Monday, December 21, 2009

Access through Worship by Derek Prince

Here is a word for you from the Word.

Psalm 95:1-2; 6-8

Psa 95:1 Come, let us sing to יהוה! Let us raise a shout to the Rock of our deliverance.
Psa 95:2 Let us come before His face with thanksgiving; Let us raise a shout to Him in song.
Psa 95:3 For יהוה is a great Ěl, And a great Sovereign above all mighty ones.
Psa 95:4 In whose hand are the depths of the earth; The mountain peaks are His also.
Psa 95:5 His is the sea, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry land.
Psa 95:6 Come, let us bow down and bend low, Let us kneel before יהוה our Maker.
Psa 95:7 For He is our Elohim, And we are the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you would hear His voice:
Psa 95:8 “Do not harden your hearts as in Meriḇah, And as in the day of Massah in the wilderness,


There’s a beautiful progression there that brings us into the immediate presence of YAHWEH. It starts with loud and jubilant praise and thanksgiving: “Let us sing for joy to the YHWH, let us shout aloud to the rock of our salvation.” YHWH encourages us to express freely our praises, our thanksgiving. But then as we go further it says, “Let us bow down and worship, let us kneel before the YHWH our Maker.” Praise and thanksgiving lead us on to worship. Worship is not so much an utterance as it is an attitude. It’s bowing down, it’s kneeling, it’s submitting ourselves to YHWH. And when we come into that attitude of worship, then we qualify to hear YHWH’s voice.
And so the psalmist says, “Today, if you hear his voice.” Alas, there are so many BELIEVERS who hardly know what it is to hear YHWH’s voice, and yet that’s the key to all success in the spiritual life is hearing YHWH’s voice. And if we’ll follow the pathway of praise and thanksgiving leading us to worship, bringing us to an attitude where we can hear YHWH’s voice, then we have the key to measureless blessings. - Derek Prince

Saturday, December 12, 2009

"Permanent Link to Hanukkah Yes, but also Kislev 24"

December 12th, 2009

As sundown fell across Israel, Europe, and the United States last evening millions of Jews and many others who care about the history of Israel are marking the advent of Hanukkah, the Festival of Dedication. What might be lost is the historical grounding of the feast of Hanukkah itself, which seems to actually derive from Friday’s date: Kislev 24 or the 24th day of the 9th month of the Jewish calendar. Notice carefully this historical background:

The book of the prophet Haggai comes to us from the 2nd year of the Persian King Darius, late summer, August, 520 BCE. It is one of the most precisely dated books in the Hebrew Bible, much like its sister Zechariah, and its twin Malachi. The three go together, like peas in the pod, both coming from that crucial time of the “restoration” of Judah to the Land following the Babylonian captivity. Collectively they are our LAST WORD from Yehovah in terms of how the redemption is to unfold. It is very likely, based on Haggai 1:12, where the Prophet is called the “messenger of Yehovah,” that Haggai is in fact the author of the book we call Malachi, as this book is just named “My Messenger,” and the name of the prophet who wrote it is not given. Both Haggai and Zechariah address their contemporary situation, as one would expect, and are concerned that the Temple be rebuilt and that the constitution of the new state of Judah be ordered according to the Torah. However, if read carefully, both clearly understand that this restoration of Judah is only a preliminary, even symbolic step, to a coming GREAT restoration of Judah and ALL Israel. Even though there is a Priest (Joshua), and a Governor (Zerubbabel) of the Davidic line, there is no anointing of the BRANCH figure of whom both Isaiah and Jeremiah had spoken. One way of putting this is to say that Haggai and Zechariah are working in the tall shadow of JEREMIAH (see especially chapters 30-31), and they know, from his clear and powerful prophecies, that the final days have not come with this tiny little beachhead return of a portion of Judah to the land. But they do believe that this return of Judah is a “sign” of things to come, and a guarantee that the Plan of Yehovah, to fill the earth with justice and righteousness, through Abraham’s seed, is not to fall to the ground.
And that leads us to the curious and fascinating references to the 24th day of the 9th month–Kislev 24 in modern Jewish parlance.

Notice, reading the book of Haggai is sequential, it takes you through the last months of the year. It begins with the Rosh Chodesh of the 6th month (August), takes you through the 21st day of the 7th month (2:1), which is the last day of Sukkoth (October), and then into December–with the 24th day of the 9th month. Haggai’s third and fourth messages come on this very day. It is a short book, and if you skim it through you will see the building sequence.

