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if the people were not trained in quick defensive measures. The security of the group rested on the shoulders of the leader. When a wagon master had accidentally gone the wrong way, when he had chosen the wrong path, it was his duty to tell the people and ask them to turn around, go back, and take the right path. This could involve additional travel, wasted time and lots of grumbling. At times, some of the wagons even broke off and continued in the wrong path rather than retrace the way they had come. Admission of an error by the leader involved the danger of loss of faith in his leadership. Mutiny was a real possibility. A conscientious leader would always look for additional information, added knowledge for use in the important decisions that guided the group. As message bearers of the obligation of keeping ALL of Gods commandments, it is

It was a strange migration. Gold had been discovered in the western United States, and within days men set off from the east on horseback, followed in the months to come by wagon loads of families; all were after the elusive dream of riches. Thousands sold everything they owned and travelled the uncharted paths west. Thousands lost everything, even their lives. The perils of the journey, sickness, accident, weather and enemies, reduced the wagon trains until only a remnant arrived at their destination. Then, even fewer ever found the gold and riches they had sacrificed all to attain. Some of these wagon trains hired guides and scouts to lead them. Others elected someone from among their group to take the responsibility of leadership. That responsibility was huge. Lives could be lost by choosing the wrong path. Hardships could be increased by missing waterholes or not camping in the right place. Attacks by enemies could destroy them

a grave responsibility to teach truth and truth only. And because truth is ever unfolding, study must be ongoing to discover which beliefs are to be learned and which must be unlearned. God has promised to guide those who diligently seek Him into all truth. The last generation that lives through the coming time of trouble must have only truth, no error in their beliefs. They must be established upon that truth so that they cannot be shaken by mans assaults or the devils deceptions. All people have an obligation to their Creator to worship Him on the seventh day, His appointed Sabbath according to the fourth commandment. But, how is that Sabbath to be found? Is it possible to be right about the count of the day and wrong about which calendar to use to find that day? As a result of this question, diligent study has been done by many dedicated Sabbatarians so as to determine whether or not the Gregorian calendar in common use by society around the Continued on Page 3...

THE SABBATH QUESTION

Prince N. Nyazika Editor

pnnyazika@yahoo.co.uk

his indeed is a time of overwhelming interest to all living. Rulers and Statesman, men who occupy positions of trust and authority, thinking men and women of all classes, have their eyes fixed upon the events taking place about us. They are watching the relations that exist among the nations. They observe the intensity that is taking possession of every earthly element, and they recognise that something great and decisive is about to take place, that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis! The calamities by land and sea, the unsettled state of society, the alarms of war, are ominous. They forecast approaching events of the greatest magnitude. The agencies of evil are combining their forces and consolidating for the new world order. They are strengthening for the last great crisis. We are standing on the threshold of the crisis of the ages. Great changes are soon to take place in our world, and the final movements will be rapid ones. We are on the very verge of the time of trouble, and perplexities that are scarcely dreamed of are coming. But as to how, why and when, well There is a God in Heaven, who can foretell the future before events transpire! So let us altogether share in the words of wisdom as we seek to find out what the prophetic word of God has said will happen.
Note from the Editor There are many people who do not yet understand the prophecies relating to these last days, and it is for their benefit and enlightenment that this publication is intended. It is however not the intended purpose of this publication to cause fear or alarm, or to incite public disorder for that matter. But it is our desire to bring to the world this message of grace, to enable YOU to be informed about the issues that have real eternal implications in these last days. It is our stated position therefore, not to make unlike thrusts and allusions that will certainly do harm and hinder us from doing the work that we should do in order to reach out to all classes of people. It is our work to speak the truth in love and not mix in with the truth the unsanctified elements of the natural heart and speak things that savour the spirit of hatred.
*In this issue, we shall be using the following names: Yahweh (I AM, that I AM), God, Lord God, the Creator; interchangeably to refer to the deity of God. The names Yahshua and Jesus Christ refer to His Son, who is our Lord and Saviour.

n the annals of human history, the growth of nations, the rise and fall of empires, appear as if dependent on the will and prowess of man; the shaping of events seems, to a great degree, to be the determined by mans power, ambition or caprice. But in the word of God the curtain is drawn aside, and we behold, above, beyond and through all the play and counterplay of human interest and power and passsions, the agencies of the All-Merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels of His own will and design. The Catholic Church has always been very open about her role in changing the Sabbath of the Bible and promoting instead worship on dies Solis, the day of the Sun (Sunday). The decision of the Council of Nica to set aside Biblical calendation was merely confirmed by Constantine in royal edict. The bishops wanted to destroy any ties to Judaism. In endeavouring to show this distinction, not only was the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath transferred to the Julian-calender Sunday, but all of the annual feasts which, up until that time were still observed, were replaced with popular pagan festivals, giving them a Christian slant and incorporating Christian names. To conciliate the pagan worshipers to nominal Christianity, Rome, pursuing its usual policy, took measures to get the Christian and Pagan festivals amalgamated, and, by a complicated but skillful adjustment of the calendar, it was found no difficult matter, in general, to get Paganism and Christianity now far sunk in idolatry . . . to shake hands. There is no denying that the Catholic Church is responsible for the change. This fact is generally understood by most Seventh-day Adventists: that the Catholic Church changed the day of solemnity from the Sabbath, to Sunday. However what most Adventists do not realise is that the same power which is responsible for replacing the seventh-day Sabbath with Sunday, achieved this change by changing first the universal calendar altogether. The effect of this change is little appreciated and rather ignored. As Adventists, for decades we have regarded ourselves to be in the right by virtue of our keeping holy Saturday as the Sabbath, since it falls on the seventh day of the modern day Gregorian calendar... But, could it be that the Sabbath WE keep, is just as false as the Sunday in its place?

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...Continued from Page 1 world today, is the true original Biblical calendar. Where are the roots of the Julian/Gregorian calendar found? Which calendar was used by Moses at the time of the Exodus? Which calendar was used by the Jews at the time of Jesus, the Christ? Serious study of these questions has led to the final conclusion that the correctly numbered day on which to worship, on the seventh day of the weekly Sabbath has to be taught. To achieve this grave task, the original Biblical luni-solar calendar must be used to find Gods true seventh-day. Through time there have been many calendars, many schemes to measure time and set the days for worship. Since the Bible is our guide; it follows also that the Scriptures must establish both when the Sabbath commences and which calendar to use in identifying it. Historical facts can also be examined so as to prove the testimony of the Scriptures. It has been a shock to learn that the idea of continuously cycling weeks since creation was a wrong assumption. The Gregorian Pagan/Papal calendar is the wrong measurement to use for determining the true seventh day for worship. It is strange to the mind to try and understand a different system of time measurement. But, truth is too precious. It is a joy to know for sure that the correct Sabbath can be found if the correct Biblical luni-solar calendar is used. Please study out this vital, life-changing issue for yourself. Please compare scriptures and the facts of history to understand that Satan really has sought to change times and laws. Please give the Holy Spirit a chance to impress your mind by promising to obey Him if He reveals to you that this is truth. Join believers around the world as our steps are retraced, knowledge of an old path is restored and concepts new to us are understood. The Lord Jesus is coming very soon. Let us unite in love and voice, spirit and truth on the true seventh-day Sabbath to worship our Creator! Christians who worship on Sunday base this practice on the belief that Christ arose from the tomb on Sunday. Jews and Christians who worship on Saturday do so because it is presumed the seventh day of the week. Both parties however, base their belief and thus their practice, on an assumption! The assumption is that, because the progression of days was not changed at the time the Julian calendar transitioned to the Gregorian, therefore the modern week is identical to the Biblical week. The logical conclusion is that Saturday is indeed the Bible Sabbath and Sunday is the day on which Christ arose from the grave. The facts of both the Julian & Gregorian calendars themselves, however, prove this assumption is false. A well-known adage is that those who forget history are doomed to repeat the mistakes of history. Likewise, those who have never learned the facts of calendar history have built an entire belief structure on a faulty foundation: the assumption that weeks have cycled continuously and without interruption ever since Creation. It is of vital importance to all, regardless of their religion, to study the history of the Julian/Gregorian calendars. Assembling the missing puzzle pieces of historical fact reveals when a continuous weekly cycle of seven days became the standard measurement of time and it was not at Creation, neither was it sanctioned by the Creator! The calendar of the Roman Republic was based on lunar phases. Pagan Roman priests, called pontiffs, were responsible for regulat-

ing the calendar. Because the pontiffs could also hold political office, it provided opportunity for abuse. Intercalating an extra month could keep favored politicians in office longer, while not intercalating when necessary could shorten the terms of political opponents. By the time of Julius Csar, months were completely out of alignment with the seasons. Julius Csar exercised his right as Pontifex Maximus(high priest) and reformed what had become a cumbersome and inaccurate calendar. In the mid-1st century B.C. Julius Csar invited Sosigenes, an Alexandrian astronomer, to advise him about the reform of the calendar, and Sosigenes decided that the only practical step was to abandon the lunar calendar altogether. Months must be arranged on a seasonal basis, and a tropical (solar) year was used, as in the Egyptian calendar . . . . Notice that Sosigenes big innovation was an abandonment of lunar calendation: The great difficulty facing any [calendar] reformer was that there seemed to be no way of effecting a change that would still allow the months to remain in step with the phases of the Moon and the year with the seasons. It was necessary to make a fundamental break with traditional reckoning to devise an efficient seasonal calendar. To bring the new calendar into alignment with the seasons required adding an additional 90 days to the year. This was done in 45 B.C., creating a year of 445 days. This year of 445 days is commonly called by chronologists the year of confusion; but by Macrobius, more fitly, the last year of confusion. The first puzzle piece in establishing the truth of the calendar, is to realize that the Julian week of 45 B.C., did not look like the Julian week when Pope Gregory XIII modified it, and thus did not look like the modern Gregorian week of today. This is the first assumption made by both Jews and Christians, regardless of the day on which they worship.

not convert for two more years. His decision in October of A.D. 312 to paint a Christian symbol on the shields of his men at the battle of the Milvian Bridge was not a conversion. As with all his acts, it was politically motivated. Even after officially converting in 323, he postponed his baptism until just before his death in 337. Furthermore, he retained the office and title pontifex maximus, head of the state religion which he had assumed in 312; for the rest of his life. Christianity was made by him [Constantine] the religion of the state but Paganism was not persecuted though discouraged. The Christianity of the emperor himself has been a subject of warm controversy both in ancient and modern times, but the graphic account which Niebuhr gives of Constantines belief seems to be perfectly just. Speaking of the murder of Licinius and his own son Crispus, Niebuhr remarks, Many judge of him by too severe a standard, because they look upon him as a Christian; but I cannot regard him in that light. The religion which he had in his head must have been a strange compound indeed. The man who had on his coins the inscription Sol Invictus, who worshipped pagan divinities, consulted the haruspices, indulged in a number of pagan superstitions, and on the other hand, built churches, shut up pagan temples, and interfered with the council of Nica, must have been a repulsive phnomenon, and was certainly not a Christian. He did not allow himself to be baptized till the last moments of his life, and those who praise him for this do not know what they are doing. He was a superstitious man, and mixed up his Christian religion with all kinds of absurd superstitions and opinions. . . . To speak of him as a saint is a profanation of the word. It is intriguing that this quote refers to Constantines involvement with the Council of Nica as interference. Do not doubt it: Constantines Sunday law was civil legislation enacted to unite his empire via a single, unified calendar. Constantine, the consummate politician was foremost a politician and a military strategist. He issued at least six decrees relating to Sunday observance, but all were for purely political reasons. These decrees were: March 7, 321: A law commanding townspeople, courts and trades to cease from labor on the day of the Sun. June, 321: Emancipation and manumission of slaves allowed on the day of the Sun. Christian soldiers allowed to attend Sunday church services. Pagan troops required to recite a prayer while on the drill field on Sunday. Sunday declared a market day throughout the entire year. A decree supporting the Council of Nicas decision that Christs resurrection should henceforth be observed on the day of the Sun (Easter Sunday) rather than commemorating the death of Christ on the actual crucifixion Passover date of Nisan (Abib) 14. Constantine wanted a unified empire. With his eastern counterpart, Licinius, he had issued a decree in 313 known as the Edict of Milan which granted Christians protection under civil law. This did not promote Christianity above paganism as much as level the playing field, allowing Christians equal rights. For the first time Christianity was placed on a legal footing with the other religions and with them enjoyed the protection of the civil law. Licinius was a pagan, and this law grants no privilege to 3

HISTORY OF A LIE

Constantine The Great

Constantine the Great (A.D. 272 A.D. 337) is widely known as the first Christian emperor. His Sunday law is viewed as the religious act of a recent convert to honor his new day of worship. Roman Catholics and the Greek Orthodox have canonized him, while Saturday sabbatarians accuse the Roman Catholic Church of influencing Constantine into changing the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. They denounce the Catholic Church for deceiving all Christendom into believing that Sunday is the proper day of worship. Although the fact itself is true, that there has been a change made to time, this statement is not entirely accurate. Constantine had not yet converted at the time of his Sunday law. The Roman Catholic Church has always been open about their role in this legislation. Most significantly, the Sunday law was actually civil legislation which outlawed the Biblical luni-solar calendar and enforced the Julian calender upon Christians and Jews. Constantines Sunday law was actually disguised as calendar reform which laid the foundation for a massive deception: Sunday as the day on which Christ was resurrected; Saturday as the Bibles seventh-day Sabbath. Constantines veneration of the day of the Sun was not a religious act as a Christian, for he would

Julian Calendar Established

the Christians that is not allowed to the heathen. It is another evidence of Constantines policy of maintaining peace in the religious world. Constantine was no saint. He was a tyrant guilty of murdering his own son. His motivation for a united empire was not prompted by a desire for peace. Constantines drive for a unified empire was founded upon his desire for greater power. Some historians connect Constantines tolerance of Christianity with a desire to be able to enlist Christians as soldiers, thus increasing the size of his army. (Up to this point, Christians avoided enlisting.) All of Constantines religious tolerance acts should be viewed in the light of a dictator seeking uniformity, and thus greater control, in his empire. Renowned church historian, Philip Schaff, cautioned against reading too much into Constantines Sunday law: The Sunday law of Constantine must not be overrated. He enjoined the observance, or rather forbade the public desecration of Sunday, not under the name of Sabbatum [Sabbath] or dies Domini [Lords day], but under its old astrological and heathen title, dies Solis [Sunday], familiar to all his subjects, so that the law was as applicable to the worshipers of Hercules, Apollo, and Mithras, as to the Christians. There is no reference whatever in his law either to the fourth commandment or to the resurrection of Christ. Constantine was an equal opportunity monarch. While Christians hailed him as the servant of God and called him the blessed Prince, pagans regarded him as their Supreme Pontiff, Pontifex Maximus. Constantine demanded unity. He forced compromise in an unexpected way: calendar reform. J. Westbury-Jones highlights the purposeful ambiguity of Constantines law: How such a law would further the designs of Constantine it is not difficult to discover. It would confer a special honor upon the festival of the Christian church, and it would grant a slight boon to the pagans themselves. In fact there is nothing in this edict which might not have been written by a pagan. The law does honor to the pagan deity whom Constantine had adopted as his special patron god, Apollo or the Sun. The very name of the day lent itself to this ambiguity. The term Sunday (dies Solis) was in use among Christians as well as pagans. Of all Constantines edicts, the one that had the greatest and most lasting effect on Christendom was his legislation supporting the Council of Nicas decree establishing the observance of Easter. By the time of Constantine, apostasy in the church was ready for the aid of a friendly civil ruler to supply the wanting force of coercion. The time was ripe for a reconciliation of state and church, each of which needed the other. It was a stroke of genius in Constantine to realize this and act upon it. He offered peace to the church, provided that she would recognize the state and support the imperial power. All of Constantines acts had the ulterior motive of political gain and the Council of Nica was no exception. The significance of the Council of Nica is found in the fact that the decree outlawed the Biblical luni-solar calendar. Since the second century A.D; there had been a divergence of opinion about the date for celebrating the paschal (Easter) anniversary of the Lords passion (death, burial, and resurrection). The most ancient practice appears to have been

to observe the fourteenth (the Passover date), fifteenth, and sixteenth days of the lunar month regardless of the day of the [Julian calender] week these dates might fall on from year to year. The bishops of Rome, desirous of enhancing the observance of Sunday as a church festival, ruled that the annual celebration should always be held on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday following the fourteenth day of the lunar month. In Rome, Friday and Saturday of Easter were fast days, and on Sunday the fast was broken by partaking of the communion. This controversy lasted almost two centuries, until Constantine intervened in behalf of the Roman bishops and outlawed the other group. The point of contention appeared deceptively simple: Passover versus Easter. The issues at stake, however, were immense. The only way to determine when Passover occurs is to use the Biblical luni-solar calendar, for only by observing the moon can one count to the 14th day following the first visible crescent of the moon (known as the New Moon). Because the seventh-day Sabbath was also calculated from the first visible crescent of the new moon, a ruling in favor of Easter being observed on a Julian date would also affect the occurance point of the seventh-day Sabbath. Prior to this time, true Christians commemorated Passover, ignoring the pagan Easter. Up until the Council of Nica, the Christian Easter, especially in the East, had been celebrated for the most part at the time of the Jewish Passover, . . . [but] on the contrary, in Europe, some earlier, some later, were intercalating the months . . . the Europeans were placing their cycle at the equinox, and were celebrating the Passover on the next full moon after the equinox. These contentions had agitated the churches of Asia since the time of the Roman bishop Victor, who had persecuted the churches of Asia for following the 14thday heresy as they called it, in reference to the Passover. . . . The future Easter observance was to be rendered independent of Jewish calculation . This is civil legislation enforcing the pagan Julian calendar. Calendars by defination calculate time, and at the Council of Nica it was decreed that Christians were to remain independent of Jewish calculation because the apostacised Christians did not want to be associated with the Jews in any way. This is a fact well-known to Jewish scholars and historians. The Jewish Publication Society of America published the following statement: Then the world witnessed the hitherto undreamtof spectacle of the first general convocation of Nice [Nica], consisting of several hundred bishops and priests, with the emperor at their head. Christianity thought to celebrate its triumph, but only succeeded in betraying its weakness and internal disunion. For on the occasion of this, its first official appearance, in all the splendor of its plenitude of spiritual and temporal power, there remained no trace of its original character . . . At the Council of Nice the last thread was snapped which connected Christianity to its parent stock. The festival of Easter had up till now been celebrated for the most part at the same time as the Jewish Passover, and indeed upon the days calculated and fixed by the Synhedrion [Sanhedrin] in Juda for its celebration; but in future its observance was to be rendered altogether independent of the Jewish calendar. Such was the pompiety and pride of the grand council that words like these were uttered: For it is unbecoming beyond measure that on this holiest of festivals we should follow the customs of the Jews. Henceforward let us have nothing in common with this odious people; our Saviour has shown us another path. It would indeed be absurd if the Jews were able to boast that we are not in a position to celebrate the Passover without the aid of their

APOSTACY!
rules (calculations). These remarks are attributed to the Emperor Constantine . . . [and became] the guiding principle of the Church which was now to decide the fate of the Jews. Notice that the decrees of the Council of Nica are clearly perceived by Jews themselves to be the act of Christians stepping independent of the Jewish calendar. The Council of Nica accomplished three goals, all of which are still in effect today. The decree served to: 1. Standardize the planetary week of seven days making dies Solis the first day of the week, with dies Saturni(Saturday) the last day of the week. 2. Guarantee that Passover and Easter would never fall on the same day. 3. Exalt dies Solis(Sunday) as the day of worship for both pagans and Christians. By establishing Easter on the Sunday following the full moon after the vernal equinox, the Roman Catholic Church guaranteed that it would never fall on the Jewish Passover. At this time, the Jews were still using the luni-solar calendar of Creation, intercalating by the barley harvest law of Moses. Because the seven-day weeks of the Biblical lunations cycled differently than the pagan solar calendar, Passover, the sixth day of the Biblical week, would fall on different days of the Julian week. Likewise, First Fruits, the true day of the resurrection on the first day of the Biblical week, appeared to wander through the Julian week, sometimes falling on dies Martis(Monday), or dies Veneris(Wednesday), etc., and only rarely coinciding with dies Solis(Sunday). Vestiges of the resulting confusion when attempts are made to reconcile a solar calendar to a luni-solar calendar may still be seen. Easter is never on the same date of the Gregorian calendar from one year to the next. The feast of First Fruits, when calculated by the Biblical calendar, always falls on the 16th of the month, a First Day. Easter, however, because it is linked to a corruption of lunar calculation does not fall on any specific date, as does Christmas, nor a specific day of the month, such as Thanksgiving in the United States, which always falls on the fourth Thursday of November. Thus, while the true date of the resurrection always falls on the same day of the week and the same date of the month, Easter on the Gregorian calendar appears to float through March and April. The long-term effect was that Easter Sunday entered the Christian paradigm as The Day of Christs resurrection. The direct result to this realignment of time calculation was that the day preceding Easter Sunday, Saturday, became forever known as The True Bible Sabbath. This is the true significance of Constantines Sunday law and it laid the foundation for the modern assumption that a continuous weekly cycle has always existed. The fall-out from this edict was immediate. The law made it illegal to use the Biblical calendar and it persecuted those who still tried to use it. David Sidersky says, It was no more possible under Constance to apply the old calendar.

Biblical Calendar Annihilated

In subsequent years, the Jews went through iron and fire. The Christian [papal Roman] emperors forbade the Jewish computation of the calendar, and did not allow the announcement of the feast days. Graetz says, The Jewish [and apostolic Christian] communities were left in utter doubt concerning the most important religious decisions: as pertaining to their festivals. The immediate consequence was the fixation and calculation of the Hebrew calendar by Hillel II. The decrees of Nica, destroyed the Temple of the Law in Judea, as it were, and the ancient regulation of Moses for harmonizing the course of the moon with that of the sun was ultimately replaced by calculations involving the vernal equinox, after which the nearest full moon was chosen to be the paschal moon. From this equinoctial point, the [Catholic] church built up her ecclesiastical calendar and its Easter feast. It is easy to gloss over the real significance of the Council of Nica and its bearing upon the Jewish system of time, for though the church desired to depart from Jewish calculation, and to adopt a movable feast, yet in the end, it turned out that both the Jewish and Roman Catholic festivals came to be computed from the same point of time the vernal equinox. The controversy over calendars was not resolved with Constantines edict. Rather, it opened the door for religious persecution of Christians, by Christians. Those who were convicted by conscience that the Passover (as well as the Sabbath) should be observed by the Biblical calendar were unwilling to accept civil legislation in the realm of religion. These continued to use the luni-solar calendar in the face of intense persecution. Christians on the fringes of the Roman Empire used the Biblical reckoning centuries after Constantine. When Catholic princess, Margaret, married Scottish king Malcolm III (1031-1093) in 1070, she was instrumental in establishing Catholicism in Scotland. Prior to that time, Scottish priests still married, still observed Passover on Abib 14 (regardless of the Julian date) and still worshipped on the seventh-day Sabbath likely by the Biblical calendar as well, as they were observing Passover by that calendar. The Council of Nica was the culmination of many years of compromise with paganism. It climaxed in legislation which outlawed the only calendar by which the true seventh-day Sabbath, and also the true date of the resurrection, may be found. The spirit of concession to paganism opened the way for a still further disregard of Heavens authority. Satan, working through unconsecrated leaders of the church, tampered with the fourth commandment also, and essayed to set aside the ancient Sabbath, the day which God had blessed and sanctified (Genesis 2:2, 3), and in its stead to exalt the festival observed by the heathen as the venerable day of the sun - dies Solis(Sunday). Counterfeit worship required a counterfeit calendar and the Council of Nica provided it. Biblical luni-solar calendation was supplanted by pagan solar calendation, and the planetary week replaced the Biblical week which depended upon the phases of the moon and the sun combined. This planetary week is paganisms counterfeit of the true Biblical week instituted by the Creator in the beginning of Earths history. In the counterfeit week employed in ancient paganism the venerable day of the Sun was esteemed by the heathen above the other six days because it was regarded as sacred to the Sun, the chief of the planetary deities . . . Just as the true Sabbath is inseparably linked with the Biblical week, so the false sabbath of pagan origin needed a weekly cycle. Thus we have found that the planetary week of paganism as we have it to date is Sundays twin sister, and that the two counterfeit institutions were linked together. When the historical facts of the Julian calendar are understood, it becomes clear that Sunday is not the

only worship day founded upon paganism. Saturday, known to the pagans as dies Saturni, as the original first day of the pagan week, is also a counterfeit. As the seventh day of the modern week, it is a counterfeit for the true seventh-day Sabbath of the Bible. In 321 A.D; Constantine, emperor of Rome . . . by civil enactments made the venerable day of the Sun, which day was then notable for its veneration, the weekly rest day of the empire . . . The enforcement of the weekly observance of Sunday gave official recognition to the week of seven days and resulted in the introduction of it into the official civil calendar of Rome. The Romans passed that calendar down to us, and in it we have still the ancient planetary pagan titles of the days of the week. The aftershocks of the Council of Nica are still felt world-wide, today. Of any direct or indirect attack against the truth of God, this one act has had the most profound and far reaching affect. All the world has united in using this calendar in its modern, Gregorian form. Entire churches base their religious observance off of this pagan calendar. The foundation laid by Constantines Sunday law is the reason why Saturday and Sunday keepers worship on the days they do. The decrees of Nica legislated into place an entire counterfeit system of religion with its pagan solar calendar. Thus the knowledge of the Creators calendar with His true seventh-day Sabbath has been buried under the accumulated weight of centuries of continuously cycling weeks.

saken our heavenly Husband. It is by taking the names of Baal into our mouths and letting the worship of Baal structure our lives. Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her . . . And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali. For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name. And in that day will I make a covenant for them . . . And I will betroth thee unto me forever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgement, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD. . . And I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God. If each of the ancient prophets spoke less for their own time than for ours, so that their prophesying is in force for us then it is vital to look at this passage in light of the modern world. No one runs around claiming to be worshipers of Baal anymore. Verse 17 gives a clue just how this is to be applied: For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name. The names of the weekdays: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc., are named after the pagan planetary gods. It is a curious fact of calendar history that the pagan, planetary week originally began on Saturns day (dies Saturni). That was the highest day of the week. It was followed by Suns day (dies Solis), Moons day (dies Lun), etc. The pagans worshiped the seven planetary gods in the order they thought those planets orbited in relation to the earth. They thought that Saturn was furthest from the earth, so it held the preeminent position of importance, as the first day of the planetary week. It is this selfsame day which Sabbatarians have assumed corresponded to the seventh and last day of the Biblical week, the Sabbath. It was only later that the days of the week were rearranged with Sunday as the first day and Saturns day as the seventh. The months of the Gregorian year and the days of the planetary week are irreparably pagan. It is these to which the passage in Hosea is referring. When Christians arrange their lives and their worship days by a pagan, planetary calendar, the names of Baalim are taken into their mouths. It is impossible to find the correct Biblical Sabbath on a pagan, Gregorian calendar and in this, the Creator is forgotten. By restoring to the final generation the knowledge of His true method of calendation, Yahweh is bringing them back to a primitive godliness. He says, Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. What wilderness? The answer is found in Revelation 12. Here is given a depiction of the true church, the Bride of Christ, as a woman who has to flee into the wilderness.And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. (Verse 6) When the pure church accepted the practices of paganism, the long night of the Dark Ages fell on her. The true church fled into the wilderness and there, after experiencing the desolation that comes from accepting other lovers, the Lord began to allure her back. The Protestant Reformation began restoring to her the 5

