(False Doctrine no.2) When is the Sabbath?

Scriptural months are based on the moon, and they begin at the first appearance of the visible crescent new moon. Our word month even derives from the word moon, moon(th). But a surprising doctrine is taking hold among a few contending that the weekly Sabbath is also set by the new moon each month. It teaches that the weekly Sabbath day floats all over the week

Once you recover from your utter disbelief at first hearing such a teaching, you entertain the possibility of trying to fit this lunar Sabbath notion into Scripture. You quickly realize that no matter how you try to coax it, twist it or force it, establishing the weekly Sabbath by this method is impossible. It does violence both to historical fact and to YHWH’s clear Commands

Here is how the scheme works:
(Now keep in mind while reading this, will you get to this idea by just reading the Torah and not listening to other peoples ideas?)

The new moon is considered like a Sabbath -- a day of no work. Every month begins with a new moon. The first work day is the second day of the count followed by 5 more work days. That gets you through the 7th day of the month (new moon day plus 6 work days). The 8th day of the month is also the first weekly Sabbath of the month. Six more days of work gets you to the 15th as the next weekly Sabbath. Six more days of work and you come to the 3rd weekly Sabbath on the 22nd. Six more work days gets you to the 29th of the month, which is the last weekly Sabbath in the month. Then comes the next new moon, which is not a work day but is a Sabbath, but not a weekly Sabbath. Thus the weekly Sabbaths will always land on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th days of month. Some months will end with the weekly Sabbath on the 29th followed by the new moon Sabbath the next day. More often, months will have an extra day or two between the last Sabbath and the next new moon day. Therefore you often have two or three Sabbaths or “non-work days” in a row before the new month begins.

Lunar Month
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
	16	17	18	19	20	21	22
	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30

(Notice that there are two days that they just throw away. Where is that written in the Scriptures? Clearly not a seven day Sabbath cycle as YHWH created)

As we will show, the new moon is not a day of rest or a Sabbath. In addition, the word week derives from a Hebrew word meaning “sevened” (shev-u-wah).  It is connected to a sequence of sevens, NOT to the new moon and NOT to more than seven. It begins with day one and ends with the seventh day, not the eighth day. Neither is “Sabbath” in any way linked etymologically to the word moon.

Falling on the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th day of each lunar month initiated by the new moon means the Sabbath would also fall about the time of the new moon, First Quarter, Full Moon, and Last Quarter. Most lunar Sabbatarians do not consider the new moon day to be a day of the week, but rather a day of “no regular work.” The first day of the actual week for them comes on the second day of the lunar month, making the eighth day the first weekly Sabbath and not the seventh as YHWH Commands.

But dissension exists in the lunarian ranks because some lunar sabbatarians believe that the weekly Sabbath falls on the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th days of the month.

Such details aside, the general thrust of this theory is that just by looking at the moon you are supposed to be able to tell when the weekly Sabbath occurs, always falling on specific lunar phases. That is the main point for this doctrine--to produce a heavenly marker to determine when the Sabbath occurs, instead of associating the Sabbath with YHWH’s own example of rest as we are commanded, Exodus 20:11, 31:17. We will show the fallacy of the heavenly marker notion momentarily.

The scheme also means that the Sabbath floats around and can land on any day of the week each month. If the new moon falls on a Tuesday, the Sabbath will be on succeeding Tuesdays of that month. Then it will flip to another day of the week the next month when the Sabbath is “re-set” by the appearance of the new moon.

Consider the logistical nightmare for a moment. If you as a lunar Sabbath follower have a regular job or are responsibly self-employed, you are continually taking off work to observe the Sabbath on different days of the week depending on the moon. Does YHWH require playing musical chairs with the Sabbath and make earning a living nearly untenable for the vast majority of believers? Hardly, He is an Elohim of order and consistency, not confusion

Many more difficulties than this, however, are presented by the lunar Sabbath doctrine. As noted, when the end of the month comes it will typically have an extra day or two left over before the next new moon arrives. That’s because the month is 29.5 days from new moon to new moon and not four sevens (28 days).  These extra days don’t fit in anywhere. The Scriptures nowhere recognize them or address them. So what do you do with these leftover days?  

Many lunar sabbatarians just ignore them. Others keep them as Sabbaths, meaning they observe an additional Sabbath or two or three in a row. Try explaining that to your employer or to YHWH for that matter. The Fourth Commandment says to work six days and rest the seventh, which is the Sabbath, not Sabbaths. Scripture nowhere allows for or addresses multiple consecutive Sabbaths. No day can be added in and none can be ignored. All days must fit into the Fourth Commandment command of work for 6, rest the 7^th.

Nothing in YHWH’s Word says the moon has anything to do with the weekly Sabbath. Regardless, there are Herculean efforts to force the lunar Sabbath teaching into the Scriptures. Some lunar proponents also say that the seventh-day Saturday Sabbath is pagan, and that even the universal weekly cycle is pagan in origin. They have a problem with the Sabbath falling on Saturn’s day (Saturday) but apparently have no issue at all when it falls on Sun’s Day, Moon’s Day, Tiw’s day, Woden’s Day, Thor’s Day or Frei’s Day (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday—all honoring heathen deities). Which came first, Saturn’s-day or the seventh day? Man’s spin is irrelevant.

As with every teaching, to be true it must stand up to the scrutiny of the unadulterated Word of YHWH. If not, it’s bogus. In that case we abandon the teaching.

Genesis 1:14-18: A Generic Proof Text

Genesis 1:14-18 is often cited to support a smorgasbord of calendar teachings, including a sunrise Sabbath doctrine and a solar-based, calculated calendar. Not to be left out, the lunar sabbatarians also seize on this Scripture as the preeminent proof for their doctrine. Because the passage is so general in its wording it can be applied to any number of anomalous teachings—a one-size-fits-all scripture.

Here is Genesis 1:14: “And Elohim 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: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And Elohim made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: He made the stars also. And Elohim set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and Elohim saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.”

Most lunar sabbatarians will make the following assumptions from this verse:

·         Only the “'moon' lights in the heavens” determine the Sabbath, and

·         To determine the monthly cycle of Sabbaths requires the use of both heavenly lights—the sun and the moon.

In truth, what the passage does specifically tell us is that the sun is to mark the day and the moon is to rule the night and that they will be for signs and seasons and that YHWH set the sun and moon in their orbits on the fourth day of creation. That is the end of the specifics. Asked how this passage directly links the moon with the Sabbath, the lunar Sabbatarian begins a game of dodge ball. He must do that because nothing in the Scriptures links the moon and its phases directly to the weekly Sabbath. Incidentally, what role the stars play the lunar Sabbatarian does not explain, giving only a selective interpretation to the passage.

Attempts at a Sabbath in the Sky

Lunar Sabbath proponents believe that the moon must be used to identify the Sabbath because the seventh-day Sabbath rhythm is not otherwise evident in nature. That is not entirely true. Science is finding a continuous, rhythmic, seven-day behavioral cycle built into both the plant and animal kingdoms. Even humans need a regular rest every seven days to maintain good physical and mental health.

Not even seasoned astronomers can simply look at just the moon’s phases and distinguish one day from another with 100 percent accuracy every time. Quarter phases can be confusing in their closeness. Because of such close resemblances in the moon’s appearance the average person would need technical training to determine the Sabbath. He would also need a lot of clear skies during each of those critical phases in order to get the Sabbath right.

