Church of God News had this up today concerning Rick Shabi's recent comment upon the full moon that is necessary for them to be able to celebrate holy days and the Feast of Tabernacles. Imagine what the United Church of God would be like if they actually focused themselves upon the grace of Christ instead of this useless stuff?
United Church of God and the Hebrew Calendar
In an article, Galaxies, the Moon and the Feast, July 15th, UCG’s new president, Rick Shabi, waxes lyrical about the full moon and its importance to “The Feast.”
“If you were outside last night you saw another amazing, beautiful and significant work of God – a full moon … Three months from today, when the sun sets, the Feast of Tabernacles begins. On the third full moon from now we will be right where God wants us to be, on the day He proclaimed as an “appointed time” … where God has placed His name. He says to be at “that place” by the time the Feast of Tabernacles begins. That’s at sunset that begins the 15th of the seventh month on the sacred calendar.”
The UCG teaches that there is always a full moon on the first evening of the Feast of Tabernacles in the Hebrew Calendar. Rick Shabi goes further, castigating those members who would dare to think about starting the Feast of Tabernacles one or two days after the full moon, likening them to the foolish virgins who will be shut out of the marriage feast.
“Would you dare be late to an assembly the Great God of this universe has called – the God who has offered us eternal life if we follow Him and earnestly, diligently and carefully learn and keep all His ways? God sees our hearts by how we observe the Feast of Tabernacles.
As we prepare for the Feast, bear in mind that you are also preparing your heart for how you receive God’s Kingdom. Will you be late, asleep or unprepared like the five “foolish virgins” of Matthew 25?
Or will you be ready? Will you be at the Holy convocation of God as the Feast begins in the very first service at the site you will be attending?“
In 2023, according to the Hebrew Calendar, the Feast will start one day later than the full moon. So what will Rick Shabi do next year?
“Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)
29 comments:
When the full moon hits your eyes like a big pizza pie, atsa feast time....
If Shabi really teaches that, he is making a MAJOR change to UCG teaching. Until now, UCG has accepted the validity of the "postponement" rules that have the side-effect of sometimes letting the Feast start one or two days after the full moon.
I'm guessing that he isn't actually trying to change UCG doctrine, but that he is in fact an idiot. But wouldn't you think someone around him would have caught that error before it was published?
Have UCG leaders ever watched the old science fiction series Space: 1999?
Imagine having a religion that would fall apart completely if Earth lost its moon.
This crap is the stuff splits are made of. Hope they're prepared.
Actually way more than having a religion fall apart if we lost the moon, the whole planet would suffer dire consequences!
https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/what-would-happen-if-moon-disappeared
When the moon hits your eye like a big pumpkin pie, it's the Feast time.
Anonymous at 10:18 AM, Everyone in the UCG is free to have their own pet theories and heresies and sins, which they are supposed to keep to themselves, but that they cannot help preaching at others in the UCG.
What is the grace of Christ in YOUR opinion ?
Technically, astronomically, the full moon is only an instant, but it looks full up to three days. I don't think Rick will be wondering what to do in 2023.
But as to "feasts" there are only three, as listed in Ex 23:14-16 and the other holy days are annual sabbaths, and all are fixed times (better translation of "feasts" in Lev 23:2). Moreover the annual days, 1st,10th,22nd of the 7 month, may be added laws (Gal 3:17-19), are not listed in Ex 20-23 chapters. Are they still commanded?? Careful in answering if you think the holy days were for only "ancient" Israel and now done away under the New Covenant because: Pentecost and Days of Unleavened Bread are mentioned as existing after Christ's death in the NT.
Has UCG already edited the article online? It doesn't really say what this post claims it does.
This person wrote, "...where God has placed His name."
I take great exception to this statement. God placed his name in Jerusalem. He said, "I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever." But according to Herman Hoeh, HWA first asserted that God placed his name in Gladewater, TX (read as Big Sandy). This was not understood by overt revelation from God, as in the days of Solomon, but by HWA reading circumstance - the Hammer family donated some land. Since that watershed, "God places his name" wherever an apocalyptic Millerite sect wishes to observe the Feast of Tabernacles.
