Written By A. R.
Photo taken by Konrad Hofmann on Unsplash; Featured image created by Justin Graphics
Many are aware of different calendars used by Hebraic believers. Some have studied the calendar of their choice quite a bit. Others go with the flow, choosing the calendar that their fellowship uses. Whatever the calendar, most of us try to be kindhearted toward others with different opinions. However, questions linger: What is the correct calendar? Does YHWH have a chosen calendar that He uses and ordains?
Disputes about the Hebraic calendar are not new to our generation. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes all kept differing calendars in Yahushua’s day. We are left to debate—which calendar did Yahushua keep? It is an important question. Equally important is the question—what calendar is being restored in our day? The prophets foretold the Greater Exodus—will His chosen ones respond to Him at an appointed time according to the calendar kept in Heaven? These questions are important for YHWH’s chosen people.
In this article, we will take a look at Revelation 12:15-16. These two verses may give us a clue as to how to search for and find some answers to the above questions. We will consider a literal as well as a metaphorical fulfillment of these verses. I hope to give Messiah’s Bride something to think about and study in preparation for the Greater Exodus and Yahushua’s Return.
Revelation 12:15 And out of his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river after the woman, to cause her to be swept away by the river.
Revelation 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
Before sharing these verses, I want to put them in context. In Revelation 12, there is a vision of a war in heaven between Satan and the Archangel Michael. Michael and his angels win, and they throw Satan and his demons out of the heavenly realms. Satan, naturally, enraged by his defeat, is seen persecuting a “woman who gave birth to a male child.” (Revelation 12:7-13)
The vision continues with “the woman” flying into the wilderness.
Revelation 12:14 And the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, to fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
“The woman” in this passage will become the Bride of Messiah. The Bride of Messiah consists of men, women, and children from around the world who hear the voice of Yahushua calling them to the wilderness and who follow Him to the place of protection. They are the people who flee their home countries and gather in the wilderness with the hopes of greeting Yahushua at His Return. When the woman gathers into the wilderness, she “births” Messiah. Messiah will come and appear after the woman has gathered into the wilderness.
On this site, we have taught that the wilderness place of protection found in the Scriptures is in the modern-day country of Jordan. We have many studies for those who want to look into this matter. Our top two studies that address Jordan as the gathering place for the Bride of Messiah are “The Greater Exodus: One Gathering Place or Many?” and The Call to Jordan: An Invitation for Messiah’s Bride. The first is found on our ‘Teachings’ page; the second is a full-length book available on our ‘Books’ page. Both are linked below.
https://thecalltojordan.com/teachings/the-greater-exodus-one-gathering-place-or-many/
https://thecalltojordan.com/invitation-for-messiahs-bride-book/
With this context, let us look at the following two verses.
Revelation 12:15 And out of his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river after the woman, to cause her to be swept away by the river.
Revelation 12:16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
We believe this prophecy will have a literal fulfillment someday. When the Bride of Messiah is gathered, Satan will go after the woman in the form of a flood. In the days of Noah, a flood was used for the destruction of the wicked, but YHWH provided salvation for Noah and his family. When the Israelites left Egypt, they passed through the Red Sea on dry land, but the Egyptians were drowned. Acts like these cause YHWH’s people to rejoice in Him exceedingly. When the woman in the wilderness encounters a flood, the earth will open its mouth and swallow up the river. It will be an awesome act of salvation!
Psalm 66:5-7 Come and see the works of Elohim, awesome acts toward the sons of men. He has turned the sea into dry land, they went through the river on foot. There we rejoiced in Him, Who rules by His power forever; His eyes keeping watch on the nations; let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah.
The Scriptures are filled with examples of prophecy with more than one fulfillment and often more than one interpretation. Although we wholeheartedly believe in a literal fulfillment of Revelation 12:15-16, I would also like to suggest a symbolic fulfillment as well.
The serpent in Revelation 12:15 is Satan. Satan is the father of lies. When speaking to the Pharisaical Jews in His day, Yahushua said the following.
John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you wish to do. He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it.
Yahushua confronted the religious people who were listening to Satan and perpetuating his lies and agenda. At the time, Satan’s agenda and theirs (the Pharisaical Jews) was to kill Yahushua. Today, in the End Days, Satan’s agenda is to kill YHWH’s chosen ones; his lies all point to the end goal of destroying humanity.
In our world, Satan has quite a platform to spread lies. He uses Facebook and other forms of social media. He speaks through his prophets and workers in mainstream and other media outlets. He spreads his venom through politicians and Hollywood actors, which are one and the same. He uses religious leaders—people who want to be heard and play on the emotions of their followers. He has no shortage of people available to help him spread his message.
Aware of how Satan is working through our computers, tablets, and smartphones, I would like to suggest an interpretation of Revelation 12:15. The river that Satan is seen spewing out of his mouth is the lies that he spreads through the internet. They come in the form of news reports and political agendas. They come as entertainment—movies, TV shows, etc. Satan uses them to plant seeds of lies in our minds. Even spiritually aware people can easily be swept away by the river of lies spewing out of Satan’s mouth!
