As in the days of Noah

 “And as the days of Noaḥ, so also shall the coming of the Son of Aḏam be.

 “For as they were in the days before the flood, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noaḥ entered into the תּבה (têvâh or boat)

and they did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also shall the coming of the Son of Aḏam be” (Mat 24:37-39) (see also Luke 17:26-27)

We have all read or at least heard the story of Noah and the flood that destroyed the earth and all its inhabitance, where only Noah and his wife and his sons and their wives were saved, along with all the kinds of animals in the world. This was an awesome event.

Now Y’hoshua the Mashiyach prophesied and revealed to us that the day of his return, it will be as the days of Noah. Now what does that really mean and is the world as in the days of Noah now, just before the return of the Mashiyach?

Let us see what it was like in the days of Noah. “And יהוה (YHWH) saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:5). We can also see from the verse at the top that they were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage! Does this sound evil to you? You see, we have grown up with the wrong idea of what is evil. When we hear the word “evil” we usually think of magic, Satanism, idol worship, slaughtering cats, drinking blood, witches etc. yes these are all evil, but those are the obvious ones. But that is clearly not what everyone was doing in the time of Noah, but still they were looked at as being evil continually. So what does the Almighty consider as evil?

“But the men of Seḏom were evil and sinned before יהוה (YHWH), exceedingly so” (Gen 13:13)

 “No one is greater in this house than I, and he has not withheld whatever from me but you, because you are his wife. And how shall I do this great evil and sin against Elohim?” (Gen 39:9)

“And He said to them, “Is it right to do good on the Sabbath, or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent” (Mar 3:4)

So as we can see, Evil is the opposite of good, and also defined as sin. So it is very clear that sin is evil. What is sin? Sin is the transgression of the Instruction of YHWH. So if we disobey the Torah of YHWH, we are doing evil in His eyes. Now in the days of Noah, those who were doing evil continuously, were not keeping the Instruction of YHWH.

Now let us compare this to the people of today. Are they keeping the Instruction of YHWH or are their inclinations of the thoughts of their hearts only evil continually? I will break it up in groups of peoples. I am not going to mention Satanists, pagans, spiritists, Freemasons etc. which are the obvious ones.

Atheists:

Now this is an interesting group. I started with atheists as this will also build the foundation for the rest of the groups. Now one thing that is to be remembered is that anything that is not done to the esteem of YHWH is evil. With this in mind, we can see that an atheist does not give any esteem to YHWH as he does not believe in YHWH. All the esteem goes to the atheist, which is evil.

Now even if an atheist is kind, helps an old lady across the street or even dedicates their entire lives caring for orphans, it is evil in the eyes of YHWH as the esteem they do it in is their own, NOT YHWH’s

So as we can see, an atheist’s inclination of his thoughts of his heart is evil continuously.

Hindu’s:

Here is a religion that has many “gods”, does the Instruction of YHWH not speak against this? “You have no other mighty ones against My face.

You do not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of that which is in the heavens above, or which is in the earth beneath, or which is in the waters under the earth” (Exodus 20:3-4). Clearly Hinduism is a great example of what the Instruction of YHWH was talking about. Hinduism is full of images and likenesses of things from this world.

So we can clearly derive from this that the Hindu’s are also doing evil continuously.

Buddhists:

Buddhism is not so much a religion, but more like a way of life. Although, they try live a peaceful life doing what is good in their own eyes, it is not good in the eyes of YHWH. Once again, they do not give any esteem to YHWH.

So Buddhists too are doing evil continuously.

Muslims:

Now Muslims are mostly Arabs. The Arab nation is also know as the Yishmaelites. This is because the father of the nation is Yishmael, who is the first born son of Abraham. The Muslim religion, which is the second largest religion in the world, comes from Mohammed, who originally was a student of Torah, but was later kicked out of his assembly because of his violent tactics for conversion. He held a grudge against the Jews and started his own religion, under the watchful eye of a Catholic nun whom he married. Mohammed claimed to see “Alah” in a vision who narrated the Koran to him. Now Mohammed was illiterate, so he hired scribes to write it down for him.