When it comes to the Full Moon it gets really uncertain, with three or four consecutive moons every month all appearing full. Which one do you choose as the Sabbath moon? Note this from scientists: “Although Full Moon occurs each month at a specific date and time, the Moon's disk may appear to be full for several nights in a row if it is clear. This is because the percentage of the Moon's disk that appears illuminated changes very slowly around the time of Full Moon. The Moon may appear 100% illuminated only on the night closest to the time of exact Full Moon, but on the night before and night after will appear 97-99% illuminated; most people would not notice the difference. Even two days from Full Moon the Moon's disk is 93-97% illuminated” (quotation from U.S. Naval Observatory).

But that’s not all. Every 2.7 years there are two full moons in a month, the second of which is known as the Blue Moon. So how would the average believer know when that will happen, not to mention decide which full moon is the correct one?

Now be honest: does YHWH establish His weekly Sabbath amid all this uncertainty and confusion? He is not the author of confusion, 1Corinthins 14:33. Are His people supposed to be aware of and distinguish among all the anomalies and similarities in lunar appearances when they keep the day of rest? Do we need college degrees in astronomy to observe the right Sabbath Set Apart? Does that sound like the design of a wise Creator who gives plain and simple laws for us to keep? What about David out tending his flocks in the field, did he know all of this? Or did he just need to know how to count to seven for the proper time to observe the Sabbath? Frankly, the lunar Sabbath scheme appears like the shenanigans of mythical Greek deities trying to frustrate their human subjects just for the fun of it.

The creation account in Genesis 2 plainly teaches that the weekly Sabbath cycle was not based on the heavenly luminaries but simply on the seven days in the original creation week put in perpetual motion by YHWH:

“And on the seventh day Elohim ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And Elohim blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which Elohim created and made” (Gen. 2:2-3). The reason the Sabbath is the Sabbath is not because of an association with the new moon and other lunar phases, but because YHWH Himself blessed it and set it apart on the final day of creation week. No wonder He commands us to “remember” the Sabbath to keep it Set Apart. We remember the original Sabbath He created by keeping it exactly as it has been passed down through the millennia. Man-made calendars may tweak the months, but the Sabbath continues in its cycle unchanged and unfazed by any calendar.

The Sabbath and its sequence in the week is the result of a direct action of YHWH —originating entirely from His own personal rest on the seventh day. Because of His own activities the weekly Sabbath is directly tied to worship of Him following His own example. It is His day made for man. No wonder He says the Sabbath is the one sign identifying His people. “It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: [now notice the special link:] for in six days YHWH made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed,” Exodus 31:17.

Notice further that the “week” is not mentioned in Genesis 1:14. The reference is simply to “seasons” [moedim], “days,” and “years.” Clearly, YHWH established the weekly cycle differently, basing it upon His own example of rest and not on what is seen or reasoned by man. Otherwise He would have included the word “weeks” in the list of things to be determined by the greater and lesser lights of Genesis 1:14. Yet He did not—not in Genesis or anywhere else.

“But seasons means appointed times and the Sabbath is an appointed time,” will be the argument. That is correct. But where does this passage or any other specifically link the new moon to the weekly Sabbath? Nowhere but in the imagination of the lunar Sabbatarian.

Is the New Moon Day a Sabbath of Rest?

Some say the new moon was a day of rest because David was to meet with the king at his table on the new moon, 1Samuel 25. They also say that sacrifices were offered on the new moon, Ezekiel 46:6, just as they were commanded on the Sabbath.

When does a meal with a king constitute a weekly Sabbath? Wouldn’t a Sabbath be indicated by a meeting with a priest at the temple? Neither do sacrifices in themselves prove a Sabbath, because there were sacrifices commanded every day, Numbers 29:6 and Hebrews 7:27.

Was the new moon celebrated with rest in the same way as the Sabbath, as one branch of lunar sabbatarianism claims? If so, why does YHWH Command work on new moon days, and why do we find labor being done on new moon days?

Exodus 40:1, 2 and 17 reads: “And YHWH spake unto Moses, saying, On the first day of the first month shall you set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation… And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the tabernacle was reared up.” (Read all of Exodus 40 to learn just how much work was done on the new moon day.)

If every new moon day is a Sabbath or a day of no work, why does YHWH command Zerubbabel to gather wood and build the temple upon the first day of the month? (Haggai 1:1, 2, 8, 12).

 If every new moon day is a Sabbath, why do we not find any command to rest upon it (with the exception of the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah), which falls on the new moon of the 7th month)?  Shouldn't we find it listed as a Sabbath among the appointed times of Leviticus 23? What explanation can be given to the fact that nowhere in Scripture is the command to cease from labor upon the new moon day, or upon the extra days that fall out each month?

Shabbat and Shabbatown: Different Kinds of Sabbath

Another contention by lunar Sabbath proponents is that because the seven annual feast day Sabbaths are determined by counting from the new moon, so also should the weekly Sabbath be set by the moon because an annual Sabbath is no different from a weekly Sabbath.

Not so.  The word used for the weekly Sabbath (in Hebrew) is “shabbat” (7676) while the word behind the feast day Sabbath is “shabbaton”. High-day Sabbaths are different from the weekly Sabbath. From Exodus 12:16 we learn that on the high day Sabbaths of Unleavened Bread, for instance, some work to prepare food is allowed “so that all may eat.” No such leeway is given for the weekly Sabbath.

The weekly Sabbath is a memorial to YHWH’s creative act and His subsequent rest. He did not create high day Sabbaths by resting on them. To say the weekly Sabbath changes every month according to the cycles of the moon is to make the memorial to the creative rest of YHWH into a memorial to the moon.

More Problems Using Genesis 1:14 

A key problem with the lunar Sabbath doctrine is that events surrounding the creation of the moon in Genesis 1:14-16 did not take place until the 4th day. The week was more than half over by the time the moon was placed into orbit, so how can the moon establish the start of the week?

Never did YHWH ever say He re-set the week after four creation days by utilizing the now-orbiting new moon. That is a critical piece of information we must have if we are to base Sabbath observance on the moon’s cycle as shown by YHWH.

Attempting to be free of this difficulty, some lunar sabbatarians speculate that the moon was created in an advanced phase and that the Sabbath would be made to synchronize with it later on; others speculate that perhaps the moon was already in its orbit the first day of creation but was just hidden behind heavy mist (hidden from what?). Or that YHWH’s creation week and our week are different. To which we ask: where is the chapter and verse supporting these hypotheses? Genuine doctrine does not rest on supposes or maybes. There is not a shred of evidence in Scripture to support such assumptions.

Genesis 1 and 2 are crystal clear that YHWH created the heavens and the earth in six days and then He rested on the seventh. Lunar sabbatarians ignore YHWH’s rest on the seventh day and go solely with a Sabbath-setting lunar phase.

Mysterious Math

The count to the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost (Shuvuot) also reveals the error in the lunar Sabbath teaching.  Not only must there always be exactly seven days every week in every month of YHWH’s calendar (by Fourth Commandment authority), but the count to Shuvuot must also be seven complete weeks of seven days each, all adding up to exactly 49 days.

YHWH commanded, “And you shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete,” Leviticus 23:15. Pentecost means 50^th.  It takes exactly 50 days to arrive at Shuvuot—seven Sabbaths of precisely seven days each or 7 x 7 + 1 = 50. Partial weeks or extra days don’t compute.

