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#Post#: 116--------------------------------------------------
Jon
By: guest5 Date: August 5, 2018, 7:09 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Hey, I’m Jon. I came from Theology Forums (y’all should check
them out too). I’m Christian, i’m From Mississippi. I like
fishing and hunting. I actually dabble in several hobbies, so
the odds are that you and I have at least SOMETHING in common.
I’m a beginner at theology, and i’m Not at the depths of the
rabbit hole in conspiracies YET. I’m a pretty friendly guy, that
likes to try and get along with everybody that I can. Also, i’m
Not afraid to be wrong about something lol, so feel free to
point me out, I don’t mind learning.
Research Jesus Christ and then Research Flat Earth - Join My
Flat Earth Forums Free :
HTML https://3169.createaforum.com/index.php
Enoch and The Flat Earth - Biblical Cosmology
Must hear the first 4 minutes - Must See the last 3 minutes !!!
7 minutes
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3uDtxpJgHo
[glow=red,2,300]Theology Forums :[/glow]
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Google :
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Hearing, believing and trusting the finished work of Jesus
Christ on the cross; His death, burial and resurrection, the
gospel of our salvation, seals us with that Holy Spirit of
Promise. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise. 2 Peter
3:9 KJV - 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV - Ephesians 1:10-14 KJV -
Romans 10:9-10 KJV - Romans 10:13 - Romans 10:17 - Ephesians 1:7
KJV - Colossians 1:14 KJV -
#Post#: 122--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jon
By: joechan82 Date: August 5, 2018, 10:15 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
I'm Joe and I'm a forum-oholic. I am in FA. It really works. I
go on forums, but I use a different name. When I worked in the
prison system (on staff, if you please) I had to introduce new
inmates to Federal Prison Industries. The AA and NA (Narcotics
Anonymous) representative usually followed me. As I closed my
bit, I told the inmates to really listen to the AA/NA guy. I
said, "It really works. I still drink, but now I use a different
name." It is an old Rodney Dangerfield joke. The AA/NA rep was
highly ticked off. I was just trying to be funny. I have learned
that not all people appreciate humor. As my youngest daughter
once said, "Dark humor is not everybody's pot of boiling
puppies."
#Post#: 136--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jon
By: guest5 Date: August 6, 2018, 4:40 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=joechan82 link=topic=23.msg122#msg122
date=1533525330]
I'm Joe and I'm a forum-oholic. I am in FA. It really works. I
go on forums, but I use a different name. When I worked in the
prison system (on staff, if you please) I had to introduce new
inmates to Federal Prison Industries. The AA and NA (Narcotics
Anonymous) representative usually followed me. As I closed my
bit, I told the inmates to really listen to the AA/NA guy. I
said, "It really works. I still drink, but now I use a different
name." It is an old Rodney Dangerfield joke. The AA/NA rep was
highly ticked off. I was just trying to be funny. I have learned
that not all people appreciate humor. As my youngest daughter
once said, "Dark humor is not everybody's pot of boiling
puppies."
[/quote]
Haha, i’m Gonna have to talk to you more everywhere I go now!
You quoted Dangerfield, heck yeah! I’m pretty much always
laughing at something or thinking of a joke (usually dumb ones).
Also, If you can’t appreciate inappropriately timed dark humor,
you can’t appreciate a blind headsman with an anger disorder.
(Yeah, that’s a dud... lol)
#Post#: 138--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jon
By: patrick jane Date: August 6, 2018, 6:17 am
---------------------------------------------------------
We can give each other Karma !!! I'll let you guys find it.
#Post#: 139--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jon
By: guest5 Date: August 6, 2018, 7:01 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=patrick jane link=topic=23.msg138#msg138
date=1533554257]
We can give each other Karma !!! I'll let you guys find it.
[/quote]
Found it! I’m not sure what it does though lol
#Post#: 148--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jon
By: joechan82 Date: August 6, 2018, 4:53 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
I think karma allows us to rate posters with an up or down vote.
