Key to the Unification of the Church (part four)

Since man has been given six days to carry out his own works, the seventh day is the pivotal time that members of the body of Christ should have all things in common.
But the queston remains, how are we able to fulfill the Lord's desire for the church which is that, we all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among us, but that we be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment? How can we achieve this goal when we contnue day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year ignoring the key in resolving this issue. Are we anticipating some sort of a miracle! or expecting it to come to fruition outside the confines or boundaries of righteousness! So, what if some does not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar, for the Lord has ordained specific guidelines on how we can all speak the same thing. be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement and not having divisions among us.
The Lord has allotted to man six days of the week to carry out all their works, but has reserved the seventh day and specific holy days for Himself, so that man can come before Him along with their households to have fellowship with Him and with one another. therefore, it is our failure, rejection or disbelief of this simple law that is the root cause of the disunity and confusion that exist  in the body of Christ, the church.
Beause, even with the liberty where; "One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it" (Romans 14:5-6).
This still does not give anyone the credit, the licence or the authority to designate other days for worshiping the One and only true God, except those which the Lord has ordained for His people. As clearly stated, "He who observes the day (not a day), observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day (not a day), to the Lord he does not observe it." Therefore, even if one choose not to observe the day, his/her belief regarding the day of worship will not be contrary to what the Lord has instituted and their belief and understanding will still be in harmony with those who are observing it.
This will therefore, not cause any confusion and division in the church, and furthemore, one of the most important considerations one must consider when preparing to appear before the Lord is, " When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts?" Therefore, one must not trample the Lord's courts which is the inner court without an appointment, or, without following the specific guidelines or  protocol for entering the inner court.

Important points regarding the Lord's Sabbaths
There are indeed some very important points that all believers should note with regards to the Lord's Sabbath/s which are also the main reason why the Sabbath/s is the key to the unification of the church and disregarding them is the source of all the disunity and confusion that exist in the church which are as follows:
It is an appointed time and the one who has issued the appointment is the Lord Himself.
It is a feast day, a festival commemorating the works which the Lord has done for humanity.
It is a time which is holy, sanctified and set aside to the Lord for holy use.
It is a time which is holy to the people of God
It is a day of solemn rest
A day to refrain from servile work or gainful employment
A day to have a holy convocation principally to offer the Lord the food for His offerings.
It is a perpetual, everlasting covenant
Any belief or practice that is contrary or falls short of the above-mentioned, is a sure reason or ground for division and disunity in the church because, any compromise reached outside the confines of this act of righteousness can never produce unity in the body of Christ.

To be continued.

Key to the Unification of the Church (part three)

The sin of irreverence is the main reason why there are so many fractions, divisions and disunity in the body of Christ. It is the expression and demonstration of the lack of respect and dishonor to Jesus Christ as the Lord. Therefore, the reverence of Jesus Christ as the Lord, which is demonstrated by following the prescribed manner of true worship is the key to the unification of the church. For we have been duly instructed saying; "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 5.23).
So how are we to honor the Son just as we honor the Father? We do that by, ascribing to both the Father and the Son the honor and the glory due to them by observing His Sabbaths. For thus says the Lord, "You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD" (Leviticus 19:30; 26:2).
From the creation of the world the Lord made a clear distinction between the Sabbath and the other six days of the week to honor Him as the Creator, for it is written; "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made" (Genesis 2: 1-3).
When the Lord delivered the children of Israel from the bondage of Egypt and gave them His living principles, He specifically reminded them by saying; " Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 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" (Exodus 20:8-11).
The Sabbath is an outward sign to prove that we are worshiping the One and only true God and that we are His special people, for the Lord spoke to Moses 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. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore, the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed " (Exodus 31:13-17).
Similar instructions were also given to the prophet Ezekiel for the children of Israel stating, "Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them". Also, "I am the LORD your God: Walk in My statutes, keep My judgments, and do them; hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God" (Ezekiel 20:12,19-20).
Observing the Sabbath/s is the outward sign that identifies those who are sanctified, for we have been admonished saying; "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken" (Isaiah 58:13-14).
Since the mouth of the Lord has spoken these words it means that the Lord has sworn by Himself; The word has gone out of His mouth in righteousness and shall not return. And to Him every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. Therefore, these words are irrevocable. Not only did the Lord created the heavens, the earth, the sea and all that is in them in six days, He also allotted to man six days to do all his works, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest.

To be continued
We have also been reminded saying; "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4: 9-12).
Since man has been given six days to carry out his own works, the seventh day is the pivotal time that members of the body of Christ should have all things in common.