Now because Mohammed turned away from the Instruction of YHWH and made his own laws, he did evil in the eyes of YHWH.

So those following the Muslim faith (Islam) are doing evil in the eyes of YHWH continuously.

Christians:

Christianity is the largest religion in the world and is one of the most controversial. Just like the Jews, they believe that theirs is the true faith of the Scriptures. But the fact of the matter is that the Christian Bible comes from Scriptures that have been mistranslated, changed and other doctrines inserted into it. The Christian church has been built upon the personal doctrines of the people who built the church. It was also infused with paganism to attract the pagan worshipers too. Basically what Christianity of today is, is ancient paganism mixed with peoples opinions of the Bible. Almost ALL the traditions and practices in the Christian church originates from ancient paganism, which is still practiced today. This has caused that the Instruction of YHWH has been thrown out of the window. The sad part about this is that the majority of the followers of 

Christianity believe that what they believe is the true faith of YHWH because they have been so brainwashed into believing it. Many Christians who seek the truth for themselves realize that the teachings of the church are not Scripturally correct and leave the church. many fall into other groups that seem to know the truth but in fact is just following another mans doctrines. One must seek for yourself in Scripture, even go as far back to the original writings as possible, and not listen to any man. If any doctrine does not fall in line with the Torah, then you can be very sure that it is a false doctrine!

So we can see that the Christians are also doing evil in the eyes of YHWH continuously.

Judaism:

Now this is an interesting religion. There are also different sections of this religion, just like Christianity. Judaism is one of the most persecuted religions in the world. Israel is known to be the nation of YHWH. The Instruction of YHWH (Torah) was given to them. However, the fact of the matter is that Judaism is a religion. Even though they learn Torah very strictly from childbirth, later they also go into the study of the Talmud which adds thousands of rabbinical laws that overrules the Torah. Also a lot of sections also add Kabala, which is the Jewish esoteric mysticism. They also do not believe that Y’hoshua was the Messiah. This poses a big problem: “and every tongue should confess that יהושע (Yehoshua) Messiah is Master, to the esteem of Elohim the Father” (Phil 2:11)

 “Here is the endurance of the set-apart ones, here are those guarding the commands of Elohim and the belief of יהושע (Y’hoshua)” (Rev 14:12). You see, those who are the Set Apart Believers are those who guard to do the Instruction of YHWH and believe in His Son Y’hoshua the Mashiyach.

So as we can see, most of the Jews, if not all, are doing evil in the eyes of YHWH.

We have now covered Satanism, Atheism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism. That covers everyone one the earth. Or does it? Who is left? “Enter in through the narrow gate! Because the gate is wide – and the way is broad – that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter in through it.

“Because the gate is narrow and the way is hard pressed which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Mat 7:13-14). The path of the righteous is the most difficult path and there are only a few that find it. Those that guard to keep the Commands of YHWH and have the testimony of Y’hoshua are the Set Apart Believers. The reason that they are the most persecuted people, is because they are labeled as “legalists” by the Christian church, and also because they have the testimony of Y’hoshua, the Jews reject them too. They are also rejected by the rest of the world and its religions. “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18). “And you shall be hated by all for My Name’s sake. But he who shall have endured to the end shall be saved” (Mat 10:22). “Blessed are you when men shall hate you, and when they shall cut you off, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as wicked, for the sake of the Son of Aḏam” (Luke 6:22).

