Nine years ago, in 1992 my wife and I first came in contact with the term "postponements." We did not know at that time it had something to do with the Hebrew calendar. That now, is history. Something else we did not know going through this nine year period of history was how much truth, was yet to be learned!! And how that new truth would change our former understanding and thinking on what we had been taught I believe firmly that there is still areas of truth yet to be found and revealed. Maybe you feel the same. Now is not the time to be asleep!! Or have a laid back Ho-hum attitude toward God's word. We are living in a time period of great deception.

We are told many untruths and given a lot of dis-information. Because of this there is a cause for us to be on guard, and to be concerned. Seven years after Mr. Armstrong's death many believed there was still 15 to 20 years left before Christ would return. I believed God's revealing sign posts tells a different story. The end of this age is nearer than many today want to believe. Matthew, Mark and Luke's revealed prophetic time periods are converging and intensifying in these days in which we live -- 2001.

We must recognize Christ's prophecies are dual and have end time fulfillment. End time events are marked by increasing drought, famines, floods, disease, earthquakes and volcano activity. Matthew 24:8 explained these as just the beginning of sorrows, not the end of sorrows. Another indication of the end of this age is when the kingdom of God would be preached as a witness to all the world. "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come" (Matt. 24:14). This is being fulfilled today!! The Internet is the tool being used to do just that!

Apostle Paul was inspired to tell us to stay calm during this period of falling away from righteousness and truth. "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that you be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, Neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first" (2 Thess. 2:1-3). We are living witness to these things! Another example we recognize today is the intensified preparation for war and rumors of war. Yasser Arafat and Saddam Hussein's are examples of that. They are preparing to attack Israel if most of Israel is not given to the Palestine people for a state with Jerusalem as its capital. "Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein threatened Israel when he said he would shell Israel daily for six months from land and sea in order to bring about Palestinian independence. Hussein said that Israel could not withstand an artillery bombardment, adding that Iraq would do it if the Arab world support the decision" [Jerusalem Post, Jan. 17, 2001]. "Syrian armed forces have gone on high alert, but insist that the probability of war erupting has not changed. The Syrian moves apparently were in response to the statements by Prime Minister Ehud Barak that he ordered the IDF to prepare for the possibility of all out war" [Jerusalem Post, Jan 23, 2001]. Others like China- Taiwan; North and South Korea; India--Pakistan are always threatening each other with war!

James, described another end time event, that is troubling the world wide labor market with many people losing their jobs. "Now you rich people, listen to me! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming to you. Your riches have rotted away, and your clothes have been eaten by moths your gold and silver are covered with rust, and this rust will be a witness against you and will eat up your flesh like fire. You have piled up riches in these last days. You have not paid any wages to the men who work in your fields. Listen to their complaints! The cries of those who gather in your crops have reached the ears of God, the Lord Almighty. Your life here on earth has been full of luxury and pleasure. You have made yourselves fat for the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent people and they do not resist you" (James 5:1-6 Good News Bible). No time in past history can compare with the present world labor situation that involves world unrest and mega- mergers that is causing un- employment. All these sign posts are about end time events. But we must keep in mind what Luke said in the book of Acts. "When the apostles therefore were come together, they asked of Him, saying, Lord, will you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And He said unto them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power" (Acts 1:6-7). This strongly emphasizes we do not know the exact time of Christ return but we do know this is the hour when we need discernment and understanding, so we will be delivered from the strong delusions and snares set to trap and catch those who are asleep.

I gave a sermon a year ago on the hour of temptation. I said there has been 6000 lunar years that ended in 1821 and 6000 solar years will be ending this years --- 2001. 2001 is a astronomical date not a prophetic date. There are 180 years between the end of 6000 lunar years and the end of 6000 solar years. The full interval between these two dates could be called the time of the end or the end of an age.

We can see this in God's last message given to Daniel, "But you, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and Knowledge shall be increased" (Daniel 12:4). Thus this 180 years was a transitory period giving man knowledge and power un-dreamed of. I then related these 180 years to Revelation 3:10, that speaks of the hour of temptation. "Because you have kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth" (Rev. 3:10). This hour of temptation is not the hour of tribulation. Tribulation is Strong's # 2346 and Temptation is # 3986. Two different words!! The hour of temptation is referring to a time of testing that proceeds Christ's second coming. The hour is identified by scholars and mathematicians as meaning 15 days or 15 years. How did they come to this answer we might ask? Looking at 2 Kings 20 will show us how Biblical time is based on degrees. Example: "And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, what shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day? And Isaiah said, this sign shalt you have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that He has spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? And Hezekiah answered, it is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord: and He brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz" (2 Kings 20:8-11). We find by doing a little math One twenty--fourth part of a day, or 15 degrees, is an hour. Thus when the dial of Ahaz returned 10 degrees as recorded, it went back two thirds of an hour. This hour can be presented as 15 days or 15 years in its prophetic application.

Now with this background lets work in the direction and toward a verse that has had many puzzled for years. We will begin with the tools God gave us to construct a Festival Calendar. "And God said, let there be lights [objects] in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be For signs, and for seasons [appointed times], and for days, and years" (Gen. 1:14). Without these created objects man would have no clue or way of keeping accurate time. He could not be able navigate a ship to its destination. A farmer could not grow crops and men could not make their daily, monthly, or yearly schedule of appointments without having an organized calendar.

God created all things for a purpose and in a pattern of harmony. God inspired Apostle Paul to clearly say "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Cor. 14:40). "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace"(1Cor.14:33). Understanding this let me deviate and explain why? In our literature we say, "Sunset, sets the precedent for the beginning of the dark Moon phase, just as a day starts with the beginning of evening.

