"Guardians of the Calendar Committee" Job Opening In Petra

Apostle Malm  may have a job opening for you worthy saints. Those lucky enough to be counted worthy to travel to Petra with the Apostle can start applying for a new job opening.

Because there is such a controversy on who gets to see the "new moon" and as to what time it actually appears - if it even does, the Apostle will be setting up a moon gazing committee.  Imagine the amazement you will feel standing in the middle or Petra gazing at the dark sky and you see that first glimmer of the new moon!

Of course, while you are parked INSIDE the great expanse of Petra, the Apostle will be outside in the Marriott in a cozy bed with an ample supply of liquor in the refrigerator.

Drop the Apostle a line and let him you know you want to be on his committee: Email Address

I would expect that God’s two prophets may be trusted to deal with the matter in the rest of the world while those in the wilderness would be united in location and some kind of system of observation would be set up there. I thinkl that a kind of Guardians of the Caendar Committee should be set up of people with some understanding of astronomy and the Calendar issues and a reglular method of observing each month should be doen. I am sure that something will be worked out. The main heavenly disturbances are not so much of the sun and moon but of a comet and or meteor falling to the earth and that only late into the 42 months. The moon turning red has to do with atmospheric smoke and dust due to the cataclysms on the earth rather than anything in the heavens. James

Pining For A New Moon

A small minority of COG members have moved into new noon observance of the last several decades.  To me this is just further delving further into legalistic rules and regulations that ultimately have no meaning whatsoever to a Christian's walk. Plus, the 'new moons' worship is tied directly into pagan worship that was centered around new moons well before the Israelites left Egypt.  Like the spring and fall harvest festivals, the new moons were already a part of the ancient cultures.  Each just 'rebranded' the observances according to their cultural traditions. With all of them, and with Malm, the focus is as usual upon something physical.  Armstrongism has attached great significance to the physical while ignoring or devaluing the mystical and spiritual essences of belief.

Even Armstrongism's biggest apologist site Bible Study.org says Christians are not supposed to be observing New Moons.  Of course Apostle Malm would call these people agents of Satan for saying so.

Apostle Malm went to great lenghts yesterday in determining IF the New Moon was actually seen.  If these witnesses had not been able to see it then Malm was not going to observe it.

I accept that any sighting between the International Date Line and Jerusalem would mean that the moon would be visible at Jerusalem.

I will also say [this was not applicable this month]  that the New Moon can be seen in the morning before sun rise on those occasions where the moon sets before the sun in the evening.  If the New Moon IS seen in the early morning before sun rise,; the New Moon day would begin at sunset the coming evening because we cannot begin a day in its middle.

Please remember that one does not have to be in the faith to observe the moon as this requires no biblical understanding, just good eye sight.

Pakistan:

Seen: Sultan Alam (MCW member) from Karachi reported: Today (Tuesday 30th August 2011), our  observers sighted the moon and central official moon sighting committee of Pakistan also received many positive reports hence it has been announced officially that Wednesday 31st August 2011 is 1st Shawwal (Eid-ul-fitr) 1432 in Pakistan. Nearly whole Pakistan was cloudy or hazy.

• Kuwait:

  Seen: Hussain Khushaish (MCW member) from Kuwait reported: In Kuwait at Kabad desert on Tuesday August 30, 2011 the crescent was seen by 11 people with us which means that it was very difficult to be seen by naked eyes

• Bangladesh:

  Seen: Engr. Azizul Huq (MCW member) from Dhaka reported: The crescent moon was seen in many places of Bangladesh

• Lebanon:

  Seen: Dr. Hadi Jaafar (MCW member) reported: This evening I was able to see the moon of the month of Shawwal here in Tyr, Lebanon. I started scanning the partly cloudy western horizon with my 7*50 pair of binoculars at about 7:15 PM. I was able to see the moon very briefly at about 7:25 local time. I was barely able to see it with the “naked eye” ( I wear eye glasses) for a couple of seconds before it disappeared behind the clouds. The lighted portion was extremely thin, with crescent horns pointing between 1 and 5 o’clock. The moon was located at about 258 degrees magnetic azimuth ( as the compass of the binoculars pointed) and it was low at the horizon.

  
  
  

Tonight You Must Blow Your Shofar! It's New Mooner Time!

Apostle Malm is directing all of his true followers to blow a shofar tonight in honor of the new moon and the start of the sixth month.

The Apostle claims the new moon is as important as Passover:

The New Moon day is not a Holy Day; it IS an Appointed Time, like Passover and Wave Offering.  The New Moon is to be observed with the blowing of trumpets and special sacrifices.

I bet you did not know that you are still required under the New Covenant to do sacrifices!  But just what kind of sacrifices does the Apostle expect you to do?  In typical COG proof-texting fashion and "here a little, there a little", the Apostle says you are to sacrifice by doing bible study.

Since the physical sacrifice was only a physical reminder of the spiritual sacrifice of the Lamb of God, we do a special study of the Scriptures in place of the sacrifices [which cannot be offered because there is no Tabernacle or temple at Jerusalem:

Somehow opening an  onion skin book on a dining room table does not equate to slaughtering oxen, sheep and doves over an altar so that the blood flows off it onto the ground.

Armstrongism has always had to find the easy way out of doing all kinds of things.  Many things in Leviticus are supposedly required, while many things right next to the required things are not required.  Just  one more reason why Armstrongism has no credibility!

Did You Bow Down Before the New Moon Tonight?

I still amazes me how those steeped in all the myriad of laws that Armstrongism has yoked it's members with, that some of those same members seek out and find myriads of other 'laws' that they 'require' of 'true' followers.