So as you can see, it is the same today as it was in the days of Noah. And there remains a small remnant of the true faith in YHWH. “Unless יהוה (YHWH) of hosts had left to us a small remnant, we would have become like Seḏom, we would have been made like Amorah” (Isa 1:9). “And in that day it shall be that the remnant of Yisra’ĕl, and those who have escaped of the house of Yaʽaqoḇ, never again lean upon him who defeated them, but shall lean upon יהוה (YHWH), the Set-apart One of Yisra’ĕl, in truth” (Isa 10:20)

Noah, who was righteous, was warned and told what was going to happen. He also had a very good idea of when it will happen. Just like Noah knew when, The Set Apart Believers have been given signs to look out for to know when the end will be. We are commanded to stay awake and watch for the return of the Mashiyach ben Dawid. “See, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who is staying awake and guarding his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.” (Rev 16:15)

“By belief, Noaḥ, having been warned of what was yet unseen, having feared, prepared a boat to save his house, through which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to belief” (Heb 11:7). “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Master is coming. And know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Because of this, be ready too, for the Son of Aḏam is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him” (Mat 24:42-44) 

(See: http://scripturaltruth101.blogspot.com/2011/06/false-doctrine-no1-when-is-start-of-new.html)

Assemblies

Ya’akov (James) stated he was writing to Jews who were scattered “among the people,” a key divergence from “nations.” He addresses Jews who were and are living among, and as Gentiles. In every culture including Jewish, there is distinction made between the people (Israel) and the peoples (everyone else). In this case the phrase b’ammeh literally means “in/among peoples” with the “b” proclitic having these prepositional meanings attached to ammeh. When we say “nation” in English, we envision a fixed place with borders and limits set by treaty and legal convention. While there are surely “peoples” living in these locations for long periods of time, we do not consider the nation dissolved if many were to pack up and leave. By contrast, James is writing to Jews of the dispersion, and his intent is clearly to pull them out from their national ties and have them return to their tribal/ethnic ones.

The reason we can be certain of this has to do with the second term: “For if there come into your assembly a man with rings of gold or splendid garments, and there come in a poor man in sordid garments” (James 2:2). Most of the time when Paul, Peter or other Renewed Covenant writers address a group of believers, they use the term eidta, the Greek equivalent is ekklisia which refers to a body of people. This term is closest to the Hebrew term adat, usually “congregation” in English (Exodus 12:3), which is indicative of a general gathering of believers.

However, in spite of its Hebrew counterpart having strong usage in Tanakh, the fact of the matter is that adat/eidta or ekklesia is a later concept that immerges in the letters of Paul and others in the Renewed Covenant. A more primitive and direct word is knooshta which James uses, usually translated as “assembly”; it is also the word from which the Israeli Cabinet, or Knesset (assembly) is derived. Knooshta is the original word from which the Greek word synagogue was derived. Ya’akov then is not only writing from his Beit Knesset (synagogue), but is sending his letter to Jewish believers among the nations about their Beit Knessets which must, by virtue of their taking instruction from James, be Netzarim: Torah observant Believers in Y’hoshua Mashiyach.

What we have then is nothing less than an international network of “Synagogues” comprised of believers in Y’hoshua Mashiyach. These “houses of meeting” as evidenced by the letter sent out from Jerusalem in Acts 15, are clearly comprised of both Jews and those who Fear Elohim (Gentile proselytes) who worship together, just as their conventional Israeli counterparts (Acts 10). The letters also serve as powerful proof that Ya’akov was the Rosh Beit Din (Head of the Beit Din) in Jerusalem, the overseer of all legal matters affecting the worship of Jews and Gentiles alike, regardless of their location.

The “assemblies” are meeting places where the Ruach haKodesh is invited and welcomed; a place of studying the Word of YHWH, prayer and all form of worship, which facilitates education and emulation of Torah values for the common good of the community. Karaites use the term Kenesa, which is derived from Aramaic to denote “Beit Knesset,” but the modern Yiddish term shul that is commonly used for a synagogue, comes from the German word for school.

Netzarim Assemblies existed as a recognized people group up until 400 CE; however, heavy opposition from both Christian and Rabbinical sources forced them underground. There are rapidly increasing numbers of people today who are interested in returning to the Netzari Faith and, in most cases, they come from either Christian or traditional Jewish backgrounds. However, whether they remain in or leave traditional religious instructions, their calling is to observe Torah and preach Mashiyach. Whether Jewish or not, Israel and her seed are they “who keep the commandments of Elohim, and have the testimony of Y’hoshua” (Revelation 12:17). This unified covenant exemplifies the Faith that is upheld by all Netzari Assemblies.

