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“Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Abib the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. Therefore you shall sacrifice the Passover to the Lord your God, from the flock and the herd, in the place where the Lord chooses to put His name.” Deuteronomy 16:1-2.
The Gergorian calendar, which the majority of the world uses as a standard, marks its beginning from the birthday of the Lord. As such, every year after that is commonly known as, “the Year of the Lord,” which is translated in Latin as, “Anno Domini,” hence the reason we have AD on calendars. However, the Year of the Lord was not meant to start on the day of His birth. The Lord at the beginning of His ministry, at the age of 30, went into a synagogue as was His custom on the Sabbath, and read from the prophet Isaiah, saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because of which He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth in deliverance the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19. Here we have the Lord, at the age of 30, declare to us that He was now going to begin to proclaim, “The Year of the Lord’s favour.”
The point we are trying to make is that, the entire life and ministry of the Lord was under the dispensation of the Law, as Paul says, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, having been born of a woman, having been born under the Law, that He might redeem those under the Law, so that we might receive the divine adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:4-5. Meaning, the purpose of the Lord was to bring an end to this dispensation in the fulfillment of the Law, in order to establish the New Covenant, that is the “Year of the Lord’s Favour,” which was meant to be established through the shedding of His own blood.
And this is illustrated in the fact that the calendar of God BEGINS on the month of the PASSOVER. That is, when God brought the children of Israel from the land of their bondage, He spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “This month [that is the month of Abib] shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the FIRST month of the YEAR to you.” And He gave them an instruction for the Passover saying, “On the TENTH of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.” … “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the FOURTEENTH day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at TWILIGHT.” Exodus 12:1-6. Pastor Joseph Prince, teaches that the number 10 represents the Law, the significance of which is that, the lamb of the Passover was taken on the Tenth of the month, as a means to foreshadow the Lord in bringing to a close the dispensation of the Law. And the first time the Lord was identified as the Lamb of God, was by John when the Lord came to be baptised by him, John writes, “On the next day, [John] sees Jesus coming to him and says, “Behold the Lamb of God, the One taking away the sin of the world.” John 1:29. After which, the Lord began His ministry in the land of Israel, which lasted for about three and half years, before He Himself was also sacrificed at Twilight, akin to the four days the lamb of the Passover was kept in the household of Israel.
The implication to us is that the New Year of the Lord’s Grace did not start until that Friday afternoon, when the Lord was nailed to the cross, with His flesh torn from His bones and breathed His last declaring, “It is Finished,” and commended His Spirit to God. [John 19:30.] Now, the evening before the Lord was to suffer, He ate the Passover with His disciples, saying, “With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” After which He gave them the bread and the wine saying, “This is My body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me,” and the cup likewise, after having supped, saying, “This cup is the New Covenant in My Blood, which is being poured out for you.” Luke 22:14,19-20. Paul also tells us, the New Covenant was established through death saying, “And because of this, He is the mediator of a New Covenant, so that, DEATH having taken place for redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant.” Hebrews 9:15. That is to say, it is through the DEATH of the Body of the Lord, that we are set free from the Covenant of the Law and Sin, in order for us to be established into the New Covenant of Grace and Righteousness. [Romans 7:4.]
The point for us is this, the beginning of the year was NOT meant to be His birth but His death, through which He annulled the previous Covenant of the Law and established a New Covenant of His Grace, through His Blood. So just as the beginning of the Year for the children of Israel was established in the month of the Passover, which was under the Covenant of the Law. The beginning of the year for the New Covenant of Grace and Righteousness is also established on the SAME day, that is “The Year of the Lord’s GRACE.”
The implication to us is this, ever since the establishment of the Gergorian Calendar we have miscalculated the year of the Lord’s favour by about 33 years. The consequence of which is that ever since the year 2000, we have supposed we are presently on the Third day of which, Hosea prophesied saying, “After TWO days He will REVIVE us; On the THIRD day He will RAISE us up, that we may live in His sight.” Hosea 6:2. Which we calculated using Peter’s expression for the measurement of time according to the Lord, which he stated saying, “With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” 2 Peter 3:8. Now, this miscalculation is not of great importance for previous generations, but it is of great SIGNIFICANT value to us, since we are the generation that will witness the return of the Lord. Meaning, we ONLY have 8 years left of the Second day, taking in consideration we have the correct beginning for the Gregorian Calendar!