Kislev 24 is mentioned FOUR times in the second chapters, verses 10, 15, 18 and 20. Twice it is emphasized that “from THIS DAY FORWARD I will bless you,” and twice Haggai gets a special Word from Yehovah, on this very day. You have to read the whole chapter to get the context, but the message is basically that Yehovah will “SHAKE the heavens and the earth and ALL NATIONS,” overthrowing their power, anoint the chosen one (symbolized in that day by Zerubbabel), and essentially make Jerusalem the new world capital. For the DETAILS you need to go back, of course, to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah in particular, as they set forth the entire agenda to which Haggai only briefly alludes.

This message is addressed to the two “messiahs,” the Priest and the “King” or Governor, Joshua and Zerubbabel, respectively (2:4-5). They become “signifiers” of things to come. They are not the final anointed ones, and Zechariah picks this up in his visions, especially chapters 4 and 6. These symbolic figures, as well as the promised presence of the Holy Spirit (see 2:5 and Zech 4:6!), are the guarantee that Yehovah will bring about these promises.

Notice, Zechariah begins getting his visions and messages in the 8th month of that same year (Zech 1:1), or mid-November. He has EIGHT night visions, they are all quite difficult to follow, but prophetically important in forecasting the redemptive future. There is much more detail in Zechariah, but the two, Haggai and Zechariah, should be read in tandem, as one explains the other. Now, note carefully, Kislev 24 is not specifically mentioned in Zechariah, but it is alluded to in chapter 4:8-10. It is the famous “day of small things,” that one might be led to “despise,” because after all, this tiny little remnant of Judah, beginning to lay the foundation of a nondescript temple, under the mighty thumb of the Persian empire, was hardly even worthy of the name of a city-state, much less a world kingdom, and yet had HOPES and DREAMS and promises of world dominion!
Chapters 7-14 of Zechariah, which he gets two years later, are quite different. They are straightforward and fairly plain, laying out, likely in some sequential order, both the preliminary events, and the detailed climax, of the “time of the end.”

So, what about Kislev 24? It seems to have a three-fold meaning. First, in the time of Haggai and Zechariah, it was the day MARKED for the promise that the redemption would ultimately come about, not by power, nor by might, but by the Spirit of Yehovah–but “in its time.” Second, subsequently though history, this day seems to be one upon which key events take place, perhaps only a few of which have been recognized down through history. And finally, it might well turn out that on some Kislev 24 in the future, that date will serve as a “countdown marker” for the unfolding of the mysterious 1260/1290/1335/2300 days of Daniel’s visions, which interested Sir Isaac Newton so much.

During the period of the Maccabees, when Syrian ruler Antiochus IV unleashed his great persecution against the Jews of Judea/Palestine, it was on Kislev 24 that the enemy was defeated and the Temple freed from its desecration. That is why the festival of Chanukah is celebrated beginning at sundown, at the end of Kislev 24. In other words, it is NOT so much Chanukah that is important, as its marker date: Kislev 24. It seems to become a kind of banner date in history that marks any kind of “signal” of future redemption.

Fast forward to December 9, 1917. General Allenby, leading the British forces (remember Lawrence of Arabia), liberates Jerusalem for the first time in centuries from Turkish/Muslim rule. The date on the Jewish calendar–you guessed it: Kislev 24! That evening the Jewish soldiers in the British army celebrated Chanukah and went to the Wall in openness and freedom. The Torah reading that week was Mikketz (Gen 41), where JOSEPH is raised to power and saves Judah. And the Haphtorah reading, for the special Sabbath of Chanukah, as it is today, is the fascinating Zechariah 2:14-4:7! Note how it begins: “I have returned to Zion,” which seems to be the essential meaning of THIS DAY.

