Today we will be addressing points in the argument for the Lunar Sabbath teaching. The best way to address any teaching is to see if the argument is strictly biblical. One of the the lunar Sabbath teachings is that “the Sabbath always lands on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th of Gods Calendar.” This study will put into perspective that the weekly cycle, made at creation is not dictated by the moon. Lunar sabbath teachers also say that the 1st of the month or New Moon day is a special and separate day for worship. They also say the sabbath is only during the light part of the day and We will search scripture and see if these claims are true.
The knowledge of calculating Time was created when the earth began not when sin occurred. Genesis 1:14 which says:
Gen 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Our calendar was given before sin was made. The Sun, moon and stars was given to to divide day and night on each individual day, signs, Appointed times/Feasts, days/Months and years. Notice that it does not say weeks. A week is a measurement of time in which God Himself created in the very beginning. Because the lunar sabbath teaches that the moon determines the sabbath and that it lands on the 8th of the month, I would like to pose a question. “What was the date or age of the earth when the Sabbath was set in Genesis 2:1-3?” The answer should be 7 days old not the 8th. The weeks afterwards goes by sevens and the commandment to use the moon, is not given during the creation of the earth. Lets continue to see evidence that this command is never mentioned . Lets look at Exodus chapter 12 verses 2 to 6:
Exo 12:2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
Exo 12:3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
Exo 12:4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
Exo 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
Exo 12:6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
Father is reinstating the calendar in which the Israelites have forgotten because they were in slavery for over 400 years. Verse 2 shows us the Father is telling Moses how to begin the counting of Days in MONTHS and when the year begins. Then Father tells Moses what is to occur on the 10th day of the first month. There is no mention of a command to honor the 1st day of the month and notice again just like Gen 1:14, the week is not explained. It’s as if He doesn’t have to explain it. He then commands what is to happen on the 14th day of the month. Genesis 1:14 when it mentions days and years, it was referring to the days of the month which would give us the Year. Without ANY assumption we see scripture is not declaring the use of the moon to tell us when the Sabbath is. Let’s look at Exodus 20 verse 8 to 11 which states,
Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
This command gives us a clear weekly cycle in which we ought to count and determine when the 7th day Sabbath occurs. Father then says 6 days you shall do all your work then the 7th day is the Sabbath. In order to establish this foundation of the week, He points us BACK to Genesis during creation, when He actually MADE the 7th day set apart from other days in this cycle. If Genesis 1:14 was to determine Sabbath days, it would have been best to mention it here in the command to keep the Sabbath.
These verses also reveal that absolutely NO work should be done on this day. There is also a preparation taught to us which occurs the day before the Sabbath begins. We are taught this in Exodus 16 verses 4-5, 22 to 25
Exo 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
Exo 16:5 And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.
Exo 16:22 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
Exo 16:23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
Exo 16:24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.
Exo 16:25 And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field.
Here, Father is giving us a command to prepare before the 7th day Sabbath begins, we ought to prepare all meals and lay them up for the next day. This practice is to prevent any distractions occurring on the 7th day Sabbath, which is a day the Father desires to dwell with His people for a special time of worship, study and blessing. To also emphasize on the solemnity of this day, there is a description in Isaiah 58 verse 13 and 14, which reveals how serious this day is.
Isa 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speakingthine own words:
Isa 58:14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
This is extremely clear as to what the Sabbath day entails. It is a day of reflection, study, and discussing spiritual matters. There is no way the 7th day Sabbath would be used or even ordered to do anything besides focus on spiritual things. We see this example of the Father talking to the Israelite’s about Sabbath in Exodus chapter 16.
Exo 16:1 And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.
Exo 16:2 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:
Exo 16:3 And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
Exo 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
Exo 16:5 And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.
Few things to notice in these verses, First point is that it’s the 15th day of the month and Father did NOT tell them it’s the 7th day Sabbath. Second point is that when the Father mentions the 6th day there is no need to go into detail as to how to determine the 7thday Sabbath. It seems that they have an idea of the weekly cycle because scripture does not say the moon was to determine the weeks. And the third point is that there is no provision for the special New moon day, it is counted in the numbering of days of the month. Let’s continue to see more evidence in this chapter.
Exo 16:21 And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
Exo 16:22 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
Exo 16:23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
Exo 16:24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.
Exo 16:25 And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field.
Exo 16:26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.
Exo 16:27 And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.
Exo 16:28 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?
Exo 16:29 See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.