#Post#: 1084--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jon
By: patrick jane Date: September 22, 2018, 8:32 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=joechan82 link=topic=23.msg122#msg122
date=1533525330]
I'm Joe and I'm a forum-oholic. I am in FA. It really works. I
go on forums, but I use a different name. When I worked in the
prison system (on staff, if you please) I had to introduce new
inmates to Federal Prison Industries. The AA and NA (Narcotics
Anonymous) representative usually followed me. As I closed my
bit, I told the inmates to really listen to the AA/NA guy. I
said, "It really works. I still drink, but now I use a different
name." It is an old Rodney Dangerfield joke. The AA/NA rep was
highly ticked off. I was just trying to be funny. I have learned
that not all people appreciate humor. As my youngest daughter
once said, "Dark humor is not everybody's pot of boiling
puppies."
[/quote]Wow, i missed this or forgot. You went from being a
Forum - o - holic to hating forums in no time. Was it something
I said? Did somebody hurt your feelings? Hey, I won't ask you to
help me with anything here and I don't need money so just post a
little and get back in the groove brother.
#Post#: 1093--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jon
By: guest13 Date: September 22, 2018, 2:23 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=joechan82 link=topic=23.msg122#msg122
date=1533525330]
I'm Joe and I'm a forum-oholic. I am in FA. It really works. I
go on forums, but I use a different name. When I worked in the
prison system (on staff, if you please) I had to introduce new
inmates to Federal Prison Industries. The AA and NA (Narcotics
Anonymous) representative usually followed me. As I closed my
bit, I told the inmates to really listen to the AA/NA guy. I
said, "It really works. I still drink, but now I use a different
name." It is an old Rodney Dangerfield joke. The AA/NA rep was
highly ticked off. I was just trying to be funny. I have learned
that not all people appreciate humor. As my youngest daughter
once said, "Dark humor is not everybody's pot of boiling
puppies."
[/quote]
Bunnies ... boiling bunnies.
---------------------------------> Jinkx appreciates dark humor.
#Post#: 1103--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jon
By: guest5 Date: September 22, 2018, 7:50 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=Jinkx link=topic=23.msg1093#msg1093
date=1537644234]
[quote author=joechan82 link=topic=23.msg122#msg122
date=1533525330]
I'm Joe and I'm a forum-oholic. I am in FA. It really works. I
go on forums, but I use a different name. When I worked in the
prison system (on staff, if you please) I had to introduce new
inmates to Federal Prison Industries. The AA and NA (Narcotics
Anonymous) representative usually followed me. As I closed my
bit, I told the inmates to really listen to the AA/NA guy. I
said, "It really works. I still drink, but now I use a different
name." It is an old Rodney Dangerfield joke. The AA/NA rep was
highly ticked off. I was just trying to be funny. I have learned
that not all people appreciate humor. As my youngest daughter
once said, "Dark humor is not everybody's pot of boiling
puppies."
[/quote]
Bunnies ... boiling bunnies.
---------------------------------> Jinkx appreciates dark humor.
[/quote]
I would have said kittens, but as a cat owner I know nobody
likes kittens...
#Post#: 2435--------------------------------------------------
Re: Jon
By: patrick jane Date: November 22, 2018, 8:12 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
NO ONE KNOWS THE DAY OR THE HOUR?
At the Time of the End, the wise shall understand. Dan 12:10
Understanding the expression "No man knows the day or hour" is
not possible
by simply taking the English translation literally, because in
the book of
Daniel and the Book of Revelation, we are given EXACT
descriptions of
timing, relative to KEY events - such as the shutting down of
the altar
sacrifices in Jerusalem at the MID-POINT of the 70th week. Dan
9:27
Jesus was asked, "When shall these things be?" Matt 24:3
His answer ties us in to a very specific event (The Abomination
of
Desolation) which can be measured on our calendars: "When you
therefore
shall see the Abomination Of Desolation, spoken of by Daniel the
prophet,
stand in the holy place, (whoever reads, let him
understand:)..." Matt 24:15.
