THE JERUSALEM SENTINEL

Pentecost

Increased Knowledge

The Pope's Partner

Daniel 9

Reckoning

A Dangerous Book?

Calendar Update

PENTECOST

This article is the fourth in a series that we are running in the Sentinel. Each article covers one of the days that God has set apart as holy. They are listed in Leviticus the 23rd chapter. When this series is completed the articles will be combined into a booklet, published & made available.

Pentecost is the second of the three festival seasons. We celebrate it during the month of Sivan (late May or June). To study Pentecost we encourage you to read the articles on Passover Vol.2 No.2 and Firstfruits Vol.2 No.4. In addition we will include more information in this article that we previously did not cover. Let's go back to the time surrounding the Passover to get a clearer picture. To understand how to determine the time of Pentecost and what it symbolizes, we have to understand the chronology of the events of Passover. Let's look at when these incidents happened. [NOTE: An excellent book on this subject is Rosh HaShanah and the Messianic Kingdom to Come by Joseph Good P.O. Box 3125 Port Arthur, TX 77643-3125]

On Sunday, Nisan 10 in 1280 BC the children of Israel chose a lamb without blemish (Exo 12:3). On Thursday, Nisan 14 they sacrificed this lamb and put the blood on their doorposts (Exo 12:6-7). That night, (the beginning of the 15th) they ate the Passover meal. At midnight on Friday, the death angel struck the firstborn in Egypt. Pharaoh ordered Israel out of his country and they immediately left (Exo 12:29-31).

Sometime between dawn and noon that Friday the 15th, the people arrived at Succoth to retrieve Joseph's body. They had marched there like an army in orderly divisions (Exo 13:18-19). From there they marched to Etham and camped for a few hours. On Saturday the 16th, they left and marched to Pi Hahiroth where they camped again (Exo 14:2). They marched both DAY AND NIGHT, stopping only long enough for a short rest and food (Exo 13:21).

Also that night, Pharaoh and his army arrived at Pi Hahiroth and an Angel held them back while the Lord parted the Red Sea for Moses (Exo 14:19-22). As it began to dawn on the 1st day of the week, (Sunday) the 17th, Israel emerged from the Red Sea, then Pharaoh and all the Egyptians were drowned (Exo 14:23-30).

The salvation of the children of Israel coming through the Red Sea just before dawn on Sunday morning pictures the resurrection of Jesus at this same hour.

That is why it's so important to understand the chronology of the first Passover. It shows us what was to happen in the future when Jesus came. The great Rabbis' understood that the first Passover lamb was slain on Thursday the 14th, that Passover was on Friday the 15th, the day of the Exodus, and that Israel emerged from the sea Sunday morning before dawn on the 17th. They also knew that Jonah was in the belly of the great fish from Thursday, Nisan 14, to Sunday, Nisan 17 (Mat 12:40). These are not only the same dates that Jesus was crucified and resurrected in 30 AD, THEY ARE THE SAME DAYS OF THE WEEK!!! Think of the mind of God that His plan was so perfect that everything would match down to the day of the week.

That Sunday, Nisan 17, when Israel emerged from the Red Sea was a shadow of the fulfillment of the day of Firstfruits (Lev 23:9-14). This was the first of God's people to emerge from sin (Egypt). It was fulfilled 1,309 years later on Sunday, Nisan 17, when Jesus was resurrected and ascended to heaven as our high priest, the Firstfruit of the resurrected (John 20:17). This is important to understand because it is from the day of Firstfruits that we count 50 days to get to Pentecost (Lev 23:15-16).

If you claim that the wave sheaf falls on the day after the annual Sabbath (Nisan 16) instead of the weekly Sabbath, since Jesus wasn't resurrected until the 17th, He would have been in the tomb

and missed the holy day He had to fulfill. He is the living proof that this holiday falls on the day after the WEEKLY Sabbath. Because we can look at Jesus' fulfillment in Firstfruits, we can see it prohibits a yearly fixed date of Sivan 6 for Pentecost. Jesus was resurrected on this day, and anything other than a Sunday Firstfruits means He did not fulfill or observe it.