In Revelation 12:16, the earth opens its mouth to help the woman. The Hebrew word mouth is peh (פֶּה). One of the Scriptural uses of peh is the mouth of a cave. It is used this way in Joshua chapter 10, verses 18, 22, and 27. The manuscript from which the Book of Revelation was translated was not in Hebrew, but we can expect to see some Hebrew idioms in the book.
Perhaps the “earth opened its mouth” in the form of a cave revealing information necessary for the Bride of Messiah in the End days. Perhaps the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the caves of Quram is one fulfillment of Revelation 12:16!
One believer who is a part of this awakening is very familiar to many of us: Eddie Chumney. At the beginning of the Scriptural New Year, Eddie shared a teaching on YouTube regarding the “Zadok Priestly Calendar.” It was recorded at a church gathering. Before this year, Eddie had kept (and taught on) what he now calls the “Pharisaic Babylonian Calendar.” In his teaching, Eddie taught that the calendar topic was the central issue of the Qumran community and the documents found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
For Eddie, understanding the calendar kept by the Zadok Priests is not a peripheral issue related to the gathering of YHWH’s people in the End Days; it is a central issue. In part 1 of his two-part teaching Eddie said, “When we celebrate Passover and Sukkot on the Greater Exodus, we will not be doing it according to the Babylonian calendar. We will be doing it according to the Zadok Priestly Calendar.”
In his two-part teaching, Eddie shared the history of the calendar used in the Temple. He acknowledged the Zadok priests as having authority to serve in the Temple according to Ezekiel 44:14-15. Eddie showed how the calendar dispute affected believers at the time of the Maccabees and in Yahushua’s day. His research is thorough, as would be expected with Eddie, and his conclusions are sound. He is calling YHWH’s people to repent of following the Pharisaic Babylonian Calendar and embrace the Zadok Priestly Calendar in preparation for the Greater Exodus and the coming of Yahushua Messiah.
Below is his two-part teaching on the Zadok Priestly Calendar.
DISCLAIMER: While we agree with much of what Eddie shared in his teaching about the calendar, there are a few details we understand differently. Eddie has taught for many years on the Greater Exodus. We agree with his points about the relationship between the Zadok Priestly Calendar and the Greater Exodus, but we do not agree with other things Eddie has previously taught about the Greater Exodus.
Our family has been practicing the Zadok Priestly Calendar since the spring of 2022. We have been studying and diligently searching the Scriptures for confirmation that we are on the right track regarding the calendar. While we are always discovering more information that refines our understanding, we are very blessed by what YHWH has revealed to us at this point on the journey.
Here are a few points that make the Zadok Priestly Calendar stand out:
- There are always 12 months. There is never an addition of a 13th month, which is never found in Scripture.
- There is an emphasis on the 4 seasons. Each season has exactly 3 complete months. The beginning of the year is on the first day of spring. The first day of each season is acknowledged.
- There are exactly 364 days in the year. There are 30 days in each month. There are 4 intercalary days, one day at the end of each season.
- All the Set-apart days, the feast days according to Leviticus 23, are on fixed days of the week. For example, Passover is always on a Tuesday. The Feast of Unleavened Bread always runs from Wednesday to the following Tuesday. None of the Feast days fall on a weekly Shabbat.
- This calendar was preserved by the Zadok Priests and can be linked back to them. This calendar was NOT the calendar used by the Pharisaical Jews at the time of Yahushua.
- The sun, moon, and stars are all used to track time in agreement with Genesis 1:14.
- This calendar is a testimony to YHWH’s perfect order.
- The calendar is a testimony to Yahushua being the light of the world.
I share these highlights hoping to spark curiosity. The topic of the calendar can be very intimidating, but YHWH’s End Days people will rise to the challenge of studying to show themselves approved.
For those interested in studying this topic, it should be noted that the Zadok Priestly Calendar goes by different names. Yah’s Heavenly Calendar and Yah’s Enoch Calendar are two names you might find when researching this topic. The Book of Enoch made many observations about the luminaries that confirm the calendar. Many documents that were found in the caves in Qumran relate to the calendar. The Book of Enoch, the Temple Scrolls, the Torah, and the Book of Jubilees are the most helpful documents in studying the Zadok Priestly Calendar. Further confirmation for this calendar can be found in other books.
Our family is very humbled by this topic. We have kept some form of the Pharisaic Babylonian Calendar for many years, from 2010-2022. YHWH’s grace led us to study the calendar (for many years) and His Spirit opened our eyes to understand the truth of the Zadok Priestly Calendar. There is still more for us to learn. We have full confidence He will guide us in all truth.
In preparation for the Greater Exodus, we encourage our readers to study the Zadok Priestly Calendar. Eddie’s teaching is a good place to start!
