Genesis 1:1

The very first verse in the Bible is one of the most quoted verses of all. To many it is a very simple concept that does not need much thought in order to understand it. But the fact of the matter is that it is so simple because it has lost so much meaning and value when it was translated from Hebrew into the other languages. The result of this is that in every English Bible, this verse is not correctly translated.

The Hebrew language is filled with such a large amount of knowledge and wisdom that cannot be translated into any other language. Every single Hebrew word has a much deeper meaning than anyone could imagine.

In order to really understand the Word of the Almighty, one needs to examine each and every word in detail first. Once you can do this, then you can start seeing the true value of the Word of the Almighty and His true will. You will also start seeing many things that are simply just not in any English Bible at all. This is because it is impossible to translate.

Let us try and examine the very first verse of the entire Scriptures, but in the Hebrew, and let us see how much more we can learn, even from one small verse, by examining it in detail. You might even see truths that you have never seen before in your life. You must also keep in mind that in order to really understand the Hebrew, then you have to read it with a Hebrew mindset and with a Hebrew cultural understanding and not from a westernized mindset. This is because it was written in Hebrew and for the Hebrew people.

Let us first read Genesis1:1 together in the English King James Version Bible, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1 KJV). The idea that almost everyone gets from this verse  is that there was a single beginning of all time and that “God” (who is the only supreme being) created the universe from scratch in this time. Is there anything else that we can understand from this verse, even if we look at it in more detail? Well, I certainly cannot.

Now let us look at this exact same verse in the Hebrew text:

בראשׁית ברא אלהים את השׁמים ואת הארץ׃

 (B’reishit 1:1)

(b’reishit bara Elohim et hashamayim v’et ha’aretz)

Now we are going to analyze every single word and see what the meaning is of every word, and then put it all together again and then see what it really means.

The very first word (בראשׁית) b’reishit

“b’reishit” is a very interesting word, but has simply been translated as “In the beginning,” the word “b’reishit,” however, does not really mean “In the beginning.” Let me explain.

Firstly, we need to break up the word and find its root. Every single Hebrew word has a root word which gives it its particular meaning. The root word of “b’reishit” is the Hebrew word “reishit.” Now if you go throughout the Scriptures, you will notice that the word “reishit” is almost always translated as “first fruit.” This is because this is the meaning of this word and all other uses of this word comes from the concept of “first fruits”

The “beit” or “b’….” in front of the word “b’reishit” is a prefix which means “in” or “in a.” So far we can see that it means “in a first fruit.” Suddenly we can see a whole new concept from the very first word already. Let me explain what I mean.

What is needed for a first fruit? Does it just appear? Or does one need to work the ground, plant the seed, give the plant food and water, prune the plant and protect it from the elements, birds and insects? Only after all the effort of planting and looking after the plant so that it can grow into a tree, then only can it produce a first fruit.

Now there is also the Hebrew word “rosh” found in the word “reishit.” In fact, the word “rosh” is the root word of the word “reishit.” The meaning of “rosh” is head which can also be used for the concept of “top”, “beginning”, “start”, “summit” or even “chief”

So the proper meaning of the first word “b’reishit” is “in the head (start) of a first fruit”

Now the question is, what preparations needed to be going on before Genesis 1:1 in order that it speaks of “a first fruit” instead of “the beginning”? Was the earth created out of nothing? Well, let us carry on reading to answer these questions.

The second word (ברא) bara

The Hebrew word “bara” is usually translated as “create” in the English translations. According to most theologians, the word “create” is understood to mean “to make something out of nothing.” This definition is an abstract concept with no concrete foundation and is therefore not a Hebrew concept.

In Genesis 2:7 it states that the Almighty “formed” man. The Hebrew word translated as “formed” is the verb rxy “yatsar” and is best understood as the process of pressing clay together to form an object such as a figurine. We can plainly see from this verse that man was made from something; however, in Genesis 1:27 we read, according to most translators, “God created man.” As we have discovered, man is made from something, therefore the word “create” in Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:27 cannot mean to make something out of nothing.

If the word “bara” does not mean “create” then what does it mean? By examining other passages where this word appears, we can begin to uncover its true meaning.

“‘Why do you kick at My slaughtering and My offering which I have commanded in My Dwelling Place, and esteem your sons above Me, to make yourselves fat (bara) with the best of all the offerings of Yisra’ĕl My people?” (1 Sam 2:29).

