Sacred Calendars and the Seventh Seal (part 1)

I watched a debate yesterday between a Protestant Scholar (Dr. James White) and an LDS Apologist from the University of Utah (Dr. Martin Tanner).  There were many things that stand out, but one of the things that was mentioned by Dr. White was that "God created all things, even time itself."

Let's take a look at time in the way God looks at it.

God Created Time

First, what is time?  Time is defined by the way it is measured.  For example a day is one complete spin of the earth.  A year is one revolution of the earth around the sun.

Our "times and seasons" are literally defined by the movements of the "heavenly bodies" in our solar system.  We learn this in the Doctrine and Covenants:

42 And again, verily I say unto you, he hath given a law unto all things, by which they move in their times and their seasons;
43 And their courses are fixed, even the courses of the heavens and the earth, which comprehend the earth and all the planets.
44 And they give light to each other in their times and in their seasons, in their minutes, in their hours, in their days, in their weeks, in their months, in their years—all these are one year with God, but not with man. (D&C 88:42-44)

In other words, the solar system is a giant clock.  Literally.  We are very familiar with the cycles of the sun, earth, and moon in relation to each other.   They determine our days, months, seasons, and years.  However, while the sun is the center of the solar system, it is important to note that the heavenly clock created by the Lord was designed for us on earth.  We are the focal point.

John Pratt's work in a few paragraphs

In studying the times and seasons, I have been fascinated by the work of astronomer and programmer John Pratt.  His website outlines just about everything you would ever need to know about calendars and dates in relation to the scriptures and LDS church history.  He has defined 14 calendars that can be considered Sacred Calendars because the Lord has used them to mark important dates throughout history.  In other words, special days for the Lord and his work fall on special days on these calendars.

Here is an example.  One of the holiest days on the Hebrew calendar is the "holi-day" of the Passover.  Christ was born on the Passover.  The day Christ was born was obviously an important day for the Lord and he used the Hebrew calendar to designate that day as holy.  It also happened to fall on "holy days" on the Venus calendar, the Mercury calendar, and the Mayan calendar (or Sacred Round calendar, as Dr. Pratt calls it).

Here are the calendars that have been defined and researched by Dr. Pratt:

1. Mercury calendar
2. Venus calendar
3. Mars calendar
4. Uranus (Chronos) calendar
5. Hebrew calendar
6. Sacred Round calendar (variation of the Mayan calendar)
7. Enoch calendar (described in the apocryphal book of Enoch)
8. Temple Priest calendar
9. Jubilees calendar

The planetary calendars are based on their position in our sky.  Each major change in position or direction  is considered a "holy day."  For example, the first day when Mercury disappears because it is between the Earth and the sun.

The Sacred Round calendar has the same cycle as Mercury (both are 260 days long).

The Hebrew calendar is based on moon cycles rather than sun cycles and uses correction months and days to realign it with "new moons" and the solar year.  In fact, almost all of the calendars have these corrections to realign things with solar years.

Dr. Pratt found that if you take existing sacred calendars (using their primary pattern) and eliminate these correction days, you have a completely new set of "holy days."  Using this principle, he added what he calls "uniform" calendars:

1. Uniform Mercury calendar
2. Uniform Venus calendar
3. Uniform Mars calendar
4. Uniform Enoch calendar
5. Uniform Jubilees calendar

According to these calendar alignments, the most holy days in all of history are the first day of Adam's mortality (or what the scriptures call "the beginning of time"), the day Christ visited the Spirit World, and the day of the resurrection of Christ.

Lessons About Time

God is Exact

The first lesson is that God is exact when it comes to dates and times.  If these calendars are accurate (and they seem to be), Christ was born exactly 4000 years after the first day of mortality (the beginning of time), to the day!  Both days were Passover on the Hebrew calendar.

The Doctrine and Covenants revelation about the birth of Christ is likewise accurate to the day.  The church was organized exactly 1830 years after the birth day of Christ.  (That day was revealed to Joseph Smith, by the way, as the exact day the church was to be born.  The church and the Savior will share a birthday forever now!)

So when God says that he has divided his works into seven parts (or "seals") which are the seven thousand years of the Earth's temporal existence (see D&C 77:6-7), he is saying each of the seven seals is exactly one thousand years long to the day.

The Meridian of Time

Because we are still in the sixth seal, and there have been more than 2000 years since the birth of Christ, then something happened that changed the reckoning of time.

Apparently, the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ were all separate from the "hidden things of [God's] economy concerning this earth during the seven thousand years of its continuance, or its temporal existence." (D&C 77:6)  This period between seals is called "the meridian of time" in the scriptures.

When did the meridian of time end?  Well, here is one clue:

21 Wherefore, the Almighty God gave his Only Begotten Son, as it is written in those scriptures which have been given of him.
22 He suffered temptations but gave no heed unto them.
23 He was crucified, died, and rose again the third day;
24 And ascended into heaven...
25 That as many as would believe and be baptized in his holy name, and endure in faith to the end, should be saved—
26 Not only those who believed after he came in the meridian of time, in the flesh, but all those from the beginning, even as many as were before he came, who believed in the words of the holy prophets, who spake as they were inspired by the gift of the Holy Ghost, who truly testified of him in all things, should have eternal life,
27 As well as those who should come after , who should believe in the gifts and callings of God by the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of the Father and of the Son; (D&C 20:21-27)

Perhaps the reason the meridian of time is separate is because it has never been hidden.  It has been spoken of by all the Holy Prophets since the world began.  For all true prophets testify (or prophesy) of Christ.