Exo 16:30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
This is quite clear. It says when it was the 6th day they gathered twice as much manna. This does not prove that on the 15th day of the month, the Father skipped this Sabbath and showed it to them the following week. The Father never said “the next 6 days or after 6 days then the 7th day Sabbath will be here”. Father simply said get what you need per day and on the 6th day of the week get a double portion. we don’t have any indication what day of the week it actually was on the 15th day of the month. In verse 25-26 Father gives another reinforcement of the weekly cycle and the provisions for the 7th day Sabbath, Counting from 1 to 6 then 7. No dates were given for the Sabbath nor were there any provisions for the special new moon day or the floating days. Father is actually speaking to them as if they ALREADY understand the 7 day weekly cycle.We have to remember that they were following this Manna schedule for 40 years in the wilderness. The manna stopped only when they got to the promise land in Joshua 5:12. If they had a special new moon day and floating days it would have altered the instruction of manna gathering and the counting of the weekly cycle.
The Father always makes provision and never leaves anything for us to guess. An example of this characteristic, is with the sabbatical years and Jubilees. Lets look at some verses.
Lev 25:3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;
Lev 25:4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.
Lev 25:5 That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.
Lev 25:6 And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee,
Lev 25:7 And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.
Father says every 7 years the land will actually rest from being worked on and what grows will be food for everyone. Father is making a provision for this special year, but there is a extra special year called the year of Jubilees which adds and extra year to the 7th sabbatical year of no working the ground. lets notice how the Father make provision for this extra year.
Lev 25:8 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.
Lev 25:9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
Lev 25:11 A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed.
Lev 25:12 For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field.
Lev 25:19 And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.
Lev 25:20 And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase:
Lev 25:21 Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit FOR THREE YEARS.
The Father was without slack making provision for this extra holy year of rest. There is no provision for the new moon day or the floating days that occur during a lunar Sabbath believers calendar. The Father would have had to give hints and when it comes to Him being our provider, there is no hints of how He provides.
Lets look at a few more things in case this is not enough evidence. Esther Chapter 9 verse 15 to 19.
Est 9:15 For the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shushan; but on the prey they laid not their hand.
Est 9:16 But the other Jews that were in the king’s provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey,
Est 9:17 On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
Est 9:18 But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
Est 9:19 Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day ofgladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another.
Background here is the people were granted by the king to hang Hamans 10 sons and they celebrated this as a memorial of the deliverance of their enemies into their hands. Here in captivity to the Medes and Persians, Israel had freedom to keep Sabbath which is a solemn day. In verse 18, we see that the Jews decided to make the 14th of Adar(12th month) a rest day. We see the Jews decided this year to make the 13th and 15th rest days also. If the 15th is the 7th day Sabbath, why would they say lets rest on that day also? It doesn’t add up with the assumption that the 15th day of the month is always a 7th day sabbath. This was also a time of drinking and festivities. The word Feast in this verse means drinking or banqueting. In other words it’s a party. There is absolutely no way they would turn the 7th day Sabbath on the 15th day of the month into a party unless the 15th was not a Sabbath.
The word Feast is the same word used in the following verses:
Job 1:4 And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
Jer 51:39 In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the LORD
Jer 51:40 I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he goats.
So clearly Israel would not make the 7th day Sabbath into a day of drinking and festivities.
Another point that does not help the lunar Sabbath teaching is when the Israelite’s left Egypt. It was the 15th of the month and they were not told to rest but to go out on a three day journey. They loaded their cattle and the bags and dragged large loads of items on the Sabbath by the command of the Father, if it was the Sabbath the Father would not tell them to do so. Not even our cattle should be working according to Exodus 20:10. Father would NEVER contradict Himself.
Exo 12:34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders
Exo 12:35 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:
Exo 12:36 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.
Exo 12:37 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.
Exo 12:38 And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.
We see here on the 15th day of the month, God told them to load up their sacks on their shoulders and on their cattle and begin to travel. This would have not have occurred on a Sabbath. Notice here in Nehemiah chapter 13
Neh 13:15 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testifiedagainst them in the day wherein they sold victuals.
Neh 13:17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?
Neh 13:18 Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.
Its clear that not only selling but the loading up of materials and carrying burdens/labor on Sabbath is profaning it, lets see more examples of this.
Num 15:32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
Num 15:33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
Num 15:34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
Num 15:35 And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
So if Father put them to death for carrying sticks on Sabbath and they profaned the Sabbath by loading their donkeys why would Father tell them to pick up their burdens and travel out of Egypt on the 7th day Sabbath? Simple, because it was NOT a 7th day Sabbath.
The first day of the month is also NOT a special rest day and NEVER WAS. We see there is no preparation for it and also that work is done on that day. We see this in Numbers chapter 1 verse 1 to 4
Num 1:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
Num 1:2 Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls;
Num 1:3 From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.