Believe it or not, the word “bara” is translated as “fat” in the verse above and is the original concrete meaning of this word. What does it mean in Genesis 1:1 when it literally says, “Elohim fattened the heavens and the earth”? When an animal is chosen for the slaughter, it is placed in a pen and fed grain so that it can be fattened, or “filled up.” This idea of “filling up” is now more relevant to the next verse.

“And the earth became formless and empty (unfilled)…” (Genesis 1:2)

With a better understanding of the word bara we can now also see the meaning of Genesis 1:27. “And Elohiym filled (bara) the man with his image, with his image he filled (bara) him, male and female he filled (bara) them”

The Hebrew word translated as “image” above is “tselem” meaning an outline of a shadow, a representation or image of the original. Once Elohim “formed” the man, he filled him up with a representation of Himself.

So the Hebrew word “bara” is more accurately translated as “fattened” or in this instance “filled”

The third word (אלהים) Elohim

This is a noun referring to the Almighty. This noun denotes the Almighty in His attribute of Justice, as Ruler, Lawgiver and Judge of this world. By using this Name exclusively in the narrative of “Creation”, the Torah indicates that Justice is the ideal state of this world, meaning that man should be treated exactly as he deserves, according to his deeds. However, because man is not virtuous enough to survive such harsh scrutiny, the Almighty added His attribute of Mercy to the story of “Creation” (Genesis 2:4), so that judgment would be tempered with mercy.

The root word for the noun “Elohim” is hla (Eloah) meaning "power." This word is used for anyone or anything which, has "power" and is often translated as "God" in the English Bibles. The suffix ~My at the end of the noun Myhla (Elohim) is a suffix which denotes a plural for masculine nouns. While English plurals convey quantity (more than one), Hebrew plurals convey quantity or quality (very large or great). The word Myhla can be translated as "mighty ones" (quantity) or "a great mighty one" (quality). The idea of "a great mighty one" is generally written in the English Bibles as "God" which is a perverse translation as the word “God” originates from pagan idolatry.

So the word “Elohim” refers to the Might and Power and Ruler attributes of the Almighty.

The fourth word (את) et

This word ta is used over 11,000 times (and never translated into English as there is no equivalent) to point to the direct object of the verb. It is a sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative. Basically it means that the word after this one is the subject of the sentence.

Many people falsely claim that because the Messiah said that he is the alef and the tav, the first and the last (Rev 22:13) that he created the heavens and the earth. They make these claims because of this very little word (et) found in this verse. It is spelled, "alef tav" and is the first and the last letter of the Hebrew language. It does not, in any way, mean that the Messiah created the heavens and the earth, which is not in line with the rest of the Scriptures

What we can say is that the heavens and the earth were created through the Words of the Almighty. It is even an indication of how we know that the original language of the world, and the language of the Almighty, is that of Hebrew. 

The fifth word (השׁמים) hashamayim

This is a very interesting word that is typically translated as “the heavens” which is not really wrong at all. Even though it is correctly translated as ‘heavens’ it has a much more descriptive meaning that explains what and where the heavens are.

The first letter “hey” is the prefix which means “the.” The next two letters (shin and mem) make up the root word “sham” which means “there” referring to the sky. The last two letters (yud and mem) “…iym” is the suffix which makes the word plural.

Now the interesting part of this word is that the Hebrew word “mayim,” which means “water” also appears in this word, which gives the meaning of “between the waters.”

Now this gives us a very different understanding of Revelation 22:1 which says, “And he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of Elohim and of the Lamb”

So the Hebrew word “shamayim” gives a meaning of “there between the waters” but is translated as “heavens” which is not incorrect. The Hebrew word just gives a better understanding of where the heavens are.

The sixth word (ואת) v’et

This word is the exact same word as the fourth word mentioned above. The only difference is that it has the prefix (extra letter in the beginning) “vav.” Now when the “vav” is added to a word as a prefix, it then mean “and.” Therefore, the word “v’et” is translated as “and” because of the “vav” in the beginning of the word.

The seventh word (Xrah) ha’aretz

The last word in this verse is the word “eretz” which means, land, ground, earth, world, country, field or nation. It always depends on the context of the sentence to which one it means at that time. In this verse it means Earth. The word eretz has the prefix “ha” in front of it which means “the” so the word “ha’aretz” means “the Earth.”

