QUESTION:

ANSWER:
The organization should post a few believers on a high point at Jerusalem to look out for the new moon each month. A sighting of the new moon would confirm the pre-printed dates given by AVITW for the first day of each month. Some years ago AVITW invited a body of believers in Jerusalem to check the calendar published by their school. This group of believers did so for several months. Again we quote from Charles Dugger’s letter dated 22/11/1978:

“We find that the moon really is new over Jerusalem each month by your calendar and is off as much as two days by the Jewish calendar. Therefore we wish to publish the truth - and we simply need a list of the moonrise after conjunction at Jerusalem. Please send them so that we can take the list straight to the printers.”

To AVITW - CANADA - USA this was valuable confirmation that, as far as a pre-printed calendar is concerned, the method we are using is reliable. We now invite any believer or group of believers in Jerusalem to check out the calendar AVITW publishes against first sightings of the new moon with the naked eye.

The alternative to publishing a calendar in advance, is to post a lookout group at Jerusalem who would announce to the world - month by month - when the new moon is seen. This is still the best method of ensuring the correct starting dates of months. But we do not know of any group which does this on a monthly basis. To our knowledge they all publish their calendars and festival dates many months in advance; so they must all be using calculations of some sort.

Note: Many believers become polarized about the matter of keeping the correct Feast days. It is, of course, very important: and that is why AVITW - CANADA - USA makes such an effort to get it right. But let no one forget that the Great Feasts (the realities to which the current feasts merely point) will be miraculously highlighted by signs in the sun, moon and stars! We will not then be dependant upon computer printout, or the knowledge and skill of leaders feverishly arguing amongst themselves as to who is correct.

In the near future the sun and moon will clearly mark out the correct feasts, sacred seasons or sabbatical year just as they did when the Saviour hung on the cross. On that occasion the sun went out for three hours. That was no eclipse by any means; for an eclipse only lasts a few minutes. When the sun went out on that memorable day, even the Roman soldiers were staggered into saying “ Truly this is the Son of God! ” It will be the same in the near future; the promised signs in the sun, moon and stars will mark out the sacred times for all to see.

Having said that, it still behoves true believers to attend the Sacred Feasts; because the Almighty God of Israel may well, as on that memorable Day of Pentecost long ago, have some extra ordinary gifts to bestow on His obedient people!

True Ministers

• He will be divinely motivated. He will know within himself what he is expected to do and he will do it - come what may. This is an extremely difficult qualification for others to assess or even accept; especially as there are so many religious cranks around these days; all believing that they have a special message from God!
• He will be divinely enabled. In other words he will be qualified to do the job. He will have the inherent ability, time, helpers and equipment for the task. This is an easy credential for others to assess.
• He will be divinely blessed. In other words the work he has been called to do will bear visible fruit in the lives of the members of Yahweh's church. They will be blessed and all the families in the church will benefit.

To which Denomination is ...
AVITW - CANADA - USA (AVITW) Linked ?

AVITW - CANADA - USA is an independent Information Service, a Message, a Voice in the Wilderness; and though it holds similar views to several other Christian groups, as regards:

• The divine inspiration and preservation of the Holy Scriptures.
• The Creation record in Genesis
• The divinity of Jesus Christ (Yeshua the Messiah)
• The virgin birth and Messianic role of the Saviour
• His role as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.
• His bodily resurrection, ascension and promised return etc.,

AVITW - CANADA - USA has no membership!   We are not a denomination!

What Theological Training do ...
AVITW - CANADA - USA (AVITW) Teachers Have?

This question made us smile as we mused on how the prophets, patriarchs and apostles of old would have answered it: Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joshua, Gideon, King David, Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Matthew, Mark, Peter, James, John and the other disciples, not forgetting the Saviour himself.

How would they have answered the question: What theological training do you have? The words of the prophet Amos also came to mind:

Amos 7:14
“ Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit: ”

We are not impliedly decrying theological training: it is important, but not as much as some think. For the fact is, the Almighty raises up believers according to His own standards.

Educational qualifications, wealth, fame, talent, social standing, outward appearance etc. are useful; but they are secondary in His sight. Qualities like faith, obedience, holiness, humility, honesty, absolute loyalty to one's spouse, the ability to raise one's family to fear God and keep His commandments etc.; these are the things the Most High values.

