A Defense for The Biblical Calendar
December 2014 1
To the reader: The purpose of this paper is not to expostulate or argue over individual calculations comprising the Rabbinic “Hebrew Calendar”, but rather interrogate whether the “Hebrew Calendar” itself abides by the commands in scripture pertaining to the Creator’s appointed times. This paper will ask the reader to discern between scripture and traditions of men. Proficient understanding of the current “Hebrew Calendar” with all its complexities is not a prerequisite to understand this topic. Some may question why this paper includes quotations from the recent COGWA “Hebrew Calendar Study Paper.” It is important for the members of UCG to understand many of the men who authored the recent COGWA paper, also authored UCG’s “The Hebrew Calendar Doctrinal Paper”. Due to this shared authorship, statements from either paper should not be considered mutually exclusive. In fact, the two papers fundamentally agree and share identical positions on the “Hebrew Calendar”. This is only to be expected when a shared authorship has occurred. Where possible, comparable quotations from both papers will be presented together in order to illustrate a clear and common consensus. If the UCG Doctrine Committee finds it no longer agrees with past or present statements made by the former authors of its own “Hebrew Calendar Doctrinal Paper,” then reevaluation of UCG’s paper may be appropriate. 2
This paper is divided into 3 distinct parts. Section IVII covers the extensive Scriptural foundation for an Observational Based Luni/Solar Calendar, and illustrates the lack of scriptural foundation for the Calculated Rabbinic Calendar (commonly referred to as the “Hebrew Calendar”). Section VIII will demonstrate history is clear on which calendar was followed by Jesus Christ and ancient Israel. Section VIII is crucial to understanding exactly which calendar was followed by our Creator and Messiah, and thus, which calendar should be followed by His people today. The Appendix provides supporting information on the Biblical Calendar, new moons, and answers to frequently asked questions posed by nearly all COG groups in their respective calendar papers. The Appendix will contain many of the Scriptural examples of new moon observance and practical answers as to how a new covenant Christian can observe a new moon today. This author humbly requests if the Scriptural conclusions or historical information presented is found to be in error, the Doctrinal Committee demonstrate where error was made. No one is above correction, myself included. Thank you for taking the time to consider this important issue.
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Table of Contents Section I: Sufficiency of Scripture………………...………………………………………...…6 Section II: God Supplied a Calendar in Scripture……..……………………………………......9 Section III: The Lights and Signs of Genesis 1:14……………………………………………...12 Section IV: The Scriptural Command to Look for the Appearing of the New Moon…………..16 Section V: The Simplicity of God…………………………………………………………….....19 Section VI: Confusion of Man, and the Calculated Rabbinic Hebrew Calendar…….….......….26 Section VII: Do Jews Really Have the “Authority”?……...........................……………………32 Section VIII: History is Clear on Which Calendar was Observed by Jesus Christ and Ancient Israel……………….……………………………….………………...37
The Appendix: Appendix A: The New Moon: Chodesh or Molad?......................................................................52 Appendix B: The Yom Teruah Dilemma……………………...………………………..………54 Appendix C: Who in the Bible Observed New Moons?..............................................................57 Appendix D: How are Christians Supposed to Observe New Moons?........................................60 Appendix E: How to “Calculate” Appointed Times Using the Biblical Calendar ……………..63 Appendix F: Answers to FAQ’s………..……………………………………………………....65 4
*Disclaimer: This paper will present quotes made in the UCG and COGWA “Hebrew Calendar” papers for the sole purpose of demonstrating the traditional, mutual, and long held teachings of the greater COG. The intention of this paper is not to accuse, insult, or impute motive. Our desire is to turn God’s people back to His commanded precepts, while attempting to offer truth in love. No offense is intended when directly quoting UCG or COGWA’s paper.*
*All Biblical scriptures will be in red and from the King James Version*
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Section I: Sufficiency of Scripture “The Bible does not provide us the complete means for calculating a calendar.” (UCG Hebrew Calendar paper p.2) “Biblical references to the calendar are scarce and not sufficient to answer all the questions that are important for establishing calendar principles”. (COGWA Hebrew Calendar paper p.4) 2nd Tim 3:1617 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” Paul states Scripture can be: Used to establish doctrinal beliefs or correct doctrinal beliefs Instruct in righteousness Equip us to be perfect and thoroughly furnished If Paul was inspired to make this statement in regard to Scripture, why would God’s calendar be exempt? Psalm 19:7 “The Law of the LORD is perfect.” The word used for “perfect” in Hebrew is “tamiym,” meaning: whole, complete, without blemish, full. (Strong’s) If the Word of God is whole, full, and complete, we should be able to find answers on the calendar within His inspired word. “The United Church of God has chosen to accept the Hebrew Calendar as preserved by the Jews.” (UCG Hebrew Calendar paper p.3) “It is clear that over the centuries the Jews developed an incredibly accurate calendar.” (COGWA Hebrew Calendar paper p. 11).