Frequently the question is asked, Would Yahweh God really allow the knowledge of His Sabbath to be lost? The answer as given in Lamentations 2:6 is: YES. The LORD hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion. This theme is expanded upon in Hosea, chapter 2. Here the Lord is likening His people to an unfaithful wife who has gone whoring after other lovers. Gods people have been an unfaithful bride to their Lord. The prophecy of Hosea applies to Gods people today. We like to quote the beautiful promises in the second half of that chapter as applying to Gods people. These promises are precious. However, they must be looked at in context, and they are given in the context of Gods betrothed having been unfaithful to Him. Therefore, the punishment is: I will also cause all her mirth to cease, her feast days, her new moons, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn feasts. (Verse 11) The new moons is a clear reference to the calendar by which the Sabbaths are figured, just as in Isaiah 66:23: And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. The Seventhday Adventist church has used this text to prove that the Sabbath will be kept in the new earth. More than that, unseen is the fact that this text proves which calendar will be used throughout eternity, because on the pagan, solar Gregorian calendar, the new moons are not even noticed and definitely do not begin the months. It was by compromise with paganism that the early Christian church lost its apostolic purity. This opened the floodgates to all of the deceptions of Satan. By not valuing and preserving the truth, the people of Yahweh lost it. When the truth of heaven is not cherished as it should be, Yahweh removes it; He causes it to be forgotten. Hosea 2:14 reveals just how we have for-

Willful Apostacy or Ignorance?

light that had been lost. But because, The truth is an advancing truth, and we must walk in its ever increasing light, and since the days of the Protestant Reformation, Yahweh has been alluring His bride (the church) back to Him, winning her heart to her True Love by showing her His beautiful love and care for her. However, Our Father in Heaven will advance no faster than His people can follow. The knowledge of the luni-solar Sabbaths is now being restored to the remnant church. This understanding should affect any preconceived ideas of the time of trouble. The one belief shared by both liberal and conservative Seventh-day Adventists is that the United States government will be foremost in making an image to the beast (the Roman Catholic Church.) In simple terms: all are looking for a Sunday Law. Keeping in mind that Sister Ellen White was bidden to write The Great Controversy in such a way as to trace the history of the controversy in past ages, and especially so to present it as to shed a light on the fast-approaching struggle of the future, is it possible that the Sunday Law will again come disguised as calendar reform as happened through Constantine at the Council of Nica, in A.D 321-325? Sister Ellen White warned the church to be aware of Satans devices. Just as soon as people become aware of one device, the father of lies gives it a new twist. It is vitally important that the church today be aware of Satans deceptive devices because the final generation is charged with a special commission; a commission Satan is desperate to keep them from doing: They that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. (Isaiah 58:12) Christ Himself, shortly before His death, also referred to this special group of people. The last chapter of the last book of the Old Testament contains this admonition: Remember ye the law of Moses my servant . . . with the statutes and judgements. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (Malachi 4:4-6) The disciples knew this prophecy. After Christ was transfigured and Moses and Elijah appeared with Him, Peter, James and John questioned: Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come? In other words, If you truly are the Messiah as we believe, why didnt Elijah come first? Yahshuas response is very intriguing. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that He spake unto them of John the Baptist. In this exchange, the disciples and Christ were both referring back to the prophecy of Malachi which promised the coming of Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the LORD. The disciples assumed He was speaking solely of John the Baptist, but actually Jesus makes a distinction between the Elijah who is yet to come, and John who came already (Matthew 17:11)

The Elijah that was yet future to Christs day would do something very important: he would restore all things. (Verse 11) Restore what things? The answer is found again in Malachi 4: Remember ye the law of Moses . . . with the statutes and judgments. (Verse 4) The repairers of the breach restore the statutes and principles of the law of Moses, including calendation. Many people assume that the word statute applies strictly to sacrificial offerings that were done away with at the cross. However, a careful search of scripture reveals that the word statute is never used to apply to offering a sacrifice. On the other hand, it is frequently couched in the following phrases: it shall be a statute forever, it shall be a perpetual statute, and this shall be an everlasting statute. The work of restoration and reform carried on by the returned exiles, under the leadership of Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah, presents a picture of a work of spiritual restoration that is to be wrought in the closing days of this earths history . . . The spiritual restoration of which the work carried forward in Nehemiahs day was a symbol, is outlined in the words of Isaiah: They shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities. They that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. (Isaiah 61:4; 58:12.) The prophet here describes a people who, in a time of general departure from truth and righteousness, are seeking to restore the principles that are the foundation of the kingdom of God. They are repairers of a breach that has been made in Gods Law the wall that He has placed around His chosen ones for their protection, and obedience to whose precepts of justice, truth, and purity is to be their perpetual safeguard. In words of unmistakable meaning the prophet points out the specific work of this remnant people who build the wall. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on My holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor Him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 58:13, 14.) In the time of the end, every divine institution is to be restored. The breach made in the law at the time the Sabbath was changed by man, is to be repaired. Gods remnant people, standing before the world as reformers, are to show that the Law of God is the foundation of all enduring reform and that the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is to stand as a memorial of creation, a constant reminder of the power of God. In clear, distinct lines they are to present the necessity of obedience to all the precepts of the Decalogue. Constrained by the love of Christ, they are to co-operate with Him in building up the waste places. They are to be repairers of the breach, restorers of paths to dwell in. May Yahwehs people today restore every divine institution, including His calendar, that the beauty of His law might be displayed before the world! Calendar reform is urgenty needed. However, rather than changing the papal (Gregorian) calendar into some new form, the true

calendar of the Creator needs to be restored to those who desire to worship Him. Scripture declares: Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD... It is imperative that all have an intelligent knowledge of these vital issues. Counterfeit worship requires a counterfeit calendar and Satan is well-prepared to confuse minds with an array of false methods of time-keeping. The modern week in use today, which would be carried over to The World Calendar, is founded on paganism: This planetary week was paganisms counterfeit of the true, Biblical week instituted by the Creator in the beginning of Earths history. Just as the true Sabbath is inseparably linked with the Biblical week, so the false Sabbath of pagan origin needed a weekly cycle. Thus we have found that the two counterfeit institutions were linked together . . . The enforcement [at the Council of Nica, A.D. 321-325] of the weekly observance of Sunday gave official recognition to the week of seven days and resulted in the introduction of it into the official civil calendar of Rome. The Romans passed that calendar down to us, and in it we have still the ancient planetary titles of the days of the week. The calendar reform needed today is a return to true, Biblical time-keeping. Sabbath reform necessitates calendar reform. The work of Sabbath reform to be accomplished in the last days is foretold in the prophecy of Isaiah: Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and do justice; for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. The sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer. [Isaiah 56:1, 2, 6, 7.] These words apply in the Christian age, as is shown by the context: The Lord God which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him. [Isaiah 56:8.] Here is foreshadowed the gathering in of the Gentiles by the gospel. And upon those who then honor the Sabbath, a blessing is pronounced. Thus the obligation of the fourth commandment extends past the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, to the time when his servants should preach to all nations the message of glad tidings.

Treasure Reburied

The year is 1938. The world is precariously balanced on a powder keg and most people know it. The United States is still struggling with the financial fall-out of Black Thursday that has plunged the country into the Great Depression. Europe is jittery because no matter how accommodating British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain is, Adolph Hitler still wants more and more and more. In this time of intensity, the Seventh-day Adventist church was confronted by a theological crisis unlike any it had ever before faced. The danger level was on a par with the Kellogg led alpha of apostasy nearly 40 years before, but this time the threat came from without and it wasnt pantheism. The stakes: October 22, 1844; the Spirit of Prophecy; and the seventh-day Sabbath. The enemy: the majority of the governments of the world. It was a proposed Sunday law, but it did not bear the slightest resemblance to any Sunday law ever

dreamt up by Seventh-day Adventists. It was a calendar change that would affect the Sabbath. At a time when Seventh-day Adventists were already struggling with labor unions for the right to keep Saturday as their rest day, it promised disaster to the church. The movement for a change of calendars started in the 1920s, but really gained momentum in the 1930s. This was not some hare-brained idea supported by a handful of visionaries. It was well-organized, well-financed and had supporters highly placed in the Roman Catholic Church and in the League of Nations (present day United Nations). Let it not be thought that the effort to do this (put into place a new calendar) is insignificant and unimportant. Rather is it true that a world-wide and powerful organization has come into existence which has this as its objective. It is spending many thousands of dollars yearly for propaganda to obtain the approval of commercial, governmental, and civic bodies for the World Calendar. It has numerous subsidiary organizations throughout the world working for the adoption of the new calendar. Under different names there are similar organizations working for the same objective in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Panama, Uruguay, Peru, Belgium, Colombia, Germany, France, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and elsewhere. The threat to the church was immediately clear. Unlike the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar in 1582, the proposed World Calendar would affect the continuous weekly cycle. The result would be that the first year of the change, the Sabbath would remain on Saturday; the following year, however, the new Saturday would fall on the old Friday. The year after that, Saturday would fall on the oldThursday. The year this was to go into effect was 1945. The reason was simple: It is best to choose a day, date, month, and year when both the old retiring and the new incoming calendars glide smoothly together. In the propaganda widely distributed by the World Calendar Organization, it was stated that the last four months of 1944 were identical to the last four months of the new calendar, so that would be a good time to make the switch. It was a deceptive statement. There was one glaring difference between the two calendars a blank day. The way the calendar worked was this: the whole of the Gregorian year would remain the same until December 31. December 30, 1944, was a Saturday; December 31 was a Sunday. Under the new calendar, the day following Saturday, December 30, would not be Sunday, December 31, but simply World Day. It would not have a date (that is, a number) nor would it be part of the weekly cycle of Sunday through Saturday. Instead of being recognized as Sunday, which it is, instead of being called a Sunday, or being observed as Sunday, it is set aside as an extra Saturday, December W, and counted a blank day, or zero day. Instead of going to church that day Sunday observers would celebrate a holiday, an extra Saturday. They would go to church the next day, Monday, the 2nd day of the week, now rechristened Sunday, and moved up, on paper, to be the 1st day. They would be asked to keep Monday during all of 1945 . . . In 1949 Saturday, the 7th day, under this arrangement, would be called Sunday, and made the 1st day, and observed by Sunday keepers . . . Thus the historical Sunday would be detached from its fixed place in the week and set to wandering through the weekly cycle, its own name removed and another name applied. Those who observe it as a religious day would be plunged into hopeless and endless confusion, groping about to discover their lost day of worship. Seventh-day Adventists suddenly found themselves uneasy bed-fellows with Jews, Muslims and Sunday keeping Protestants who did not want a calendar change that would affect the only weekly cycle they had ever known a continuous weekly cycle. The advantages claimed for the reformed calendar are avowedly commercial, eco-

nomic, statistical. It will, we are told Fix the year in perpetuity. Retain and largely equalize the twelve months. Retain and equalize the quarter years. Group the months uniformly within the quarters. Provide 13 complete weeks within each quarter and uniformly group these weeks. Reduce the inequality between months from three days to one day, and establish an equal working month. In summary, the year would always begin on a Sunday and end on a Saturday. Specific dates would no longer float through the weekly cycle, but would forever be fixed to one day. So, under the new calendar, if a child were born on Tuesday, January 10, 1947, her birthday would always fall on Tuesday because January 10 would always be a Tuesday. Opponents to this change quickly denounced it as a deceptive calendar. The Gregorian calendar is based on the solar year how long it takes the earth to revolve around the sun. The solar year is 365.2422 days long. The World Calendar, on the other hand, while officially claiming to be a solar calendar would be only 364 days long (World Day, previously known as December 31, not being counted as a day.) Every four years, leap day would be handled the same as World Day. The World Calendar reformers would have us observe that this calendar divides the twelve months of the year into four equal quarters, 91 days in each, 364 days in all. But as there are 365 days in ordinary years, and 366 days in leap years, they would have these taken care of by calling the 365thday Year End Day, or December W, or an extra Saturday, and have it follow December 30, not to be counted in the calendar, but considered and used as a holiday, a blank day, or zero day. Likewise would they have us provide for the 366thday in leap years, this becoming Leap Year Day, by placing the old February 29 in midyear following June 30 as another extra Saturday, and calling it June W, but not counting it in the calendar, just nonchalantly banishing it as another blank day. They cheerfully tell us that both December W and June W are the stabilizing days in the calendar the World Holidays. Within the Seventh-day Adventist church, rumblings of problems with calendation principles first appeared some years earlier. Elder J. H. Wierts had learned from his Hebrew teachers, Jewish rabbis, that the rabbinical Day of Atonement for 1844 had been observed on September 23, not October 22. Wierts determined to investigate the issue. Taking advantage of a contact within the United States Naval Observatory, he searched for the truth. Wierts discovered inconsistencies in calendrical science principles that affected the date of the crucifixion. This was vital, because a correct (or incorrect) understanding of the calendar affects the interpretation of various prophecies as well as the seventh day Sabbath doctrine. He felt it was imperative that the church acknowledge and reconcile these discrepancies before our adversaries could challenge us on them. He finally wrote his findings up in a manuscript 283 pages in length. In 1932, he began appealing to various officials in the General Conference for an investigation of his findings. The General Conference did not see the necessity for official research and he had no success in getting them to look into the topic for some time. Finally, on November 7, 1938, the General Conference appointed a committee of ministers, scholars and respected theologians to address the issues raised by Wierts. Membership on the Research Committee reads like a veritable Whos Who of Seventh-day Adventist leaders: Elder L. E. Froom chaired the committee; Dr. Lynn Harper

Wood was secretary. Other members included Dr. M. L. Andreasen, F. C. Gilbert, and Professors M. E. Kern, Albert W. Werline, and W. Homer Teesdale. In January of 1939, Miss Grace Amadon, the granddaughter of Adventist Pioneer John Byington, was also invited to join. At this time, nearly 70 years later, it is impossible to definitively state which reason prompted the General Conference to appoint the Research Committee: Elder Wierts persistent questioning, or the increasing agitation for a World Calendar. They did study Wierts findings. It is also clear that they were very aware of the increasing support, world-wide, for a change in calendars, as references to that appear in their research and correspondence. The Research Committee confirmed that October 22 was indeed the Day of Atonement for 1844, even though it conflicted with the rabbinical date of September 23. As such, the status of Ellen White as a prophet remained safe and secure. The one unwelcome and completely unexpected element brought to light was that the Biblical calendar used to establish October 22, 1844, as the great anti-typical Day of Atonement also appeared to affect when the Sabbath fell. This caused unprecedented confusion. For a time, the committee considered implementing the luni-solar calendar as church policy. In an undated letter to fellow-committee member, Grace Amadon, M. L. Andreasen expresses his fear that adopting the calendar used by the Millerites would only result in confusion. He did not see how such a calendar could be adopted by a worldwide church or how it could be explained to the church members, let alone, the world. It would not be easy to explain to the people that the God who advocated and instituted such an arrangement would be very concerned about the exact seventh day. If an explanation were possible, and the people were at last adjusted to the shift in the feast day and the stability of the seventh day, it might be supposed that in time they would get used to the arrangement. But they would no sooner have become accustomed to this, till another shift is made. Now they shift back to where they were before. But neither is this settled or stationary. Another shift comes, and another and another . . . There is no uniformity and just as the people get used to a certain arrangement, the day is changed again. Such is more than the common people can understand, and if we go to the people now with such a proposition, we must expect that confusion will result. And our enemies will not be slow to point out the difficulties and ring the changes on them . . . If in the new calendar scheme we are considering adopting it should be admitted that local communities have the right of making their own observations [of the moon] that would determine the new year, it would yet remain a question if the proper men competent for such observation would be available . . . The seventh-day Sabbath is clear and distinct. A child can understand its computation. Let not the people observing Gods holy day sponsor a calendar that means confusion, and make our work unnecessarily hard. For while the proposed scheme does not in any way affect the succession of the days of the week, and hence does not affect the Sabbath, nevertheless if the people observing the Sabbath also advocate the new scheme of calendation, the resulting confusion will not be of any help to us . . . The committee has done a most excellent piece of work. The endorsing, unreservedly, of the plan now before us seems to me . . . in its implications so loaded with dynamite, with TNT, 7

that we might well beware. I would most earnestly warn the committee in this matter. I am afraid that the repercussions of such endorsement at this time will be felt in wide circles . . . Seventh-day Adventists will soon have enough matters on their hands so that it will not be necessary to make trouble for ourselves before the time. The blank day may yet confront us. We cannot afford to start trouble of our own. To the world it will look that the present proposed calendar is advanced for a specific purpose not for the purpose of adoption, for we will find that it is impossible of universal application, but for the purpose of supporting the 1844 date. I do not believe that we are under that necessity. It must be possible to establish October 22, 1844 without resorting to such devices. A possible solution: I suggest that we make a report to Brother McElhaney of what the Millerites believed and how they arrived at their conclusions, without, at this time, committing ourselves upon the correctness of their method. Let Brother McElhaney publish this report in any way it may be thought best, and let us await the reaction. This, of course, would be only a preliminary report, and would be so designated. We will soon [see] what fire it will draw. In the mean time let us study further on the final report. The reaction to the preliminary report may determine the form of the final. The confusion arises over the fact that the Gregorian calendar has a continuous cycle of weeks, while the luni-solar calendar does not. Therefore, when the solar Gregorian calendar is superimposed over the luni-solar Biblical calendar, the luni-solar dates seem to float through the Gregorian week. The true seventh-day Sabbath of the luni-solar calendar only rarely falls on the Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. It is not entirely clear whether or not the Research Committee saw the full affect of their findings on the Sabbath. Various statements are quite ambiguous and could be interpreted either way. Definitely some of the members chose to ignore certain scientific proof that did not agree with their preconceived ideas of when the Sabbath occurs. Gods people today cannot afford to repeat their mistake. The Creators invitation to His people is: Come now, let us reason together. The word translated reason is ykach which means to be correct, to justify or convict; to reason together. While it is true that there will always be hooks on which to hang doubts for those who wish to do so, it is also true that Yahweh does not require blind faith. Pure faith, yes; blind faith, no. He always gives sufficient reason to believe for those who are willing to be convinced. This must be understood. A Laodicean who discovers apparent contradictions in the Bible, can be shaken. Rather than digging deep in the mine of truth to discover the underlying principle that will reconcile the two apparently contradictory points, he will instead choose to believe the one that agrees with his belief system because it suits the tenor of his feelings and reject the other. Anything new is seen as unnecessary knowledge. Laodiceans, after all, are increased with goods (knowledge) and have need of nothing. When something comes up that he does not know, the Laodicean feels, I dont need to know that. If it were important to know, Id already know it, because what I already know is sufficient for salvation. A true student of the Word, on the other hand, will never reject something simply because it contradicts a preconceived idea or cherished opinion. To him, the truth is more important than anything else. He realizes that not knowing the truth does not change the reality of what is truth. So, he would always rather know the truth.

Understanding that feelings are not a reliable indication of what is truth, he has chosen to follow the light wherever it leads, even if it means giving up his most cherished beliefs. He has chosen to obey if it can be proven from the Bible to be correct. The pioneers of the Advent movement understood this point very well. Listed in The Midnight Cry of November 17, 1842, are their Rules of Interpretation. Rule 4 states: To understand doctrine, bring all the scriptures together on the subject you wish to know; then let every word have its proper influence, and if you can form your theory without a contradiction, you cannot be in an error. The Research Committee would have done well to heed this inspired rule of Biblical interpretation. Instead, rather than studying until they could reconcile the contradictions, they chose to cling by faith to their errors. The last generation will need to dig down to bed-rock for their foundation. No amount of sand can be allowed in to weather the storms soon to break upon the church. Yahweh God is leading His people on to that rock solid foundation. Along the way, they may encounter differing truths which seem to contradict each other. At such times they must remember that the Father does not require blind faith. He has invited His people to come and reason with Him. Yahwehs children dont need to fear that which they do not understand. If they are willing to obey, no matter what the cost, if they are willing to follow the light wherever it leads, He has pledged Himself well capable of providing them with sufficient ykach-- sufficient reasons to convict them of what is truth. The luni-solar calendar established by Yahweh at creation is a workable, understandable calendar. It should be diligently studied by the remnant TODAY. Isaiah 66:23 reveals that it is the calendar to be used in the New Earth and it is the truth Heaven is restoring to the final generation to enable them to go out and preach the Sabbath more fully. Let us learn from the lessons of the past. Let us praise our Heavenly Father for the increase of knowledge He is pouring out. Let us trust that He who has led us thus far, is capable of revealing His truth to us.

followed by six working days, with the seventhday Sabbath on the eighth day of the month. Three more successive weeks completed the month. Most people find this concept so different it leaves their brain reeling. At the very least, it is tempting to denounce it as wrong simply because it is so foreign to everything we as Seventh-day Adventists have ever heard, believed, or preached. However, there is scriptural, historical, astronomical and prophetic proof that this description of the original calendar is true. We will now consider the scriptural and historical proof for the original calendar. First, a definition of frequently used terms. There are only three kinds of calendars in use: the solar, the lunar and the luni-solar. Solar calendars are based upon how long it takes the earth to revolve around the sun. The Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar with each new year arbitrarily beginning in the middle of winter on January 1. The solar year is 365.2422 days long. The left over time (approximately of a twenty-four hour period) accumulates over a four year period and is resolved by adding a leap day, currently February 29, every four years. Because the remaining time isnt precisely of a twenty-four hour period, adding one day every four years actually adds too much time. The extra time is removed from the calendar by, on a rare occasion, having eight years between leap years, rather than just four. Centurial years that are equally divisible by 400 are leap years; centurial years that are not equally divisible by 400 are not leap years. This is why A.D. 2000 was a leap year, but 1900, 1800 and 1700 were not, while 1600 was a leap year. Lunar calendars are based strictly on the cycles of the moon. A lunar calendar is only 354 days long, or 11 days shorter than a solar year. As a result, the dates of the lunar calendar float through the solar year. An example of a lunar calendar is Islams religious calendar. This is why Ramadan is at differing times of the year on a Gregorian calendar. Sometimes Ramadan is in spring; other times, it comes in November or January, etc. Luni-solar calendars are a combination of the two. The days are marked off by the rising of the sun while the months are tied to the cycles of the moon. A luni-solar calendar, because it uses both the sun and the moon, does not shift as much as a strictly lunar calendar, so spring feasts remain in the spring, while fall feasts remain in the fall. The Jewish lunisolar calendar used both observation and calculation. Because Yahweh established His clock/calendar at Creation, it would be reasonable to expect some reference to that in the Creation account given in Genesis. It is found right where one would expect to find it in the record of the fourth day of Creation. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years (Genesis 1:14.) The word here translated seasons is moed. It means: Congregation, festive gathering; appointment, signal. . . . Moed often designates a determined time or place without any regard for the purpose. Since the Jewish festivals occurred at regular intervals, this word becomes closely identified with them . . . Moed is used in a broad sense for all religious assemblies. It was closely associated with the tabernacle itself . . . God met Israel there at specific times for the purpose of revealing His will. It is a common term for the worshiping assembly of Gods people. All of Yahwehs worship days in the Bible are called moeds. Leviticus 23 lists all of them. The very first one listed is the seventh-day Sabbath: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak

The Creators Original Calendar

In the beginning, the Creator made everything from nothing. Matter existed at the sound of His voice. Life entered man with the breath of his Maker flowing into his lungs. Everything from nothing. All provisions for the happiness of man were provided by a loving Creator. And then, Yahweh God gave man the Sabbath: a blessed and holy time in which to rest and to give love and worship to his Creator. All people need to worship; it is how mans brain is made. But, lest after generations become confused and lose track of the days, Yahweh provided at Creation, a built-in, ever present, always accurate clock/calendar to measure time and clearly designate the work days from the worship days. In order to worship Yahweh on the day He appointed, people must be able to understand how His clock/calendar works to know which day is number one-- the starting point for counting the six days to work, with worship on the seventh. The calendar established at Creation was kept by the Jews until well into the 4th century A.D. It was a luni-solar calendar with months lasting either 29 or 30 days. Each new month started with the first appearance of the crescent moon. The years did not have a continuous cycle of weeks but instead the weekly cycle started over with each new moon. New Moon day was a worship day

unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts (moed) of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts (moed). Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings. From there, Yahweh goes on to list the rest of His moeds Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, Pentecost, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Feast of Tabernacles. They are all called moeds. People who keep the feasts, figure them by the moon, but the very first feast listed is the weekly feast (moed) of the seventh-day Sabbath. Anciently, the Jews waited to observe the first crescent of the moon and then the day following that sighting was New Moon day. The Hebrew month was lunar, beginning with the evening on which the crescent moon appeared. The first day of the month was called the new moon (1 Samuel 20:24-27) . . . At first, visual observation was used to determine the appearance of the crescent. If the crescent was seen on the evening following the 29thday of the month, a new month had begun; if not, another day was added so that that particular month had 30 days (a month never had more than 30 days).The biggest difference between the calendar of creation and the calendars in use today is how the weeks cycle through the year. The Gregorian calendar, like the Julian calendar before it, has a continuous cycle of unending weeks, one after the other. The Creators calendar does not. The weekly cycle started over with the appearance of each new moon. Again, the first visible crescent not only began each new month, it also restarted the weekly cycle. As a result, the seventh-day Sabbath always fell on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th of the luni-solar calendar month. To those who have never known anything different than a continuous, unending cycle of unbroken weeks, the idea of starting the weekly cycle over again each month strains credulity. However, be assured that the working week was never longer than the prescribed six days. Once a month they would have what today would be called a long weekend, because in a 29day month the seventh-day Sabbath was immediately followed by a New Moon sabbath, but the days for work never exceeded six days. Since the world has been on an unending weekly cycle for over 1,000 years, people today are unacquainted with a weekly cycle that is not continuous. We as Seventh-day Adventists, therefore, have misunderstood the following quote: Like the Sabbath, the week originated at creation, and it has been preserved and brought down to us through Bible history. God himself measured off the first week as a sample for successive weeks to the close of time. Like every other, it consisted of seven literal days. Six days were employed in the work of creation; upon the seventh, God rested, and he then blessed this day, and set it apart as a day of rest for man. It has been assumed that this referred to a continuous weekly cycle. But all this quote is saying is that the week as a unit of time is still the original length of seven days. Studying the units of time measurement in the Hebrew economy is very revealing. Notice in particular the definitions of the various words.

