GOD’S TIME, CALENDAR, AND THE FRENCH REPUBLICAN CALENDAR

I'm reposting this as an addition to the calendar studies we have been discussing in the previous several postings. In order to understand the end times and book of Revelation it is essential to understand God's time, calendar, and feasts.

 

When we begin to study the end times, the book of Revelation, and the second coming of Yeshua we begin to discover things we were never taught in school. In order to understand the end times we must have a solid historical background. The Bible and history are inseparable. History and traditions cloud our understanding of the Bible. Truth is difficult to discern without an understanding of things which have happened in the past and their meaning from a Biblical World View. The Bible and His-story are inseparable.

God establishes His time and calendar in the Bible. If we look at the Bible as the word of God then the time and calendar in the Bible is the calendar God desires His people to observe. Many would call the calendar of the Bible the “Jewish” calendar but in reality it is God’s time and calendar—and it is key to understanding the end times and coming deceptions. (Reference this blog for articles on time and calendar).

Today the western world observes the Gregorian calendar of the Roman Church. Most of the world conducts business on this calendar, however, individual countries and religions have their own calendar in which they observe their feast days. Christians, Jews, and Muslims each have their own calendars. Christians observe Sunday, Jews Saturday, and Muslims Friday as their Sabbaths.

When we allow the Bible to interpret itself and study history we will discover that God’s Sabbath is observed on Saturday the seventh day of the week. Nowhere in the Bible does it instruct us to worship on Sunday—that was a change made by the early Christians and officially by the Roman Empire under Emperor Constantine around 325 A.D.

The Apostle John wrote:  “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.”

This simple statement tells us that the “spirit” of antichrist has always been in the world. John tells us this is how we know it is the last time. This spirit came out from us! This statement is key in understanding the rising beast system. It opened up my eyes to Daniel 7.25:

“And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.”

Daniel is speaking here of that spirit of antichrist and the beast system that will arise. If we believe the time and calendar in the Bible are the true times God desires His people to observe, this statement is key to understanding.

If we are on the Roman calendar and observe the Roman feast days then the spirit of antichrist has already changed the times and laws of the Bible. Think about that. A Biblical World View is essential to understand what is happening in this world!

The French Republican calendar is a perfect example of what the antichrist beast system is going to impose on the world. I must admit that it was only recently that I even learned about the French Republican Calendar. I was never taught about this in school. I had no idea this happened. All I was ever taught about the French Revolution is that it was bloody and that it glorified reason—the Age of Reason.

During the French Revolution the French set aside Christianity and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of the Bible:

“The world for the first time heard an assembly of men, born and educated in civilization, and assuming the right to govern one of the finest European nations, uplift their voice to deny the most solemn truth which man’s soul receives, and renounce unanimously the belief and worship of a Deity.” Sir Walter Scott, Life of Napoleon, Vol 1 Ch. 17.

On October 23, 1793, nine days after Queen Marie-Atoinette was executed, the Republican Calendar was decreed. This was a blatant attempt to de-Christianize France in keeping with the revolution’s stated goal of promoting Reason above religion. “Reason” was worshipped and religion was denounced as superstition. They were in effect, declaring war on the Roman calendar and Christianity.

The French Republican calendar was designed after the ancient Egyptian solar calendar which worshipped the sun god. There were 12 months of 30 days each. The months were broken up into 10 day decades with the tenth day as the day of rest. The day of rest was not designed to worship God, but was merely a day of rest from labor.

At the end of the year a final five days were added to the calendar, six days in a leap year. These final days were named after various revolutionary principles: Celebration of Virtue, Genius, Labor, Opinion, Rewards, and Day of the Revolution. These last days rounded out the 365 day solar calendar.

The new calendar was promoted as “rational and scientific.” In 1791 the National Assembly ordered the Academy of Sciences to “rationalize” the current system of weights and measures. The new system it established is still in use today: the metric system.

The primary purpose of the calendar was to abolish God’s seven day week and Sabbath worship. Churches were forbidden to conduct any services on any day except for the 10^th day of the three week calendar. Stores were to remain open on what was formerly Sunday.

The government even changed the clock. On October 5, 1793 “the day from midnight to midnight was divided into ten parts, each part into ten others, so on until the smallest measurable portion of duration.” This was called “decimal time.”

The hours of the day were divided into ten decimal hours of 100 decimal minutes each. Each minute contained 100 seconds, amounting to 100,000 seconds per day.

This calendar was immediately opposed by the Church and devout citizens of the republic. Interestingly, the workers of the nation rebelled against having one day off in ten, rather than the seven ordained by God.

To make a long story short, Napoleon began easing the enforcement of the new calendar in 1800, by easing the enforcement of the 10^th day rest, allowing French citizens to rest on whatever days they wished. On September 9, 1805 he decreed that Sunday would once again be the official day of rest for France.

The Republican Calendar was finally abolished by Napoleon a little over 12 years after it was originally legislated. France returned to the Gregorian calendar on January 1, 1806. A truly amazing true story I was never taught in school!

Daniel 7.25 has already been instituted but there will be other changes coming sometime in the future. The spirit of antichrist is alive and at work in our world. The Gregorian calendar is not God’s calendar. God’s calendar, time, and feasts are outlined in the Word.

Jesus said he would be coming like a thief in the night. How can we have any idea of His coming if we are observing a false calendar? The Biblical day is sunset to sunset. Therefore what we call Tuesday night is actually Wednesday night on Biblical time. I like to ask groups if they knew Yeshua was returning on Wednesday night at 10 PM, to this room, would they be there?

Of course they all say yes! Then I tell them they would be 24 hours late. They were on the wrong time and calendar! Ponder that…