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Which is it? Did the Jews preserve a calendar, or develop a calendar? If God’s Scripture is given for doctrine, and His Law is perfect, whole and complete, why did it take 10 centuries beyond the death of Christ to achieve an “accurate” calendar? Does this mean the calendar followed before Christ was not accurate? Did our Creator need the help of a people who denied Him to come up with immensely complex calculations over many centuries? Calculations which can only be used by a select few academic elites, and not the average COG member or minister? Is our Creator really this secretive? Or, has man complicated a matter which was originally understood by ancient Israel? Understanding that was based on Holy Scripture, and logic derived from that understanding? In Gen 1:14 our Creator declares the heavenly lights are to be used for appointed times/festivals, and a command was given to blow a trumpet at the beginning of the “moon.” (“Chodesh” Numbers 10:10) Question: Would Moses sound the trumpet declaring the new moon at a time he saw nothing in the sky? The Rabbinic Hebrew Calendar used by most of the COG today, places the beginning of each month during the time of complete darkness of the moon. Is it not reasonable to deduce, since Moses had no telescope or advanced mathematics, he understood to watch for the light of God’s moon to establish appointed times? To suppose God’s calendar has been a long journey of unclear and ever changing secretive ideas, does not appear consistent with God’s character. 1st Cor 14:33 “For God is not the author of confusion.” If God is not the author of confusion, Scripture is given for doctrine, and His Law is perfect, whole, and lacking in nothing, why would we look to men for our answers? If we are to follow men at all, shouldn’t we follow them only as they follow Jesus Christ and obey His commandments? John 8:31 “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed.” Christ’s true disciples continue in His word, and do not change away from it. As we will see in Section VIII of this paper, the Jews have openly admitted to changing away from the “former 7
system” of “direct observation” commanded in the Torah. They even admit they will one day return back to those commandments. If we are to seek truth on any subject, it must be founded and supported entirely on the Word of God. Acts 17:11 “...and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” The Bereans tested all things by the Scripture. They understood anything presented to them as truth needed to be substantiated in the Word of God, and not simply accepted because it came from the testimony of someone claiming authority. God instructs we must use sound judgment and put together instructions contained in His Word to form a complete picture. If one area of the Bible appears scarce, then we must put together what has been supplied elsewhere in the Scripture to know God’s intent and purpose. “Only the Bible can be considered ultimately reliable.” (UCG Summary of the Hebrew Calendar p.5) Scripture must be the beginning and end of any matter for God’s faithful followers. 8
Section II: God Supplied a Calendar in Scripture Psalm 104:19 “He appointed the moon for seasons:” Typically, we think of seasons as spring/summer/fall/winter. But, the Hebrew word for “seasons” is “mo’ade” which means an appointment or fixed time, specifically a festival & time of assembling. God created the moon so we could be able to calculate His Feast days. So, how does one use the moon to establish seasons, appointed times, and festival dates? Gen 1:14 “And God 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:” It is interesting David used the same word for “seasons,” as Moses did when directly quoting the Creator of the Universe. They both used the word “mo’ade.” God inspired David to say the moon is for “seasons” (festivals), and Moses to say the two LIGHTS are used for signs, “seasons” (festivals), for days and years. If the sun divides time into days, weeks and years, and the moon into months……... Then God did in fact give us a fully complete way to keep time, and determine the dates of His holy festivals. *He gave us His holy calendar!* What are the main components of any calendar? Days, weeks, months, and years. Now let’s break things down so we can understand how the lights in the firmament, the sun and moon, are sufficient to establish a complete calendar. First: By examining the way our Creator set theses LIGHTS in the firmament, we can determine the sun can only be used for days (sunset to sunset), weeks (7 sunset to sunsets), and years (365 sunset to sunsets). The sun alone CANNOT be used to determine months. Think about it: If you woke up from a coma in the middle of a month, let’s say on the 14th of that month, how would you be able to determine what day of the month it was based solely on the sun? You couldn’t. 9
Though it would be possible to count how many days and weeks pass based on the number of sunsets, you could not say what day of the month it was by using the sun only. In fact, our Gregorian calendar (based on the sun) follows no set astronomic principle in dividing a year into months. Years were divided by the Romans to pay tribute to Pagan deities like Janus, Jupiter, Mars and the like. For example, there is no set astronomical principle for making February shorter than other months. The earth does not change its orbit in February, nor does the moon. It is also important to point out the moon cannot be used accurately to begin and end days, because it does not rise and set consistently within a 24 hour period as does the sun. Therefore: Only the sun can be used for days, weeks, and years. The moon on the other hand is a visible sign (see section III) which has a set monthly cycle. (Side note: The word “month” is derived from the word “moon,” literally “Moon’th”). Within a “month” the moon makes a full revolution around the earth on an average of approximately 29.5 days (it is an average due to the slightly irregular orbit of the moon). This means it waxes (visibly appears), becomes full about midmonth (total illumination), wanes (visibly disappears), then is not visible to the naked eye for a few days, when finally a new visible crescent moon reappears. All this occurs within approximately 29.5 days on average. The period of darkness when the moon is not visible to the naked eye due to its position directly between the earth and the sun (all light reflected back at the sun, no light reflected to the earth) is called the “conjunction.” Let’s go back to our coma example. If we woke up from our coma and could visibly see the moon, we would be able to tell what day of the month it was, or at least estimate where we were in the month. Then once the moon completed a full cycle of waxing, total illumination, waning into complete darkness (“conjunction”), and then reappearing, we would know a new month had begun! From there we could count the days of the month. This is what God expected Moses to understand when He said the “lights” are for “signs” and “seasons”, and that specific days of specific months His people were to declare His festivals. For example: Passover is the 14th day of the 1st month. (Exodus 12).
