The Correct Hebrew Calendar

Summary

The Feasts and the Calendar

The presenter describes the seven biblical feasts as prophetic pictures of God’s plan of redemption through Christ. She connects Jesus’ death with Passover and his future return with other feasts, including the Day of Atonement and Tabernacles.

Because the feasts fall on specific dates in the Hebrew calendar, she argues that choosing the right calendar matters for understanding biblical events and future prophecy. She interprets the creation of the sun, moon, and stars as establishing signs, seasons—the biblical appointed times, or moedim—days, and years. She mentions the Star of Bethlehem, the Revelation 12 sign in 2017, and discussions of blood moons as examples of interest in heavenly signs.

Competing Calendar Systems

The presenter notes that Christians interested in the feasts encounter several proposed calendars, including:

• The traditional Jewish lunar-solar calendar
• A 364-day solar calendar associated with the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Qumran community, often identified with the Essenes
• Enoch, Jubilee, full-moon, and zodiac-based calendars

She describes the Dead Sea calendar as having 52 weeks divided into four 13-week seasons. According to the account she reads, the year began on a Wednesday, so its festivals fell on the same weekdays each year; Passover was always on a Tuesday. She cites the Library of Congress for background on the calendar and summarizes Dr. Ken Johnson’s argument that it was the original biblical calendar, later displaced by a lunar calendar around 170 BCE.

The Presenter’s Questions

To decide which calendar to use, the presenter asks:

1. Was Jesus crucified on the true biblical Passover?
2. Who had the authority to determine the Hebrew calendar and set the feast dates?

The Argument from Jesus’ Crucifixion

The presenter reasons that Jesus was crucified on the Passover observed by the Jerusalem religious authorities, rather than on the date used by the Qumran community.

She points to Jesus’ words about the coming Passover and to the signs surrounding his death in Matthew: three hours of darkness, an earthquake, and the tearing of the Temple veil. She interprets these events as evidence that God recognized the Passover date set by the authorities responsible for the Temple.

Delegated Authority and Priestly Stewardship

The presenter’s broader principle is that God delegates authority and responsibility, and may work through people who are personally flawed. She uses Adam’s authority to name the animals as an example of delegated responsibility. She also describes Israel as entrusted with God’s law, worship, covenants, priesthood, and feasts.

She argues that the Aaronic priests were specifically responsible for Temple rituals and holy days, including determining the Day of Atonement. Their stewardship therefore included the calendar.

Caiaphas serves as an example of God working through an unrighteous officeholder: although he opposed Jesus, John 11 portrays him as prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation. In the presenter’s view, the Essene/Qumran community did not have authority to replace the calendar used by the Temple priesthood. That authority belonged to the recognized priestly leadership, regardless of its moral condition.

Conclusion About Which Calendar to Use

The presenter cites the Sanhedrin’s adoption of the Hebrew calendar in 358 CE, describing it as a continuation of the religious calendar used in the first century. She concludes that the calendar observed by Jewish communities today is most likely the one Christians should use to track the feasts and their prophetic significance.

She presents this as her interpretation, not as an uncontested conclusion. Her reasoning is that Jesus’ crucifixion occurred on the Temple authorities’ Passover and that stewardship of the feasts and calendar had not been transferred to another group. She considers the question relevant to end-times expectations because she believes the feasts foreshadow events associated with Christ’s return.

The presenter also emphasizes that delegated stewards remain accountable to God. She cites the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 CE as judgment on the leaders of Jesus’ time, while arguing that this did not mean God had abandoned Israel or the prophecies associated with the feasts.

Speakers and Sources Mentioned

• Brenda Weltner — Presenter and narrator; the only speaker heard in the subtitles.
• The Bible — Cited passages include Genesis 1–2, Leviticus 16, Matthew 23–27, John 11, Romans 9, Hebrews 5, 1 Chronicles 23, Isaiah 46, Proverbs 19, and Daniel 9.
• Library of Congress — An article about the Qumran community and its 364-day calendar is read or paraphrased.
• Dr. Ken Johnson — Cited for research on the Dead Sea Scrolls and his book The Ancient Dead Sea Scroll Calendar.
• GotQuestions.org — Cited for material on stewardship, Caiaphas, and the Sanhedrin.
• Scotty Clark — Mentioned in connection with an interpretation of the Revelation 12 sign.
• An unnamed researcher in Australia — Mentioned as having independently proposed an interpretation of the Revelation 12 alignment.