Num 1:4 And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers.
This day specifically was a day to take polls or a census. Counting the families and registering everyone. This is not Holy work, this is administrative work. They did not rest that day they also erected the temple on the first day of the month.
Exo 40:2 On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.
According to the Lunar Sabbath idea they should be resting and the door of the tabernacle should be open already, But instead ON THE DAY OF THE NEW MOON, they erected the temple.
Ezr 10:16 And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.
Ezr 10:17 And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month.
Ezr 10:18 And among the sons of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives: namely, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.
Ezr 10:19 And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass.
If new moon was a rest day full of worship, we see here during the restoration of Fathers laws, we see Ezra declaring the divorcing of the strange wives Israel has taken. This is not a restful worship filled day but a cleansing of ourselves in preparation to come to Him. This cleansing also takes place on the 1st and 8th days in the cleansing of the temple in the following verses.
2Ch 29:17 Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of the LORD: so they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days; and in the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.
2Ch 29:18 Then they went in to Hezekiah the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, and the altar of burnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread table, with all the vessels thereof.
We see here on the 1st and 8th of the month they were cleaning out the temple. No worship. The temple doors were open to clean it out. Many others say it’s not a work or rest day its simply new moon day or new month day. Scripture refers to it as the 1st day of the month and is included in the counting of days of the month. Now the Bible always mentions these days separate from each other.
2Ch_2:4 Behold, I build an house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.
Just because its mentioning all these different types of days separately, does not mean they never land on the same day of the month. It doesn’t mention work days here, because feast lands during the middle of the week and also on 7th day Sabbaths. To say the new moon doesn’t land on any of these feasts, or 7th day Sabbaths would be simply an assumption. We know that scripture shows that the 7th day Sabbath lands on feast days at times, so though it is always mentioned separately they intertwine at times. That is because the 7 day cycle is a different cycle from the monthly cycle.
There is also an idea that Jericho fell on the 7th day and Israel rested on the 8th day which they say would have been the 22nd of the month. Now that would be assuming the 15th day of the month is a Sabbath day. There is no indication of this in the verses. Now if we examine the verses we will see the Sabbath day could have landed on any day besides the time the walls of Jericho fell. Now because the weekly cycle is independent of the monthly cycle, the 7th day Sabbath could have landed on any of the times they walked around Jericho except the 7th time. lets reexamine the verses:
Jos 6:1 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
Jos 6:2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
Jos 6:3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.
Jos 6:4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
Jos 6:5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
There is also the use of the The Book of Jasher. Lunar Sabbath teachers say the day they were commanded to walk around Jericho was the 1st of the month and they began marching around for 7 days and rested the 8th which is a Sabbath or the 22nd of the month. This is only done by assuming this method of Sabbath counting is already correct and also assuming that walking around Jericho was forbidden on Sabbath. With a understanding that the weekly cycle is separate from a monthly cycle, the Sabbath could have landed any day within the 6 days they walked around Jericho. History tells us that Jericho was only 6 acres, So to walk around it would not have been a burden or breaking the Sabbath.
Lets look at Exodus 19
Exo 19:1 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.
Lunar Sabbath believers say this is the 15th of the month, which is not a problem. the only assumption is that this is a sabbath.
Exo 19:10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,
Exo 19:11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount
The argument here is that the days they were told to cleanse themselves were the 1st 2nd and 3rd days of the week. So according to the lunar calendar 3 days after the 15th of the month would be the 3rd day of the week. This would be another assumption and reading to much into the verses. The command was for them to consecrate themselves for 3 days. This was not referring to the first 3 days of the week. there are many examples of this use of numbering days through out scripture.Though the scripture does say its 3 days after the 15th day of the month, they would be finished on the 18th day of the month. It does not say its the 3rd day of the week. He clearly says to consecrate themselves TODAY and TOMMOROW and when the 3rd day of the consecration occurs then Father will come down and give us His Law.
Now since The Book of Jasher is used by Lunar sabbath teachers as inspired, we will also show that the book of Jasher eliminates this idea of a monthly determination of weeks. In The Book of Jasher chapter 82 verse 6 it says “And in the third month from the children of Israel’s departure from Egypt, on the sixth day thereof, the Lord gave to Israel the ten commandments on Mount Sinai.” We know its not referring to the 6th day of the month because the 3 day sanctification began on the day after the 15th day of the month and ended on the 18th day of the month. The book of Jasher proves that the 18th day of Gods calendar landed on the 6thday of the week. Showing the monthly and weekly cycle are not together which again shows us why Genesis 1 verse 14 does NOT say the sun, moon, and stars are there to determine weeks.