Conclusion

So the literal translation on Gen 1:1 is the following, “In the start of a first fruit the Mighty One filled the heavens and the earth”

Does this not give us a very different story to the mainstream translations out there? For us to really understand the Word of the Almighty, we need to learn His language as it has a far deeper meanings of words than our other languages.

Just to leave you with a question that you can search for… what first fruit is being spoken of in Genesis 1:1?

Chag Shavuot proves that the Lunar Sabbath is false

I have been debating many of the people who follow the Lunar Sabbath theory and have not gotten one piece of evidence from them to even consider the Lunar Sabbath to be true. The best argument I have seen from them so far is that of the counting of the “Omer” to the Feast of Weeks or “Chag Shavuot”. Let me explain to you how they see it, and then I will show you why their theory is totally incorrect.

The Lunar Sabbatarians count to Shavuot

They claim that in order to work out when Shavuot is, you need to observe 7 complete Sabbaths, and then the day after the 7^th Sabbath, then you start counting 50 days. (and yes, they really do believe this). The only reason these people come to such a conclusion is because their false doctrine of the moon phase determining the Sabbath, does not work out according to the Scriptural requirements, so they have to create their own requirements in order to believe the lie. (which is not found in the Torah at all)


To justify this false doctrine, they even go as far as to say that Shavuot was when Mosheh came down from the mountain with the tablets where the Ten Commandments were written on by Elohim Himself. They also say this is when Aaron declared a festival on that day. All this falls in the 4^th moon (or month). Keep this in mind as I will be explaining the truth about this further down in this article.

Please also note that this is one of the many views within the lunar sabbath community. There is certainly no cosistancy in this false doctrine as none of them can agree on many points, they are all trying to defend their belief without any facts. That is why they all have very different oppinions. 

As soon as you accept the true Scriptural calendar, then there are no inconsistancies or disagreements among its followers as it is very plain and easy to understand.

Now let us see what the real count to Shavuot is

To get a good idea of what and when Shavuot is, we need to look at the Hebrew meaning of the word, and also learn what Shavuot is all about. When we put these ‘clues’ together, you will see that the Lunar Sabbath is so silly and the people who follow it do not follow what the Torah of YHWH teaches, but are disobedient to the Word of YHWH.

Let us have a look at what Shavuot represents. We need to go to the Scriptures to learn about this as the Scriptures are the ultimate authority as it is the Word of the Almighty.

“And from the morrow after the Sabbath (That falls within the feast of unleavened bread Matzot), from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you shall count for yourselves: seven completed Sabbaths. Until the morrow after the seventh Sabbath you count fifty days, then you shall bring a new grain offering to יהוה (YHWH)” (Lev 23:15-16)

Here we can see exactly when Shavuot is. As it clearly states that the count of fifty days will be completed at the day after the seventh Sabbath, we have to read this with a Hebrew mindset and not an English mindset, a native Hebrew will always read it this way as it is a Hebrew idiomatic phrase. We can even see this from the actual word Shavuot (Z«R§A¡[). This word is a plural word for shavua, which means “week”. It also comes from the root word “sheva” which means “seven” and “oath”. So here we can see that Shavuot comes from the word “seven” and “week” meaning that the count to Shavuot is a count of 7 weeks of 7 days each which is an oath given to us from YHWH Himself, just like the Scriptures teach us. Then the Torah goes on to teach us that Shavuot is on the day after the seventh Sabbath which MUST be the total of a 50 day count. (This is common Hebrew thought and understanding).

But let us do the maths quickly

7 days x 7 weeks = 49 days + the day after the 7^th Sabbath = 50 days.

Hey, this works out 100% according to how the Torah teaches us to work out when Shavuot is, EVERY SINGLE TIME.  Now the maths for the lunar Sabbath will never work out this way.

Let us do the maths for the lunar Sabbath.

7 days x 7 weeks = 49 days + day after 7^th sabbath + new moon day + conjunction day = 52 days + another 50 days = 102 days. (Even if you do not add the extra 50 days, it still does not add up to 50 days)

This just does not work out according to the requirement of the Torah. (This alone should be proof that the lunar Sabbath is totally false)

Let us look at another point of view, “In the third month after the children of Yisraĕl had come out of the land of Mitsrayim, on this day they came to the Wilderness of Sinai” (Exodus 19:1). Here we can see, if we read further, that the Ten Words (Commandments) were given during this month. Notice here that it was in the third month, that the ‘Torah’ was given to the Israelites. Here the Ten Commandments were spoken the men of Yisra’el directly from YHWH Himself. All the men of Yisra’el heard the voice of YHWH as he spoke these words to them.