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Psalm 104:19 He appointed the moon for seasons: (mo’ade)” Gen 1:14 And God 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 (mo’ade), and for days, and years: By using the sun to count days, weeks, and years, and the moon for months, God provided mankind a fully complete way to determine time.
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Thus, God gave man a fully formed calendar contained in Scripture! And since we use both the sun and the moon to keep time, this means God’s Calendar is a LuniSolar calendar.
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Section III: The Lights and Signs of Genesis 1:14 This is where the debate begins. How, according to scripture, did God expect His people to determine the beginning of a month, which would then determine the dates of His festivals?
The Lights: Let’s go back to Genesis 1:14 and read through to verse 18 to find the answer:
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Gen 1:14 And God 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 (festivals), and for days, and years:
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And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it
was so.
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And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule
the night: he made the stars also.
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And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
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And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and
God saw that it was good.” Clearly, according to scripture we are to use the light of the heavenly bodies to keep time, and determine God’s holy festivals. Notice there are 8 references to light, and only one for darkness (which was only to contrast the light). Yet, there is something even more powerful in Gen 1:14 which points to something visible, and that is the word “signs.”
The Signs: In Gen 1:14 the Creator instructs the luminary bodies which give light upon the earth are for “signs.”
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To function properly, a “sign” must be able to be seen or recognized. For example, an invisible “stop sign” is of no use. A “stop sign” must be seen and recognized by motorists to properly function as a “sign.” Admittedly, this is a simplistic deduction. Yet, when we evaluate the Hebrew in Gen 1:14, we will see the word “sign” clearly refers to something visible, specifically “in the sense of appearing.” The Hebrew word translated “signs” in Gen 1:14 is “'ôth” H226, and is defined as “a signal (literally), as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.: mark, miracle, (en) sign, token,”) especially (“in the sense of appearing”)”. [Strong’s] Evidently, the “'ôth” in Gen 1:14 indicates the lights (which are for “signs”) must be visible to function properly as a “sign”, similar to that of “a flag, beacon, or signal (literally) especially “in the sense of appearing.” [Strong’s] Compare this with the following statement: “Today we can determine the new moon by mathematical calculation. Visual sighting was one of the methods used in the past. With visual sighting, what are you looking for? The exact conjunction of the astronomical new moon is not visible”. (UCG Hebrew Calendar p.3) It would seem the “signs” of Gen 1:14 clearly indicate something that appears, and can be seen or recognized like a flag, beacon, or literal signal. King David said the moon is for appointed times, God said the lights in the heavens are for signs and appointed times, therefore it would seem the visual appearing of the moon is a requirement for establishing appointed times! The calculated, averaged, mean, theoretical, dark “new moon” of the Rabbinic Calendar cannot be seen, nor observed, therefore it cannot be a “sign” as defined by the Hebrew “'ôth” in Gen 1:14. If one were to argue that averaged darkness is a sign, it would clearly be an invisible sign, which would directly conflict with the “literal signal” and “sense of appearing” implied by the word “'ôth”. “The exact conjunction of the astronomical new moon is not visible.” (UCG Hebrew Calendar p.3) This is the center of the debate. Did God expect man to use the light of the heavenly bodies to begin a month, or an averaged period of darkness like that of the Hebrew Calendar? The 13