It is now clear that "no man knows the day or hour" does NOT
mean "no man
knows the day or hour" as we read it from a modern-day English
perspective.
>From his book "Signs In the Heavens" by Avi Ben Mordechai, he
devotes a
chapter to explaining what "no man knows the day or hour" truly
means from
a rabbinical Hebraic perspective. It is a figure of speech.
The following chapter contains edited excerpts from Avi Ben
Mordechai's
commentaries and builds on them aiming to explain that the Holy
Bible does
in fact reveal the "day and hour" or "exact timing" of our
Lord's Return.
No One Knows the Day or the Hour?
Christians over the centuries have separated themselves from
their Hebraic
roots causing the misunderstanding of key Jewish biblical
idioms. An idiom
is also a figure of speech. When Y'shua (Jesus) uttered His
famous words
concerning the Messianic Era in Mattityahu (Matthew) 24:26,
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in
Heaven, nor the Son, but
only the Father", He used a common Jewish figure of speech
referring to a
specific Jewish Festival. In essence He was saying, "I am coming
for My
Bride on such and such a day! Be watching!" What day could the
Jewish idiom
be referring to? Keep reading!
HEBRAIC ROOTS
Y'shua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah) was Jewish and lived a
Torah-observant Jewish life. Evidence suggests that He
communicated to His
audience in the Hebrew language, in Hebraic ways. What does it
mean to
communicate in Hebraic ways?
It means to think and talk like a Jew. In Y'shua's day it meant
to speak in the language and idioms of the day.
Those who heard the Lord speak knew what He was saying and
usually what He was
alluding to unless He was speaking in parables, which had their
own
analogies. Of course, today's generation of believers struggles
to
understand His words and concepts.
Speaking, thinking and acting like the
Jewish Rabbi He was helped His mission in bringing the gospel
message to
"the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt 15:24).
Y'shua was quoted in Mattityahu (Matthew) 8:11 as saying: "I say
to you
that many will come from the east and the west, and will take
their places
at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of
Heaven".
Since we are talking about Jewish idioms, have you ever
considered the meaning of
these words? Specifically, our Lord used and confirmed common
Jewish ideas
about the Day of the Lord - the millennium - and its relation to
the Feast
of Sukkot (Tabernacles) in Z'kharyah 14.
In speaking, Y'shua referred to
the Festival and its traditional guests of honour, Avraham,
Yitzchak and
Ya'acov, called the ushpizin (uoosh-piz-zin) or seven shepherds
(exalted
guests), invited into every succah (tabernacle) at the Feast of
Sukkot in
the fall of the year.
The seven shepherds in descending order are
1. Avraham (Abraham), 2. Yitzchak (Isaac), 3. Ya'acov (Jacob),
4. Mosheh
(Moses), 5. Aaron, 6. Yosef (Joseph) and 7. HaMelech David (King
David).
By mentioning the feast and three of the seven shepherds,
His audience
immediately understood the allusion to the Messianic age -
"Millennium" or
"Day" of the Lord.
"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost"
(Luke 19:10).
Again, in this simplistic phrase Y'shua, the Son of Miriyam and
Yosef,
spoke of two things: His Deity (by calling Himself the subject
of the
prophet Dani'el's vision) and His mission (by calling Himself
the One God
Who spoke to Mosheh on Mount Sinai) as it is written in Dani'el
and
Yechezk'el (Ezekiel):
In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was One like
a Son of
Man, coming with the clouds of Heaven. He approached the Ancient
of Days
and was led into His presence (Dani'el 7:13-14).
For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I Myself will search
for My sheep
and look after them (Yechezk'el-Ezekiel 34:11ff).
In the Gospel narrative of Luke 23:31, Y'shua said: "For if men
do these
things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?"
In this
verse Y'shua points His audience, who had portions of the
writings of the
Prophets memorized, to the verses in Yechezk'el (Ezekiel) 20:45
to 21:7.
