Part One:
What Are God’s Rules for the Calendar?
“The calendar.”
These ordinary words can bring tension into an otherwise
pleasant atmosphere. More and more, Christians are coming
to question which is the correct calendar for God’s true
Church. An exhausting assortment of opinion swirls around
this topic, which has seemed overwhelmingly complex.
Is God’s
true calendar beyond the ability of the average Christian
to discern? Is this truth of God understandable only to
experts? Has God left you and I without sufficient means
to evaluate the calendar? Does God intend for us to trust
the authority of the Church blindly in this?
Or is there a clear, distinct and straightforward path
to this truth of God, apart from the confusing contradictions
of human reasoning?
Indeed,
God has given us just such a path, and any journey toward
discerning the true calendar, must begin
upon this path.
What is
this path? Simply put, it is the path of searching
the Bible to find the boundaries which God sets for the
calendar. Using God’s Scriptural requirements as
our tool for measuring, we can quickly discard many human
misconceptions.
What then,
are these boundaries regarding the structure of the calendar,
which God provides for us? What are God’s
rules for the calendar? Logically, let’s begin at the beginning.
Section One: The Heavenly Lights
God made
the heavenly lights for signs, for appointed times, for
days, and for years:
Then
God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the
heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them
be for signs and for seasons and for days and years;
and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens
to give light on the earth"; and it was so. God
made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the
day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made
the stars also. (Genesis 1:14-16)
You
have made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its
time for setting. (Psalm 104:19 NRSV)
What is
one reason that God gives us the sun and the moon?
God
says that He has given us the sun and the moon as “lights”
– visible indicators of time segments. We will find as we
continue, that these are foundational building blocks of
God’s calendar.
More specific
renderings of verse 14 of Genesis 1, found in other translations,
help us to gain a more complete picture:
From the
New Jerusalem Bible[1]
:
God
said, "Let there be lights in the vault of heaven to
divide day from night, and let them indicate festivals,
days and years. (Genesis 1:14)
From the
New American Bible[2]
:
Then
God said: "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky,
to separate day from night. Let them mark the fixed times,
the days and the years, (Genesis 1:14)
Why do
these two recent translations replace the English word “seasons,”
with “festivals” or “fixed times”?
The word
which most versions translate as “seasons” in verse 14 is
the Hebrew mo’ed. From the New American Standard
Concordance, the entry below gives us an overview of how
mo’ed is translated in various passages of Scripture:
H4150.
moed, moed, moadah, [417b]; from H3259;
appointed
time, place, or meeting:[translated
in Scripture as] -- appointed(3), appointed feast(3), appointed
feasts(11), appointed festival(2), appointed meeting place(1),
appointed place(1), appointed sign(1), appointed time(21),
appointed times(8), appointment(1), assemblies(1), assembly(2),
definite time(1), feasts(2), festal(1), fixed festivals(3),
meeting(147), meeting place(1), meeting places(1), season(4),
seasons(3), set time(1), time(3), times(1), times appointed(1).
[Emphasis is added.] [3]
Scholars generally agree that the typical meaning of
mo’ed is “appointed time, place, or meeting.” Vine's
Hebrew Dictionary sums it up neatly: “The word mo'ed
keeps its basic meaning of ‘appointed,’ but varies as to
what is agreed upon or appointed according to the context:
the time, the place, or the meeting itself.”[4]
The authoritative
Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon adds this note:
“It is
most probable that in Genesis 1:14 (Priest’s Code), … the
reference is to the sacred seasons as fixed by the moon’s
appearance; and so also … he made the moon for sacred
seasons Psalm 104:19, although many Lexicons and Commentaries
refer these to the seasons of the year.”[5] “Sacred
season” is also termed “set feast or appointed
season.”[6]
What are
these “sacred seasons”? In the Bible, the word mo’ed
is often used of days which God has set apart for sacred
observance.[7] Here
below, are the usages of mo’ed in Chapter 23 of Leviticus,
which lists the weekly Sabbath along with all of God’s annual
Holy Days:
"Speak
to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD'S appointed times
[mo’ed] which you shall proclaim as holy convocations
– My appointed times [mo’ed] are these: (Leviticus
23:2)
'These
are the appointed times [mo’ed] of the LORD,
holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times
appointed [mo’ed] for them. (Leviticus 23:4)
'These
are the appointed times [mo’ed] of the LORD
which you shall proclaim as holy convocations, to present
offerings by fire to the LORD--burnt offerings and grain
offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each day's
matter on its own day-- (Leviticus 23:37)
So
Moses declared to the sons of Israel the appointed times [mo’ed] of the LORD.
(Leviticus 23:44)
What have
we learned thus far? We have discovered that the sun and
moon are foundational building blocks of God’s calendar.
We have also seen the unbreakable Scriptural link between
the heavenly lights – the sun and the moon – and God’s “appointed
times,” which include the weekly Sabbath and the annual
Holy Days.
Now we
are ready to look at the specific segments of time. First,
let’s consider the smallest unit of time in the calendar,
the day.
Section Two: The Day
In our
modern civilization, most of the human community ends each
day in the middle of the night, at midnight.
This is a calculated endpoint which has only a general and
limited relationship to the sun or moon.
According
to our Creator, when does the day actually begin and end?
God
called the light day, and the darkness He called night.
And there was evening and there was morning, one day. [8]
God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and
there was morning, a second day. [13] There was evening
and there was morning, a third day. [19] There was evening
and there was morning, a fourth day. [23] There was evening
and there was morning, a fifth day. [31] God saw all that
He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was
evening and there was morning, the sixth day. (Genesis 1:5,
8, 13, 19, 23, 31)
What have
we found here in the creation account? Each individual
day consists of “evening and morning,” and in that order
– first the “evening,” then the “morning.” Thus, it is clear
that God designates evening as the beginning of the day.
This fact is reinforced in Leviticus 23, where God explicitly
bounds the sacred 10th day of the seventh month:
"On
exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of
atonement[s]; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and
you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire
to the LORD. [32] “It is to be a sabbath of complete rest
to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of
the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall
keep your sabbath." (Leviticus 23:27, 32)
As is illustrated
in the verses above, the 10th of the month begins
at the precise point when the 9th of the month
ends – “at evening.” The 10th of the month is
reckoned “from evening until evening.”
What is
“evening”? What does “evening” have to do with the heavenly
lights – the moon or sun? Brown-Driver-Briggs defines the
Hebrew word 'ereb as “(sun)set, evening.”[8] The Theological
Wordbook of the Old Testament reports:
“ 'ereb.
Evening, night. This common masculine noun
for ‘evening’ likely developed from the expression, ‘the
setting of the sun, sunset.’ It is cognate to Akkadian erebu,
a common verb of wide usage which includes ‘to enter, go
down (of the sun).’ Akkadian erib Samsi means ‘sunset.’
“[9]
In Scripture
also, we find evening ['ereb] connected to sunset:
He
hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening; and at
sunset Joshua gave command and they took his body down
from the tree and threw it at the entrance of the city gate,
and raised over it a great heap of stones that stands to
this day. (Joshua 8:29)
The
battle raged that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in front of the Arameans
until the evening; and at sunset he died. (2 Chronicles
18:34)
We see
this same association – sunset with evening – carrying forward
into the New Testament. Notice how these three Gospel writers
record this account, depicting events which occurred immediately
at the close of a Sabbath:
When
evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed;
and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all
who were ill. (Matthew 8:16)
When
evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing
to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed.
And the whole city had gathered at the door. And He healed
many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many
demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because
they knew who He was. (Mark 1:32-34)
At
sunset, all who had people sick with various diseases brought
them to him. He laid his hands on each of them and cured
them. (Luke 4:40, New American Bible)
Equipped
now with the understanding that the day in God’s calendar
begins and ends with the setting of the sun, let’s move
forward to the next segment of time, the week.
Section Three: The Week
In the
21st century, we take for granted a seven-day
week. However, in some ancient cultures, the length of the
week differed. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica:
“Among
primitive peoples, it was common to count moons (months)
rather than days, but later a period shorter than the month
was thought more convenient, and an interval between market
days was adopted. In West
Africa
some tribes used a four-day interval; in central Asia five days was customary; the Assyrians
adopted five days and the Egyptians, 10 days, whereas the
Babylonians attached significance to the days of the lunation
that were multiples of seven. In ancient Rome, markets were
held at eight-day intervals; because of the Roman method
of inclusive numeration, the market day was denoted nundinae
(“ninth-day”) and the eight-day week, an inter nundium.”
