The Church of God
(La Iglesia de Dios)

How did God set His Calendar – By: Don Roth

HOW DID GOD SET HIS CALENDAR?

Ask yourself these questions.  When did God create Adam and Eve? When did He destroy all living beings except those on the ark?  When did these historical events take place?  Is there an unbreakable mathematic principle that God used to establish time and it is answered in the Bible?

God’s word contains many historical dates which take on a greater meaning when they are shown to be validated by the creation week.  This article will explain how God tracks time and how He set His Sacred calendar for all mankind to understand.  His calendar is not determined by our ability to observe what we see in the present skies. It was set at creation by the seven day week.

Genesis 1:14-18. “And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons, (appointments – high day Sabbaths) and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth: and  it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: And God saw that it was good.”  (AKJV Version)

THE METONIC CYCLE

It is clear that God uses the movement of these heavenly bodies to mark time. God’s calendar is pre-determined by an astronomical cycle of 19 years and is known to astronomers as THE METONIC CYCLE. Part of this cycle is composed of one rotation of the earth - a day - while the earth traverses one cycle about the sun - which is a solar year. That is, 365 and not quite a quarter rotation of the earth, making up a solar year. (365.2422)  It takes 13 of these 19 year cycles, or 247 years to make a complete series of Metonic cycles.

 The following is a quotation from The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, page 305. “Meton, the Athenian, won immortal fame by announcing it.  The evidence of these Syene papyri renders it probable that Meton did not himself discover the cycle but learned it from Jewish sources.”

THE SYNODIC CYCLE (MOON)

As the earth circles the sun, the moon is circling the earth. On average it takes twenty-nine and a bit greater (29.53059) than one half of a rotation of the earth for the moon to circle the earth once. This is known as THE SYNODIC CYCLE. For example: the shortest Synodic month in the one hundred years, 2001 to 2100, is 29 days, 6 hours and 35 minutes, and will occur in the latter part of June and the beginning of July 2053. The longest month of 29 days, 19 hours and 45 minutes occurred in December 2017 to January 2018, giving a maximum variation of only 13 hours and 10 minutes.  What this means is that the variation cannot be more than one day in the count of the sacred calendar.  Reference:  Astropixels.com.       

MOON AND EARTH TRAVEL TIMES

First It must be acknowledged that it is God who has set the travel time of the earth and moon about the sun.  The average determination by man is only what God ordained it to be.                                           

The shortest trip of the moon is always greater than 29 days, and the longest is less than 30 days.  When coupled with the fact that the calendar deals only in whole days there can only be either 29 or 30 days in each month, never less or more.  The following 12 month moon year lengths can only be 353 days short, 354 days nominal, and 355 days long. The 13 month moon year can only be 383 days short, 384 days nominal, and 385 days long.

The average 12 moon month must begin with a length of 30 days because the average is greater than one half of a rotation of the earth.  The second moon month will be 29 days in length, the third month 30 days, and continuing in this pattern through the 12th month. The last rotation will be 29 days in length, demanding the starting rotation for its next cycle being 30 days.  There now is a yearly length of 12 moon months; either 353 days long, the short length, or 354 days long, the nominal length, or 355 days long, the long length year.  The change in the year length from nominal for either 353 or 355 days must be done in the 8th month to prevent it from affecting the correct placement of the holy days which take place in the first 7 months of the calendar. The holy days are placed by God in his oracle to Moses as found in Lev. 23:1-43. Therefore they must occur in the first seven months.

YEAR LENGTHS ESTABLISHED

In the Gregorian calendar, the calendar we presently use, twelve months equals one year or 365.242 rotations of the earth. Beginning at creation God’s calendar of twelve rotations of the moon about the earth, as the earth began its first trip around the sun, is the first year. Since the 12 month years have 353, 354 and 355 rotations, the first year will have 354 because that number is closest to the average year in length. It is God who set the average standard time. Therefore it is used for the first year. No other choice is available as this is the first rotation of the moon about the earth as it travels around the sun. This is shown by the following computations.

The first year is represented by the moons average cycle of 29.53059 which God predetermined.  This average was set by God when he put the three orbs into motion. Multiplying 29.53059 by the first 12 rotations of the earth will equal 354.367 days.  Dealing in whole days the correct number for the first year is 354 days.