Numbers 28:26 says the Feast of Firstfruits or Shuvuot comes “after your weeks be out.” “Weeks” is the Hebrew shavua and literally means “sevened” not “lunared.” After your seven sevens are over and complete, then you observe the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost. The Bible, An American Translation by Goodspeed says, “…counting fifty days to the day following the seventh Sabbath, and then you shall present to YHWH a grain-offering from the new crop.” The New English Bible says, “The day after the seventh Sabbath will make 50 days…”

You can’t have 7 Sabbaths totaling 51 or 52 days. Because you are spanning two months it is impossible to accomplish this as commanded when a new moon interferes with one of those weeks by adding extra days. You cannot get 7 Sabbaths to equal 49 days under the lunar Sabbath scheme. This fact alone proves the lunar scheme bogus. One lunar Sabbatarian claims that Pentecost is counted for seven weeks and then 50 days are added on top of that, making a combined 99 days. He has apparently never looked at the Hebrew behind the command.

We read in Leviticus 23:15-16: “And you shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall you number fifty days; and you shall offer a new meal offering unto YHWH.” In the phrase “unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath,” the word “unto” is the Hebrew ad and means against or until. Therefore the count goes all the way up to, until, the seventh Sabbath. And the numbered count totals 50 days, not an additional 50 days.

Manna in the wilderness

Consider how the manna was regularly provided each week. When Israel was in the wilderness Exodus plainly teaches that the manna fell for six days, with a double portion falling on the sixth day because none would fall on the seventh-day Sabbath. This went on continuously for 40 years, Exodus 16:35.

Nothing is said about a big interruption of this weekly manna cycle every fourth week by a couple of additional days at the end of the month when the new moon resets the week.

Nothing is said that Israel starved for a few days at the end of each month because of additional Sabbath days or “non-work” days added to the month. For those who count those extra days as non-days, did it mean that a quarter of the time Israel got not 6 but 7, 8 or 9 days of manna gathering? If so, where in the Word is it found?

To mention such a critically important lunar interruption in the 7-day week could not possibly have slipped YHWH’s mind. It is inconceivable that He would not have warned Israel to prepare for it!  After all, He warned them to be sure to gather extra on the sixth day to make up for none on the weekly Sabbath. So why did He not tell them also to gather extra manna the sixth day to eat on the seventh, eighth and possibly ninth day at month’s end? Obviously no lunar-added days ever existed.

This monthly lunar disruption is found nowhere in the Word because the Sabbath cycle that began in Genesis continued unabated. No additional, interpolated days ever interfered with it.

New Testament Dynamites the Lunar Theory

When it comes to the proper Biblical calendar, we need go back no further in time than when our Savior walked this earth. Some proponents claim that the lunar Sabbath was established in Genesis but was replaced by today’s continuous Sabbath cycle soon after the return of the Jews from Babylonian captivity. Thus, lunar sabbatarians would have us believe that the remnant who returned to the land of Israel were keeping a false Sabbath.

This would have been front-page news! Yet, not one word in Scripture about it.

The Sabbath set in motion by YHWH continued to be in effect down to the first century, when Y’hoshua came in the flesh. We know that He came as one "under the law," and that He never sinned (i.e., transgressed the law, 1Pet.2:22).We find Y’hoshua keeping the same Sabbath day Set Apart as did His fellow Jews around Him (Matt 12:1-12; Mark 2:23-28; Mark 1:21; 3:1-4; 6:2; etc.). Y’hoshua never rebuked the Pharisees for keeping the wrong weekly sequence.         

These Events in Y’hoshua’s Life Disprove Lunar Sabbaths

In John 7:37 it is recorded that on the "last great day" of the Feast of Tabernacles (Succoth) (a high Sabbath that always falls on the 22nd day of the month) Y’hoshua cried out, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink!" In chronological sequence, John 8:1-2 says, "Y’hoshua went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them." So now it’s the 23^rd day of the month.

Chapter 9 is a continuation of the events of that same day when he heals a man of blindness. We are told that this was the weekly Sabbath, the 23^rd of the month, verse 14. But lunar sabbatarians say the lunar Sabbath falls on either the 21st or 22nd. Either scheme violates this provable 23^rd day Sabbath. (See John 7:37-38; 8:1-2, and John 9:1-3, 14, 16.)

Another math meltdown for the lunar Sabbath scheme comes with Passover, which falls on the 14^th of the month of Aviv. Y’hoshua was laid in the tomb at the end of Passover day the 14^th, just before sunset when the 15^th started. He rose three days later (Matt. 12:40), making it the end of the 17^th of Aviv. He came out of the tomb just before sunset on the weekly Sabbath because the two Mary’s found the tomb already empty at “the end of the Sabbath,” Matthew 28:1. Lunar sabbatarians say that the Sabbath must fall either on the 14^th or 15^th, but here on the most important week in all of human history the weekly Sabbath falls on the 17^th.

Having no other response, some lunar advocates take issue with Matthew 12:40, saying Y’hoshua’s words about being in the “heart of the earth” for three days and three nights does not mean in the tomb. Y’hoshua, however, directly compared it to Jonah’s being three days in the fish’s belly.  And Jonah describes his experience this way: “And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto YHWH, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell [sheol, grave] cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For you had cast me into the deep, in the midst [heart] of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me,” (Jonah 2:2-3). “Midst” means to be enclosed (Hebrew labab).  Jonah was encompassed about by water. Obviously Y’hoshua was enclosed by the tomb in the earth for three days just as Jonah was enclosed in the belly of the beast for three days.

Y'hoshua clinches it when He Himself “began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again,” Mark 8:31. See also John 2:19 and 21. Paul confirms it as well in 1Corinthians 15:3-4: “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that the Messiah died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” Even the chief priests and Pharisees testify to Y’hoshua’s statement that after three days He would rise again” (Matthew 27:63).

Furthermore, those who contend that the 14^th of each month is a Sabbath of rest and no commerce must explain why this 14^th day of the month of Aviv is called in the New Testament a “preparation day” (which is Passover day, the day of preparation for the high Sabbath and not a Sabbath itself). This 14^th day is a day of work and commerce, not a day of rest. See Mark 15:42-46; Luke 23:53-54; John 13:29. 

Those who believe a switch to the universal Sabbath cycle came after the time of the Messiah and who believe the Jews (including Y’hoshua) were still keeping lunar Sabbaths must explain why both Scripture and subsequent history show the contrary.

Are Lunar Sabbaths to be found in Scripture?

If lunar Sabbaths are truly based in Scripture, why would we have to search all over its pages with a magnifying glass to find even a hint of them? When something as simple as the continuous weekly cycle is made so complicated, then something is instinctively wrong. When a doctrine lacks Scriptural evidence and must be explained with suppositions, human explanations and a host of forced or twisted Scripture, then it is always suspect.

Ha Satan is working with all power and lying wonders to deceive even the very elect (Matthew 24:24). His greatest desire is to cause those who are under "the sign of the covenant"— the Sabbath—to become confused about that "sign" and turn away from the covenant. If he cannot get them to keep Sunday in place of the true seventh-day Sabbath, then He will be satisfied just to have them turn to "floating Sabbaths" as taught by lunar sabbatarians. Either way the true Sabbath is violated and the Adversary is pleased.

Scripture warns us of Babylon’s influence "And upon her forehead was a name written, mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth," Revelation 17.

The Start of the Modern Lunar Sabbath Doctrine

All Lunar Sabbath keepers believe and claim that the Lunar Sabbath is derived only from the Scriptures, and is therefore binding on every true believer in YHWH.

In fact, the Lunar Sabbath as has recently been presented, is nothing but a THEORY which was proposed in its present form in about 1993 by a racist, anti-semitic convicted criminal, who got it from the THEORY of a Torahless, liberal-theology, higher-critic, evolutionist Assyriologist called Friedrich Delitzsch who wrote many hundreds of articles and books about the Bible, until he died in 1922.