calculated Rabbinic Hebrew Calendar averages the time of conjunction (total moon darkness) to establish centuries in advance when a month begins. According to the Rabbinic Hebrew Calendar each month always begins during the mean or averaged time of conjunction, which always occurs during the time of complete darkness of the moon, sometimes even falling in the middle of a day! “If the Molad [Hebrew word for calculated “new moon”. *Not found in scripture*] of Tishri occurs at or after noon of a day, the first day of Tishri on the calendar must be postponed to the next day…….Would you celebrate the Feast of Trumpets when over half the day is gone at the time of the new moon?” (UCG Hebrew Calendar p.5) To be clear: The calculated Rabbinic Hebrew Calendar uses the dark period of conjunction when the moon is not visible to the naked eye, and then employs immensely complex calculations to establish centuries in advance, the beginning of each month during a period of complete darkness of the moon, which can even fall in the middle of a day, beginning the first day of a new month in midday, which is contrary to scripture! This averaged period of darkness is misleadingly called the “new moon” on our Gregorian calendars, and is called the “Molad,” or “theoretical beginning of the new month” by Rabbinic Jews. The Rabbinic Jews consider it the “theoretical beginning” because it is not really the beginning of a month according to Scripture. "The moment that the moon passes between the Earth and the sun is called the Molad the birth of the moon. It is the theoretical beginning of the new month" (Understanding the Jewish Calendar, Rabbi Nathan Bushwick, pp.3940) "Môlêd is a Hebrew word meaning renewal, rejuvenescence. It would be properly applied to the phase of the moon at the instant of time when her Conjunction with the Sun takes place. It is, however, commonly used not for the actual time of New Moon, but for the computed time, which governs the commencement of each year and of each Cycle...The length of a Lunation, as adopted by the founders of the present permanent calendar, is a constant quantity, whereas the Lunations of the true Moon are variable in their duration. The Moon of the Jewish [“Hebrew”] Calendar is a mean or average Moon moving uniformly, in the same way as the artificial Moon of Hilarius which is used in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars." (S.B. Burnaby, "Elements of the Jewish and Muhammadan Calendars", London: George Bell & Sons, 1901, p.40) The calculated Rabbinic Hebrew Calendar does not use the light of the moon, but in fact the darkness, which contradicts Scripture. The Hebrew Calendar’s moon is “artificial” and “theoretical.” 14
*It is essential for all members of the COG to understand that ancient Israel in the First and Second Temple Periods, including the time of Jesus Christ and 3 centuries beyond His death, diligently followed and preserved God’s true Biblical Calendar using direct observation of the moon as commanded in scripture. It wasn’t until 359 C.E. when Rabbi Hillel II (head of the Sanhedrin) officially changed the calendar from a visual confirmation of the light of the moon, to a fixed calculated calendar. It then took nearly 800 more years of debate, gross error, and controversy before the Rabbis finally finished the calculated Rabbinic Hebrew calendar with all it’s postponements late in the 10th century C.E.. This is the calendar UCG and the COGs use today. Rabbinic Jews plainly admit this history. They also admit plans to return back to the visual confirmation calendar given in the Torah, once a new Sanhedrin is established. (This will be sufficiently demonstrated in Section VIII. Please also watch the linked video found in Section VII and VIII to see and hear the Rabbis plainly admit this)* 15
Section IV: The Scriptural Command to Look for the Appearing of the New Moon “Most calendars that are being proposed use the new moon as the beginning of the month. While we would not disagree with this principle, we know of no definitive biblical statement to that effect. We accept the new moon as the beginning of the month, and there are references in the Bible which indicate that the new moon was the beginning of the month. But we know of no clear statement that the calendar is to be calculated on this basis.” (UCG Hebrew Calendar p.2) “The greatest hurdle is the lack of any biblical requirement for observation.” (COGWA Hebrew Calendar Paper p.17) Deut 16:1 “Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God: for in the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night.” Contained within the first phrase of Deut 16:1 is in fact a command to sight the first visible crescent of the moon. This command becomes clear when looking at the original Hebrew. Each Hebrew word from the phrase “Observe the month of Abib”, illustrates a distinct command which requires no personal interpretation to see. The Hebrew words interpret themselves. “Observe H8104 (H853) the month H2320 of Abib H24….” [KJV w/ Strong’s] A. “Observe”: Heb “shâmar” H8104 (H853) H8104 A primitive root; properly to hedge about (as with thorns), that is, guard; generally to protect, attend to, etc.: beware, be circumspect, take heed (to self), keep (er, self), mark, look narrowly, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save (self), sure, (that lay) wait (for), watch (man). [Strong’s] H853 “'êth” Apparently contracted from H226 in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely): (As such unrepresented in English.) [Strong’s] H226 “'ôth” Probably from H225 (in the sense of appearing); a signal (literally or figuratively), as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.: mark, miracle, (en) sign, token. [Stong’s] 16