Now the next and last point for this study is the determining of when the Sabbath day actually begins. Many are in confusion about as to when the Sabbath day starts and ends. First I will address the confusion about Leviticus 23. Now as to the weekly cycle there is already an understanding without any teaching of the Moon at this point. Let’s look at the beginning of Leviticus chapter 23.
Lev 23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: itis the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
There is an understanding of when this weekly cycle begins and ends. In Exodus 16, Father mentioned the 6th day as if they already knew about the weekly cycle in order to dictate that no manna will be falling on the 7th day . Never was there a mention of a new moon day or a moon dictated count of the 6 days to reach the 7th. Another misunderstanding is the explanation for the Day of Atonement. Let’s take a look at Leviticus chapter 23 verses 32:
Lev 23:32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
The argument is that this is the only time the Sabbath is mentioned as to keep it from Even to even. Also the question is posed, “if they knew the day why would Father have to give them instruction on how to keep the day?” This question is valid but they are misunderstanding the verse. If we look carefully, it is telling us when to fast not when the day begins or ends.
“ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even,”
Now another misunderstanding is that many think the “even” is referring to the dusk in every instance, Therefore many think the day starts in the day and ends at Night. In exodus it is established that “even” actually means when the sun begins to go down or the 9thhour which in our time is 3pm, as well as the meaning dusk/sunset. We see this in Deuteronomy chapter 16 verse 6:
Deu 16:6 But at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.
We know that this was fulfilled when Yahushua/Jesus was killed. This is the same time as the evening sacrifice.
Mat 27:45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
Mat 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Mat 27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
Mat 27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
We see The Son of God fulfilled the exact time as the evening sacrifice which is 3pm before dusk. Now back to Leviticus 23 verse 32.We are to begin our Fast at the going down of the sun or 3pm(9th hour) on the 9th day of the month. This would be moving toward the commencing of the 10th day beginning at Dusk and the Fast will end at the going down of the sun at 3pm (9th hour)on the 10th day. This will be moving toward Dusk or the beginning of the 11th day of the 7th month when the Day of atonement is over. There is no where in scripture which mentions the 9th day of the month being the day of atonement. this verse is clearly referring to the fast which should commence at the going down of the sun toward the Dusk or toward the beginning of the 10th day, which would be Day of Atonement.
Lev_16:29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:
Lev_25:9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
Num_29:7 And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein:
But just to prove that Sabbath does start at evening lets look at Nehemiah chapter 13 verses 15 to 18 which states:
Neh 13:15 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testifiedagainst them in the day wherein they sold victuals.
Neh 13:16 There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.
Neh 13:17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?
Neh 13:18 Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.
There is a restoration occurring in Israel and The children of Israel was going to fall into the same issues their fathers fell into which was the profaning of the Sabbath and trampling of Gods law. In order for them NOT to fall into the same mistakes they would have to know when the Sabbath was. Nehemiah is rebuking Israel and made some rules which we see in verse 19.
Neh 13:19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem BEGAN to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates,that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.
Neh 13:20 So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice.
Neh 13:21 Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath.
We see here that the Sabbath began at dark. in verse 20 it shows that the merchants camped or lodged throughout the night. The word Lodge here means to dwell through the night. Nehemiah told them not to dwell there at night or He will lay hands on them. Now see verse 21 states, “From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath”. The night was apart of the Sabbath and Nehemiah did not want them there to distract the people on the Sabbath.
We see here clearly that the Sabbath began at dark . There is no where in scripture changing this truth. The Genesis account of the beginning of the days is clear and has not changed. We constantly claim that all these Years since the beginning of Creation that God preserved His word. We read it with confidence and have peace knowing He would. So i have a question, Why would He not preserve the weekly cycle which He created in genesis and the 7th day Sabbath which is His day of blessing to the world. Father professes this to be a sign to the world in Ezekiel chapter 20 verses 11 to 12:
Eze 20:11 And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.
Eze 20:12 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.
Many allude to the possibility that Yahushua/Jesus didn’t keep the true lunar Sabbath but then Matthew 12 verse 8 would be pointless:
Mat 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of THE SABBATH DAY.
The argument is that Father hid or took away knowledge of His Calendar. There is not one scripture that supports that theory. Please pray and test each point in this study. I welcome all comment, questions and corrections as well. I hope this study has been simple clear and faithful to the understanding of scripture. That we keep our minds filled with light.