Friedrich was the son of theologian Franz Delitzsch (died 1890), a German of Jewish parentage, who co-wrote the famous Keil & Delitzsch Bible Commentary, which fiercely defended the evangelical faith of the Bible. At least Keil believed the Bible to be true; Franz Delitzsch has been called a "liberal theologian".

But his son Friedrich taught vehemently that the Bible is not to be taken literally at all. He claimed that the Bible is just a collection of fables stolen from the Babylonians; that Islam, Judaism and Christianity are all equal religions worshipping the same "god"; that Jesus was a mere man, the natural son of Joseph; that Science is the TRUE religion, which will win out over the evangelical faith; that true "Christianity" is a purely social institution of being nice to each other. You can read many more of his godless philosophies by searching online for his once-famous book "BABEL AND BIBLE" to verify these things.

So the provenance of the Luni-Solar Calendar is anything but godly. A 20th-century criminal revived this THEORY invented by a 19th-century heretic, who believed that the Jews originally got their SABBATH from the BABYLONIANS. 

In fact, it is the BABYLONIANS who were the first to observe the Luni-Solar calendar, with their "SABATTU" or day of rest, always falling on the 15th of every month, the Full Moon; and the dates 7, 14, 21 & 28 being named "EVIL DAYS", when they would worship various gods. Therefore, the BABYLONIAN dates of ill-omen occurred at 7-day intervals, except for the last, which spanned either 9 or 10 days until the New Moon. (Sound familiar???) The Babylonians however, believed that these were EVIL DAYS, not days of feasting and gladness, as the Hebrews keep their Sabbaths. 

Various Verses Vindicated

Here are common passages used by lunar sabbatarians equating the new moon day with the Sabbath.

Leviticus 23:2-4: YHWH’s command for the seven annual Feasts is prefaced in verse 2 by the statement that these are the Feasts of YHWH and holy convocations. Then He notes the weekly Sabbath in verse 3, placing the Sabbath equal in significance to the Feasts. Yet it is not one of the annual Feasts because verse 4 restates that these (meaning what is to follow) are the Feasts of YHWH. Not being an annual Feast, the Sabbath is not set by the monthly new moon as are the annual Feasts.

Ps. 81:3: “Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.” The reference in Psalm 81:3 is to the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah) on the first of the seventh month, the only festival that falls on a new moon; the verse calls it a solemn feast day because it is Trumpets, not because it is a new moon. Other versions split the verse and speak of two different observances: the new moon and a separate feast day:  

The Interlinear NIV Hebrew-English Old Testament
 “Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our Feast.” (Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur)

New Living Translation
“Blow the ram's horn at new moon, and again at full moon to call a festival!” (Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur)

The New Jerusalem Bible
“Blow the trumpet for the new month, for the full moon, for our feast day!” (Yom Teruah and Yom Kippur)

Psalm 104:19: “He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.”

“Seasons” is moedim, meaning fixed times, festivals. In His commands for the Feasts, YHWH clearly gives the day of the month when they occur, such as Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Tabernacles and the exact count to the Feast of Weeks. All are based on the start of the month and its new moon. But He never describes the weekly Sabbath as being so many days from the beginning of the month or new moon. The Sabbath link to the new moon is nonexistent.

Amos 8:5: “When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the Sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?”  Is this passage saying the new moon is a Sabbath with no commerce allowed? As shown, work on the new moon was prescribed by YHWH and therefore the new moon cannot be a non-labor Sabbath. Amos 8:5 is likely speaking of the Feast of Trumpets, a Feast that is also a new moon day. On a Feast high day no work or commerce is to be performed.

Another possibility centers on the Hebrew. Because the Hebrew word translated "new moon" here (chodesh) can also mean "month," some scholars (going back 2,000 years) have interpreted Amos as referring to a harvest month: Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it of the month of harvest, when the poor found what to eat in the fields; when they gleaned there they got a sufficiency of bread, and so had no need to buy corn [Lev. 23:22]; and hence these rich misers, who hoarded up the grain, are represented as wishing the harvest month were over that they might sell their grain to the poor, having had no demand for it during that month.  (John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible, Amos 8:5 note) “Month” is how the Douay-Rheims version translates “new moon.”

Regarding sacrifices, if every new moon day is a Sabbath then we should find the command to make the Sabbath offering on new moon days as well. Yet, no such command is given (Numbers 28:1-15).

So when is the Scriptural Sabbath?

Some people remark that we don’t know when the seventh day is anymore. The Christians use this argument a lot, trying to justify there pagan Sunday Worship practice. Here is just a little information proving that we have always known when the seventh day is:

The calendar has not been changed so as to confuse the days of the week. We can be positive that our seventh day is the same day Y’hoshua observed when He was here (I am sure He knew when the Sabbath was). Pope Gregory XIII did make a calendar change in 1582, but it did not interfere with the weekly cycle. Our present Gregorian calendar was named after him when he made that small change in 1582.

What did Pope Gregory do to the calendar? Before 1582 the Julian calendar had been in effect (which was a seven day week at that time), instituted by Julius Ceasar about 46 B.C. and named after him. But the Julian calendar had calculated the length of the year as 365 1/4 days, and the year is actually eleven minutes less than 365 1/4 days. Those eleven minutes accumulated, and by 1582 the numbering of the calendar was ten days out of harmony with the solar system. Gregory simply dropped those ten days out of the numbering of the calendar. It was Thursday, October 4, 1582, and the next day, Friday, should have been October 5. But Gregory made it October 15 instead, dropping exactly ten days to bring the calendar back into harmony with the heavenly bodies.

Were the days of the week confused? No. Friday still followed Thursday, and Saturday still followed Friday. The same seventh day remained, and the weekly cycle was not disturbed in the least. When we keep the seventh day, starting on Friday sunset until Saturday sunset, we are observing the same day Y’shua kept, and He did it every week according to Luke 4:16, which is the same Seventh day since the beginning when YHWH rested from His work.

So basically, if we want to be part of YHWH’s people and be saved, we have to keep THE Seventh day Sabbath. Otherwise we are serving another who is the Anti-Messiah.

Note that the Sabbath is THE Seventh Day. If it is determined by the moon cycle, it is no longer a Seventh day Sabbath as there is more than seven days between certain moon cycles making certain Sabbaths an eighth day Sabbath. If you claim it is that way, then you are calling YHWH and the Mashiyach Y’hoshua liars.

If the non Scriptural calendar changes again in the future, then we will still continue to observe the Scriptural Seventh day Sabbath, regardless of what day it falls on the new pagan calendar. It is easy to count to seven!!!

(False Doctrine no.1) When is the start of a new day?

There are two false doctrines that have surfaced and has taken off very lately. These false doctrines say that the start of a new day according to Scripture is at sunrise, and that a day is only 12 hours long. The other false doctrine is that the weekly Seventh Day Sabbath is determined by the moon phases. If one is not constantly studying the Torah of YHWH, you will fall for such stupid man made doctrines.

I will be discussing these two separately as there is just too much information to put into one posting.

To say that a new day starts at sunrise instead of sundown is clearly saying that Y’hoshua the Mashiyach and Shaul are liars! Let me explain why:

Y’hoshua spoke the following: “BUT CONCERNING THAT DAY AND THE HOUR NO ONE KNOWS, not even the messengers of the heavens, but My Father only” (Mat 24:36)

Paul also reveals the following: “For you yourselves know very well that The Day Of יהוה (YHWH) Comes As A Thief In The Night” (1 Thess 5:2)

Now both these statements are Hebrew idioms referring to a specific day! If you are not familiar with the Hebrew language and its idioms, you will not understand what was really being said and then you will fall for false doctrines, like the start of the new day at sunrise instead of the Scriptural sundown!