However this first cycle is eleven days short of the 365 day solar year. (365 days minus 354 days equals 11 days short of the first solar year.) As the earth continues moving around the sun on its second trip, which is year two, after 24 cycles of the moon about the earth, it is now 21 days short of the second trip around the sun or the second moon based year.

The length of the second year can be 353, 354 or 355 days.  The following computations will show which length of year must be used.  354 days for the first year, plus 353 days if the short year were used.  The second year results in a total of 707 days for years one and two.  When dividing this number by the average monthly cycle of 29.53059 the result is 23.9412 months. 

Adding the 354 length year to the first year brings the total to 708 days in years one and two. Dividing the 708 by 29.53059 is 23.9751 months.  Using the 355 length for the second year the total is 709 days, and dividing that by 29.53059 results in 24.0090 months. This number is closest to the whole number of 24 trips, therefore 355 is to be used for the second year.  

On the third trip of the earth around the sun the moon has enough time to make 13 cycles, or moon (lunar) months. 

To the total from the first 2 years of 709 days add the third year length of 383 days, totaling 1,092 days, and dividing 1,092 by 29.53059 equals 36.97806 months.  709 days plus 384 equals 1093, and dividing that by 29.53059 equals 37.01246 months. 709 plus 385 equals 1094, and dividing that by 29.53059 equals 37.04633.

The year length for 384 days is closest to the whole number of 37, being just .02206 from perfect. The 385 day length is .04673 from perfect. The difference is .02427.  

Because of the small difference between the 384 day year and the 385 day year, the 385 day year is chosen as it places the earth just one day from completing its yearly cycle. At that point it is still one day short of the solar year.

There are four principles that God’s sacred calendar follows.  First is the unbreakable rotation of the seven days of creation.  The second is the command from Exodus 16, verse 23. “Then he said to them, ‘this is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’”’   This command is required just like the command to keep the Sabbath and should be considered part of the Sabbath command. Preparation is always required before a weekly Sabbath and is a secondary principle for the high day Sabbath. 

Third, the first day of Unleavened Bread, the fifteenth of Nisan, and the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the fifteenth day of the seventh month, must have a visible full moon to the naked eye when looking at the night sky.  Ps. 81:3-4 says, “Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, (first day of the month.) At the full moon, on our solemn feast day. For this is a statute for Israel, A law of the God of Jacob.”

Fourth, at year ending intervals the ending month should come as close as possible to complete the year without upsetting the first three principles. 

This clearly shows that it is the travel time of the earth and moon orbiting the sun that dictates the addition of a 13th month. Again, it is the travel time that dictates the 13th month and not the use of the spring equinox or some celestial phenomenon. This would include the search for the green ears spoken of in Exodus 12. This 13th month year results in a length of 383, 384, or 385 days.

The fourth year would revert back to a 12 month cycle, and can be 353, 354 or 355 days long. When using the 353 day length year 1,094 days must be added from years one, two and three. 1094 plus 353 equals 1447 days, which are years one through four. The 1447 days are divided by 29.53059, resulting in 49.00004 months. 

The 354 day length year results in 1448 days, and dividing that by 29.53059 equals 49.0339.  The 355 day length year equals 1449 days. When divided by 1449 by 29.53059 the result equals 49.06776.  The closest to the whole number of 49 would be achieved by using the 353 day length year. It cannot be used because it would negate God’s command of Exodus 16:23. By placing the day of Atonement, a day of fasting, when they are commanded to be preparing for the Sabbath, it must be moved by changing the number of days in that year from 353 to 354. The next closest number to 49 complete months would be the nominal year of 354, which is the one that must be used.

To comply with the second principle, the 354 day length year is used, moving the Day of Atonement to the weekly Sabbath, the tenth day of the seventh month. This requires a 353 day year to be used for the fifth year. This restores the correct moon movement.    

The math for the fifth year is as follows. The first day of Unleavened Bread is to fall on the full moon. The number of days from the first four years would be 1448, plus 353 days equals a total of 1801.  When dividing 1801 by 29.53059 equals 60.9876. Adding the nominal year of 354 will total 1802.  Then dividing that by 29.53059 equals 61.0214.  Using the excessive year of 355 days gives a total of 1803, and dividing that by 29.53059 equals 61.05533.

The short year of 353 days must be chosen because it comes closest to the whole number of 61. This difference is only .0124 of a month.  The use of these four principles is the determining factor for the rest of the 19 year cycle and is confirmed by the following information.

