A NEW PAGE IS TURNING
At sunset on June 26th of 2025, we said goodbye to the Hebraic month of Sivan. Now we are living in the Hebraic month of Tammuz for the year of 5785. I hope you stopped to reflect on the month that just passed.
How many blessings did you enjoy during the month of Sivan? What abundance did you enjoy as a child of God living under the sun, moon and stars which He created?
Did you enjoy the last 30 days of this amazing process called “life”? Have you embraced the purposes which God clarified to you during the last month?
Were you thankful? Did you let God know?
What things concerned you last month? Are these things now resolved? Do you need to keep praying for answers? What have you left unfinished? Have you prayed for God’s help with the things which are about to carry over into the new month?
CLEAR THE BOOKS FROM LAST MONTH
Yeshua is the One who can give you all of the answers. It is good to begin a new month with thanksgiving. Remember to thank God for the things that went well last month. Also, it is a good thing to ask God for help with the unfinished things.
If you can still recall sins from last month, and you have not yet repented, now is the time. Clear the books. Start your next month by walking in the purity of God’s forgiveness and grace. Seek His answers. Ask for His favor in this new month of Tammuz. It has just arrived.
SEEK GOD’S FAVOR IN THE NEW MONTH
As we begin to walk into Tammuz, it is good to reflect. We can reflect upon the historical moments which happened in this month in biblical stories from the scriptures. We learn from history. Reflections of the past help us to walk into the future with wisdom.
SEEK HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
So, we should remember to ask God’s favor on all that we do in this new month. We pray that God will grant us wisdom. Also, we seek God’s understanding. It is good to ask for any healing that is not finished. We should bring any new health issues before God. Put them first into the hands of The Great Physician. Trust. Let God guide you into how you should seek other medical help.
Today we are blessed with excellent medical knowledge. We are surrounded by talented and skilled doctors. This is a great blessing. Let’s remember to thank God for them. We can ask God to bless those who have been given the gift of healing as a life purpose.
So, in this new month we recognize and seek God’s supernatural healing powers for our bodies, souls, minds and spirits. Seeking Him first will guide us. He will lead us through any processes needed for seeking any further help. We trust God for leading us to the right men and women working in the medical field.
SEEKING WISDOM IN LIFE
Also, we ask God to guide us through each step we take as we walk into this new month. On Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, we are actively seeking God’s favor. We ask God to guide and bless all that we do with the labor of our hands. Moreover, we ask Him, as The One who owns everything, to prosper us and our nation. We request that He continues to fill our lives with His great abundance and blessings. It is our goal for this month to be seeking God’s guidance through every minute of every day.
UNDERSTANDING THE MONTH OF TAMMUZ
There is much for us to ponder about this Fourth Month of the Sacred Hebraic Calendar. First, let’s address the elephant in the room. Many astute readers have noticed that the name of the fourth month is the same as a name used for an ancient pagan god. Why would we still have this name on a sacred calendar?
THE NAME OF THE MONTH
That is a good question. This name has been left on the calendar to help us remember that the use and practice of pagan things have destroyed God’s people in the past. The name is placed in irony. It stands out as a reminder for keeping our obedience to God. This reminder is all about not worshiping idols. It speaks of a bad time when Israel made the terrible mistake of participating in idolatry.
Often this issue is hard for us to see. Hopefully, when we see this name we recognize as pagan, it will remind us to be very careful. We will then remember to examine and check our thoughts and actions of worship.
THE HISTORY OF THE IRONIC NAME
The People of God came out of Egypt and moved into the wilderness. Eventually they moved on into the Promised Land. Some pagans from Egypt traveled along with them. These other people were always trying to mix the worship to include some of their former pagan traditions. They often questioned, added, or subtracted new actions to the rules of the set-times and Sabbaths of God. Of course, this was not pleasing to God.
When the people of Israel gave in and followed along with these others by participating and allowing these wrong actions to be combined with what God was teaching them; God temporarily turned his back. The reason being, that holiness and paganism cannot exist together. This fact is a proven law of the universe. The old and universal law is stated many times in the scriptures.
THE MYTHOLOGICAL NAME
An Egyptian god of fire was named Tammuz. He was said to have died. The pagans who worshiped him, mourned his death for three weeks every summer. Those pagans who traveled out of Egypt along side of Israel still liked to keep this custom.