[10]
Today,
even among those who profess Christianity, the Biblical
week is generally not well understood. Let’s take a closer
look at the week, as God established it. We begin with
the account of creation, recorded in Genesis:
The
First Day:
Then
God said, "Let there be light"; and there was
light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated
the light from the darkness.
And
God called the light day, and the darkness He called night.
And there was evening and there was morning, one day. (Genesis
1:3-5)
The
Second Day:
Then
God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of
the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."
And God made the expanse, and separated the waters which
were below the expanse from the waters which were above
the expanse; and it was so. And God called the expanse
heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second
day. (Genesis 1:6-8)
The
Third Day:
Then
God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered
into one place, and let the dry land appear"; and it
was so. And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering
of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good.
Then God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants
yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their
kind, with seed in them, on the earth"; and it was
so. And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding
seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with seed
in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.
And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
(Genesis 1:9-13)
The
Fourth Day:
Then
God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the
heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them
be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; and
let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to
give light on the earth"; and it was so. And God made
the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day,
and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars
also. And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens
to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the
night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and
God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there
was morning, a fourth day. (Genesis 1:14-19)
The
Fifth Day:
Then
God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living
creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open
expanse of the heavens." And God created the great
sea monsters, and every living creature that moves, with
which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged
bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. And
God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply,
and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply
on the earth." And there was evening and there was
morning, a fifth day. (Genesis 1:20-23)
The
Sixth Day:
Then
God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures
after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts
of the earth after their kind"; and it was so. And
God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the
cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the
ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. Then
God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according
to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the
sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and
over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps
on the earth." And God created man in His own image,
in the image of God He created him; male and female He created
them. And God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be
fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it;
and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of
the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant
yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and
every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food
for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird
of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which
has life, I have given every green plant for food";
and it was so. And God saw all that He had made, and behold,
it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning,
the sixth day. (Genesis 1:24-31)
Summary:
Thus
the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their
hosts. (Genesis 2:1)
Seventh
Day:
And
by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done;
and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which
He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified
it, because in it He rested from all His work which God
had created and made. And by the seventh day God completed
His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh
day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed
the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested
from all His work which God had created and made. (Genesis
2:2-3)
Here, along
with the rest of creation, God – by His own example – created
the seven-day week! God worked for six days and He rested
on the seventh day.
What else
have we just read here?
Then
God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in
it He rested from all His work which God had created and
made. (Genesis 2:3)
Thus
God instituted and sanctified the seventh
day as His Holy Sabbath at creation – over two
thousand years before the Old Covenant was adopted at Mount Sinai in the
days of Moses.
How does
God expect us to conduct ourselves during the course of
the seven days of the week? What are His instructions to
us?
"Six
days you shall labor and do all your work, but the
seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it
you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter,
your male or your female servant or your cattle or your
sojourner who stays with you. "For in six days
the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all
that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore
the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus
20:11)
"Six
days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you
shall cease from labor in order that your ox and your donkey
may rest, and the son of your female slave, as well as your
stranger, may refresh themselves. (Exodus 23:12)
'Observe
the sabbath day to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded
you. 'Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God;
in it you shall not do any work, you or your son
or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant
or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your
sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant
and your female servant may rest as well as you. 'You
shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and
the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand
and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God
commanded you to observe the sabbath day. (Deuteronomy
5:12-15)
As we learn
from the above passages, God expects us to emulate His example,
which He demonstrated for us during creation. God commands
us to work during the first six days of the week.
He commands us to cease from all of our labors on
the sanctified seventh day.
Yet significantly,
God doesn’t just tell us that we are to rest on His
Holy Sabbath. God emphasizes repeatedly that we are to
ensure that everyone who is under our
care or governance, rests on the Sabbath. This command
for rest includes our children, our servants, sojourners
residing with us, and even our work animals. It is important
for us to recognize this point. Evident from the beginnings
of history and intrinsic to His Sabbath commands, we find
God’s benevolence and His provision for those who are less
privileged.
Additionally,
God commands that we convene on the Sabbath
day. This commanded meeting is not a casual or haphazard
occasion to be treated lightly. It is a commanded meeting,
which is sacred and holy to Almighty God:
The
LORD spoke again to Moses, saying, "Speak to
the sons of Israel and
say to them, 'The LORD'S appointed times [mo’ed]
which you shall proclaim [see passage below] as holy
convocations--My appointed times [mo’ed] are these:
'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day
there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation.
You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in
all your dwellings. (Leviticus 23:1-3)
"When
convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without
sounding an alarm. The priestly sons of Aaron, moreover,
shall blow the trumpets; and this shall be for you a perpetual
statute throughout your generations
Also in the day
of your gladness and in your appointed feasts [mo'ed],
and on the first days of your months, you shall blow the
trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices
of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder
of you before your God. I am the LORD your God." (Numbers
10:7-8, 10)
As
is evident from the above passages taken together, the weekly
Sabbath (along with the other religious observances) was
to be proclaimed and its assembly convened
by the priesthood operating in the temple (or tabernacle),
instituting a relationship between the Sabbath and
the Holy Land.
Before
moving on, it is crucial that we note the one other day
of the week, which God emphasizes in association with the
Sabbath. It is the sixth day. We find this emphasis illustrated
in the account of the manna, which God provided as the daily
ration for the Israelites during their wandering in the
wilderness:
Then
the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread
from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather
a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether
or not they will walk in My instruction. "And it
will come about on the sixth day, when they prepare what
they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily."
[13] So it came about at evening that the quails came up
and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer
of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew evaporated,
behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine
flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. When
the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?"
For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them,
"It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.
"This is what the LORD has commanded, 'Gather of it
every man as much as he should eat; you shall take an omer
apiece according to the number of persons each of you has
in his tent.'" And the sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. When
they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much
had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack;
every man gathered as much as he should eat. And Moses
said to them, "Let no man leave any of it until morning."
But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of
it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and
Moses was angry with them. And they gathered it morning
by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when
the sun grew hot, it would melt. Now it came about on
the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers
for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation
came and told Moses, then he said to them, "This
is what the LORD meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance,
a holy sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake and
boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside
to be kept until morning." So they put it aside until
morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not become foul,
nor was there any worm in it. And Moses said, "Eat
it today, for today is a sabbath to the LORD; today you
will not find it in the field. "Six days you shall
gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will
be none." And it came about on the seventh day that
some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.
Then the LORD said to Moses, "How long do you refuse
to keep My commandments and My instructions? "See,
the LORD has given you the sabbath; therefore He gives you
bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man
in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh
day." So the people rested on the seventh day. And
the house of Israel named
it manna, and it was like coriander seed, white; and its
taste was like wafers with honey. (Exodus 16:4-5; 13-31)
Here we
have seen that in addition to the miracle of the manna,
God performed two miracles in connection with
the preparatory function of the sixth day! The first miracle
was that God doubled the ration of manna on the sixth day,
so that there would be plenty to last through the Sabbath.
The second miracle was equally remarkable – the normally
perishable manna was miraculously preserved. On every other
day, if the Israelites attempted to store the manna, it
bred worms and stank. Only from the sixth day, the
daily manna remained fresh through the following day!
From history
and from the Gospel accounts, we learn that over time, the
sixth day, as well as any day which was immediately prior
to an annual Holy Day, commonly came to be called “the preparation
day” or “the day of preparation.” Recognizing
the sixth day as a “preparation” for the weekly Sabbath,
Caesar Augustus decreed on behalf of the Jews:
“their
sacred money be not touched, but be sent to Jerusalem, and
that it be committed to the care of the receivers at Jerusalem;
and that they be not obliged to go before any judge on the
sabbath day, nor on the day of the preparation to it, after
the ninth hour.”[11]
All four
of the Gospel accounts make use of similar terminology,
with respect to preparing for an annual Holy Day. Here
are two examples:
And
when evening had already come, because it was the preparation
day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea
came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was
waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage
and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.
(Mark 15:42-43)
Now
it was the day of preparation for the Passover; it was about
the sixth hour …. (John 19:14)
Thus, we
understand that God has established a week of seven days.
The first six days are for the performance of all our labors.
The sixth day has an added function – on the sixth day,
we are to make advance preparations for the coming Sabbath.
The seventh day of the week is God’s Sabbath, a day upon
which we and our fellows are commanded to rest, and to participate
in a sacred meeting.
Now we
have considered the day and the week. What unit of time
comes next in the structure of God’s true calendar?