As the earth continues to circle the sun it does not regain its original position until after 19 years. At the end of 19 years the moon, earth and sun come back into alignment as at the start of creation. The problem is that this alignment point does not fall on the same day of the week that it began on at creation, which was a Sunday.  It takes 13 of these 19 year cycles, or 247 years for the first day of the 248th year to be the first day of the first week of that year, a Sunday, which was the same day of the week on which the creation began. The last day of the 247th year is a Sabbath. Regardless of what one might see in the sky the Passover WILL occur on a Saturday of the 248th year, the 14th day of that year.  For confirmation see the Calendar Generator for the AM year 248, and the BC year 3799.

The accuracy of the total system of the thirteen 19 - year cycles is confirmed by adding their total number of days, and dividing them by the average moon travel of 29.53059 revolutions of the earth. These figures are found in Chart 6. The number of days in the red column represent the moon’s travel time, comparing it to the solar days of the earth as it travels about the sun. When dividing the red figure of 90216 by 29.53059 it will give a total of 3055 complete moon months with .00161 as a remainder.  When figured in days it is 1.129 days, meaning that in the first 247 years the moon has traveled 1.129 days past its initial starting point at creation.

Page 5 of Chart 6 shows the AM year 6061 has the difference between the moon months and the solar months of 30 days.  The calendar generator shows 6061 to be the year 2015 AD.  The calendar generator for this year shows the exact same difference of 30 days.  These two separate systems of tracking time show the same difference of 30 days, which confirms the accuracy of the accounting of the travel time.

THE PRINCIPLE DAY OF GOD’S CALENDAR

It is clear that the 247th year cycle is tracking the seven day week, which must be maintained. This is because it marks the start of man’s life, yet is also the factual count of the revolutions of the earth, beginning with day one of the creation week, counting down to the present seven day week, without gaining or losing a single revolution, the day.

This means that every weekly Sabbath and each Holy Day Sabbath was set at creation, and would not be set by the vagaries of men sighting the moon, but are set by the mathematical process of the METONIC CYCLE and SYNODIC CYCLE, which track the movements of the earth, moon and sun. Throughout these processes the seven day creation week is maintained.  It is the first rule of God’s calendar and can never be broken.

Because each Sabbath is repeated in the same order in each of the 247 year cycles, it also means that every High Day Sabbath will fall on a fixed day in those 247 years. That is precisely what this work of the sacred calendar proves. All Sabbath days, weekly or high days, are fixed by this mathematical process, and are not dependent on the vagaries of men sighting the moon. These sightings are affected by where the sighting takes place, weather conditions and industrial smog present.  These varying conditions result in a variety of days that do not agree depending on who makes them and where they are made. God is not the author of confusion. He gives us a single formula composed of the four principles that designate His holy days, which has, at its foundation, the seven day week; the day that celebrates man’s creation and the beautiful world God created for him to live in.

God’s calendar tracks time beginning with the week of creation, and continues on to show the present days of the week perfectly fitting into the METONIC CYCLE.  This proves that the day we presently call Saturday is the repetition of the original seventh day of creation and is the one constant that cannot be moved. All other numbered dates are subject to this prime number seven.  There are no exceptions!

EXPLANATION OF CHART THREE

By going to the web site www.biblicalcalendarproof.com, and clicking on the heading BIBLICAL RESEARCH, and bringing up Chart #3, it will show a yearly chart starting at the creation year of 4046 BC and running to the year 2045 AD. 4046 BC is the year of creation which is proven because it provides the exact number of years required to validate the historical events of the Bible.

Look for the year 2018 AD to find cycle number 8 of the 13 cycles.  From creation to 2018 AD there are 25 complete 247 year cycles, plus 7 complete 19 year cycles, with three years of the eighth cycle, bringing it to the year 2018. Chart #3 will show every year, and the cycle number going back to the creation year of 4046 BC.

It is best understood when the celestial bodies are viewed as a mechanical clock whose movements are fixed by the gears within. Though it is seen that there is no mechanical connection, the movement of these bodies are controlled by the laws of physics, and their movements are repeated more reliably than any gear driven clock. As these bodies are the creation of God, so also are the laws that govern their movements.

Chart #3 is further expanded into the CALENDAR GENERATOR.   By consulting the Calendar Generator on the website it will be seen that every day from creation to the present is tracked in increments of seven days, the weekly cycle. Chart #3 is the yearly tracking of time.