Of course, the practice was clearly displeasing to The One True God. Many scholars have supposed this might have encouraged the eventual sinful worship of The Golden Calf. Remember that this event happened in the time that Moses was away on Mt. Sinai. It happened as he was getting the commandments from God. (More irony.) The people were obviously easily led. Even Aaron seemed to have fallen into the trap.
The very first commandment Moses received while up on the mountain communing with God was “thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” As he returned to camp, Moses was devastated to see this commandment being blatantly disobeyed. He was so angry that he smashed the commandments and broke them into pieces.
Later, Moses had to return to The Mountain of God. He went back to receive a new set of tablets. He did this AFTER he burned the hated idol. It was after he had convinced the people to repent and change the state of their hearts.
A PERIOD OF REPENTANCE
Repentance, and the fact that Moses was willing to offer himself for the sake of the people’s sins, were the only reasons God relented. He stopped just short of deserting and/or totally destroying Israel. Finally, God did give Moses a new set of tablets. Now the people could try to obey God again. They were constantly warned to worship God in the holiness which He alone deserved.
However, that same pagan influence never completely left the camp. Even in the more glorious days of the completion of the Temple, the people were often swayed into mixing pagan practices with God’s ways. There was always this cultural presence of paganism. Some of the people were even still mourning the death of Tammuz.
EZEKIEL’S WARNING/PROPHECY
When the prophet Ezekiel found out this practice was still going on, he had some strong warnings for the people. God gave Ezekiel a clear vision of what was happening. Ezekiel warned that God would turn His back away from the people. He warned this would happen if they did not abandon their syncretism of other religious practices.
A group of the people did not heed Ezekiel’s warnings. Thus, the day came when Nebuchadnezzar’s armies arrived. They burned the walls and gates of Jerusalem. Because of the unfaithfulness in worship, there was no protection from God. The people were captured. Many were carried away to other nations. Some were dispersed to Assyria.
Other people were forced to live in captivity in Babylon. God had turned his back away from them because of the unguarded pagan practices. They had been constantly warned. Everyone knew God did not approve of His ways being mixed with the ways of the worship of pagan gods. Yet, none stood firm to stop this practice from happening.
THE REMINDERS IN TAMMUZ
Many years later, after the captivity was over, the exiled people began to return home to Jerusalem. The rabbis had to decide how to prevent this pagan mixing from ever happening again. It would be useless to rebuild the Temple if paganism was allowed to continue.
God had finally forgiven them. At last God had turned His face toward them again. The leaders of worship wanted to keep seeing God’s face. They wanted to do whatever it took to keep their worship right before God.
AN IRONIC DECISION
The rabbis made a strange and ironic decision. Instead of changing the name of the month of Tammuz, the name was left in use. This irony served as a reminder. The reminder was of the tragedy and devastation which comes when people dishonor God with the use of syncretism. They hoped the reminder would stop the mixing of pagan beliefs with the truth of The One True God.
The fast once held to mourn Tammuz was reversed. It was turned into a fast for mourning the sins of Israel. Now they mourned that which had dishonored God. They remembered and mourned the use of pagan worship from their past ceremonies.
The leaders wanted the people to have an annual way to be reminded of how God’s protection left them when God became displeased by their false, pagan worship.
The emphasis is now placed on the fact that syncretism with paganism is disobedience to God. Such disobedience caused the destruction of Jerusalem and the loss of both Temples. So, today this fast (if observed at all) is a reminder to always use pure and holy worship.
The reminder speaks of God’s people’s desire to never mix God’s ways with pagan ways again. TODAY’S MEANING CONTAINS NOTHING ABOUT MOURNING FOR TAMMUZ.
The current and traditional fast of this month called Tammuz is for mourning over Israel’s past sins. The Jewish fast is now a way to help to keep religion pure in the future.
ARE WE KEEPING THE VOW?
Now I will ask you to take a good look at the Christian world of today. Notice how men have changed days and seasons from their original God-appointed times. This is wrong. It is the same thing the ancients did that caused God to turn His back away from them.
We have gone from keeping Sabbath on the 7th day to worshiping on Sunday. At least the devout Jews who are observing this fast during the current month have not broken that commandment. Many other people groups are not that devout. They have forgotten God’s laws. They have forgotten what it means to honor a true Sabbath.
Now this fast of this season for the Jews seems to direct the people to remember to keep God’s laws. Those laws have statutes which include the appointed feasts and festivals of God. How interesting that the Jews have never forgotten. Unlike the Protestant and Catholic believers of Messiah, the Jewish worshipers haven’t changed God’s feast days into pagan holidays. They have not turned around in order to keep the ways of men over the ways of God. Is this because they keep this annual reminder every month of Tammuz? I wonder.