Without question, Y'shua's hearers knew He referred to Chevlei
HaMashiach
or Ya'acov's Trouble in the Great Tribulation and warned His
audience that
what they do to Him in hardness of heart now, God will do to the
nation in
judgement later.
Y'shua's encounter with Natan'el (Nathanael) is recorded in
Yochanan (John)
1:47-48: When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, He said of him,
"Here is a
true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false". "How do You
know me?"
Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still
under the
fig tree before Philip called you".
Again, our Lord used a strong figure of speech pointing to a
widely taught
Jewish expectation concerning the resurrection and the
millennium. In
brief, He told Natan'el that he will be alive on the Last Day to
inherit
the land promised to Avraham (Bereshith-Genesis 17:8). From
Y'shua's words,
Natan'el understood he would participate in the resurrection
since "that
Day" was yet future.
This is understood in the first century Jewish figure
of speech, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree",
which
refers to life and study of Torah in the millennium (Midrash
Rabbah
Genesis, Rabbah Song of Songs).
Y'shua also told Natan'el that he is like
righteous Avraham who received his reward for trusting God. This
is
understood because of the phrase, "Here is a true Israelite, in
whom there
is nothing false". The millennial concept of the fig tree is
found
throughout the Tanach including Z'kharyah 3:10:
"In that day each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under
his vine and fig tree", declares the
LORD Almighty. For this reason Natan'el responded emphatically
to Y'shua
and His words, saying: "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; You are
the King of
Israel!"
God through HaMashiach Y'shua spoke to the Jews in many portions
and in
many ways (Hebrews 1:1-2) relying upon known figures of speech,
common
expectations and direct thoughts from Talmudic and Pharisaic
teachings. The
concepts I addressed only scratch the surface, so-to-speak.
Every phrase
and word from the mouth of the Lord meant something to His
audience. He
spoke with precision. With that as a basis, let us go on to one
of the most
interesting Jewish figures of speech misunderstood by the Church
over the
years. It concerns Y'shua's phrase,
"No one knows about that day or hour,
not even the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but only the
Father". In
context, He refers to the home-taking of His bride, the
beginning of the
Messianic era and His millennial reign as King of kings over all
the earth.
To understand this concept, we begin by examining its
foundation.
ROSH HASHANAH
Chapter Five described the annual Jewish Festival of Trumpets or
Rosh
HaShanah - the first day of the seventh month. A few themes
linked to this
Jewish festival are resurrection, repentance, kingship,
corronation and a
marriage feast.
This chapter shows another theme and convincing proof that
Rosh HaShanah is not only the start of "The Day of the Lord"
(Millennium),
but is also the day of the resurrection! It has to do with the
moon and its
29-day cycle of renewal.
In this period of slightly less than 30 days, the moon goes from
darkness
to light and back to darkness again. This is not a haphazard
occurrence
attributed to evolution or science.
God planned it for many reasons, one
being as a picture of resurrection and renewal. With each cycle
of nearly
30 days the ancient rabbis understood that the moon was being
reborn or
"born again" (Sefard siddur, Mussaf for Shabbat and Shabbat Rosh
Chodesh,
p. 509 and 646-648).
NEW MOON
In Y'shua's day, the moon was so important that a Jewish
festival was
proclaimed at the beginning of every month (Talmud Tractate
Chaggigah 17b;
Shavuot 10a; Arachin 10b). This was called the New Moon Festival
and in the
B'rit Chadashah, Rabbi Sha'ul (Paul) makes note of it
(Colossians 2:16).
Even in the Tanach, King David provoked King Sha'ul (Saul) over
it (1
Shmu'el-Samuel 20:5).
In the coming millennium the gate of the inner court
of the Temple facing east shall be opened on the new moon
(Yechezk'el-Ezekiel 46:1).
And finally in the millennium all nations will
celebrate the New Moon festival every month (Yeshayahu-Isaiah
66:23). It is
obvious from the Hebrew Scriptures that in the millennium God
has no plans
to do away with His system.