To be continued

The key to the unification of the church (part two)

Anyone who knows and understands the Lord's heartful desire for the oneness and unity of His church, will agree that the church is far from accomplishing the Lord's heartful desire, beause, of the divisions and confusions that presently exist in the body of Christ.
Those who are able to perceive the magnitude of the present dilemma and know the root cause and the soluton to the problem has a mandate just as the prophet Isaiah had the mandate to "Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins" (Isaiah 58:1).
They also are to be vey mindful of the admonition given by the apostle Paul to the servants of the Lord which states, "But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will" (2 Timothy 2:23-26).
So then, what is the root cause of the dilemma that the church faces today, which prevents the members from being of one mind and perfectly joined together as they have been urged by the apostle Paul to do, saying; "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (1 Corinthians 1:10).
It is perplexing to see how those of us who profess to be believers are closing our eyes and ignoring this admonition day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year without having the earnest desire to resolve the issue, or asking ourselves the honest queston; Is God pleased and approved of the divisions that exist in our midst? We see families and households claiming to be believers, yet the husband is part of one denomination, while the wife, children and best of friends are part of another! In our honest opinion, is this the way the Lord ordained for His followers? Is He pleased with this? Or, is He a God of confusion? So how do we personally feel if we are one of those who fall into this dilemma?
And to those who may think otherwise, this is what the admoniton says, "Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church" (1 Corinthians 14:34-35).
So then, what is the root cause of the problem of disunity and divisions that exists in the church, the body of Christ? And what is the key in resolving this issue?

To be continued

The key to the unification of the church (part one)

The unification of the church-the body of Christ, has been the earnest plea of Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul from the very inception. Jesus Christ in His prayer to the Father on behalf of His disciples prayed saying; “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.”
And on behalf of all believers Jesus prayed saying; “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one. I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me” (John 17:9-11; 20-23).
The apostle Paul also made an earnest plea to all believers saying; “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment”.
He also accused the church of sectarianism, which he considered to be sinful and carnal, for he said;  “Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ. Is Christ divided?  Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” ...”And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal?” (1Corinthians 1:10, 12-13; 3:1-4).
Therefore, for the church-the body of Christ to be divided into so many different sects, denominations and fragments is not in accordance to the will of God, for this is sinful and carnal. So what is the solution! What is the key to the unification of the church?
Will the reconciliation of the two legs of the great image of Daniel's prophecy, one in the East, and the other in the West, bring about such a unification? Will the reconciliation of the Catholic Church with the protestant churches which was signed in 1999 bring about this unity? Or will a reconciliation between Christians and Muslims bring about such a unification?
The irony of truth is, none of the above holds the key to the unification of the church-the body of Christ. The key to the unification of the body of Christ – the church, is for both believing Jews and Gentiles to believe in the heart and core message of the cross, and apply the priestly service of Jesus Christ, as their one and only gateway to the Father. For this is what to the Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are being saved, it is the power of God.
Because in the true sense of the word, there are only three categories of people, which are; The Jews, those to whom God gave His oracles or sacred writings; the Gentiles/Greeks, all other nations outside the commonwealth of Israel, who do not now God; and the church of God, which consists of both believing Jews and Gentiles, of whom it is said; “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:26-29).
Therefore, in order to be able to resolve the issue of the divisions that exist in the body of Christ (the church), one has to first and foremost find the root cause of the problem in order to be able to resolve it, otherwise, we will only be dealing with the effects and not the problem itself.

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To be continued

The Chosen Few

To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ have been admonished by Jude a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James saying; “I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed those who did not believe” (Jude5).

The apostle Paul echoed similar sentiment by saying; “But with most of them God was not pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.” And that “All these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come: Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1Corinthians 10:5-6, 11-12).

Unfortunately, there is a condemnation leveled on the church where ungodly men have turned the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ, and for this reason although many have been called, only a few will be chosen.

Who is responsible for choosing only a few from the many, is it God? Is it predestination?

For sure it is not God, because according to the truth of God’s inspired word He shows no partiality. “For the Lord our God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. He administers justice for the fatherless and widows, and loves the stranger, giving him food and clothing” (Deuteronomy 10:17-18).

God’s role in man’s eternal destiny is to:-

a. Blessed him with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

b. Let His divine power give to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these we may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2Peter 1:3-4).

c. Execute righteous judgment. For He will render to each one according to his deeds. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self seeking and who rejects the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for everyone who does evil. First for the Jew, then for the Gentiles, but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; for God does not show favoritism.” In every nation whoever fears God and works righteousness is accepted by Him” (Romans 2:6-11; Acts 10:35).