Now I have had one of the lunar Sabbath followers ask me where it is written that the giving of the Torah is connected to Shavuot? Really? No wonder these people follow such silly false teachings, because they do not have any knowledge of the Torah whatsoever.

If Shavuot is not about the giving of the Torah (Ten Words) to the Israelites, then what is it about? What Jewish sect, or Torah followers do not read Exodus 19-20 on Shavuot? Even the other lunar Sabbath guys proclaim this (There is no unity within this false teaching as it is one big confusing mess).

Well, it is just a few ignorant people within the lunar Sabbath sect that believe this. The rest believe that Shavuot is calculated as 7 complete Sabbaths plus an extra 50 days. They say that Shavuot must fall in the 4^th moon (or month) as that is when Mosheh came down from the mountain with the Tablets where the Ten Commandments were written on. They also say this is when Aaron declared a festival for the people of Yisra’el. But let us examine this in a little more detail.

What really happened on that day when Mosheh came down from the mountain with the Tablets of stone in his hands? And what feast did Aaron declare at that time? Once we learn these things, we can see exactly who the lunar Sabbath people are following and what feasts they keep.

We can find al these things in Sh’mot (Exodus) 32, let us read together, “And when the people saw that Mosheh was so long in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Arise, make us mighty ones who go before us. For this Mosheh, the man who brought us up out of the land of Mitsrayim, we do not know what has become of him.” And Aaron said to them, “Take off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”

 “And all the people took off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he took this from their hand, and he formed it with an engraving tool, and made a moulded calf. And they said, “This is your mighty one, O Yisra’ĕl, that brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim!” (Exodus 32:1-4)

Here we can see that Aaron made a golden calf for the nation of Yisra’el to worship. Let us read further, “And Aaron saw and built an altar before it. And Aaron called out and said, “Tomorrow is a festival to יהוה (YHWH).” And they rose early on the next day, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play” (Exodus 32:5-6)

Aaron went as far as to call the golden calf by the Name of YHWH, and declared a festival in honor of the golden calf. What do you think YHWH thought of this what the people had done? Let us see, “And יהוה (YHWH) said to Mosheh, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Mitsrayim (Egypt) have corrupted themselves. “They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a moulded calf, and have bowed themselves to it and slaughtered to it, and said, ‘This is your mighty one, O Yisra’ĕl, who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim (Egypt)!” (Exodus 32:7-8)

So the people who were feasting were those that corrupted themselves and followed after things that the Almighty specifically told them not to do. YHWH even wanted to destroy them completely, but Mosheh convinced Him not to do so (Exodus 32:10-14).

Now when Mosheh came down from the mountain with the two Tablets of stone, where the Ten Commandments were written, did he give them to Yisra’el, did Yisra’el receive the Torah on this day, as the lunar Sabbath people claim? Let us see what the Torah teaches us about that, “And Mosheh turned and went down from the mountain, and in his hand were the two tablets of the Witness, tablets written on both their sides, written on the one and on the other. And the tablets were the work of Elohim, and the writing was the writing of Elohim engraved on the tablets” (Exodus 32:15-16). So Mosheh did have the Tablets of the Commandments with him. Let us read further.

“And it came to be, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. And Mosheh’s displeasure burned, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain” (Exodus 32:19). So as you can see, Mosheh was furious with the people and threw down the Tablets and broke them. So did Yisra’el receive the Torah or the Ten Commandments on this 4^th month festival? Definitely not, and did this festival honor YHWH, the true Elohim? Definitely not, it was in honor of a pagan golden calf.

If you read on, you will see that Mosheh destroyed the golden calf, ground it up, threw it into the water and made the people drink the water. He also commanded the death of about three thousand men that day.

Now we know that Shavuot is in the 3^rd month (moon), and NOT in the 4^th month, so let us do the maths again. Let us say that the start of the count is from the middle of chag Matzot (the Feast of unleaven bread) the 18 Aviv (first month).

(click here to see when the start of the count to Shavuot begins)

18^th of the first month + 30 days = 18^th of second month + 20 days = 7^th or 8^th of the THIRD MONTH. (30 +20 = 50)

Hey look…. Once again, we have a perfect calculation according to the requirements of the Torah for when Shavuot is. Can we get to this Torah requirement by using the lunar Sabbath calculation? Well let us do the maths and see where we land up.

