the author of the book
"Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed". Book contains detailed charts, 
calendars and scripture verse indexes. This book was published in 1982.
I read the book and strongly recommend it. It is very detailed, easy to understand.
I do NOT sell the book but you may request it at → 

http://www.angelfire.com/az/tile/BIBLE/9-11.html