A Shadow of Things to Come
The New Moon Part 3
Forward
When I first began to study the bible I was told by an acquaintance that the Catholic Church held many books of the bible that were not placed in the King James Version. I did not understand what he was speaking about nor did I really care. All I knew was the King James Version of the bible and maybe some translations that I had seen other people use.
The Apocrypha { http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ }
“Apocrypha means 'hidden things' in Greek. The Apocryphical books of the Bible fall into two categories: texts which were included in some canonical version of the Bible at some point, and other texts of a Biblical nature which have never been canonical.” {Wikipedia the free encyclopedia}
As I began to study these books I realized that whether they were in the Holy Scripture or not I personally could find no reason not to use some of these as a reference or as an outside source to confirm certain conclusions that I may come to.
I am writing this forward to my article because I normally do not use outside sources, but in this case I have no choice as you’ll see later in the article. The books that I will be quoting from may or may not be the inspired word of God, but neither is an encyclopedia, the newspaper, or any other source that is not ”the holy bible” but are still accepted as reliable resource materials.
Anytime I quote from one of these books, I will, to the best of my ability, back it up with scripture from the new King James translation of the bible. For those of you who may be interested in the so-called lost books of the bible, The Apocrypha, simply follow the link provided below.
www.sacred-texts.com/chr/apo/index.htm
The New Moon
Part 3
All scripture comes from the New King James Version of the bible unless otherwise noted
1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.
This is part three of the article entitled the New Moon.
So far we have learned from our previous articles quite a bit about this subject. Due to the length of this article I will quickly review what we have learned so far. For scripture references please refer back to the previous two parts.
1. On the fourth day of creation God created two great lights the lesser light to rule the night and the greater light to rule the day.
2. God wanted the lights to be for signs, seasons, days, and years.
3. The New Moon is the beginning, or first day, of all the months of God. The months, or new moons, point to God’s calendar and to the feasts of God.
4. The new Moons themselves are a feast to be celebrated on the first day of the month, four times a year, the first month, the fourth month, the seventh month, and the 10th month, of God’s calendar.
5. God warned Moses that the children of Israel would not continue with his calendar therefore they would forget the Feasts of the Covenant including the New Moon.
This is where we shall begin the third part of this article. Please go back and review the previous two articles for complete understanding of this important feast called the New Moon.
All of the feasts of God are memorials. There is no exception. They have been ordained as a memorial, or a remembrance, of a certain event. God’s feasts represent a significant event in His plan that has taken place on that day. The night of Passover is a memorial to the day that the Lord placed a plague on Egypt to free His people.
Exodus 12:26-27
And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ That you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the Lord, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’” So the people bowed their heads and worshiped.
The feast of unleavened bread is a reminder of the night people began to be led out of Egypt.
Exodus 12:17
So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance.
The feast of trumpets is also an act of remembrance.
Leviticus 23:24
Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a Sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.
And what event was the blowing of trumpets supposed to memorialize?
Exodus 19:16-19
Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice.
It is this event, God coming to the people of Israel, when the trumpet was blown. It was blown to announce His arrival at Mount Sinai; this is the event that the feast of trumpet memorializes. A quick note, although I did not highlight it, The Feast of Trumpets also takes place on a feast of the new Moon, the first day of the seventh month.
The Sabbath day is also a memorial. The first word in the fourth commandment is remember. He wants his people to remember the Sabbath day.
Exodus 20:8-11
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
And once more what is the event they were supposed to remember on the seventh day Sabbath
Exodus 20:11
For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
We are to remember that it was God, the Creator, Father of Abraham Isaac Jacob and Yahoshua, who created all things. My point is a feast is a memorial, and if the new Moon is a feast it also must be a memorial to a certain event or events.
The Book of Jubilee 5: 25-28
http://www.thebodyofyahoshua.com/the-book-of-jubilee-.php
And on the new moon of the first month he was bidden to make for himself an ark, and on that (day) the earth became dry and he opened (the ark) and saw the earth. And on the new moon of the fourth month the mouths of the depths of the abysses beneath were closed. And on the new moon of the seventh month all the mouths of the abysses of the earth were opened, and the waters began to descend into them. And on the new moon of the tenth month the tops of the mountains were seen, and Noah was glad. And on this account he ordained them for himself as feasts for a memorial for ever, and thus are they ordained.
These are the events that the new Moons are to memorialize. Just to add one more verse to show that the new Moon is a Holy Feast and a memorial to the Lord our God.
Numbers 10:10
Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God: I am the Lord your God.
I believe I have established the fact that the new Moon is a feast and all Feasts of God are Sabbaths, and all Sabbaths are feasts. For more information on the Feasts of God and the Sabbaths please follow the link to one of the following web sites.
http://www.thegospelofjehoshua.com/2010_01_17_archive.html
http://www.thegospelofthecomingkingdomofgod.com/written-bible-studies.php
So what is the significance of the new Moon being a Feast other than the fact that we are to celebrate it? First we must remember by celebrating these Feasts we are acknowledging that the Deity who commanded us observe to these celebrations is “The Creator of the Universe”. By celebrating these Feasts we are acknowledging that the One who gave us this information is the One who has redeemed us from slavery and sin. With this in mind let us ask the question once more; what is the significance of the new Moon being a feast?