-Jahdiel Newman
The knowledge of calculating Time was created when the earth began not when sin occurred. Genesis 1:14 which says:
Gen 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Our calendar was given before sin was made. The Sun, moon and stars was given to to divide day and night on each individual day, signs, Appointed times/Feasts, days/Months and years. Notice that it does not say weeks. A week is a measurement of time in which God Himself created in the very beginning. Because the lunar sabbath teaches that the moon determines the sabbath and that it lands on the 8th of the month, I would like to pose a question. “What was the date or age of the earth when the Sabbath was set in Genesis 2:1-3?” The answer should be 7 days old not the 8th. The weeks afterwards goes by sevens and the commandment to use the moon, is not given during the creation of the earth. Lets continue to see evidence that this command is never mentioned . Lets look at Exodus chapter 12 verses 2 to 6:
Exo 12:2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
Exo 12:3 Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:
Exo 12:4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb.
Exo 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
Exo 12:6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
Father is reinstating the calendar in which the Israelites have forgotten because they were in slavery for over 400 years. Verse 2 shows us the Father is telling Moses how to begin the counting of Days in MONTHS and when the year begins. Then Father tells Moses what is to occur on the 10th day of the first month. There is no mention of a command to honor the 1st day of the month and notice again just like Gen 1:14, the week is not explained. It’s as if He doesn’t have to explain it. He then commands what is to happen on the 14th day of the month. Genesis 1:14 when it mentions days and years, it was referring to the days of the month which would give us the Year. Without ANY assumption we see scripture is not declaring the use of the moon to tell us when the Sabbath is. Let’s look at Exodus 20 verse 8 to 11 which states,
Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
This command gives us a clear weekly cycle in which we ought to count and determine when the 7th day Sabbath occurs. Father then says 6 days you shall do all your work then the 7th day is the Sabbath. In order to establish this foundation of the week, He points us BACK to Genesis during creation, when He actually MADE the 7th day set apart from other days in this cycle. If Genesis 1:14 was to determine Sabbath days, it would have been best to mention it here in the command to keep the Sabbath.
These verses also reveal that absolutely NO work should be done on this day. There is also a preparation taught to us which occurs the day before the Sabbath begins. We are taught this in Exodus 16 verses 4-5, 22 to 25
Exo 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
Exo 16:5 And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.
Exo 16:22 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
Exo 16:23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
Exo 16:24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.
Exo 16:25 And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field.
Here, Father is giving us a command to prepare before the 7th day Sabbath begins, we ought to prepare all meals and lay them up for the next day. This practice is to prevent any distractions occurring on the 7th day Sabbath, which is a day the Father desires to dwell with His people for a special time of worship, study and blessing. To also emphasize on the solemnity of this day, there is a description in Isaiah 58 verse 13 and 14, which reveals how serious this day is.
Isa 58:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speakingthine own words:
Isa 58:14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
This is extremely clear as to what the Sabbath day entails. It is a day of reflection, study, and discussing spiritual matters. There is no way the 7th day Sabbath would be used or even ordered to do anything besides focus on spiritual things. We see this example of the Father talking to the Israelite’s about Sabbath in Exodus chapter 16.
Exo 16:1 And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.
Exo 16:2 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:
Exo 16:3 And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
Exo 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
Exo 16:5 And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.
Few things to notice in these verses, First point is that it’s the 15th day of the month and Father did NOT tell them it’s the 7th day Sabbath. Second point is that when the Father mentions the 6th day there is no need to go into detail as to how to determine the 7thday Sabbath. It seems that they have an idea of the weekly cycle because scripture does not say the moon was to determine the weeks. And the third point is that there is no provision for the special New moon day, it is counted in the numbering of days of the month. Let’s continue to see more evidence in this chapter.
Exo 16:21 And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
Exo 16:22 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
Exo 16:23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
Exo 16:24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.
Exo 16:25 And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field.
Exo 16:26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.
Exo 16:27 And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.
Exo 16:28 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?
Exo 16:29 See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.
Exo 16:30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
This is quite clear. It says when it was the 6th day they gathered twice as much manna. This does not prove that on the 15th day of the month, the Father skipped this Sabbath and showed it to them the following week. The Father never said “the next 6 days or after 6 days then the 7th day Sabbath will be here”. Father simply said get what you need per day and on the 6th day of the week get a double portion. we don’t have any indication what day of the week it actually was on the 15th day of the month. In verse 25-26 Father gives another reinforcement of the weekly cycle and the provisions for the 7th day Sabbath, Counting from 1 to 6 then 7. No dates were given for the Sabbath nor were there any provisions for the special new moon day or the floating days. Father is actually speaking to them as if they ALREADY understand the 7 day weekly cycle.We have to remember that they were following this Manna schedule for 40 years in the wilderness. The manna stopped only when they got to the promise land in Joshua 5:12. If they had a special new moon day and floating days it would have altered the instruction of manna gathering and the counting of the weekly cycle.