This year the people who follow the Hillel II calendar have a problem determining when to celebrate Pentecost. The reason for this is that Passover begins on Sunday, March 27th. Since the count to Pentecost starts on Firstfruits (wave sheaf) they can't decide if it is on March 27th or April 3rd. The reason for the confusion is because Leviticus 23 says to count from the day after the weekly Sabbath. Since Hillel's Feast of Unleavened Bread starts on a Sunday and ends on a Saturday they don't know if they should count on the first day or wait until April 3rd which would put them outside the Days of Unleavened Bread.

This will result in some churches celebrating Pentecost on May 15th and others on May 22nd. I guess it really doesn't matter which of these two days they celebrate since they are already a month too early, but maybe they should observe God's new moon calendar. Then they wouldn't have to worry when Pentecost is this year.

Let's go back to the original count and the Exodus. When Israel left the sea, they journeyed for 47 days and came to Mt. Sinai. Once there, the Lord told Moses the people were to wash and sanctify themselves so they would be ready on the 3rd day. This was the 50th day since Firstfruits and it is the day of Pentecost; it was on a SUNDAY that this took place. Exo 19:1, "In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the SAME DAY, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai."

The original Firstfruits pictured the physical salvation of Israel emerging from the sea on Sunday Nisan 17. Firstfruits today pictures our spiritual salvation with Jesus being resurrected, emerging from the tomb on Sunday Nisan 17, 30 AD.

The Rabbis tell us that on Pentecost God gave Moses the law. When He did this there was fire, thunderings and the sound of a very loud trumpet (Exo 19:16-19). The tradition is that when God spoke His voice thundered out simultaneously in the seventy known languages of the time. Doesn't this sound familiar? What happened on the day of Pentecost in 30 AD (Acts 2:1-8)? Let's examine the day of Pentecost and see what it is.

Pentecost comes in May or June and is 50 days after Firstfruits. It is the 2nd of the 3 festival seasons (Lev 23:15-17). The first Pentecost Israel received the law. When Moses came down from the mountain and saw the golden calf the people had made, he smashed the tablets with the commandments on them (Exo 32:19). Then the sons of Levi killed 3,000 men for their idolatrous act (Exo 32:28).

In 30 AD, when Jesus ascended to heaven, he told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem and they would receive the promise (Acts 1:4,8). Think about what happened; the disciples knew that Jesus had promised to send the Holy Spirit. They had also seen him act on the last 3 holy days. He was crucified on Passover, buried on Unleavened Bread and rose on Firstfruits. It probably wasn't too presumptuous to expect something on Pentecost, the next feast. Acts 2:1-6 "Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were

sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language."

In Peter's sermon beginning in Acts 2:36, verse 41 tells us 3,000 people were converted. Exactly the number lost at Mt. Sinai; what a sermon! Pentecost pictures the summer harvest; We are still in the summer harvest of souls for the first resurrection when Jesus returns.

There you have it, the feast of Pentecost. This is the day that God uses as a teaching aide to show us how to receive His power through His law, His love and His Son. One point of interest is that Leviticus 23:17 says there was to be an offering of two leavened loaves of bread made from fine flour on this day. Could it be that the fine flour represents Jesus and the two leavened loaves represent the nation of Israel and the Gentiles? Both have the leaven of sin in their lives, but through the fine flour (Jesus) they can overcome it.

For many years God's Church has been observing Pentecost on Sunday, DOING THE RIGHT THING BUT NOT UNDERSTANDING WHY. It is when we put together the chronology of all the events that we see the plan of God unfold, and we understand the detail and perfection that went into it. I used to say that Pentecost was not fixed to a calendar date like the rest of the festivals because it is the only holiday that God tells us we have to count to arrive at its date (Lev 23:16). I now understand that it goes much deeper than that.