Apostle Malm has been commanding that true Christians (COGers only) are COMMANDED to observe monthly new moons with bible study and celebration meals, prepared of course BEFORE sundown.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: After sunset ending June third, the first  light of the New Moon will be visible at Jerusalem.  This begins the first day of the Third Biblical month by the Biblical Calendar. Four June in the New Moon Day, which we observe with a family Bible Study and special meal [prepared BEFORE Sabbath] to sanctify the new month as  prophesied for the Kingdom and observed in ancient Israel.  

The New Moon is NOT a High Holy Day; it is a consecration of the new month and is commanded to be observed by God. The New Moon falls into the category of the Passover and Wave Offering as being commanded to be observed, yet short of a Sabbath or Holy Day.

 In the Kingdom it will be a required observance for all flesh, Is 66:23, Ez 46:3. Today we should have a special Bible Study [a personal or family study if your group is not yet ready to obey God in this matter] in lieu of the commanded sacrifices; it would also be appropriate to have a festive meal as done by ancient Israel: example King Saul.

 How do you know exactly when the new moon is occurring?  You will be told by a Karaite Jew in Jerusalm who blows on his shofar.  Once he blows the horn you are commanded to worship  the moon.


The New Moon has been confirmed by actual observance at sunset this evening in Jerusalem.  Welcome the Sabbath and the New Moon with the Shofar.

Is it just me are all Armstrongites getting crazier by the minute?

Silly Heathens! Mooning Is Commanded!

Malm is on another of his legalistic old covenant benders today:  Paying homage to the new moon.

HOW SHOULD WE OBSERVE THE NEW MOON DAY?  We are commanded to begin each month with special sacrifices to consecrate that month on the New Moon day.  Today we go to the Father with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  Church organizations and independents should hold bible studies on the New Moon day and should pray to our Father through our sacrifice thanking him for the blessings of the previous month and asking him to bless us with his spirit and increasing understanding, wisdom, knowledge and blessings durimg the coming month. 

So should a person who follows Jesus observe new moons?

Even one of Armstrongism's biggest propaganda/apology sites says Christians should NOT be keeping New Moons: Are Believers Required to Observe New Moons?

But nowhere in the Bible is there a command from God that we in this present age are to observe new moons! There is no such command and that is why articles which assert that we are to observe new moons today are never able to quote a specific command from God. New moons simply don't feature amongst the commanded assemblies of God.

Furthermore, where does God say that on the new moon kings should have special meals, national leaders should address major problems, and those of military service age should be mustered?

Nowhere!

The new moons are not at all like Sabbath days! The very word "Sabbath" is an intensive form of the Hebrew word for "REST"! Any day that is NOT "a rest" is simply NOT "like the Sabbath"! And new moons are emphatically not at all like Sabbath days. Would God want a king to organize a banquet for a Sabbath day? Certainly not! So if a king does have a banquet on a new moon day, then this illustrates that the new monday is different from a Sabbath day.
Sometimes people quote Scriptures which refer to the millennium, and which also mention new moons. That's fine ... but that still is not the same as clear instructions from God for this present age. This approach is nothing more than reasoning that tries to INFER instructions for us today from these references about the millennium. But such inferences are not justified.

The point to consider is this: since without doubt new moons were important to Israel in Old Testament times, why is there not a single command to actually 'observe' them anywhere in the Old Testament? People did, and still do, many things which are not commanded. Some of these things certainly have some merit.

But the observance of days is not something God expects us to just 'infer!'

Of course this all ties into Malm's strict Sabbatarianism.  Here are a list of things that Sabbatarians do NOT like to be confronted with:  Questions Sabbatarians Don't Like

Aviv Barley, Passover and Armstrongism

Armstrongism has always had legalistic people who demanded that the WCG observe New Moons, sacred names and other non essentials.

James Malm has take this to a new extreme that I have not heard before.  He  will actually have people in Israel to see if a certain type of barley has achieved ripeness in order for the 'correct' date of Passover to be observed.

There is a small segment of Armstrongism that has attached it's self to the Karaite Jews and their legalistic rules and regulations that are completely irrelevant to Christians.  There are a couple of people on the Original COG Yahoo board that  practice all things Jewish and try to get others to do it also.  You never hear these people talking about Jesus, but spend their entire time talking about Jewish law, rules and regulations that people should be following.

Malm claims to be a 'new covenant' christian yet goes it fits over people eating out on the 'sabbath', working over onto sundown, and other legalistic rules.  There is nothing 'new covenant' about this delusional guy! No matter how hard Armstrongites pretend to be Jewish they are  not Jews.

He writes:

NEW YEAR:  The last day of the twelfth month of this year is expected to be March 5.  It appears that an intercalary 13th month needs to be added to bring us into the proper season for Passover.  To comfirm that and to make absolutely certain; my friend Brian Convery will be in Judea with a team of specialists to determine the state of the Aviv Barley.  A number of other COG groups as well as the Karaite Jewish community will also be doing this Aviv search.  The search will take place next week, just before the end of the twelfth month, unless the airlines cancel flights.  In that case observers living in Judea will do the search alone.

If no Aviv barley is found then another month will be added to the year and Passover will take place in April.  Please pray that God’s will should be clearly revealed in this matter and that his servants should be kept safe from all harm in this difficult time.

While one can calculate the probabilities, it is very important that practical experience be gained by taking the time to actually study and do these things.  The major COG Groups do not understand the Biblical Calendar because they are content to cling to their past traditions and are not willing to make any real effort to find the truth of the matter.