This week on April 6, we celebrate the beginning of the Jewish sacred year.
The Lord Himself specified that the sacred year would begin in the spring at the time of the Exodus (Ex. 12:2). In Egypt, the new year had begun in mid-July when the bright star Sirius rose in conjunction with the annual flooding of the Nile. By moving the new year to the beginning of spring, God wasn’t just differentiating His people from the Egyptians; He was restoring the year to its ancient parameters.
Even before the flood of Noah, Enoch’s calendar begins with the spring equinox. This calendar is contained in the book of Enoch, which was quoted in the New Testament and is a part of the Ethiopian church Bible. There is strong evidence that portions of the book may have actually originated with Enoch, including the fact that his astronomical observations come from an area far north of the Holy Land, perhaps from the Black Sea, which scientists admit was “recently” flooded under saltwater and could have been Noah’s home. In addition, Enoch’s calendar was made by observing the sun’s position on the horizon and was used in such ancient structures as Stonehenge and New Granage, but not in the historical Near East. For more information on Enoch, we recommend Dr. Randy Delp’s book, The Impact of the Book of Enoch on Christianity and Other Religions.
After the flood, Noah’s descendants settled in Mesopotamia, where the vast majority of the calendars adopted a springtime new year. Enoch had named his first month Temmani, linguistically similar to Temennu, the Babylonian name for the constellation Taurus (the bull). Taurus was, in fact, the constellation of the spring equinox in Enoch’s time and after the flood in ancient Mesopotamia. The preeminent place of Taurus the bull was recognized in many aspects of Middle Eastern pagan religion and life. An echo comes from the Hebrew alphabet, where the first letter is a bull pictograph. More interestingly, our first letter “A” resembles the Hyades star cluster, which houses Aldebaran (the governor), and which is the “eye” of the bull Taurus.
At the time Abraham was called in 2091 B.C., the precession of the equinoxes moved the spring equinox into the constellation Aries (the ram). This movement of the sign into the season of spring is a part of the prophetic celestial calendar (Gen. 1:14) and marked the beginning of the formation of a nation and a family to bring Christ, the seed of woman (Gen. 3:15) to earth. It is no coincidence that Abraham, who was promised that his seed would be the seed of woman (Gen. 15:5 and 22:18), was prevented from sacrificing his son, and a ram, symbolic of Christ, was sacrificed in his place (Gen. 22:13).
Two years before Jesus was born, in 7 B.C., the prophetic calendar had moved the constellation Pisces (the fish) into springtime. Pisces is a picture of two fish, representing the Jews and Gentiles, united to form the church. Jesus came to establish His church, and after His resurrection in the first month of spring in A.D. 30, the church was born at Pentecost. We are still living in the age of the church.
In the year 2121, the prophetic calendar will bring the constellation Aquarius (the water pourer) into the Spring season. The date can be changed if God makes a simple change in the precession of the equinoxes, and no one knows the day or the hour. Still, like the wise men who watched for the signs of Christ’s Advent, we should watch for the signs in the sun, moon and stars, which Jesus said would lead to His Second Coming (Luke 21:25).
So tonight after sunset, look to the west and see if you can find the now upside-down “A” in the eye of Taurus. Tell someone about the ancient springs that promised the coming of the seed of woman and the church. And don’t forget to mention the spring, promising the Second Coming. {eoa}
Ron Allen is a Christian businessman, CPA and author who serves in local, national and international ministries, spreading a message of reconciliation to God, to men and between believers. He is founder of the International Star Bible Society, telling how the heavens declare the glory of God; the Emancipation Network, which helps people escape from financial bondage; and co-founder with his wife, Pat, of Corporate Prayer Resources, dedicated to helping intercessors.