Section Four: The Month
Next in
the structure of the calendar, we come to the month. As
we found to be true of the day, we will see that the month
has a very direct relationship to one of the “heavenly lights.”
However, with the month, the relationship is with the moon.
The Hebrew
word for “month” is chodesh (hodesh), which means
“new moon,” or “month.” According to Harris’ Theological
Wordbook of the Old Testament:
“Although
this word properly means ‘new moon,’ it is commonly used
as an equivalent to our word ‘month’ because the month began
when the thin crescent of the new moon was first visible
at sunset. It was used along with the more rare yerah,
from yareah meaning ‘moon.’ … In early Israel the
first of each month, or new moon, was determined by observation
and proclaimed officially by the blowing of trumpets … When
hodesh refers only to the beginning of the month,
it is naturally translated ‘new moon,’ which was a feast
day. It is one of the ‘appointed feasts’ and is listed with
the Sabbath and the pilgrim feasts as involving burnt offerings
(II Chr 8:13 et al.), and is also characterized by the blowing of
trumpets (Ps 81:3 [H 4]; Num 10:10). Since it was a feast, David's absence from Saul's
table at the new moon was especially noticeable (I Sam 20:5f.).”[12]
The beginning
of each month was marked by special offerings:
'Then
at the beginning of each of your months you shall present
a burnt offering to the LORD:
two bulls and one ram, seven male lambs one year old without
defect; and three-tenths of an ephah of fine
flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, for each bull;
and two-tenths of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain
offering, for the one ram; and a tenth of an ephah
of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering for
each lamb, for a burnt offering of a soothing aroma, an
offering by fire to the LORD. 'Their drink offerings
shall be half a hin of wine for a bull and a third of a
hin for the ram and a fourth of a hin for a lamb; this
is the burnt offering of each month throughout the months
of the year. 'And one male goat for a sin offering
to the LORD; it shall be offered with its drink offering
in addition to the continual burnt offering. (Number 28:11-15)
The Feast
of Trumpets, the annual Holy Day which occurs on the first
day of the seventh month, is marked by offerings “besides
the burnt offering of the new moon and its grain offering.”
The passage below clearly establishes the association of
the “new moon” with the first day of the month:
'Now
in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall also have a holy convocation; you shall
do no laborious work. It will be to you a day for blowing
trumpets. 'You shall offer a burnt offering as a
soothing aroma to the LORD: one bull, one ram, and seven
male lambs one year old without defect; also their
grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths
of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram,
and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs. 'Offer
one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement
for you, besides the burnt offering of the new
moon and its grain offering, and the continual burnt
offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings,
according to their ordinance, for a soothing aroma, an offering
by fire to the LORD. (Numbers 29:1-6)
As mentioned
by Harris above, the following verses show that the new
moons were times of special offerings. In this way, the
new moons are similar to the weekly Sabbath and to the annual
Holy Days.
and
to offer all burnt offerings to the LORD, on the sabbaths, the new moons and the fixed festivals in the
number set by the ordinance concerning them, continually
before the LORD. (1 Chronicles 23:31)
"Behold,
I am about to build a house for the name of the LORD my
God, dedicating it to Him, to burn fragrant incense before
Him and to set out the showbread continually, and
to offer burnt offerings morning and evening, on sabbaths
and on new moons and on the appointed feasts of the
LORD our God, this being required forever in Israel.
(2 Chronicles 2:4)
and
did so according to the daily rule, offering them
up according to the commandment of Moses, for the
sabbaths, the new moons and the three annual feasts--the
Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast
of Booths. (2 Chronicles 8:13)
He
also appointed
the king's portion of his goods for the burnt offerings,
namely, for the morning and evening burnt offerings,
and the burnt offerings for the sabbaths and for the
new moons and for the fixed festivals, as it is written
in the law of the LORD. (2 Chronicles 31:3)
Also,
as can be seen of the Sabbath and Holy Days, the new
moons link God's calendar with the Holy Land,
being proclaimed and convened by the priesthood:
"When
convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without
sounding an alarm. The priestly sons of Aaron, moreover,
shall blow the trumpets; and this shall be for you
a perpetual statute throughout your generations
Also in the day of your gladness and in your appointed
feasts, and on the first days of your months,
you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings,
and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and
they shall be as a reminder of you before your God.
I am the LORD your God." (Numbers 10:7-8, 10)
Along with
the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days, the new moons
were recognized by the early apostolic Church. The apostle
Paul wrote:
Let
no man therefore judge you
in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday,
or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is
of Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17, KJV)
In the
writings of Ezekiel, we find a Biblical prophecy of a future
time when the new moons will be marked by worship
at the temple of God:
"The
people of the land shall also worship at the doorway
of that gate before the LORD on the sabbaths and on the
new moons. (Ezekiel 46:3)
"And
it shall be the prince's part to provide the burnt offerings,
the grain offerings, and the libations, at the feasts, on
the new moons, and on the sabbaths, at all the
appointed feasts [mo’ed ] of the house of Israel;
he shall provide the sin offering, the grain offering, the
burnt offering, and the peace offerings, to make atonement
for the house of Israel." (Ezekiel 45:17)
Interestingly,
in the verse above, we come back to the Hebrew word signifying
“appointed time, place, or meeting” – mo’ed. In addition
to its more common connection with the annual Holy Day feasts
(and the weekly Sabbaths), here we see mo’ed – “appointed
time” – associated in the future with the observance of
the new moon.
In this
section, we have established that God’s true calendar is
partitioned into lunar months, based upon the moon. These
months begin with what Scripture calls the “new moon.”
The new moons were observed as special days, both in ancient
Israel and
by the apostolic Church. The new moons will also be observed
in the future Kingdom of
God.
Therefore,
Christians should be observing the new moons as special
days.
However,
with the exception of the seventh month Feast of Trumpets,
the new moons are not designated as days upon which God
precludes work. Therefore, normal labor is permitted on
all new moons, except on the seventh month’s new moon day,
unless the new moon occurs on the weekly Sabbath. When
the new moon occurs on the weekly Sabbath, the Sabbath commands
to rest remain in force.
Important
to mention at this point in our discussion of God’s Scriptural
boundaries for His true calendar, is the fact that nowhere
in the Bible, do we find a concise definition of exactly
what astronomical event(s) constitutes the new moon.
Has God
then left us in the dark, without the means to conclusively
determine what He considers to be the “new moon”? Not at
all! We will search out this question in Part Two of this
series, entitled “What is the Biblical New Moon?”
Understanding
God’s delineation of the day, the week, and the month, now
we are ready to consider the Biblical year.
Section Five: The Year
What is
the Biblical year? When does it begin? How is it determined?
First,
we will mention in passing that Scripture does not dictate
a particular number of months for the year. However, from
examples which are given, it is clear that the typical
year consists of twelve lunar months:
And
Solomon had twelve deputies over all Israel, who provided for the king
and his household; each man had to provide for a month
in the year. (1 Kings 4:7)
However,
twelve lunar months are equal to only about 354 days. That
is 11 days less than the solar year. With only twelve lunar
months, the months would gradually shift in relation to
the growing seasons, such that if in one year the first
month were in the spring, by sixteen years later, the first
month would have shifted all the way to autumn.
Therefore,
a thirteenth (intercalary) month is added approximately
every three years. The occasional thirteenth month is not
mentioned directly in the Bible; but as we will see, God’s
rules for the calendar do make it necessary to intercalate.
Let’s proceed
now to the new year, which we find affirmed in the account
of the Exodus. A few weeks before the Israelites departed
from Egypt, in the time of year that we would call, in general
terms, “Springtime,” God spoke to Moses:
Now
the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, "This month [or new moon] shall be the beginning
of months for you; it is to be the first month [or new
moon] of the year to you. (Exodus 12:1-2)
If we were
to read on in Exodus 12, we would see that it was in that
same first month that the Passover was to be observed.
What else do we find in Scripture regarding the first month
of the year?
"On
this day in the month of [the] Abib, you are about
to go forth. (Exodus 13:4)
"You
shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; for seven days
you are to eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at
the appointed time in the month [of the] Abib, for
in it you came out of Egypt. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed.
(Exodus 23:15)
Very important
in the above, and we should take note of this point, is
that the month of Abib ("the abib," according
to the actual Hebrew) is the only month given
any kind of name by God.
"Observe
the month of [the] Abib and celebrate the Passover to
the LORD your God, for in the month of [the] Abib the LORD
your God brought you out of Egypt by night. (Deuteronomy
16:1)
Three questions
immediately arise: What does it mean to “observe” the month;
what, if anything, is “abib”; and moreover, how do we know
precisely which lunar month begins a given year?