The plan that our Creator has developed to bring us into His kingdom is so detailed that not only the dates fall when they are predicted, the days of the year in which they take place are the same. The odds of this happening just once are astronomical, but for them to happen time after time is incomprehensible. The more we study and learn, the more we learn we haven't even begun.

For more information, write for our free booklet, The Real 3 Days and 3 Nights, or ask for the two tapes "Counting to Pentecost" by Herb Solinsky. In the next Jerusalem Sentinel we will examine another holiday that God commands us to observe, the Feast of Trumpets.

Daniel 12:4 reads, "Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro and KNOWLEDGE SHALL INCREASE." I am amazed at how the Jerusalem Sentinel is being passed around. We are receiving calls and letters every week from people who have received the Jerusalem Sentinel from a friend. They want to know our beliefs and if they can be placed on our mailing list. THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS YES. Many other folks have Biblical questions to be answered. We have also received letters from England, Scotland, Australia, Canada, West Africa, South Africa, Poland, Denmark, France, the Philippines, Nigeria, and the Bahamas. We certainly live in a time of fast communication. In addition to this, with the aid of computers we are able to discern the scriptures and look back in time to clear up much of the confusion about times and events.

Now for some great GOOD NEWS about what the JERUSALEM SENTINEL is doing to further our Biblical research. We have purchased for the Sentinel's and the Church's use, two NEW 486 computers along with new software that enables us to do research into the Bible that we were previously unable to do. For instance, one program takes the MOON CONJUNCTURE AND THE FIRST LIGHT OVER JERUSALEM, from 1994 FORWARD or BACKWARDS, and REVEALS when the conjuncture and first light was in any year back to CREATION. This program is so accurate that it takes into consideration the fact that the earth is slowing down one second per year. It has been endorsed by the University of Texas for its accuracy.

This program shows that the only way Christ could have been crucified in 31 AD on a Wednesday is to calculate the first new moon after the vernal equinox. This thoroughly DE-BUNKS THE PRESENT WAY THAT THE JEWS AND MOST SABBATH KEEPING CHURCHES CALCULATE THE HOLY DAYS. The computer program also shows those church groups who go by the CONJUNCTURE, that the only year Christ could have been crucified on a WEDNESDAY was 33 AD. Research shows that our MESSIAH'S birth was before the death of HEROD THE GREAT who died in 4 BC. According to the above calculation this would make the Messiah AT LEAST 36 years old. Scripture confirms that he was about 30 when he started his ministry, which would make him 33 when He died.

What the computer program does show is that in 30 AD the killing of THE LAMB was on a THURSDAY, and that there were two SABBATHS in a row: Friday, the HIGH SABBATH, the 15th of ABIB/NISAN; and, Saturday, the 16th of ABIB/NISAN. THIS was the ACTUAL YEAR our Messiah was crucified. Read the companion ARTICLES and come to understand that THE MESSIAH had to be resurrected on the FIRST DAY of the week to fulfil the WAVE SHEAF offering. The children of ISRAEL, coming through the RED SEA was the SHADOW of His coming resurrection, just like the rest of the holy days are SHADOWS. After reading the companion articles, if you would like further information, please ask.

We also have a new CD ROM drive and disk produced by the American Bible Society, THAT HAS SO MANY HELPFUL AIDS THEY ARE TOO NUMEROUS TO LIST. To name just a few, we have Greek and Hebrew lexicons, the Septuagint, the Greek New Testament, Bible dictionaries, Josephus works, and Apostolic Fathers. We also have the ability to write in English and the computer will print it into Hebrew, Greek, Spanish and many other languages TALK ABOUT KNOWLEDGE INCREASING.