Explaining this chart, starting with Sunset we find the waning moon setting, is like the sun setting that is called evening. Under darkness we see that there is darkness of the moon like the night that's part of what God called a day. Sunrise is the young crescent moon becomes visible once a month like the rising sun that become visible once every day at dawn and daylight is the cycles of the moons phases like, the sun is in its day time phases.

The moons illuminated monthly phase follows the same pattern of harmony as a day: 1. Waning crescent 2. Dark moon 3. Waxing crescent 4. Full moon 5. Waning crescent 6. To beginning of dark moon. We are told in the book of Hebrews, Malachi and Isaiah "That God changes not---He is the same Yesterday, today and forever." Seeing this pattern of harmony makes it very clear why we say "Sunset, sets the precedent for the beginning of the dark Moon phase for a new month. Just as a day starts with the beginning of Evening." Reading again the first part of Genesis 1:14, "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."

In this article we will be using Strong's numbers for reference numbers and the New Brown- Driver-Briggs-Genesnus Hebrew-English Lexicon for Old Testament definitions. And Bakers Chaldee Lexicon along with W.E. Vine Expository Dictionary for the New Testament definitions. Genesis 1:14 clearly says The sun, and moon are for signs: "And God said, let there be lights [sun, and moon] in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs." These signs are the objects and tools we are to use to build God's Festival [Holy Day] calendar.

When the Church of God, In Truth first started we tried to look up every verse that we could find that had the sun and moon in it. Over the passed 8 years we have used most of them in sermons or articles. In the beginning we used the Astronomical new moon for the time for the first day of the month. We were given to understand from those we talked to, that the astronomical new moon was the moment the moon first went dark. But as you know, we now have evidence in writing that, that was not so! An astronomical new moon is when the sun, moon and earth are in [mean or middle] conjunction. If you look at the drawing on page 13, of the February 2001 [Calendar] issue of the Prove All Things magazine you will see the dark moon is half way through its phase. A true new moon is the instant the moon first goes dark by being in conjunction with the sun----not the earth. From the first 1993 edition to the last revised edition of the "Postponements, Another Mystery of the Ages" booklet and in the Prove All Things magazine we have expressed that when the sun and moon first come into conjunction is the first day of the month. We have never thought differently on this understanding. No where does God say to use the conjunction of the sun, moon and earth for the first day of any month, as the astronomical and crescent moon believers do.

With that said, lets read what Joseph's dream reveals. "And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers: And they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them, hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: for, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, My sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and bowed down to my sheaf. And his brothers said to him, shalt you indeed reign over us? Or shalt you indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words" (Gen. 37:5- 8). Joseph's dream was taken as an expression of God's own intentions for him. But hearing this dream his brothers hated him. Not only because of the dream, but for his boldness in telling them about it. And that they were not reflected upon as having any personal part, ambition or enthusiasm displayed by this dream of Joseph. In verse 9, we read that Joseph had another dream. His first dream pointed only to the supremacy over his brothers. This next dream extends it to the entire family. "And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brothers, and said, behold, I have dreamed a dream more; And, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me. And he told it to his father, and to his brothers: and his Father rebuked him, and said unto him, what is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow down ourselves to you to the Earth? And his brothers envied him; but his father observed the saying" (Gen. 37:9-11). Jacob apparently understood the meaning of the dream shown by his interpretation of it.

In Revelation 3, we read a verse that reflects how the Philadelphians found public victory over Jewish practices [those who wanted to go back to their Jewish roots], just as Joseph dream pointed to his father and mother and brothers, Bowing down to him. "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; [this is done by practicing syncretism] behold, I will make them to come and worship [bow down] before your feet, and to know that I have loved you" (Rev. 3:9). Feet is Strong's # 4228 which means:

Before turning to the verse that has had a puzzling picture, lets look at two definitions. The first word is wonder: Strong's # 4592, 1.) Miracle 2.) Sign 3.) Mark 4.) Token 5.) A thing distinguished from others and known 6.) A sign by which anything future is pre-announced 7.) A sign by which one is warned 8.) Remarkable events soon to happen." The second definition is Woman, Strong's # 1135. Many times in the New Testament the woman represents the true church since she is presented as about to give birth to Christ's return. Looking again at the book of Revelation ---- book of apocalypse that means "Disclosure of that which was previously hidden or unknown." "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John: who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand" (Rev 1:1-3). Meaning: The time for fulfillment of these things that are written, must, and will shortly come to pass. Note, Colossians 2:16, is the only verse that speaks of the new moon in the New Testament. And in Revelation is the last place in the New Testament that speaks of the signs of Genesis 1:14 prior to Christ's return to earth that says, "Let there be lights [sun, and moon] in the

Going back to a question that was asked at the beginning of this article---Are you willing to believe what your eyes read in God's Word? Let's look at chapter 12 of Revelations that speaks of the true Church of God that flees into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared of God. In Revelation 12:1 identifies the true Church of God. "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." Now read this verse adding some definitions. "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; [a great sign, ---a thing distinguished from others and known]. A woman [the true Church of God] clothed [covered, arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the Righteousness of the saints--Rev. 19:8] with the sun, and the Moon [sign of a calendar, a sign that we read of in Gen. 1:14] Under her feet, [standing up right -- a sign of responsibility] And upon her head a crown of twelve stars." God's true Church will be known by God's given signs found in Genesis 1:14. These signs are the tools by which God uses for constructing His Festival calendar dates!