The dayIn calendar terms, the day is the smallest and most consistent unit of time. In the ancient world, the term day was used in two senses. It described a 24-hour period, as well as daylight in contrast to the night (Genesis 1:5) . . . . The week was a seven-day unit begun at the time of creation (Genesis 1:31-2:2). The word week means seven (Genesis 29:27; Luke 18:12). In the Bible the days of the week were called the first day, third day, and so forth (Genesis 1:8-31; Matthew 28:1), although the seventh day was known as sabbath (Exodus 16:23; Matthew 12:1). The day before the sabbath was called the (sabbath) Preparation Day (Mark 15:42) . . . . The month was a unit of time closely tied to the moon. The Hebrew word for month also meant moon (Deuteronomy 33:14, NIV, NASB). The reason for the connection between the month and the moon is that the beginning of a month was marked by a new moon. The moon was carefully observed by the people of Bible times. When it appeared as a thin crescent, it marked the beginning of a new month. The lunar month was about 29 days long. Therefore, the first crescent of the new moon would appear 29 or 30 days after the previous new moon. At times the crescent was not visible because of clouds. But this was allowed for with a rule that the new moon would never be reckoned as more than 30 days after the last new moon. This prevented too much variation in the calendar. What has been preserved since creation is a seven-day week. At different times through history, various cultures experimented with weeks of differing lengths. Some weeks were eight days long, while others were ten days long, depending upon how far apart were their market days. However, saying that the week as a unit of time has been preserved since Creation is different from assuming that the cycle of the weeks has been unbroken since Creation. Sabbatarians have long used Isaiah 66:23 to prove that the seventh-day Sabbath will be the day of worship throughout eternity. Unfortunately, it has not been realized that this very same text also reveals the calendar by which the Lords Sabbaths are calculated: And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. The first day of the lunar month was observed as a holy day. In addition to the daily sacrifice there were offered two young bullocks, a ram and seven lambs of the first year as a burnt offering, with the proper meat offerings and drink offerings, and a kid as a sin offering. Numbers 28:11-15. As on the Sabbath, trade and handicraft work were stopped, Amos 8:5, and the temple was opened for public worship. Isaiah 66:23; Ezekiel 46:3. The trumpets were blown at the offering of the special sacrifices for the day, as on the solemn festivals. See Numbers 10:10; Psalm 81:3. It was an occasion for state banquets. See 1 Samuel 20:524. In later, if not in earlier times, fasting was

Calendar Units (in the Hebrew economy)

intermitted at the new moons. The new moons are generally mentioned so as to show that they were regarded as a peculiar class of holy days, distinguished from the solemn feasts and the Sabbaths. . . . The religious observance of the day of the new moon may plainly be regarded as the consecration of a natural division of time. An indication that the New Moon Sabbaths were considered to be high Sabbaths is the additional sacrifices offered that day. One of the clearest passages in the Bible that show that the Jews kept the luni-solar calendar is found in Exodus 16. Ironically, it is one of the chapters we as Sabbatarians have used in the past to prove that Saturday is the Biblical Sabbath. It is the account of the Children of Israel first receiving manna. Exodus 16:1-2 states: And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. It may not be immediately apparent how this passage of scripture proves a luni-solar calendar. This is because of a change in punctuation when the Bible was translated into English. Technically speaking, the ancient Hebrew did not have punctuation marks as exist today. However, they did have little marks, or breaks, that let the reader know where the end of the thought was or, in effect, where the period is supposed to go. This is called an atnach and is found after the location given in verse one. A correct rendering of these verses, then, is this: And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai. (Atnach) And on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt, the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. On the fifteenth day of the second month, which, by luni-solar calendar reckoning is always a seventh-day Sabbath, the Israelites griped to Moses and Aaron because their food had run out! The Lords response is found in verse four: Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. So, here He is telling them, Im going to give you some manna; and the way Ill know whether or not you obey Me will be if you try and work to collect it on the seventh day. Im spelling it out for you now to prepare twice as much on the sixth day. Well see if you obey Me. The story continues in verse six. Moses and Aaron went and announced to the people that at even they would have meat and in the morning they would see the glory of the Lord. And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp; and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoarfrost on the ground. The meat came up at even the even after they complained, and the next morning they found manna. Moses then explained that the manna was bread from Yahweh God (Jehovah Jireh, the Provider) and they were to gather it for six days 9

without leaving any left-overs for the next day. On the sixth day, he said, they were to gather twice as much as there would be none on the seventh day (verses 15-22.) When the sixth day arrived, Moses gave them some additional instructions: This is that which the LORD hath said, Tomorrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD; bake that which ye will bake today, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. They gathered the manna for six days. Six days starting when? Starting the 16th of the month, the day on which the manna first fell after their complaining on the 15th. The next day after the preceding six days, Moses said, was the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord. Simple math: 15 + 7 = 22. Again, because the first of the month is a New Moon Sabbath, the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th are also always seventh-day Sabbaths! The next day, which would have been the 22nd, a Holy Sabbath, there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. This was the test the Lord referred to earlier would they obey Him and keep the Sabbath by resting on it or not? And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day. The seventh day from when? From the first day they received the manna which would have been the 16th of the month, a first day of the week. As Seventh-day Adventists, we have always faithfully said that the Sabbath was established by the fact that for 40 years, Yahweh provided proof as to which day was the Sabbath by two miracles: 1. Giving manna on the six working days; 2. Withholding manna on the seventh day. However, it has not been realized also, that this same passage provides an insight into the construction of the luni-solar months. Other passages in the Bible also support such configuring of the luni-solar month, but it is not within the scope of this work to go into all of them. Since the lunar year is 11 days shorter than the solar year, Yahweh provided a reliable way of anchoring the new year to the spring. He did this by connecting the first lunation(month) of the year to the barley harvest. Most years had 12 lunations or months. These were referred to as perfect or common years. Embolismic years, or leap years, had 13 lunations as an entire additional month was required to reconcile the wandering lunar year to the solar. Embolismic years were considered defective. The barley-harvest law, when applied to a continuous series of years, is the same in its performance as the law of the 19-year cycle . . . The extra moons are interpolated that bring the lunar year into harmony with the solar . . . The embolismic years follow the same cycle number indefinitely, and the cycle can be numbered from any year in the series. The order runs as follows: Embolismic year (13 lunations) - e Common year (12 lunations) - c eccecceccececceccec During the years of Israels obedience, Yahweh faithfully sent the early (fall) and latter (spring) rains. The priests planted a field of barley in the Kidron Valley. Throughout the Julian/Gregorian month of March and into the first week of April the latter rains fell, bringing the grain to full ma-

turity. It was the grain from this field that was offered as the wave sheaf on the second day of Feast of Unleavened Bread (or Nisan 16 the day Jesus was resurrected) Anytime before the first week of April, the barley would not have been ready. Therefore, by tying the start of their year to the month of the barley harvest, Yahweh reconciled the lunar cycle to the solar cycle. This simple harvest rule kept the people from fixing the year to the spring equinox as did the pagans. The idea that the Jews have never lost track of the true Sabbath is as erroneous as the idea that the weekly cycle in use today is the same one since Creation. The Jews themselves did away with their Creator-ordained calendar. After the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jewish people from their homeland, it became increasingly difficult, with the addition of their rabbinical regulations, to calculate a calendar tied to the barley harvest. Under intense persecution in the fourth century, the Jews themselves abandoned their barley-harvest regulation at which time a fixed, counterfeit 19-year cycle tied to the vernal equinox was established. An additional difference in the Biblical calculation of time is when the day begins. Ever since Mrs. Rachel Oakes brought the light of the seventh-day Sabbath to Adventists, it has been assumed that the Sabbath began on Friday. Initially, for a number of years, Adventists kept the Sabbath from 6 p.m. Friday evening until 6 p.m. Saturday night. Later, a text was found that led them to believe the Sabbath should start instead at even. This was startling to Ellen White. I inquired [of the angel] why it had been thus, that at this late day we must change the time of commencing the Sabbath. The angels response is very intriguing. He replied, Ye will understand, but not yet, not yet. The text, from which they extrapolated the idea that the Sabbath was to start at sunset, is found in Leviticus 23:32: . . . from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath. Rather than investigating further, we have always just assumed that text applied to the seventh-day Sabbath. However, earlier in the vision, the angel instructed Ellen White: Take the word of God, read it, understand, and ye cannot err. Read carefully, and ye shall there find what even is, and when it is. Had they been correct in believing that the Sabbath began at even, the angel would certainly have confirmed that. He did not. Instead, he redirected them to the Word of God, because a careful study of the Word will reveal that what even is, and when it is, is actually not what has been assumed. In English, the word even is synonymous with evening/twighlight. The same does not hold true in the Hebrew. To the Jews, even was anytime from noon until sunset, just as morning was anytime from dawn until noon. This is why Jesus, as the anti-typical lamb could die at the 3 oclock in the afternoon as it was indeed during the time of the evening sacrifice. When Leviticus 23:32, the main proof text for sunset to sunset Sabbath keeping, is read in context, a startling contradiction comes to light! In this passage, it is speaking of the manner in which the Day of Atonement is to be kept. The Jews always fasted on the Day of Atonement and they based that practice on this text. Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls . . . And ye shall do no work in

that same day: for it is a day of atonement . . Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath. Did you catch it? It is spelled out right there in the very last sentence. In the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath. First of all, in this context, it is speaking strictly of the Day of Atonement. Furthermore, if they were to afflict their souls (fast) starting the evening of the ninth and going until the evening of the tenth, they would be fasting on the ninth and not the tenth! If the day begins at sunset (or even) as has always been assumed, then the ninth day of the month at even would be the sunset following the day of the eighth. In other words, were the day to start at even, then the entire 24-hour day begins at the evening of the day before. Yahwehs people cannot afford to be inconsistent. If even-to-even is correct, as has been assumed, the text would be saying that they were to begin afflicting their souls on the evening that begins the day of the ninth. The fast would then end on the evening that begins the tenth with no fasting whatsoever on the actual Day of Atonement. This, obviously, cannot be what was meant. The text needs to be interpreted in the way intended: the day begins in the morning with the dawning of a new day. Therefore, the fast would begin on the ninth of the month, starting at evening time(between the after-noon time and sunset), which is the evening before the Day of Atonement, and continue the whole night, then through the whole day of the tenth to finish when evening ended-- at the beginning of the night of the tenth. Another inconsistency brought to light in the even-to-even theory is found in the story of the Passover. Jesus, the great anti-typical Lamb, was slain at the time of the evening sacrifice the time when the Passover lambs had been slain for centuries: When the loud cry, It is finished, came from the lips of Christ, the priests were officiating in the temple. It was the hour of the evening sacrifice. The lamb representing Christ had been brought to be slain . . . With a rending noise the inner veil of the temple is torn from top to bottom by an unseen hand . . . All is terror and confusion. The priest is about to slay the victim; but the knife drops from his nerveless hand, and the lamb escapes. Type has met antitype in the death of Gods Son. The great sacrifice has been made. The Passover was observed as it had been for centuries, while He to whom it pointed had been slain by wicked hands, and lay in Josephs tomb. Christ perfectly fit all of the types of the sanctuary service, even to dying at the precise time the Passover lamb was slain at the time of the evening sacrifice. Now there is a problem. Back in Egypt at the first Passover, the angel of death went forth at midnight. If Jesus died at 3 p.m. on the sixth day of the week, the preparation day, when the Passover lamb had been slain for centuries, then that means that the angel of death did not pass over the houses of the Israelites on Passover at all. If the new day truly started in the evening, then the angel of death passed over the Israelites at midnight on the 15th of Nisan, not truly on Nisan 14, the Passover. Only if the day starts at dawn does this make sense. The angel of death did not pass-over on the 15th, but rather on the 14th,

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the Pass-over. He went through Egypt at midnight, following the daylight hours of the 14th. The new day started at dawn, not sunset. Other texts confirm this, too. Matthew 28:1 states: In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. The Sabbath ended, and the new day, the first day of the week, began at dawn. As seventh-day adventists, we have always believed that the reason the Jews were so anxious to get Jesus and the thieves off the cross was because Sabbath was coming at evening. But this is not consistent with the Biblical account. If the Sabbath actually began at evening, rather than the morning, they were already breaking it by waiting until evening to begin the work of getting them down. Matthew 27:57-60 tells us: When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb . . . . All of this takes time, especially when he first had to go to Pilate to receive permission, then wait while Pilate sent a messenger to Golgotha to see if Jesus was really dead. If the point was to keep the Sabbath, the Sabbath was already being broken by the fact that they did not even begin until even was come. The account in Luke gives even more detail of the lengthy process involved and reveals clearly just when the Sabbath began: And, behold there was a man named Joseph, a counselor; and he was a good man, and a just . . . This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulcher that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on. The account in Matthew reveals that this process did not even start until even was come, while Lukes account clarifies that the hours in which this was accomplished fell on the preparation still the sixth day of the week. The phrase translated drew on in this text, is the Greek word, epiphosko. The definition is startling: to begin to grow light: begin to dawn. It is a form, (epiphauo), which means to illuminate . . . give light. Because they waited until evening to even begin the process of seeking permission to take the body, taking it down, cleaning and wrapping it, etc., it took them the night hours to do their work. They did not finish until the Sabbath began as it started to grow light. Did Ellen White believe the Sabbath was to be kept from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday? Yes. Does that in any way affect her standing as a prophet of the Lord? Absolutely NOT! Ellen White must not be held to an unfair standard. Daniel has never been denounced as a false prophet simply because he did not understand everything. To caution against extreme reactions when new light is brought forth, Ellen White wrote: We have many lessons to learn, and many, many to unlearn. God and Heaven alone are infallible. Those who think that they will never have to give up a cherished view, never have

occasion to change an opinion, will be disappointed. As long as we hold to our own ideas and opinions with determined persistency, we cannot have the unity for which Christ prayed. Just what have we, as a church, actually unlearned since this statement was made? Yahwehs people must not stumble over something just because it is new. Rather, study with an open mind, determining to obey if it is true. We must not think, Well, we have all the truth, we understand the main pillars of our faith, and we may rest on this knowledge. The truth is an advancing truth, and we must walk in the increasing light. Each day started at sunrise and continued until the next sunrise (24-hours). Evening (even) was from noon until sunset. Sunset until sunrise was night and was counted as part of the previous day. There were four watches during the night: 1st watch-sunset to 9:00; 2nd watch-9:00 to midnight; 3rd watch-midnight to 3:00; 4th watch-3:00 to sunrise. Months started with the day following the observation of the crescent moon in the western sky after sunset. Months(lunations) had either 29 or 30 days. If no crescent was seen, the month automatically started on the day following the 30th. The 30th was a work day, not a worship time. Six working days followed the New Moon day. The Sabbath always fell on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th of each month. The year had either 12 months (common) or 13 months (embolismic). The year had six 29 day months and six 30 day months 11 days short of the solar year. The year began with the one crescent moon after the spring equinox which provided a Paschal full moon between the Julian/Gregorian dates of April 8 and May 6. Allowing the barley harvest to reconcile the lunar year to the solar year, the years fell naturally into a 19-year cycle of common and embolismic years. There were never more than two common years in a row before an embolismic year. There were never two embolismic years in a row. A cycle of 19 years gave a nearly perfect alignment with the solar year. In the nineteen year cycle, there were seven embolismic years. The 19-year cycles can be calculated on a perpetual calendar both forward and backward for thousands of years. When a doctrine is presented that does not satisfy our inquiring minds, we should go to the word of God, seek the Lord in prayer, and give no place for the enemy to come in with suspicion and prejudice. We should never permit the spirit to be manifested that arraigned the priests and rulers against the Redeemer of the world. They complained that He disturbed the people, and they wished He would let them alone; for He caused perplexity and dissension. The Lord sends light to us to prove what manner of spirit we are of. We are not to deceive ourselves. Ellen White Gospel Workers pp301 In the heavens there is nothing accidental, nothing arbitrary, nothing out of order, nothing erratic. Everywhere is order, truth, reason, constancy. I cannot understand this regularity in the stars, this harmony of time and motion in

their curious orbits through all eternity, except as the expression of reason, mind and purpose . . . Their constant and eternal motion, wonderful and mysterious in its regularity, declares the indwelling power of a divine intelligence. If any man cannot feel the power of God when he looks upon the stars, then I doubt whether he is capable of any feeling at all. These simple words of Roman Stoic, Cicero, give voice to his admiration for the heavens and heavens Creator. He further observed, When you see a sundial or a water-clock, you see that it tells the time by design and not by chance. The reason the Creators method of time-keeping is the most accurate, precise and elegant, while at the same time the most ingenious, is because built within it are checks and balances which require no man-made manipulation to keep perfect track of time. The history of all counterfeit calendars is one of continual adjustment; not so with the true calendar of Creation. The luni-solar calendar is the only calendar which has roots in the Bible. It was established by God at Creation. All other calendars are grounded in paganism. The Creator Himself designed the time-keeping system His creatures are to use for worshiping Him. The Sabbath, therefore, as a memorial of Creation, must be kept using the calendar established at Creation! The Creators calendar is based on three observable facts: 1. The spinning of Earth on its axis: a day. 2. The revolution of the moon around Earth: a lunation, or month. 3. The revolution of Earth around the sun: a year. Taken individually, each segment of natures clockwork is off by just a little bit. The weeks do not perfectly align with the lunations; the lunar year is not quite as long as the solar year. And yet, when taken as a whole, the parts unite to provide a coordinated time-keeping system that is precise enough for the most exacting astronomical calculation, while simple enough for a child to just lift his eyes to the heavens and understand the calendar of the Creator. There can be no true substitute for the governing principles of luni-solar time, which mark out to the minute the exact time and place of beginning of the moons new year. These laws were established by the Creator from the very origin of time and they will last throughout eternity. If they seem useless and impractical to us, it is because we do not understand them. It is time now for knowledge of the Biblical calendar to be restored and understood. If at first it seems difficult to grasp, it is merely because it is a new concept. Unfamiliarity does not, by definition, prove something is in error. Even the Gregorian calendar has rules that are unfamiliar to most people, such as the rare occurrence of eight years between leap years. If the technical aspects at first bog you down, do not despair. The subject becomes easier to understand as one grows more acquainted with the rules of luni-solar calendation. Day Scripture establishes three types of worship days: Seventh-day Sabbaths, New Moon Sabbaths, Annual Feast Days. The annual feast days had the most sacrifices specified for those days. Interestingly, considerably more sacrifices were required on New Moon Sabbaths than even for the weekly Sabbaths! The New Moon Sabbath was a day to consecrate oneself to God for the upcoming month and were days on which no commerce was to be conducted. These three types of worship

Hebrew Calender Principles

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days were all calculated by the luni-solar calendar. New Moon Sabbaths and Weekly Sabbaths are frequently linked in scripture, with no evidence that they are to be calculated using different calendars. Likewise, there is no evidence in scripture that the calendar used to calculate the yearly feasts was different than that which was used to calculate the weekly Sabbaths and New Moons. Scripture clearly reveals that both New Moon and seventh-day Sabbaths will be observed as worship days throughout all eternity. Prophecy also foretells that at least the Feast of Tabernacles will be observed in eternity. Consistency demands that the same calendar be used to calculate the weekly Sabbath as is used to calculate New Moons and yearly feasts.

Month The month begins the day after the first visible crescent is observed. In fact, the word calendar comes from the word calends which means to call or proclaim (announce the month had begun). The month was a unit of time closely tied to the moon. The Hebrew word for month also meant moon. The reason for the connection between the month and the moon is that the beginning of a month was marked by a new moon. The moon was carefully observed by the people of Bible times. When it appeared as a thin crescent, it marked the beginning of a new month. The lunar month was about 29 days long. Therefore, the first crescent of the new moon would appear 29 or 30 days after the previous Week new moon. At times the crescent was not visThe one aspect of the Biblical calendar that is the ible because of clouds. But this was allowed for hardest to wrap ones mind around at first is the with a rule that the new moon would never be difference in the weekly cycle. The Gregorian reckoned as more than 30 days after the last new calendar, like the Julian calendar before it, has a moon. This prevented too much variation in the continuous weekly cycle. The Biblical calendar calendar. does not. Because time itself is continuous, this may seem contradictory. However, it creates a Astronomers refer to the conjunction as the very user-friendly calendar. Every date of every new moon, a view which is different from that month always falls on the same day of the week. of the Bible. The conjunction phase is when the The week of seven days was connected with the lunar earth, moon and sun are all in alignment and the month, of which it is, approximately, a fourth. Since moon cannot be seen from earth. This is also the month began on New Moon (Sabbath) day, the referred to as the black, or dark moon. Various week of seven days of which six days were normal lunar Sabbatarians also differ in their underworking days, and the seventh day was a Sabbath, standing of precisely what is the new moon. was counted from after that New Moon (Sabbath) Some believe that it is the last visible crescent, day. The day coming directly after the six days of the while others believe that it is the astronomical working week- a seventh day Sabbath, always fell on new moon, or conjunction. The overwhelming the 8th date of the calendar month. This may sound weight of archeological and scriptural evidence, like reverse mathematics but the reason for this is however, establishes that originally the first viseasy to comprehend. Although the New Moon Sab- ible crescent (after the conjunction) was considbath, the day which refreshed the cycle of days and ered the new moon. The phrase new moon weeks, is not numbered as part of the working week, refers to the first visibly seen moon, as it is reit is still accounted for on the calendar as Date No.1. lighted, or renewed, after the dark (conjunction) This is why the seventh day Sabbath which follows phase. In order for the moon to be renewed or the first six working days of the new month, is always seen, there must actually be something there to recorded as falling on the 8th day of the calendar. be seen. When the moon is in conjunction, there is nothing to be seen, and thus it is not a sign. Because the weekly cycle starts over again with each He made the moon also to serve in her seaNew Moon, the days of each month are numbered son for a declaration of times, and a sign of the according to the moon. In other words, the days world. From the moon is the sign of feasts, a light of the month were the same as the days of the moon. that decreaseth in her perfection. The month is Each New Moon (first of the month), was followed called after her name, increasing wonderfully in by the six work days. The seventh-day Sabbath thus her changing, being an instrument of the armies fell on every 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th dates of the above, shining in the firmament of heaven; The lunar month. beauty of heaven, the glory of the stars, an ornament giving light in the highest places of the The format of the calendar was like this: Lord. At the commandment of the Holy One they will stand in their order, and never faint in New Moon Day #1 (Sabbath) their watches. Six work days (Dates 2 to 7) The crescent moon is sighted above the WestSabbath #8 ern horizon after sunset. The moon appears at Six work days (Dates 9 to 14) different angles and positions depending upon Sabbath #15 ones location on earth. Six work days (Dates 16 to 21) Sabbath #22 The following graphics show what the first Six work days (Dates 23 to 28) visible crescent looks like for different points Sabbath #29 on earth: Translation day, 30th, if needed In modern calendar format, every month would appear thus:
Northern Hemisphere

Like the sun, the moon also rises in the East and sets in the West. The time of day the moon rises, determines whether or not it will be seen, and how much of it will be seen. Following is a listing of times the moon rises according to its phase. The moon follows approximately the same pathway as the sun and always rises approximately 50 minutes later each 24-hour period. Moonrise times: Conjunction sunrise (The moon rises with the sun and thus cannot be seen.) First Quarter noon. Full moon sunset. Last quarter midnight.

When is it? A profound sign that truth is present, is when controversy abounds. Satan and all his agencies are well aware of the Festival Days and their proper calculation from the first visible sighting of the New Moon. He has long been a student of Scripture and knows the paramount importance of the luni-solar truth as set forth by Yahuwah at Creation. If this truth is once comprehended and received by the populace masses around the globe, like dynamite, it would blow His greatest demonic deception, into oblivion. This truth would cause Satans counterfeit mountain of lies to fall like a house of cards. At this pinnacle of time, nothing could impede the progress of Yahuwahs faithful followers more, than yet another undermining obstacle within the luni-solar calendar truth. Satan has once again masterminded an attack against the Scriptures true calendar by creating confusion over exactly which lunar phase constitutes the true New Moon. Many people when they first discover the Holy Appointed Festivals and the corresponding lunisolar calendar truth, find it disconcerting that there could be so many claims as to when the first visible crescent New Moon actually occurred. This will continue to be the case as long as Satan has the freedom to deceive. Yet inspite of this apparent obstacle, there is abiding peace, knowing that Yahuwah knows the truth and will lead into all truth, those who seek and ask Him. There are four opposing views as to exactly what constitutes the New Moon. Some believe the New Moon to be the dark conjunction lunar phase. Some believe the New Moon to be the first visible crescent lunar phase. Others believe the New Moon to be the full moon lunar phase. Still others believe the New Moon to be the last visible crescent lunar phase. It is imperative to prayerfully consider the evidence for each viewpoint. The choice you make will determine when the seventh-day Sabbath is located. It must be realized that there is only one correct New Moon just as there is only one true seventh-day Sabbath. While each viewpoint has at least one credible point worth considering, the truth will be wrapped in the weight of evidence. Each individual must wrestle with Yahweh in prayer knowing that: He wants us to know truth. John 4:23 We have not, because we ask not. James 4:2 When we ask for bread, He has promised not to give us a stone. Matthew 7:9 Each truth is based on two or three principles of truth. Matthew 18:16 Christ Yahshua said, Ye are children of the light, not of darkness. 1Thessalonians 5:5 It is a promise that the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth, but we must ask. John 16:13

THE NEW MOON

Equator

*The 30th of the month (a work day), like the first of the month, was not part of the weekly cycle. However, it was counted and did have a date as an account must be made of all time.

Southern Hemisphere

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Principle #1: Ye are Children of the Light The very first thing Yahweh did in the creation week was to speak forth light out of the darkness. Then, during each daylight of creation, He created all that came to be. Absolutely nothing was created during the dark of night. Throughout Scripture, Yahweh has used the contrasting principles of light and dark to teach His spiritual truths. Darkness was to represent infidelity, spiritual blindness and evil, while light was to represent truth, spiritual understanding, and righteousness. Jesus uses these principles over and over throughout His ministry. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 1Thessalonians 5:5-6. As has been pointed out before, according to Scripture, the night was divided into four watches. The moon, along with the position of the stars, was the guide to knowing each fourth part of the night: Evening Watch commenced at sunset and its duration was one fourth of the darkness of night, ending at approx 9:00 P.M. Matthew 13:35 Midnight Watch commenced following the evening watch and ended at Midnight. Luke 12:38 Cock Crowing Watch commenced at midnight and ended at the cock crowing. Luke 12:38 Morning Watch commenced at the cock crowing and ended at sunrise. Matthew 14:25 Notice how these parameters of the night also define the boundaries of the day. There can be no overlapping. The night ends as the new day begins at sunrise. The term Night Watch was born out of the idea of watching for the first rays of a new day at sunrise. The focus was always on the light; looking for the light; ever seeking the light. In this way a living illustration was created that expressed the value Yahweh places on the light in contrast to the dark. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. John 3:20-21. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:23-24 Principle #2: Truth in Scripture, is Synonymous with Light Jesus Christ said, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12 Ye are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14 Let your light so shine before men Matthew 5:16 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. John 1:4 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe. John 1:7 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth, cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. John 3:20 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who had called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1Peter 2:9 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know But this is a requirement of the sun and moon as not at what they stumble. Proverbs 4:18-19 His beacons for signs in the heavens. It is, also, a consistent feature of truth and light. This shows Since sin began, and Adam and Eve were forced that what Yahuwah set in motion during the first from the comfort of their garden home, Yahweh week of creation was to continue forever, both as a has proactively continued to call His faithful out physical principle and as a moral symbol of truth. of darkness into His marvelous light. According to these scriptural principles, which lunar phase Principle #4: William Miller & October 22, would fit His symbology, the dark conjunction 1844. phase or the first visible crescent after the dark In the 1840s, William Miller, a student of prophase? Remember, the lunar phase He appointed phetic time and a leader of a great religious must represent truth as it beacons the New Year, awakening around the globe, believed the Lord the new month, the four successive weeks, along was to return very soon. Together with Samuel with His most holy and sacred seventh-day Sab- Snow, they reckoned from Scripture and ancient bath. Can the darkest of all lunar phases even Hebrew luni-solar calendation that the prophetic qualify for this task? Can darkness beacon any- 2300 evenings and mornings were symbolic of thing? It has been approximately 6000 years since literal years. They discovered that this prophetic creation. From a purely logical point of view, at a period that began at the time of Artaxerxes detime when telescopes were non-existent, Yahuwah cree in 457 B.C., was to end in October 22, 1844. would have most likely placed His beacon of time While this date was to clearly mark the anti-typto be a visible manifestation or sign. For some- ical Day of Atonement and the cleansing of the thing to be visible in a dark sky, it would have to Sanctuary on earth, it was wrongfully assumed by Miller that this marked the second coming of be light. Christ Yahshua in the clouds of heaven. Because of this error as to the event to take place, they, Principle #3: God Gave Lights to Beacon along with all the believers world wide, expeHis Signs, Seasons, Days & Years. rienced what is commonly known today as the Websters Dictionary Definition Beacon-- 1: a signal fire commonly on a hill, Great Disappointment of 1844. tower, or pole. 2: a lighthouse or other signal for guidance b: a radio transmitter emit- The participants in this religious movement were ting signals for guidance of aircraft 3: a source Christians from all religious faiths and were of light or inspiration. b: to shine as a beacon. called Adventists because they looked to the But all things that are reproved are made soon return or second advent of Jesus Christ. manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth The Seventh-day Adventist church was born make manifest is light. Ephesians 5:13 out of this great disappointment, but was not In the beginning of recorded scripture Gen- officially organized until 1863. William Miller esis 1:14-18 states; And God said, Let there died in December of 1849 before the Seventhbe lights in the firmament of the heaven to di- day Adventist church was organized. Therefore, vide the day from the night; and let them be his teaching and preaching must not be confused for signs, and for seasons, for days, and years: with those of the Seventh-day Adventist church And let them be for lights in the firmament of and vice versa. William Miller and Samuel Snow the heaven to give light upon the earth: and were basing their detailed calculations of the fulit was so. And God made two great lights; fillment of the prophecy from the first visible the greater light to rule the day, and the less- crescent New Moon just as the Hebrew people er light to rule the night: he made the stars of antiquity would have had to do. Otherwise, also. And God set them in the firmament of we would be recognizing either October 20 or the heaven to give light upon the earth, and 21 of 1844, instead of October 22. Later, Ellen to rule over the day and over the night, and White, a leader of the newly organized Seventhto divide the light from the darkness: and day Adventist church, placed her stamp of apGod saw that it was good. Genesis 1:14-18 proval from the Lord upon the date of October Of paramount importance, notice that Ya- 22, 1844, but not upon the event the Millerites huwah was making a distinction between had believed was to happen. All those teaching darkness and light by separating them. that the New Moon is the dark conjunction lu The lights are plural. Let them be for signs: nar phase, either dont know or reject the value In an orchestrated dual action process, the sun of William Millers calculations of October 22, and moon work together for signs and sea- 1844. This was referred to as the Seventh Month sons specifically. This would not hold true Movement, because the Day of Atonement is for the New Moon if it were the dark phase always on the 10th day of Tishrei, the seventh or conjunction. This is because if you have a month of the luni-solar calendar. October is aldark moon it is because the sun is not shin- ways the tenth month of the Gregorian calendar. ing on it, as seen from our vantage point. It was only Millers calculated and pinpointed Pure light is the signature of Yahuwah and conclusion that received the stamp of approval His creative power, and not darkness, or by the Lord Yahweh, as stated by Ellen White. any mix of darkness with light. Therefore, But notice what she says about the last generasomething as important as the New Moon tion that lives throught the time of trouble: to beacon a month of His holy seventhday Sabbaths must itself be of the light. I have been shown that many who profess to have a There are three purposes of the sun and knowledge of present truth know not what they believe. They do not understand the evidences of their moon as they work in tandem: 1) To give faith. They have no just appreciation of the work for light upon the earth. 2) To rule, mea- the present time. When the time of trial shall come, suring time for the day and for the night. 3) there are men now preaching to others who will find, To divide the light from the darkness. . . upon examining the positions they hold, that there are The sun and moon were ordained by the Creator to work together in dual orchestration to separate the light from the darkness. This is a principle that Yahweh continues to use as an illustration of the contrast between righteousness and sin, between good and evil. By its very nature, a dark conjunction lunar phase is not visibly able to either work together, or divide the light from the darkness.
many things for which they can give no satisfactory reason. Until thus tested they know not their great ignorance. And there are many in the church who take it for granted that they understand what they believe; but, until controversy arises, they do not know their own weakness. When separated from those of like faith and compelled to stand singly and alone to explain their belief, they will be surprised to see how confused are their ideas of what they had accepted as truth . . . . Maranatha 45