You see, both those statements refer to Yom Teruah. You see, Yom Teruah is a special Sabbath, so you are not allowed to make food on the day (Wayyiqra/Leviticus 23:24-25). One has to have your food prepared before, just like a normal weekly Sabbath.

There is however one very big difference. Yom Teruah is the only Appointed Time of YHWH to begin on the first day of a month. This is why it is called “a thief in the night” because you have to be prepared for it, yet don’t know the exact day that it is going to be, as we rely on the sighting of the 7^th New Moon (another proof that the weekly Sabbath is not determined by the moon phase!).

Now here is the kick: It is “the thief in the night” as when we see the New Moon, it is too late to prepare any food as it indicates the START of Yom Teruah. When is the New Moon sighting? AT SUNDOWN OF COURSE!!! This is absolute proof that even the Mashiyach Y’hoshua and Shaul taught that the start of the New calendar date is at sundown!!!

Now if the start of the new calendar date was at sunrise, then Y’hoshua would NEVER have said what he said as Yom Teruah would not have been called “a thief in the night” or referred to as “concerning the day or the hour, no one knows” because if the New Moon was sighted, one would have had at least 12 hours until sunrise to prepare food for the day! This is preposterous!

YHWH also gave us another Appointed Time (Yom Kippur) to show us that a new day starts at sundown: “It is a Sabbath of rest to you, and you shall afflict your beings. On the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you observe your Sabbath” (Lev 23:32).

Let us look at a few more examples that are concrete proof that the start of a new day is at sundown:

 “Guard the month of Aviv, and perform the Passover to יהוה (YHWH) your Elohim, for in the month of Aviv יהוה (YHWH) your Elohim brought you out of Mitsrayim by night.

“And you shall slaughter the Passover to יהוה (YHWH) your Elohim, from the flock and the herd, in the place where יהוה (YHWH) chooses to put His Name.

“Eat no leavened bread with it. For seven days you eat unleavened bread with it, bread of affliction, because you came out of the land of Mitsrayim in haste – so that you remember the day in which you came out of the land of Mitsrayim, all the days of your life.

“And no leaven should be seen with you in all your border for seven days, neither should any of the meat which you slaughter in the evening on the first day stay all night until morning” (Deut 16:1-4)

Notice that the Passover lamb is eaten in the evening of the 14^th day of Aviv and that none of its meat should last until the morning. Clearly, this indicates that the day starts at sundown, also that the evening is part of the day! The next evening, the Israelites left Mitsrayim, which is the beginning of the 15^th day of Aviv, This day is known as the first day of Matzot (Festival of unleavened bread).

Here is another example:

“Therefore, since it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the stake on the Sabbath – for that Sabbath was a high one – the Yehuḏim asked Pilate to have their legs broken, and that they be taken away” (John 19:31)

Yehoshua was put on the torture stake during the day time, while the sun was shining. Why did the Yehudim want to have their legs broken? Because it was the day before the 'High Sabbath' and that the bodies should not remain on the stake on the Sabbath. Now they broke their legs so that they could die quicker, before sunset, as that is when the 'High Sabbath' begins! If the 'High Sabbath' only started at sunrise, then there would be no need to break their legs, as they would have had all night to die, which is more than enough time!

So as you can see, Sundown is the Start of the new calendar date according to Yehoshua Mashiyach, Son of YHWH and Father YHWH Himself!!!

Feasts

The Feasts of YHWH address all aspects of community, education, fellowship with YHWH and one another; they play an extremely essential role in preparing YHWH’s people for the return of Mashiyach. Within these set times of YHWH the perfection of Mashiyach is exercised through giving, sharing and experiencing the Kingdom of Elohim. Each of the Feasts holds spiritual and prophetic connections to the Divine that connect our spirits in ways far beyond the intellect. Elements of the Feasts in the natural world all point to the spiritual world. The Feasts of YHWH are signs between the Almighty YHWH and His people. YHWH created the Sun, Moon and Stars for Moedim (appointed times or feasts); they serve as YHWH’s timepieces set in the heavens to allow mankind to be in tune with the Kingdom of Elohim and learn of His will for our lives.

“YHWH said to Mosheh, “Tell the people of Israel, ‘You are to observe my Shabbats (feast); for this is a sign between me and you through all your generations; so that you will know that I am YHWH, who sets you apart for me. Therefore you are to keep my Shabbat, because it is set apart for you. Everyone who treats it as ordinary must be put to death; for whoever does any work on it is to be cut off from his people” (Exodus 31:12-14). YHWH set forth His Feasts for mankind to distinguish between ordinary time where mundane work is done, and Set Apart time that belongs unto YHWH. Each of YHWH’s Feasts have unique Shabbats which are Set Apart for rest and separation unto YHWH which enable the spiritual man to grow from faith to faith.

Succoth verses Christmas

Every original and authentic Feast of YHWH also has an opposing counterfeit “feast” that Christianity adopted from paganism. For example Succoth (Feast of Tabernacles) is the Feast on which Y’shua was born and circumcised; this Feast has many distinguishing components for all peoples of every nation on Earth. Succoth was prophesied to be observed by YHWH’s people from the time it was revealed, all the way through into the seventh millennium (See Zechariah 14:16). The counterfeit feast to Succoth is Christmas, which has its origins in “mystery” Babylon and pagan sun worship. Christmas was celebrated long before post-apostolic pagan church founders synchronized Mithras into Gentile Christianity and, although most Christians realize the impossibility of Y’shua’s being born on December 25^th, it is strongly defended by false theology – and, of course, is one of the most popular counterfeit pseudo Christian feasts on Earth.

Rebellious and lawless feasting is devastating the moral fabric of society; and ranking at the top among these festivals of the fallen world are Christmas and New Years day. Parties are rife with drunkenness, gluttony and debauchery, unfortunately considered by the majority of society as “normal behavior.” The fruits of these anti-Mashiyach festivals are often loneliness, depression, anxiety and financial stress. In contrast, YHWH’s Set Times are abundant with righteousness and goodness along with a wholeness that elevates each soul that brings equality and deep spiritual connection with YHWH and His Mashiyach. It is sad that so many Christians have never sought to test YHWH’s Word to discover what it means to be a Kedoshim (Set Apart People) unto YHWH!

The household of Faith will never recognize Christmas in any fashion because it is anti-Mashiyach and was installed into Christianity by a pagan culture. The pagan feasts like Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, Halloween and worship on Sunday, originated with haSatan for the purpose of leading souls away from the Kingdome of Elohim. These same “feasts” and the pagan deities being commemorated were strongly opposed by YHWH through His prophets. Only a fool would think that what was once a wicked thing has become sanctified and good because of religious traditions.

The root of paganism and rebellion is to claim that man with his various “religions” has the ability to sanctify what YHWH calls evil. For instance, when the golden calf was made in the wilderness the Israelites dared to call it by the name of YHWH, and they built an altar to the golden calf in the Name of YHWH. These rebellious acts resulted in 3,000 deaths by the sword; and afterward, YHWH also sent a plague against them. One has to wonder, if YHWH hated paganism and rebellion in Moses’ time, why would He tolerate it today?

Christmas originated with the “rebirth” of the sex god, Tammuz; and therefore, it is no coincidence that a massive phallic symbol is promptly displayed at St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, donated by Caligula, one of the most sexually reprobate and wicked emperors of Rome. The Feasts of YHWH, on the other hand, do not carry over any customs of the pagans; they are completely Set Apart unto YHWH according to His Righteousness.

