January/February 2004

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=100 BGCOLOR="#CCCCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000640egdysm.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000066" FACE="Arial" ><B>Church of God, In Truth</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><B>   |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church of God, In Truth"><U><B>home</B></U></A><B> | </B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000099" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Letters to the Brethren"><U><B>Up Level</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id291.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2004"><U>September/October 2004</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id287.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2004"><U>July/August 2004</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id283.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2004"><U>May/June 2004</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id275.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2004"><U>March/April 2004</U></A>   |   January/February 2004   |   <A HREF="id253.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2003"><U>November/December 2003</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id245.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2003"><U>September/October 2003</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id242.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2003"><U>July/August 2003</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id238.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2003"><U>May/June 2003</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id231.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2003"><U>March/April 2003</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id228.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2003"><U>January/February 2003</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id221.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2002"><U>November/December 2002</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id215.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2002"><U>September/October 2002</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id211.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2002"><U>July/August 2002</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id207.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2002"><U>May/June 2002</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id203.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2002"><U>March/April 2002</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id199.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2002"><U>January/February 2002</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#0000BF" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <B>Church of God, In Truth</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id291.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2004"><U>September/October 2004</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id287.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2004"><U>July/August 2004</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id283.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2004"><U>May/June 2004</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id275.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2004"><U>March/April 2004</U></A></div> <div> <B>January/February 2004</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id253.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2003"><U>November/December 2003</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id245.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2003"><U>September/October 2003</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id242.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2003"><U>July/August 2003</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id238.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2003"><U>May/June 2003</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id231.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2003"><U>March/April 2003</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id228.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2003"><U>January/February 2003</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id221.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="November/December 2002"><U>November/December 2002</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id215.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="September/October 2002"><U>September/October 2002</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id211.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="July/August 2002"><U>July/August 2002</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id207.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="May/June 2002"><U>May/June 2002</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id203.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="March/April 2002"><U>March/April 2002</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id199.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="January/February 2002"><U>January/February 2002</U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=380 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>January/February 2004</I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>COMPARE</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> James Russell, Elder </div> <div> To God's scattered Brethren, </div> <div> Greetings from "crown city," Corona, California. Some have asked why I call Corona "crown city?" The meaning of "corona" is: "(1) crown; (2) identified as a "small circle of light seen around the sun and moon" [Oxford University Press]. Webster's Dictionary defines it as: "an unusual colored circle often seen around and close to a luminous body as the sun and moon." With this bit of information and recognizing that the year 2003 is now written in the history books - will 2004 be the year that will usher in the end of this world's operating system as we know it today? Are we about to enter into and experience the worst time in history for mankind? These are serious questions to think about!! </div> <div> People intimately involved in this world are blinded to what is just ahead for them, but what about the majority of us God has called? Are those of us in God's Church also blinded to what is ahead if we continue to ignore God's fourth commandment - the one that He tells us to remember? "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Ex. 20:8). God introduced the Sabbath as a sign between Himself and His people. He further expounded through His servant Moses, a warning that the penalty for violating the Sabbath commandment would be a penalty of death. "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, 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. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, Holy to the LORD: whosoever does any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever.." (Ex. 31:12-13,15-17). </div> <div> This appointed time - the seventh day Sabbath sign is entirely voluntary. It is a sign we can choose to keep or choose to ignore. Those choosing to obey, need to follow the Apostle Paul's advice which he gave to Timothy. "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). Truth is a frequently used word in the Bible. Its basic meaning is "that which corresponds to fact" [Webster's]. The term "truth" as we use it in God's Church, means to keep God's truth, as found in the Scriptures, fully - without polluting or falsifying it through man's traditions. </div> <div> Ask yourself, "Am I willing to, ‘Quench not the Spirit. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil?'"(1 Thess. 5:19,21-22). </div> <div> Those patronizing the calendars called "God's Sacred Calendar," "Holy Day Calendar," or "The Hebrew Calendar," should beware of their untruthful, postponed "holyday" dates for this year, 2004. To prove the error, of the dates accepted by the various Churches of God for God's appointed times for 2004, you will need : (1) A Bible, (2) a Gregorian wall or desk calendar with the new and full moon icons on it, and (3) a calendar with your Churches holy day dates on it. Armed with those three things you are now ready to fulfill Christ prayer request which He made when praying to His Father, "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth" (John 17:17). </div> <div> Each one of us are responsible for our actions. Paul wrote to the church in Rome. "We know that judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things" (Rom. 2:2 NKJ). And in verse 6, God said He is going to "render to every man according to his deeds." Paul further states, "But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden" (Gal 6:4-5). </div> <div> This year, 2004, God's New Year will begin on the Sabbath, March 20th, which will be the first day of the new year for both the "lunar" calendar and also the first day of the year for the "solar" calendar which starts at the Spring Turn, or equinox as it is called by the astronomers. The U.S. Naval Observatory says: "Each March at the particular instant, around the 20th, the sun is directly above the equator. This is the spring equinox. In September, around the 22nd, the sun is again above the equator at the fall equinox. These times are often called the "official" start of spring and fall." The equinox keeps both the lunar and solar calendar year in close accord, so the appoint time for Passover will always be in the spring of the year. </div> <div> The Churches that follow the "Jewish Hebrew Calendar" calculations which incorporate the postponement rules, will be starting their first month [new moon] of Abib, on Tuesday, March 23rd, which is postponed three days after the true conjunction of the sun and moon. This will cause Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread to also be postponed by three days! This may be seen by looking at your church's holy day calender. The Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day, according to these same Hebrew calculations, will be postponed by two days. The Church of God, In Truth, will be keeping God's 7th new moon, for the Feast of Trumpets, on Tuesday, Sept. 14th, 2004 as scripture commands. "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, in the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation" (Lev 23:24). The Churches that follow the Hebrew Calender postponement rules will be keeping their autumn Feast of Trumpets on Thursday, Sept. 16th, 2004 - two days later than when the moon is actually new! [See the March and September 2004 calendars on page 5, for the comparisons]. </div> <div> God, throughout the Bible, Old and New Testament, condemns Judah for misleading His people. Isaiah, one of the greatest Hebrew prophets and orators starts his book with his vision of God's case against Judah. "The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto Me; the new moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hateth: they are a trouble unto Me; I am weary to bear them" (Isa 1:1,13-14). </div> <div> Since we all say that we should let the Bible interpret the Bible, why then are we letting the Jewish Hebrew calendar take authority over the Bible - God's written word? The postponement rules incorporated into the calendar used by most Churches of God were not put in place until 358-59 A.D., when the Pharisee Hillel II introduced new calculations for the leap years. "Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees" (Matt 16:6,11-12). </div> <div> After years of research and study, it was found that God established His calendar in the first book of the Bible. In the beginning, God started the day, month and year with darkness. "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day"(Gen 1:2-5). The sun and the moon did not appear for man to see until the FOURTH day ( vs. 14-19). This means that the crescent moon could not be seen until this fourth day - which means the crescent could not be the beginning of the month, nor could the mean conjunction of the moon which was established by man in the 1800's A.D.! The first year, day and month, started in the beginning in darkness. "Darkness" is Strong's #2822, meaning: "DARKNESS-OBSCURITY– EXTREME DARKNESS– EXTRAORDINARY DARKNESS" (New Brown, Driver, Briggs Gesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon). If the fourth day was the beginning of the month – then we have also been keeping God's weekly Sabbath on the wrong day! Compare calendars and think about it! </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Church of God, In Truth </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>