From this perspective, I can better understand the thinking of the rabbis who kept the name of the month intact. This tradition seems to have worked as an annual reminder. The results have been good.
However, what about the whole of Christianity? It appears that Christianity doesn’t even consider this history. They do not consider these ancient the sins of idolatry which still exists in many worship congregations of today. Will God turn his back again? Time will tell.
HISTORY LESSONS
A good thing to remember about this month is the day of Tammuz 3. This is the day the sun stood still for Joshua. (Joshua 10:1-15.)
The breaking of the tablets of the law by Moses happened during the month of Tammuz. Also, it was in this month the people experienced the cessation of the perpetual offerings,
The burning of the Torah happened during this month of Tammuz. Tammuz was also the month in which Antiochus Epiphanes erected a pagan idol inside the Temple. This tragedy was what brought the discontinuance of the sacrifices at the Temple.
OTHER SAD EVENTS IN TAMMUZ
Tammuz commemorates the time the walls of Jerusalem were breached. This is the month of the terrible destruction caused by Nebuchadnezzar’s armies. The Temple treasures were carried away by the enemies of God. It happened on Tammuz 9.
On Tammuz 17, the Temple service was disrupted due to a lack of animals for the required sacrifices.
Three weeks later, the Temple itself was destroyed. This was on the 9th of Av. All of these sad events are mourned by the Jews on an annual basis. They are sometimes joined by Christians.
THE TRAGEDY OF PAGANISM
We should never fail to remember the tragic mistakes Israel made by not obeying God. Christians as well as Jews should never forget the danger of allowing paganism to creep into their worship services. The Jews are keeping their promise to remember this. What about everyone else?
Those who know Messiah have an even greater responsibility to be remembering God’s ways. What are we doing? We, of all people, should be the most obedient. Our Messiah came to save us. We have received great grace from God despite the disobedience of our people.
There are many other stories of how Israel secretly worshiped and kept idols. It is vitally important that all people of the earth remember and keep the very first commandment. Idols are not allowed in God’s Kingdom. If you want to live in God’s Kingdom – you MUST put them away.
If you wish to be a part of The Bride of Christ, you now have a protocol to follow. You must accept God’s ways over the traditions of men. Your example then shines out to the rest of the world. You only shine because of the glory of your Groom and your obedience to Him.
MOVING BETWEEN THE STRAIGHTS
During the month of Tammuz this period of teshuva (repentance) has come to be called “between the straights.” The descriptive name is based upon a scripture found in Lamentations 1:3. We read: After affliction and harsh labor, Judah has gone into exile. She dwells among the nations; she finds no resting place. All who pursue her have overtaken her in the midst of her distress.
Zechariah 8:19 also speaks of this time of fasting which is now observed in a different way: “The fast of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore, love truth and peace.
Followers of Jesus are exempt from this period of fasting. It is only because of Messiah’s love and compassion. For us, this is now a time of rejoicing. We are rejoicing in the fact that He has become our deliverer. His love has overcome our ability to sin.
Christians are still accountable. We cannot shake our fist in the face of the very One who delivered us. Obedience ALWAYS matters.
It is up to us to carry that greater degree of holiness. We must return to what we know pleases God. Nothing about pagan ways or idolatry is acceptable. God’s people cannot be lukewarm. Christians are accountable for their actions. One day we will see God face-to-face.
A crown awaits those who remain true and faithful. The very faithful seek that crown so they can lay it down at the feet of Jesus. It will be used as a wedding present. Later, we will learn how the stars tell this story too.
TIMELY REMINDERS FOR TODAY
Thus, we have come walking into a month of timely reminders. The first reminder is found in the meaning of this name of the month is Tammuz. The pagan name was to remind the people of the judgment which comes from idolatry. We see these results beginning with the golden calf incident. Later they continued with secret cult worship in high places. These are the incidences which led to the final destruction of two Temples and a Holy City.
Now Christians have come to believe that our earthly bodies are the living Temple of God. With that in mind, these facts should be even more urgent today.
In the history of the name of this month called Tammuz, we see something which often happens within The Kingdom of God. What men meant for evil has now been reversed for good. We serve a Great God of miraculous reversals.
THE GREAT CONFLICT BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL
This month reminds us of the great conflict which exists between good and evil. It encourages us to always serve God and to never serve Satan. We must continue to be on-guard. It is very important that we continue to overcome. The ethics of our beliefs (which derive from loving God and keeping the Commandments) should always be fresh in our minds. God’s will should maintain a constant residence inside our hearts. Those who suppress the truth of God will one day answer to God. Let us always remember this fact.