Renewed Covenant Feasts

There are many insights in the original Aramaic Renewed Covenant verses that provide insights into the Feasts. For example Y’shua says: “About the day and about the hour no man knows, not even the Messengers of heaven, but the Father alone” (Matthew 24:36). From a literal superficial reading to this says that no man can know the day or the hour of Mashiyach’s return, but from higher levels of PaRDeS Y’shua is, in fact, revealing a very popular day. “No man can know the day or the hour” is an idiomatic Jewish expression for observing a watch that leads up to a specific Feast day. Rav Shaul confirms this prophetic insight: “Suddenly, as in the twinkling of an eye, at the last shofar, when it shall sound; and the dead will arise, without corruption; and we shall be changed” (1 Cor 15: 52). The last shofar also addresses this same Feast and confirms what the ancients have known for thousands of years; however, the revelation of which year Mashiyach will return is also hidden below the surface of the text and revealed according to YHWH’s servants the prophets (see Amos 3:7).

The Feasts of YHWH are exceedingly broad and would take one or more publications to thoroughly address. The objective is simply to acknowledge that Y’shua, the Schlichim (apostles) and Talmidim (Disciples) observed the Feasts of YHWH according to their ancient appointed times, not counterfeits invented by Christo-Pagan post apostolic theologians. Not only are Y’shua and his followers zealous to observe YHWH’s Set Apart Feasts but, of course, they do so at the Temple in Jerusalem along with the rest of the Jewish population. The Feasts of YHWH, in short, are extremely powerful tools for helping to grow and sustain the spiritual man. Mashiyach Y’shua taught: “He who desires to do His will, can comprehend my teaching, if it is from Elohim, or if from my own will I speak” (Yochanan 7:17).

The key element of doing “His will” is to enter into life and experience His voice in our spirits. As we celebrate the Feasts we press into a Set Apart relationship with YHWH. His Appointed Times help guide the soul to greater consciousness of Mashiyach and his Government; they are awesome reminders of our Father’s love towards us and also reveal the vital importance of our love for one another. The Feasts present deliverance, redemption, acceptance into the beloved, separation from evil, victory over the fallen world and many more things. Rav Shaul taught that the Feasts of YHWH are to be guarded by the body of Mashiyach: “Let no (pagan) therefore judge you about food and drink, or about distinctions of festivals and new moons and Shabbats which were shadows of the things then future; but the body of Mashiyach” (Colossians 2:16-17). The fallen religious world judges those who set YHWH’s Feasts apart, while observing their own, man-made religious festivals. Believers must remember to keep Christianity or any “worldly” people from dictating how YHWH’s Feasts are to be observed.

“The people of Israel are to keep the Shabbat, to observe Shabbat through all their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the people of Israel forever; for in six days YHWH made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and rested” (Exodus 31:16-17). The Shabbat is a sign and seal between YHWH the Creator of Heaven and Earth, and each Believer. Those who call themselves Christians but reject the Shabbat of YHWH have adopted the traditions and feasts of post-apostolic Gentile theologians who changed times and laws according to anti-Mashiyach (see Daniel 7:25). Those who have the seal or “Mark of YHWH” (Genesis 4:15, Ezekiel 9:4, Ezekiel 9:6, John 6:27, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 4:30, 2 Timothy 2:19) are they who not only have the testimony of Mashiyach but have Torah written upon their hearts (Revelation 12:17 and 14:12). Rav Shaul himself stated: “…I must certainly keep the approaching feast at Urishlim. But, if it is Elohim’s will, I will come again to you” (Acts 18:21). And of course we read in a couple of chapters later that Rav Shaul is being called up to Jerusalem for the feast of Shavuot (Pentecost) which is one of the pilgrim Feasts (see Acts 20:16).

Torah instructs: “Three times in a year shall all your males appear before YHWH your Elohim in the place which He shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before YHWH empty: every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of YHWH your Elohim which He has given you” (Deut 16:16-17). These three Feasts are also known as pilgrim Feasts, which all the males of Israel were commanded to attend.

Whether the temple is standing in Jerusalem or not, the prophetic calendar continues to count the years, months and days to the return of Mashiyach. Within the Moedim (Appointed Times) everyone enters into YHWH’s prophetic calendar not only on an individual level but also as an entire community of people as a Kingdom unto Mashiyach. The world events happening today, as in every other generation, are within the timetable YHWH established before the foundation of the Earth began. The Feasts of YHWH serve to help His people view time through His eyes and to understand current events, and even their own individual personal experiences, according to the scope of His Word.

Contrary to popular opinion, the Feasts of YHWH have not come to an end anymore than time itself. When the sun, moon and stars are no more then the Feasts of YHWH will also be completed. These vitally important Feasts of YHWH help equip the Body of Mashiyach for the acharit hayamim (later days) but, unfortunately, they are being neglected by the vast majority of Christians who prefer man-made “feasts” that were synchronized with pagan feasts and adopted by modern commerce. It has become popular for many Christians to claim that they don’t celebrate Christmas day, but rather what “Jesus did for them.” Yet most continue to erect decorated Christmas trees and exchange gifts to make a “tribute” to Jesus – which is nothing more than stubborn rebellion that employs semantics to justify willful disobedience. None of the reborn pagan rituals and relativism against Y’shua will stand against the return of Mashiyach Ben Dawid.

“These are they who, in their feastings, riot while polluting themselves, feeding themselves without fear; clouds without rain, moved about by the winds; trees who’s fruit has failed, and they are without fruit, twice dead, and uplifted from their root; raging waves of the sea which, by their foam, manifest their confusion; shooting stars for which is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. And of them also prophesied Enoch who was the seventh from Adam when he said: Behold, Master YHWH comes with myriads of His Set Apart Believers; to execute judgment upon all and to convict all the wicked because of all the deeds they have wickedly committed; and because of all the hard speeches which they, sinners without Elohim, have uttered. These are they who murmur and complain of everything while they walk according to their lusts; and their mouth speaks shocking things; and they flatter people for the sake of gain” (Yehuda 12-16).

Both Christians and Jewish religions have fashioned “feastings” according to religious tradition, and many speak evil against Torah-based Feasts and those who celebrate them.

The eternal Feasts of YHWH are prophesied to carry on into the seventh millennium and the world to come for all who are in Mashiyach. “And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, says YHWH.” (Isaiah 66:23). This is a specific reference to YHWH’s calendar based on the Moadim (appointed times). All counterfeit festivals will be coming to an end when Mashiyach returns, and those who turn their backs on YHWH’s Feasts will be cut off (Zechariah 14:18-19).

All who follow Mashiyach, whether Jews or Gentiles, are sojourners like Awraham and Dawid, and part of the commonwealth of Israel. “And when a sojourner shall dwell with you, and will keep the Passover to YHWH, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. One Torah shall be to him that is a native Israelite, and unto the sojourner that dwells among you” (Sh’mot/Exodus 12:48-49). YHWH’s Set Times are rehearsals within these “days of Mashiyach,” yet many who are returning to YHWH’s Feasts are finding themselves in a “wilderness experience” after being ostracized from churches and from their friends and family for choosing the Ancient Paths of Mashiyach. Clearly there is a small remnant of “Israelites” who would rather suffer with the infamy of Mashiyach than be flattered with the futility of religious fame.

Easter or Pesach

In most Bibles the term paskha is understood to mean Passover; it occurs twenty-nine times in the Renewed Covenant Writings. There is good reason for this: It is the same exact word for Passover from the Greek, the Hebrew original being pesach. However in Acts 12:4 the King James Bible adds the word “Easter”: “intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people”. Most Bible scholars assume that the word “Easter” is derived from the Greek paskha but this is certainly not the case.