This is an extraordinarily important issue. If God placed his name at the Temple in Jerusalem and the Temple has been destroyed then it is impossible for anyone to keep the Law of Moses in the Post Second Temple Period. The Feast of Tabernacles is the lynchpin. No Temple, no valid place to observe the FoT. The FoT may be the only part of the Law of Moses than specifically requires the existence of the Temple - hence, the pilgrimage to Jerusalem annually to observe the FoT.
The Jews keep Sukkot locally because they follow Rabbinic Judaism. And Rabbinic Judaism evolved from the Academy of Jamnia where Judaism was repackaged to be observed without the Temple. But Armstrongists have always claimed that they observe the Law of Moses as it appears in the Torah based on Matthew 5:17-18. And they do not. Every time Armstrongists observe the FoT away from the Temple in Jerusalem, they underscore the fact that they cannot keep the Law of Moses at all. For Christians this is a non-issue because the NT asserts that the Law of Moses is no longer in force. (Hint: Jesus did not expect anyone to keep the law of Moses after his ministry, death and resurrection.)
Note: Anyone can keep Sukkot in a cultural sense. One just cannot claim it is required for salvation or claim that it is being observed as a part of the overall observance of the Law of Moses.
The challenge is to the Armstrongists to demonstrate how they can repackage the Law of Moses for non-Temple worship. The Jews had the Academy of Jamnia. I am not sure what authority the Armstrongists would draw on in order to do this repackaging. Certainly it would not be the Bible itself.
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For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Mat 18:20.
Don't need a Temple.
Anonymous 7:25
In the scripture you cite, Jesus is the Temple. From Revelation 21:22:
"And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it."
Elsewhere you find the church is the Temple but the church is also the Body of Christ. If you are an Armstrongist, then you believe that the Law of Moses is God's eternal spiritual law. And that law states that the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles involves the Temple. If Armstrongists concede some time and some place, that under the NT, Jesus is the Temple then why can't they concede that he is also the Sabbath. Both foreshadowed Christ. He is the majestic fulfillment of both.
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Call me a heretic, but the moon is always full. It is just that we can only see that it is full once per month.
The Hebrew calendar is man made and has been adjusted here and there to accommodate SATURDAY KEEPING. That last feast has had 4 different dates (thankfully that opened my eyes) depending on which sect you follow. But, to those that insist on criticism of Lunar keeping, tell me. Why are there so many verses about the Moon and Sun(two great lights)? They both rise and set every single day and night (which are copied by the Pope Gregorian calendar), making a full day. Hundreds of verses with Moon, Month (also Moon), and the word ETH = SIGN/MARK/TIME. Problem why so much confusion is the Synagogue of Satan created this massive mess and they STILL AREN'T ENTERING IN! If He appoints, why are these cults/sects appointing and feasting to their hearts CONtent? Feast was added, just means assembling. Bring on the pagan dancing to the wicked world of paganism. These are more in the world than they think. I'll stay alone the rest of my life, before I follow the crowd. It's all pretty sick to me. No integrity. I'm sure this will not be allowed on here again.
No he isn't, stop stirring it.
Exactly. Athiests on here love to cause trouble. Shabi mentioning the full moon for the beginning of Tabernacles is a good thing. Quite encouraging. He might even try and raise the standards because let's face it couldn't go any lower.
Oh give it a rest will you.
7:44 and 7:49, don't you guys have something more important to do, like campaigning for Trump and his hand picks?
I know there are some United members who didn't appreciate the "very first service" emphasis. The first day falls on Monday, which means many sites will have an opening night service on Sunday evening, with only one service the following day. This year most people will certainly be traveling on Sunday, and it's likely in many cases the travel will not allow them to get there in time for the evening service. Or for some, because of time change, they may simply be too tired to attend the evening service.
If they decide to skip the opening night service and only attend the service on the following day, did they miss the Holy convocation? Or, is Rick expecting people to travel on Saturday to get there in time? Whoops, can't do that. So, are people expected to travel on Friday to make sure they make the opening evening service?
What hypocrites….this article is based on using the calculated Hillel II calendar which moved the Holy Days around based on the pagan postponement rules, which most XCOGs follow. The correct biblical calendar is based on the OBSERVABLE new moon crescent as found in scripture and Josephus. If one counts the days from the observable crescent, the middle of the month ALWAYS is a full moon.