18^th of the first month + 30 days = 18^th of second month + 22 days = 9^th or 10^th of the third month + 50 more days = 28^th or 29^th of the Fourth month or the 1^st of the Fifth month (and could even be later if the conditions allow)

Oops, once again, this does not meet the Torah’s requirement at all. How can anyone who claims to follow the Torah, continue to follow the false lunar Sabbath that does not meet any of the Torah’s requirements? Only those who do not have a love for the truth will follow the lunar Sabbath.

So how is the Sabbath worked out?

The week is a continual cycle of 7 days without any interruptions like “new moon days” we can know this just by the Hebrew word for week, which is “shavua”, and its root word is “sheva” which just happens to be seven. The root word for Shabbat is also “sheva” proclaiming the 7^th day of the week to be the Sabbath. “Sheva” also has the meaning of “oath” proclaiming the Sabbath to be an oath between YHWH and those who keep His 7^th day Sabbath.

Now for another nail in the coffin for the lunar Sabbath

We read in Exodus 23:10-12 that the Sabbath of the land is a continual cycle of 7 years where there are 6 years of sowing and gathering the produce of the land and the 7^th year is the Sabbatical (Sabbath year) where the land rests. This is the exact same model given to us for the weekly Sabbath. Now it is clear that the Sabbatical year is not governed by any moon cycle, but is governed by 1 day representing 1 year.

So if there is no new moon “year” or conjunction “year” then how is it possible that there is one for the weekly Sabbath? YHWH is constant and keeps to the same models and instruction as a remembrance of His work of Creation.

Now the Jubilee year is calculated with the same model as used for Shavuot. The day after the 7^th Sabbatical year is the Jubilee which occurs every 50 years 7 x 7 years = 49 years +1 year = 50 years. Wow… The Almighty gave us such absolute evidence and cycles using the same models as the other created cycles to show us what the absolute truth is.

Let us look at some Historical Data 

Historical information can be helpful if we are trying to discern the truth of something that doesn't seem very clear to us from scripture. Although I believe the scriptures speak clearly about the seventh day Sabbath always occurring every seventh day, referencing historical works may be helpful for some who are not yet convinced. 

Lunar Sabbath keepers love to quote from a few Encyclopedic references which say that the week was originally tied to the lunar cycle. If we rely on such Encyclopedias to tell us about historical data, we might indeed wonder if the moon had something to do with setting the weeks. 

When researching this topic historically, we don't need to go any further in history than the time period that Yehoshua the Messiah was born into. We do know that He kept the Sabbath day and we know that He kept it on the same day as the rest of the Jews in His day. For example: 

“So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read” (Luke 4:16)

The first century disciples also did the same:

“Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures” (Acts 17:2)

So, for me the question is whether or not there are any first century eyewitnesses that may enlighten us as to whether the Jews of that time kept the Sabbath by the moon, or by a recurring seven day week. 

Can we find a clear answer to this question? Absolutely. 

To find a clear answer to this question, we will examine the Talmud, the Dead Sea Scrolls and Josephus

1. The Talmud

First of all, please understand that I do not believe in following the Talmud or looking at it as being authoritative for doctrine 

I'm not going to be using it for the purposes of telling anyone how or when to keep the Sabbath, except that we can know that the Messiah was in agreement with the weekly Sabbath of 1st century Judaism. Therefore, we will only use the Talmud to help us understand what views of 1st and 2nd century Judaism actually were. 

The Talmud is a pretty good source because although it was compiled about 130 years after the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem, parts of it act as a historical reference for things that were going on when the temple was still standing. 

The Talmud is composed of three parts. There is the Mishnah, which is the central focal point of the whole Talmud. There is the Gemara, which is a commentary on the Mishnah. Then there is Rashi's commentary on both. 

The Mishnah simply records the beliefs of 1st century Judaism. It speaks often about the views of two Jewish scholars called Shammai and Hillel. They were leaders of two (often opposing) schools of thought, called "houses." Hillel and Shammai lived from c. 50 BCE to 50 CE so they were alive during Yehoshua's ministry on the earth.

The Talmud records some 300+ differences of opinion between both houses. In Judaism, the views of the house of Hillel (Beth Hillel) usually prevailed over the views of the house of Shammai (Beth Shammai). 