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance defines paskha as: pas‘-khah Noun. Neuter Definition: the paschal sacrifice (which is accustomed to be offered for the people’s deliverance of old from Egypt) the paschal lamb, i.e. the lamb the Israelites were accustomed to slay and eat on the fourteenth day of the month Nisan (the first month of the year) in memory of the day on which their fathers, preparing to depart from Egypt, were bidden by God to slay and eat a lamp, and to sprinkle their door posts with its blood, that the destroying angel, seeing the blood, might pass over their dwellings; Christ crucified is likened to the slain paschal lamb the paschal supper the paschal feast, the feast of the Passover, extending from the 14^th to the 20^th day of the month Nisan. King James Word Usage – Total 29 – Passover 28, Easter 1.

Paskha is mentioned in: Matthew 26:2, 17-19; Mark 14:1, 12, 14, 16; Luke 2:41; Luke 22:1, 7-8, 11, 13, 15; John 2:13; John 2:23; John 4:45; John 6:4; John 11:55; John 12:1; John 13:1; John 18:28; John 18:39; John 19:14; Acts 12:4; 1 Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 11:28. Note that in John 19:14 that Pesach (Passover) is clearly being addressed. If “Easter” was being referred to as the “holiday” it could hardly pose a security threat for Herod. However, a Jewish festival that commemorates freedom from a foreign power obviously forced Rome to take extra measures to prevent riots and an uprising against them. This is also why Pilate offered to free one prisoner during Pesach to placate a potentially violent situation. The NIV renders paskha in Acts 12:4 as Passover. In fact, KJV stands alone in scholarly dishonesty by inserting Easter, as the root and usage of paskha/pesach is self evident.

Tracking the origins of Easter

Easter is an occasion that happens in the early Spring and is described in considerable detail within Scripture. It is not something that would have been foreign to people in the land of Israel during the First Century. It is an occasion replete with imagery relating to life, death and resurrection. Two of the most prestigious Christian Bible dictionaries define “Easter” as follows:

Easter [S]: Originally a Saxon word (Eostre), denoting a goddess of the Saxons, in honor of whom sacrifices were offered about the time of the Passover. Hence the name came to be given to the festival of the Resurrection of Christ, which occurred at the time of the Passover. In the early English versions this word was frequently used as the translation of the Greek paskha (the Passover). When the Authorized Version (1611) was formed, the word “Passover” was used in all passages in which the word paskha occurred, except in Acts 12:4. In the Revised Version the proper word, “Passover,” is always used. (Easton’s Bible Dictionary)

… intending after Easter – rather, ‘after the Passover’; that is, after the whole festival was over. (The word in our King James Version is an ecclesiastical term of late date, and ought not to have been employed here). (Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Jamiesson, Faucett and Brown), (Acts 12:4)

Easton’s Bible Dictionary states that Easter was the name of a Saxon goddess that was applied to the resurrection of Y’shua. The timing of pagan sacrifices were synchronized somewhat to Passover. Jamiesson, Faucett and Brown state that the King James translators should not have adopted the Easter reading in what is for them the “Authorized Version.” The Catholic position on this matter is as follows:

“The English term, according to the Venn. Bead (De tempo rum rationed, I, v), relates to Ester, a Teutonic goddess of the rising light of day and spring, which deity, however, is otherwise unknown, even in the Eddo (Smock, Mythio., 362); Anglo-Saxon, Easton; Old High German, rostra, strata, stratum; German, Astern. April was called easter-monadh…”

“Because the use of eggs was forbidden during Lent, they were brought to the table on Easter Day, colored red to symbolize the Easter joy. This custom is found not only in the Latin but also in the Oriental Churches. “The symbolic meaning of a new creation of mankind by Jesus risen from the dead was probably an invention of later times. The custom may have its origin in paganism, for a great many pagan customs, celebrating the return of spring, gravitated to Easter. The egg is the emblem of the germinating life of early spring. Easter eggs, the children are told, come from Rome with the bells which on Thursday go to Rome and return Saturday morning.” (Catholic Encyclopedia)

Catholic literature clearly states that some facets of it Easter celebrations were derived from paganism; however, most “reform” movements still follow their “mother church” by using the detestable name Easter and practicing fertility rites.

Tanakh makes reference to Easter

By transliterating the word Eostre/Ester into Hebrew, we arrive with the name and root word of Astarte/Ishtar, a pagan fertility goddess who is also known as Asherah and Ashtoreth in the Tanakh. Ashtoreth was a moon goddess. The moon was linked with fertility; Ashtoreth was Baal/Molech’s consort. From Easton’s Bible Dictionary:

Ashtoreth: the moon goddess of the Phoenicians, representing the passive principle in nature, their principal female deity; frequently associated with the name of Baal, the sun-god, their chief male deity (Judges 10:6; 1 Samuel 7:4; 12:10). These names often occur in the plural (Ashtaroth, Baalim), probably as indicating either different statues or different modifications of the deities. This deity is spoken of as Ashtoreth of the Zidonians. She was the Ishtar of the Accadians and the Astarte of the Greeks (Jeremiah 44:17; 1 Kings 11:5, 33; 2 Kings 23:12). There was a temple of this goddess among the Philistines in the time of Saul (1 Samuel 31:10). Under the name of Ishtar, she was one of the great deities of the Assyrians. The Phoenicians called her Astarte. Solomon introduced the worship of this idol (1 Kings 11:33). Jezebel’s 400 priests were probably employed in its service (1 Kings 18:19). It was called the “queen of heaven” (Jeremiah 44:25).

The variances between these goddess’ names in terms of pronunciation are directly related to the region and dialect of Israel, Canaan and Babylon, respectively. Easton’s Dictionary states:

“Asherah, and pl. Asherim in Revised Version, instead of “grove” and “groves” of the Authorized Version. This was the name of a sensual Canaanitish goddess Astarte, the feminine of the Assyrian Ishtar. Its symbol was the stem of a tree deprived of its boughs, and rudely shaped into an image, and planted in the ground. Such religious symbols (“groves”) are frequently alluded to in Scripture (Exodus 34:13; Judges 6:25; 2 Kings 23:6; 1 Kings 16:33, etc.). These images were also sometimes made of silver or of carved stone (2 Kings 21:7; “the graven image of Asherah,” RSV).

Brown, Drivers Briggs Hebrew Lexicon states: Ashera(h) = “groves (for idol worship)” a Babylonian (Astarte)-Canaanite goddess (of fortune and happiness), the supposed consort of Baal…sacred trees or poles set up near an altar.

The Tanakh (Hebrew Scriptures) makes reference to these pagan goddesses in numerous places: “And YHWH will strike Israel, so that it will be like a reed swaying in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that He gave to their forefathers and scatter them beyond the River, because they provoked YHWH to anger by making Asherah poles… They also set up for themselves high places, sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree” (1 Kings 14:15, 23).

“Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table” (1 Kings 18:19).

“When all this had ended, the Israelites who were there went out to the towns of Judah, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. They destroyed the high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin and in Ephraim and Manasseh. After they had destroyed all of them, the Israelites returned to their own towns and to their own property” (2 Chronicles 31:1).

“By this, then, will Jacob’s guilt be atoned for, and this will be the full fruitage of the removal of his sin: When he makes all the altar stones to be like chalk stones crushed to pieces, no Asherah poles or incense altars will be left standing” (Isaiah 27:9).

“I will uproot from among you your Asherah poles and demolish your cities” (Micah 5:14).

