“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

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For everything there is a season, as Solomon wisely wrote. Seasons are marked by dates, life events, changing circumstances and even weather patterns. Seasons fade in and fade out, but often they begin suddenly and end abruptly. The season of Covid began suddenly without much warning. It was marked by confusion, fear, uncertainty and even opportunity that affected almost everyone on the globe as it slowly faded. In Israel, the ongoing Iron Swords also begun suddenly and unexpectedly, and it is still ongoing. This season is one of loss, heartbreak, struggle and strife – both domestically and externally.

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Just three months ago the world marked a quarter of a century moving into 2025, and at sundown on Sunday, March 29, 2025 (1 Nisan on the modern Jewish calendar), a new season will begin with the biblical new year. While many are familiar with Rosh Hashanah (aka the Jewish New Year or the Feast of Trumpets) which usually occurs in September, the Hebraic biblical new year, as ordained in Scripture, starts in the spring, two weeks before Passover. Understanding this change in season is important for believers who seek to know God’s appointed times and how they align with current and future global events.

‍"Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do.." (1 Chronicles 12:32)

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The Biblical New Year vs. the Jewish New Year

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The biblical new year is established in Exodus 12:2 when God commanded Moses and Aaron: "This month shall be for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you." (Exodus 12:2)

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This instruction came just before the Exodus, setting 1 Nisan (the first month) as the start of the biblical calendar. The Jewish new year which occurs on the first day of the seventh month (Tishrei) and marks the civil new year, was installed much later in history – most likely during the Babylonian exile. While Rosh Hashanah has significance in Jewish tradition, particularly as a time of reflection and judgment in relation to the Fall Feasts, beginning the year in the seventh month makes as much sense as starting to watch the movie after the interval. However the biblical new year aligns God’s redemptive plan with the entire cycle of His appointed feasts (Leviticus 23).

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Our modern world currently operates on the Gregorian calendar, a solar-based system introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. This calendar follows a 365-day cycle, with a leap year added every four years to adjust for the Earth’s orbit around the sun.

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In contrast, the biblical (or Hebrew) calendar is primarily lunar, with months based on the phases of the moon. A lunar year consists of approximately 354 days, requiring the periodic addition of an extra month (Adar II) to keep the calendar aligned with the agricultural seasons. This synchronization ensures that the biblical feasts, particularly Passover (Pesach), Shavuot (Pentecost), and Sukkot (Tabernacles), remain in their proper seasons.

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This distinction is not trivial. The biblical calendar is divinely structured to mark God’s feasts and appointed times as seen in Genesis 1:14: "And God said, 'Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years.”