Melbourne 1st Assembly of God

Explanation of the Creator's Calendar

   The Creator’s Calendar is as much a part of creation as the Sun, Moon and stars. In fact, all these things are one single entity. The scriptures that we know tell us that the Sun, Moon and stars were put in place in order to be signs and seasons (Gen 1:14). But did you know that the word translated ‘seasons’ is the Hebrew word moadim, which is more accurately translated ‘appointed times’. As clearly as the Ten Commandments and the seventh day Sabbath were presented to us, God presented us with 7 times during the year that we are to honor him by attending his Feasts & Festivals (Lev 23). He gave this heavenly clockwork so that we would know exactly when to meet with him at his request. By living by his calendar, we demonstrate who we revere as the architect of our universe.

 

    Up until now we have organized our lives by using a calendar that is based on pagan beliefs. The Julian calendar (named in honor of Julius Caesar) dominated the known world while Rome ruled. This calendar had an inherent problem that added 11½ minutes each year. For hundreds of years this slowly added up until, in 1571, Pope Gregory corrected the error and removed 10 days in order to realign the calendar with the solar year. Even this refined Gregorian calendar is in error by 26 seconds a year and will cause it to be wrong by one day in 3,323 years.

 

     What is lost in using these man made calendars is that none of them acknowledge God’s authority. By submitting ourselves and following a creation of man, we deny our Creator. By using the names of pagan gods disguised as the names of months and days of the week, we break the command of God that we should never let the names of false gods pass out of our mouth (Ex 23:13). To be a part of God’s kingdom, you must learn his ways and reject the idea of following the false religion of this world. By reacquainting yourself with the Creator’s Calendar you steadily refine your thoughts to exclude worldly influences and embrace the perfect design of God’s gifts for his people.    What is gained by living by his calendar?    1.  The purging of the inherited pagan influences from our lives.    2.  The discovery that he has always done his work according to it.   3.  The understanding that all of his prophecies will be accomplished according to it.    4.  The realization that we will be a witness to his power when we allow his calendar to direct our lives.

5.  The satisfaction of knowing that it pleases him when we do his commandments

 

   Tradition holds that each month of the Creator's calendar began when the first sliver of the renewed moon was sighted in the land of Israel. Before the new month was declared with the blowing of the shofar from the Temple Mount, the crescent must have been reported by two witnesses, having been interviewed and shown to be credible by Temple authorities. This process was repeated each month until, during the 12th month, named Adar (Esther 3:7), the land would be searched in order to confirm that the barley crop was in the state of 'aviv'.

 

   Aviv (or abib in some translations) is an agricultural term used in story of Moses and the Exodus to describe the state of the barley crop at that time as the Hebrew nation was led from Egypt (Ex 13:4). The exact meaning of this term was lost for countless generations, only having been rediscovered in recent years when its importance was realized during the rebirth of the Creator’s calendar. It conveys a state of ripeness that, while not ripe, is past the vulnerable development stage where it would not withstand refinement by fire.

 

   At that time the creator told Moses that, in order to mark the significance of this event, his people were from this time forward to count the month of Aviv as the first month of the year (Ex 12:2). Prior to that, what is now the seventh month, named by the scriptures as Ethanim (1Ki 8:2), was the first month - a result of the creation having occurred at this time. The legacy of the Exodus is still evident today. According to the rabbis, the civil year begins on the first day of the 7th month (the year number changes on this day), but the sacred year begins 6 months later in the spring.

 

   The purpose of all this becomes apparent when you understand the rituals commanded by God during the Spring Feasts of the Lord. The process begins during the week of Unleavened Bread with the reaping of some of the now ripe barley, the processing of that barley into flour, and using that to bake two loaves of bread. This culminates in these two loaves being offered in the Temple on the Day of Firstfruits. For more than a thousand years the Spring Feasts were performed faithfully (as it turns out) as rehearsals for their complete fulfillment by the Messiah. This should cause us to look more closely at the Fall Feasts for guidance in these times because they will be fulfilled as completely at his second coming.

 

   Now back to the point…If there is aviv barley found, the next crescent moon will announce the first month of the next year. If none is found, more time will be required in order to allow it to ripen. Enter the 13th month, Adar 2. The need for a 13th month is caused by the difference in time between the twelve 29¼ day lunar months and the 365¼ day solar year. Each 12 month year is shorter than it needs to be in order to keep the seasons aligned. So, approximately 7 of every 19 years require a 13th month in order that the barley be aviv.

 

    The evidence that this phenomenon will be a part of the end of the age is concealed in scripture. The return of the Messiah brings with it a horrible conflict occurring on the Temple Mount at the time of the Fall Feasts. Scriptures tell that it will require seven months to purify the area (Ez 39:12) to make it ready for the Passover celebrations. Normally, it is a six month period of time between these two occasions, but this year it is seven!  Written by Dale Harris 

 

 

 

Two years after the founding of the Assemblies of God, members adopted 16 beliefs for the Fellowship. This list, known as the Statement of Fundamental Truths, remains virtually unchanged. Four of these beliefs are considered the major tenets of the Fellowship. They are:

1. Salvation Through Jesus Christ (John 3:3, 16, 17; Romans 10:13; Ephesians 2:8, 9)
Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God, according to the hope of eternal life.
   
2. Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8; 2:4; 17, 18, 38, 39)
All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all in the early Christian Church. With it comes the enduement of power for life and service, the bestowment of the gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry.
   
3. Divine Healing for the Sick (James 5:14-16)
Divine healing is an integral part of the gospel. Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement, and is the privilege of all believers.

4. The Second Coming of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:14-16; 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52)
The second coming of Christ includes the rapture of the saints, which is our blessed hope, followed by the visible return of Christ with His saints to reign on earth for one thousand years.
   
For a complete list of the 16 Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God, click here.