As you will see, the Talmud is pretty clear that the Lunar Sabbath was not observed by Beth Hillel, Beth Shammai, or any Jewish man living in the first century. 

(please keep in mind that the lunar sabbatarians very often, try use the writings of Hillel to support the false theory of the lunar Sabbath. They have to twist his writings and use them out of context in order to do so)

In our first example, we will examine a difference of opinion between Hillel and Shammai on what blessing needed to be recited if the "new moon falls on a Sabbath." 

"R. Zera replied: The New Moon is different from a festival - Since its mention is included in the benediction on the sanctity of the day in the morning and evening prayers it is also included in that of the additional prayer. But do Beth Shammai uphold the view that the mention of the New Moon is to be included? Was it not in fact taught: If a New Moon falls on a Sabbath, Beth Shammai ruled: One recites in his additional prayer eight benedictions and Beth Hillel ruled: Seven? This is indeed a difficulty." Talmud - Mas. Eiruvin 40b

Of course, if they were keeping the Lunar Sabbath, the New Moon can never fall on a Sabbath because the Lunar Sabbath is never on the first day of the month. This difference of opinion wouldn't have been recorded if they kept the Lunar Sabbath. 

Next, we will see that the Mishnah records what the first century temple priests did with the non-meat portions of the Passover Lamb:

"Mishnah. The bones, and the sinews, and the nothar of the paschal lamb are to be burnt on the sixteenth. If the sixteenth falls on the Sabbath, they are to be burnt on the seventeenth, because they do not override either the Sabbath or the festival." Talmud - Pesachim 83a

With the Lunar Sabbath, there is no such thing as the sixteenth day of the month falling on the Sabbath. These are not men who are trying to figure out how to fit a weekly Sabbath into Babylonian life, it is a reference to the acts of first century priests who certainly did not keep the Lunar Sabbath. These are the practices observed during the temple era when Yehoshua and His disciples lived. 

The Mishnah also recorded the following rule regarding the meal offerings:

"Mishnah. A man may offer a meal-offering consisting of sixty tenths and bring them in one vessel if a man said, I take upon myself to offer sixty tenths, he may bring them in one vessel. But if he said, I take upon myself to offer sixty-one tenths, he must bring sixty in one vessel and the one in another vessel; for since the congregation bring on the first day of the feast of tabernacles when it falls on a Sabbath sixty-one tenths as a meal-offering, it is enough for an individual that his meal-offering be less by one tenth than that of the congregation." Talmud - Menachoth 103b

Obviously, this is a record of what went on while the temple was still standing because after that time, there would be no place to take it. With a Lunar Sabbath, there is never a time when the first day of the feast of Tabernacles falls on any day other than the Sabbath (15th day of the seventh month). 

Obviously, the recorded practices of first century Judaism while the temple still stood indicate that they did not keep a Lunar Sabbath. They kept the Sabbath on a recurring, seven day week just as it is given in Genesis chapter 1, independent of the moon cycle. Therefore, since Yehoshua kept the Sabbath along with the rest of the Jews of that period, He did not participate in a Lunar Sabbath, a doctrine that doesn't appear to exist in Judaism at that time.

I should also mention that if you ever read the Talmud in depth, you will come away with one clear impression: They debated about almost everything. Something as major as a change in when the Sabbath is observed ought to have been at least debated somewhere. After all, they debated every little fine point of the law! The lack of such a debate speaks volumes.

2. The Dead Sea Scrolls and Josephus

The Dead Sea Scrolls are considered by scholars to be authored by the Essenes, a sect in first century Judaism. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, there are a number of extra-biblical scrolls which appear to shed light on what this sect believed and practiced. Understanding what they believed can be helpful in determining whether or not the Lunar Sabbath was being observed by mainstream Judaism of that time.

It is generally undisputed (even by Lunar Sabbatarians) that the authors of these scrolls did not keep a Lunar Sabbath. Rather, the Calendrical scroll shows that they observed a recurring seven day weekly cycle, independent of the moon phases. I know of no one who disputes this. The Calendrical Scroll and the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice confirms this.

Of course, Lunar Sabbatarians generally will teach that this Jewish sect was wrong about the Sabbath.

But in the book of Josephus, he speaks much about the Essenes. Josephus was a first century Jewish historian who wrote much about life in Judea during the first century. He goes into great detail as to how practices of the Essenes were different than others. He mentions everything from how the Essenes don't carry anything with them when they travel, to how they regard oil to be defilement. In Wars of the Jews 2:119-161, Josephus speaks of them in no less than 2000 words, describing over 100 characteristics of their way of life. 