Let’s address the first question first:
What does
it mean to “observe” the month? The word translated as
“observe” in the above verse is the Hebrew shamar.
According to the NASB concordance:
H8104.
shamar, [1036b]; a prim. root; to keep, watch, preserve:
-- [translated in Scripture as] attend(4), being careful(1),
beware(8), bodyguard*(1), careful(33), cares(1), charge(4),
confine(1), confined(1), defending(1), did(m)(1), diligently
keep(1), doorkeeper*(1), doorkeepers*(4), gatekeepers*(1),
give heed(2), giving heed(1), guard(20), guarded(7), guards(4),
guardsmen(1), have charge(1), heeds(1), hoarded(1), indignant(1),
keep(159), keeper(8), keepers(2), keeping(10), keeps(18),
kept(40), maintained(1), mark(2), observe(30), observed(6),
observes(1), observing(1), officers(2), pay attention(1),
perform(3), performed(1), performing(2), preserve(6), preserved(3),
preserves(6), protect(3), protects(1), regard(3), regards(2),
remains(1), reserved(1), secured(1), sentries(1), spare(1),
spies(1), take care(1), take heed(6), take note(1), waiting(1),
waits(1), watch(13), watched(1), watches(3), watching(3),
watchman(4), watchmen(7).[13]
Shamar is also used in reference to the annual Holy Days,
which we will discuss later. Here are two examples, to
help us gain a fuller understanding of the usage of this
Hebrew word for “observe”:
"You
shall observe [shamar] the Feast of Unleavened
Bread; for seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as
I commanded you, at the appointed time [mo’ed]
in the month [of the] Abib, for in it you came out
of Egypt. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed.
(Exodus 23:15)
"You
shall observe [shamar] the Feast of Unleavened
Bread. For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread, as
I commanded you, at the appointed time [mo’ed]
in the month of [the] Abib, for in the month of [the]
Abib you came out of Egypt.
(Exodus 34:18)
Clearly
the month of the abib is important to God; therefore, it
must also be important to us. We are to observe, to guard,
and to keep the month of the abib as a special month. However, here again, as with the new moons, the month
of the abib is not designated as a time during which God
precludes work. Therefore, normal labor is permitted during
the month, except on those days which are weekly Sabbaths
or annual Holy Days. (We will cover the Holy Days later
in this article.)
Yet what,
if anything, is abib?
“'abib.
Barley. This noun refers to barley that is already
ripe, but still soft, the grains of which are eaten either
rubbed or roasted (KB). The ASV and RSV agree (but see Lev
2:14). The seventh plague brought ruinous hail upon Egypt's barley crop at
least two weeks before it was fully ripened and ready for
harvest (Ex 9:31) … According to Lev 2:14 the grain offering
[of firstfruits] was to consist of the firstfruits of 'abib.”[14]
H24. abib,
[1b]; from an unused word; fresh, young ears, also
Canaanite name for the first month of the Jewish calendar:--
[translated in Scripture as] Abib(6), ear(1), fresh heads(1),
grain(1).[15]
A modern
Jewish source contributes the following additional insight:
“The precise
meaning of Abib must be reconstructed by going into the
fields and studying the barley and cross-referencing this
with the Biblical evidence. The Bible often speaks of ‘Abib
parched in fire’. This refers to grain which is developed
enough to be eaten after it has been parched … If it is
too ‘soft and chewy’ the roasting will dry up the kernel
leaving an empty husk.”[16]
Thus,
we see that the Biblical definition of Abib corresponds
to what is called, in technical agricultural terms, the
"hard dough" stage of kernel development.
"Finally,
as the kernel approaches maturity and begins losing water
rapidly, its consistency becomes more solid, termed 'hard
dough' [Zadoks stage 87]. [During the hard dough stage]
is when the kernel also loses its green color."[17]
Still,
why is abib barley so important to God; hence, to
us? Two reasons become immediately obvious:
1. The
abib establishes an observable marker for determining
which lunar month is the correct beginning of any given
year. No month
can properly be declared the “month of the abib” unless
it coincides with the abib barley.
2.
Freshly-cut barley is the ingredient of the commanded wave
omer offering, required to begin the annual harvest.
The wave omer (sheaf) was offered on the day after the Sabbath,
traditionally during the annual Days of Unleavened Bread.
(See Leviticus 23:9-14 and Deuteronomy 16:9.)
Consequently,
the new year could not be declared prematurely. For then,
there would be no barley ready to be harvested for the commanded
wave omer offering!
This means
that the first month – the beginning of the new year – cannot
be legitimately declared until the barley in the
environs of Jerusalem has reached a certain stage of ripeness. Typically,
the barley in the Holy Land begins to be harvest ripe and
ready for swathing during the period of (according
to secular dates) late March to mid-April. (Modern direct
combine harvest methods, however, require additional
time for field drying before mechanical harvesting.[18])
Here then,
is a significant reason why intercalation – the periodic
addition of the thirteenth month – is a necessary component
of God’s true calendar. God requires the calendar
to remain consistent with the growing seasons.
Then, is
the barley the only marker which God gives us for
the determination of the year? While the barley is the
primary indicator, there is one additional marker. It too,
is agricultural:
"You
shall celebrate the Feast of Booths seven days after
you have gathered in from your threshing floor and your
wine vat; (Deuteronomy 16:13)
"Speak
to the sons of Israel, saying, 'On the fifteenth of this seventh month
is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the LORD. (Leviticus
23:34)
Thus, the
declared year should provide for the seventh month to fall
late enough to allow for the expected time of grape
harvesting and processing in wine vats in the Holy Land prior
to the annual Feast of Booths [“Tabernacles” KJV]. (This
fall festival is also referred to in Scripture as the Feast
of the Ingathering).
We are
informed by the largest consortium of vintners in Israel that the modern grape harvest in the Holy Land typically
begins in August, continuing through the end of September,
although it may vary by as much as two weeks either way
from this schedule, according to weather conditions. Processing
in vats by old methods would add another week.
From our
personal experience with the cultivation of table grapes,
we have learned that if we harvest the grapes before their
time, they are edible, but the sweetness and flavor are
diminished.
At a practical
level, if the conditions relative to the abib barley
are correctly addressed, it seems that the requirements
for the grape harvest will also be met.
As we see,
the declaration of the new year should allow for the anticipated
time of grape harvesting and processing. However, it should
be understood from what we have already learned, that the
grape harvest must be secondary to that of the abib barley.
The month of the abib is the month that God calls “the beginning
of months to you.” Once the year has already begun, it
is impossible to adjust the timing of the seventh
lunar month.
Further,
God promises that if His people are obedient to Him, He
will provide the weather conditions necessary for
the timely harvest of the grapes!
"And
it shall come about, if you listen obediently to my commandments
which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God
and to serve Him with all your heart and all your soul,
that He will give the rain for your land in its season,
the early and late rain, that you may gather in your grain
and your new wine and your oil. (Deuteronomy 11:13-14)
On the
other hand, what if an individual grower, or the whole nation,
is not obedient to God? What if one is not blessed with
the appropriate weather conditions to bring about the timely
ripening of the grapes? Then, as we will see in our discussion
of the annual Holy Days, God’s commands to observe the Day
of Atonements and the Feast of Tabernacles on their “exact”
days stand.
Thus,
the declaration of the new year must provide for the 1st
month to coincide with the abib barley and the 7th
month to allow for grape harvesting and processing in the
Holy Land. In this
regard, it is very important at this juncture that we take
stock of a very significant fact, which, if we think about
it, is evident from what is common knowledge, in concert
with what we have already learned.
It is commonly
known that the harvests in the southern hemisphere are essentially
six months different from those of the northern hemisphere,
where Jerusalem is situated. The barley,
for example, ripens in the southern hemisphere when it is
autumn in Jerusalem! Also, in either the extreme northerly or the extreme
southerly latitudes of the world, it is impossible
to raise barley or grapes. Even within the temperate northern
latitudes, there are disparities measured in months for
the ripening of barley and grapes. Significantly, the
Biblical requirements for the declaration of the year inextricably
tie God’s true calendar to the land of Palestine.
In this
regard, a crucial point should be resolved. Because there
is no longer a temple in Jerusalem,
and since Jerusalem is not now governed by the precepts of Christianity,
some have argued that we should not let what is an unholy
territory today “dictate” the calendar which we use.