Legalism

Legalism is a theological term that was coined circa 1830 – 1840. The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines legalism as: (a) preference of the Law to the Gospel, (b) doctrine of justification by works, (c) exaltation of law, (d) formula, or (e) red tape. “Legalism” is a Christian term that Christians apply to Christians, Jews, Muslims and others who promote the function of “Law” as it pertains to righteousness and salvation. The Oxford definition postures that some individuals prefer the Law over the Gospel, pitting the two concepts against each other, when in reality the Gospel was given in conjunction with “Law.” The Law specifies what is good and acceptable conduct according to YHWH, and provides guidelines for righteousness and repentance, which are integral components of “the Gospel.”

From the ancient Hebrew letters that spell Torah (mistranslated as “the Law”), a word picture emerges that means, the “Seal or Covenant-Head of Man-Revealed.” Torah is the Covenant and Seal that YHWH progressively revealed to mankind through Adam, Noach, Awraham and all His chosen prophets and people. The word Torah contains the Hebrew sound “owr” which means light. YHWH declared through Isaiah: “to the Torah (Law) and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20). The Psalmist teaches that the Word of YHWH (Torah) is a Light unto our paths.

Torah means instruction in righteousness and is likened to a person aiming and shooting at a target. Unfortunately, sometimes we miss the mark and “sin.” A child is not expected to hit the mark as well as an adult, but when YHWH gave Torah He did not make His instructions impossible to “hit” as many have been led to believe.

The instructions (Torah) of YHWH have been progressively revealed from Adam and Chawwah (Eve) right through to Mashiyach. However, many Christians muse that Torah is “legalism” and something that is supposedly impossible to keep and, consequently, they have replaced Torah principles with the more popular Christian traditions of the post-apostolic Gentile Church founders.

We are introduced to the consequences of breaking “the Law” (Torah) in the beginning of the Bible (Genesis 3) where the very first case of blatant disobedience occurred – an act that impacted the children of Adam and Chawwah and every single generation of man since then! Because of that one act of disobedience, man has been “born into a world full of death and evil” ever since; constantly forced to battle the wiles of the Evil One and facing possible eternal separation from YHWH. Before sin, Adam and Chawwah were clothed in righteousness (the Light of Mashiyach); but haSatan exposed their nakedness through guilt, shame and condemnation. Guilt (which results from wrong-doing is spiritual separation), is a function of the Ruach haKodesh; it is a spiritual force that motivates us to make it right with YHWH and one another. The guilty parties – not knowing whether they will be forgiven their transgression until they confess and present their case – feel sorrow, emptiness, depression and despair for breaking faith and violating the peace and harmony of Mashiyach. The shame that Adam and Chawwah experienced was compounded in the knowledge that their sin had been preventable, and that they had needlessly and willingly exposed themselves to a difficult situation that caused them to risk everything without considering the consequences.

The curses against Adam and Chawwah became part of universal natural law that applies to all inhabitants of the Earth. “Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever…” (Genesis 3:22). Man was formerly a sinless and immortal being who became as the "angelic" hosts to know good and evil; therefore, YHWH provided redemption through death and resurrection. The plan of redemption is the Good News that Mashiyach demonstrated through his resurrection as the “Firstfruits” of all Creation. Mankind has always been sustained according to the Word of YHWH, “For YHWH is our judge, YHWH is our lawgiver, YHWH is our king; he will save us” (Isaiah 33:22).

Long before Y’hoshua arrived on Earth, Torah Observant Jews were teaching that “her seed” points to Mashiyach who is the foundation of all “Good News”: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15). Hebrews 4:2 states that “the Gospel was preached unto them” – therefore, those who left Egypt were given the opportunity to respond to the Gospel; therefore, the Gospel originated long before the First Century.