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Seventh-day Adventists grow up hearing about October 22, 1844! They are shown from scripture and historical documentation that the 2300 day prophecy, beginning in 457 B.C., ended in 1844 on the Day of Atonement. What most people do not know, however, is how the Millerites arrived at that specific date. Why October 22? Why not July 10? Leviticus 23 states that the Day of Atonement shall be observed on the tenth day of the seventh month, so where does October 22 come in? It is probably news to most Adventists that the Millerites did not use the Gregorian calendar to establish the Day of Atonement for 1844. As a matter of fact, they actually did not! As far back as April, and then in June and December of 1843, and in February of 1844 . . . [William Millers associates] came to a definite conclusion. This was that the solution of Daniels prophecy is dependent upon the ancient or original Jewish form of luni-solar time, and not upon the altered modern rabbinical Jewish calendar. The Jews, in 1844, kept Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) on September 23. The Millerites were well aware of this and references to it show up in their publications. However, when challenged or mocked for insisting on a date which even the Jews themselves did not keep, the Millerites commonly replied, Every scholar knows that we are correct by the original calendar. The Millerites were deep students of the scriptures. The Seventh-day Adventist church owes much to their diligent, deep study of the Bible. They discovered that within Judaism, there were two distinct ways of computing the calendar. The rabbinical, which starts its new year, Nisan 1, on the new moon closest to the vernal equinox, and the Karaite which, following Mosaic calendation principles, placed its Nisan 1 on the first new moon after the vernal equinox if the barley harvest was ready. If not, they would intercalate an extra month. The Millerites rejected the rabbinical first day of Nisan on March 21 in 1844, and chose the April new moon for the beginning of the true type of the ancient first month. April 19 was the day. They argued that the modern Jewish calendar is based upon decisions that were unknown in the time of Christ. The Karaites were a sect of Jews who gave up the system of rabbinical calendation, and made the intercalation of a leap month dependent upon the ripened barley, according to Moses. They have been called the Protestants of Judaism. Karaism clashed seriously with the parent faith, shook off the yoke of traditionalism, proclaimed the right of private judgment, and maintained that the original Scripture is a full and sufficient guide. Knowing that the Millerites used the Karaite calendar is important, but there is another point regarding the Millerite computation of the Oct. 22 date that is vital to know. The Millerites arrived at Oct. 22 as being the Day of Atonement by calculation. Had the leaders waited until October to visually observe the first appearance of the moon by which to date Tisri 1, there could have been no seventh month movement, for there would have been insufficient time. They had to make their calculation in advance from standard moon tables which were abundantly available. The date of October 22 being the ending date of the 2300 year prophecy was first announced by Samuel Snow on July 21, 1844. He gave a discourse at the large Boston Tabernacle on the text Behold the Bridegroom cometh (on the tenth day of the seventh month), go ye out to meet Him! However, it was not until the camp meeting held at Exeter, New Hampshire (August 12-17) that the message really took hold. At this camp meeting, Snow gave three sermons. The first was on the 1844 ending of the great

prophetic time periods; the second on the Mosaic sanctuary service types, and their antitypical fulfillment in the Christian dispensation; and the third on the date of Christs crucifixion in the midst of the seventieth prophetic week, which therefore brought an end of the 70 weeks in the seventh month of A.D. 34. And in consequence, the close of the 2300 years would similarly extend to the seventh month of 1844, which equated largely with the month of October. From this revival comes the name seventh month movement. Again, they arrived at the date of October 22 by calculation, for had they waited until they could observe the first crescent moon, there would have been no time for them to give the Midnight Cry. The Millerites already knew that the first day of the first Jewish month (Nisan 1) fell on April 19 in 1844. The way they reasoned it was thus: Since the crucifixion occurred in the midst of the week in the spring of the year, and hence in the middle of a literal Jewish year and also of a prophetic year, therefore the end of the prophetic year must come in the autumn. In other words, the prophetic years of Daniel end in the fall and not in the spring. Calendation was not altogether the key to the new chronology which suddenly confronted the people in the summer of 1844, and which gave life to the midnight cry. The mainspring lay concealed in Daniel 9 and Matthew 25. Samuel Snow was one of several to discover that six lunar months had yet to be added to the spring date -- itself a month later than first computed -- in order to complete the prophecy. Snow got this largely from Daniel. His argument was simple, but impelling -- that if Christ was crucified in the midst of the week, in the spring, then the end of the week, and therefore the end, not only of the 487th year, but also of the 2300th year, would come six lunar months later in the autumn. [October 22] was computed by adding six lunar months or 177 days, to April 19, and thereby obtaining as the first day of the seventh month, October 13, from which nine days more extended to the tenth day on October 22. The Millerites have left an official statement that they thus reckoned from the appearance of the moon on the 18th of April and thereby found that the seventh Jewish month commenced with the appearance of the moon on the 13th of October, so that the tenth day of the seventh month synchronized with the 22nd of that month. This is an extremely important point to know because, although there were new moons observed in all of the months leading up to the seventh month, there was no new moon to be observed the night of October 12/13. Why? Technically, it has to do with how soon the new moon can be seen after conjunction the point in time when the moon, earth and sun are all in alignment and the moon cannot be seen. At the U. S. Naval Observatory website, the conjunction is referred to as the new moon. However, in Bible times the months did not start until the first crescent could be observed. Typically, it takes two days for the crescent of the new moon to appear. In simple terms, no new moon was observed the night of Oct. 12/13, 1844, because the moons meridian (or the highest point of its arch before it set) was below the horizon in most of New England, the land of the Midnight Cry. Furthermore, the moon set only ten minutes after the sun did on Oct. 12, thereby making the sky too light to observe it anyway. The Miller-

ites knew that under Mosaic calendation, a new moon was declared after 30 days regardless of whether or not it was observed. Therefore, they were all in agreement that October 13 was the first day of the seventh month (Tisri 1) and that the tenth day was the 22nd of October. Sylvester Bliss, in the Millerites official report in January, 1845 affirms: Reckoning from this [Nisan] moon, the seventh Jewish month commenced with the appearance of the moon on the 13th of October. Thus, the tenth day of the seventh month was October 22. Was October 22 the correct date for Day of Atonement in 1844? Absolutely. Under the Mosaic system the cleansing of the sanctuary, or the great Day of Atonement, occurred on the tenth day of the seventh Jewish month (Leviticus 16:29-34), when the high priest, having made an atonement for all Israel, and thus removed their sins from the sanctuary, came forth and blessed the people. So it was believed that Christ, our great High Priest, would appear to purify the earth by the destruction of sin and sinners, and to bless His waiting people with immortality. The tenth day of the seventh month, the great Day of Atonement . . . which in the year 1844 fell upon the twenty-second of October, was regarded as the time of the Lords coming. The Millerites showed great courage in following the Lamb to arrive at October 22. The remarkable stand of the Millerites, in 1843 and 1844, in rejecting the current Rabbinical calendation, and reviving the original Jewish year of the crucifixion period . . . that they might correctly determine the close of the 2300-year period, took clear, scholarly thinking, intensive research, extraordinary moral courage, and really heroic, decisive action. They risked all upon this crucial position. Not only was Catholicism directly opposed to their prophetic interpretations, but almost all of Protestantism had rejected it as well. Furthermore, and most serious of all, Jewry had many centuries before abandoned the calendation given to Moses, which had been operative in principle and in essentially identical form in both the 5th century B. C. and the 1st century A. D. These centuries are important because the former embraces the beginning date of the 2300-year time prophecy, while the latter includes the verifying date of the Passover/ crucifixion which occurred in the midst of the 70th prophetic week of the longer time prophecy. Painstakingly studying the Karaite protest in the Middle Ages against the Rabbinical perversion of the calendar, they at last deliberately and irrevocably accepted, restored, and applied to their time-prophecy problem, the earlier calendation championed by the Karaites. And this they did in defiance of the whole body of Rabbinical scholarship and the general current practice of Jewry. There were many in 1844 who made merry over a lunar reckoning that was not based upon the modern Jewish calendar. The answer was returned: Every scholar knows that we are correct as to the Karaite seventh month. The Millerites were well aware of the rabbinical seventh month in September in 1844, and the circumstance was often mentioned in their papers. At the same time they were emphatic in their challenge that they dissented from the modern Jewish calendar because it did not agree with the laws of Moses. To be consistent with Adventisms spiritual forefathers, Seventh-day Adventists of today need to compute when the true Sabbath occurs by using the same calendar utilized for determining the Day of Atonement in 1844. Those who cling to old customs and hoary errors have lost sight of the fact that light is ever increasing upon the path of all who follow Christ; truth is constantly unfolding to the people of God. We must be continually advancing if we are following our Leader. It is when we walk in the light that shines upon us, obeying the truth that is open to our understanding, that we receive greater light. We cannot be excusable in accepting only the light which our fathers had one hundred years ago. If our God-fearing fathers had seen what we see, and heard what we hear, they would have accepted the light, and walked in it. If we desire to imitate their faithful-

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ness, we must receive the truths open to us, as they received those presented to them; we must do as they would have done, had they lived in our day. To follow the Lamb withersoever He goeth, Yahweh Gods people must be as brave as their forefathers, advancing further in the path first travelled by those who have long since gone to their rest. Principle #5: The New Moon, U.S.N.O. and N.A.S.A. Much of the New Moon confusion today arises because both the United States Naval Observatory (U.S.N.O.) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (N.A.S.A.) label the dark conjunction phase as the New Moon. No doubt the same is true of all other nationally based astronomical organizations. These are the same organizations that, in many of their illustrated models, depict the lunar month as only 28 days in length. This is a contradiction of the detailed records they themselves keep in numeric form, which do show the lunar month to be 29 or 30 days in length. In this way they are speaking out of both sides of their mouths. All lunar months in recorded history have always been either 29 or 30 days in length. Anyone can check this out for themselves simply by making note of each phase over a 30 day period. When the lunar phase you start your count with comes back around again, then you know that you have completed your count on the previous day. The real confusion lies in the records that are kept by these organizations where they consistently refer to the dark conjunction lunar phase as New Moon, rather than the first visible horned crescent. However, all is not lost. If the ancient Hebrews were to look for the dark conjunction phase as the New Moon, they would have had to go out at sunrise and face the east looking for the moon, yet it would never be visible. The act of facing the sun at sunrise was considered an abomination to Yahuwah. This could have too easily been confused with sun worship. This is exactly opposite of what the Lord Yahuwah taught through the ceremonies of the Sanctuary. At sunrise, the priests were to face due west toward the Holy of Holies. What confusion might arise if they were also looking over their shoulders to get a glimpse of an invisible dark conjunction lunar phase? In Yahwehs mercy, the New Moon was to be announced by the trumpet blast on the evening prior to New Moon Day (first day of the month). This was for the purpose of allowing the people time to prepare for this Holy day after sunset, when it was dark. Because half of the months of any given year were 29 days in length, His people would have been just observing the seventh-day Sabbath during a 29th day month, prior to the setting sun. It was at that moment that the New Moon was announced by the blowing of the trumpet. The dark hours between the seventh-day Sabbath and the New Moon Day gave His people time to prepare for it. Remember, Yahwehs ordained Sabbath and New Moon Days were only 12 hour periods which were observed from the sunrise to sunset. If the New Moon phase was the dark waning conjunction phase, which was to be viewed at the sunrise, there would be absolutely NO time to prepare for this Holy day, as the new day would be already upon them. The entire purpose of the trumpet blast was to announce the coming Holy day, allowing time for the people to prepare for it, both physically and spiritually. Sound the rams horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full... Psalms 81:3 Every 24 hour period of a lunar month the moon is on the average 45 minutes short of its previous position in the night or morning sky. The waxing phases occur during the first half of the month. This means that each night following sunset, the lunar phases display more light

of the sun than the previous night. The waning phases which occur during the second half of the lunar month displays less light of the sun than the previous day. This darkest phase of the month is forever grouped with the waning phases as they, day by day, receive less and less light of the sun until it is completely void of light. By definition, the dark conjunction phase is a waning phase and always part of the second half of the old lunar month. Never can it be any portion of the waxing phases of a new refreshed and rebuilding month, as these alone are receiving more and more light with each phase than the preceding phase until the moon is full. It is because of the importance and intrinsic nature of this dark conjunction phase, that by coming out of its darkness, the first visible crescent moon is dubbed with the term new. It can only be new because the previous moon and month ended in the obscurity of darkness as if its own light had gone out. During the entire month, the lunar phases reflect a percentage of the suns light except for the last phase. This conjunction phase is the only lunar phase that is completely dark and absent of any reflecting rays from the sun from earths perspective. It is not until the next night that there would be any possibility of seeing a crescent moon coming out of its darkness into the marvelous light. And sometimes it isnt until the second night that a horned crescent moon is actually visible. A visible crescent moon following a non-visible lunar phase has the most apparent markings, fitting all the criteria, for what Scripture defines as the New Moon. New Moons beacon the beginning of each new month according to Scripture, and were designed at creation to designate by its changing phases exactly when the true seventh-day Sabbaths will fall. Among all the lunar phases, the New Moon, according to Scripture, is the most significant lunar phase and of great importance to Yahwehs calendation principles. This is because it beacons that a new month is to begin the following morning at sunrise, and begins the count for the entire month, as well as for the entire year. The Creators luni-solar month and its corresponding weeks has been the ongoing target of Lucifers unending attacks. For if the real truth were leaked out regarding the importance Yahweh places on the New Moon, Lucifers mask would come off, and he would be exposed for the imposter and mastermind of deception that he is. The count beginning at New Moon locates all the Lord Yahuwahs Holy Feasts and weekly Sabbaths. According to Genesis 1, Exodus 12 and 16, and Leviticus 23, His Feasts are divided into two categories; the four weekly Sabbaths each month, and the annual appointed Feasts. Gods faithful will recognize that it was Moses who recorded all three of these vitally important accounts in Scripture. His faithful will discover that Exodus contains the pivotal record and time centric key that unlocks His calendation principles of both Genesis and Leviticus. It is in Moses record of Exodus 12, 16, and 19 that the application of Yahwehs seven-day week is made with regards to His months and years. It is only in the restoring of Yahwehs calendation truths to Israel at the Exodus that the full calendation picture is given which presents the details of exactly how the Creator placed His ordained and holy seventh-day Sabbath as His most precious gem within the framework of His luni-solar cycle setting. As Saturday Sabbatarians, we have long held that we have never ridden the beast. However, Revelation 13:3 states otherwise as it says, that, all the world wondered after the beast. Saturday is not the antidote to wondering after the beast because

seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbaths according to the Gregorian calendar are also a making of the beast! At a time when it is not popular to believe in the Creators luni-solar calendar, its New Moons, its Holy appointed Feasts days, or its sacred seventhday Sabbaths, the Lord Yahweh is now calling His faithful. He is now making up His number of faithful followers who will be willing to stand by faith upon His sure foundation. Amidst great opposition from all sides, these will take up their cross and walk in the light of His oracles of Scriptural truth.

Feast Anniversaries Explained

Anniversaries help us to remember. A birthday is the anniversary of the day you were born. Married couples celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary as a celebration of their lives together. Heaven has anniversaries as well. These anniversaries or commemorations, carefully laid out in the Bible, teach grand, sweeping truths about Yahuwahs plan to save His people from sin. The anniversaries of our salvation are divided into two groups: spring anniversaries and fall anniversaries. Each group begins with an extra-special New Moon which signals the soon-coming times of remembrance. New Moon of the first month in the spring is Heavens New Year. It is followed on the fourteenth of that month with Passover and then a weeklong celebration of Yahuwahs deliverance. The last of the spring anniversaries, which are called feasts in the Bible, occurs on the ninth day of the third month: Pentecost. Many people assume that these anniversary feasts were given to the Israelites alone, or that they were nailed to the cross. However, it is Heavens plan that these special times of remembrance be kept throughout all ages because they keep fresh in the mind the memory of Yahuwahs great love and self-sacrifice for a world that hated Him. Satan has sought to counterfeit Yahuwahs holidays. People the world over celebrate the pagan Christmas. Christians, who should know better, also celebrate Easter and even Halloween! These are all counterfeits specifically designed to divert the attention from the true Holy Days to the false holidays. New Year Day is a time of recommitment and heart searching. It is a time to give thanks for another year of life and to rededicate oneself to his Creator for the upcoming year. In scripture, Gods people had two periods in their year. The Sacred Year began in the spring with new life. It encompassed the months of the spring and fall feasts, which are 7 in number.The Civil Year began in the fall, after the end of the Sacred Year, and it encompassed the remaining 5(or 6) months which completed the year. Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, they do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath. they shall not enter into my rest. Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called today(i.e while theres still time); lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end; While it is said, today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provovation. For some, when they heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved fortsy 15

New Years New Moon Day

THE WEEKLY SABBATHS

years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? To who sware He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not?

and full of self. The searching out of leaven on Passing of the cup is a highlight of the evening. Passover becomes a living parable of how care- Christ told the disciples, Do this in remembrance of fully all should search out sin in ones own heart. Me. It is a privilege still available to His followers. One person drinks from the cup, wipes the lip off with a napkin provided and passes it to the next person. Just as Christ told the disciples, Drink ye all of it, so none is to be left of the blood of the grape which is a symbol of the blood of Christ shed for our sins. Many families choose to have their children wait until they are 12 before allowing them to participate, since 12 is the age a child becomes accountable to Yahuwah for their own souls. When the service is over, a prayer of rededication is given and all can join in, thanking Yahshua for His great sacrifice, and the Father for such great love that would lead Him to be willing to sacrifice His own Son to save us. Scripture says that when the supper was over, Yahshua and the disciples sang a hymn and went out. This was not a dirge, but a joyous song. Christ was joyous at the thought that many, many souls would be saved through His sacrifice. Today, although we mourn our sins which demanded such a sacrifice in order to save us, we can rejoice that Christs victory has been won and we can be saved by faith in His righteousness. Foot Washing The communion service which Christ instituted at the time of the last supper just before His crucifixion is a beautiful way to worship during this Passover time. The foot washing itself is a most beautiful ceremony. Foot washing symbolizes the blood of Christ which washes away our sins. As Yahshua washed the feet of the disciples, so we are to wash one anothers feet as a demonstration of Christs own love in our hearts which inspires us to acts of love and service to one another. Even if a person has no one with whom to share this meaningful ceremony, there is no reason why he or she cannot wash his or her own feet. It is, after all, a reminder of the cleansing Christ gives us individually. Some families enjoy singing a hymn of fellowship after the foot washing The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on Sabbath, the 15th of the first month. It is a seven day feast, lasting until the 21st of the month. During this time, no leavening was to be eaten. In a larger sense than just the Passover, it commemorates Israelite deliverance from bondage and, in turn, our deliverance from sin. Feast of Unleavened Bread can be a time of special family togetherness.Within the Feast of Unleavened Bread, there are three highlights: the first day of the Feast; the offering of the Wave Sheaf; and the last day of the Feast. First Day of Unleavened Bread Of any Sabbath in the year, the First Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is the most solemn. It is the anniversary of the day on which Christ lay in the tomb. What a long day it is as one remembers the despair the disciples felt that day so many years ago! They did not understand that the Messiahs mission was to die, so at His death, their despair and sorrow, their heartbreak and discouragement knew no bounds. As the hours of this anniversary pass, one cannot help but think, again and again, of the desolation, the anguish and utter hopelessness felt by the first disciples. It is a memorial of the desolation and misery the whole world would feel if it were not for the love of the Father. Without a Saviour, the entire world would be lost without any hope. It is a very sober time and one begins to have a faint grasp of the immensity of sin.While the days of the feast are not all Sabbaths, the last one is, although it falls on Preparation Day. Thus, the close of Feast of Unleavened Bread provides one of only two back-to-back Sabbaths in the entire year.

Passover Meal So we see that they did not enter in because of Different people find various ways of celebrating unbelief. Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise the Passover to be meaningful. Some families being left us of entering into His rest, any of prefer to keep everything at the Passover meal you should seem to come short of it. For unto symbolic only. In the evening, the family gathers us was the gospel preached, as well as unto for the Passover meal. This can be a time when them: but the word preached did not profit friends whose hearts are inclined to the truth are them, not being mixed with faith in them invited to join you for a special meal just as Jethat heard it. For we which have believed do sus and his Disciples gathered for the last supenter into rest, as He said, As I have sworn per.The main parts of the meal are grape juice, in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: bitter herbs, unleavened bread, salt and sop. although the works were finished from the These are tasted, but not consumed as a meal. foundation of the world. For He spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, There is no one right or wrong way to celebrate And God did rest the seventh day from all the Passover. The main point is to find a way His works. And in this place again, If they that works as a reminder of Christ, our true Passshall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it over. The main parts of a Passover meal are: remaineth that some must enter therein, and Grape juice: This symbolizes the blood they to whom it was preached not in because of Christ which washes away our sins. of unbelief: Again, He limiteth a certain Bitter herbs: Bitter herbs are a symbol of the day, saying to David, today, after so long a bitterness of sin which caused the death of time; as it is said, today if ye will hear His our Saviour. During the meal time, the meanvoice, hearden not your hearts, For if Jesus ing of all these symbols should be explained had given them rest, then would He not afto the children and a profitable discusterward have spoken of another day? There sion with all in attendance can be enjoyed. remaineth therefore a rest to the people of Unleavened bread: The Biblical illustration God. For he that entered into his rest, he also of yeast as a symbol for sin should be well-exhath ceased from his own works, as god did plained to guests or children. The unleavened from His. let us labour therefore to enter into bread was eaten by the Israelites the night bethat rest, lest any man fall after the same exfore they left Egypt. They had to get all leavample of unbelief. Hebrews 3:7-19; 4:1-11. ening out of their homes before their deliverance. In that same manner, people of the last generation are to search out, and by the blood PASSOVER of the Lamb, remove all sin from their hearts Passover is one of the most deeply moving to get ready for the greater deliverance from holidays of the entire year. As well as being this sinful world. Unleavened bread is very a remembrance of deliverance from Egypgood made from whole wheat flour or spelt. tian bondage, it is in verity, also a rememIt is simple, easy to make, and very tasty. brance of deliverance from sin. It was on the Salt: Salt symbolizes the tears of repentance. Passover that Christ died for you and for me When one has experienced the bitterness of as the Lamb of God which takes away the sin, the soothing grace of Christ enters, invitsins of the world. The Biblical day started ing one to fully surrender the will and experiat dawn, so the third hour of the day corence the peace and joy that only comes from responded roughly to our modern 9:00 a.m., Him. For those who prefer merely a symbolic or half way between dawn and noon. Scripmeal, a dish of salt may be passed around for ture states that Christ was crucified about the all to take a tiny pinch. Small, individual dishthird hour. At 9:00 a.m., remembering what es of salt may also be placed at each place. Sea was being done to Christ for me, one feels salt or rock salt is nice to use if one can get it. the solemnity of the hour. As another hour Sop: Sop is a sweet dish. At the last supper rolls around, knowing that Christ was in such before Christs death, when John leaned over mental agony over the weight of the guilt of and asked Yahshua specifically who would my sins that He scarcely felt the physical betray Him, Christ answered that the one pain, one begins to grasp the enormity of sin. who dipped his hand into the sop with Him Eleven oclock. Still on the cross. Still would be the betrayer. Sop, also known as struggling for breath. Still feeling rejected charoset/haroset, is a paste from fresh or by His Father because of me, because of dried fruits: dates, figs, raisins, etc. Differmy sins, a deep desire is born to give oneent cultures make it differently, depending self completely and fully to such Love. upon which fruits are available. For families Noon. Darkness covers the cross. The hours who prefer to make a full meal as was done of this day creep slowly past as one realizes in Bible times, additional foods that may be that on this very day your Saviour died for you! enjoyed are lentil soup, oranges, grapes, alThree oclock. Christ died at the ninth monds, figs and dates. The bitter herbs, with hour, or about 3:00 p.m. It is finally over. sprouts is good on the unleavened bread as The Son of God has triumphed. The blood is vegan cheese sauce which may be made of atonement, the blood which allows thick for slicing, or thinner for dipping. us to be at-one with God, has been shed. Passover is not a day of idleness, how- For those who choose to have a full meal with ever. During the Feast of Unleavened the Passover, after dinner comes the most meanBread which begins the very next day, all ingful event of the evening: communion service leaven was to be removed from the house. with additional unleavened bread and the passing of the cup. While unleavened bread was Leaven usually a part of the meal, an additional plate The purpose of leavening is to make food of unleavened bread is provided for the comrise and become lighter and larger in volume. munion ceremony itself. The host or hostess, This is why it is a divinely used symbol of as the case may be, provides a scripture readsin which permeates the entire person and ing, usually taken from the scriptural account changes the character to become puffed up of the last supper. It is a sacred and holy time.

