In the parable of the Ten Virgins, the call came forth that the Bridegroom had arrived. The lamps of five virgins had gone out because the oil had run empty. They went to purchase more oil but found the Bridegroom gone when they had returned. Why were they left behind? And does this parable have anything to do with the calendar confusion this year? Let’s get into it.
I heard one sermon when the preacher indicated the difference between the ten virgins was that five believed while five didn’t. That theory doesn’t hold water when you realize that all ten were waiting for the Bridegroom. Considering that the Bridegroom is symbolic of the returning Messiah, you can hardly say that unbelievers are waiting for His return. I don’t want to get off-topic by breaking down the parable. The point in question is why were five left behind? The simple answer is timing. They were waiting for His return. They went out to meet Him for His return. But they had to buy more oil, so they went to get what they needed for His coming. Then they returned to the spot to meet with Him, but He was gone. This is the timing I am speaking about. They did everything necessary to meet with Him. But the point in time when they returned to the meeting spot was after He had come and gone. They were late. Here is one of those times where ‘better late than never’ doesn’t work.
How does any of this releate to the calendar? To answer that, you need to understand how the calculations for Passover and Easter are determined. I’ll try to make this as painless as possible becasue most people find this boring.
As mentioned in the previous post, Josephus said that Passover is always when the sun is in Aries “(for in this month it was that we were delivered from bondage under the Egyptians.)” In Exodus, God told Moses that the first month of the year would be the Spring. The Passover is always on the 14th day of the first month. That means that the Passover is always near the peak of the full moon because the month always begins at the new moon.
Now let’s look at Easter. I’ve covered the Quartodeciman Controversy before. You can read that article here. But this is a different issue about when they determined when to have Easter. Have you ever noticed that Passover and Easter don’t always align together? I mean, if Easter is supposed to celebrate the Resurrection Day, then why isn’t it always on the Sunday after Passover? Sometimes Passover and Easter end up weeks apart. So it is with this year. Easter is on March 31st and Passover on April 22nd. The reason is because the timing of Easter is set on a different standard.
Constantine thought that Christians shouldn’t have anything to do with the Jews. He didn’t want Easter associated with Passover. So, The Council of Nicaea determined their own way to set the date of Easter. It should be known that the Jews and the Romans used different calendars. Part of the issue in the Quartodeciman Controversy was that the Passover moved around in March and April and could be any day of the week. The believers in Rome wanted a set Sunday to celebrate the Resurrection and not bounce around from year to year. The Council of Nicaea decided to place Easter on the first Sunday following the full moon after the Spring Equinox. If you know anything about the full moon, you know that it always follows two weeks after the new moon. Easter would be moving around as much on the calendar as Passover, but I digress.
The point to note from this is that the timing of Passover is based on the new moon, while the date for Easter follows the full moon. That’s two different standards. Only one of them follows the way that God prescribed. That brings us to this year.
I pointed out in the previous post that the Hillel II calendar is based on the Julian calendar that miscalculated the yearly cycle. By 1582, the Gregorian calendar had to add ten days to the calendar to get back on track with the earth’s cycle around the sun. I believe it is for that reason that the Hillel II calendar is off this year. Since Passover is supposed to be in the time of Aries, that means that Passover would be March 24th this year. That puts it one week before Easter and a month earlier than the Hillel II calculation. So, let’s bring this back to timing.
I’ll make the disclaimer that I am NOT saying the Messiah will return this year. This is just a comparison about timing. I mentioned that the problem with the five virgins was their timing. The expected the Bridegroom. They prepared for the Bridegroom. Those celebrating Easter and the April date of Passover are also expecting and preparing for the Bridegroom. But what if His return is according to the Passover set in Aries? The Catholics set Easter based on the full moon, not the new moon. The Protestants took that practice with them. Hillel II has a similar problem. Hillel II uses a 19-year cycle in accordance with the Julian calendar. The Julian calendar is based on the solar cycle and not the visible lunar cycle. Every Feast Day of the Lord’s is established on the setting of the Passover in the first month. All of the Feast Day point to His first and second coming. If you are following the wrong date for Passover, or not following the Passover at all, your timing for His return will be off just like the five foolish virgins. We were warned to be prepared. But if you think you still have time, you could miss out. His timing is what matters, not ours.
God’s timing is always perfect. Why should we follow the timing of anyone else?