See also: Exodus 34:13; Deuteronomy 7:5, 12:3, 16:21; Judges 6:25, 26, 28, 30; 1 Kings 15:13, 16:33; 2 Kings 17:10, 16, 18:4, 21:3, 7, 23:4, 6, 7, 14, 15; 2 Chronicles 14:3, 15:16, 17:6, 19:3, 24:18, 33:3, 19; Isaiah 17:8.

Clearly there is an Easter festival mentioned in the Set Apart Scriptures and it is very clearly an abomination unto YHWH and His Mashiyach! Seeing also a consistent linkage of Asherah with poles, trees and groves, a very similar “feast” as mentioned in Tanakh that has been co-opted into another very well known Christian holiday:

“Hear what YHWH says to you, O house of Israel. This is what YHWH says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by signs in the sky, though the nations are terrified by them. For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel. They adorn it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter. Like a scarecrow in a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do no harm nor can they do any good.” No one is like you, O YHWH; you are great, and Your Name is mighty in power. Who should not revere You, O King of the nations? This is your due. Among all the wise men of the nations and in all their kingdoms, there is no one like you. They are all senseless and foolish; they are taught by worthless wooden idols. Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphas. What the craftsman and goldsmith have made is then dressed in blue and purple – all by skilled workers. But YHWH is the true Elohim; He is the living Elohim, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath. “Tell them this: ‘These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens’” (Jeremiah 10:1-11).

Asher/Astarte/Eostre/Ester derived her power from her male counterpart Baal who, not to be outdone, had a festival of his own under his other title Molech:

“As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to YHWH his Elohim, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammorites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of YHWH; he did not follow YHWH completely, as David his father had done. On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammorites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods” (1 Kings 11:4-8). Notice that Ashtoreth (another name for Asherah), is linked to her consort Baal, here alternatively named Molech.

Here is what YHWH caused to happen to that “old time religion”: “He also tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes, which were in the temple of YHWH and where women did weaving for Asherah. Josiah brought all the priests from the towns of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He broke down the shrines at the gates – at the entrance to the Gate of Joshua, the city governor, which is on the left of the city gate. Although the priests of the high places did not serve at the altar of YHWH in Jerusalem, they ate unleavened bread with their fellow priests. He desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech”(2 Kings 23:7-10). Notice that the pagan priests were associating their festivals with the unleavened bread of Passover season, just as they did with the European version of the same fertility goddess who gives Easter her name.

Christian carry-over

Christianity has transferred pagan rites and the very name of a pagan celebration into the Resurrection of the Mashiyach! To top off their celebrations most Christians dishonor the Jewish Mashiyach by putting a “traditional” Easter ham on their tables! This is a clear and defiant demonstration of disrespect toward Mashiyach Y’shua, yet Easter and its trappings is painted by the majority of Christians as acceptable behavior for Christians. Christ-ian means to be “Christ-like” but Easter and its pagan trappings are entirely against Mashiyach!

Renewed Covenant writings clearly warn against the same consort of Asherah and all form of paganism: “But Elohim turned away and gave them over to the worship of the heavenly bodies. This agrees with what is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the desert, O house of Israel? You have lifted up the shrine of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon’” (Acts 7:42-43).

“I ask then: did Elohim reject His people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. Elohim did not reject His people, whom He foreknew. Don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah – how he appealed to Elohim against Israel: “Master YHWH, they have killed your prophets and torn down your alters; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”? And what was Elohim’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by favor” (Romans 11:1-5).

“Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: you have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitians. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and fight against them with the sword of my mouth… I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. But her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of foods sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her into a coffin, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the assemblies will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds” (Revelation 2:14-16, 20-23).

Note that Balaam mentioned here is not the false god Baal, nor is this Jezebel woman the same as the nemesis of Elijah. However, these names being referenced in Revelation draw very clear and direct links to the Tanakh and are certainly not coincidental!

If any Christian reader should still believe it acceptable to co-opt practices of pagan origin to honor Mashiyach Y’shua, then Rav Shaul addresses such shameful indifference with these words: “Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to Elohim, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of YHWH and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the YHWH’s table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse YHWH’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?” (1 Corinthians 10:19-22)

The earliest record of Christians Easter is on connection with the visit of Polycarp (the bishop of Smyrna) to Anicetus (the bishop of Rome) in 154-155 AD for the purpose of maintaining Pesach observance. Polycarp was a disciple of John. He was known to have discourse with the original disciples of Mashiyach and he was a faithful follower of Mashiyach for eighty six years. Polycarp represented the ancient observance of Pesach through the night of the fourteenth of Nisan (the first month of the Jewish calendar), which is both the Torah and the Renewed Covenant Passover, regardless of what day of the week it might fall on our Gregorian calendars. Anicetus argued for a new calendar that would cause “Easter” to always fall on a Sunday. By changing the original date for Pesach, which Mashiyach and all his original disciples followed, the post-apostolic founders of the church used a syncretistic effort to bring paganism into the pews, which is clearly the work of the “anti Christ.”

Conclusion: What shall be done then?

All followers of Mashiyach must with full assurance mark and celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Mashiyach Y’shua which occurred on Pesach (Passover). If this feast seems “too Jewish” Christians would be well advised to consider whether they prefer to follow the Messiah who came through the tribe of Judah, or a Messiah who is a product of pagan culture. Rather than following dates and feasts that accommodate pagan culture, true Christians (Christ-like ones) are called to imitate Mashiyach who gave his life to raise up a Set Apart people.

John writes: “After this I saw another Messenger coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. With a mighty voice he shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.” Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues; for her sins are piled up to heaven, and Elohim has remembered her crimes. Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup. Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself, in her heart she boasts, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.’ Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is Master YHWH, Elohim, who judges her” (Revelation 18:1-8).

All of us understand the metaphor behind, “Come out of her (Babylon) my people.” It refers to all false religious authorities and ideals, but most don’t realize that this passage is also very literal: “With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true favor of Elohim. Stand fast in it. She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark” (1 Peter 5:12-13).

Keefa (Peter) is writing from Babylon, where a group of ex-pagans have turned to Mashiyach and are gathered together in the Name of YHWH. One must remember that Babylon was home to the largest population of Jews who lived outside of Israel. Keefa and Mark, in fact, viewed their mission to the Babylonian assembly as so critical that it is very likely Keefa’s testimony took shape here, eventually becoming the Gospel According to Mark. This assembly would become part of the group that preserved the original Aramaic New Testament. Today we know them as the Church of the East (COE), but originally they were called as Assembly of the Nazarenes! This body of believers literally had to flee Babylon as it was rife with paganism. While some may criticize the COE understandably for adopting Western traditions, one fact is indisputable: These Aramaic Christians knew the truth regarding the origin of “Easter” and they ran from it as fast as they could! Instead, they marked the occasion of Y’shua’s great triumph by honoring it as Qyamteh D’Maran (Resurrection Day).

“Easter” is clearly the “sacred” female partner of two deities that are associated with murdering children; therefore, at a minimum the pagan name of Easter must die from the lips of every true Christian! There is, however, another level that takes the occasion of the Resurrection to a much purer place: Celebrating the Passover as Y’shua and his followers originally did, and as Rav Shaul and other Netzarim continued to do for decades afterwards, even to this day. Every true Believer should celebrate Passover according to the true Gospel that is from everlasting, which is the Word of YHWH, not the traditions of men!

Y’shua said, “Blessed are those who do His Commandments, for they shall be given the right to the Tree of Life and will be allowed to enter into the city” (Revelation 22:14).