Feast of Unleavened Bread

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The Law of Yahweh is perfect. It is a writtenout transcript of the very character, thoughts and feelings of the Eternal One. To change it would be to admit that there was some fault in the One whose character it described. This was why Yahwehs holy law could not be changed to excuse sinners. However, because that holy law is the law of Love, Infinite Love found a way to save sinners: the sacrifice of His own Son to pay the price of the guilty. Satan in heaven had hated Christ for His position in the courts of God. He hated Him the more when he himself was dethroned. He hated Him who pledged Himself to redeem a race of sinners. Yet into the world where Satan claimed dominion God permitted His Son to come, a helpless babe, subject to the weakness of humanity. He permitted Him to meet lifes peril in common with every human soul, to fight the battle as every child of humanity must fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss. It was a very real battle onto which Christ entered and one which He really could have lost. Had Christ, just once, consented to sin, even in His mind, the battle would have been lost. Satan would have won, and sin would have spread throughout the universe. Christ and the Father risked Christs own eternal existence in this fight. Had Christ sinned He would also have earned the wages of sin: which is eternal death. The heart of the human father yearns over His Son.Yet He looks into the face of His little child(You & Me), and trembles at the thought of lifes peril. He longs to shield his dear one from Satans power, to hold him back from temptation and conflict. To meet a bitterer conflict and a more fearful risk, God gave His only begotten Son, that the path of life might be made sure for us. Herein is love. Wonder, O heavens! And be astonished, O earth! The Father risked everything to save us! We do not see the enormity of sin. We are comfortable with it. That Sabbath is an anniversary of our recognition of what it cost our God and His Son to save us. Christ did not see through the portals of the tomb. The sense of guilt from the combined weight of the sins of the world was so great that He felt that He would never again be accepted back into His Fathers presence. It was the sense of sin, bringing the Fathers wrath upon Him as mans substitute, that made the cup He drank so bitter, and broke the heart of the Son of God. The love of the Almighty, Holy and Eternal Father was such that He was willing to risk everything to save sinners betrayed and deceived into sin. The love of Christ was such that He was willing to risk His own eternal existence to cooperate with His Father in this grand, expensive and risky venture. The stillness, the despair of the day on which Christ lay in the tomb is a faint representation of what the whole world would feel without its Saviour. Such love, so great and pure, melts the stony sinful heart. As we realize the depths and heights of His self-sacrificing, divine love, we realize that it is safe to fully surrender to the control of His eternal love, that would rather cease to exist than exist without us.
Here is Love, Here is love vast as the ocean, Loving kindness as the flood! When the prince of life, for our ransom, shed for us His precious blood! Who His love will not remember? Who can cease to sing His praise? He can never be forgotten throughout heavens eternal days. On the mount of crucifixion, fountains opened deep and wide. Through the floodgates of Gods mercy flowed a vast and gracious tide!

Those professed Christians who come up to the last fearful conflict unprepared, will, in their despair, confess their sins in words of burning anguish, while the wicked exult over Wave Sheaf Wave Sheaf is the most joyous time of all the Spring their distress. The more exalted their proAnniversaries! It is the day on which our Saviour fession, and the more honorable the position arose from the tomb! He was raised because He which they hold, the more grievous is their was the perfect, sinless sacrifice and because of course in the sight of God, . . . G.C. 620. His sacrifice, we may live forever with Him. Of all days when our love and gratitude should flow Too late! TOO LATE! What would we not give to our Saviour and our heavenly Father, this day for one word of approval from God! Mercys should be a time of rejoicing, of thanksgiving and sweet voice has died away and we are seized hope. He who did not spare His own Son, but de- with fear and horror. (E.W. 281) We are the livered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Ancient men who have had great light and Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32,) we well knew the solemn warning of Jehovah, The paganism that permeates modern Easter cel- that the slaughter was to begin with us and ebrations has led many to ignore the day of Christs we were to be the first to feel the stroke of the resurrection. The Passover is observed, and Christs wrath of God. (Ezek. 9:6; 5T 211) We have resurrection should be remembered as well. With- stood as guardians of the spiritual interests of out the death of Christ, we would be without help the people yet we have betrayed their trust. We and without hope. With His resurrection, made have deceived ourselves and the people by desure by His perfect life, we have all heaven opened claring that the Lord would not do good, neito us: for our help, encouragement and sustainance ther would He do evil. We soothed every arishere, as well as an immortal inheritance through- ing fear with the reassurance that God is too out all eternity. Such a glorious victory should merciful to visit His people in judgment. We always be remembered. Yahweh God triumphed! have been dumb dogs that would not bark His Holy Law was vindicated and He was enabled in warning to those who were looking to us for to do what He longed to do: save sinners deceived safe guidance and now we are feeling the just and betrayed into sin. Wave Sheaf is an anniversary vengeance of an offended God. Deep down that also looks forward to eternitys future when in our hearts we knew that we were deceivthe earth is made new and sin and sinners are no ing our people, but God was so long-suffering more. After His work of salvation and redemption, that we presumptuously asserted that the Lord Yahshua rested in the tomb over the Sabbath. For seeth not, and then we acted as though He had six thousand years people have labored under the forsaken the earth. But He knew our hypocrisy burden of Satan and sin. When sin is no more, the and opened before others the sins that we were redeemed will enjoy a Sabbatical 1000 year rest in so careful to hide (5T 211-12) Now, when it the heavenly courts! Wave Sheaf is on the first day is forever too late to be of any benefit to us, of the week because it is a renewal- a time to start we are forced by the agony of our guilty souls again. The resurrection on Wave Sheaf, the first day to make confession before all the world of the of the new week, looks forward to the endless cycles sins that did not go beforehand to judgment of time throughout all eternity when the redeemed when there was still a merciful High Priest at will praise the Father and the Son for the matchless the throne of God to make intercession for us. gift of infinite love. Wave Sheaf is a thanksgiving celebration. We are not to neglect expressing grati- We are the false shepherds that have fed ourtude to Christ for the newness of life that is ours by selves but have not fed the flock. (Ezek. 34) His death for us. We are to thank Him for our tem- We have eaten the fat and clothed ourselves poral lives and blessings as well as the new spiri- with the wool from the backs of our flock. We tual life He creates in our hearts. The miracle of have kept our sheep well fleeced so that we growth from a dead seed is the parable of new life could fare scrumptuously. We have not hesiin us who were dead in trespasses and sins. Like tated to starve them in order to feed ourselves. the apostle Paul said, I have been crucified with We did not feed the Lords sheep! The sick and Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in diseased and broken among our flocks have me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live meant nothing to us; and, what concern was it by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave to us, that some had become lost from the fold? Himself for me. (Galatians 3:19). Wave Sheaf is Force and cruelty have been our creed. a celebration of the infinite power of divine love... Yes, the precious flock we scattered; they Set me as a seal upon your heart, wandered from one denomination to another, As a seal upon your arm; from one group to another, endeavoring to For love is as strong as death . . . find spiritual food to nourish their famishMany waters cannot quench love, ing souls because we would not feed them. Nor can the floods drown it. We had other interests - self interests. We If a man would give for love were busy breaking down the houses to forAll the wealth of his house, tify the wall. (Isa. 22:10) What did the need It would be utterly despised. of the individual mean to us? We were occu(Song of Solomon 8:6, 7) With love like this enfolding us, we are prepared to pied with building up a gigantic and impospress the battle against the enemy and with joy take ing machine that would make us great in the the message of Christs love and His soon return to eyes of the world and would provide well for a fallen world. Who shall separate us from the love our temporal prosperity. It mattered not to us of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecu- if these ignorant sheep became a prey to the tion, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . beasts of false religions and were poisoned . .. In all these things we are more than conquerors with errors of tradition and false doctrine. Woe to us shepherds! The great and terrible through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities God who had given us the sacred trust of caring nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, for His precious flock turned against us, as He nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, had warned us. (Ezek. 34:10). He permitted shall be able to separate us from the love of God us no more to feed His sheep. He entrusted us which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39) with no more light because we had only squan17

Grace and love like mighty rivers Poured incessant from above! And heavens peace...and perfect justice Kissed a guilty world in love!

A BITTER CONFESSION

dered all His blessings and privileges upon ourselves, and we had left the flock to perish. The True Shepherd Himself took charge of the flock. He sought them out. He bound up their wounds. He fed them in good pasture and made them to lie down in perfect rest and confidence in Him. His true sheep saw our apostasy and would not support us any more. We could no longer convince them that our bulging treasury from which we drew money for all manner of worldly enterprises, was the Lords storehouse. God has judged His flock! He has judged between the sheep and the goats. In the plagues that are now falling without mercy upon our shelterless heads, we see too late that the Lord is destroying those who have become fat with sin and strong with pride and power. (Verse 16). We have dealt without mercy with the Lords flock and He is now feeding us with judgment. We have consumed the good pastures and have trodden them down with our feet. (Verse 18).

We plead for mercy but there is none. God is dealing with us as we dealt without mercy with those under our care who dared to question our supreme authority or oppose our will. Our eyes that would not discern light form darkness, truth from error, that refused to behold the dangers threatening the Lords flock or to look with pity upon their need are consuming away in their holes. (E.W 289-90) Our tongues that refused to cry aloud and raise a voice of warning against the fearful abominations in the Church are rotting in our mouths. Never again will we lift up our voice like a trumpet and never again will these tongues wag in denunciation and slander and evil-report against those who feared the Lord and who dared to obey Him rather than man. Our days of flattery and praise of man are over and we are eternally lost! We have condemned those who warned us of this awful hour and have betrayed them to their enemies. (Id. 282); Early Visions We have warned the people not to listen to them. (T.M 233). We have declared them to be fanatics and evil men who would ruin them. (E.W 282). When we could not refute them by misWhat little spiritual food was left was so adul- interpreting the Scriptures which they brought, terated with error and tradition by our careless we spared no means to blacken their characfeet that it only served to render more sickly ters and misinterpret their motives. (G.C 458) the sheep who were obliged to sustain themselves on such improvised fare. (Verse 19). We searched out iniquity (Psa. 64:6.), and laid a The water we have likewise fouled. We have snare for them to make them an offender for their drunk from its pure and boundless depths but word. (Isa. 29:21). Our purpose was to destroy we would not permit the sheep to quench their their influence and work which was uncoverburning thirst therein for fear they would be- ing our deceptions and taking the prey form our come healthy and strong and would recognize mouths and we cared not what means was used our abuse of light and privileges. We feared to accomplish our end. We knew we were in the they might wrench themselves from our cruel wrong just as the leaders of the Jewish church and arbitrary rulership. So, we thrust them knew they were in the wrong in their hatred and with side and shoulder and we pushed the dis- opposition of Christ, but our stubborn pride and eased with our horns until they were scattered love of power would not allow us to repent. Now abroad. (Verse 21). Now, we have been reject- the people whom we have deceived are lost with ed and we are howling in agony! (E.W. 37). us and they are turning on us with bitter hate We despised the spotless robe of Christs char- and we shall not escape the wrath of God. Our acter and clung to our own garments of self- suffering will be tenfold greater than that of the righteousness upon which we now see indel- people. (E.W 282). How true was the prophetic ibly written in large letters, Thou art weighed declaration, The leaders of this people cause in the balance and art found wanting. We them to err; and they that are led of them are had believed in Christs coming and taught it destroyed. (Isa. 9:16). with energy. We had thought this would get us through. We did not consider that we were re- But, our confessions are like those of Esau and ally treading the Sabbath under foot, when Achan and Judas. (G.C 620). We feel no real sorwe issued an order throughout the denomina- row for sin- sorrow that we grieved the heart of tion that all loyal Adventists were to comply Christ, for the Holy Spirit has left us forever. We with their governments demands-just for the are only sorry that our iniquity has been found great emergency. out, that God has conquered. We would return , if we could, to the same disregard of His authority We vehemently declared that the Church - and the same cruel treatment of His messengers or organization - with all its machinery and who faithfully gave the last solemn warning at members in good and regular standing who the cost of all that was dear to them on earth, even stay on board the ship, was unconditionally at the peril of their lives. (G.C 606-611). But, destined to triumph, to go through to the confess we must, though we know it will bring kingdom. We tried to shut our eyes to the sol- us no relief. The Great Judge has ordained that emn warning, In the balances of the sanctu- acknowledgment be made by all His creatures of ary, the Seventh-day Adventist church is to be their transgressions against his Holy Law. If this weighed. She will be judged by the privileges confession was not made voluntarily to mans and advantages that she has had. If her spiritual Great High Priest in secret while He was still experience does not correspond to the advan- interceding for them, then it must be made betages that Christ, at infinite cost, had bestowed fore all the universe when it is eternally too late. on her, if the blessings conferred have not Oh, strange infatuation! We have exchanged qualified her to do the work entrusted to her, on peace, happiness, and honor, for wretchedness, her will be pronounced the sentence, Found infamy, and despair. By our lives we have dewanting. By the light bestowed, the opportu- clared, We will not have this Jesus to reign over nities given, will she be judged. - (8T 247). us. ( Id. 668). But we must tell all. The weight But, it was the unfailing word of the infinite of our guilt is crushing us! We would not listen One and our effort to cover up the great truth to the tender pleadings of the still small voice that our acceptance with God was conditional as it appealed to us through a Friend, a Brother, upon our obedience and humility, only ren- a Redeemer. Now that voice which we so well ders us more guilty before Him. (C.O.L. 294). know, declares our condemnation. O that it were the voice of a stranger! ( Id. 642). We would not The jealous God who has witnessed our in- allow ourselves to be separated form sin and be iquity and rebellion has taken things into washed as white as snow through the merit of His own hands at last. Pride and position are the blood of the Lamb when yet that fountain melting before His great wrath. (Isa. 2:11-17) was open for cleansing. We clung to our idols of

pride, worldly power and authority, and the approbation of men. Were we not leaders in what we still persisted in calling, The Remnant Church? (Though in our hearts we knew the glory had departed). (5T 211). How could God pass us by? We were the favorites of heaven and always to be exalted as the Church of God. We defied heaven and earth to dispossess us our rights. (C.O.L 294). Spew us out? Never! We must have possessed superior qualities or God would never have placed us in such positions of honor. Regardless of our departure from the plainest instruction in His Word, we continued to intimidate the membership into believing that our voice was the voice of God. Our word was law. We prized our fine homes, our sleek new automobiles, and our positions more than truth and the approval of God. So He has declared, They are joined to their idols, let them alone. (1T 187). But now we must try to rid ourselves of guilt. It might be that if we bare our very souls, if we uncover all the deceptions of our years of professed service in the Advent movement, we shall secure some relief. Our departure from the path of true holiness was very gradual and its beginning dates many years into the past. At the prophetic rise of the Advent Movement after the great disappointment of 1844 the little handful of believers constituted a pure church. The pioneers were men and women of God. Persecution, reproach, and hardship, and the awful sense of the great responsibility that had been placed upon them to give a life-and-death message to the whole world in a short time, solemnized their hearts and kept them close to their Divine Leader. But in a few short years, a spirit of lukewarmness and carelessness had begun to creep in. This was long before our time. It was even before the days of our predecessors in office. God sent startling messages of reproof and warning through the gift of the Spirit of Prophecy but they were only partially received and only half heeded. (E.W. 270). This was called the Laodicean Message, the Straight Testimony, or the Counsel of the True Witness to the Laodiceans. At intervals this solemn message was repeated but it did not have the effect upon Gods professed people that were gradually drifting from Him, that He designed it should have. (1 T 185). Many in the church whose lives and practices were condemned by this straight testimony were offended and they rose up against it. They denounced and rejected both the message and the messengers. But, they were always the faithful few who loved and obeyed God and through whom He was accomplishing His purpose. These are Philadelphians after the prophecy of Revelation 3: 7-13. (R.H. Aug. 19, 1851; May 9, 1854). These few cherished the spirit of brotherly love while the growing majority continued-also according to the prophecy (Rev. 314-20) to become more and more lukewarm and indifferent. The history of our backsliding and apostasy as leaders and church members is a dark story, indeed, and finally it reached unto heaven. (5T 208-9). As years passed; in spite of the warnings and entreaties of the Lord through the Spirit of prophecy, the Laodicean element increased in numbers until there could scarcely be found those who were humbly walking in all the counsel of God as true Philadelphians. Laodiceans filled most of he positions in the Organizations and Laodiceans held most of the offices in the local churches. Warning after warning was rejected, judgment after judgment was ignored. We even became bold enough to declare publicly that the calamities that had been brought upon us as a people-terrible fires and other heart-sickening losses-were not from God at all. To prepare His people both physically and spiritually for translation God sent the wonderful health-reform light. Those few who gladly accepted it and began to order their lives accordingly were greatly blessed in health of body, mind, and soul. But like the Israelites

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But the disregard of health reform is not expressed will of God. We opposed most violently only a by-path into which our apostasy led and to the bitter end every effort of God to correct the Lords flock to their destruction. Our ef- our errors and recover us from our backslidings. forts under the direct leadership of his satanic majesty, covered thoroughly the field Another very important phase of the Great Second of medical missionary work. In fact God Advent Moving was the educational work. This, saw fit to bring the great final test to His too, was ordained of God and He was most particpeople on this very point. (Ms [H 121,1900]; ular in giving full directions as to how it was to be L.L. Mess. p. 62). And so important was conducted. Satan well knew that this work was the this issue that Satan himself took the field very heart of the cause of God so he laid his counas a great Medical Missionary. (G.C. 589). ter-plans broad and deep and he watched for willUnder the direct guidance of the Spirit of ing agents within the ranks to carry out his nefarious prophecy a medical school was established design. His search was well rewarded. All of us in to provide workers in this field for the Ad- whatever bracket of responsibility, who had taken vent movement. In the most marvelous way lightly or had rejected the humbling testimonies of the property and funds were provided for the the Spirit of Prophecy against Laodiceanism, were his founding of this school. Many hundreds of ready allies. By rising up against this solemn message pages of carefully detailed instruction was giv- upon which our own destiny and the destiny of the en by the Lord Himself covering every phase church hung (E.W. 270), we had disconnected ourof the establishment, operation, and policies selves from God and we were left to the control of of this institution. Those who were sent forth evil angels. (1T 187). But in our blindness and frenfrom its doors were to be true, Medical Evan- zied zeal we accused the little company who were in gelists, to carry the message of Christs love the light as the ones who were deceived and out of But, this small minority who chose to follow the with words and deeds of mercy to all the world. line and we even denounced them as being of Satan. light God had given were a continual rebuke to our self-indulgence and worldliness. By precept and But with this Laodicean, world-loving ele- Through the action of our communities and boards example we were condemned by them. So we de- ment on the increase in the church it was not we laboured untiringly to bring the educational sysnounced them privately and publicly as fanatics and long until the pressure and inducements of the tem of the denomination into complete accord with extremists.(T.M. 97). We held them up to ridicule worldly standards and practices began to in- the worlds standards so that we could be accredited and set in motion propaganda whereby their adher- fluence those of us who had the direction and by the State. This made for smoother relations beence to right principles of eating and living became operation of the Medical Colleges. We found tween the church and the world (G.C. 389-90; P.K the butt of jokes by leaders and church members it far easier to comply with the principles, pol- 187; 1T 187) and went a long way toward removalike. We singled out a few eccentrics who were icies, and demands of the A.M.A. than to obey ing the reproach of Christ. To bring this about, we glaringly inconsistent in their practice of so called God and operate at cross purposes with this were obliged, of course, to disregard the heaven-sent health reform and whose broken health and sour gigantic and corrupt monopoly. So, gradually principles that had been given for guidance. We indispositions testified that they had woefully missed we slipped away from the pure and lofty stan- troduced textbooks by infidel authors and hired unthe real purpose of God in giving light on this sub- dard that had been laid down by the Great Phy- consecrated, worldly-minded teachers. And as if this ject, and held them up as examples of all who were sician as a charter for our school and ere long were not enough, in direct opposition to our instrucconscientiously calling for a higher standard. This we had repudiated and reasoned away nearly tions (C.T. 255) we sent our teachers to the schools of quieted our own consciences and made us more every principle that God had given to us. We higher education of the world, there to have what popular with the world-loving multitude of nominal left the simple and natural remedies that He little spirituality they might still possess counterchurch members who had constantly complained outlined for treating disease (Ms 73, 1908; acted or destroyed by the daily association of infidel that God was too strict in His requirements for the M.H. 127) and adopted the easier, more popu- professors and students and the study of atheistic great anti-typical day of atonement. Since the large lar, and more profitable methods - the giving texts. This presumptuous practice reached its climax majority were of the Laodicean element, it was of drugs, shots, and vaccines. We well knew when we brought in worldly teachers for our medical not difficult to keep the policy and practice of the that this practice was positively condemned in students, who knew nothing of our distinctive Godchurch at a low level, and in favor with the world. our divine blueprint. We had clear instructions given principles in diet and health and who had no regarding the sacredness of the human body as interest in the work of the third angels message, and Toward the close of the great reformatory move- the temple of the Holy Spirit and the impor- paid them handsomely for their services and prestige. ment there were those who would not cease their tance of keeping the mind clear and the bloodactivities in presenting the straight truth, in spite of stream pure and free from all pollution. We We seemed to forget that we had been given a sacred our demands and threats. They had a Thus saith had been warned a thousand times that drugs commission- a solemn judgment hour warning for all the Lord for everything and we could not refute kill but never cure. (B-69, 1898; M.H. 127). the inhabitants of the earth to be ready for the call them. Upon these we heaped the most cruel and un- But we sidestepped this objection by calling of their names in the great tribunal of the universe. just treatment. We misrepresented their teachings them by another name; drugs werent drugs This life-and-death massage demanded haste - a short and their motives. We blackened their reputations anymore. Science had advanced away ahead and speedy preparation by those who were to give it. by the vilest slander and put forth almost superhu- of God! We shudder to think of the thousands (6T 134; C.T. 444). But we insisted on long coursman efforts to destroy their influence or even their of souls we shall have to answer for that we es. To keep pace with the standards of the world we lives. (5T 601; G.C. 609). For, were they not expos- have sent unprepared to their graves by our repeatedly added more and more to our educational ing our hypocrisy and deception? They even dug up scientific, legalized murder. And, instead of requirements until by the time the students had satisour wrongs of the past that had never been acknowl- the graduates of our school giving themselves fied our demands, they had entirely lost sight of their edged or corrected, and our departure from the plain as true medical evangelists for the woes of objective- the great need of a perishing world, and testimonies of the Spirit of God. We thought we a dying world, the majority settled down to were unfitted for participation in such a sacred work. had covered these securely that they would never the cause and luxury of private practice in be found out, but God seems to have brought them the homeland. An appalling number gave up The corruptions that we brought into this branch of to light. (5T 211-12). We finally had to face the is- their hope and faith in the Advent movement. the closing work are too numerous and revolting for description. We exchanged useful labor on the sue of our bold rejection of health reform when brought urgently to our attention for the last time Our apostasy in medical lines extended like farm and in the school factory and plant, for sports by the Spirit of prophecy in 1908. We selected our a giant octopus until it had entered nearly ev- and athletics. We lowered the standards of dress and best talent for explaining away the plain teach- ery sanitarium and hospital and private prac- healthful diet. We encouraged worldly and senseless ings of the Word of God, and assigned to them the tice in the land. Our God had instructed us to school programs and school papers so full of vanity task of refuting this accusation. They finally came build many small institutions. But we spent and foolishness that they made the true Christian stuforth with a 14 page defense which really said noth- millions of dollars building a few very large dent ashamed. Moving pictures that had no place in ing. But it did leave the minds of church-members ones. We were plainly warned that certain a Christian school, and entertainment by highly paid in a greater state of confusion than ever and it units including our Medical College, should professional talent form the outside, were a regular served its purpose. They found in this an excuse to be established out of the city. But we knew feature in all of the higher-level schools. disregard true health reform and give reign to per- better, so we built in Sodom, and now verted appetite. We published articles in the Re- the judgments of God upon these great hot- But, perhaps the greatest abomination which we sucview about this time that confirmed this position beds of iniquity are swallowing up our idols ceeded in bringing into our educational system at all in the minds of many. And, this explanation came and exposing our folly. We ourselves have levels was the Spirit of Pharisaism. The self-complanearly fifty years too late. Those hated few who scarcely been aware of how far our corrupt cency, and false-security that is a stock-in -trade of were in the light could easily detect our deception. hearts have carried us in opposition to the Laodiceanism. Students were taught from childhood 19 in the wilderness, the majority of us could not accept this simple living and plain fare. It cut directly across our perverted appetites and selfish practices. So we rejected or reasoned away as much of the precious health message as we could without openly admitting our unbelief in the testimonies. This phase of our apostasy steadily increased until at length our predecessors in the leadership openly repudiated a direct appeal from God to sound a decided advance in health reform- beginning at the heart of the work in Washington. We feared that such a move would split the church, and we valued numbers more than character. (6T 143; C.T. 94). From that day until the very end of the conflict, Satan had things very nearly as he pleased in the church as well as in the world in the matter of eating and drinking and in the modes of dress. Here, again a very few followed thankfully the gracious instructions that were to prepare their bodies for the coming time of trouble and their minds to receive vital last-day truths. With the Holy Spirits aid they would be able to discern error when every heresy and deception was being accepted as light.

that the Seventh-day Adventist church with headquarters at Washington, D. C., was the Remnant church and that to be a member of this organization in good and regular standing, was as good as having aguaranteed passport into heaven. They were taught that this denomination was the Laodicean church (and that was the sad truth) and that it was going through, as though unconditionally, into the kingdom. We well knew that there was no scriptural foundation for such a doctrine but we liked it, and we clung to it tenaciously, in spite if the glaring inconsistencies that were pointed out to us in this theory. This false interpretation of prophecy-so completely out of harmony with Scripture, with reason and with the understanding of the Advent pioneers-reached its climax in the erroneous teaching instilled into the minds of ministerial students in the colleges and the Theological Seminary. The acceptance of this long-cherished heresy put a false light on all of the lastday prophecies and placed the student where he could not define his true position nor discern the working of God in the closing drama. The enemy of souls did not forget the publishing work, so he inlisted our eager services in this most valuable branch of the activities of the church. Volumes had been given in counsel from the Lord on this subject but we found it just as easy to ignore the plain Thus saith the Lord here as on any other point. We had wise men in our ranks and were not the ideas and policies developed by them more reliable-and much more acceptable to the world-than the instructions form the pen of a woman with only three grades of education? (5T 79). The Lord had declared that the printed page was to act a very important part in the closing work (7T 140), so the arch-enemy called for volunteers to carry out his hellish work of thwarting the divine purposes. Here again, the ever-increasing army of Laodiceans stood ready to do his bidding, under the guise of loyalty to the Church. We succeeded in lowering the standard in giving out Periodicals, robbing them of any semblance of the work of reform and omitting the presentation of vital present truth for fear that it would arouse the antagonism of our subscribers and decrease our popularity, and the circulation of the papers. We gained the friendship of popular -and questionableworldly magazines and through their pages boasted to the world of our benevolence and our increase in goods. We declined the promotion of the inspired books bearing the precious truths for want of which the world was dying, and filled our presses and shelves with an ever-increasing array of New books, containing wisdom of men. We even stooped so low as to accept printing for the bitterest enemy of the Advent movement,-the papacy, furnishing material that was to be used in opposing the work of God! (8T 91). Then, too, we found that the denominational books and periodicals were very effective as a medium for denouncing those who were lamenting our apostasy and pointing out our errors and abuses. By this means we were able to keep the cords bound securely about any who might be inclined to detect our hypocrisy and step out into the light of pure truth. (E.W. 241-42). This is the first time we have really paused for reflection or had any disposition to review our course of action and that of our predecessors in positions of responsibility in the Advent Movement. But the God of heaven has had a

jealous care for His church (6T 42), and has kept a faithful record of our disregard of the admonitions, warnings, and entreaties He had given us all through the years. Now when our probation has closed and the deceptive power of Satan that has been upon us has accomplished its purpose (G.C. 654-5), we behold with horror the fruits of our labors that have barred us and those whom we have succeeded in misguiding, from the kingdom of Christ. Now we see, too late, that our apostasy advanced steadily with the increase in membership until it permeated every branch and department of the work. The Laodicean element grew until it was the controlling power throughout the world field, and the true, humble Philadelphian could scarcely be found. Certain outstanding incidents of rebellion against the divine Leadership of the Church (5T 217), weigh so heavily upon our doomed souls that we must acknowledge them, though some of the guilty actors have since fallen in death. One of the most shameful of these was the debacle of 1888. The time had come for the God of heaven to finish His work and take His children home. He sent messages over a period of many months to prepare His professed people for the message and work of that mighty angel of Revelation 18 who was to lighten the whole earth with the glory of God. Through humble human instruments the great power of the Holy Spirit was manifested in such rich currents of love and mercy and light that it would seem that humanity would not be capable of resisting it. But Satan was also on the grounds at the General Conference in Minneapolis, and he succeeded in stirring up leaders and people against the message and the messengers . (C.O.R. (1941). The men whom the Lord used to bring the great truth of Righteousness by faith to His people were ridiculed, scoffed at, and rejected. The work of the Holy Spirit was attributed to Satan. So, that mighty messenger from heaven was insulted by puny man and he was obliged to return to the presence of the infinite One with such a report of the professed followers of Christ. Through the action of our own brethren the light of this angel which was quickly to prepare earths inhabitants for the coming of Christ, was rejected and kept away from the world. (R.H. Nov. 27, 1883). Soon afterward the message came from God, that if the light He sent had been received and acted upon, Jesus could have come in a very few years from that date. But instead, there began, not forty, but 70 years of wandering in the wilderness(and still counting). Later, near the close of probation when the angel finally returned to join the third angel and give power to the last phase of his solemn work, we treated him- in the person of the Lords humble and faithful messengers, even more shamefully than in 1888. We denounced him as Satan, violently resisted his efforts, we declared his glory to be a false light, and attributed his power to be form the prince of devils. As the years passed we tried desperately to deny our guilt and to justify our course of action at the 1888 Conference in the eyes of our membership, but the True Witness has frustrated our efforts and the naked truth eventually became universally known. Because we had rejected and risen up against the Laodicean message, we were left thoroughly deceived and were enlisted as efficient workers for the powers of darkness. Then there were other occasions when the Lord called in vain for deep heart-searching and repentance- for a revival and reformation, until His messenger was bowed in grief and anguish almost to the point of despair.