However,
what specific location do we find recorded in Scripture,
toward which the faithful prophet Daniel constantly prayed,
while he was a captive in Babylon? We
should remember that this was at a time when Jerusalem was in ruins and the
Holy Land was
overrun by various idolatrous peoples:
Now
when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered
his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward
Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three
times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as
he had been doing previously. (Daniel 6:10)
Without
regard to the threat of the lion’s den, Daniel prayed toward
Jerusalem.
What
About the Equinoxes?
Before
we proceed to the next section, there is one additional
question which needs to be addressed:
Does the
Bible set the autumnal equinox as a marker for the annual
Feast of Ingathering (Tabernacles/Booths)?
"You
shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the
first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering
at the turn [tequphah] of the year. (Exodus
34:22)
By all
accounts, tequphah is the word for
equinox in post-Biblical Hebrew, including
the Jewish Talmud -- which records rabbinic discussions
of Exodus 34:22, in what appears to be an obvious connection
with the autumnal equinox.
However,
in every language, just as in English, words change meaning
over time, sometimes even within the course of just a few
decades. That is one reason why scholars continually work
to create and to update modern English translations of the
Bible.
Then, to
the material question: Does tequphah mean “equinox”
in the Bible?
The New
American Standard Concordance relates:
H8622.
tequphah, [880d]; from an unused word; a coming round,
circuit:-- [translated in Scripture as] circuit(1),
due(1), turn(2).[19]
The above
definition for the Biblical usage of tequphah is
generally consistent among the various resources. Among
scholars, it seems that there is little significant disagreement
in regard to its Biblical meaning. One modern Jewish source
adds: “Only in Post-Biblical Hebrew did Tekufah come to
mean ‘equinox’ and to read this meaning into the Tanach
would be an anachronism.”[20]
Professor
of Semitic Languages at the University of London, J. B.
Segal, attests that "the equinox is not mentioned in
the Bible - nor in Jewish documents before the time of Philo
[a prominent Jewish contemporary of Jesus Christ]."[21]
More
significant, is what Philo says. Philo repeatedly lauds
the coincidence of the equinoxes with the first and seventh
Biblical months. He likewise lauds the proximity of the
equinoxes to the spring and fall Biblical festivals. From
his writings, it would be fair to say that Philo has an
affection for the equinoxes. Nevertheless, despite his obvious
fondness for the equinoxes, Philo concedes that:
"Moses puts
down the beginning of the vernal equinox as the first month
of the year, attributing the chief honour, not as some persons
do, to the periodical revolutions of the year in regard
of time, but rather to the graces and beauties of nature
which it has caused to shine upon men; for it is through
the bounty of nature that the seeds which are sown to produce
the necessary food of mankind are brought to perfection
Now wheat and barley are among the things which are
very necessary
"[22]
Here Philo acknowledges
that the only Scriptural connection
which can be made between the new year and the equinox,
is through the maturity of the spring grain. Clearly, Philo,
writing at the time of Jesus Christ, was unaware of any
direct Scriptural tie between the equinoxes
and determination of the Biblical year.
Here are
all of the places tequphah is used in Scripture:
"You
shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the
first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering
at the turn [tequphah] of the year. (Exodus
34:22)
It
came about in due [tequphah] time, after Hannah
had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named
him Samuel, saying, "Because I have asked him
of the LORD." (1 Samuel 1:20)
Now
it came about at the turn [tequphah] of the
year that the army of the Arameans came up against him;
and they came to Judah
and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people
from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king
of Damascus. (2 Chronicles 24:23)
(A
Psalm of David) The heavens are telling of the glory of
God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night
reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there
words; Their voice is not heard. Their line has
gone out through all the earth, And their utterances to
the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the
sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
It rejoices as a strong man to run his course. Its
rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit
[tequphah] to the other end of them; And there is
nothing hidden from its heat. (Psalm 19:1-6)
Nothing
in these four verses provides any specific, definitive relationship
between the equinox and the timing of the annual Holy Days.
Further, on the face of it, the terms as used do not appear
to define specific dates.
Moreover,
the context of the use of tequphah in Psalm 19 above
is clearly in reference to the daily circuit
of the sun, not to the sun's annual relationship
with earth.
Thus, by
all appearances, we have a generalization for the fall season,
with regard to the Feast of Ingathering. The equinoxes,
on the other hand, are very specific dates in time.
Consequently,
from all of the currently available information, there is
no conclusive reason to surmise that God intends to describe
or to define any equinox in Scripture. In fact,
the weight of the data leans to the contrary.
There
is not the concrete evidence to support teaching that
there is any precise association between God’s true
calendar and the equinoxes.
Now that
we have explored the day, the week, the month, and the year,
what more could there be, inherent within the structure
God’s true calendar? The next component of God’s true calendar
consists of the annual Holy Days. Let’s take a brief glimpse
into these commanded observances.
Section Six: The Annual Holy Days
It is beyond
the scope of this article to exhaustively delve into the
many rich and fascinating elements of the annual Holy Days
which God commands for us in Scripture. However, if we
are to understand God’s rules for the calendar, it is imperative
to take a brief overview. Having done so, we will emphasize
a couple of significant, but often-overlooked aspects of
these days.
First,
as we have seen of the Sabbath, the new moons and the new
year, we should note that these appointed times [mo'ed]
also serve to connect God's calendar with the Holy
Land, being proclaimed and convened by the priesthood:
"When
convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without
sounding an alarm. The priestly sons of Aaron, moreover,
shall blow the trumpets; and this shall be for you a perpetual
statute throughout your generations
Also in the day
of your gladness and in your appointed feasts [mo'ed],
and on the first days of your months, you shall blow the
trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices
of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder
of you before your God. I am the LORD your God." (Numbers
10:7-8, 10)
Next, what
are these annual observances?
In summary,
they are these:
The
Passover – work is allowed:
'These
are the appointed times [mo’ed] of the LORD, holy
convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed
[mo’ed] for them. 'In the first month, on
the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD'S
Passover. (Leviticus 23:4-5)
The
Feast of Unleavened Bread
– no laborious work on the first and the seventh days):
'Then
on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the
Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days
you shall eat unleavened bread. 'On the first
day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not
do any laborious work. 'But for seven days you
shall present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the
seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not
do any laborious work.'" (Leviticus 23:6-8)
The
Wave Offering – work is allowed:
Then
the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the
sons of Israel and
say to them, 'When you enter the land which I am going to
give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in
the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.
'He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD for you to
be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest
shall wave it. 'Now on the day when you wave the
sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb one year old without
defect for a burnt offering to the LORD. 'Its grain
offering shall then be two-tenths of an ephah of
fine flour mixed with oil, an offering by fire to the LORD
for a soothing aroma, with its drink offering, a
fourth of a hin of wine. 'Until this same day,
until you have brought in the offering of your God, you
shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new growth.
It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations
in all your dwelling places. (Leviticus 23:9-14)
The
Feast of Weeks (See Deuteronomy 16:9-10; it is called Pentecost [“fiftieth”]
during the time of Christ, in Acts 2:1) – no laborious work
is allowed:
'You
shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath,
from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering;
there shall be seven complete sabbaths. 'You shall
count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath;
then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD.
'You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves
of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of
an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with
leaven as first fruits to the LORD. 'Along with
the bread you shall present seven one year old male lambs
without defect, and a bull of the herd and two rams; they
are to be a burnt offering to the LORD, with their grain
offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire
of a soothing aroma to the LORD. 'You shall also
offer one male goat for a sin offering and two male lambs
one year old for a sacrifice of peace offerings. 'The
priest shall then wave them with the bread of the first
fruits for a wave offering with two lambs before the LORD;
they are to be holy to the Lord for the priest. 'On
this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you
are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no
laborious work. It is to be a perpetual statute in all
your dwelling places throughout your generations. 'When
you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not
reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning
of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and
the alien. I am the LORD your God.'" (Leviticus
23:15-22)
Day
of Trumpets – no laborious work is allowed:
Again
the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to
the sons of Israel, saying,
'In the seventh month on the first of the month you
shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets,
a holy convocation. 'You shall not
do any laborious work, but you shall present an offering
by fire to the LORD.'" (Leviticus 23:23-25)
Day
of Atonements – no work at all:
The
LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "On exactly
the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement[s];
it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall
humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the
LORD. "You shall not do any work on this same
day, for it is a day of atonement[s], to make atonement
on your behalf before the LORD your God. "If
there is any person who will not humble himself on this
same day, he shall be cut off from his people. "As
for any person who does any work on this same day, that
person I will destroy from among his people. "You
shall do no work at all. It is to be a perpetual
statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling
places. "It is to be a sabbath of complete
rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth
of the month at evening, from evening until evening you
shall keep your sabbath." (Leviticus 23:26-32)
Feast
of Tabernacles (Booths) and Eighth Day – no laborious work
on the first day and on the Eighth Day:
Again
the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the
sons of Israel, saying,
'On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of
Booths for seven days to the LORD. 'On the first
day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious
work of any kind. 'For seven days you shall
present an offering by fire to the LORD. On the eighth
day you shall have a holy convocation and present an
offering by fire to the LORD; it is an assembly. You shall
do no laborious work. 'These are the appointed
times [mo’ed] of the LORD which you shall proclaim
as holy convocations, to present offerings by fire to the
LORD--burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and
drink offerings, each day's matter on its own day--
besides those of the sabbaths of the LORD, and
besides your gifts and besides all your votive and freewill
offerings, which you give to the LORD. 'On exactly
the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have
gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate the
feast of the LORD for seven days, with a rest on the first
day and a rest on the eighth day. 'Now on the first
day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful
trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows
of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your
God for seven days. 'You shall thus celebrate it
as a feast to the LORD for seven days in the year.