B. “the month”: Heb “chôdesh” H2320 H2320 From H2318; the new moon; by implication a month: month (ly), new moon. [Strong’s] C. “Abib” Heb “'âbı̂ yb” H24 H24 From an unused root (meaning to be tender); green, that is a young ear of grain; hence the name of the month Abib or Nisan: Abib, ear, green ears of corn. [Strong’s] Please note that “'ôth” is the same word we saw in Gen 1:14! It is translated “signs”, specifically the lights in the heavens are to be for “signs”. *Is it mere coincidence this word is found in two separate commands pertaining to the moon and its use for appointed times?* Now let’s compare Deut 16:1 using the Hebrew above with the original KJV:
Original KJV: “Observe H8104 (H853) the month H2320 of Abib H24….” [w/ Strong’s] Hebrew: “Shâmar (êth/'ôth) chôdesh âbı̂ yb…”
Direct literal Hebrew to English translation:
“Look narrowly, wait (for), Watch, observe (specifically in the sense of appearing), for a Signal (literally), the new moon of Abib.” And simplified:
“Look and watch for the appearing of the new moon of abib.” This is not a personal interpretation. This is purely a direct and literal translation of the original Hebrew into English using Strong’s definitions. Unless Strong’s definitions are wholly 17
inaccurate, it appears there is a command in scripture to specifically look for, watch for, the literal appearing of the new moon of abib. Now consider this admission in the UCG “Summary of the Hebrew Calendar” paper: “It is true that observation was used during the time of the Second Temple, which came to an end in 70 C.E. This would have included the time of Christ.” ( p.9) The question must be asked, why did ancient Israel ever visually observe the new crescent moon in the first place? Was it by mere chance they chose this method, or could it be, they were simply following the commands given to them in Gen 1:14 and Deut 16:1?
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Section V: The Simplicity of God *Within a half hour or so, any member of the COG can understand the Biblical Calendar found in Scripture. Conversely, the majority of all COG members and ministers cannot currently use the Calculated Rabbinic Calendar because of its sheer complexity. Let’s Illustrate…….. 1. God gave the light of the moon to establish His holy time 2. He gave Moses numerical dates on specific months to declare His appointed times 3. He set the moon in its orbit, and established the Lunar Month to average approximately 29.5 days (note: this is not the author’s opinion, but established scientific fact) That means a lunar month can only be 29 or 30 days in length. To be clear, a lunar month cannot be less than 29 days, and cannot be more than 30 days. (This is because we cannot have a .5, or “half day”) Therefore, the first light of the visible crescent moon witnessed after the time of conjunction (total darkness) is declared the 1st day of a month. Then, if a Holy day is on the 14th of that month, we simply count to the 14th day. It’s that easy! (Remember a day according to God’s calendar begins at sunset, so that is when we are to look for the first possible new crescent moon). Then, once the moon wanes again into total darkness, we would begin to look in the sky for the moon to reappear a few days later. Since a month cannot be less than 29 days, we would expect the moon to reappear no sooner than sunset ending day 29, and no later than sunset ending day 30. If the light of the moon is not observed on sunset ending day 29 for any reason (ie: poor weather, not enough illumination), then we continue to look onto sunset ending day 30. Since a lunar month can never be more than 30 days (remember the average lunar month is approximately 29.5 days due to the slightly irregular orbit of the moon). Even if the moon cannot be visualized on sunset ending day 30 for any reason (ie: cloud cover/poor weather conditions…..relatively rare in Jerusalem), sunset ending day 30/beginning day 31 would automatically be declared the new moon day and the beginning of the next month. This is not an addition to Scripture, and let’s see why….. 19
God said He gave the light of the moon to establish holy time. We know from astronomy and simple observation that a lunar month can never be less than 29 days, and never more than 30. Therefore, we count from the first day of the visible moon, which God gave for signs and appointed times, and wait until we see the next new visible crescent after the conjunction. Remember, it was God who created all things that established this cycle! All we are doing is observing the moon which God set in the heavens, and commanded be used for appointed times. (Psalm 104:19) This was the same method practiced by ancient Israel, including the time of Jesus Christ (see Section VIII for proof). The principle of using the light of the moon is fully established in Scripture, and we must use sound judgment founded on the Scripture when the light cannot be confirmed. *For more on how to “calculate” appointed times according to the Biblical Calendar, see Appendix E* The next major question is from where do we determine a new moon has been sighted?