 

CALENDAR GENERATOR EXPLAINED

The Generator is the seven day tracking and shows three calendar types running simultaneously. Black is the Gregorian, Red is the Sacred, and in Blue is the solar calendar.  All three calendars track the weekly cycle of 7 days. Note the fact that all three calendars are in perfect agreement as they track this seven day cycle. The solar calendar is undisputable in its accuracy.  It confirms the other two calendars to be accurate as they show the corresponding seven day increments matching those of the solar calendar.  See the video PROVING THE CALENDAR GENERATOR on this web site.

Viewing the creation year, it can be seen that the first Passover day, the 14th of Nisan, sets the remaining Holy Days for that year, and cannot be moved, being a function of the week. This is true for all succeeding years to our present time. Once God initiated the movement of the celestial bodies it has NEVER CHANGED.

The Bible confirms this way of tracking time by Noah recording the number of days in the flood year – 385, which is the longest yearly cycle used in the Sacred Calendar. For confirmation read the article NOAH’S FLOOD AND GOD’S CALENDAR.

JEWISH CALENDAR DEFINED

Knowing how God’s sacred calendar functions and its uniqueness, it must be recognized that there is an important difference between His calendar and the Hebrew, or the Hillel II calendar presently observed by the Jewish community.  The Hebrew calendar shows the year 2018 AD as the third year of cycle 305 of the nineteen year cycles from creation, or 5,779 years from creation.

The Jewish Hebrew year one would be 3,761 BC on the Gregorian calendar. In year one of the Jewish methods of calculation the first day of creation would fall on a Monday of the seventh month, Tishri, or day two of the creation week.  Taking that same year back to the first month, Nisan, the first day of creation would fall on the seventh day of creation week, showing that whatever starting month of the year is used by the Jewish reckoning, the beginning year for creation is incorrect and does not follow the Biblical narrative.  This clearly makes the Hebrew calendar unusable to establish an accurate Bible timeline.

It should be noted that the Jewish system is very complex in determining their calendar but they correctly place the high Sabbaths into our present Gregorian calendar. The one exception is Pentecost, which they begin counting from the first day of Unleavened Bread, a high Sabbath, rather than from the first weekly Sabbath which falls during the seven days of Unleavened Bread. Their pattern of the Hebrew calendar joins seamlessly to God’s sacred calendar in the year 3761 BC, and continues to mirror the sacred calendar. The fact that their calendar, either the Hebrew or Hillel II, joins seamlessly to the sacred calendar of God, shows their calendar is partially correct but incomplete. Therefore, it cannot be used to establish an accurate timeline of the Bible. As already explained, the sacred calendar dates automatically fall into a fixed pattern beginning at creation.

E. H. LINDO’S WORK

All the above can be confirmed by consulting an early edition of the encyclopedia Britannica under “calendars” which charts the work of E. H. Lindo. He sets forth the first day of the seventh Hebrew month in the Gregorian calendar date beginning with the year 1845 AD and ending in the year 2072 AD.  This passage of time represents 228 years, covering 12 of the thirteen 19 year cycles.

In showing the day of the month he also shows the day of the week accurately pointing out the Sabbath day by either going forward or backward to the day called Saturday on the Gregorian calendar, which is the Sabbath of God.  These are days presently observed by the Jews, and they have set for us the 13 – 19 - year cycles of 247 years that are the same as the Metonic cycle.  They are also the days we presently observe.  By backtracking the 247 years it is not appropriate to use the Jewish postponement rules, but to just follow the math of the calendars to the creation year 4046 BC.  It amounts to 25 complete cycles of 247 years, plus 8 cycles of 19 years each, with the addition of 5 years of the eighth cycle, bringing it to the present year 2020.    

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SACRED CALENDAR

There are two important reasons that God recorded the many dates in the Bible. They bring to light the orderly progression of time, highlighting important events and days of the week, such as the Sabbaths and when they occur.  Secondly, and more important, they show God’s majesty and power by dictating events and bringing them to pass. Read the article DESTRUCTION OF SOLOMON’S TEMPLE DATED where God shows the date of the destruction by knowing the crucifixion year for the death of Christ. 

God proves His might and majesty by giving man an unalterable clock in the sky, tracking man’s history, proving that He is the God of creation who gave man His life and the Bible, which is proven to be true by His sacred calendar. 

Don Roth

Revised 12-27-20

Note: NKJ used throughout except where noted.