Now, the significance of the Third Day is prefigured from the VERY beginning of creation, when God created Adam. Now, the commonly accepted narrative of the creation of Adam and Eve is that they were both created on the SIXTH day, perhaps Adam in the morning and Eve by the evening, completing that day. But the surprising factor is that Adam was on the earth for a clear 3 days before Eve ever came to be. The Bible states, “This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, BEFORE any PLANT of the field was in the EARTH and BEFORE any HERB of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Genesis 2:4-7. In this description God clearly states that, before there was a single PLANT or HERB on the earth, God formed Man from the ground. That is to say, the VERY first living THING on the Earth was, “the Ground Man: Adam,” meaning he had preeminence over every living thing that came after him.
As such everything the Earth brought forth after Adam was created, was meant to serve him, from the light of the Sun to give light by day, to the stars and moon to give light by night. And the plants and herbs that grew out of the ground were meant to be for his food. [Genesis 2:9,16-17.] THEN, God said, “It is not good that man should be ALONE; I will make him a helper comparable to him. Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them.” Genesis 2:18-19. The fact that ADAM was ALONE in the Earth, was the CONDITION for which, every beast of the field and birds of the air were created. And we KNOW the birds of the air and fish of the sea were created on the Fifth Day, as stated in Genesis 2:20-23, and if they were created for Adam’s sake, it MUST also mean Adam precedes the Fifth Day. And it is also on the same GROUNDS that even his wife Eve was brought forth from his side, that is why Paul says, “For truly man was NOT created on ACCOUNT of the woman, but woman on ACCOUNT of the man.” 1 Corinthians 11:9.
The ERROR we make is that, we do NOT distinguish between the creation of a Man who was ALONE, and the creation of Mankind, which is meant to signify the propagation of the species through Eve, the mother of all living. This is the point which the initial description of the creation of Mankind was making, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created “HIM”; male and female He created THEM. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be FRUITFUL and MULTIPLY; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:27-28. So, even though a Man was created, on the Third day and was ALONE, but on the Sixth day Mankind was created in RESPECT to Eve, through which he became MANY. So again Paul says, “For JUST as the woman is OF the man, so also the man is BY the woman.” 1 Corinthians 11:12. And this point is made further clear in Genesis chapter 5, saying, “In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created.” Genesis 5:1-2. Here, two distinct steps to creation are stated, first Adam in the day he was created, THEN male and Female in the day they were created, in regards to which God called them Mankind.
The point is this, it was not until THREE days after Adam, that is on FRIDAY, and most likely before TWILIGHT, once everything in creation was finished, Eve was brought to be the COMPLETION of Mankind, when “the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.” Genesis 2:21-22. There, the woman came in the likeness and image of Adam, to be his companion bearing his flesh and bones. Please NOTE the REFERENCE to Friday, which is very important because it prefigures the Lord Jesus Christ.
That is, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Last Adam having come in the likeness of sinful flesh, brought to an end to the previous dispensation of Sin, Flesh, and Death that came on the account of the first Adam, through the sacrifice of Himself which was also on FRIDAY. And He spent THREE days in the heart of the Earth, in body and soul as Adam once was. After which, He was raised to a New Life by the Spirit of God, having become the FIRSTBORN from the dead of the New Creation, that is Spirit-Mankind. [Colossians 1:18.] The effect of which is that, since that day NEARLY 2000 years have gone past, and we are at the VERY closing point of the Second day. And the significance of the Third day means to us, the same as it was to Eve, which is the day we are also presented to our Bridegroom. And as Eve was not presented to Adam until everything was finished, likewise the Lord also has been preparing a place for us for the last 2000 years. That is why the Lord said, “In My Father’s house there are many mansions. And if not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will receive you to Myself, that where I am, you may be also.” John 14:2-3. The point is that between Adam and Eve there were THREE days, likewise between the Lord and His Church being presented before Him, there are also THREE days.
The significance of the dawning of the Third day is also illustrated in the story of Joshua, when Israel was preparing to cross the Jordan River and to come into the Promised Land, which Pastor Joseph Prince teaches. In that, Joshua instructs the children of Israel saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about TWO THOUSAND cubits by measure.” Joshua 3:3-4. This is meant to represent, the Lord Jesus Christ having gone ahead to make the way for us, for which the TWO THOUSAND cubits are a representative of the last TWO THOUSAND years, in an illustration of the measurement according to mankind. [Hebrews 10:19-22.]