Since it is so important, exactly what is a new moon? It is the
opposite of
a full moon. Every month the moon goes through a complete cycle
of renewal
called Rosh Chodesh, the head or beginning of the renewed month.
Twelve
times a year on Rosh Chodesh, the moon always starts off with
its disk
being very dark to the naked eye.
Over the course of 15 days it gets
brighter and brighter until it finally reaches a full
white-faced disk or
full moon. Over the next 15 days it becomes darker and darker
and finally
becomes invisible to the naked eye again.
The ancient rabbis saw a great lesson in this. Just as the moon
has no
light of its own but receives its light from the sun, so we too
have no
light of our own and must receive it from God.
As the moon goes through a
near 30-day cycle of dark to light to dark, so we need constant
spiritual
renewal and repentance. Like the moon, we too must be reborn or
"born
again" into HaMashiach and constantly renewed through
repentance. This is
why God called it a faithful witness in the sky (Mizmor-Psalm
89:37).
If the moon is so important to God, why do we pay so little
attention to
it? We have lost touch with God's faithful witness in the sky.
But Y'shua
and the people of His day never lost touch with it. And as I
previously
noted, not only was the new moon necessary for the Jewish
calendar, it was
also a monthly festival celebrated with a feast fit for a king!
So, when
Y'shua said His famous words in Mattityahu-Matthew 24:36, it had
far-reaching implications. Here are the words of Y'shua in a few
different
translations:
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of
heaven, but
my Father only. (KJV)
No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in
heaven, nor the
Son, but only the Father. (NIV) But of that day and hour knoweth
no one,
not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father
only. (ASV)
About the exact time, however, and the hour, none knows - not
even the
messengers of Heaven; but My Father alone. (Fenton Modern
English
Translation)
Failing to think like Y'shua and taking phrases out of Jewish
context can
lead one to misunderstand His words. For example, in many places
of the
B'rit Chadashah Y'shua knew the future and talked about it
openly. In one
instance He warned His talmidim (disciples) about their future
saying,
"See, I have told you ahead of time" (Mattityahu-Matthew 24:25).
His
context concerned the tribulation, the destruction of the
Temple, the rise
and fall of false messiahs (antichrists), etc.
If He knew the future in
Mattityahu 24:25, and the context concerns the Day of Trouble,
why would He
suddenly speak as though He did not know the future in the same
context
just 11 verses later in Mattityahu 24:36? Was He confused? Or
was He making
perfect sense in light of the customs of the Jews?
Since the subject of our discussion is the new moon and figures
of speech,
realize the phrase, "Of that day and hour no man knows" refers
to the
sanctification or setting apart of the new moon. Without this
sanctification, the Jews had no way of determining God's
"appointed times"
or moedim.
Twelve times a year a new Jewish month (Rosh Chodesh) was
announced to the
people. We have no system like it today. We look at a calendar
to determine
the first of the month; the Jews, however, looked at the moon.
This system
of chronology was given to the Jews to know precisely when the
Holy
festivals (moedim) would fall (there are still eight of them;
seven
appointed times and Shabbat). The moon was the faithful Jewish
calendar or
witness in the sky and 12 times a year was sanctified as the
basis of the
Jewish stellar calendar.
GOD'S APPOINTED TIMES
Because the moon was so important for Jewish date - setting, the
authorities
in charge of announcing the new moon in Y'rushalayim took great
care to
ensure the first day of the month was announced on time. To
correctly
announce the first day of the month, established by the new
moon, was one
of the Sanhedrin's greatest responsibilities. They had to ensure
the people
knew when the first of the month began 12 times a year!
Therefore God said
to the leaders of Israel:
These are the appointed times of the Lord, holy convocations
which you
shall proclaim at the times appointed for them
(Vayikrah-Leviticus 23:4).