So did Josephus mention that they kept the Sabbath on a day that was different than the rest of Judaism?

“… Moreover, they are stricter than any other of the Jews in resting from their labors on the seventh day; for they not only get their food ready the day before, that they may not be obliged to kindle a fire on that day, but they will not move any vessel out of its place, nor go to stool thereon” (Wars of the Jews 2:147)

In this, Josephus even goes so far as to say that the Essenes are "stricter than any other of the Jews in resting from their labors on the seventh day." Does it sound like there was any disagreement as to when the Sabbath was? Wouldn't it seem strange that Josephus would mention that the Essenes were stricter in their resting from labors on the Sabbath but not bother to mention that the Essenes held the Sabbath on a totally different day than the other Jews of that period? 

The fact is, if the Essenes were keeping a different day than the rest of Judaism, Josephus wouldn't have been able to say that they were even resting on the seventh day to begin with. He would have to say they were typically resting on some other day. 

There is no record in the Dead Sea Scrolls of the Essenes disagreeing with other groups as to when the Sabbath was. In fact, there is no historical record of any Jewish sects disagreeing with each other on when the Sabbath was.  

In another interesting note, Josephus speaks of one of the large towers that were built in Jerusalem:

“and the last was erected above the top of the Pastophoria, where one of the priests stood of course, and gave a signal beforehand with a trumpet, at the beginning of every seventh day, in the evening twilight, as also at the evening when that day was finished, as giving notice to the people when they were to stop work, and when they were to go to work again” (Wars of the Jews 4:582)

So his report is that a trumpet was blown at the beginning of every seventh day, to mark when the people should stop working, and begin working. As an interesting side note, archaeological finds concur with Josephus' comments about the place of trumpeting:

"When we excavated the beautifully paved Herodian street adjacent to the southern wall and near the southwestern corner of the Enclosure Wall, we found a particularly large ashlar block. On the inside was a niche where a man might stand, especially if the ashlar were joined to another which would enlarge the niche.
On the outside was a carefully and elegantly incised Hebrew inscription: LBYT HTKY ’H LHH [RYZ]; “To the place of Trumpeting to (declare).” If the restoration of the world “declare” is correct, the rest of the missing part of the inscription probably went on to tell us more about the declaring of the beginning and the end of the Sabbath.
The stone had been toppled during the Roman destruction of the Temple onto the street below where it had lain for nearly two thousand years until we uncovered it.
It must have originally come from the pinnacle of the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount. From a spot on top of the Temple chambers a priest would blow a trumpet on Sabbath Eve, to announce the arrival of the Sabbath and the cessation of all labour, and to announce, on the following evening, the departure of the Sabbath and the resumption of all labor.
The entire city was visible from this spot on the southwest corner of the Temple Mount; the clarion call of the trumpet would reach the farthest markets of the city. Such a scene is recounted by Josephus in his work, The Jewish War. (IV, 582)." Editor, H. S. 2004; 2004. BAR 06:04 (July/Aug 1980)” Biblical Archaeology Society

Josephus also records that Agatharchides, a 2nd century BCE Greek Historian, wrote something quite interesting about Ptolemy's defeat of Jerusalem:

"When Agatharchides had premised this story, and had jested upon Stratonice for her superstition, he gives a like example of what was reported concerning us, and writes thus:--
209 ``There are a people called Jews, and dwell in a city the strongest of all other cities, which the inhabitants call Jerusalem, and are accustomed to rest on every seventh day; on which times they make no use of their arms, nor meddle with husbandry, nor take care of any affairs of life, but spread out their hands in their holy places, and pray till the evening.
210 Now it came to pass, that when Ptolemy, the son of Lagus, came into this city with his army, that these men, in observing this mad custom of theirs, instead of guarding the city, suffered their country to submit itself to a bitter lord; and their law was openly proven to have commanded a foolish practice" (Against Apion 1:208)

Ptolemy was the General of Alexander the Great, who took over Jerusalem in 332 BCE. We see that the Jews would not defend themselves or take up arms on the Sabbath, which was "every seventh day." 