New Moons are to be declared from Jerusalem. Let’s confirm with Scripture: 1. Jerusalem is where God placed His name and it is natural His holy times would be centered in the land which He chose to allow His name to be placed forever. . 2nd Chr. 6:6 “But I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be there”. 2nd Chr 7:16 “For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there forever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually” If God’s eyes are perpetually on Jerusalem where he places His name, then our eyes should be directed there as well to see when He will declare His appointed times. 2) Future believers will come to Jerusalem to worship God. If it will be this way in His Kingdom, then Jerusalem must be central for the basis of all His works. It is also the same place all mankind will go when finally observing the Feast of Tabernacles (Zech 14:16). Is 66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. 20
This prophecy declares all flesh will worship God on new moons! Where will they come to worship? Jerusalem. Taking time each month to shift our eyes to Jerusalem helps us remember our future calling and purpose. It reaffirms God’s future plan, which is precisely why new moons are included in Paul’s list of events that are a “shadow of things to come”(Col 2:17). Why do we use Is 66:23 as a defense for Sabbath observance, but disregard the new moons mentioned on which “shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD”? 3. God’s people must observe appointed times on the same day. Just as we keep the weekly Sabbath within the same 24 hour day of Jerusalem, we must keep appointed times within the same 24 day. Depending on where you are on earth, you may be able to visualize a new crescent before other areas of the world. For example, in North America we are 710 hours behind Jerusalem, which means we have an extra 710 hours for the moon to advance along its orbit. It is possible that those in Jerusalem may not be able to visualize a new moon let’s say sunset ending day 29 for whatever reason (ie: not enough of moon is illuminated, poor weather), but 710 hours later in the US, because the moon continued to advance along its orbit, enough of the moon may be illuminated for those in the US. Or maybe we have better visibility? If we were to declare a new moon at sunset US time 710 hours later when it was not seen in Jerusalem, we would be declaring our moon a day earlier than Jerusalem, for they would still have to wait until the following sunset to have another chance to confirm the sighting of the moon. God’s holy city will be the center of worship in the Millennium, and we will go there from “one new moon to another” and from “one Sabbath to another,” and since we understand the law of the Sabbath is not done away (for it will be observed by the entire earth in the future), the same is true with new moons! Why do we validate one half of this Scripture and not the other? *Ancient Israel understood the moon must be sighted from Jerusalem. In fact, the driving force behind Hillel II changing the calendar in 359 AD, was because the Jews could no longer confirm the new moon from Jerusalem after their expulsion from the Holy Land, and the abolishment of the Sanhedrin by the Roman government.*
Who Declares the New Moon from Jerusalem? It is a well understood fact, even among Rabbinic Jews, that the Sanhedrin had an established system of confirming the light of the new crescent by visual observation prior to Hillel II changes (demonstrated in Section VI). Ancient Israel and the Sanhedrin required two or more witnesses based on the biblical principle of confirming a matter. 21
Deut 17:6 “At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses…..” Deut 19:15 “....at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.” 2nd Cor 13:1 “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” The new moon must be confirmed by a minimum of 2 or 3 witnesses. This can only occur on sunset ending day 29, or sunset ending day 30 of the lunar cycle. Even though these verses are not specifically referencing confirmation of a new moon, ancient Israel understood no matter should be determined based on the witness of only one person. This principle was applied to any and every type of situation where confirming a matter was necessary, as evidenced by Paul’s New Testament affirmation of this principle in 2nd Corinthians. Paul did not use this principle in reference to determining a death sentence as was the case with Moses. He understood the foundation behind what was established by Moses, and applied this principle to establish all words of testimony. This is an example of properly extrapolating a principle from Scripture, and is not adding to the word of God when applied to declaring the new moon.
