God's Annual Holy Days & Key New Moons

2012

How to construct God's Calendar and determine dates for the Holy Days:

One: God says that the heavenly lights were given to determine seasons, days and years. These are heavenly objects which are observable without the need for any complicated instrumentation or technology.

Gen 1:14   “…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 <226>, and seasons <4150>, and for days and years;’…”  [NKJV].

Using Strong's Complete Word Study and given the context, this second part of verse 14 would be better rendered as follows:

“…and let them be for seasons and signs <226>, and for the appointed feasts <4150>, and for days, and years:…”

NOTE: Nowhere in the Bible does it say that crops are to be used for the determination of seasons! God says that the lights in the heaven (sun and moon in particular) are to be used for the determination of the seasons – the instruction is very specific and there is no mention of crops. The early Hebrew calendar was faithful to this instruction, but the Jewish calendar incorrectly also uses crops as a determinant for calculating 1 Abib.

Two: Biblically, the year is divided into two parts – summer and winter (spring and autumn being added by man as transition periods) – with the March and September equinoxes marking the beginning and ending of these two major seasons. During an astronomical equinox, when the geometric centre of the sun is directly above Earth’s equator, the length of day and night can be significantly different. However, with an observed equinox the length of day and night are almost the same (equinox meaning equal night) and therefore can easily be determined by using a simple sundial. The Biblical evidence shows that simple solar and lunar observation is to be the method used in calculating the Hebrew Calendar dates and therefore it is the "observable equinox" (when day and night are approximately the same length, using the appearance and disappearance of the solar disk) that is to  be used as the method of measurement.

Three: Each month is to begin with the sighting of the first crescent of the new moon by the unaided eye – the Hebrew for month is "chodesh", with the root meaning of new thing. Using this method it is a simple thing to determine the 1st day of the 1st month (1 Abib – Ex 12:2). Modern astronomy has taken on the practise of calling the lunar conjunction the new moon, when it is darkest, but a dark moon cannot be seen (it is not observable) and therefore has not yet become something new. There are now either 29 or 30 days between each new moon, so there is no real surprise when the annual Sabbath of 1 Ethanim (the 1st of the 7th month – 1King 8:2) is to commence.

Four: Each new year begins on the first sighting of the new moon (small crescent) after the March equinox. There are some who begin the new year with the new moon closest to the March equinox even though it may be before the equinox. However, it is not considered reasonable to have the first month of the year begin before winter of the previous year has ended. Accordingly, even if the new moon is only one day before the equinox, that entire month belongs to the previous year.

Five: Each Biblical day begins at evening, not at midnight (Gregorian Calendar) and accordingly when a Roman day is cited, the intent is that the Biblical day commences the evening before. For example, the Roman day of 10 January will commence (Biblically) at sunset (evening) on 9 January.

Six:  Sunrise and sunset are when the top of the solar disk first appears above horizon to start the day and when the top of the solar disk disappears below the horizon to start the night. As official equinox times are calculated using the geometric centre of the solar disk as it passes over the equator, rather than using equal length of day and night, there is a difference of about 5 days between an astronomical equinox and an observed equinox (approximate equal observed length of day and night).

Seven: Currently, some elements associated with festival observance in Jerusalem are done through convenience rather than correct observance of the Word of God and therefore festival observances are not always on the correct days. Until the restoration of all things (including setting the cosmological clock right) upon the return of Christ, all times should be determined through local observations, not coordinated with observed Jerusalem times. Since God is constant in all things it is reasonable to conclude that He expects His people to observe seasons and appointed times properly in this present day as they apply to our local situation as much as lies within our ability to follow His rules of determination at this time. Those rules do not include coordination with solar or lunar sightings in another country half way around the world. At the return of Christ, the restoration of all things will take place and part of that restoration will be correcting the orbits of both Earth and the Moon to form the basis of a correct calendar.

Eight – Constellations:  While the sun and moon were responsible for determination of the Hebrew Calendar and therefore responsible for determination of the annual Holy Days, in Job 38:31 there is evidence that the constellations played a role in identifying the type and duration of certain physical seasons of the year. The Pleiades appears to be mentioned in connection with the spring or vernal season, while Orion is mentioned in connection with the colder and less fruitful months of the year – in the northern hemisphere Orion may be seen in the morning, towards the end of October, and is visible through November, December, and January. The full meaning and use of constellations in agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing and hunting is not now clear, but it seems that they were intended to guide man in his physical survival activities throughout the year. For example, the appearance of certain constellations would coincide with deer and bird migrations, while others coincided with the run of different species of fish, both sea and river.

References:

Sunrise and sunset times were obtained from the World Clock at http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/, where the sunrise and sunset times are in accordance with the appearance and disappearance of the solar disk, not the sun's geometric centre. The equinox dates are therefore based on observation, not calculation.

Also referenced was the Astronomical Institute / Utrecht University via http://www.astro.uu.nl/~strous/AA/en/antwoorden/zonpositie.html

Phases of the moon were obtained from the University of Texas McDonald Observatory via http://stardate.org/nightsky/moon/

Simple Sundial

Links to other sundial sites:

http://www.nmm.ac.uk/make-your-own/sundial (Good demonstration and templates)

http://solar.physics.montana.edu/ypop/Classroom/Lessons/Sundials/sundials.html  (Recommended site - make a sundial necklace/keychain).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundial (extensive).