It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations;
you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 'You
shall live in booths for seven days; all the native-born
in Israel shall live in booths, so that your generations
may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when
I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD
your God.'" So Moses declared to the sons of
Israel the
appointed times [mo’ed] of the LORD. (Leviticus
23:33-44)
Thus,
in addition to the weekly Sabbaths and the monthly new moons,
these annual observances are God’s appointed times, commanded
to be observed.
What else
in regard to these annual observances is imperative to our
understanding of God’s rules for the calendar? Let’s investigate
a bit more closely.
Two respected
translations, the New American Standard Bible and Young’s
Literal Translation of the Bible[23],
contribute important information from the original, which
most other translations leave buried in the Hebrew. Note
these translations of the following two verses from Leviticus
23, which we just read:
NASB – "On exactly [ak] the tenth
day of this seventh month is the day of atonement[s];
it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble
your souls and present an offering by fire to the LORD.
(Leviticus 23:27)
Young’s – 'Only [ak]- on the tenth of
this seventh month is a day of atonements; ye have a holy
convocation, and ye have humbled yourselves, and have brought
near a fire-offering to Jehovah; (Leviticus 23:27)
NASB – 'On exactly [ak] the fifteenth day
of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the crops
of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the LORD for
seven days, with a rest on the first day and a rest on the
eighth day. (Leviticus 23:39)
Young’s
– 'Only
[ak] - in the fifteenth day of the seventh
month, in your gathering the increase of the land, ye do
keep the feast of Jehovah seven days; on the first day [is]
a sabbath, and on the eighth day a sabbath; (Leviticus
23:39)
The Hebrew
word ak, translated as “exactly“ by the NASB, and
as “only” by Young, is present in the Hebrew texts for the
above verses, including those used by the KJV. However,
most translators have chosen to ignore it. On what basis?
Harris’
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament provides a very
interesting and informative explanation for these omissions,
in its definition of the word:
“ (‘ak) surely (affirmative emphasis), but
(restrictive emphasis), also as a particle of emphasis,
not translated. (Great variety exists in actual translation
due to the nature of this particle. Context and judgment
of the translator will determine the word selected or whether
to translate at all.)
“This particle
primarily conveys emphasis and often is not translated.
When it is translated, the sense is either an emphatic affirmative
(Gen 26:9; 29:14; Ex 31:13; Ex 31:13; Jer 19:19;
Lam 2:16
etc.) or an emphatic restrictive (Gen 7:23; 9:4; 18:32; Ex 12:16; Lev 11:4; Num 22:20, Josh 22:19; I Sam 8:9,
etc.). At times either sense fits in the context, and translators
differ in how they read it. Many times no translation is
preferable to either of the above alternatives. Only emphasis
is intended, i.e. "Jacob was just gone out" (Gen
27:30); "the first day" (Ex 12:15);
"on the tenth day" (Lev 23:27); "if the young men have kept themselves from
women" (I Sam 21:4 [H 5]); "do not fret to do
evil" (Ps 37:8).”[24]
What?
What have we just read here? This is indeed amazing! The
Almighty Creator God of the universe adds what man clearly
understands to be emphasis, yet puny human
translators decide, based upon their own human “judgment,”
to omit God’s emphasis entirely.
Just what
is God’s emphasis in this case?
Grammatically,
the structure of these verses makes it quite clear that
ak here is emphasizing the date for
the observance, rather than the observance itself. God
says, “On exactly the tenth day”; “Only – on the tenth.”
Perhaps God’s emphasis in these verses reflects the greater
human temptation to tamper with the dates for the fall Holy
Days, because of the pressures of harvest, or other human
considerations.
God particularly
emphasizes the specific, commanded
dates for these observances.
Man
has no authorization, no permission, no
latitude, to postpone or to alter the dates of these
annual observances for any reason. As we will see in Part Three of this series, this key
Biblical instruction provides an immensely helpful and immediate
measure for evaluating the validity of the common calculated
Jewish calendar.
A second
vital point which merits attention in regard to God’s annual
observances is that Christian observance of the Passover,
the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost, is specifically
documented in the New Testament. Luke, the beloved physician,
records:
And
when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together
in one place.… And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was
giving them utterance. (Acts 2:1, 4)
The apostle
Paul admonished the Christians at Corinth:
Clean
out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, just
as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our
Passover also has been sacrificed. Let us therefore
celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the
leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened
bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:7-8)
It
is particularly important that we recognize the very significant
fact that in Corinth – a Gentile community – Christians, collectively, were continuing these
annual observances.
Moreover,
these annual observances will be mandatory in the coming
Kingdom
of God:
Then
it will come about that any who are left of all the nations
that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year
to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate
the Feast of Booths. And it will be that whichever of the
families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will
be no rain on them. (Zechariah 14:16-17)
Jesus
speaks of Himself observing the Passover in the Kingdom:
And
He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this
Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall
never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom
of God." (Luke 22:15-16)
Amazingly, we
learn that the Passover has not yet been completely fulfilled.
Although we know that Christ is our Passover; nevertheless,
there is additional fulfillment yet to occur in God's Kingdom!
These annual observances are to continue, just as Christ
said:
Do
not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say
to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest
letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all
is accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18)
Therefore,
as we have seen, the annual Holy Days are a vital, inseparable
component of God’s true calendar. In the words of Jesus
Christ Himself:
"For
truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not
the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law,
until all is accomplished. (Matthew 5:18)
Section Seven: The True Date Line
Our review
of God’s commanded observances provides the perfect preface
to a very natural calendar question: “Does God set any
particular location for an international date line?”
On our
round earth, we definitely need some sort of “date
line.” The United States Naval Observatory summarizes
the problem:
“Without
[an] International Date Line travelers going westward
[if encircling the globe] would discover that when they
returned home, one day more than they thought had passed,
even though they had kept careful tally of the days.
This first happened to Magellan’s crew after the first
circumnavigation of the globe. Likewise, a person traveling
eastward would find that one fewer days had elapsed than
he had recorded . . .”[25]
Indeed,
world travel has highlighted the very real need for
a “date line.” Where should that date line be?
Just
as man throughout the ages has presumed to inappropriately
assign other elements of his calendars, likewise modern
man believes that “the International Date Line can be
anywhere on the globe.” Basking in human reasoning, contemporary
man argues of the Date Line: “it is most convenient to
be 180° away from the defining meridian that goes through Greenwich,
England. It
is also fortunate that this area is covered, mainly, by
empty ocean. However, there have always been zigs and
zags in it to allow for local circumstances.”[26]
What
does God have to say about all this?
In our
study of the weekly Sabbath, the monthly new moon, and
the annual Holy Days, we have already noted the relationship
between the Holy
Land and these observances – commanded to be proclaimed
and convened by the priests as documented in the book
of Numbers:
"When
convening the assembly, however, you shall blow without
sounding an alarm. The priestly sons of Aaron, moreover,
shall blow the trumpets; and this shall be for you a perpetual
statute throughout your generations … Also in the day
of your gladness and in your appointed feasts, and on
the first days of your months, you shall blow the trumpets
over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of
your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder
of you before your God. I am the LORD your God."
(Numbers 10:7-8, 10)
Thus,
every Sabbath, new moon and Holy Day begins first in the
environs of the Holy Land, where the observance is designed to be inaugurated
and announced by the priests at Jerusalem, and then to
roll around the world, along with the natural progression
of the day. For nations to begin these observances 10
hours prior to the priest’s proclamation, at man’s International
Date Line, would render the priests’ holy proclamation
unnecessary, redundant and devoid of impact.