We would like to address some of the questions that are being asked. I always tell people, as I did at the Feast of Tabernacles this last fall, we are not trying to build a "WORK" and we are not trying to build a BIG CORPORATION. We ARE TRYING to do our BEST to help anyone that wants help forming a small church or Bible study group, first meeting in homes, then growing into their own church buildings; all for the purpose of fellowship and the worship of GOD, and to further the preaching of the GOSPEL OF THE MESSIAH AND THE SOON COMING KINGDOM THAT WE WILL ALL BE A PART OF, AND TO DO THIS in your LOCAL community. You can use the Jerusalem Sentinel in your community with your own local address, putting it in libraries, doctor's offices or any means you choose.

I would like to make one point very clear: we do not ask for money; everything we do is on FAITH. There are people who support our efforts by contributions to the Jerusalem Sentinel or to the United Biblical Church of God, which is where all monies received goes to. NOBODY gets PAID! MARK CARR doesn't get paid, NADINE KIMBROUGH doesn't get paid, THAD MILLER doesn't get paid, nor do I, CHARLES KIMBROUGH get paid. We pay tithes into the church just as all others do. When it comes time for our tithes to be paid, we are usually short just about that much money to print the next Sentinel. It's not a question of us making a living from it because we do not take one dime from the Church or the Sentinel, AND WE ARE NOT GOING TO AS LONG AS THE LORD IS WILLING. As the Apostle Paul said, "I work with my hands to do what I've done." Not that a minister doesn't have the right to live off the church he is pastoring. That's not the point; but if a minister has the wherewithal or ability to do for himself, he is not following the example of Paul if he does other than the example that Paul set.

Now, to answer a question about the Levitical Priesthood. Through a discussion with a man at the feast last fall, there was an understanding about who the Levitical Priesthood is. The Levites had no inheritance, the first tithe was theirs. The apostle Paul was not a Levite, he was a Benjamite. Paul did not teach people or claim the right to the Levites inheritance. He taught the Melchizedek Priesthood. The Levitical Priesthood still stands alongside the Melchizedek Priesthood; it still exists even though the temple is not there, and and it will be continued in the world to come.

Last, but not least, the previous Sentinel generated the most mail of any we have printed due to the subject matter. Questions are being asked and we thank you for those inquiries. People want to know the truth, in fact they are eager for it. IF YOU HAVE ONE OF THOSE PEARLS OF GREAT PRICE, SEND IT TO US, WE WILL RESEARCH IT, PRINT IT AND GIVE YOU THE CREDIT. IF you disagree with anything we are saying, tell us the truth as you see it. IF WE ARE WRONG WE WILL REPENT AND GIVE YOU AND GOD THE CREDIT FOR THE TRUTH.

Usually when I see something about the Pope I look at it carefully. Not because I want to be a Catholic, but because of who I think the Pope is (Rev 17:4). When I see an article that is written by a popular former head of a powerful nation, I will usually read that, too. But when I see an article written by Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the former Soviet Union called "My Partner the Pope", he has my full attention.

The article appeared in the New York Times on Monday, March 9, 1992 ,page A17. Gorbachev says that he has had intensive correspondence with the Pope since 1989 and that they share a mutual desire to "move forward and complete what we have begun together." He says the Pope plays a role in shaping the "new political thinking" and that they are trying to foster the development of a new world civilization. They have a mutual affection for each other because they are both Slavs, but Gorbachev says their affection runs much deeper than that. He also says that the Pope will play an "enormous political role" in the shaping of Europe.

I believe Gorbachev is right. What other office is directly responsible for the murder of 50 MILLION Christians during the middle ages? A man groomed from that beastly position would be the perfect leader of a religious organization that the Bible says is a harlot, "that is drunk with the blood of the saints".

That leader gets his power from a military leader. Who do you think it is? I really don't know, we will have to wait and see. The Pope thinks it will be Mikhail Gorbachev. Two months after Gorbachev's article appeared, Malachi Martin, a Vatican insider released a statement in U.S. News & World Report, May 18, 1992, page 18 that said the Pope was promoting Gorbachev, "one of his most frequent pen pals", to preside over Eastern, Central and Western Europe. What a military leader that would be.