The Feasts of God have more than one purpose. They not only help us to remember certain events, but they also point to events that had or have not yet taken place, at the time of the establishment of that particular Holy Day. The Feasts not only celebrate these days as memorials but also they point to an event that will happen in the future. Again for more information on the Feasts of God what they represent for the future please refer to the previously mentioned links.
The Creator called His Sabbath a sign between Him and His people
Exodus 31:13
Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible defines the word sign as:
Reference number 226:
oth: a sign; Original Word: אוֹת
Phonetic Spelling: (oth)
mark, miracle, ensign
Probably from 'uwth (in the sense of appearing); a signal (literally or figuratively), as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc. -- mark, miracle, (en-) sign, token.
In short a sign is an identifying mark. The Sabbath, for those who keep it, is a sign that identifies them as Gods people. Another sign was the sign of Jonah it identified, or I should say it was evidence, that Yahoshua was the prophesied son of God
Matthew 12:38-40
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
So we see that a sign is simply an identifying mark, a point of evidence, a way to know what something is or means. So what does the new Moon identify? What does it point to?
There are many references to a time when the Moon will not give its light, it will be as blood. This is significant as we shall see later in the article, but for our use the following incidents illustrate how the Moon is used as a sign for the great and terrible day of the Lord.
Isaiah 13:9-11
Behold, the Day of the Lord comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine.
Joel 2:31
The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
Revelation 6:12-17
I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood……………For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?
Is there anything else we can learn about this light which rules the night?
Genesis 1:16
Then 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.
Let us compare this verse with the following:
Genesis 1:5
God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
According to these scriptures it is the lesser light which rules the darkness. because the darkness and the night are one; they are the same. Therefore who ever rules the darkness is the one the moon represents.
Let us see what John the Apostle has to say on this subject.
John 1:5
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
Here John speaks of a light which shines in the darkness. We know that the darkness and the night are the same; therefore logic demands that the light which shines in the darkness is also the light which shines in the night; which is the Moon. John also speaks of a man who came to bear witness about this light which he calls the true light.
John 1:7-9
This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
The light is being personified; he describes the light as life.
John 1:4
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Most of you probably know where I’m going with this, but for those who may not know, I will not give away the ending. The one who gives light in the night is the one who gives light in the darkness. The bible calls this one the lesser light or the Moon. John says that this light is life, not just life, but the light of men. So who ever is the one who is the light of men, who ever the bible says is the one that lights up the darkness, he is the one which the Moon, the lesser light, the light which shines in the night, the light which shines in the darkness, represents.
John 8:12
Then Yahoshua spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
John 12:35-36
Then Yahoshua said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Yahoshua spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.
John 12:46
I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.
Yahoshua is the lesser of the two lights. He is the light which shines in the darkness. He is the light which shines in the night. He is the one for whom the Moon represents. The Moon turned to blood when the Messiah died on the cross, because it was a sign to that event... The Moon turns to blood on the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, because it is a memorial to that tragic day. For those who wish to know more about the event the bible calls the day of the lord I shall be writing an article in the near future.
It is obvious that the Moon represents our Savior Yahoshua. If this is the case then the New Moon must represent Yahoshua in some way or at least an event that has something to do with our Him. The clue is in the term two great lights. Let us look over that verse once more. Genesis 1:16
New King James Version (NKJV)
Then 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.
The Messiah is the lesser of two great lights. There is a light that is greater than Yahoshua and this light is to rule the day. I do not believe there would be too much controversy if I stated that the light which rules the day is the sun. So who does the sun represent? What light is greater than the light of Yahoshua? Who could be greater than the Son of God?
John 5:22-23
For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
John 10:25
Yahoshua answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.
John 14:13
And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
John 14:28
You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said. ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.
The only thing greater than the Son is the Father. Yahoshua came to this earth to do His Father’s will. He was sent glorify His Father. The Son glorifies His Father just as the Moon glorifies the Sun on The Feast of the New Moon.
The new Moon encompasses all the things of God. It represents time by announcing the arrival of, the months and the seasons. It represents the plan of God by announcing the arrival of the Feasts and Holy days and Sabbaths, and just by its appearance in the sky, the New Moon Festival announces the time when the Father and the Sun shall be together on earth before all men. This is the meaning of the New Moon; this is the event it points to.
It is the announcement of the end of time and the beginning of eternity.
Revelation 21:1-3
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
This is the time when the Father God Himself will be with mankind (Male and Female) on this earth for all time. It is the time when these words of Yahoshua are spoken:
Revelation 21:6
And He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
The new Moon festival is the beginning and the end.
The New Moon Announces the time when that great city, the new city of Jerusalem, comes from heaven and the Father and the Son are together with men. The time when the True Light is on the earth.
Revelation 21:23
The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
Revelation 22:5
There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
There shall be no night therefore there shall be no need for Moon. There will be no need for the sun because the Father will give us light. This is the meaning of the Feast of the New Moon. It is to be kept a four times a year; the first month, the fourth month, the seventh month, and the 10th month of Gods to calendar. http://www.thebodyofyahoshua.com/the-sacred-calender.php
The Feast of the New Moon points to the destiny of mankind; to the day when:
Revelation 21:4
….God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.
Well my friends I pray this journey we took together has been as joyful for you as it has for me. Remember to look to the sky for His signs are there and they announce our destiny. I shall end this article with the words of our Savior; so until next time please take care and may peace be with you always.
Revelation 22:13-14
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. Blessed are those who do His commandments that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.