THE SYMBOLIC GEM AND TRIBE
The gem which represents the month called Tammuz stands for the tribe of Reuben. This is another reminder. Reuben would never have lost his birthright if he had walked away from his own fleshly decisions and followed the ways of God. Yet, he became another picture of man putting his own ways over the ways of God.
Reuben fell into the same trap as Esau. His rebellion against his father led to his downfall among the tribes.
This stone of the breastplate for the high priest of Israel which represents the tribe of Reuben is a Carnelian. It is red in color and transparent. The red stone is symbolic of the red clay from which men were created. There is a reversal for the sins of men. It is available with repentance. Repentance brings another red covering. At this point, the red covering represents the covering of the blood of Jesus.
There are two kinds of red. Which will be your choice?
THE MAZZAROTHIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MONTH
THE MESSAGE OF THE CONSTELLATION OF CANCER
If we look up into the night sky during the month of Tammuz we can see the constellation called Cancer. The Hebrew word for “Cancer” is “Sartan” Sartan means “who holds, who binds.”
Let’s note the fact that astrology is a sin. We are NOT pursuing astrology when we speak of how God placed His stars in the skies. Astrology should never be our practice. Predicting of the future is a form of witchcraft. Only God knows the end from the beginning.
THE STARS OF CANCER
However, in the original state of the Creation, God formed the stars in the sky on the Fourth Day. He wrote His history (his story) inside the pictures of those stars. The stories in the stars were written before they ever happened. I have wondered if He foresaw The Tower of Babel. Maybe He already knew language would become a barrier for men. He made another way of knowing who He was on that fourth day of the creation. All any of us have to do is to look up. It has been that way from the very beginning.
This isn’t astrology at all. It is astronomy which is being used for declaring biblical stories. Here is where we take our own particular study of the stars from God’s written word. From it we will gain a greater understanding of God’s existence and the proof of His stories. He wrote it across the skies!
There is truth and wisdom hiding within biblical-related astronomy. After all, that is how the wise men found Jesus. They followed the signs in the sky.
If we listen to God with all of our heart, mind and soul, He will make all of us wiser. Sometimes we can even listen with our eyes. We can see messages which Our Father wrote in the sky for our own assurance. The messages confirm that He, and He alone is God. The stars prove the magnificence and brilliance of The One Great God.
CANCER IS ACTIVE DURING THE MONTH OF TAMMUZ
God created the constellation called Cancer. Through this group of stars, we can see many things which are significant in this month of Tammuz. This is true both for history and for the hope of our future with God.
STAR GROUPS IN CANCER
There are six groups of stars in the constellation called Cancer. 1) Tegmine means “holding.” 2) Acubene means “the sheltering.” 3) Praesepe means “offspring and innumerable seed.” 4) Ma’alaph means “assembled thousands and place of good rest.” 5) Nepa means “grasping.” 6) Asellus Borealis and Asellus Australia means “she ass.”
DECANS OF CANCER
Star formations in the constellations have other patterns called “decans.” Decans are the assisting stars who take their courses during different time periods of the month of the main constellation.
Decans stretch the telling of the stories of the stars even further. They add to the story. Cancer has three decans. The names are 1) Ursa Minor, which is often called “the lesser bear, the lesser sheepfold, the redeemed, or the chosen of the flock awaiting who comes.” 2) Ursa Major which means “The Great Bear, The Sheepfold, Ash or Aish, (Hebrew) The assembled.” 3) Argo which means (the ship returning the redeemed to their heavenly home.)
URSA MINOR
The stars of Ursa Minor consists of seven main stars. 1) Kochab which means “waiting for Him who cometh, the redeemed assembly.” 2) Al Pherkadian which means “the calves, the herd of God.” 3) Al Gedi which means “the kid, the chosen of the flock.” 4) Al Ruccaba which means “the pole star, the turned.” 5) Al Kaid which means “assembled.” 6) Cynosura which means the base or the center of the constellations, Mazzaroth.” 7) Arcas, Dubheh which means “herd of animals.”
Many believers see these star formations as symbolism relating to “the seed of the woman” and “the seven churches of Revelation.”