Here, it is important to signify the importance of the Second day, which we are PRESENTLY in, which is meant to be marked by revival, as Hosea says, “After two days He will REVIVE us.” As such, we have many significant events which we can attribute to the Second day, which applies for the last one thousand years. The most significant of all is the reformation of the Church that began with Martin Luther in 1517. This event, brought the Church out from the DARK slumber she was under for nearly a thousand years, which is aptly called “the dark ages.” After which the Church with great struggle began to show signs of life, through successive generals of the faith. Starting with the translation of the Bible in the common tongue of the people, making the Bible accessible to everyone. And building upon the light of revelation, upon light of revelation, we have the restoration of the knowledge and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the 19th century, which ultimately led to the great healing revivals of the 20th century. The point is we see an increase in the means by which God is reviving His Church throughout the Second day, of which, we who are at the closing of THIS day are the generation that is set to see the cumulation of its effect. Before the Third day dawns, which we expect to be around Passover 2033, and the day of the Lord’s return to raise us up that we may live in His sight become IMMINENT!
Now, bear in mind the Third day is an encompassing term to say 1000 years, as such, it also means it will encompass the 1000 years reign of Christ. The effect of which is that, the return of the Lord is not going to be some far distance part of the Third day, but at its very beginnings. And the illustration of this fact is not contrary to the word of God, as to know the SPECIFIC time of the Lord’s return, be it evening, midnight, at crowing of the rooster or morning. [Mark 13:35.] But in the context of a Thousand years, in which the Lord Himself tells us, “When you see these things coming to pass, know that He is near, at the DOORS. Truly I say to you that this GENERATION will NOT have passed away until all these things shall have taken place.” Mark 13:29. So, the day and hour in specificity is UNKNOWN, yet at the SAME time the Lord wants us to KNOW the overall moment in relation to a Generation, which we are a part of. So, the purpose here is to impress upon us how close and immediate the Third day is drawing near, and in order to raise our expectations for the great moves of God in reviving us in the CLOSING moments of the present Second Day.
Luke describing the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ to Israel says, “And the people are EXPECTING and all wondering in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ.” Luke 3:15. That is to say, the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ was not by any means a surprise for the children of Israel, because THEY were already in EXPECTATION of Him. The point is this, we are also in EXPECTATION, we can sense the urgency, and we see the signs that THIS age is coming to a CLOSE. Which we ourselves can surmise from the condition of the world, and the deception that is prevalent upon the minds of people, and yet we brush it aside, and this will be to our detriment and others, as the Lord said, “And take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts ever be burdened with dissipation and drunkenness and the cares of life—and that day would come upon you suddenly as a SNARE. For it will come upon all those sitting upon the face of all the earth.” Luke 21:34-35.
While looking at the vastness of a dying world it is easy at times to forget those nonchalant Christians, who are in need to be exhorted to take their salvation seriously. James says, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8. So, we need to exhort one another to be ever more vigilant in prayer, in the reading of the word of God, to stir up love and good works. [Hebrews 10:24-25.] To be sober minded and watchful is our responsibility, as Peter says, “Now the end of all has drawn near. Therefore be clear-minded and be sober for the purpose of PRAYERS, above all things, having fervent love among yourselves, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:7-8. And Jude also says, “But you, beloved, building up yourselves in your most holy faith, PRAYING in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Jude 1:20-21. The emphasis that is made in respect to being Watchful in Prayer CANNOT be underestimated, which is the admonishment the Lord Himself gives to us in respect to the closing of the Age. [Mark 13:33, Luke 21:36.]
Paul also says, “The night is nearly over, and the day has drawn near; therefore we should cast off the works of darkness and should put on the armor of light. We should walk properly, as in daytime; not in reveling and drinking, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in dissension and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.” Romans 13:12-14. The point is, there is a difference between a person who is forgiven, and one that is actively engaged in a relationship with the Lord, to walk by the Spirit in lives of Righteousness and Holiness, and it is the latter that will escape the days to come, in having their body full of Oil. [Matthew 25:1-12.] We need to be reminded, We are THAT Generation!
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