The many called and few are chosen is it a matter of predestination?

In one sense of the word yes, but not as many presumed it is. It is not a matter of; some individuals are predestined to be saved while others are predestined to be lost.

The predestination of either being saved, or being lost: lies in the belief or disbelief in Jesus Christ. Jesus said emphatically, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets; they will all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to Me” (John 6:44-45).

Again Jesus said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has enabled him” (John 6:65).

The irony of truth is, because of the Father’s impartiality towards man He has drawn every one to Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” this He said, signifying by what death He would die” (John 12:32-33).

Christ’s death on the cross reconciled all men to the Father, giving each on the equal opportunity to be saved. As it is written; “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life: And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have received the reconciliation” (Romans 5:10-11).

The only thing we have different to each other is, “To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.’

“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the same Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.’

“All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, just as He determines” (Ephesians 4:7; 1Corinthians 12:4-11).

Why are many called but few are chosen?

Many are called but few are chosen because of the following reasons:-

1. The calling is initially not an everlasting calling.

It is a calling to lead us to the Father. Jesus whilst praying for Himself said, “Father, the hour has come: Glorify your Son , that your Son also may glorify You, as you have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as you have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:1-3).

One must not forget that, “The Lord having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed those who did not believe.” With regards to this general calling, there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus, and in Him we all live and move and have our existence.

2. The calling is a call to holiness.

To all who have been drawn to Jesus Christ has a mandate to live holy lives, “For the love of Christ constrains us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2Corinthians 5:14-15).

Everyone who has been drawn to Jesus Christ is urged to “Have a walk worthy of the calling with which he/she has been called.” And, “As obedient children, they are not to conformed themselves to the former lusts, as when they were ignorant, because this time of ignorance God has overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent. But as He who called us is holy, we also must be holy in all our conduct, because it is written; “Be holy, for I am holy” (Ephesians 4:1; 1Peter 1:14-16).

It is a calling that one should esteem highly. “For we see our calling brethren, think of what we were when we were called. Not many of us were wise by human standards, not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.”

It is because of God the Father that we are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord” (1Corinthians 1:26-31).

The call to holiness is the main objective for which we were called. “Just as God the Father chose us in Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:4-7).

The will of God for those who have been called, is their sanctification. He did not call them to uncleanness, but in holiness, unto holiness, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord.

Holiness is a state that is derived from the act of righteousness. It is the fruit of righteousness, not of our own, because man´s righteousness is as filthy rags before God, nor is it by the deeds of the law, because by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, but from the act of righteousness which Christ has done, and we continue to believe in, and partake of, which has become our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.

3. One must abide in Christ in whom he/she has received the calling.

 

Jesus Christ gave an illustration on how we can abide in Him by saying, “I am the vine you are the branches”, and according to Jesus Christ’s own words, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit the Father takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.’

“Therefore, Jesus’ admonition to those who are in Him is; “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.’

“If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:2-7).

The chosen ones are those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ.

How does one abide or be preserved in Jesus Christ?

According to Christ’s analogy regarding the true vine and the branches, the sap of the vine [His blood] must continue to flow through the branches, and the branches have to be bearing fruits, and this is accomplished by:-

1. Partaking of Christ’s flesh and blood [Communion]. Jesus said; “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him” (John 6:56).

2. By allowing the truth which was heard from the beginning concerning the Word of life to abide in us.

According to the apostle John the truth which was heard from the beginning concerning the word of life is this: “The life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us – that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ: And the basis of this fellowship is for us to be holy, blameless and spotless, walking in the light even as He is in the light.

Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father” (I John 1:1-3; 2:24-27).

3. Keeping God’s Commandments.

It is written; “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us” (1John 3; 24).

And, “If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit” (1John 4:12-13).

Keeping God’s commandments which is the love of God, and the love of our neighbor is prerequisite to receiving the Holy Spirit, for the Spirit is given to those who obey God, and Jesus Himself said, “If you love Me keep My commandments, and I will pray the Father and He will give you another Helper that He may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you” (Acts 5:32; John 14:15-17 ).

4. By abiding in love:

It is written; “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him” (1John 4:16).

The way God expressed His love was to give His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. And the belief that one should have concerning the Beloved Son in order to have everlasting life is to believe that, Jesus Christ is the living bread which comes down from heaven and give life to the world.

For thus says the Lord, “Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6:47-51).

5. Confessing that Jesus is the Son of God.

For, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God” (1John 4:15).

In conclusion the few who are chosen are those who have acknowledged their calling in Christ, are walking worthy of this calling, which is to walk in holiness, and are preserved in Christ by abiding in His love, which is tantamount to keeping His commandments, and feeding on His flesh and blood, by partaking of communion at the appointed times.

