HOW CHRISTIANS ABUSE AND MISUSE THE JEWISH CALENDAR

I just saw a headline from a Christian ministry that reads, “Prophetic Meaning of Hebrew Year 5780.” For several years I have noticed Christians using the Jewish anno mundi (the year of creation) calendar to make spiritual and “prophetic” proclamations. I believe their actions are misguided.

Here are 5 reasons I do not attach any spiritual or prophetic significance to the Jewish calendar.

1)       It was never used or even mentioned by Jesus and the early Church.

2)      The ancient Jews did not use it and it is nowhere to be found in the Bible.

3)      It was formulated by the Jewish philosopher, Maimonides, in the 12^th century and there is no reason to think that it carries spiritual and prophetic significance.

4)     Jews, such as Maimonides, who did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah, would have been offended by the Christian calendar that put Jesus at the center of history and recognized Him as Messiah and Lord. Remember that Christ is the Greek for “Messiah,” so B.C. means “Before the Messiah.” A.D. stand for Anno Domino, which is Latin for “The Year of the Lord.”

5)      We can understand Maimonides, and Jews like him, wanting their own calendar that does not acknowedge Jesus as Messiah and Lord, but it is baffling why Christians think that the calendar is infused with prophetic significance.

I have no problem with the Jewish calendar. However, I think it is disengenous for Christian leaders to take it and attribute sensational and prophetic meanings to it each passing year.  It is another glaring example of why the Church needs another Biblical Reformation in which we learn to “think Biblically.”

The great church historian, Philip Schaff, said, “Every true progress in church history is conditioned by a new and deeper study of the Scriptures.” Our desire should be that of John Wesley who, concerning the Bible, exclaimed, “Oh, give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God! Let me be: ‘A man of one book.’”

Join us for the course/teaching series, “Think Biblically,” beginning February 11 at 7 pm and streamed live from the GWTW studio in Grapevine, TX. https://livestream.com/accounts/14416108