A popular theological spin on “the Gospel” is that “Jesus kept the Law” (Torah) so that Christians wouldn’t have to. The anti-legalist Christian purports “freedom in Christ” which is simply religious justification to break Torah and put the full responsibility and penalty of past, present and future sins upon “Jesus”. However, those branded as legalists are trusting that Y’hoshua empowers them to be renewed in body, mind, and spirit so as to put away their own carnal flesh that desires to break Torah.

There have been many lawgivers but it is YHWH’s Torah and His Mashiyach that sustains the plan of Redemption. His Word is His LAW! Therefore, all theological posturing that pits Torah against the Gospel is deception. Having Torah “written upon the heart” is at the heart of the Renewed Covenant which completes the revelation of “the Good News.”

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, unto Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be” (Genesis 49:10). The Scepter is the imperial rod of divine lawmaking and justice. YHWH holds the Scepter who is Mashiyach. The “lawgiver from between his feet” refers to the lineage of Yehudah (Judah); therefore, successive generations of Yehudah “hold” this Scepter until Shiloh (Mashiyach) takes his seat over all other “lawmakers.” Therefore, the “Way” of righteousness was, is and always will be prophetically connected through the Judaic and Hebraic-based Faith that Mashiyach Y’hoshua revealed to the world. Through belief in him, the Final Sin Sacrifice, we are able to receive YHWH’s Mercy and Favor which assures us eternal life in heaven.

Thanks to His Mercy and Favor – which in no way negates Torah! – we were loved while we were yet sinners. Therefore, how much more do we desire to please our Father? We demonstrate our acceptance of what Y’hoshua did for us by becoming a Torah observant, law abiding people. That is the meaning of the Scripture when Y’hoshua teaches:

“Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened to you. For anyone that asks will receive, and that seeks, will find. And to him that knocks, it will be opened to him. Or whom among you fathers if his son asks of him for bread, why to him would hold out a rock? And if he asks a fish of him, why to him would hold out a snake? And if, therefore, you who are imperfect know to give good gifts to your sons, how so much more your Father who is in heaven will give good to those that ask Him. All that which you desire that the sons of men should do for you, also like this you do to them. This is for Torah and the prophets. Enter by the straight door, for wide is the door and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many are they, those that go in it” (Matthew 7:7-13).

Most people understand how the Gospel works, but here’s a small example: Early in our children’s lives, we explain to them the cause and effect of good and evil. For instance, we teach them that lying is wrong and that, if the behavior continues, it can destroy their lives. After that, we praise them when they try to behave properly, and punish them whenever they misbehave or fail in their efforts to always tell the truth. Obviously, it is inconceivable to punish a child every time they fail, especially if it is evident that they are genuinely sorry and regret what they did. So instead, we continue to reinforce proper behavior and hug our children and love them even when they fail, and explain that we, too, occasionally failed to “be good” when we were children, because we all have to go through a learning process. The end result of this learning process in the lives of our children is that one day they will realize on their own that lying brings destruction, curses and shame, and it puts them in disfavor with YHWH and others because YHWH hates liars.

This is essentially what YHWH did for us through Mashiyach: Although He had every right to punish us for our disobedience, He chose not to. Instead, after the “Fall” He saw our need as His children to be instructed in righteousness and to be loved and taught. Therefore, He sent His only Son, Mashiyach Y’hoshua, to teach us face-to-face, personally demonstrating how to keep Torah and walk according to YHWH’s will. Y’hoshua demonstrated perfect patience and love towards YHWH’s creation before pouring out his own life as the Final Sin Sacrifice – which forever abolished the need for mankind to kill an innocent animal to atone for our sins. Thus, Law and Favor (Grace) have been applied in a functional way so that all YHWH’s children understand the cause and effect of sin and righteousness.

YHWH’s Good News (Gospel) is the Way of Truth which is a continuum of truth revealed of YHWH’s intent to redeem fallen man. This plan of redemption is what provided protection to Cain after he killed Abel, when YHWH showed great Favor to Cain after he murdered his brother. It was haSatan who had put the envy, hatred, evil imaginations and jealousy in Cain’s mind against his brother. The Law at that time was a spiritual consciousness, and Cain knew that he had committed murder by acting out very wicked thoughts about his brother. Fortunately for Cain, the applied Gospel kept YHWH from killing him, and ultimately also kept him from being killed by others.

