THE HOUR THAT NO MAN KNEW

I had an excellent comment from a reader who is going back into "the vault" to see what is lurking there (good and bad) - and who, so far, has not thrown the baby out with the bathwater......:)

I am grateful that people recognize that this blog is not a perfect work and that I am imperfect in my attempts to exercise my measly gifts as a "writer" and as one who is trying to watch and wait and "get it right".  I share so that others can observe as they wish and act according to what the Spirit whispers to them.  I am not trying to build a following and lead people away from the Lord - in fact, the opposite is my goal; to point people to Christ.  I am not in the business of being uncomfortable in the judgment bar.  I know most of this stuff has to pass that bar one day.   Anyway......

This comment was in response to this earlier post:

http://woodyoubelieveit.blogspot.ca/2013/11/no-man-knows-day-nor-hour-teaching.html?showComment=1429115334180#c1346655631471768582

I did not want the article to get buried and lost to 99 percent of the readers that will never go there:

         "No one knows the Hour or the day"

The Short of it:
From his book "Signs In the Heavens" by Avi Ben Mordechai, he devotes a chapter to explaining what "no man knows the day or hour" truly means from a rabbinical Hebraic perspective. It is a figure of speech, an idiom.

Christians over the centuries have separated themselves from their Hebraic roots causing the misunderstanding of key Jewish biblical idioms.

Chapter Five described the annual Jewish Festival of Trumpets or Rosh HaShanah - the first day of the seventh month. A few themes linked to this Jewish festival are resurrection, repentance, kingship, corronation and a marriage feast. This chapter shows another theme and convincing proof that Rosh HaShanah is not only the start of "The Day of the Lord" (Millennium), but is also the day of the resurrection! It has to do with the moon and its 29-day cycle of renewal.

The subject of our discussion is the new moon (beginning of the new month) and figures of speech, realize the phrase, "Of that day and hour no man knows" refers to the sanctification or setting apart of the new moon. Without this sanctification, the Jews had no way of determining God's "appointed times" or moedim (month). As soon as the new moon was announced, the first day of the month began. Once the beginning of the new month was established, the festivals and weekly Shabbats for the upcoming month were sanctified for observance. In Hebrew, those observances have always been called "appointed times" or moedim, literally "a sacred and set time".

No one in Israel could plan for the first day of the seventh month Tishri, called Yom Teruah or the Feast of Trumpets (also called Rosh HaShanah). When they knew how many days to count to a festival, that would be easy. But:

HOW COULD THEY PLAN FOR A FESTIVAL THAT THEY DID NOT KNOW AT WHAT DAY OR HOUR IT WOULD PUBLICALLY BE ANNOUNCED AND THUS BEGIN?

Of course, anyone could look up into the twilight or early morning sky and, if they looked hard enough, see the new moon or at least its "horns". And certainly an astute observer knew when about 29- days were completed since the previous Rosh Chodesh. But recall, ONLY THE SANHEDRIN NASSI had the authority to proclaim the first of Tishri, which was already established as a technical procedure. Once proclaimed, the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh HaShanah) commenced. Until that public announcement by the Nassi, everyone had to wait before they could begin the observance of the festival. No one could begin the festival beforehand! Thus, we can more clearly see the analogy Jesus made with His words: "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only" was in regards to this important festival of Rosh HaShanah.

The Long of it:

http://www.hebroots.org/hebrootsarchive/9807/980715_c.html

Thanks, Bro B.!