All the while the Laodicean element continued to increase the numbers and in power. But the Lord bore along with His wayward people. His salvation was to be made known to all the world and in His long-suffering He condescended to spare them yet a little while longer, hoping that they would fulfill His purpose. Another glaring departure from the principles of righteousness looms up before us. Back in the days when, through the Spirit of Prophecy, the decisions of the entire body of the General Conference in regular session was acknowledged to be the voice of God, the leaders studied carefully over a period of years the matter of having a church manual. It was finally decided that to do so would be contrary to the very principles of simplicity and freedom in Christ upon which the denomination had been founded. It would lay down a creed and tend to bind men to men encouraging the workers to look to flesh instead of to Christ their leader. So it was unanimously decided that there should be no manual. (R.H. Nov. 27, 1883). Furthermore, the leaders did not expect that there would ever be one. But later, in our day, after the Lord had declared that the voice of the General Conference was no longer to be regarded as the voice of God (G.C. Bull Extra No. 1, April 3, 1901), we decided that we knew better than our heaven-directed predecessors, so we prepared and adopted a church manual after the order of the creeds of the other popular churches. This manual we followed more carefully than the teachings of Inspiration, and we denounced as heretics any who would dare to disregard it, though the worker might be in perfect harmony with the instruction of the Scriptures and Spirit of Prophecy. This procedure had the desired effect- it tended to destroy individual accountability (T.M. 348-50), and turned the eyes of leaders and laymen alike from Christ, the true Head of the church, to finite and erring men. The working of this principle is declared to be the mystery of iniquity. (E.W. 213; T.M. 118) But there is still more! How shall we ever clear ourselves for our gigantic apostasy during the first and second World Wars! How can we bear the retribution that we have heaped up for ourselves in our treachery and injustice toward our brethren who would not join us in disregarding the Sabbath and the sixth commandment of Gods holy law when the governments of earth demanded it! The patience and fortitude of those faithful few whom we so humiliatingly disfellowshipped and abused and finally betrayed to the cruelty of the bloodthirsty war-lords, burns into our guilty souls like bursts of atomic fire. How could we ever have been so blind and presumptuous as to hold that the majority of the leaders and membership in parts of Europe, who were treading under foot Gods law- though their church membership was intact and they had the backing of the General Conference, and although they maintained possession and operation of churches, colleges, printing plants, and sanitariums- that these were the true people of God, the Remnant Church! And how well we remember the tender urgent appeals of the humble souls whom we had so grievously wronged, pleading to be reinstated into fellowship with their brethren. But we harshly refused to remove the curse of God from the church by rectifying our great wrong, declaring again that even to bring up the subject at the General Conference session would split the denomination wide open. We thirsted to maintain and increase our membership even if it be done at the sacrifice of principle and the spirituality of the church. So, acknowledgment was never made of this heinous sin when yet there was time to repent and be forgiven and to counteract in some small degree the damage we had wrought; now we are forced to confess our guilt when it is too late! Then it was that Ellen G. White, the messenger of the Lord who for seventy years had faithfully brought to the church the warnings, rebukes, entreaties, and instruction from the throne of God, passed to her rest ( July 16, 1915). During her long and arduous life of burden and trial we had honored her with our lips, yet like the religious leaders of all past time in their attitude toward the

20

Lords messengers, we ignored, slighted, and rejected much of the precious light the Lord of heaven sent us through her testimony. We manifested respect and deference at her grave but we were secretly glad to be free from the correction and rebukes she was so frequently called to administer to us. Could it be that her death was the fulfillment of her own prediction made in 1882? - It may be that ere long all prophesyings among us will be at an end, and the voice which has stirred the people may no longer disturb their carnal slumbers. (5T 77). July 16, 1955 marked the close of the fortieth year since this voice became silent. In the time-table of heaven could there not have been a significant connection between this event and the prophetic utterance, Warning, expostulation, and forbearance, are about to cease; mark the cursing of the fig tree, representing the Jewish nation, covered with the leaves of profession, but no fruit to be found thereon. The curse is pronounced upon the fig tree which represents the moral thinking, living agent, cursed of God, living as were the Jews for forty years after this event, yet dead. (Spec. to Min. No. 7, p. 60). So, with direct and living communication between God and his professed people apparently terminated and Laodiceanism greatly in the ascendency and still on the increase, the trend was rapidly downward until every conceivable abuse and corruption had entered the church and the presence and glory of the Lord had departed. (5T 210; E.W. 261, 273). While we dogmatically claimed to be the Remnant (See book, Remnant Church.) yet in practice we neither truly kept the commandments of God nor possessed the living active gift of the Spirit of prophecy. We had abundant Scriptural evidence that God would again manifest His leading through the living testimony- active gift of the Spirit of prophecy, which He had promised would be one of the distinguishing features of the true Remnant Church until the close of time. (Rev. 12:17; Joel 2:28; E.W. 133-43, 279) But we had well-formulated plans that would counterwork any such manifestation. We were certain that any communications from God down in the closing work would be no more flattering than Sister White, and we did not care for any more denunciations for our wrongs. We were fully aware that where there was a genuine, Satan would multiply his counterfeits. Our policy was to single out the most glaringly spurious manifestations of the gift of prophecy and hold these up to ridicule, pointing to them as examples of any and all such manifestations. We stubbornly declared that we needed no more of the living testimony, we expected no more, and there would be no more. Therefore any further evidence of this gift in the closing work was a fraud and any whom God might choose as channels for the communication of light to His true Remnant who were to pass through the period of the plagues and endure the awful trial of the time of Jacobs trouble, were false prophets and were to be cast out, shunned, and denounced as dangerous agents of the devil. We would not venture to conduct or suggest an investigation in any instance, for we knew that there would surely be found the true and genuine messengers for God. We urged and demanded a universal rejection of the least indication of direct communication being restored between heaven and earth. We utterly ignored the plainest inspired statements: The Spirit and power of the coming One will be imparted in large measure to those who are preparing to stand in the day of God, who are hastening the second advent of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To these faithful ones Christ gives special communications. He talks with them as he talked with the disciples before leaving them. (To Brn. in Resp. Pos., Basle, Switz., 1886) Communications from heaven are made to those who will catch the first gleams of spiritual knowledge. (M.Y.P. 191). The messenger of the Lord had predicted that after her death great change would take place. (To W. C. White, Feb. 24, 1915) (This has been true both in the church and in the world.)

He knew that his time was short. Since we were now working on the side of the enemy and we had betrayed the cause of God into his hands (2 T 439-40; 5T 294), there was no department or phase of the work that did not bear the mark of our apostasy. The more sacred the feature the more thoroughly did the prince of evil weave his principles and policies into our plans and activities. We entered the field of labour. In the face of the plainest instructions form heaven warning us to have nothing to do with Labour Unions, to avoid friction and make it easy for our church members to keep their jobs, we compromised and negotiated an arrangement with labour unions that satisfied their demands and yet did not disturb our consciences as a violation of the plan Thus saith the Lord. This cowardly act involved many thousands of our church members and bound them inextricably to evil forces which became the cause of the greatest bloodshed this world had ever seen. (Letters 26, 200, 1903). Then we were brought face to face with the necessity of taking a definite position on the matter of war. We had clear instruction on this point in the Scriptures and the Spirit of prophecy. And experience had taught us much. (1 T 361-62). But we saw that a strict adherence to principle would make us appear peculiar in the eyes of the world and would involve us in a serious disagreement with the powers that be. Again we arranged for a compromise and in one bold stroke we sold the flower of our youth, the strength of our young-manhood which God had designed should be the power in His closing work, to the heartless greed and ruthless ambition of the devils masterpiece of destruction. We knew full well that no man could obey his heavenly Master while under rigid and arbitrary dictatorship of army officers who knew nothing of the fear of God and who had no sympathy for His closing work. We tried frantically to ease our consciences by arguing that our beautiful and increasingly popular Medical Cadet corps was designed to save life. But its duties included the administering of drugs, which God had condemned. And to be honest, we could see little difference between taking of life, and the care and restoration of others who had been injured in the act of taking life so they could return to their bloody post of duty. We, as professed shepherds of the Lords flock, made all arrangements with the government men and the army officials and we urged our precious young men to accept an arrangement without question. We went further. We resorted to the ever-effective weapon of ridicule, against any of these youth who might cherish and endeavour to carry out any convictions of their own contrary to our demands.

[1926 ed.]), to the extent that our ministers and workers could join the ministerial associations of the popular churches which for years have constituted Babylon, and feel perfectly at ease taking part in their association and activities. We could even swell with pride as we heard over T.V the name of our church praised as having at last taken its rightful place among these great religious bodies. (P.U. Record. 1953, Donn Thomas). As the end drew near, our activities broadened to include the smaller details of the professed work of God as well as the larger aspects. By constant effort we succeeded in exalting the organization, the machinery until, in the eyes of the workers and the membership, it was of far greater importance than the souls which it was designed to save. Like the Jewish church it had been founded by divine authority but it had experienced the same falling away (5 T 76), and we had been fearful for a long time that the power and presence of God were lacking. (5 T 210). We substituted this with an increased round of human activities and inventions which partially concealed the spiritual destitution of the church and its leaders. And we intimidated our flocks into believing that a word spoken against any abuse or corruption in the organization was as blasphemous as a word against God Himself. For this we had the example of the leaders of the Jewish church in their blind reverence for the temple. We placed the church (meaning our vaunted Laodicean organization) above Christ at every opportunity. We insisted on baptizing souls into the church instead of into Christ. We craved and strove for a doubled membership, we cared little as to whether or not our membership were converted. We required all who applied for baptism and entrance into the church to sign and accept the falsehood placed by our bold sophistry in the very heart of the pledge- that they believed the Seventh-day Adventist denomination or organization (declared by our own leaders to be the Laodicean church) was also the Remnant Church. We had the plainest statements from the Bible and the Spirit of prophecy exposing this deadly error and warning, that all Laodiceanism was doomed (R.H., Sept. 3, 1880; C.O.R. 108 [1926] ), and that the Laodiccans were the foolish virgins of Christs parable (R.H., Aug. 19, 1890), but by the suppressing truth and denouncing those who were in the light, by confusing the issue, we were surprisingly successful in keeping the people deceived and at rest in a false security until it was too late. Now we have also the blood of these souls on our garments.

How the prophecy now rings in our ears, My people have been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray(Jer. 50:6). In We could go on and on in our agonizing acall our backslidings and world policies, there knowledgment of sins and wrongs perpetuwas one thing that impressed and pleased us. ated in holy office. We could tell of our misWe noticed that in the matter of labour unions, use of Gods sacred money and of the high of war, of our relation with the medical associa- handed and deceptive means we used in extion, and of our standing with the great institu- tracting it from our membership. We could tions of learning, as time passed we were be- tell of law-suits between church members or coming more and more popular and acceptable. instigated by church leaders against the laity It was of little consequence to us that we were - all carried out of by the recommendation of obliged to lower our standards and compromise the Conference Officials. We could tell of the principle to accomplish this end. Our purpose wrath and denunciation we heaped upon any was being achieved, our ambition realized; we faithful soul who through earnest searching were finding a smoother way to heaven- a path of the Word of God and under the inspirawhere self-denial and the reproach of Christ tion of the Holy Spirit, came forth with new were greatly lessened. This made it easier to light or old, forgotten- yet much-needed light gain members and we erroneously estimated our for Gods people. We could tell of the TesSatan, who is the very best student of Bible prophecy, success and the blessings of God by this increase timonies slighted or rejected or suppressed could discern that the time was near when his hated ene- in numbers. (6 T 143). We were succeeding in so that the members of our flock could not my, the Prince of light, was to bring His work to a close. converting the church to the world (C.O.R. 150 have access to them because they exposed 21

our errors and condemned our practices. We tried to hide or excuse these atrocities but the God of heaven has uncovered our hypocrisy and we are weary of our lives. O that death might hasten and deliver us from our misery! As the work of God was about to enter its final phase we were seized with a frenzied zeal which we ourselves could not fully understand. We accepted it as the long-looked-for and much-overdue revival and reformation that we had long predicted was to be experienced within the church. In spite of our apostasy we still insisted that we were the true Remnant, we had the light, God was with us. (E.W. 241). In spite of corruption in the leadership at all levels, we persistently declared that, The law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. (Jer. 18:18). We would brook no suggestion that the Lord would or could finish His work without us and outside of the Laodicean organization, regardless of the state of backsliding to which it had come. In fact, we flattered ourselves that the church was flourishing; in typical Laodicean fashion, we congratulated ourselves for our magnificent worldwide achievements and expressed our conviction that we were always to be exalted as the church of God, that our organization was going through to the kingdom. (C.O.L. 294). So this apparent religious awakening, (E.W. 261; G.C. 464) confirmed our long-cherished hope and we threw ourselves into the spirit of this subtle and deceptive movement with all the resources at our command. People flocked to our churches. Our membership rapidly increased and we were jubilant over our success. (Isa. 2; Micah 4.) Apparently, in Gods reckoning, it was time for the last movements before the swelling of the message of the third angel into a loud cry. The forces of both good and evil had awakened and the entire population of the earth were aligning themselves on either one side or the other. The Laodicean message in its strength and purity was again being proclaimed- for the last time, to a sleeping and impenitent church. We, the ancient men, were not permitted to have a part in giving this message, for, how could we? Lukewarm Laodiceans ourselves (2T 337), how could we give a startling straight testimony to a sleeping flock when we were in the same spiritual condition as they? Those of our number, either ministers or laymen, who did become aroused to repentance and action in this true reformatory movement, we denounced, cast out, and blackened in an effort to completely destroy their influence, lest through these enlightened souls our apostasy should be unmasked. We wanted nothing in our midst that would point out or rebuke sin. (T.M. 411). But the vast majority of both leaders and members rose up against the message (5T 136), denouncing it as the work of Satan. Thus it was only a short while until the only voice of warning to be heard was coming from without the Laodicean organization. The prophecy stated those who rejected this final appeal to the church were lost sight of and left to the control of evil angels. (E.W. 270; 1T 187). So when this message had completed its work the judgment of the church was finished. They had been weighed in the balances of the sanctuary and had been found wanting. (8T 247). Only a very little company, the faithful few, had humbly accepted the message and had repented and become purified. (E.W. 270; 5T 207-16). We had tried all along to convince the church

that the large majority were to be saved but the voice form heaven testified that not many had an experimental knowledge of the conditions of eternal life. (C.O.R. 87; 1T 632). As this work progressed and we saw a power which we could neither understand nor refute accompanying the message, we became desperate. We could plainly see that the Lord had passed us by and was using agencies of His own choice in the closing work. (T.M. 106, 300; C.O.L. 296-306). Our envy and jealousy knew no bounds. God could not treat us thus! We would renew our efforts, consolidate our forces, and become more violent yet more deceptive in our opposition against those whom we could not help seeing had been chosen by God to bear the burden of the work in this solemn hour. (5T 80).

18, 1951) and enter upon a work for God, without first having received their commission from us and agreeing to follow unconditionally our directions in every detail. (T.M. 300). We held tenaciously to two great errors: First, that God would not operate through any instrumentality outside our Laodicean organization and without the authorization of its leadership; second, that every word spoken and every action taken by the leading brethren was to be accepted as from God Himself. What heresy! What deception! How well we knew that this was the great apostate principle of the Mother of Harlots! And now when we are lost and when these errors have led multitudes of our people to perdition, we are forced to acknowledge our crime which has been an insult to high heaven. So all who would not concede to this erroneous position and render unto us the homage we demanded, we disfellowshipped and indiscriminately denounced as off shoots, classing them every time with the vile and discordant element that had ever About the time that the true work of reform arisen to harass the Church of Christ. was getting under way, a rapidly-increasing number of false reformers began to enter the These troublesome off-shoots were in our thoughts field. These were possessed of another spirit day and night. Certain of them had become so well esand tended only to confuse the people, harass tablished over a period of years and had so fully partakthe true worker for God, and bring reproach en of the same spirit of worldliness, self-complacency, upon the cause of truth. They were distin- and self-righteousness that we saw very little need of guishable by their fruits. These spurious opposing them. Others who were constantly springing teachers consisted of every type of fanatic up here and there were in their teachings so glaringly and extremist imaginable, and their theories out of harmony with the principles of the Word of God and practices were fantastic beyond belief. that they were scarcely to be taken seriously. Many of No two of these deluded souls believed alike these were here today and gone tomorrow. So this and their unscriptural teachings and positions class gave us no undue cause for alarm. But there was were well calculated to shake everything a third class whose presence and activities caused us to that could be shaken, as well as to disgust tremble. We could find no fault with their lives- except many an honest soul and turn him from the floating rumours that were set into circulation by inditrue work of reform. We at once saw in this viduals whose wrong course had been rebuked by them. state of confusion an effective means for The fruit of this class bore the divine credentials- it was arousing prejudice against the work of the lit- unto holiness. (C.O.R. 44). The only grounds we could tle company who were standing in the light find for opposing or denouncing them was that they (5T 209), and of leading many to attribute all didnt come through us, they did not recognize our aureformatory activities to the work of Satan. thority nor consult us as to their work or their message. Our plan worked well. In a short time we had We could think of Bible characters who were guilty of set in motion throughout the field, propagan- this same crime. Their testimony was with power but da that spread like fire in the stubble, turning the spirit that controlled us was violently antagonistic men and women and even children bitterly to the spirit that actuated them. And, these certain indiagainst any and all who were even suspected viduals seemed to be placed strategically all over the of having any part or sympathy with those earth and the greatest marvel was that in their literature who would raise the standard and pour forth and teachings they all spoke the same things although the straight truth. We would not permit any they had not previously seen or heard of each other. of these to have a hearing for we knew that an honest investigation would uncover vital As the conflict grew fiercer we found ourselves spendtruth, which we feared. So we adopted a reg- ing more and more of our time and effort in a futile ular procedure for any who would dare lift attempt to counteract or put a stop to the work of these up their voice in rebuke of sin. We disfellow- humble souls. We could not refute their message (E.W. shipped these without a fair trial, justifying 33), so we maligned and misrepresented their motives, our action from certain man-made precepts attacked their characters, and blackened their reputain the divinely unauthorized church manual. tion. (G.C 458). We intensified our published propaganda against them (See R.H. from 1952-55) and circuThis wholesale disfellowshipping contin- lated all manner of falsehoods regarding them and their ued and increased until thousands of loyal, work. We could not tolerate such an element as this in tithe-paying, consecrated church members our midst, for their clear, simple teachings drawn dihad been cruelly cast out and disgraced by rectly from the inspired writings cut to the quick and slander and misrepresentation. Their only of- laid bare our shame. We denounced their literature and fense was that they had studied the Word of held it up to ridicule- though we could find no fault with God for themselves and had been aroused to it, except that it spoke the unvarnished truth. We even a determined effort to bring their own lives ventured so far as to assert that it was these undaunted into harmony with its teachings and to sound laborers who feared nothing but God and hated nothing a warning to their brothers and sisters in the but sin, who were hindering the work of God and were church before it should be forever too late. responsible for the delay in Christs coming. (Dr. Geo. As a warning to our membership and to in- Mcready Price, R.H., 1954). timidate them into submission and recogni- We excited prejudice and in every conceivable way tion of our supreme authority over their des- worked to convince our constituency that these peotiny in things spiritual, we publicized this ple were dangerous and what they taught was falsegreat campaign and made mention of it in the hood and rank heresy. We accused them of tearpulpit whenever it might serve our purpose. ing down the work of God, when we well knew Our effort thus to bind men was not without that the only thing they were tearing down was the effect. (T.M. 485-505). We also used the mighty bulwark of error, tradition, glorification of press to our advantage to misrepresent and men, and the feeling of false security that Satan, over denounce any who would dare to lift their a period of many years, had insidiously brought into voice against the increasing abominations in the church. It was the spirit of pride and worldlithe church (5T 210) or to follow the dictates ness that was being attacked by the cutting truths of of the Holy Spirit (R.H., July 23, 1895; Oct. the Word of God spoken by these servants of Christ. 22

The divine standard was being presented and the temple, the altar, and them that worship therein were being measured. (Rev. 11:1; 7T 219). God had given to His witnesses (Rev. 11:3), and they were beginning to prophesy in sackcloth (4T 594). His true church- the faithful souls (A.A 11), were coming into line and putting on the armour of Christs righteousness as they entered upon their final conflict. (P.K. 725). The accusations we hurled against this little company which we found scattered throughout the world are too numerous and revolting for words. Only the malignant scheming of the arch-fiend could have put such falsehoods, misrepresentations, and malicious insinuations into our minds. We were bent on destroying the influence and work- if not the lives- of these humble instruments and we cared not what means we used to accomplish our purpose. If we could not rule we would ruin. We charged them with selfishly desiring to gain a following, start some new organization in which they could occupy the highest place. (We were reminded of one in another age who was suspected by the leaders of His own church and nation of establishing a rival kingdom. He who is guilty of wrong is the first to suspect wrong. M.B 181) But we knew this to be false, for they had steadfastly refused worldly honour or position or recognition. They had declined to accept the homage even of those whom they had brought to Christ. Their oneness with their Lord and His power by which they were enabled to witness for Him, had cost- as it had the Apostle Paul- the loss of all things dear to them on earth- family, friends, home, position, reputation, and a life of comfort and ease. And it had bestowed in the place of these, sorrow, suffering, hardship, the hatred and reproach of their brethren, and an agonizing burden for the lost souls for whom Jesus lived and died. And it was yet to bring them bitter persecution, torture, and possible death. These faithful workers had no smooth message to give and no position or human honour to bestow upon those who should accept the light from heaven which they brought. They were not popular with the world nor with world-loving churches. Nor was it a vision of financial gain that inspired them for they laboured in an entirely self-supporting manner as did the great apostle to the gentiles. It was a love for the truth and for their sin-pardoning Saviour that constrained both the giver and the receiver of the message. Far from striving for a following, when the messengers saw that too much honour and attention were being focused on them they quietly withdrew to labour in another place. We had become so adept at accusing these fearless workers of criticism that in our own minds we had fully counteracted the command of God meant for this very time- Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins.(Isa. 58:1), Cause Jerusalem to know her abominations. (Ezek. 16:2). We labelled everything that did not conform to our well-outlined peace and safety message, as criticizing or condemning or accusing, and now we only expect sudden destruction. (1 Thess. 5:3). Much of what was presented pointing out our errors and apostasy was directly quoted from the Word of Inspiration and was plainly seen to be applicable to the very conditions cited. But that made no difference to us. We loved our sins and our worldly policies and we were determined to denounce any voice that might be raised against them. So, the cry of Criticizing the church! or Condemning the leaders! became the subterfuge behind which we all hid whenever the least effort was made to lead us into the light of present truth. Some of our leaders prepared sermons which they preached to the largest gatherings obtainable, demanding that more respect must be given to the ministers and leading brethren. We were fully aware that there would be no need for such an appeal if our lives and influence had been approved by the Holy Spirit. We were especially fond of bringing the charge that the Remnant Church was being called Babylon. We had a great regard for the first few pages of the book, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, which, by

cleverly misapplying and taking out of their setting as to time and circumstances (Ms. Oct. 10, 1911), we could seem to make a condemnation of the work of these true reformers in the closing work. We were deathly afraid of the remaining several hundred pages of this wonderful message written especially for us, for it repeatedly and unequivocally condemned the very sins and practices of which we were guilty and which have now caused us to be numbered among the lost. It condemned our high-handed exercise of power. (T.M. 361). Our effort to control the minds and activities of those whom God had chosen to do a work for Him (Id. 347-8). Our refusal to candidly consider new truths because they did not agree with our preconceived ideas nor come through a source pleasing to us (Id. 89-98, 105-11). It condemned our cherishing man-made theories as to how and through whom the Holy Spirit was to manifest itself in the closing work (Id. 64-5), and pointed out many other evil practices and abuses which were corrupting our ministry. And as for calling the Remnant Church Babylon, we knew very well that this was entirely contrary to the message of these people as was clearly shown in their oral and written presentations. We knew that the Scriptures and the Spirit of Prophecy show plainly that the true Remnant was an invisible number known only to God and whose names are engraved in the Lambs book of life in heaven where no man or group of men could touch them. (Rev. 10:2, 8-10; Dan. 12:1; E.W. 279). There was a time when, as with the Hebrew church, the people of God and the organization were more nearly synonymous. But that time had long since passed. We knew also that the true Remnant had renounced their own self-righteousness and had put on Christ (P.K. 725), and by faith in His indwelling presence were really keeping the commandments of God from the heart (Rev. 12:17), and that they had in their midst the gift of the Spirit of Prophecy which had been promised to the true church until it should come in the unity of the faith unto a perfect man. (Eph. 4:11-17; 1 Cor 12:10). We knew that these true reformers showed from the word of God that the Remnant were the living saints, the 144,000 who were to be translated to heaven alive at the coming of Christ. (E.W. 15). So to make the accusation that this select and holy people were being called Babylon, or a part of Babylon was not only false but also unjust. But we shudder now as we realize the true meaning and designation of the term Babylon, and of the people who compose that vast and sorrowful throng. Now that probation has closed, we see that all the world is divided into but two classes. The little and insignificant company who had the light and power of God and were sighing and crying for the abomination in the church (3T 267), and whom we tried to exterminate from the face of the earth, have stood the final test and have been sealed and marked for translation. (E.W 15). These make up the Philadelphians of prophecy (Rev. 3:713). These compose the remnant church. We, the great army of Laodiceans, who have been rejected of God and spewed out of His mouth (6T 408; C.O.R 89), did not accept the saving present truth and when the life and death test was brought upon the world (C.O.L. 412), we took the easy, popular side.(G.C. 608). Now with all our boasts, our deceptive reasoning, and our counter-charges, we find ourselves unavoidably apart of Babylon. Since we would not ally ourselves with the forces of Christ, we now find we are bound up for the burning with