If I were to describe the Sabbath keeping practices of Lunar Sabbatarians, I certainly wouldn't describe their Sabbath keeping as something they did "every seventh day." Rather, I would mention that they only keep a Sabbath on certain days of the month. Therefore, it's quite evident that Josephus was describing the practice laid out for us "in the beginning" when Elohim created the first week and that is to rest every seventh day, without moon interruptions.

Conclusion

There is no indication whatsoever in the entire Scriptures that the week is not a continual cycle of seven days, and every appointed time works out 100% according to the Torah using the continual cycle of seven days.

If you follow the lunar Sabbath, then you are not keeping YHWH’s Sabbath and therefore you are not one of His people. The Sabbath is a sign between the Almighty and His people.

In fact, if you follow the lunar Sabbath, you are worshiping the golden calf, and just as Mosheh broke the Tablets of the Ten Commandments because of idolatry, so too are the lunar Sabbath people breaking the Torah of YHWH by their idolatrous festivals. You see, the festival that the lunar Sabbath people celebrate is the festival that Aaron declared for the golden calf in the 4^th month (moon), and not the festival of Shavuot.

Whoever teaches that the festival in the 4^th month is Shavuot is totally ignorant of the Torah or is just a straight out liar seeking a following. These people are not to be trusted as you can see for yourself that the Torah proves them to be liars.

I will continue to say that the lunar Sabbath teachers are idiots and liars and do not know the Torah of YHWH and should have their mouths shut. And all those who follow these people are those who do not study the Torah for themselves.

To truly have a relationship with the Almighty, you cannot follow the lunar Sabbath as it is breaking His Torah and following after other mighty ones.

You can read more about the lunar Sabbath on the following two links:

false-doctrine-no2-when-is-sabbath

lunar-sabbath-doctrine-is-stupid

When does the count to Shavuot begin?

The correct date of Shavuot is probably the most controversial and most argued about of all the appointed times of YHWH, besides Pesach. This is due to a lot of confusion created by Rabbis and other men’s ideas on when it should be. The Scripture however is very clear on this point and easy to understand. All we are to do is read the Scripture for ourselves.

The Scripture teaches us: “And from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you shall count for yourselves: seven completed Sabbaths. Until the morrow after the seventh Sabbath you count fifty days, then you shall bring a new grain offering to יהוה (YHWH)” (Lev 23:15-16). So what the Scripture is saying here is that we are to start the counting of the omer from the Sabbath that falls in the feast of unleavened bread (Matzot).

Let us first have a look at what Rabbinical Judaism teaches us when the count of the omer (that is the count till Shavuot) begins. Judaism teaches us that the first day of Matzot is a Sabbath and we are to start the count of the omer from the day after the first day of Matzot. There is one very critical error with this as we will see soon.

To understand why this is not correct, we need to fully understand the attributes of the Appointed times of YHWH. Not all His appointed times have Shabbat status.

The Hebrew word Shabbaton, which describes a specific day to have Sabbath status, is found 11 (eleven) times in the Tanach, all of which occur in the Torah of Mosheh. 6 of those times, the word is used in the phrase Shabbat Shabbaton, and the other 5 occurrences the word Shabbaton is used independent of the phrase above. The term Shabbaton is used to describe the weekly Sabbath and each of the 7th month moadim (appointments).  It also describes the 7th year rest for the land. The word Shabbaton occurs 11 times in 10 verses:  Used for: Sabbath (Shemot/Exodus 16:23; 31:15; 35:2; Vayiqra/Leviticus 23:3), Yom Teru’ah (Vayiqra/Leviticus 23:24), Yom Kippur (Vayiqra/Leviticus 16:31; 23:32), Sukkoth (Feast of Tabernacles) (Vayiqra/Leviticus 23:39 twice), every seventh year (Vayiqra/Leviticus 25:4, 5).

The word Shabbat and Sheva (Seven) are synonymous with each other and go hand in hand with each other.  The Shabbat is on the Seventh day, the land must rest (Shabbat) every Seventh year, all the appointed times of YHWH that are in the Seventh moon (month) all have Shabbat status etc. On the other side of the coin, none of the appointed times of YHWH that fall in the first and third moons have Shabbat status.

So it is very clear to see that Rabbinical Judaism have it wrong when it comes to the start of the count of the omer as the first and last days of Matzot do not have Shabbat status. So there is only one other option then to when the count must begin. This is of course from the weekly Sabbath that falls in the time period during the feast of unleavened bread (Matzot). Because of this, Shavuot will always fall on a first day of the week. 

(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!!!