This scripture mentions the temptations, crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ.  If the "meridian of time" includes his coming "in the flesh," which events would count as occurring "in the flesh"?  You could make the claim that death is the end of mortality and so the day of the crucifixion is the final day he was here in the flesh.  You could also say that his body was still here and that he still had claim upon it.  Therefore, the resurrection was his final day "in the flesh."  Because this scripture mentions the ascension as well, that may need to be included likewise "in the meridian of time."

The ascension, interestingly enough, is grouped together with these events in other places as well:

2 Yea, concerning that which was to come, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and the redemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power, and sufferings, and death of Christ, and his resurrection and ascension into heaven. (Mosiah 18:2)

This scripture seems to imply that Christ's "ascension into heaven" was an essential part of our redemption.  That, of course, makes sense.  The whole purpose of the redemption is to bring us back into the presence of God.  Christ ascended into heaven and shows us the way back to the Father.

20 Now, my son, I do not say that their resurrection cometh at the resurrection of Christ; but behold, I give it as my opinion, that the souls and the bodies are reunited, of the righteous, at the resurrection of Christ, and his ascension into heaven. (Alma 40:20)

Here again the ascension is grouped with the resurrection.

So, the "meridian of time" ended with either the crucifixion, the resurrection, or the ascension of Christ.  Consequently, the seventh seal should be opened exactly 2000 years from one of these dates:

• Crucifixion - April 1, 33 AD
• Resurrection - April 3, 33 AD
• Ascension - May 12, 33 AD

I believe the day of the crucifixion of Christ would be the most likely end for the meridian of time.  This was the last event of the Savior's ministry that was seen by the world, both the wicked and the righteous.  Everything since that time was hidden from the world with Christ in God.  It was also the last day of Christ "in the flesh," or in other words, his last day with a mortal body.

Predicting the Future

Using the same methodology Dr. Pratt used for discovering dates in the past, we can try to discover possible dates in the future.  If we look, for example, at each of the possible dates for the beginning of the seventh seal, here is what we find:

• Crucifixion Anniversary - Friday, April 1, 2033
• This day is exactly 2000 years after the crucifixion on our modern calendar
• It is a Friday, just like the crucifixion
• This is a Holy Day on the following 7 calendars:
• Mercury, Uniform Mercury, Venus, Uniform Mars, Sacred Round
• After sunset: Hebrew (sunset starts the Biblical New Year), Enoch
• This day shares holy days with the birth of King David (M/SR) and the death of ancient Joseph (M/PHC)
• Very appropriate for the passing of the Kingdom from the tribe of Joseph to the second King David (Christ) 
• It also shares two holy days with the date of the publishing of the Book of Mormon (V/PHC)
• Resurrection Anniversary - Sunday, April 3, 2033
• This day is exactly 2000 years after the resurrection on our modern calendar
• It is a Sunday, just like the resurrection
• This is a Holy Day on the Enoch calendar and Priest calendar (in the morning)
• On our modern calendar, it is exactly 197 years after the appearance of Christ, Moses, Elias, and Elijah in the Kirtland Temple and shares a holy day on the Enoch calendar with that event
• It is General Conference weekend, the modern anniversary of the birth of the latter-day church
• It is the "third day" on 5 calendars
• It also shares a holy day on the Enoch calendar with the beginning of time, the birth of ancient Joseph, and the resurrection of Christ
• Ascension Anniversary - Thursday, May 12, 2033
• This doesn't appear to be a holy day on any calendar
• The Hebrew equivalent anniversary would be May 26, 2033 and that day is likewise ordinary

While this future anniversary of the resurrection seems special (and very well could be), it appears that the anniversary of the crucifixion is the more significant day and a better candidate for the day the seventh seal will be opened, the millennium will begin, and a new era will be introduced for the earth.

Words of Caution

While these calendars and these exercises are fascinating, there are a few things to remember:

• I believe everything I am writing here and not trying to mislead in any way.  However, if you are relying on a blog to prepare you for the millennium and the second coming, might I suggest adding some additional sources with a more direct line to heaven.  Always follow the prophets, seers, and revelators of the church.
• I have not seen these dates or events in vision (yet).  Predicting the future without revelation from the Lord is perilous business.  If these dates turn out to be correct, I will not be surprised.  If they turn out to be incorrect, I will not be surprised.
• Many will balk at this exercise and say that we are not allowed to know the date of the second coming.  They might even add an (!) or two.  That may be true for now, but keep in mind that the opening of the seventh seal is not the date of the coming of Christ.
• Many of the "times and seasons" designed into the planets and stars are meant for us in the latter-days.  No other generation had the ability as a society to see the planets and stars or study them like we can.  These dates, then, are our responsibility to study and ponder.  If you ask the Lord to reveal these things to you, it will be easier if he has something to start with.  How will you even know what to ask if you haven't thought this through?

Stay tuned for more of my research into future dates of extreme importance.