all the corrupt and vile and blasphemous that compose The Great City, which is to receive the full measure of the wrath of God. Among the multitude of false accusations that we used in our attempt to dissuade these heaven-ordained workers, was the charge that they misapplied the Testimonies- took things out of their setting. We were so guilty of this wrong ourselves that we were well qualified to make the charge against others when their well-chosen and correctly-applied references from the inspired writings condemned some of our cherished sins. We knew that by the consecrated intelligent mind it could easily be discerned as to whether a statement were misapplied or taken out of its proper setting. And when the reference is given, the student may always turn and consult the context. But this malicious charge increased the prejudice against the Lords servants and turned many from the light. We also made cleverly prepared statements in our many publications classing all whose consciences and activities in religious work we could not control, as off-shoots and denouncing them one and all, as agents of Satan and as not having a high sense of honor and integrity (Beware!, in U.C. Papers), when the very articles in which we made these accusations were so glaringly full of deception and misrepresentation that it hardly seems possible that anyone could help detecting our hypocrisy. After this conflict had continued with increasing ferocity for many months these troublesome elements were becoming so numerous that they were found in nearly every church and community. All conference and church workers were warned regarding them. No distinction was made, and no effort was to be made to try the spirits (1 John 4), to see if it might not be that God was endeavouring to bring about a work of revival and reformation within the church. All who would not readily submit to he arbitrary demands of the church leaders and accept their claim to the right to interpret the word of God and dictate to all the church members as to their Christian duty, were to be disfellowshipped and denounced as off-shoots. Any word that tended to arouse the carnal slumbers of either laymen or minister was to be looked upon with suspicion and promptly dealt with as dangerous. (R.H. Nov. 7, 1918). All leaders were taught to ignore the principle that vital present truth causes dissension (T.M. 106) persecution (G.C. 48) and a sword. (Matt. 10:34) We wanted only unity in the church even if it be at the cost of compromise with the kingdom of darkness. (R.H., Apr. 19, 1906). So we took counsel and decided to prepare a small book that would cover the subject thoroughly, and to distribute this work free of charge or at a very low figure to all our leaders and people throughout the world. This booklet was purportedly to be from the pen of Ellen G. White and written for the very circumstances in which the denomination now found itself. Its purpose as clearly stated in the foreword was allegedly to prove from the inspired writings that the Seventh-day Adventist organization with headquarters at Washington D.C., always was and always would be the chosen people of God, the Remnant Church of prophecy. It was to show that the church had not lost the favour of God and would never lose it, but was destined unconditionally to go through to the kingdom, and that all who should follow the rules and regulations of the 23

leaders and should stay by the ship would triumph with her. Furthermore, it was to strike forever the death-knell for all off-shoots, of whatever brand or division they might be. So we had this book published bearing the significant title,- THE REMNANT CHURCH, by Ellen G. White. It bore the orthodox signature of the Pacific Press Publishing Association, so that the denominations which had been thoroughly warned not to accept or venture to read anything that was not produced or recommended by the Conference, would know that this was safe for their consumption. We had these little books scattered like the leaves of autumn. They went into every institution and every church. They entered many of the homes of church members. This publication met with remarkable success. Our plan worked well. Members who had begun to be aroused to study for themselves and to become alarmingly aware of their own need and the need of the church, were set at ease and lulled back to sleep in the deceptive security that the church was going through to the kingdom and all who remained with it in good and regular standing were sure of heaven. Many a soul who had been convicted of sin by the Spirit of God and who had begun to set his life and his house in order and to turn his attention and worship from man to the God who made heaven and earth, was thrown into perplexity by this masterpiece of deception.. Weak-minded and inexperienced individuals wavered, then they doubted the truth that had come to them, and finally they denied the light that had touched their hearts and had begun a work of revival and reformation in their lives. (E.W. 45). They were plunged into impenetrable darkness and became the easy prey of the enemy. All who had been convicted of their sins by the teachings of the true advocates of reform yet who were secretly looking for some avenue of escape from the reproach and self-crucifixion that true Christianity requires, grasped at this peace and safety message as the answer to their wish, quieting their consciences with the long-held error that the men in holy office must be right. (L.P. 21). After all, how could so many apparently good and honest and intelligent men be wrong and such a small, humble, and unpretentious little company be right? Now that it is too late to repent we can see clearly that the circulation of this misleading compilation of the writings of the messenger of God, was a master-stroke in apostasy under direct leadership of the prince of evil. It was our boldest effort thus far to bind the minds and souls of His precious flock in darkness and error unto their eternal destruction. (G.C. 607). Now we confess our deception with tears of burning anguish and we must answer for the great company of souls who were found unprepared when the great Judge took their names upon His lips in the final decision for eternity. We stated in our book that certain ones had gone out from us. We made the same assertion in the Review. We knew this was false. They had not gone out, they had been ruthlessly cast out because they could not be intimidated into relinquishing their God-given right of freedom of conscience, or forced to continue their worship of man in the place of the Lord of Hosts. They were forbidden, with threat of violence, even to attend the church services or other religious gatherings. They loved their brethren and their church and it caused them indescribable grief to be severed from it even if it had been done unjustly. (G.C. 376). These earnest souls who had been favored with the light of present truth had not called anyone to draw off into some new orga-

nization as we had charged. They had already seen too much of corrupt dictator organizations. They realized that this was the closing work of the third angels message and that it was going forward under the direction of the angel, contrary to any human planning (T.M. 300), and they were happy to find that God had accounted them worthy to be a part of His great divine throng as He took the reins in His own hands, in the final phase of the Advent movement. The movement was the best yet- myriads of angels with the Captain of the Lords Host in command, and having direct communication with His human agents through the gift of prophecy, and all working in perfect harmony by the Holy Spirit all over the world. The workers were no more working independently than Peter and John and Stephen and Philip and Paul were working independently. God had declaredThe Spirit is poured out upon all who will yield to its promptings, and casting off all mans machinery, his binding rules and cautious methods, they will declare the truth with the might of the Spirits power. (R.H. July 13, 1895; Oct. 18, 1951). This is what we were witnessing, but we condemned it as stubbornness, pride, and unsanctifed independence. (See E.W. 88-9) In addition to making these misrepresentations in the foreword of our book, we also used certain terms and words interchangeably in an effort to confuse the minds of the readers leading them to conclude that the Spirit of Prophecy taught that the Advent movement, the Seventh-day Adventist church organization with headquarters at Washington, D.C., and the Remnant Church, were one and the same thing and that, notwithstanding its state of apostasy and the corruptions we had brought in, the organization and all that the term implied was unconditionally destined to triumph gloriously. In this foreword we set the mold for the mind of the reader and with the aid of well worded sub-heads, led him to see in these inspired statements which we had taken out of their setting and misapplied, justification for our false theories and Satanic course of action. We were well aware that other statements by the same author could be placed beside these that we had published that would completely reverse the sentiments and conclusions of our book. Yet we knew that this inspired author did not contradict herself. The word of God is properly understood only by the aid of that Spirit by whom the word was given. After all, we were a self-declared Laodicean church which had prepared and published this little book for the purpose of silencing every vice that would dare to point out our abominations, and to prove that our theories and polices were correct and that the Laodicean church was the translation church. (R.H. Nov. 30 ,1939; Oct. 19, 1950). Since we were blind, deceived people (Rev. 3:17; 3T 253), what could be expected here but a work of deception! This was our masterpiece! The shaking or sifting of the church was finally completed. God had demanded and promised a pure church. The rebels had been purged out (T.M. 372-3), and the true people of Godso very few in number- were a united people giving the final warning with power. Here was the nucleus of the Remnant church- with membership written in heaven and known only to God. Our Laodicean church was still intact operating pompously. (5T 210; Isa. 2:6). It had united fully with the world and was multiplying its membership in the most astounding manner. (Micah 4; Isa. 2). The power and presence of God were lacking so it required no cross for a worldling to unite with the church. We congratulated ourselves for our marvelous success

and prosperity. We called it the blessing of God and flattered ourselves that at last the great revival had come. The straight testimony of the True Witness was no more heard rebuking sin and calling us to repentance. We had succeeded in silencing this voice in the church forever. We had represented to the people that the shaking, was to separate from the Laodicean organization all who were out of harmony with its spirit and practices. These were the tares and how glad we were now that with Gods help we had gotten rid of them. Now the church could prosper! But God viewed things in an entirely different light. His chosen messengers who had faithfully given the Laodicean message to His professed people had been cast out by men, but their names had been registered indelibly in the book of life. The sifting so long debated and anticipated was accomplished and we now see clearly that to be shaken out meant to be separated in Gods reckoning from the faithful souls, who from the beginning have constituted His true invisible church. (A.A. 11). To be retained in good and regular standing with our corrupt, doomed Laodicean organization meant to be shaken out from the true translation church- the Philadelphian Remnant (Rev:3:7-17). How we fought all through the closing work to convince our people that the church was going through with all those who had stayed on board the ship, and to be cast out of membership with the denomination was equivalent to having ones name blotted out of the book of life. We found this to be the most effective whip we could hold over our constituency for it drove them to any lengths of blind submission and compromise, rather than suffer the disgrace of being disfellowshipped or run the risk of losing eternal life. The involvements of our excommunications were little less than those practiced by the church of Rome. (G.C. 141) Since the destiny of our church as well as our own destiny hung on the attitude taken toward the Laodicean message, when this message had completed its work, it is evident that the church had been judged, it had sealed its destiny! We can see now that the vast majority of the church, who rose up against this solemn call to repentance and humility, did not endure the final test and they are our companions in agony as the judgments of God are falling upon our unprotected heads. The judgment of the living had been in progress while many were looking for this awfully solemn event to begin at some future time... Near the close of this period of witnessing in sackcloth (Rev. 11:3; 4T 594), a sudden and unlooked for calamity (C.O.L 412) occurred, a series of events revealing that God was master of the situation. (9T 96). Thus commenced the little time of trouble when the Holy Spirit was poured out in the latter rain before the plagues began to fall. (E.W. 33, 85-6) This catastrophic occurrence inevitably involved the proper observance of the Seventh-day Sabbath of the holy law of God. Both wise and foolish virgins (C.O.L. 406-413) both Laodiceans and Philadelphians, were brought faceto -face with death in this supreme test over the question of whether they would obey God or man. Only those who had followed on in the light and who had gained an experience with the Holy Spirit (C.O.L. 412) were able to endure the test and retain their position of loyalty to their Creator. (E.W. 33, 85-6) We saw the issue and sensed the need. We began to see how far our apostasy had carried us in opposing God and His faithful servants, but we had no power to act. (Spec. to Min., No. 7, 545) To preserve our lives and retain our positions we issued an order for our worldwide membership that, just for the emergency, all loyal Seventhday Adventists were expected to comply with the demands of their governments in regard to their attitude toward Sabbath (Saturday) observance. We persuaded ourselves that in this act we would not

24

be violating the Sabbath command, we would be but carrying out the inspired admonition to obey the powers that be. (Rom. 13:1) We had staged a preview of this terrible drama at an earlier date. This was the crowning abomination of the Ancient Men seen by the prophet before the slaughter began. (Ezek. 8:16) Then through our malice and treachery and to save our own lives we betrayed our former brethren-even our closest friends and relatives-into the hands of the State to be abused, tortured, or even put to death, for non-compliance with the laws of the land, contrary to the requirements of Jehovah. (G.C. 608-610). Thus began the days of trial and persecution for the feeble remnant. The members of the true body of Christ were drawn close together in tender sympathy and love as souls in all the religious bodies responded to the loud cry of the third angel, and came out and united with the little company who were in the light, and endured the persecution with them. (6T 401). The judgments of God were in the land, and soon in a great blaze of power and glory, the final clash between the people of God and the powers of darkness was waged and the work of salvation for guilty man was finished! Human probation was ended and WE WERE SHUT OUT! To all our bitter agonizing cries for mercy, we heard only the mournful words, Too late! TOO LATE! Soon the death decree was issued against the loyal people of God and they were plunged into the time of Jacobs trouble. Here again, we had our parts to act, like Judas, in betraying them to their enemies. (Early Visions, Doorchester, Me., Oct. 23, 1850). During this awful time of agony and trial when, like their patient Master, they were drinking of the cup and being baptized with the baptism, we stood by and joined in the mocking taunts and derisive jests that were hurled at these saints of God. But they heeded us not. Shortly, like peals of loudest thunder, the voice of God turned their captivity upon them. The little company has been conferred a power and radiance before which we cannot stand. The all-important question as to who are right and who were wrong, who have been in the light and who have not, has been forever settled. Now we can see who are accepted and loved of God, and we, who have claimed to be Jews- the true people of God- and are not (Rev. 3:9), are falling and worshipping at their feet. ( Id.; Wd. To the L. Flock 12). We have lost all for time and for eternity! To those whom we have deceived and led to perdition (G.C. 640), we are forced to make this agonizing confession, before the swords that have been whetted to destroy the saints shall fall upon our guilty heads. O that we had discerned and heeded the tender tones of the still small voice while yet there was hope! But now it is forever too late!

death. The time has come for every true servant of the living God to come into line, to manifest his faith, regardless of church membership or family ties. We can no longer plead innocence if we continue to support with our our encouragement and influence an organization that in its world-wide program is reluctant to open wide the debate on Sabbath reform based on present truth! The great tribulation coming, will be a terrible crisis unparalleled in the history of the world. Remember Waco? The Waco (Texas) Massacre of the early 90s was but a dim omen of the things which are to befall all who will stand alone in their perculiar beliefs in the coming contest. Who will brave the consequences and take a bold and fearless and uncompromising stand for present truth? Will you answer the call now and come up to the help of the Lord? Now I see that the end of all things is at hand and I want to be found ready to receive my Lord Jesus Christ when He comes...what should I do? Our Heavenly Father desires through the observance of the Sabbath to preserve among men a knowledge of himself. He desires that the Sabbath shall direct our minds to Him as the true and living God, and that, through knowing Him we may have life and peace. In the very near future we shall find that our only safety will be in the Word: To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Isaiah 8:20. That is why today the Bible must be our only infallible guide and rule. Gods word is our sole safeguard against the influence of false teachers and the delusive power of spirits of darkness that enshroud the world today. Satan can most readily control the minds of those who are unconscious of his influence. That is why the word of God gives us so many examples of his malignant work, unveiling before us his secret forces, and thus placing us on our guard against his assaults.

Who is on the Lords side?

months rather than years: And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Romans13:11-14. If you become alarmed for your own soul, if you seek God diligently, He will be found by you; but He will accept no half-hearted repentance. If you will forsake your sins, He is ever ready to forgive. Wont you just now surrender to Him? Wont you look to Calvary and inquire: Did Jesus make this sacrifice for me? Did He endure humiliation, shame, and reproach, and suffer the cruel death of the cross because He desired to save me from the sufferings of guilt and the horror of despair, and make me unspeakably happy in His kingdom? Look upon Him whom your sins have pierced, and resolve: The Lord shall have the service of my life. I will no longer unite with His enemies; I will no longer lend my influence to the rebels against His government. All I have and am is too little to devote to Him who so loved me that He gave His life for me His whole divine self for one so sinful and erring. Separate from the world, be wholly on the Lords side, press the battle to the gates, and you will win glorious victories. Will you resolve to obey Him, as of this very minute, no matter what the price for such obedience? Will you resolve to share this light with others, so that we can truly hasten our Lords second coming? Blessed is he who heeds the words of eternal life. Guided by the Spirit of truth, he will be led into all truth. Though he will not be loved, honoured, and praised by the world, yet he will be precious in the sight of heaven: Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. I John 3:1. If we find no pleasure now in the contemplation of heavenly things; if we have no interest in seeking the knowledge of God, no delight in beholding the characteristics of Christ; if holiness has no attration for us, then we may be sure that our hope of heaven is vain! Perfect conformity to the will of God is the high aim to be constantly before the Christian. He or She will love to talk of God, of Jesus, of the home of bliss and purity which Christ has prepared for them that love Him. The contempletion of these themes, when the soul feasts upon the asurances of God, the apostle represents as tasing the powers of the world to come.

That is why Satan employs every possible device to prevent men from obtaining true knowledge of the Bible, for its plain utterances reveal his deceptions. At every revival of Gods work the prince of evil is aroused to more intense activity; he is now putting forth his utmost efforts for a final struggle against Christ and His followers. If you are right with God TODAY, you are ready if The last great delusion is soon to open be- Christ should come today. Therefore, pray and confore us. Antichrist is to perform his marvelous fess all your sins to Jesus, repent before time runs works in our sight. So closely will the counter- outeach morning consecrate yourselves and your feit resemble the true that it will be impossible children to God for that day. Make no calculation for to distinguish between them except by the Holy months or years; these are not yours. One brief day Scriptures. By the Word of God every testimony, is given to you. As if it were your last day on earth, every statement and every miracle must be tested. work during its hours for the Master, who is Jesus Those who endeavour to obey all the command- Christ. Lay all your plans before God, to be carried ments of God will be opposed and derided. In out or given up, as His providence shall indicate. order to endure the trial before them, they must Our safety is in doing our work for each day as it understand the will of God as revealed in His comes, working, watching, waiting, every moment Reader, this is no fictitious confession. These word; they can honor Him only as they have a relying on the strength of Him who was dead and words with many more will soon be wrung form right conception of His character, government, who is alive again, and lives forevermore. Tell your unwilling lips by the awful weight of guilt and and purposes, and act in accordance with them. neighbours and friends about the time of tribulasense of eternal loss that will be experienced by None but those who have fortified the mind with tion that is coming, but most of all, tell them-those who, like the leaders and people of the Jew- the truths of the Bible will stand through the last ish church in Christs day, have shut their eyes to great conflict. To every soul will come the searchthe light and proudly resisted every effort of di- ing test: Shall I obey God rather than men? The vine mercy to lead them to repentance. The only decisive hour is even now at hand. Are our feet question that stands undecided is, Who will be planted on the rock of Gods immutable word? among the sorrowful throng that makes confes- Are we prepared to stand firm in defense of the sion too late, and who will humble himself unto commandments of God and the faith of Jesus? repentance while yet his sins may go beforehand Gods love for His children is seen clearly in to judgement? The faithful city has become a His revealing the future before us, so that none May Yahweh God keep you from falling. harlot, (Isa. 1:21). The fruitful field is esteemed as of us needs to be taken unprepared by surprise. and may the gracious sacrifice of Jesus Christ a forest, and Lebanon has become a fruitful field. Christs grace is all-sufficient to cleanse us from suffice for your salvation (Isa. 29:17; 32:15). The time has come for every all sin, and to fit us to withstand the impendsoul who values eternal life to take his stand fear- ing conflict, that we may be found righteous lessly and fully on the side of truth and righteous- when He appears the second time. The time for ness, even if he must stand alone in the face of this glorious desired end is measured today in 25

JESUS IS COMING AGAIN!

The truth is not changing, rather it is being revealed.

In these last days the Lord Yahweh continues to penetrate the hearts of those who would be faithful to His ever progressive new light on old truths. No matter what church organization or creed we are from, we have all been steeped in the darkness of error. For such a time as this, the Lord Yahweh is calling His own to come out of error that has manifest itself in these organized churches and creeds, that He may equip them with His present truth. He is preparing a people that can stand alone with Him, unfettered by the errors and traditions of men. This is simply the modern version, or anti-type, of the age old story of Yahweh leading His people out of the captivity of Egypt, but instead this time He is leading them into the Heavenly Promised Land. It is the Lord Gods plan to restore all of His truths to a people who are willing to stand alone. These are they who follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. (Revelation 14:4) Today, more than ever before, Yahwehs faithful believers are called upon to examine all new light with the Word of God. All can have confidence that Yahweh will lead them into all truth, as long as they are willing to be taught of Him, and remain obedient to walk in the new light. All are held accountable to the faithful Berean model, to study the Scriptures daily to see if these things are so. This means being willing to first hear the message, and secondly to compare it with rock solid Scriptural evidence. After all the evidence is gathered for and against, it must be decided upon which side lies the weight of evidence. Since the dark ages, as truth has progressed, men and women have at times been faithful to walk in new light, but usually only to a point. Once a new church was organized and a creed developed, they would stop seeking or receiving new light. This basic process has taken place over and over with each new truth. Generally, these organizations established a creed, and then built a wall around that creed to protect it from the darts of the enemy. However, in most cases this same wall has only made it nearly impossible to receive new light. Thus, we have many Protestant churches today with creeds cast in cement, with no new light considered necessary to sustain the life of their organized assemblies. Many have, as had Moses, very much to unlearn in order to learn the very lessons that they need to learn. Moses had need to be self-trained by severest mental and moral discipline, and God wrought with him before he could be fitted to train others in mind and heart. He had been instructed in the Egyptian courts. Nothing was left as unnecessary to train him to become a general of armies. The false theories of the idolatrous Egyptians had been instilled into his mind, and the influences surrounding him, and the things his eyes looked upon, could not be easily shaken off or corrected. Thus it is with many who have had a false training in any line. All the idolatrous rubbish of heathen lore must be removedbit by bit, item by itemfrom Moses mind. Jethro helped him in many things to a correct faith, as far as he himself understood. He was working upward toward the light where he could see God in singleness of heart. God Jehovah was revealed to him. This thorough intellectual training in Egypt, and as a shepherd among the mountains, in the pure air, made him a strong thinker and a strong doer of the Word of God. Many have typically believed that it is the people in the other churches who have many lessons to learn, and many more to unlearn. We

simply have not believed this also applied to us, especially doctrinally. Yet, Ellen White states over and over that she did not have all the light that was to be given especially in regards to the true Sabbath. However, since that time, we have all but dismissed her statements regarding new light to come. We have assumed that these statements specifically refer how to be a better Christian, or the correct manner in which one must faithfully keep the Sabbath holy. Many people have gone to their graves believing this. We have all been certain of this truth because Ellen White herself was given a direct revelation from Yahweh that the seventh-day is the Sabbath. As a result we have all assumed two things. The first assumption is that Saturday is the true seventh-day Sabbath. The second assumption is that any new light regarding the Sabbath would have nothing whatsoever to do with a change of the day, because that truth was previously nailed down, or so it appeared. Remember the assumptions of the ancient Hebrew people in regards to the Messiah. They assumed that the Messiah would come as a King in splendor and majesty and deliver them from their enemies. While it is true that Christ will one day come as a King, it was to be the third step, rather than the first step of the Saviours three fold ministry. It was in Jesus Christs life and death and resurrection that He fully disclosed to His faithful the first two of His three part system for the saving of souls. Even then, the third step of His three fold ministry was yet to be disclosed in is fullness, as happened in the Great Advent Awakening of 1844. Taking all things into consideration therefore, is it possible that Yahweh can give new light on a subject as only the first step toward a full disclosure, and still have it accomplish His timely purposes? Yes it is. As a result, an entire church organization sprang up over the new light of the seventh-day Sabbath, fully assuming it to be Saturday! This first step regarding the seventh-day being the Sabbath was indeed a huge revelation for its appointed time. This most assuredly accomplished a grand purpose for the Lord. However, if this was not His full disclosure to Ellen White and the S.D.A Church people, wouldnt it be considered dishonest of Him to raise up an entire denomination, only for them to discover 160 years later that they have been wrong all along? Not at all! Isnt this exactly how we raise our own children? The first time they ask where babies come from, we begin with the first step of a full disclosure by giving them only as much as they can handle at that time. Later, as they grow and mature and demonstrate a readiness to understand, then and only then is an extended revelation given. As parents we do exactly what the heavenly Father does in giving our children the second step of a full disclosure, only when they demonstrate they are ready for it. As you may recall, in the 1880s Ellen White openly challenged and chastised the growing S.D.A organization for not continuing on to follow the light and the leading of Jehovah. She stated they would have already been in the kingdom had they remained faithful. Is it possible that their lack of faithfulness in walking in the previous light may have had an impact on Yahwehs decision? Is it possible that the church simply did not meet the growing and maturing requirement for receiving the second step of new light? Do we believe the Heavenly

Father would be any less wise in educating His children than us earthly parents? Heaven forbid! In fact, it is a Scriptural principle that if we are faithful in little things, He will make us rulers of big things. This means that if we are faithful to the light He has given, growing and maturing in spiritual strength, then He will reward these faithful few with more light that will continually come in the form of step two, step three, and full disclosures. Is this not exactly what takes place in the process of sanctification? When the truth regarding Scriptures true calendar is revealed, most people will find it especially detestable, because they are more concerned with what others might think of them than in walking in the light that Yahweh has revealed to them. Peer pressure and pride will be the most difficult obstacles. However, the final step of the full disclosure is divinely designed to be a most thorough revealer of the heart. Just as in the days immediately following October, 22, 1844, when Christ did not appear, the heart of the truly sorrowful was revealed. Those who had prepared heart and soul and longed to see Christ Jesus come in the clouds and take them to their heavenly home were bitterly disappointed. Most however, who had joined the Advent Movement were not nearly as disappointed as they were embarrassed by what others might think or say. Soon these very ones ridiculed those who had been trully disappointed. Christians should be preparing for what is soon to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise, and this preparation they should make by diligently studying the word of God, and striving to conform their lives to its precepts. . . . God calls for a revival and a reformation. Prophets and Kings, p. 626. What could be a more overwhelming surprise to Seventh day Adventists than to discover that Saturday is, after all, not the true seventh-day Sabbath? What could be a more overwhelming surprise than for the whole world to discover that for the past 1700 years they have all been wondering after the beast by following through choice and action the Papal counterfeit calendar? I ask you, what could be a more overwhelming surprise? Ellen G. White Quotes to Ponder: Different periods in the history of the church have each been marked by the development of some special truth, adapted to the necessities of Gods people at that time. Every new truth has made its way against hatred and opposition. . . . The Lord gives a special truth for the people in an emergency. Who dare refuse to publish it? He commands His servants to present the last invitation of mercy to the world. They cannot remain silent, except at the peril of their souls. Christs ambassadors have nothing to do with the consequences. They must perform their duty and leave the results with God. Great Controversy, p. 609. The laws of God and the time of God were to be changed by this antichristian power . . . In the prophecy it is plainly shown that this papal power would with deliberate intention change the law of God . . . . Ellen White, Signs of the Times, 11/19/1894. I saw that God had children, who do not see and keep the Sabbath. They had not rejected the light on it. And at the commencement of the time of trouble, we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth [Hosea. 6:2, 3.] and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully. This enraged the church, and nominal Adventists, as they could not refute the Sabbath truth. And at this time, Gods chosen, all saw clearly that we had the

26

truth, and they came out and endured the persecution with us. Word to the Little Flock, p. 18.

ators calendation principles of both Genesis and Leviticus. It is in Moses record of Exodus 12; 16; and 19 that the application of Yahwehs There is no excuse for anyone in taking the posi- seven-day week is made with regards to His tion that there is no more truth to be revealed, and months and years. It is only in the restoring of that all our expositions of Scripture are without Yahwehs calendation truths to Israel at the Exoan error. The fact that certain doctrines have been dus that the full calendation picture was given. held as truth for many years by our people is not a proof that our ideas are infallible. Age will not This full disclosure presents the details of exmake error into truth, and truth can afford to be fair. actly how the Creator placed the seven-day No true doctrine will lose anything by close inves- week directly within the framework of His ortigation. Councils to Writers and Editors, p. 35. dained luni-solar calendar month at Creation. The same is true today at the closing of earths In amazement they hear the testimony that Baby- history that Yahweh is calling all of His faithlon is the church, fallen because of her errors and ful to come out of the counterfeit religions of sins, because of her rejection of the truth sent to spiritual Babylon. He is restoring to spiritual Isher from heaven. As the people go to their former rael all His Laws, statutes and calendation printeachers with eager inquiry, Are these things so? ciples, just as He did in Exodus 12, 16, and 19. The ministers present fables, prophesy smooth Our role in preparation is that we fully partake things, to soothe their fears and quiet the awak- of the bread of life, His heavenly manna, and ened conscience. But since many refuse to be stand clothed in His garments, with staff in hand. satisfied with the mere authority of men and demand a plain Thus saith the Lord, the popular It is necessary that our unity today be of a ministry, like the Pharisees of old, filled with character that will bear the test of trial. . . . We anger as their authority is questioned, will de- have many lessons to learn, and many, many nounce the message as of Satan and stir up the to unlearn. God and Heaven alone are infalsin-loving multitudes to revile and persecute lible. Those who think that they will never those who proclaim it. Great Controversy, p. 606. have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an opinion, will be disapIt is to the thirsting soul that the fountain of liv- pointed. As long as we hold to our own ideas ing waters is open. God declares: I will pour and opinions with determined persistency, we water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon cannot have the unity for which Christ prayed. the dry ground. To souls that are earnestly When a brother receives new light upon the Scripseeking for light and that accept with glad- tures, he should frankly explain his position, and ness every ray of divine illumination from His every minister should search the Scriptures with holy word, to such alone light will be given. It the spirit of candor to see if the points presented is through these souls that God will reveal that can be substantiated by the inspired word. The light and power which will lighten the whole servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle earth with His glory. Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 729. unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God In conclusion, it is imperative that none of peradventure will give them repentance to the Gods faithful become confused by the many acknowledging of the truth. 2 Timothy 2:24, 25. side issues that can be formulated to attack or undermine what is clearly and definitively written Again and again I have been shown that the in Scripture. Under the guise of being a faithful people of God in these last days could not be Berean, multiple smoke screens can be readily safe in trusting in men, and making flesh their created to muddy the truths of Scripture as they arm. The mighty cleaver of truth has taken shine forth from Gods Word purely and clearly. them out of the world as rough stones that are Ellen White defines the qualifications that to be hewed and squared and polished for the the Spirit of the Lord will use at the very end: heavenly building. They must be hewed by The laborers will be qualified rather by the unction the prophets with reproof, warning, admoniof His Spirit than by the training of literary institu- tion, and advice, that they may be fashioned tions. Men of faith and prayer will be constrained after the divine Pattern; this specified work of to go forth with holy zeal, declaring the words the Comforter --to transform heart and characwhich God gives them. Great Controversy, p. 606. ter, that men may keep the way of the Lord. Ellen White, Home Missionary, Nov. 1, 1893 Let any man or woman who determines that the In the time of the end every divine institution above revelations are false, demonstrate from is to be restored. Prophets and Kings, p. 678. Scripture alone that all of the points listed above are in error. Let all be faithful to take their stand And they that shall be of thee, shall build the upon the solid Rock of Sola Scriptura (The Bible old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foun& the Bible ONLY). dations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, the repairer of the breach, the restorer of Whether a person keeps the holy Feast days at paths to dwell in. Isaiah 58:12 their appointed times or not, does not negate the Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, time centric application they make in demonstrat- and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, ing the true luni-solar calendation principles that and many there be which go in thereat: Because rule in the heavens. The count of each Scriptural strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which month begins at New Moon and locates all the Lord leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Gods Holy appointed festivals, which according Matthew 7:13-14 to Genesis 1, Exodus 12 and 16, and Leviticus For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and 23, include His seventh-day Sabbaths as well. out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal At the close of earths history, Yahwehs faithful of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. will recognize that it was Moses who recorded Isaiah 37:32 NIV all three of these vitally important accounts in Scripture. These are they who will discover that it is the pivotal record of the Exodus that reveals the time centric key that unlocks the CreCome Lord Jesus! Amen

WHY WILL YOU DIE?