Only on the Day of Judgment will it be known how truly educated, weighty and effective we have been. That is why we had to smile when the question came in.

The vanity of the question is only matched by the foolishness of our answer.
As the wise man wrote:
“ Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is vanity. ” (Ecclesiastes 1: 2)

Or as the apostle Paul commented in 2 Corinthians 11:16-30 when rattling off a long list of impressive qualifications “ ... I speak as a fool. ”

OLDEST & BEST

A DIVINE WARNING

The God of Israel anticipated Satan's intended attack on the Scriptures: and how the enemy of souls would seek to frustrate the divine work of preservation by causing unbelieving scribes to add to, delete and distort the sacred writings. That is why this solemn, yea frightening, warning appears at the end of the Bible. It not only addresses copyists and translators who intentionally corrupt Jehovah's Word, but also those who knowingly promote their corrupted publications.

Revelation 22:18
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

LAWLESSNESS IS A GROWING PROBLEM

To study more on Law proceed to...Divine Law Index.

MARTYRS FOR THE WORD of GOD

KING JAMES TRANSLATORS

• Pious Christians who believed that the text they were handling was the very Word of God!
• They had absolutely no doubt in their minds that the Genesis account of creation was true.
• They never for a moment doubted the miracles of Jesus or that he was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, was crucified for the sins of mankind and that he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven.
• They were pious Protestants who saw through the errors of the Roman Catholic Church.
• They were scholars of the highest order. Few - if any - of today's scholars come anywhere near them in their understanding of the original languages; let alone their faith, piety and commitment to truth above tradition.

ALLEGED KJV ERRORS ... EASTER / PASSOVER

THEE & THOU

We hear a lot about the words 'ye,' 'thee' and 'thou' in the King James Version: and that these should all be replaced by the word 'you'. Everyone knows that the word 'you' is a uni-plural word like 'sheep' or 'fish.' It may refer to one or many depending on the context. Believe it or not the word 'you' is used over 950 times in the KJV New Testament alone - but not exclusively. Why not? The answer is because of the vital difference between 'you' (plural) and 'thee' (singular) and there are times when it is necessary to make the difference. The word 'thee' refers to a single person, church, town or nation: whereas the word 'you' is the second person plural: it refers to many persons.

EVERY WORD

Every word in Scripture is important: infinitely more important than a bolt or rivet in a jet airliner; or a line of code in a life-saving computer program. If His Father's words were that important to our Saviour, yea every jot and tittle, how much more should they be to us in these end times.

CALVARY

Most modern Bible translations have removed the name Calvary. This name appears only once in Scripture, in Luke 23:33. Check out the version you are using. If it has no Calvary, you can be certain that it's a counterfeit Bible; because Calvary is central to the whole plan of salvation. Removing it is a serious error. See AVITW article on:
Bible Versions... Which is the Real Word of God?

SACRED NAMES

Yahweh / Yahovah / Yahu / The Name / Hashem etc. The arguments rage across the world. I'm certain our Heavenly Father is not happy with the way His professed followers are currently behaving. But that is their choice.

AVITW sermon notes and other articles.
AVITW sermon notes and other articles are being used by many, many people. Indeed that is why AVITW placed them in the Public Domain in the first place; so that everyone could use them. But, some are now giving the impression that Max W. Mader founder of AVITW - CANADA - USA use the above names exclusively; which is certainly not the case. You have only to read our articles to see that we use LORD God, Jehovah, Jesus etc as well as some of the names listed above. Does anyone really know how the Almighty's name is pronounced? Many rabbis don't think so; and that fact makes me very cautious!

King James Version (KJV)

Besides this, AVITW - CANADA - USA considers the King James Version to be the inspired and infallible Word of God! See the booklet on Bible Versions concerning this point. With that fact in mind, wouldn't it be inconsistent - if not hypocritical - of us to come out and say that the KJV is riddled with errors and that we of all people could correct it! So when we quote from the KJV we make no changes whatsoever. That's why we use LORD God, Jehovah, Jesus etc.

We believe that those who think that the KJV is incorrect as regards the use of the name Jehovah or Jesus, should not quote from that Bible at all. Rather than try to correct, what is to them, a faulty translation, it would be more ethical by far to create a completely new translation and give it to the world. But alas, they are not doing this. They attempt to correct a perfect masterpiece and no one is impressed with the result; least of all the literary world which is ever conscious of plagiarism!