In other words, God gave the Sanhedrin authority to announce and
sanctify
the new moon to the people. Its proclamation on earth was
supported by God
in Heaven (c.f. Mattityahu 18:18-20 where the Jewish context
supports a
believers' Sanhedrin as seen in Acts 15).
As soon as the new moon was
announced, the first day of the month began. Once the beginning
of the new
month was established, the festivals and weekly Shabbats for the
upcoming
month were sanctified for observance. In Hebrew, those
observances have
always been called "appointed times" or moedim, literally "a
sacred and
set time".
From God's perspective, the appointed times belong to Him
(Midrash Rabbah Numbers, Vol 2.21.25, p. 852) and no one has the
authority
to change the celebration of an appointed time.
To do so was a serious
matter and great sin. Appointed times had to be kept because of
their
Messianic implications.
Further in Vayikrah (Leviticus) 23:4, notice the phrase, "holy
convocation". The phrase in Hebrew is mikraw kodesh, better
translated,
"holy convocation and rehearsal". In other words, God's
appointed times are
actually "holy rehearsals" set apart to reflect events in the
Messianic
era. God said to the people,
"Pay attention! On this day I am going to do
something! Wake-up! The Jews were to know and practice all of
God's mikraot
or holy convocations. This is the essence of Rav Sha'ul's words
that the
Shabbat, new moons and festivals, "are a shadow of things to
come; the body
of Mashiach" (Colossians 2:17).
Twice a year, in the spring and fall, there were several
appointed times
and specific days of holy convocation dedicated to the Lord. The
new moon
was the key in being able to fulfill those set times, holy
convocations and
rehearsals.
For example, when the new moon was announced on the first day
of Nisan, also called Aviv, the people knew when to observe the
holy
convocations and set times of the 10th (Shemot-Exodus 12:3),
14th and 15th
(Shemot-Exodus 12:6; Bamidbar-Numbers 33:3), 16th
(Vayikrah-Leviticus
23:15), and finally the 21st.
In the same way, when the new moon was
announced on the first day of Tishri also called Ethanim, the
people knew
when to observe the Holy convocations of the 1st
(Vayikrah-Leviticus
23:23), 10th (Vayikrah-Leviticus 23:26), 15th
(Vayikrah-Leviticus 23:39),
and 22nd (Vayikrah-Leviticus 23:36).
Thus from the announcement of the new
moon to the festival dates which followed, it was only a matter
of counting
the right number of days. In a moment you will understand how
this applies
to the phrase that Y'shua spoke concerning His coming again.
THE SANHEDRIN AND THE TWO WITNESSES
The Mishnah, also referred to as the Oral Law, dealt with the
legal
elements of daily Jewish religious life, in Hebrew called
halachah. In the
treasure of the first and second century halachah we find many
explanations
to help us understand the Torah particularly in Y'shua's day
since it was
still oral then.
In volume two called "moed" or festival, tractate Rosh
HaShanah teaches us about the Sanhedrin and its selection
process of two
witnesses who would tell us when the new moon arrived. Once a
month the
Sanhedrin discussed when to proclaim the new moon. They did this
through
the agency of two witnesses, the element of all legal
transactions in
Judaism.
One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or
for any
sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses,
or at the
mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.
Deut 19:15
The men were important because by their witness, Israel
celebrated God's
appointed times. They had to be of good character and were
always treated
with great honour.
They had special privileges such as authorization to
ride into Y'rushalayim on horseback on the Shabbat to bring the
good news
of the new moon festivities! The men had special status because
they were
the confirmation that Y'hudah (Judaea) depended on for the
correct timing
of the new month and the festivals.
Rosh HaShanah Chapter 2, Mishnah 5 reads: There was a large
court in
Jerusalem called Beth Ya'azek. There all the witnesses used to
assemble and
the Beth Din used to examine them. They used to entertain them
lavishly
there so that they should have an inducement to come. (The
witnesses were
allowed to break the Shabbat travel restrictions for this one
purpose lest
they might be reluctant to come and give the essential evidence
of the
sighting of the new moon).