Keeping new moons or any of the rigmarole wrapped up into the moon observances is NOT a New Covenant command. That is a simple fact that those under the New Covenant understand.
AnonymousFriday, July 22, 2022 at 4:15:00 PM PDT
Keeping new moons or any of the rigmarole wrapped up into the moon observances is NOT a New Covenant command. That is a simple fact that those under the New Covenant understand.
Calm down there, Satan….
And your point is ??????? Only athiest fakes go peculiar and dislike the first evening service at Tabernacles. Encountered that argument over the years.
The entire Armstrong experience was based on a secret set of gnosticism. To get at real truth, I like to ponder what the meaning of different objects and concepts is for us today. The idea that pagans abused certain very common objects and made them a focus of their worship, or that people under the Old Covenant treated them in certain ritualistic ways means nothing to me, as a citizen of the present.
So, the moon is the closest celestial body to planet Earth. Because of its particular juxtaposition between the earth and the sun, it has very predictable cycles of varying visiblilty. These can be mathematically predicted, and a full cycle roughly correlates with a month. Full moon often provides a spectacular show for residents of Earth, and is said to produce energy which is subliminally perceived by some humans, and is said to cause cyclical mood swings. The gravitational pull of the moon regulates oceanic tides, which affects boating, fishing, and surfing to name a few well known activities. We never see the so-called "dark" side of the moon, concealed by its pattern of motion.
Do appreciate the moon? Yes, greatly. I love being outdoors at night, especially while riding a bicycle or motorcycle, during full moon. It is fascinating that man travelled to the moon, exploring it, and thus contributing to the body of knowledge known as science.
Do I use it as part of my worship. I'm not sure that I know what form worship would take with regard to the moon. When I gaze upon the full moon, I have been known to praise Father God, in appreciation for His moon. It is not some sort of god or goddess to me, and I could care less when a new moon is sighted in the Middle East, because I know that with speeds and rotations being constant, it is possible to calculate in advance the first little crescent of a new moon, and to be much more precise than one could be through visual observation. Observation was good back when the priests in Israel were recording their sightings each day, accumulating the knowledge which would produce that year's calendar in day to day real time, before math made it possible to accurately create calendars predictively, years in advance. Mankind's knowledge had progressed to the point at which calendars were fixed in advance, "fixed" calendars as opposed to day to day observational calendars recorded by the priests as each day's history.
People known as fanatics become infatuated with their own pet theories, and love to teach them to others as part of their own little leavening, governing others with their eclectic little set of gnosticism. It's a shame when you think about how fanaticism can spoil the enjoyment of things of natural beauty. And of course, this was always rampant amongst members of the Armstrong churches of .god.
UCG looks to the moon more than they do Christ? Great introduction!
How often have people completely missed the meaning (substance) of a holyday while debating the calendar (form)? I'm not against celebrating these days in their "due season", but one could study the calendar issue for a lifetime and never come to an answer satisfactory to everyone! What's really important here? I know what the Pharisees would say!
Rick has always assiduously used guilt to try to manipulate the Members on a regular basis!! He routinely sent out an email every Friday stressing the need for the Sabbath. If God is their God; wouldn’t He be leading the Members and not Rick??? Why on God’s green earth would they need a so called Minister to remind them of something so BASIC as the sabbath??? Oh, that’s right; if they slack off on Sabbath Services it could eventually equate to them falling away which would impact THEIR financial gains!! Oh; that’s right, wasn’t he the Treasurer?? Certainly the FOT is even more important because of the TWO Holy Days involved. They wouldn’t want to lose anyone. (any MONEY)
Do you apply this same level of diatribe to the Sun..???
To the lummox that has been sending in numerous childish posts....
I do not give a flying rat's ass if you get upset over me blocking your comments. If you want to discuss "pearls", "swine", and "dog's" you need to stop and look at the face you see in the mirror. I doubt the swine looking back at you cares much about what you claim is "truth". Please, go change your diaper and wipe the spittle off your face before it gets all over your computer screen.
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