Let us ask ourselves as we arise each morning, “What is my work today?” We do not know where the influence of today will end. Our lives may outgrow all our present thoughts and outdazzle all our dreams. Jehovah puts each fresh morning, each new chance of life, into our hands as a gift, to see what we will do with it.

Who Is The Author of Confusion?

Visit any Bible study group where believers are using a variety of modern “Bibles” and comments such as these are common:

• 'My Bible puts it this way.'
• 'My Bible doesn't even have that verse.'
• 'Listen to this Note about ancient and more reliable manuscripts.'
• 'My Bible says something totally different.'
• 'My Bible says the very opposite.'

Scores of conflicting translations, all claiming to be His Word, cannot possibly be the work of the Holy Spirit of Jehovah. Besides, would the Almighty flood the English-speaking world with well over 100 conflicting translations of the whole Bible and over 300 translations of the New Testament? Of course not!
The very idea is ludicrous if not blasphemous. Something is terribly wrong somewhere and it's time to find out.

May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob grant you the humility to do so!

We too often 'love things and use people' when we should be 'using things and loving people'

“To employ soft words and honeyed phrases in discussing questions of everlasting importance; to deal with errors that strike at the foundations of all human hope as if they were harmless and venial mistakes; to bless where God disapproves, and to make apologies where he calls us to stand up like men and assert, though it may be the aptest method of securing popular applause in a sophisticated age, is cruelty to man and treachery to Heaven. Those who on such subjects attach more importance to the rules of courtesy than they do to the measures of truth do not defend the citadel, but betray it into the hands of its enemies. Love for Christ, and for the souls for whom He died, will be the exact measure of our zeal in exposing the dangers by which mean's souls are ensnared.”
-Thornwell

Revelation 6: 12-17

• And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
  
• And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
  
• And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
  
• And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
  
• And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
  
• For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Keeping The Commandments

Psalm 103:17-21
Authorized King James Version

• But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;
• To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.
• The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.
• Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
• Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

“And the burden of the Lord shall ye mention no more: for every man’s word shall be his burden; for ye have perverted the words of the living God, of the LORD of hosts our God.”   Jeremiah 23: 36   KJV

“Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.”   Deuteronomy 4: 2  KJV

“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.”   Revelation 14: 1   KJV

“Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.”   Isaiah 34: 16   KJV

“True fortitude I take to be the quiet posession of a man’s self, and an undisturbed doing his duty, whatever evil besets or danger lies in his way.”

“Be sure of the foundation of your life. Know why you live as you do. Be ready to give a reason for it. Do not, in such a matter as life, build on opinion or custom, or what you guess is true. Make it a matter of certainty.”

“When you have closed the doors, and darkened your room, remember never to say that you are alone, for you are not alone; God is within.”

“Our LORD has written the promise of the Resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.”

“If you want to be miserable, think about yourself, about what you want, what you like, what respect people ought to pay to you, and what people think of you.”

“Possessions, outward success, publicity, luxury - to me these have always been contemptible. I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for the body and the mind.”

“What is the secret of making friends? There is no secret. Friends, like all good things in life, can be had by anyone who wants them. There is only one simple rule to follow; it is this: To have a friend, be one yourself.”

“No man can hold another in the gutter without remaining there himself.”

“All things work together for good to them that love God.”

“Faith without obedience is dead faith.”

“No one can bar the road to truth, and to advance its cause I’m ready to accept even death.”

“To live with fear and not be afraid is the final test of maturity.”

“Happy he who dares courageously to defend what he loves.”

“Love contains no fear - indeed fully developed love expels every partical of fear, for fear always contains some of the torture of feeling guilty.”

“Of the blessings set before you, make your choice and be content.”

“The wise man looks inside his heart and finds eternal peace.”

“With a few flowers in my garden, half a dozen pictures and some books, I live without envy.”

“When we cannot find contentment in ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.”

“The measure of a man’s real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.”

“For good or ill, your conversation is your advertisement. Every time you open your mouth, you let men look into your mind.”

“No good thing is failure and no evil thing success.”

“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. In this life we get nothing saved by effort.”

“Remorse is the form that failure takes when it has made a grab and got nothing.”

“Fear knocked at the door, Faith answered. No one was there.”

“Every man should keep a fair-sized cemetery in which to bury the faults of his friends.”

“A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.”