The Father always makes provision and never leaves anything for us to guess. An example of this characteristic, is with the sabbatical years and Jubilees. Lets look at some verses.
Lev 25:3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;
Lev 25:4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.
Lev 25:5 That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.
Lev 25:6 And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee,
Lev 25:7 And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.
Father says every 7 years the land will actually rest from being worked on and what grows will be food for everyone. Father is making a provision for this special year, but there is a extra special year called the year of Jubilees which adds and extra year to the 7th sabbatical year of no working the ground. lets notice how the Father make provision for this extra year.
Lev 25:8 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.
Lev 25:9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
Lev 25:11 A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed.
Lev 25:12 For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field.
Lev 25:19 And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye shall eat your fill, and dwell therein in safety.
Lev 25:20 And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase:
Lev 25:21 Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit FOR THREE YEARS.
The Father was without slack making provision for this extra holy year of rest. There is no provision for the new moon day or the floating days that occur during a lunar Sabbath believers calendar. The Father would have had to give hints and when it comes to Him being our provider, there is no hints of how He provides.
Lets look at a few more things in case this is not enough evidence. Esther Chapter 9 verse 15 to 19.
Est 9:15 For the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shushan; but on the prey they laid not their hand.
Est 9:16 But the other Jews that were in the king’s provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey,
Est 9:17 On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
Est 9:18 But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
Est 9:19 Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day ofgladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another.
Background here is the people were granted by the king to hang Hamans 10 sons and they celebrated this as a memorial of the deliverance of their enemies into their hands. Here in captivity to the Medes and Persians, Israel had freedom to keep Sabbath which is a solemn day. In verse 18, we see that the Jews decided to make the 14th of Adar(12th month) a rest day. We see the Jews decided this year to make the 13th and 15th rest days also. If the 15th is the 7th day Sabbath, why would they say lets rest on that day also? It doesn’t add up with the assumption that the 15th day of the month is always a 7th day sabbath. This was also a time of drinking and festivities. The word Feast in this verse means drinking or banqueting. In other words it’s a party. There is absolutely no way they would turn the 7th day Sabbath on the 15th day of the month into a party unless the 15th was not a Sabbath.
The word Feast is the same word used in the following verses:
Job 1:4 And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
Jer 51:39 In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the LORD
Jer 51:40 I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he goats.
So clearly Israel would not make the 7th day Sabbath into a day of drinking and festivities.
Another point that does not help the lunar Sabbath teaching is when the Israelite’s left Egypt. It was the 15th of the month and they were not told to rest but to go out on a three day journey. They loaded their cattle and the bags and dragged large loads of items on the Sabbath by the command of the Father, if it was the Sabbath the Father would not tell them to do so. Not even our cattle should be working according to Exodus 20:10. Father would NEVER contradict Himself.
Exo 12:34 And the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneadingtroughs being bound up in their clothes upon their shoulders
Exo 12:35 And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:
Exo 12:36 And the LORD gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians.
Exo 12:37 And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.
Exo 12:38 And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.
We see here on the 15th day of the month, God told them to load up their sacks on their shoulders and on their cattle and begin to travel. This would have not have occurred on a Sabbath. Notice here in Nehemiah chapter 13
Neh 13:15 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testifiedagainst them in the day wherein they sold victuals.
Neh 13:17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?
Neh 13:18 Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.
Its clear that not only selling but the loading up of materials and carrying burdens/labor on Sabbath is profaning it, lets see more examples of this.
Num 15:32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
Num 15:33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
Num 15:34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
Num 15:35 And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
So if Father put them to death for carrying sticks on Sabbath and they profaned the Sabbath by loading their donkeys why would Father tell them to pick up their burdens and travel out of Egypt on the 7th day Sabbath? Simple, because it was NOT a 7th day Sabbath.
The first day of the month is also NOT a special rest day and NEVER WAS. We see there is no preparation for it and also that work is done on that day. We see this in Numbers chapter 1 verse 1 to 4
Num 1:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying,
Num 1:2 Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls;
Num 1:3 From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.
Num 1:4 And with you there shall be a man of every tribe; every one head of the house of his fathers.
This day specifically was a day to take polls or a census. Counting the families and registering everyone. This is not Holy work, this is administrative work. They did not rest that day they also erected the temple on the first day of the month.
Exo 40:2 On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.
According to the Lunar Sabbath idea they should be resting and the door of the tabernacle should be open already, But instead ON THE DAY OF THE NEW MOON, they erected the temple.