It is doubtful that Allenby was aware, during the heat of the battle, of even Chanukah, but certainly he knew nothing of Kislev 24.
If we begin checking in history over the past 2520 years (remember that number), there have been numerous times when Kislev 24 has played a large part, and even a smaller more symbolic part, in the unfolding of redemptive history. For example, no matter what one’s view of Yeshua might be, it seems in all likelihood that Yeshua was conceived on this day, nine months before his birth in September 3 BCE.
Some UIWU officers also noticed some years ago that the encounter David Horowitz had at the cave with his teacher Moshe Guibbory, as recounted in his autobiography, Thirty-three Candles, was on Friday night, December 16/17, 1927–and again, you guessed it, this was Kislev 24th. The Torah reading was Vayeshev, which begins the Joseph cycle, and the Haphtorah was Amos 2:6-3:8, which seems quite appropriate. Horowitz had no idea of this until over 50 years later when it was pointed out to him by others.

Now, a tiny bit on the numbers. Note, these important visions came in the year 520 BCE. The year 2000/2001 marks 2520 years since that first Kislev 24 vision of Haggai. The number 2520 is interesting, it has several mystical mathematical properties, but one most obvious one is that it is 7 x 360, or seven “prophetic years.” A prophetic year in the Bible is 360 days, thus we get in the books of Daniel and Revelation the period of 1260 days for 3.5 years. There are a number of indications, both in the Torah and Prophets, especially Ezekiel, that a kind of “day for a year” principle applies in Prophecy, and accordingly, the official “Exile” of Joseph and Judah would last 2520 years. Perhaps this is the meaning of the phrase “after two days” and “on the third day” references in Hosea 6. Now Judah was essentially “restored” in type at least, in the year 520, but the full restoration, and the union of things between Judah and Joseph is yet to come, “after two days” according to Hosea (a day is a “thousand years” in these prophetic texts). The point is, based on this chronology, we are “in” the third day, as of the year 2000. And indeed, it does appear we have begun to experience a “shaking of all things.” Whether this is the ultimate upheaval to which Haggai refers remains to be seen.

It is also worth noting, in terms of Kislev 24, that if you add 2300 days (the figure in Daniel 8) to that day, you always, on the Jewish calendar, come to the last day of Unleavened Bread, oddly something like 6.3 years later. In other words, it is sort of a strange figure. And there are then various interesting ways, too complicated to go into here, that the periods of Daniel (1260/1290/1335) fit in, taking one to Shavuot of any given sequence of years. We do know for certain that the 2300 “days” was fulfilled as a “day for a year” running from Alexander’s defeat of Darius in 334 BCE (June 7), to the day, to June 7, 1967–when Jerusalem was liberated by the Israelis in the Six Day War. The point seems to be that Alexander’s march to Jerusalem began a period of 2300 days/years of the trampling of Jerusalem. So what this seems to indicate is that there is a larger (day for a year) fulfillment of these periods, as well as a shorter “day for a day” fulfillment, once the “countdown” begins.

One might conclude then, from these indications, that on some Kislev 24, at some year “on our days and in our time” (whether past or future), people will come to recognize that Haggai’s “shaking” did indeed begin. It does not seem likely that time has quite yet come, but every year at this time one’s thoughts go to this date, given such an important designation by Haggai and Zechariah. On a personal level, it seems it can always be a date of “renewal” for any of us, and a time of new beginnings, looking to both the past and to the future.
Posted in Biblical Reflections, Historical Reflections

Thursday, December 3, 2009

FATHERS ****** "WHO IS WATCHING"

Walk a little plainer daddy
Said a little boy so frail
I'm following in your footsteps
And I don't want to fail
Sometimes your steps are very plain
Sometimes they are so hard to see
So walk a little plainer daddy
For you are leading me.
I know that once you walked this way
Many years ago
And what you did along the way
I'd really like to know
For sometimes when I am tempted
I don't know what to do
So walk a little plainer daddy
For I must follow you.
Someday when I'm grown up
You are like I want to be
Then I will have a little boy
Who will want to follow me
And I would want to lead him right
And help him to be true
So walk a little plainer daddy
For we must follow you.
(Author Unknown)

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Is there a Pre-Tribulation rapture?

All of us would like to believe in a pre-tribulation rapture of the saints. After all who wants to suffer?
The words pre-tribulation and rapture do not appear in any English Bibles that I know of. So where did the idea of a pre-tribulation rapture come from?
I intend to show, in this short article, the fallacy of a pre-tribulation rapture by discovering in YAHWEH’s Word what it says about the timing of the event most people call the rapture.