Continuing in Chapter 2, Mishnah 6: How do they test the
witnesses? The
pair who arrive first are tested first. The senior of them is
brought in
and they say to him, tell us how you saw the moon - in front of
the sun or
behind the sun? To the north of it or the south? How big was it,
and in
which direction was it inclined?
And how broad was it? If he says (he saw
it) in front of the sun, his evidence is rejected. After that
they would
bring in the second and test him.
If their accounts tallied, their evidence
was accepted, and the other pairs were only questioned briefly,
not because
they were required at all, but so that they should not be
disappointed,
(and) so that they should not be dissuaded from coming.
In qualifying the witnesses, the Sanhedrin used the following
criteria:
They never arrived at the same time.
They were never questioned at the same time.
There were always two new witnesses each month.
In short, the two qualified witnesses usually stood before the
Nassi or
President of the Sanhedrin (Jewish High Court) to give account
of the
moon's appearance prior to its becoming total dark (Moed Rosh
HaShanah,
Chapter 3, Mishnah 1).
Just before the moon's disk enters total darkness,
there are tiny slivers of white on the edges of the waning disk.
These were
called the "horns" of the moon.
Correctly sighting the "horns" (on the
waning crescent) determined the beginning of the new month. Once
the two
witnesses were qualified and questioned, if the President (who
had
knowledge of astronomy) was convinced their observation was
accurate, he
publicly sanctified the start of the new month.
After careful scrutiny to determine the official arrival of the
new moon,
the Nassi or President of the Sanhedrin proclaimed Rosh Chodesh
with the
words: "Sanctified", and all the people repeat after him,
"Sanctified,
sanctified". After the proclamation, the Sanhedrin ordered
watchmen on the
nearby hillsides to light fires and thus inform the Jews in all
of Y'hudah
(Judaea), Shomron (Samaria), Egypt, Babylon and the galut
(diaspora) that
the new month had begun. That started the festival of the New
Moon and
counting of the next 29- days to the next new month
proclamation.
Again, once the Sanhedrin set Rosh Chodesh, or the beginning of
the new
month by sighting the new moon, the rest of the festivals were
calculated.
However, the seventh month, Tishri, was particularly important
because it
was the only month that had a holy convocation or appointed time
on the
first day of the month.
This posed a unique problem. The first day of
Tishri was the appointed time called Rosh HaShanah, the Feast of
Trumpets
(Vayikrah-Leviticus 23:24). Yet no one could begin observing the
festival
until they heard those famous words from the President of the
Sanhedrin,
"Sanctified!"
No one in Israel could plan for the first day of the seventh
month Tishri,
called Yom Teruah or the Feast of Trumpets (also called Rosh
HaShanah).
When they knew how many days to count to a festival, that would
be easy.
But:
HOW COULD THEY PLAN FOR A FESTIVAL THAT THEY DID NOT KNOW AT
WHAT DAY OR
HOUR IT WOULD PUBLICALLY BE ANNOUNCED AND THUS BEGIN?
This was unique to Rosh HaShanah and dependent upon the
testimony of the
two witnesses. Prophetically, we are informed of two important
witnesses
during the Great Tribulation:
And I will give power unto My Two Witnesses, and they will
prophesy 1260
days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 11:3
Of course, anyone could look up into the twilight or early
morning sky and,
if they looked hard enough, see the new moon or at least its
"horns". And
certainly an astute observer knew when about 29- days were
completed since
the previous Rosh Chodesh.
But recall, ONLY THE SANHEDRIN NASSI had the
authority to proclaim the first of Tishri, which was already
established as
a technical procedure.
Once proclaimed, the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh
HaShanah) commenced. Until that public announcement by the
Nassi, everyone
had to wait before they could begin the observance of the
festival. No one
could begin the festival beforehand!
Thus, we can more clearly see the
analogy Jesus made with His words: "But of that day and hour
knoweth no
man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only" was in
regards to
this important festival of Rosh HaShanah.
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