Ezr 10:16 And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain chief of the fathers, after the house of their fathers, and all of them by their names, were separated, and sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter.
Ezr 10:17 And they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first month.
Ezr 10:18 And among the sons of the priests there were found that had taken strange wives: namely, of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren; Maaseiah, and Eliezer, and Jarib, and Gedaliah.
Ezr 10:19 And they gave their hands that they would put away their wives; and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their trespass.
If new moon was a rest day full of worship, we see here during the restoration of Fathers laws, we see Ezra declaring the divorcing of the strange wives Israel has taken. This is not a restful worship filled day but a cleansing of ourselves in preparation to come to Him. This cleansing also takes place on the 1st and 8th days in the cleansing of the temple in the following verses.
2Ch 29:17 Now they began on the first day of the first month to sanctify, and on the eighth day of the month came they to the porch of the LORD: so they sanctified the house of the LORD in eight days; and in the sixteenth day of the first month they made an end.
2Ch 29:18 Then they went in to Hezekiah the king, and said, We have cleansed all the house of the LORD, and the altar of burnt offering, with all the vessels thereof, and the shewbread table, with all the vessels thereof.
We see here on the 1st and 8th of the month they were cleaning out the temple. No worship. The temple doors were open to clean it out. Many others say it’s not a work or rest day its simply new moon day or new month day. Scripture refers to it as the 1st day of the month and is included in the counting of days of the month. Now the Bible always mentions these days separate from each other.
2Ch_2:4 Behold, I build an house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.
Just because its mentioning all these different types of days separately, does not mean they never land on the same day of the month. It doesn’t mention work days here, because feast lands during the middle of the week and also on 7th day Sabbaths. To say the new moon doesn’t land on any of these feasts, or 7th day Sabbaths would be simply an assumption. We know that scripture shows that the 7th day Sabbath lands on feast days at times, so though it is always mentioned separately they intertwine at times. That is because the 7 day cycle is a different cycle from the monthly cycle.
There is also an idea that Jericho fell on the 7th day and Israel rested on the 8th day which they say would have been the 22nd of the month. Now that would be assuming the 15th day of the month is a Sabbath day. There is no indication of this in the verses. Now if we examine the verses we will see the Sabbath day could have landed on any day besides the time the walls of Jericho fell. Now because the weekly cycle is independent of the monthly cycle, the 7th day Sabbath could have landed on any of the times they walked around Jericho except the 7th time. lets reexamine the verses:
Jos 6:1 Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
Jos 6:2 And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.
Jos 6:3 And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.
Jos 6:4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.
Jos 6:5 And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.
There is also the use of the The Book of Jasher. Lunar Sabbath teachers say the day they were commanded to walk around Jericho was the 1st of the month and they began marching around for 7 days and rested the 8th which is a Sabbath or the 22nd of the month. This is only done by assuming this method of Sabbath counting is already correct and also assuming that walking around Jericho was forbidden on Sabbath. With a understanding that the weekly cycle is separate from a monthly cycle, the Sabbath could have landed any day within the 6 days they walked around Jericho. History tells us that Jericho was only 6 acres, So to walk around it would not have been a burden or breaking the Sabbath.
Lets look at Exodus 19
Exo 19:1 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.
Lunar Sabbath believers say this is the 15th of the month, which is not a problem. the only assumption is that this is a sabbath.
Exo 19:10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,
Exo 19:11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount
The argument here is that the days they were told to cleanse themselves were the 1st 2nd and 3rd days of the week. So according to the lunar calendar 3 days after the 15th of the month would be the 3rd day of the week. This would be another assumption and reading to much into the verses. The command was for them to consecrate themselves for 3 days. This was not referring to the first 3 days of the week. there are many examples of this use of numbering days through out scripture.Though the scripture does say its 3 days after the 15th day of the month, they would be finished on the 18th day of the month. It does not say its the 3rd day of the week. He clearly says to consecrate themselves TODAY and TOMMOROW and when the 3rd day of the consecration occurs then Father will come down and give us His Law.
Now since The Book of Jasher is used by Lunar sabbath teachers as inspired, we will also show that the book of Jasher eliminates this idea of a monthly determination of weeks. In The Book of Jasher chapter 82 verse 6 it says “And in the third month from the children of Israel’s departure from Egypt, on the sixth day thereof, the Lord gave to Israel the ten commandments on Mount Sinai.” We know its not referring to the 6th day of the month because the 3 day sanctification began on the day after the 15th day of the month and ended on the 18th day of the month. The book of Jasher proves that the 18th day of Gods calendar landed on the 6thday of the week. Showing the monthly and weekly cycle are not together which again shows us why Genesis 1 verse 14 does NOT say the sun, moon, and stars are there to determine weeks.