How do we determine the beginning of a new year? 1. Since a lunar month averages approximately 29.5 days, and we multiply that by 12 months in a solar year: 29.5 x 12 = 354 2. Therefore a lunar year is only 354 days, 11 days short of a solar year. (this is not opinion, but scientific fact) 3. This means every 3 years; the beginning of a lunar year will fall roughly 33 days earlier than it did 3 years prior (11 x 3 = 33). The consequence of this deficit is that Passover which is to be kept in the first month (Lev 23), the beginning of the year for God’s people (Ex 12), would eventually fall in late winter if another month is not added (this is called “intercalation”). Some may claim this too is adding to the Scripture. *But there is no Scripture which commands a year must be only 12 months, or any specific number of months for that matter.* The solar year is 365 days which the Romans arbitrarily divided up into 12 months. But since the lunar calendar is 11 days short this means every 3 years or so, the lunar calendar would fall out of sync with the sun, leading to holy times falling in the wrong season. 22
So then, what biblical command or religious requirements do we use to determine when to “intercalate” a 13th lunar month? Rabbinic Jew and calendar expert Arthur Spier (source also used in UCG and COGWA’s paper) explains how ancient Israel determined intercalation years: “The Talmudic sources report that the Council intercalated a year when the barley in the fields had not yet ripened, when the fruit on the trees had not grown properly…..The Council [Temple Era Sanhedrin] on intercalation considered the astronomical facts together with the religious requirements of Passover and the natural conditions of the country.” (Arthur Spier “The Comprehensive Hebrew Calendar” p.1)
Here Arthur Spier points out ancient Israel used the “religious requirement” for ripe barley. The Jews have many so called “religious requirements” which tend to be more like requirements of tradition, rather than requirements of Scripture. So is ripe barley a “religious requirement”? If so, is it Scriptural? The answer is in the Wave Sheaf Offering ceremony conducted during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which God commanded must occur on the first month of His year (Lev 23). The Wave Sheaf Offering involved the priest offering the first fruit of the grain harvest, which then began the spring harvest in Israel. God commanded no harvest could begin until the Wave Sheaf was offered, so by this command the bible is clear: The grain of the fields must be ripe to be a first fruit offering of the spring harvest, and this must occur during the first month of the year (Exodus 12). Therefore: Ripe barley is a religious and Scripturally substantiated requirement for the first month of the year. As Arthur Spier states, ancient Israel also used “astronomical facts” such as how many lunar months were included in the previous 23 years, and where the potential new year would fall in accordance with the solar year (would the new year occur too early and begin in late winter instead of Spring?). But, they also used the “religious requirements of Passover” like the command for a first fruit offering of the grain harvest, which demands the grain of the fields in Jerusalem be ripe for harvest. If the grain was not yet ripe, then a 13th month was added. This process is supported by Scriptural requirements, astronomical facts, and was followed by ancient Israel as Rabbinic Jew Arthur Spier stated. To contrast, let’s see what the Rabbinic Jews have added to Scripture. The Rabbins declare the Feast of Trumpets as the beginning of “their year” which is adding to the word of God. Why don’t we follow the Rabbins in declaring our new year in the fall as well? 23
Additionally, the Rabbinic calendar uses “postponements” which delay the date of certain holy days so they won’t occur on particular days of the week (see page 30), or for that matter, if the calculated “new moon” were to fall in the middle of a day. Rabbinic postponements appear to fulfill their “religious requirements,” but are in fact additions to the word of God, because they circumvent God’s Will in revealing His holy time according to the light of the moon. Every Holy day and appointed time must be established by the light of the moon (Gen 1:14, Deut 16:1, Psalm 104:19). Rabbinic postponements cannot be found in scripture, and have nothing to do with the light of the moon. Therefore, they should be considered additions to Scripture.
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Anyone Can Understand God’s Biblical Calendar Now that we have an understanding of Scripture and the basic movements of the moon, let’s condense God’s holy calendar into simple terms. 1. God said use the light (not darkness) of the moon to establish appointed times. 2. A lunar month is approximately 29.5 days, which means a month can never be shorter than 29 days, nor longer than 30. 3. The first day of a month begins when the light of the new crescent moon is first visible after the time of conjunction in Jerusalem. 4. The new visible crescent moon must be confirmed by a minimum of two or three witnesses as commanded in Scripture. 5. Count 29 or 30 days to mark the next potential beginning of the coming month, and confirm the new crescent is seen on either expected day. 6. Intercalate a 13th month every 3 years or so based on the ripeness of the grain in Jerusalem due to the Scriptural requirements for the Wave Sheaf Offering. It’s that simple! This is the same calendar followed by ancient Israel during the time of the First and Second Temple Periods, the same calendar followed by Jesus Christ, and was faithfully followed by the Jews up until 359 AD when the calendar was changed by a man (see Section VIII for admission from the Jews regarding this, using several sources also cited in UCG and COGWA’s calendar papers). This is also the same calendar many scattered members of the Ekklesia follow worldwide today. Many of these believers still have, or had, ties to HWA splinter groups. This is the calendar followed by the Karaite Jews (their motto: “only Scripture”). There is unified agreement on this calendar thanks to the clear instructions of Scripture! God’s way is simple and clear. Even our children should be able to understand and learn the basics of all God’s commandments. God’s Biblical Calendar holds no secret calculations as did/does the Rabbinic calendar. No aspect of God’s commanded observances are too complex for the people He calls, especially once they receive His holy spirit. Next, we will see how the Rabbinic Calendar is the opposite, and essentially impossible for the majority of God’s chosen people to understand or use, even after they receive His holy spirit. 25