In Noah’s days evil was rampant upon the Earth, much like today, and the Gospel went something like this: Get on the boat, or you’ll have to tread water for 150 days without food or fresh water… will you receive “the Gospel” and get on the boat? The Good News applied was that Noah invested 100 years of his life building a big boat. Within that span of time every human being on Earth would have heard of YHWH’s intentions to flood the Earth – but of course, the “riff raff” scorned and mocked the Gospel of Noah…

Abraham and the men of his household agreed to be circumcised and enter into Covenant with YHWH. The Gospel went like this: There is ONE ELOHIM, whose Name is YHWH; either accept the Covenant of Promise or you will not receive YHWH’s blessing. Circumcision symbolizes the separation of good from evil as a part of the flesh is cut away. “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of YHWH, to do justice and judgment; that YHWH may bring upon Abraham that which he has spoken of him” (Genesis 18:19).

Mashiyach’s followers were referred to as those of the WAY! Peter issues a clear warning when he said: “For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after having known it, to turn back from the Set Apart Commandment that was delivered to them” (2 Peter 2:21). The Gospel and “the Way of righteousness” are synonymous with the Kingdom of Elohim which advocates individual personal responsibility to uphold Torah observant, righteous conduct.

Mosheh received “Ten Commandments” written by the Finger of Elohim, but if you went your own way and kindled a fire on Shabbat or ate barbequed pork, you were “cut off” (killed) because YHWH gave us all the choice to either follow or ignore Him. That was the Gospel according to YHWH revealed by Mosheh. As a sovereign individual you can choose life or death by your obedience or disobedience; not by a cerebral theology that makes you “acceptable.” Mosheh preached the Gospel to all the Israelites; however, in the course of time the Levites (leadership) turned away from YHWH: “But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the Torah; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says YHWH of hosts. Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law” (Malachi 2:8-9).

Without “the Law” (Torah) there is no Gospel. Torah reveals and defines good from evil and reveals the elements of Covenant. About 6,000 years of human experience on this planet witnesses that YHWH’s Laws are Set Apart and Just. YHWH’s Law provides the parameters for Freedom, Peace, Justice, Judgment, Equality, protection of personal liberty and property and the protection of the sovereignty of each individual. To pit the Law against the Gospel is a false Gospel as Rav Shaul teaches:

“I am stunned into silence, as if dead, that you have so quickly forgotten Mashiyach who has called you to his favor and gone to another gospel that is non-existent, but there are men who agitated you and desired to pervert the Gospel of Mashiyach. For if us, or even a Messenger from heaven, preach outside from what was preached to you, let them be cursed. As I said before, so I say again: whichever man preaches to you outside of what you have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:6-10).

Nearly all Christian denominations ply the term “legalism” against others in one form or another. However, the second definition of legalism is the “Doctrine of Justification by Works.” Essentially any Christian who does “good works” could be disgraced as a legalist; the intentions of their hearts being judged by the naysayers as though their “good works” are done for “justification” or salvation. Rav Shaul (Paul) put it this way: “Who are you to judge another man’s servant?” (Romans 14:4).

The religious stance is that you can do nothing to bring about justification or righteousness for yourself, but in reality, Salvation isn’t a mindset as much as it is a lifestyle, and a transformation from a carnal to a spiritual man. Salvation comes about by being conformed into the Image of Elohim. Each soul must co-labor with Mashiyach for salvation which must be evident in this lifetime, in the here and now; the work or service “of the heart” is to guard the heart and mind from degradation or backsliding into a carnal, worldly lifestyle. It is ironic that the individual who Gentile Christians have discredited for bringing an end to Torah was thus spoken of: “you yourself also walk orderly, and keep the Torah” (Acts 21:24). Paul the Apostle emphatically lived and taught the importance of Torah being written upon the heart!