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He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph

How deceived are we

How deceived are we?

The world has been bombarded with all different types of theories regarding the moon, some religious leaders have written bestselling books on the topic of blood moons, red moons, super blue moons, black moons etc. But what is the truth and secret behind all this hype?

For example, I read an article on the Mercury news which states, "July 31 will mark a rare occurrence for Earth's natural satellite — a phenomenon known as a black Moon. The sparse celestial event will be seen in North America, marking the first occurrence since 2016. The rest of the planet will see the black Moon on Aug. 30. Although there is no one single definition of a black Moon, according to Time and Date, it is most commonly used to represent the second new Moon of a month. This rarely happens outside of leap years, as lunar cycles largely take 29 days to complete. But every 32 months or so, there are two full Moons in a month, with the first being known as a blue Moon."

But, wait a minute, is it possible according to the laws of nature which governs the universe, to have two new moons which is termed as "black moon" or two full moons which is termed "red moon" in one month! Whose idea is this? Is it factual or is it a deception?

To find out the truth about the whole matter, let us start from the beginning. It is stated that, when God created the sun moon and stars, He created them for specific purposes because, when He  created them He 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 seasons, and for days and years" (Genesis 1:14).

The sun is appointed to rule the day and the moon is appointed for seasons, months and years. The moon is what should be regulating months and years, because a month is a unit of time, which is approximately as long as a natural period related to the motion of the moon, in fact, the word month and moon are cognates, related words. It has to do with the amount of time it takes the moon to orbit the earth. The traditional concept of a month began with the cycle of moon phases; such months (lunations) are synodic months and last approximately 29.53 days.

There are enough biblical evidences to prove that the new moon is the beginning of a new month. First, when the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, He said to them, "This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you." Now, on the fourteenth day of this same first month is the Lord's Passover and it always fall on a full moon.

There is also the Feast of Trumpets concerning which the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "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. You shall do no customary work on it" (Leviticus 23:23-25).

This first day of the seventh month is again verified by the new moon, and the tenth day of the same month,  is the Day of Atonement, and the fifteenth day is the Feast of Tabernacles which are all calibrated using the new moon as being the first day of a new month.

So, who changed the way the beginning of days, months and years are being observed? To some people this may seems very trivial, but is it? The prophet Daniel forewarned us concerning a fourth beast or kingdom that will rule the earth, and during the reign of this kingdom a little horn (ruler) shall rise, he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law.

Times and law were changed by the fourth beast (kingdom) to whom Satan the dragon gave his power, his throne and great authority, the major changes took place on February 24, 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII when he issued a papal bull, "Inter Gravissimus" that established the Gregorian calendar as the new and official calendar of the Catholic world. Since the Julian calendar had fallen ten days behind over the centuries, Pope Gregory XIII designated that October 4, 1582 would be officially followed by October 15, 1582. The news of the calendar change was disseminated across Europe. Not only would the new calendar be utilized but ten days would be "lost" forever, the new year would now begin on January 1 instead of March 25, which would be the first new moon in spring and consequently a new method of determining the date of Easter was established.

Only a few countries were ready or willing to change to the new calendar in 1582. It was adopted that year in Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, and France. The Pope was forced to issue a reminder on November 7 to nations that they should change their calendars, and many did not heed the call. Had the calendar change been promulgated a century earlier, more countries would have been under Catholic rule and would have heeded the Pope's command. By 1582, Protestantism had spread across the continent and politics and religion were in disarray; additionally, the Eastern Orthodox Christian countries would not change for many years.

Other countries later joined the fray over the following centuries. Roman Catholic Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands switched by 1584; Hungary changed in 1587; Denmark and Protestant Germany switched by 1704; Great Britain and its colonies changed in 1752; Sweden changed in 1753; Japan changed in 1873 as part of Meiji's Westernization; Egypt changed in 1875; Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Turkey all changed between 1912 and 1917; the Soviet Union changed in 1919; Greece switched to the Gregorian calendar in 1928; and finally, China changed to the Gregorian calendar after their revolution of 1949!

Here is a perfect example of how all the world marveled and followed the beast and are inadvertently worshiping the dragon who gave his power, his throne and great authority to the beast; and are all worshiping the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" Because, the Lord ordained and appointed the moon for seasons, months and years, a month therefore, is the amount of time it takes the moon to orbit the earth, but man has blatantly rejected this formula and has instead adopted the formula established by man which is the earth orbiting the sun, something contrary to what the Lord ordained.