Thus,
the God-given scenario effectively places the true
Date Line somewhat east of the Holy Land, approximately
coinciding with the eastern edge of its natural time
zone. (Therefore, potential placement of the true Date
Line could be as far as 700-800 miles, perhaps even 1000
miles, east of Jerusalem.) Apart from respecting the
eminence of the God-ordained proclamation of these observances,
is there any additional reason necessitating this middle-eastern
location for the Date Line?
Actually,
there is. The Feast of Trumpets in the (secular) year
2004 provided an excellent case in point. As happens
occasionally, the predicted visibility of that new moon
was so marginal in the Holy Land as to be impossible
to accurately forecast whether or not the crescent
could be sighted on (the secular) Wednesday evening, September
15th, to begin the Feast of Trumpets.
Consequently,
at no time before the arrival of that Wednesday evening
in Jerusalem, would it have been possible to determine
whether 2004’s Feast of Trumpets would in fact occur on
the fourth day of the week, or alternatively, not begin
until the next evening – the onset of the fifth day of
the week. (For more discussion pertaining to the new
moon, be sure to read Part Two of this series: “What
is the Biblical New Moon?”)
Let’s
consider the implications of these realities. With the
true Date Line (located somewhat east of the Holy
Land), no factors such as these will ever present any problem.
The new moon simply will arrive in the Holy Land on whichever evening
the crescent actually appears, and the Feast of Trumpets
(or other new moon) will begin to be observed as the sunset
progresses westerly around the world.
On the
other hand, to reckon by the humanly devised International
Date Line (located at approximately the 180th
meridian) generates
chaos, rendering
any normal or natural observance of such a Holy Day impossible.
To illustrate: According to the humanly devised International
Date Line, folks in Australia begin the fourth day of
the week as many as eight hours before the
fourth day of the week arrives in the Holy Land. Hence,
when the fourth day (evening of September
15, 2004) began in Canberra, was that the Feast of Trumpets or was it not? With
man’s International Date Line, there was no way to know
for sure until 1/3 of the day had already passed. What
confusion! How ungodly – “for God is not a God of confusion
but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”
(1 Corinthians 14:33)
It becomes
eminently clear that once again, in his placement of the
so-called “International Date Line,” man’s puny human
devisings have proven contrary to the magnificent ordinances
of the Almighty Creator God.
The
Christian reckoning of all religious dates begins in the
Holy Land.
Consequently,
in nations east of the Holy
Land eastward to man’s International Date Line (nations
such as India, China, the
Philippines,
Australia, etc.), the true seventh day Sabbath actually occurs on what man calls
the first day – Sunday! Likewise, the new moons and annual
Holy Days in those nations occur one day later on the
secular calendar than dates of observance in the Holy Land.
In the
western nations, however, the true seventh-day Sabbath
occurs on what man calls Saturday, and the new moons and
annual Holy Days occur on the same calendar dates as the
Holy Land.
Section Eight: The Responsibility of the Church
God’s rules
for the calendar cannot be considered complete without one
final consideration: the responsibility of the Church.
Sadly, and throughout the so-called “Christian Era,” many
have used “the authority of the Church” as an excuse, and
as a hammer, for the enforcement of alterations to the true
calendar given by God. What does God have to say about
that?
“You
shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor
take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of
the LORD your God which I command you. (Deuteronomy 4:2)
“Whatever
I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not
add to nor take away from it. (Deuteronomy 12:32)
“Only
be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according
to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do
not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you
may have success wherever you go. “This book of the law
shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate
on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according
to all that is written in it; for then you will make your
way prosperous, and then you will have success. (Joshua
1:7-8)
It is material
to this discussion that in the verse above, God gives Joshua
the leadership over all of His chosen people; yet
with that leadership authority, God does not
give any latitude to change the Law.
Even the
often-touted Apostolic decision regarding circumcision was
not made apart from the foundation of the Law and the Prophets.
In fact, it was based upon the words of the
prophets:
And
after they had become silent, James answered, saying, "Men
and brethren, listen to me: "Simon has declared how
God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them
a people for His name. "And with this the words
of the prophets agree, just as it is written: `After
this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David
which has fallen down. I will rebuild its ruins, and I will
set it up, so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the
Lord who does all these things.' "Known to God from
eternity are all His works. "Therefore I judge that
we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who
are turning to God, "but that we write to them to
abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality,
from things strangled, and from blood. "For Moses
has had throughout many generations those who preach him
in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.'
(Acts 15: 13-21 NKJV)
In the
above passage, the apostle James was referencing the words
of the prophet Amos. Also likely to have been included in
the apostles’ deliberations, would have been these words
spoken by God, through His prophet Isaiah:
"Also
the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, To minister
to Him, and to love the name of the LORD, To be His servants,
every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath, And holds
fast My covenant; Even those I will bring to My holy mountain,
And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt
offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My
altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for
all the peoples." (Isaiah 56:6-7)
Jesus Christ
warns any and all who would be teachers:
"For
truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not
the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law,
until all is accomplished. "Whoever then annuls one
of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others,
shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever
keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the
kingdom of heaven. "For I say to you, that unless
your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:18-20)
The
Church has NO authority to annul or contradict God’s commandments.
On the
other hand, it is clear from Scripture that the Church and
its ministry do have duties and responsibilities in regard
to God’s calendar. What are these?
Going back
to Leviticus 23, where both the weekly Sabbath and the annual
Holy Days are mentioned, let’s notice in God’s commands,
an additional aspect which we have not yet discussed:
"Speak
to the sons of Israel, and say to them, 'The LORD'S appointed times which
you shall proclaim as holy convocations-- My appointed
times are these: (Leviticus 23:2)
'These
are the appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which
you shall proclaim at the times appointed for
them. (Leviticus 23:4)
'These
are the appointed times of the LORD which you shall proclaim
as holy convocations, (Leviticus 23:37)
“You shall
proclaim…” Any proclaiming must be within
the confines which God has established for the calendar.
Yet what does it mean to “proclaim”? Who exactly
does this proclaiming? The following passage from Numbers
explains:
"Make
yourself two trumpets of silver, of hammered work
you shall make them; and you shall use them for summoning
the congregation and for having the camps set out. "And
when both are blown, all the congregation shall gather themselves
to you at the doorway of the tent of meeting. [8] "The
priestly sons of Aaron, moreover, shall blow the trumpets;
and this shall be for you a perpetual statute throughout
your generations. [10] "Also in the day of your gladness
and in your appointed feasts [mo’ed], and on the
first days of your months, you shall blow the trumpets
over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your
peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you
before your God. I am the LORD your God." (Numbers
10:2-3, 8, 10)
The
religious leadership is tasked with the duty and the responsibility
to:
1.
Inform God’s
people of His appointed times, including the weekly Sabbaths,
the monthly new moons, and the annual Holy Day observances.
2.
Convoke and
conduct worship services at those times which God has declared
to be holy convocations.
As we will
explore in Part Two of this series, there are judgments
in regard to the calendar which are unavoidable. Who is
to make these judgments?
"But
the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge
of My sanctuary when the sons of Israel went astray from
Me, shall come near to Me to minister to Me … [23] "Moreover,
they shall teach My people the difference between the holy
and the profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean
and the clean. "And in a dispute they shall take their
stand to judge; they shall judge it according to My ordinances.
They shall also keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed
feasts, and sanctify My sabbaths. (Ezekiel 44: 15, 23-24)
What we
see above supports what we have also seen earlier (pertaining
to the circumcision of the Gentiles): It is the leadership
of the Church which is tasked with such judgments.
If the
Church’s leadership is making calendrical judgments which
are within the boundaries which God has set, then
God’s people are obligated to honor those judgments.
"And
I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock
I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not
overpower it. "I will give you the keys of the kingdom
of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall
be loosed in heaven. (Matthew
16:18-19)
Perhaps
the most obvious initial judgment which must be made, pertinent
to the calendar, is the judgment of whether there is any
existing calendar, conforming to God’s calendrical
rules, which the Church might wish to utilize. If so, certainly
it would be legitimate for the leadership of the Church
to adopt such a calendar. However, if no such calendar
is found, then it becomes the responsibility of the Church
to proclaim the calendar, so as to conform to God’s requirements.
On the
other hand, what if the Church’s calendrical judgments are
outside of, or contrary to the boundaries
which God has set? Then how should God’s people respond?