URSA MAJOR
The stars of Ursa Major consists of 15 star formations. 1) Dubheh which means “a herd of animals.” 2) Al Acola which means “the sheepfold.” 3) Benet Nash which means “daughters of the assembly” (Joel 3:11.) 4) Cab’d Al Asdad which means “wealth of the multitude.” 5) Annaish which means “the assembled” (Ash.) 6) Merach which means “the flock” in Hebrew and “purchased” in Arabic. 7) Mezrez which means “separated, as the flock in the fold or cut off.” 8) Phacad which means “visited, guarded, numbered.” 9) Mizar which means “guarded, enclosed place.” 10) Ursa which means “the Bear, the strong.” 11) Alioth which means “the she goat, ewe.” 12) Talita which means “the lamb.” 13) Al Cor which means “the lamb.” 14) El Kaphrah which means “protected, covered, redeemed.” 15) Calisto which means “the sheep fold, those appointed.”
ARGO
The meanings of the celestial make-up of Argo includes the following:
- Argo, meaning “the company of travelers.”
- Sephina, meaning “the multitude, multitudinous good.”
- Tureis, meaning “the possession.”
- Canopus, meaning “the possession of Him who cometh.”
- Asmidiska, meaning “the released who travel.”
- Soheil, meaning “the desired.”
- Subilon, meaning “the branch.”
You will need to do some research on your own. Our article explains the details of the month of Tammuz. It isn’t designed to teach astronomy. However, we wanted you to grasp the deep significance of what the stars are saying in this month.
Ursa Minor is “The Pole Star.” This star pattern is very significant. However, we will have to cover that very deep subject in another article. You must first understand all of the other pieces of the messages in the stars before beginning to understand what The Pole Star means. Today we start this very full and detailed process by understanding what Cancer means.
As we approach each new Hebraic month, we will be discussing more of these meanings. I hope we will be writing about the great significance of the Pole Star before this year of 5785 ends.
NOTICE THE BEHIVE
In the progression of this constellation through the skies, we notice something astronomist call “The Behive.” It is a collection of innumerable stars. These stars symbolize the descendants of Abraham. I spoke of the story of Abraham and his descendants in detail in THE GOSPEL HIDDEN IN GENESIS BOOK ONE OF TWO. You can order that book here: https://amzn.to/4ktI1hS.) For further study, you can reference Genesis 22:17 and Galatians 3:16.
HOW CANCER CONNECTS TO OTHER STORIES
In the Mazzaroth, we see Cancer linked to Pices (the fish.) This fish speaks of the symbol used to identify Christianity. The symbol representing Cancer is a drawing of a crab. The crab is living inside a shell. The shell of the crab is eventually shed. It goes through a transitional metamorphosis. We can think of this process as being similar to what Christianity does for us. We put off the old man and put on the new man. Knowing God changes our lives.
There seems to be a focus on the crab’s ability to “hold on.” We see Cancer joining Pices. Two different types of fish are being redeemed together. Could this be Israel and the Gentiles?
All of the above imagery seems to indicate our need to cling to God. We must hold tightly to the power of His perfect ways. Henceforth, we must “hold on” to Yeshua’s every word. This is especially true for end times. We must never let go, even in times that seem hopeless. Our seeking is an eternal seeking. Nothing should ever stop our progression toward God’s Kingdom.
Notice the multiple legs of the body of the crab. This could be symbolizing the many members of the body of Christ. It shows how they all work together. Cancer is symbolic of God’s loving arms encircling all of us.
The original intention of the Mazzaroth (before it became corrupted by men’s interpretations of the Zodiac) is that all believers, of all languages, tribes and tongues, could look into the night sky and see the stories of a God who loves them.
A TOOL FOR LOOKING AHEAD
As we approach the coming season of Teshuvah, we are moving much closer to the month called Elul. I have written a devotional book full of daily devotions for this month. The title is Christian Meditations For Elul. If you wish to order it ahead of the soon coming month, right now would be the time. Your book can be ready by the time we arrive at Rosh Chodesh Elul. You can order your copy here: https://amzn.to/4er6F0S.
TAMMUZ BEGINS A SEASON OF TESHUVAH
Rosh Chodesh Tammuz marks the beginning of a season of Teshuvah (repentance.) Jews are mourning for the sins of Israel. Christians and faithful believers of Messiah should be humbly asking God to help us to run to Him. We should be running to God with uplifted clean, repentant hands for worship. This is a time for bringing pure, repentant hearts before God.
PRAYER FOR THE FOURTH MONTH
May it be your will, LORD our God and God of our fathers, that you renew for us a good month in our Lord Yeshua The Messiah. Amen