Daniel gives us some rare insight into the dating of the events that took place in the Bible. The Bible tells us that in the end times knowledge will increase. With the computer technology we now possess we can determine the dates that important Biblical events occurred.

Daniel's prophecy starts in verse 21 with Gabriel telling him his prayers were heard. In verse 24, Gabriel then says, "Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy."

A total of 70 prophetic weeks or 490 years from the time that King Artaxerxes gave the order to rebuild Jerusalem, to the time that God's kingdom would be set up. It sounds simple, but until recently the technology to determine the exact dates of this prophecy didn't exist.

Let's look at the prophecy closely, Daniel was told the seventy weeks were not consecutive and that there were gaps of time between them. Verses 25-26 say "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. And AFTER the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined."

There is an important point that the Church has not understood. The period of sixty-two and seven weeks, or 69 weeks/483 years mark the crucifixion date of the Messiah. In other words, Jesus was to be killed at the end of the 483 years, before the 70th week started. It says that after the 69th week Messiah would be killed.

There is then a gap of time that separates the 69th and the 70th week. It is during this gap that verse 26 says Jerusalem is destroyed. This happened in 70 AD. The 70th week has not started

yet. We can be sure of this because there has not been an end to sin, a reconciliation of iniquity and everlasting righteousness hasn't begun. What is the 70th week? Verse 27 says "Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate." This refers to the Antichrist who will make a covenant with Israel and break it after 3 years, end the sacrifices and defile the Temple.

So what is the point of this article? To show the pattern that exists in the Bible on the fulfillment of prophecy. When God gives a prophecy, He uses His calendar, not the one that Pope Gregory developed that we use today. When dates are given and fulfilled, it is in God's months of the new moon calendar. Keeping this in mind, let's look at some of these dates. Remember, forget the numbered days of April, look at Gods days (April is given for reference only).

We know the date of the death of Jesus. It was on the 14th day of the 1st month in 30 AD. This was Thursday, April 4th. Now let's look at what happens when we go back 483 years when the order went out to rebuild Jerusalem on the 14th day of the 1st month. This was Thursday, April 30th 454 BC. Do you see a pattern developing? These events happened on the same date of the same month on the SAME DAY OF THE WEEK! The same day and date that the original exodus took place, the same day and date that Jonah was in the great fish, Thursday, the 14th day of the 1st month!

The mind and plan of God is so great that we can only catch a glimpse of its majesty here and there! Our Messiah and savior came at the predicted time and died at the precise time, on the exact date, on the same day of the week that God used to show the world who the "Lamb" was. He even died "between the evenings" at 3:00 P.M. when the Passover lamb was slain for the high priest. This can only come from God, the odds of this happening any other way are astronomical.

How do we know that this was the year and day of the week that this happened? These are the only dates that match the prophecy for years in either direction. For those who insist on a Wednesday, 31 AD crucifixion face Friday April 12th 455 BC. The results are the same over and over. To match Jonah, the Exodus and the crucifixion there is only one date; Thursday, Nisan 14, 30 AD.

For a detailed sermon on Daniel the 9th chapter, request the sermon tape from the 1993 Feast of Tabernacles given by Charles Kimbrough.

The next time you're in Church singing "How Great Thou Art" consider how great He really is.

Struggle and fail. Struggle and fail. We struggle and then we fail. The result is often a loss of zeal and, at times, a feeling of helplessness. Sin and guilt seem to be ever with us. We flounder in the darkness of self. We question our acceptability to God; our faith is shaken. But Paul tells us in Romans 6:11 to: "Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Reckoning means to count as true; it is an exercise of faith in a finished work. The purpose of reckoning is that we may live in the wonderful realm of life in Christ. It is based upon an awareness of the difference between our self-centered condition and our Christ-centered position. It is a move by faith from bondage & defeat to freedom & victory. The entire question for the begotten is one of growth to spiritual maturity. Reckoning will bring the reader to a foundational understanding of their personal relationship with God, a relationship which has both privileges and responsibilities.