One of the most commonly quoted verses supporting a rapture is

1 Thessalonians 4. However there is no apparent indication of timing
For this we say to you by the word of YAHWEH, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For  Yahushua Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Yahushua will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Yahushua in the air. And thus we shall always be with Yahushua. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 NKJV throughout unless noted
Another commonly quoted verse is in 1 Corinthians 15.

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

Again nothing apparent pointing to a time when this occurs. However we will find something in these two verses which do hint to the timing.

Let’s first start with 1 Thessalonians.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of YHWH. And the dead in Yhaushua will rise first. (1 Thessalonians 4:16)

Note the end of the verse, "And the dead in Yahushua (Messiah) will rise first" What would you call this event, where the dead are being made alive all around you? I would call it a resurrection. But what resurrection? Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:52 that the dead will be raised incorruptible. Verse 54 says that the incorruptible are immortal. This event is something which changes the dead being raised into immortal beings.

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Yhaushua and for the word of YHWH, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Yahushua for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:4-5 emphasis added) This event in Revelation is called the First resurrection. Obviously the event in 1 Thessalonians 4 cannot precede the first resurrection.

So we have the timing of 1 Thessalonians at the same time as when Messiah returns to the earth to rule for 1000 years.

Now if you are a skeptic you may say, "Can’t Messiah come early, before He returns to rapture the saints away, then return again to rule?" Perhaps, but we still have more to consider. Look at I Corinthians 15.

….in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:52)

Here we have a very good clue as to when this will happen. Notice the part that says "at the last trumpet". If we can find a description somewhere of when the last trumpet sounds we can then put some timing to this event. Turn to the Revelation 8:6.

So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. (Revelation 8:6)

Looks like we have seven angels with seven trumpets. I wonder which one would be the last trumpet?

Let’s see what events happen as these trumpets sound.

The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up. (Revelation 8:7)

Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. (Revelation 8:8)

Then the third angel sounded: And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. (Revelation 8:10)

Then the fourth angel sounded: And a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. A third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night. And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, "Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!" (Revelation 8:12-13)

The fifth angel is found in [Revelation 9:1-6] . Notice verse 4; the creatures did not have the power to hurt those with the seal of YHWH on their foreheads. Could this be the answer to Revelation 3:10 (which is often quoted in support of the pre-tribulation theory)?

"Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. (Revelation 3:10)

Notice those who had the seal of YHWH on their forehead are on earth during the trumpet plagues.

The sixth angel [Revelation 9:13-21] describes one third of the earth’s population being destroyed. This event describes the release of the commonly known term "4 horsemen of the apocalypse".

The seventh angel sounding the seventh trumpet (last trumpet) involves or precedes many events which, for the sake of brevity, will not be described here. Read these events from Revelation 10:1 - 20:6. The latter describes the first resurrection. A lot happens in the preceding verses and all is not clear as to when the 7th trumpet is actually sounded. However, notice Revelation 10:7

but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of YHWH would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets. (Revelation 10:7)

When the last trumpet was about to sound the mystery of YHWH would be finished as He had declared to His servants.

What mystery is he talking about?

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed (1 Corinthians 15:51)

The Mystery spoken of in Revelation 10:7 is revealed by the prophet Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:51; those saints who are still alive after the previous 6 trumpets will be changed in a moment into spirit immortal beings. Praise YAHWEH!

Further proof lies in Revelation 12.

Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by YHWH, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days. (Revelation 12:6)

The woman has always been known to be the church.

But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. (Revelation 12:14)

This shows that YHWH’s followers are still on the earth during the tribulation.


Conclusion:

Hopefully you have seen the proof in the Bible about the timing of the first resurrection and the change of those who are still alive. This is very sobering. Only by trusting in YHWH, by staying in His Word, can we be sealed. Those sealed are protected from the severe part of the tribulation; not raptured away while others suffer.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Husband roles

by EliYAH

Recognizing my own continuing need for improvement in this area, I sought the various scriptures that speak of the role of husbands in scripture. I have learned that having a loving and scriptural husband-wife relationship is probably the single most influential factor in raising righteous children. It is for the sake of the children that I share these things.

Woman - A Gift to be Cherished
From the beginning, Yahweh knew that it was not good that the man should be alone:
Genesis 2:18 And Yahweh Elohim said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

With that, He created a beautiful and wonderful gift and brought her to Adam:
Genesis 2:21 And Yahweh Elohim caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which Yahweh Elohim had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

If we men can just grasp the great gift that we have been given, it will go a long way toward understanding how Yahweh desires us to relate to our wives. It doesn't take the average man much time to understand and appreciate the wonderful, beautiful characteristics that Yahweh has created woman with. Truly, He created woman to be beautiful on the inside as well as on the outside.