On earths busy highways the traffic is dense. The trading on Wall Street is eager and tense. The TV is blaring, The rock bands play loud To the hurrying, flurrying, scurrying crowd. Oh, moneys the object, and winnings the goal, And nobody has any time for his soul. The poor man, he envies and steals from his brother, And the rich are as busy defrauding each other. So love hides her face while self sits on the throne, And each man is occupied seeking his own, While dark clouds are threatening above them, unseen; Soon, Soon they will sweep away all the bright dreams. And far in the heavens there sounds a loud cry As wide as the earth and as high as the sky Swift on the winds the stern message is hurled, Three high-flying angels are warning the world! The storms mad approach meets their far-seeing eye And they shout out the warning to men as they fly: Come and flee to the shelter; Oh, flee while ye may; Your last precious moments are ticking away! Death threatens! Why linger here in the storms path? Soon, Soon all will drink from the cup of Gods wrath. Listen, oh listen. Hush all of the noise Silence the music Lay down your bright toys! Soon the tempest will strike with its death-dealing shock. Oh, Jesus will hide you. So please flee to the Rock! The cry floats through jungles of steel and concrete, But the earth-ears are tuned to the music beat. Their eyes on their treasures, their hearts full of sin, Their ears are so deadened by earths frantic din That few are the earthlings who lift up their eyes Or hear the loud voices that sound from the skies... Hark! Hark! Pause and listen! Have you ears that hear? The voices are urgent. The message is clear. While mercy yet lingers, respond to the cry For why will you die? Oh, why will you die?

Even So...

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Bible Prophecy in the News

! The Julian Calendar, which predates the current Gregorian Calendar by more than 1600 years, was adopted by Julius Caesar on 1 January 46 BC. It replaced the earlier and less accurate Roman Calendar. For the first time in world history, in an attempt to align the calendar with the true solar year, one day was added to the Julian Calendar in the month of February every 4 years. But the Julian Calendar year of 365 days was marginally longer than the true solar year and over time, the calendar became significantly out of step with the true solar year. The Pope, as Head of the Roman Catholic Church, had responsibility for approving the Christian calendar of the modern era. In the 16th century, Pope Gregory XIII (1502-1585) decided to resolve the problem of the Julian Calendar once and for all. Pope Gregory XIII engaged several highlyregarded astronomers including the noted Jesuit Christopher Clavius (1538-1612) to devise a new calendar to overcome the deficiencies of the Julian Calendar. On 24 February 1582, he signed a Papal bull known as Inter gravissimas authorising the new Gregorian Calendar. On 1 March 1582, the text of this historic document was displayed at the doors of St Peters in Rome and was promulgated throughout the Church and the rest of the world. The new Gregorian Calendar was proclaimed to come into effect in October 1582. At the last moment of Thursday 4 October 1582, the calendar jumped forward to Friday 15 October 1582 with the world losing 10 days forever. This adjustment corrected sixteen centuries of progressively inaccurate time keeping. Pope Gregory XIII also introduced a major reform to the leap year rule. Instead of routinely adding a day at the end of February every 4 years, leap years would NOT occur in centesimal years, such as 1700, 1800, 1900 unless those years were divisible by 400. Under this new arrangement, 2000 and 2400 would be leap years but 2100, 2200 and 2300 would not qualify as leap years. This ensured that the Gregorian Calendar and the true solar year remained virtually identical, with the Gregorian Calendar moving ahead of the true solar year by 25.96 seconds a year or only 1 day every 3327 years. Not all countries adopted the Gregorian Calendar immediately. It took until 1752 for the Gregorian Calendar to be adopted by England and the American colonies. Sweden followed a year later. Germany did not change completely until 1775. A congress of eastern Orthodox churches finally agreed to the Gregorian Calendar in 1923 and on 1 October 1949, the new Chinese ruler Mao Zedong (18931976) announced that China would forthwith adopt the Gregorian Calendar. It therefore took 367 years after the commencement of the modern calendar for it to be agreed to by the whole world. The Gregorian Calendar has had its limitations for over 400 years. Every year, a new calendar is required because days of the week change annually over the 28-year cycle of the current calendar. Every year, festive seasons, public holidays and school holidays are held at variable times to coincide with the ever-changing calendar. Other celebrations such as holy days - including Christmas Day - are held on different days of the week from one year to the next. The problem arises because each year of the current Gregorian Calendar comprises 52 weeks and one day (365 days), or 52 weeks and 2 days in a leap year (366 days). The extra day forces the entire calendar to change by one day in the following year, or by 2 days in the year following a leap year.

RED ALERT

! New Years Eve - between Saturday 30 December and Sunday 1 January. This would bring the total number of days in each Benedictine Calendar year to 365, which is the same as the standard non-leap year in the current Gregorian Calendar. New Years Eve would always fall over a weekend and would always be a public holiday. A Leap Year would still occur every 4 years and the extra day would fall between Saturday June 30 and Sunday 1 July in the Benedictine Perpetual Calendar. It would also be a public holiday. New Years Eve and the quadrennial Leap Year Day would not be allocated to a specific day of the week but would be designated for official and all other legal purposes as 31 December and 31 June respectively. Pope Benedict XVI, who is the 265th head of the Roman Catholic Church, now has an opportunity to adopt the Benedictine Perpetual Calendar - the first review of our modern day calendar in more than 400 years since Pope Gregory XIII authorised the current Gregorian Calendar. Pope Benedict XVI, who is an accomplished scholar of theology, could go down in world history as the reformer of the modern calendar - the spiritual leader who brought common sense to the current calendar of confusion. As in 1582, the authority of the Pope is all that is needed to make the Benedictine Perpetual Calendar a reality. THE CONTROVERSY UNFOLDS The subject regarding Pope Benedict and the new Benedictine World Calendar is of paramount importance, because it is an identical repeat of what happened 1938. In the description of The World Calendar, an extra day each year is spoken of. This extra day stands alone and is not placed on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc., but is placed between the last day (Saturday) of each year and the first day (Sunday) of the following year. This will have a direct impact on all who hold a Saturday or a Sunday to be an ordained Holy Sabbath day. The first whole year that The World Calendar is in place nothing will be different. However, in the 2nd year, what in previous years had been Saturday followed by Sunday will now be Friday followed by Saturday on this new calendar. The next year what was once a Saturday Sabbath is now on Thursday, then the next year it is Wednesday, then the next Tuesday. Then there is a skip because a leap year day is inserted every four years following the last day of June. Now what was once the Saturday Sabbath is on Sunday. This will create utter chaos within all churches as they struggle over when to hold church worship. As the final rapid movements of the great controversy unfold, with regard to the coming Sunday laws, which will be disguised beneath a cloak of calendar reform and enforced by civil law, will Sabbath keepers seek to remain faithful to God by keeping the true original Sabbath holy, according to the luni-solar calendar or will they go along with the whole world in order to keep their jobs and feed their families? Seventh-day Adventists were shocked in 1938 by this same World Calendar Associations agenda to promote this controversial calendar. The reason this is so critical for Seventh-day Adventists and truth seekers of all denominations, is that key to correct calendar reckoning and to the correct seventh-day Sabbath lies in the original luni-solar calendar. Yahweh is truly waking up His people with the light of His truth. It may be that in the near future, your choice of calendar will determine your eternal destiny!

A NEW WORLD CALENDAR?

What an enormous benefit there would be for the whole world if an unchanging, perpetual calendar could be adopted which would fix all days, weeks and months in such a way that they would NEVER change. New Years Day would always be on a Sunday, Christmas Day would always be on a Monday and all other dates and anniversaries would be fixed in perpetuity. Persons married on a Saturday would celebrate their anniversary on a Saturday for the rest of their lives. The United States Presidential election would always be held on Tuesday, 7 November every 4 years. This would still comply with the U.S. Constitutional requirement for it to be held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. Tuesday, 7 November would also be the fixed date for holding the Melbourne Cup in Australia every year - the greatest horse race in the southern hemisphere. Churches, schools, universities, employers, workers, commerce, industry and every other form of human endeavour throughout the world could confidently plan ahead many years in advance, with the certainty of an absolutely fixed calendar. People would have to buy only one calendar which would last a lifetime! Statement from The Benedictine Perpetual Calender Movement. On 21 October 1930, Elisabeth Achelis (18801973) founded a movement in the United States to promote a new world calendar. The proposal was considered by the United Nations after World War II but the idea was officially torpedoed by the United States on 21 March 1955 in a memorandum forwarded to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Benedictine Perpetual Calendar, with a possible launch date of January 2012, is now being promoted by Councillor Paul Tully of Ipswich, Australia in his capacity as Convenor of the BENEDICTINE PERPETUAL CALENDAR MOVEMENT. His proposed calendar retains the key essential features of the current Gregorian Calendar. As with the naming convention for the Gregorian Calendar, the Benedictine Perpetual Calendar is named after the current Pontiff Pope Benedict XVI (1927- ) who has the power and authority to oversee its introduction. A letter was sent to Pope Benedict XVI on 30 December 2005 requesting him to give consideration to the introduction of the Benedictine Perpetual Calendar with effect from 1 January 2012. A copy of the letter is reproduced on the next page of this publication. The Benedictine Perpetual Calendar has 12 months based on 4 identical quarters comprising 31, 30 and 30 days with each quarter commencing on a Sunday. Therefore, each quarter has 91 days with the total number of days in the 4 quarters being 364. There would be an extra day - a public holiday to be known officially as

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COPY OF A LETTER SENT TO POPE BENEDICT XVI ON 30 DECEMBER 2005: BENEDICTINE PERPETUAL CALENDAR MOVEMENT PO BOX 1 GOODNA QLD 4300 AUSTRALIA His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI VATICAN CITY STATE 00120 Your Holiness PROPOSAL TO REPLACE THE GREGORIAN CALENDAR OF 1582 I am writing in my capacity as Convenor of the newly-formed Benedictine Perpetual Calendar Movement to seek your earnest consideration of a new perpetual calendar which is intended to replace the Gregorian Calendar approved by your predecessor Pope Gregory XIII, 423 years ago in 1582. The dream of a new calendar was first espoused by Ms Elisabeth ACHELIS in New York in 1930 who spent most of her adult life promoting a new fixed calendar. It was even considered by the United Nations and, I understand, had support from the Vatican. However, the proposal for a new calendar has not been seriously considered since 1955. The Benedictine Perpetual Calendar is intended to replace the current calendar of 365 days or 52 weeks and 1 day. It is this extra day which forces every date on the calendar to be adjusted forward by one day in the following year, or 2 days in the year following a leap year. The current Gregorian calendar is based on a 28-year cycle which is confusing, costly and inappropriate for the modern world. The proposed Benedictine Perpetual Calendar - a copy of which is enclosed - is as simple as it would be beneficial to the people of the world. As with the Gregorian Calendar of 1582, its name honours the Pontiff who can make it a reality. A copy of the relevant internet website material seeking this reform of the current Gregorian calendar is also enclosed. As the name implies, the Benedictine Perpetual Calendar would be fixed in perpetuity, with each date falling on the same day every year. This is achieved by officially recognising New Years Eve as the day after the last day in December. It would not be assigned to a particular day of the week, thus fixing all of the other 364 days for all time. In leap years, an extra day would be similarly added at the end of June. Each quarter and each year of the Benedictine Perpetual Calendar would be identical. New Years Day would always be on a Sunday and Christmas Day would always be on a Monday. Churches, schools, universities, employers, workers, commerce and industry could confidently plan ahead many years in advance, with the certainty of an absolutely fixed calendar. To ensure an orderly transition from the Gregorian Calendar, the Benedictine Perpetual Calendar (which commences on a Sunday) should come into effect in a Gregorian Calendar Year which also commences on a Sunday. During the next 3 decades, the years 2012, 2017, 2023 and 2034 will all qualify as possible commencing years for the Benedictine Perpetual Calendar. In your revered position as the 265th head of the Roman Catholic Church, I am asking you to review the current calendar for the first time in more than 400 years. I trust that you will realise the simplicity of the proposal and the enormous benefits which would flow worldwide from its timely introduction and that favourable consideration will be given to the proposed new calendar with a view to its universal introduction on (Sunday) 1 January 2012. Yours sincerely PAUL TULLY, LLB JP (Qual) CONVENOR BENEDICTINE PERPETUAL CALENDAR MOVEMENT

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ONE WORLD ONE CALENDAR

WARN THE PEOPLE! ! BEHOLD,AN IMAGE OF THE BEAST
!
Fearful is the issue to which the world is to be brought. The powers of earth, uniting to war against the commandments of God, will decree that all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond; shall conform to the customs of the church by the observance of the false sabbath. On the other hand, the law of God enjoining the Creators rest day demands obedience and threatens wrath against all who transgress its precepts.

Could it be that the Sunday Law will come disguised as calendar reform?

THE WORLD CALENDAR

JANUARY
S 1 8 15 22 M 2 9 16 T 3 10 17 W 4 11 18 T 5 12 19 F 6 13 S 7 14 5 12 19 26 6 13 20 27 7 S

PROPOSED BENEDICTINE PERPETUAL CALENDAR

FEBRUARY
M T W 1 8 T 2 9 16 23 F 3 10 S 4 11 3 10 4 S

MARCH
M T W T F 1 5 12 6 13 7 14 8 15 S 2 9 16

THE WOR DESC

20 2 1

14 15 21 22

17 1 8 24 25

11

23 24 25 31

26 27 28

17 18 24

19 20

2 1 22 2 3 28 29 30

29 30

28 29 30

25 26 2 7

S 1 8 15 22

M 2 9 16

APRI L
T 3 10 17 W 4 11 18 T 5 12 19

F 6 13

S 7 14

MAY
W 1

T 2 9

F 3 10

S 4 11

JUNE
T W T

F 1

S 2 9 16

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

3 10

4 11

7 14

8 15

20 2 1

14 15 21 22

16 23

17 1 8 24 25

12 13 19 20

23 24 25 31

26 27 28

17 18 24

2 1 22 2 3 28 29 30 W

2 9 30

28 29 30

25 26 2 7

JULY
S 1 8 15 22 M 2 9 16 T 3 10 17 W 4 11 18 T 5 12 19 F 6 13 S 7 14 5 12 19 26 S

AUGUST
M T W 1 6 13 20 27 7 8 T 2 9 16 23 F 3 10 S 4 11

SEPTEMBER
S M T W T F 1 3 10 4 11 5 6 7 14 8 15 S 2 9 16

20 2 1

14 15 21 22

17 1 8 24 25

12 13 19 20

23 24 25 31

26 27 28

17 18 24

2 1 22 2 3 28 29 30

THE THEWORLD WORLDCALENDAR CALENDAR

S 1 8 15 22

2 9 30

JANUARY JANUARY
S 1 8 M 2 9 M 2 T 3 3 4 4 5

W T F S T W T F S

S
6

FEBRUARY OCTOBER FEBRUARY

M 2 9
S S

T 3

T W 7 4

W 1

W 1 8

7 5 12 19 26 5 6 6 7

2 9

TT

F 3

S 4

FS
4

SS 73
3

THE THEWORLD WORLDCALENDAR CALENDAR DESCRIPTION: DESCRIPTION: MARCH NOVEMBER DECEMBER MARCH InIn this improved calendar every year isis the same. this improved calendar every year the same.
M T W T F S T W T F S

28 29 30

25 26 2 7

In this improved ca The quarters are 91 days, 13 week The four quarter ordered variation The three month respectively Each month has 2 Each year begins each working yea Each quarter beg Saturday. The calendar is s by ending the yea 30 December eac dated W, which called Worldsday Leapyear Day is the second quarte which equals 31 J another world ho

S
6

1 7 7

M
1 8

2 9

W 1 8

2 9

10 11 12 13 14 9 10 11 12 13 14

16 17 18 19 20 2 1 15 16 17 18 19 20 2 1 23 24 25 2 6 2 7 2 8 22 23 24 25 2 6 2 7 2 8

13 14 15 16 17 1 8 12 13 14 15 16 17 1 8

59

10

11 10 11

10

11 12 13 14 15 16 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

20 21 22 23 24 25 17 18 19 20 2 1 22 2 3 10 13 5 21 6 19 20 11 21 2212 23 24 25 14 17 18 19 20 22 2 3 7 27 28 29 30 26 27 28 29 30 24

2 9 3 0 31 2 9 3 0 31

15
W 4 T 5

16

17

18

19

20 2 1

25 26 2 7 28 29 30 24 25 26 2 7 28 29 30

12

13

14 15 22

CALENDAR
MARCH
T W T T 2 9 16 23 F 3 10 S 4 11 S M F

S 1 8

S 1 8

M 2 9

M 2

APRI LL APRI T W T F
T 3 3 4 5 6

10 11 12 13 14 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 22

16 17 18 19 20 2 1 15 16 17 18 19 20 2 1 23 24 25 2 6 2 7 2 8 22 23 24 25 2 6 2 7 2 8

ARY

THE WORLD CALENDAR 2 9 30 31 26 27 28 29 DESCRIPTION:

6 7 7 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 1 1 2 2 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 10 11 9 10 11 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 12 13 14 15 16 17 1 8 12 13 14 15 16 17 1 8 20 21 22 23 24 25 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 19 17 18 19 20 2 1 22 2 3 17 18 19 20 2 1 22 2 3

S 24 M 22F S 23 S S M 25 T

MAY MAY T W T F
W

S7 S8 M 26 2 2 T F S S

JUNE JUNE T W T F
T

19 W

S 21 20 F S

17 1 8 24 25

30

T 2 9

F 3 10

S 4 11

16 23

17 1 8 24 25

30

UST
T 2 9 16 23 F 3 10 S 4 11

17 1 8 24 25

30

26 27 28 calendar 29 30 24 25 26 2 7is 28 29 same. 30 W In this improved every year the 26 27 28 29 30 24 25 26 2 7 28 29 30 W The quarters are equal: each has exactly 1 2 91 days, 13 weeks or 3 months. 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M Tform W T with F S an S M T W T F S S M T W are T F identical S 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 The four quarters in 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 1 2 17 18 19 20 2 1 22 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 within 2 3 4 the three months. 1 2 ordered variation 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 8 9 10 11 13 14 6 7 8 have 9 10 31,30, 11 3 4 5 days 6 7 8 9 12 The three5 months 30 15 16 17 18 19 20 2 1 12 13 14 15 16 17 1 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 15 16 17 18 19 20 2 1 12 13 14 15 16 17 1 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 respectively 22 23 24 25 2 6 2 7 2 8 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 17 18 19 20 2 1 22 2 3 22 23 24 25 2 6 2 7 2 8 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 17 18 19 20 2 1 22 2 3 JUNE Each month has 26 weekdays, plus Sundays. 26 27 28 29 30 24 25 26 2 7 28 29 30 S M T W T F S 2 9 3 0 31 26 27 28 29 30 2 9 3 0 31 24 25 26 2 7 28 29 30 Each year begins on Sunday, 1 January; 1 2 each working year begins on Monday, 2 January Gregorian : : calendar leap year calculations also apply to to The World Calendar 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Gregorian calendar leap year calculations also apply The World Calendar OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER Years evenly divisible byby 4 are leap years with exception that centennial years S M Tbegins W T Fon S Sunday, S M T W T Each F S S M Tends W T on F S quarter Years evenly divisible 4 are leap years with exception that centennial years 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 S M T W T F S S M T W T F S S M T W T F S (those ending in in -00) are not leap years unless also evenly divisible byby 400. (those ending -00) are not leap years unless also evenly divisible 400. 6 7 1 2 3 4 1 2 17 18 19 20 2 1 22 2 3 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 Saturday. 5 6 7 1 2 3 4 1 2 11 12 The 13 14 calendar 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 3 4 5 6 perpetual 7 8 9 The World Calendar and The World Calendar Description are copyrighted by 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 8W8 9 910 10 11 12 13 14 5 6 is 7 stabilized 10 11 and 3 made 4 5 6 7 8 9 The World Calendar together and The World Calendar copyrighted by will *Take Note: According to 8 the9 prophecy in Revelation 13:11-18, this World Calendar with all its Description religiousare observances, The World Calendar Association - International, which encourages all sharing of the 15 16 17 18 19 by 20 2 1 10 11 12 day 13 14 15 16 12 13 14 year 15 16 with 17 1 8 The World Calendar Association - International, which encourages all sharing of the ending 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 12 the 13 14 15 16 17 1a 8 365th 10 11 12 13 following 14 15 16 be enforced by LAW, and the United States of America will be foremost in implementing it. This act is what the prophecy idea and conversion to it as early as 1 January 2012 . Use freely and shareterms widely, worbut idea and conversion to it as early as 1 January 2012. Use freely and share widely, but 23 24 25 2 6 2 7 2 8 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 17 18 19 20 2 1 22 2 3 30 December each year. additional day 23 24 25 2 6 27 28 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 This 17 18 19 20 2 1 22 2 3 is ANY ALTERATION TO CONTENT REQUIRES THAT THE RESULTS BE CALLED BY ANOTHER NAME. SEPTEMBER 22 22 shiping the image of the beast. In direct and open rebellion against God and His Commandments, it sets the tone for Sunday/Saturday ANY ALTERATION TO CONTENT REQUIRES THAT THE RESULTS BE CALLED BY ANOTHER NAME. W 2 9 3 0 31 26 27 28 29 30 24 25 26 2 7 28 29 30 S M T W T F S 2 9 3 0 31 26 which 27 28 29 30 24 25 26 2 7 28and 29 30 W dated W, equals December, SHOULDNT OUR CALENDAR BE AS SIMPLE OUR CLOCK? sacredness, while at the 31 same time it tramples upon the divinely appointed Seventh Day Sabbath ofAS the Creator. SHOULDNT OUR CALENDAR BE AS SIMPLE AS OUR CLOCK? 1 2 called Worldsday, a year-end world holiday. w w w. T h e Wo rldC alen d a r. org When this rebellion becomes universal, and the powers that be shall begin to persecute those who will not w w w. T h e Wo rld Cale n d oblidge a r. o r g to their demands, 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 12 January 2010 Source: www.TheWorldCalendar.org/1.htm Leapyear Day is similarly added the end of wrath of Jehovah God upon the earth and its dwellers... Rev. Rev. 12 January 2010 this abomination is what will at bring the divine Source: www.TheWorldCalendar.org/1.htm 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 the second quarter. It is likewise dated W, 17 18 19 20 2 1 22 2 3 which equals 31 June, and called Leapyear Day, 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 30 another world holiday in leap years. 3 0 31 S 2929 3 0 31

F S S M T W T F S T The quarters are equal: each has exactly The quarters are equal: each has exactly 91 days, 13 weeks or 3 months. 2 91 3 days, 4 13 weeks or 3 months. 1 2 The four quarters are identical inin form with an The four quarters are identical form with an variation the three 3 within 4 5 6three 7months. 8 9 9ordered 10 11 ordered variation within the months. The World Calendar and Th The three months have 31,30, 30 days The three months have 31,30, 30 days The World Calendar Association 16 17 1 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 respectively respectively idea and conversion to it as early Each month has 26 weekdays, plus Sundays. month has plus Sundays. 17 26 18weekdays, 19 20 2 1 22 23 23 Each 24 25 Each year begins on Sunday, 11 January; ANY ALTERATION TO CONTENT REQ Each year begins on Sunday, January; each working year begins on 22 January W 30 24 25 26 2Monday, 7Monday, 28 29 30 each working year begins on January SHOULDNT OUR CA Each quarter begins on Sunday, ends on Each quarter begins on Sunday, ends on Saturday. Saturday. w w w. T h e The calendar isis stabilized and made perpetual The calendar stabilized and made perpetual by ending the year with aa 365th day following Source: www.TheWorldCalendar.org/1.htm by ending the year with 365th day following 30 December each year. additional day isis 30 December each year.This This additional day dated W, which equals 31 December, and dated W, which equals 31 December, and called Worldsday, aa year-end world holiday. called Worldsday, year-end world holiday. Leapyear Day is similarly added at the end of Leapyear Day is similarly added at the end of the second quarter. It is likewise dated W, the second quarter. It is likewise dated W, which equals 31 June, and called Leapyear Day, which equals 31 June, and called Leapyear Day, another world holiday in leap years. another world holiday in leap years.

Gregorian calendar leap year Years evenly divisible by 4 ar (those ending in -00) are no

Gregorian calendar leap year calculations also apply to The World Calendar:

FROM NEW MOON UNTO NEW MOON

LIFT UP THE TRUMPET IN ZION! ! ENDORSE SABBATH/CALENDAR REFORM

! HOW YOU CAN HELP: Petition your Local Church to open wide the debate on the Biblical Luni-solar calendar before an official position of the corporate Church concerning the same is made on your behalf. Although we discourage separation from the corporate body of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, an official standing of the representative General Conference of SDAs on the subject will determine whether or not separation is warranted or infact neccesary. Your destiny is in your hands!!!

*For the benefit of those who may find it daunting to reconcile the luni-solar calendar to their current reckoning of time, and for reference sake alone, the 9th of Sivan(Feast day of Pentecost), which according to the luni-solar calendar is the first day of that week, corresponds to the 22nd of June 2010(Tuesday) on the Gregorian Calendar.

May you find peace, blessing and joy in worshiping Yahweh God according to His own calendar. May your Sabbaths bring you fulfillment and true rest from your labours. In Jesus Name. Amen

31

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! S U N S T U S C O T U S E C T U P S E C F S T O S U P S E A W C O M T S P E R CTU O S P P E R C O S ible THE PANORA NO P P E E R O S B P S P EP R OS R S P E c R N O U i R S E R School of Bible Prophecy O U p R S O P E C O I E U R SE C O U y T R S C Y O U c R A An C C O E e COU R H P h C T O R S p I P o G r E P R eW ON! NO Nl REGISTRA b iTIO
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Welcome The Tribulation Times Ministry School of Bible Prophecy The Panorama of Prophecy Bible Study Course How Do I Do The Course? Our Mission & Philosophy

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