Section VI: Confusion of Man and the Calculated Rabbinic Calendar
The foundation of the Hebrew Calendar is a gnostic idea that only the enlightened elite know the secret knowledge of God. Without the Rabbinic Jew’s elite knowledge, the COG would not know when to observe the appointed times of God on their own. Doesn’t God promise to grant wisdom to any who diligently seek it? If we have God’s Holy Spirit, shouldn’t we be able to understand how to keep the commands He has given, without the need of secret knowledge from men who admittedly changed from those commands? Again, God is not an author of confusion. The Hillel II Calculated Rabbinic Calendar was established on secrecy, and its history is rife with errors and confusion. (more on this in Section VIII) Practical reasons why we should question if the Rabbinic Hebrew Calendar can be God’s true calendar: A. Its immense complexity B. The fact our children, nor elderly, nor ministry can currently use it C. It contains unbiblical postponement rules which if not implemented cause dates to drift far out of sync with the actual cycle of the moon, and even change the actual calculated dates to a different 24 hour period *Please note: The calculation below is by no means the complete nor comprehensive set of calculations needed to use the Rabbinic Hebrew Calendar. (I recommend a quick skim over this section to grasp the impossibility of teaching this to the average believer of Jesus Christ, let alone our children or a babe in the faith). Please see the link below for a more complete and confounding explanation of the necessary calculations. Source: (http://individual.utoronto.ca/kalendis/hebrew/molad.htm) “Calculation of the Traditional Molad Moment”
In the traditional method of reckoning molad moments, as it often appears in rabbinic literature, one simply adds or subtracts 29 days 12 hours and 793 parts from a known molad moment to obtain the molad moment of the next or prior month, respectively. Although simple, this classical method is often inconvenient, because it requires starting from a known molad moment that is reasonably near to the desired molad. It is inefficient when one needs to jump from a given molad to another that is an arbitrary number of months into the future or past, because that requires repeated steps. Any serially repeated addition or subtraction calculation is also risky because if a mistake is made somewhere
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along the way then that introduces an offset error that may be carried through indefinitely. A shortcut commonly employed in classical calculations is to ignore the day count, simply tracking the weekday instead. This shortcut can lead to ambiguities when the ignored days add up to more than a week, and although it does yield sufficient information for the purpose of announcing a molad moment, the weekday with time of day is not enough information for calendrical calculation purposes. Instead, the following is a direct method for the unambiguous calculation of any molad moment. A molad moment has an integer part, which represents the calendar day and weekday of the molad, and a fractional part that represents the timeofday of the molad. The ideal way to carry out molad calculations is using using exact computing engines capable of arbitraryprecision arithmetic, such as Mathematica, or the computer programming language "LISP", which can calculate the molad moment to the exact fraction or whole number of parts. It is also possible to obtain correct results using floating point arithmetic or a digital calculator, provided that the user takes care to round intermediate results at appropriate points, as will be shown below, but the calculation must support at least Double Precision floating point, because Single Precision is often insufficient to resolve moments to better than one second accuracy. For the purposes of announcing the molad moment or determining the molad of Tishrei for Hebrew calendar arithmetic, the moment must be calculated exactly. For the purpose of comparing moladot to astronomical lunar conjunction moments, however, the small errors introduced by the limitations of floating point arithmetic are negligible. In a computer program, nonvariable values can be declared as constants, for optimal performance. Calendrical calculations make frequent use of dividing a number and keeping only the remainder, for example, dividing by 7 to determine the weekday, as will be done below. Many programming languages have a MOD operator or function intended for this purpose, but in many languages MOD handles negative or real numbers improperly (the MOD operator of Microsoft Visual Basic is defective on both counts). To avoid the risk of such errors, herein I will use the solution recommended by Dershowitz & Reingold in Calendrical Calculations: 3rd Edition (CC3, see ): modulus( x, y ) = x – y × floor( x / y ) Not being limited to integer division, the CC3 modulus function also works properly with floating point (real number) parameters provided both the x and the y parameter and the function return value are declared as Double Precision. The traditional epoch or first day of the Hebrew calendar, on the first day of Tishrei of the first year, was a Monday (Yom Sheini, or second day of the week), starting at the sunset at the end of the daytime on Sunday. Assign day number one to that epoch: HebrewEPOCH = 1 (A good case could be made to assign HebrewEPOCH = 0 instead, to count elapsed days relative to the epoch, but that would require changes to some of the arithmetic below, such as the weekday expression. Suffice it to say that the elapsed day count is always one day less than any calculated day number.) To compute a traditional molad moment, start by calculating the Lunation number since the traditional epoch of the Hebrew calendar, which depends on the given Hebrew year number and month number: Lunation = ElapsedMonths( hYear, hMonth ) Within the ElapsedMonths function, adjust the year number to account for the traditional month numbering that starts from Nisan, storing the adjusted year number in a local variable: IF hMonth