Now the next and last point for this study is the determining of when the Sabbath day actually begins. Many are in confusion about as to when the Sabbath day starts and ends. First I will address the confusion about Leviticus 23. Now as to the weekly cycle there is already an understanding without any teaching of the Moon at this point. Let’s look at the beginning of Leviticus chapter 23.
Lev 23:3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: itis the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
There is an understanding of when this weekly cycle begins and ends. In Exodus 16, Father mentioned the 6th day as if they already knew about the weekly cycle in order to dictate that no manna will be falling on the 7th day . Never was there a mention of a new moon day or a moon dictated count of the 6 days to reach the 7th. Another misunderstanding is the explanation for the Day of Atonement. Let’s take a look at Leviticus chapter 23 verses 32:
Lev 23:32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
The argument is that this is the only time the Sabbath is mentioned as to keep it from Even to even. Also the question is posed, “if they knew the day why would Father have to give them instruction on how to keep the day?” This question is valid but they are misunderstanding the verse. If we look carefully, it is telling us when to fast not when the day begins or ends.
“ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even,”
Now another misunderstanding is that many think the “even” is referring to the dusk in every instance, Therefore many think the day starts in the day and ends at Night. In exodus it is established that “even” actually means when the sun begins to go down or the 9thhour which in our time is 3pm, as well as the meaning dusk/sunset. We see this in Deuteronomy chapter 16 verse 6:
Deu 16:6 But at the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that thou camest forth out of Egypt.
We know that this was fulfilled when Yahushua/Jesus was killed. This is the same time as the evening sacrifice.
Mat 27:45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
Mat 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Mat 27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
Mat 27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
We see The Son of God fulfilled the exact time as the evening sacrifice which is 3pm before dusk. Now back to Leviticus 23 verse 32.We are to begin our Fast at the going down of the sun or 3pm(9th hour) on the 9th day of the month. This would be moving toward the commencing of the 10th day beginning at Dusk and the Fast will end at the going down of the sun at 3pm (9th hour)on the 10th day. This will be moving toward Dusk or the beginning of the 11th day of the 7th month when the Day of atonement is over. There is no where in scripture which mentions the 9th day of the month being the day of atonement. this verse is clearly referring to the fast which should commence at the going down of the sun toward the Dusk or toward the beginning of the 10th day, which would be Day of Atonement.
Lev_16:29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:
Lev_25:9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.
Num_29:7 And ye shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls: ye shall not do any work therein:
But just to prove that Sabbath does start at evening lets look at Nehemiah chapter 13 verses 15 to 18 which states:
Neh 13:15 In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testifiedagainst them in the day wherein they sold victuals.
Neh 13:16 There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem.
Neh 13:17 Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day?
Neh 13:18 Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.
There is a restoration occurring in Israel and The children of Israel was going to fall into the same issues their fathers fell into which was the profaning of the Sabbath and trampling of Gods law. In order for them NOT to fall into the same mistakes they would have to know when the Sabbath was. Nehemiah is rebuking Israel and made some rules which we see in verse 19.
Neh 13:19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem BEGAN to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates,that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.
Neh 13:20 So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice.
Neh 13:21 Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath.
We see here that the Sabbath began at dark. in verse 20 it shows that the merchants camped or lodged throughout the night. The word Lodge here means to dwell through the night. Nehemiah told them not to dwell there at night or He will lay hands on them. Now see verse 21 states, “From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath”. The night was apart of the Sabbath and Nehemiah did not want them there to distract the people on the Sabbath.
We see here clearly that the Sabbath began at dark . There is no where in scripture changing this truth. The Genesis account of the beginning of the days is clear and has not changed. We constantly claim that all these Years since the beginning of Creation that God preserved His word. We read it with confidence and have peace knowing He would. So i have a question, Why would He not preserve the weekly cycle which He created in genesis and the 7th day Sabbath which is His day of blessing to the world. Father professes this to be a sign to the world in Ezekiel chapter 20 verses 11 to 12:
Eze 20:11 And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.
Eze 20:12 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.
Many allude to the possibility that Yahushua/Jesus didn’t keep the true lunar Sabbath but then Matthew 12 verse 8 would be pointless:
Mat 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of THE SABBATH DAY.
The argument is that Father hid or took away knowledge of His Calendar. There is not one scripture that supports that theory. Please pray and test each point in this study. I welcome all comment, questions and corrections as well. I hope this study has been simple clear and faithful to the understanding of scripture. That we keep our minds filled with light.
-Jahdiel Newman