It's Not a "Jewish" Thing, it's a Bible Thing... "it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings." ~ Leviticus 23:21
How Are The Correct Dates For The Feasts of the LORD Determined?
Genesis 1:14 tells us when Yahweh's calendar was created...
Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years." Notice the word month or "moon" is not mentioned. The moon does not determine seasons, days, or years.
March 20 is the beginning of months. “This month (Aviv/Abib 1 corresponds to March 20) shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you." ~ Exodus 12:2
Man has created many calendars, none of which are totally accurate.
A perfect calendar is one that conforms to the four seasons and is easy
to understand. A year consists of 365 and one-fourth days, four seasons,
and twelve months.
The equinoxes, and the solstices are the correct guidelines for an accurate calendar. These are the signs
God gave in Genesis 1:14. The phases of the moon are not necessary for
determining the length of a month. A simple calendar is one that has 5
Spring and Summer months of 31 days each for a total of 155 days. The 7
Autumn and Winter months have 30 days each for a total of 210 days. 155+
210 = 365 days.
There
are 52 Weeks in a year. A true statement, but is it accurate? 7X52 =
364 days. Where's the missing day? It isn't missing at all. There are 52
weeks and one day in a year. Now we have a true statement that is also
accurate.
Most people assume a sunset to sunset day based on Genesis 1:5 - "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."
Notice it says God called the "darkness Night", it does not say the evening was the beginning of a day.
The
sun was created on the 4th day. So what was the source of the light
when God said, "Let there be Light"? The Hebrew word for light consists
of three letters: aleph, vav, resh (pronounced ore) and was translated
"light". However, "ore" also means brightness which I believe is the better translation. Let there be brightness, not darkness.
Jacob
Milgrom (February 1, 1923 – June 5, 2010) was a prominent American
Jewish Bible scholar and Conservative rabbi. Milgrom spent most of his
career at the University of California, Berkeley, where he headed the
Department of Near Eastern Studies. He was known for his research on
Biblical purity laws and on the book of Leviticus.
Milgrom unequivocally states that the biblical day begins in daytime, not sunset, citing, for example, Genesis 19:33-34; Leviticus 7:15; Numbers 9:11, and 33:3; Judges 19:4-9; and 1 Samuel 19:11.
There are two twilights per day, sunrise AM and sunset PM. Each twilight endures for 18 degrees each day... all chickens already know this. Chickens wake up at dawn and go to roost at the evening twilight.
Noon is the moment when the Sun crosses the local meridian and reaches its highest position in the sky, except at the poles. This version of noon is also called solar noon or high noon and can be observed on a sundial. I
believe High Noon is the correct starting point for a Biblical Day. In
modern times it is expressed as AM meaning Ante-Meridian (before noon)
and PM meaning Post-Meridian (afternoon). Meridian means starting at the
highest point and returning to the highest point in a circular motion.
It isn't called High Noon for nothing. God said: Let there be Light... not let there be sunset and darkness. Remember, the sun was not created until the 4th day. ~Genesis 1:19
At
one second past noon it is afternoon that turns into evening that turns
into night and returns to daylight at Sunrise and continues to Noon.
Thus the "evening and the morning" make a Day. Sunset to Sunset and
Midnight to Midnight make a 24 hour cycle, but is it accurate? Sometimes
what we think we understand God says may be true, but is it accurate?
Every
four years the equinoxes are self-adjusting and add one day to the 12th
month for a total of 366 days. The "leap day" is a zero day because it
was not formed by the 24 hour cycle, but is made up of fragments of time
over a four year period. Therefore, the leap year does not change the
dates of Yahweh's set appointments.
The
solar calendar is a perfect calendar that even a child can understand.
Man makes things confusing and complicated. Yahweh is not the author of
confusion and makes everything simple for those with understanding. ~1 Corinthians 14:32
So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month.
(the Feast of Trumpets) ~Nehemiah 8:2
The Jewish lunar year is about eleven days shorter than the solar year and uses a 19-year cycle to bring it into line with the solar year (proving the solar calendar is correct). The Lunar calendar is the one used to determine the dates of Jewish
holidays (Not Yahweh's Holy Days). Every three years the Jewish calendar must add a 13th month. All
12 months are recorded in the Scriptures. There is no mention
of a 13th month, or for that matter, a leap day or leap year. As it is
written: Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. ~Titus 1:14
The history of lunar calendars reveals their pagan roots. Jewish Calendars, Chinese Calendars, Gregorian Calendars, and any other calendars are all man made attempts to avoid the instructions of the Creator. Read Bible Months vs Pagan Months.
Thus says the LORD (Yahweh): Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. ~ Isaiah 1:14
The
idea that the Jews have preserved a true biblical calendar is totally
erroneous. And the Gregorian calendar with the “new year” starting in
the dead of winter effectively hides the truth of Scripture. Indeed, Satan has deceived the whole world. ~
Revelation 12:9
The most reliable calendar in the universe is the sun because it never varies from its appointed course, and cannot be manipulated by man. It is so accurate that the U.S. Naval Observatory sets their atomic clock by the sun.
The Spring equinox is the beginning of months, the true Biblical New Year, just as the Autumn equinox is the first day of the seventh Biblical month. With these two immutable witnesses, we can be certain that we are following the correct seasons for the Lord’s appointed Feasts. The moon has absolutely nothing to do with keeping time, and is one of the erroneous assumptions that many people make because they believe in the traditions of the Jews. The words "new moon" means new month, not the planet or phases of the moon.
With the exception of Pentecost (Feast of Weeks), all of the Biblical Holy Days are set
from the Spring and Autumn equinoxes. That way we are never out of
season. Not complicated or confusing, even a child can understand.
YHWH's Set Appointed Times
Passover is always April 3 (Abib 14)
Days of Unleavened Bread is always April 4 to April 10
Feast of Weeks/Pentecost is 7 weeks/50 days after the Sabbath that falls within the 7 days of Unleavened Bread. Pentecost is always on a Sunday in May
Feast of Trumpets is always September 22
Day of Atonement is always October 2
Feast of Tabernacles is always October 7 to October 14
Last Great Day is always October 15
Passover
is such an important event that it’s the only Feast that God allows a
“make up”… on the 14th day of the second month of Ziv… May 3rd. Numbers
9:1-14
There are eight annual Sabbaths, called a high day in John 19:31, from the Days of Unleavened Bread to the Last Great Day. Eight is the number of new beginnings. The road to salvation begins at Passover with the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and ends with His eternal Kingdom on that Last Great Day. ~ Revelation 22:10
Passover is an annual memorial FOREVER. The blood of the Lamb over the doorposts of our hearts is the ONLY protection we have from the second death. ~ Revelation 20:6
If your Church does not keep the Feasts of the LORD, find a group to fellowship with at Feast time... http://www.feastgoer.org/index.html. You will discover that the dates for the Feasts vary from group to group, but at least they are trying to obey the LORD as best as they understand.
You are cordially invited to join Renew Your Strength Bible Study Group
The purpose of this post is to get people to think about what they believe and why they believe it, not debate who's right or wrong.
To
learn the revealed truth of God we must know and understand the true
meaning of the words God inspired to be written. Use Strong's
Concordance to check the original word before it was translated. Do your own research, make up your own mind, rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you.