Jesus Christ
commanded the earliest Christians to submit themselves in
obedience to the Jewish Sanhedrin. It was the religious
authority over them at that time:
"The
scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the
chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do
and observe, but do not do according to their deeds;
for they say things, and do not do them. (Matthew 23:2)
Thus
does Romans 3:2 dictate adherence to the common Jewish
calendar?
Glancing
at Romans 3:2, which says, “they [the Jews] were entrusted
with the oracles [Greek, logia; sayings, utterances]
of God,” many have erroneously gone on to assume that
orthodox Judaism has preserved and kept God’s oracles,
including the sacred calendar.
However,
a more careful look at the passage reveals that Paul’s
point in Romans 3:3-4 is just the opposite!
First,
let’s briefly note how “oracles,” the Greek logia/logion,
is used elsewhere within the New Testament:
(1)
Stephen
uses logia to describe the commandments given to
Moses at Sinai, which the people transgressed by their
idolatry (Acts 7:38-43).
(2)
The author
of Hebrews uses logion of foundational principles
of doctrine: repentance, faith, baptism, laying on of
hands, the resurrection, and eternal judgment (Hebrews
5:12-6:2).
(3)
Peter uses
logia, referring to speaking the genuine undistorted
instructions of God (1 Peter 4:11).
As we
examine the passage in Romans 3 with the above in mind,
we find an awesome use of the language – an incredible
word play employed by Paul to make his point!
Then
what is the advantage of the Jew? Or what is the benefit
of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all,
that they were entrusted [Greek, pisteuw] with
the oracles of God. What then? If some did not believe
[Greek, apistew], their unbelief [Greek, apistia]
will not nullify the faithfulness [Greek, pistis]
of God, will it? May it never be! Rather, let God be
found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is
written [in Psalm 51:4], “THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN
YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL IN YOUR JUDGING. “ (Romans 3:1-4
NASB, shown with certain Greek renderings.)
With
the help of Vine’s[27]
definitions, let’s rephrase the above passage a bit, to
carry through with Paul’s use of the language:
Then
what is the advantage of the Jew? Or what is the benefit
of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all,
that they were entrusted [Greek, pisteuw]
with the oracles of God. What then? If some were untrustworthy
[Greek, apistew], their untrustworthiness
[Greek, apistia] will not nullify the trustworthiness
[Greek, pistis] of God, will it? May it never
be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be
found a liar, as it is written [ in Psalm 51:4], “THAT
YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL IN YOUR
JUDGING.” (Romans 3:1-4, emphasis added.)
Paul
is commenting on unconverted Jews’ untrustworthiness
– their failure to keep the oracles
that God gave to them!
Thus,
to depend for God’s oracles upon the untrustworthy
traditions of a Judaism which has rejected God
by rejecting Jesus Christ (Luke 10:16,
John 5:23),
is not commended by Jesus Christ. Jesus
warns us to beware of false teachers, to discern them
by their fruits. We are to abhor what is evil; cleaving
only to that which is good (Romans 12:9). There is spiritual
peril in entrusting oneself to the untrustworthy!
Then,
what is the
response of God’s faithful servants when the Sanhedrin
issues an edict which is contrary to God?
And
when they had brought them, they stood them before the Council.
And the high priest questioned them, saying, "We
gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this
name, and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with
your teaching, and intend to bring this man's blood upon
us."
But
Peter and the apostles answered and said, "We must
obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:27-29)
"We
must obey God rather than men.”
Likewise,
if the Church’s leadership is making calendrical judgments
which are outside of or contrary to
the boundaries which God has set, then God’s people
must obey GOD, rather than the Church.
Our duty
to obey God, however, includes our duty to humbly,
respectfully, and lovingly confront those who are judging
contrary to the Word of God:
My
brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one
turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner
from the error of his way will save his soul from death,
and will cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:20)
Conclusion
God’s Word
does not spell out every detail about the calendar. Yet
the Bible does tell us that God has given the sun and moon
for the structure of His true calendar. The Bible does tell
us when the day begins and when it ends. Scripture tells
us that a week has seven days. Scripture tells us that
on the sixth day, we are to prepare for the coming Sabbath.
It tells us that the seventh day is God’s Sabbath, and how
we are to observe the Sabbath. God does tell us that months
begin with the new moons, and that we are to observe the
month of Abib. The Bible does tell us how to determine
when the new year begins.
These
instructions provide us with the necessary foundation for
a calendar that will permit us to observe the “appointed
times” on “exactly” those days which GOD requires.
[1] NEW JERUSALEM BIBLE with Apocrypha;
Darton, Longman & Todd Limited and Doubleday, a division
of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1990.
[2] THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE WITH REVISED
NEW TESTAMENT SCRIPTURE; Confraternity of Christian Doctrine;
Washington, D.C, 1986, 1991.
[3] New American Standard Exhaustive
Concordance of the Bible; The Lockman Foundation;
1981.
[4] VINE'S COMPLETE EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY
OF OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT WORDS; Vine, Unger, and White;
1984, 1996; Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville.
[5] BROWN-DRIVER-BRIGGS HEBREW AND ENGLISH
LEXICON (BDB); Brown, Driver, and Briggs; 1906, 2000;
Hendrickson Publishers; Peabody, Massachusetts.
[7] Use of the word mo’ed for days
which God has set apart for sacred observance can be found
in the following verses: Exodus 13:10; Exodus 23:15;
Exodus 34:18; Leviticus 23:2, 4, 37, 44; Numbers 9:2,
3, 7, 13; Numbers 10:10; Numbers 15:3; Numbers 28:2; Numbers
29:39; Deuteronomy 16:6; Deuteronomy 31:10; 1 Chronicles
23:31-32; 2 Chronicles 2:4; 2 Chronicles 8:13; 2 Chronicles
30:22; 2 Chronicles 31:3; Ezra 3:5; Nehemiah 10:33; Isaiah
33:20; Lamentations 1:4; Lamentations 2:6-7; Ezekiel 36:38;
Ezekiel 44:24; Ezekiel 45:17; Ezekiel 46:9,11; Hosea 2:11;
Hosea 9:5; Hosea 12:9; Zephaniah 3:18.
[8]
BROWN-DRIVER-BRIGGS
HEBREW AND ENGLISH LEXICON (BDB); Brown, Driver, and Briggs;
1906, 2000; Hendrickson Publishers; Peabody, Massachusetts.
[9] THEOLOGICAL WORDBOOK OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
(TWOT); Harris, Archer, and Waltke; 1980; Moody Press;
Chicago.
[10] “calendar: Measurement of time
and types of calendars: Standard units and cycles”; Britannica
2002 Deluxe Edition; 1994-2002; Encyclopædia Britannica,
Inc.
[11] Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews,
16.163
[12]
THEOLOGICAL
WORDBOOK OF THE OLD TESTAMENT (TWOT); Harris, Archer,
and Waltke; 1980; Moody Press; Chicago.
[13] New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance
of the Bible; The Lockman Foundation; 1981.
[14] THEOLOGICAL WORDBOOK OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
(TWOT); Harris, Archer, and Waltke; 1980; Moody Press;
Chicago.
[15] New American Standard Exhaustive
Concordance of the Bible; The Lockman Foundation;
1981.
[16] ABIB FAQ: Barley; The Karaite Korner;
World Karaite Movement, 1998-2002.
[19] New American Standard Exhaustive
Concordance of the Bible; The Lockman Foundation;
1981.
[20] ABIB FAQ: Vernal Equinox and Tekufah;
The Karaite Korner; World Karaite Movement, 1998-2002.
[21] Segal, J.B., The Hebrew Passover
from the Earliest Times to A.D.70. London: Oxford
University Press, 1963. p. 127.
[22] Philo Judaeus. Translated by C.D. Yonge.
"A Treatise on the Life of Moses, Book II, XLI."
The Works of Philo COmplete and Unabridged. Hendrickson
Publishers, 1995.
[23]
YOUNG’S
LITERAL TRANSLATION OF THE HOLY BIBLE; Robert Young; 1898.
[24] THEOLOGICAL WORDBOOK OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
(TWOT); Harris, Archer, and Waltke; 1980; Moody Press;
Chicago.
[25] Frequently Asked Questions: The
International Date Line; United States
Naval Observatory: Astronomical Applications Department;
2004.
[27]
VINE'S
COMPLETE EXPOSITORY DICTIONARY OF OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT
WORDS; Vine, Unger, and White; 1984, 1996; Thomas Nelson
Publishers, Nashville.


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