The reckoning booklet is offered by a congregation of the Church of God There is no charge. To receive your free copy please write to: Reckoning Booklet, P.O. Box 690, Scottsbluff, NE 69363

I don't know what is happening in your local area but I assume it is very similar to what is happening here. There are special interest groups that hate God and hate His message to us, the Bible. These groups usually consist of gay rights activists, atheists and pagan religious philosophers. I suspect that the main reason for their persecution and their relentless attack on the Bible is that they are told that it condemns their lifestyle.

Because of this they have gone to court and sued to have the Bible removed from public schools and other institutions. They attack its credibility and define anyone who believes that it really is authored by God and believes that we should study and devote our lives to it's principals as "cultic" fanatics. They have made it illegal for a teacher to place a Bible on the corner of his desk, even if it's never read or discussed in class. Instead they promote and allow books that describe Satan worship, pagan Middle-Eastern religions and other immoral lifestyles.

They would have us believe that we are not capable of teaching our children moral values so they developed a curriculum called "Values Clarification" by humanist Sidney Simon and hid it in their programs.

These people are on a mission to destroy the Christian family and will stop at nothing. They have made it illegal to teach your children at home in some states and want to make it a federal law to prohibit it nationwide. They have our children for eight hours a day to program their philosophies into them. When they send them home they then fill their brains with ungodly material with the one-eyed monster in our living rooms, TV.

I have a suggestion. The next time your school has a fund-raiser for its library, purchase a few Bibles, put a new cover on them to disguise their identity and donate them to the librarian. If you are asked what the books are, say they are X-rated books containing stories about the following: a hero who, by trickery, steals his brother's inheritance; a woman who offers sanctuary to a general and then drives a tent stake through his head; two daughters that get their father drunk and then commit incest with him; a prince who rapes his sister; a preacher's wife who becomes a prostitute; a song that promotes taking revenge on an enemy by smashing their babies against rocks; and, a gory account of the torture and murder of an innocent man who was executed.

They will probably ask you if you can get them more copies because they want to make it required reading for every student they have. Who knows? It might work.

Every year that the Jewish calendar is off by a month like it is this year, questions come pouring in asking which month the holy days are in. The answer is still the same, that the month of Nisan starts on the first visible new moon after the spring equinox. If this simple rule is followed the barley will be ready for the wave sheaf offering. If the rule is broken, you will begin Nisan in the winter, the grain will not be ready for Pentecost, and you will celebrate the fall holy days in the summer before the harvest.

We have supplied information for years describing how God's calendar works, it is very simple. There have been Jewish calendars found that followed this rule. TODAY we discovered another source that most people already have in their own libraries. Josephus records for us in Works of Antiquities of the Jews, Book 3, Chapter 10 the following: "In the month of Xanticus, which is by us called Nisan. When the sun is in Aries. For this is the month that we were delivered from bondage from the Egyptians. And the law ordained that we should every year slay that sacrifice which I before told you we slew when we came out of Egypt, and which is called the Passover."

Did everyone understand that? He said that Passover MUST take place when the sun is in Aries. The Encyclopedia Britannica in the 1962 11th edition says that Aries is from March 21 to April 19. This proves that the rule for the calendar that says Nisan begins on the first new moon after the spring equinox is accurate! The equinox is on March 21 the first day that the sun is in Aries, the first day that Nisan can begin!

This, along with the calendars found and with common sense proves that the rule Hillel II used with his calendar is not valid. For those of you who want to obey God and worship Him when He commands, a calendar is included on page 5.

To select other archived issues of The Jerusalem Sentinel, Click Here