The dilemma many Christians face is what to do when they discover their church hierarchy has been promoting a doctrine of demons by teaching against Torah. What can be done when Christians point their fingers and call you a legalist for desiring to live according to the Word of the Living Elohim? In reality it is the power of Favor that strengthens each soul to cease from breaking Torah and to stand up for what is right. The religious power of the word “legalism” is simply designed to keep souls in bondage to false religion and keep them from leaving the comforts of “the church,” but there is a huge gulf between being imbedded in a church and being embedded in the Kingdom of Elohim! Apostle Paul taught: “As a result, Torah is Set Apart; and the Commandment is Set Apart, and righteous, and good” (Romans 7:12).

Christians who are often quick to condemn others as “legalists” have never learned the most rudimentary principles of Torah. It was the pre-incarnate Mashiyach who said: “If you shall hearken unto the voice of YHWH your Elohim, to keep His Commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the Torah, and if you turn unto YHWH your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your soul. For this commandment which I command you this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it. See, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil; In that I command you this day to love YHWH you Elohim, to walk in His ways, and to keep His Commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply: and YHWH your Elohim shall bless you in the land where you are going to posses it. But if your heart turn away, so that you will not hear, but shall be drawn away, and worship other elohim, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that you shall surely perish, and that you shall not prolong your days upon the land, wither you pass over Jordan to go to possess it. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live: That you may love YHWH your Elohim, and that you may obey his voice, and that you may cleave unto Him: for He is your life, and the length of your days: that you may dwell in the land which YHWH swore unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them” (D’varim/Deuteronomy 30:12-20).

Torah is freedom. We are either walking in Torah and are free from sin, or breaking Torah and in bondage to sin. All the religious posturing and propaganda in the world will NEVER substitute for truth and righteousness.

The fourth definition to legalism is “a formula” which is defined as: a set form of words, or something definite or authoritative, or a procedure to be followed or something prescribed for a specific occasion. However, this certainly sounds much like a “statement of faith” does it not? This fourth definition simply suggests that one denomination’s (or person’s) formula is better than yours. All preachers have their own “formulas” – the fact that they would preach, hold a “service” or teach others simply means they have their own model of belief, or “formula.” Most theologians have received their credentials from some university so they can “authoritatively teach” denominational formulae. If someone asks, “What must I do to be saved?” any answer could be construed as a “formula.” So, in reality, those who point fingers at your “formula” as “legalism” are simply suggesting that their formula is better than yours.

Finally we come to “red tape” as the fifth definition of “legalism.” Traditionally, official Vatican documents were bound in red cloth tape, and this is also where the 17^th to 18^th Century British Monarchy derived their government tradition. During the Fourth Century, the Roman Empire was “made Christian.” Rome was the “superpower” that controlled all religious and governmental matters and Rome invented her own anti-Torah, anti-Semitic and anti-Mashiyach “Christianity.” Apostle Paul issued a very strict warning: “For the mystery of iniquity does already work: only he who now will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Master shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause Elohim shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12).

The applied thinking of the term “legalism” within Christianity epitomizes the work of the “mystery of iniquity.” There is no better way to define man’s religion than “red tape.” Religion is man’s carnal response to YHWH; it makes rules, traditions, buzz words, status quo trends and puts walls between YHWH and His people. YHWH sent Mashiyach to expose and take down the false traditions of man, but many love the bondage of religious traditions far more than they love the freedom of Truth. What Mashiyach did for us came at a very great price, and it is because of what he did that his followers become empowered to observe Torah by Favor (Grace), not of our own strength lest any man should boast.

All who point their fingers at others and call them legalists are showing solidarity to their own religious tradition. Condemnation of other human beings is, in fact, acting as haShatan’s “little helper.” Where did Christians learn this ministry of condemnation? “For Elohim sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:17). “Judge not, and you shall not be judged: condemn not, and you shall not be condemned: forgive, and you shall be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). Those who label people as legalists are simply asking for judgment to fall on their heads! See Romans 14:12; James 4:10-12; 5:8-11; and Isaiah 58:9.

(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!!!