Proverbs 18:22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of Yahweh.
If we find a wife, we have obtained favor from Yahweh. We have been blessed with a gift from above. We need to appreciate the gift Yahweh gave us. To not appreciate is to not be thankful to Yahweh. Notice that nothing yet is spoken of a perfect wife without fault. The fact that we have a wife is a blessing in and of itself. Yahweh's desire is that we enjoy our wives and be blessed with what He has given:

Ecclesiastes 9:9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.

Proverbs 5:18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
In the Torah/Word of Yahweh, we see Yahweh's desire for this:
Deuteronomy 24:5 When a man hath taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken.

It is our duty to 'cheer up' our wives and rejoice with the blessing Yahweh has given. We need to not take this duty lightly, but realize that to fail in this area is to sin against Yahweh. It is Yahweh's will for us to rejoice and live joyfully with the woman Yahweh has given us.

Giving Honor
An area often neglected, we are expected to give honor to our wives. Too often, a man's wife is the object of dishonor in the form of jokes, loud public rebukes and complaint sessions between men and men. It is time that we give our wives the honor that they should receive:

1 Peter 3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. We need to acknowledge that while our wives are the weaker vessel, we are heirs together with them of the grace of life:

1 Corinthians 12:22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. 24 For our comely parts have no need: but Elohim hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: Interestingly, the duty to honor our wives is somehow tied into the effectiveness of our prayers. This is not a new concept at all, it is also found in the book of Malachi:

Malachi 2:13 And this have ye done again, covering the altar of Yahweh with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand. 14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because Yahweh hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. 15 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a righteous seed (Heb. Seed of Elohim). Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. 16 For Yahweh, the Elohim of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith Yahweh of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously. So, we see that if we will not honor and deal kindly with the wife Yahweh has given us, Yahweh will not receive our offerings. Prayer is also considered to be an offering:

Psalm 141:2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.Revelation 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before Elohim out of the angel's hand. Perhaps we don't realize all that goes on in the spiritual realm, but as mentioned in the "Fathers, turn your hearts" study, Malachi also declares that Yahweh cannot endure the treacherous dealings and neglecting of our wives.

Let's review:

Isaiah 1:13 Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies -- I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.14 Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. 16 "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. Perhaps our wives aren't widows, but is it so, spiritually? We see the great concern that Yahweh has for the well being of our wives. He wants to be sure that they are honored and taken care of. We should share that concern fully.

1 Timothy 5:3 Honour widows that are widows indeed.
Why is Yahweh so concerned about the widows? Is it only because their physical needs must be met? Are not the spiritual needs just as important, if not far more important? Considering all the scriptures where Yahweh is angry because the widows are neglected, woe to the fathers who neglect the spiritual needs of their wives! All the Sabbaths, calling of assemblies, feast days can be a burden to Him because He cannot endure the neglect. He cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Yahweh is VERY concerned about the well being of our wives, shouldn't we be? If, in Isaiah 1:13-17, Yahweh cannot endure the offerings, Feast Days and Sabbaths of those who are neglecting the physical needs of what used to be another man's wife (the widow), how much more so if we neglect the spiritual needs of our own wives? Consider:

1 Timothy 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Is it just the physical providing that Yahweh is concerned about? Surely, the spiritual is far more important. The first leads to physical death, the latter leads to spiritual death. So, are we worse than an unbeliever? Let it not be!

The Messiah and the Assembly
If we want to raise children of righteousness, we need to realize that our relationship with our wives is a mirror of how the Messiah and the assembly relate to one another:
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Messiah also loved the assembly, and gave himself for it;

Yahushua loved the assembly so much, that He gave Himself for it. He gave His very life and was wounded, tortured and humiliated for the sake of the Assembly. We are to love our wives, even as the Messiah loved the Assembly. This is a tall order! The love that the Messiah has for the assembly is difficult to fathom:

Ephesians 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Master Yahushua Messiah, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Messiah may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Messiah, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of Elohim.

But this is our calling and duty, to love our wives in this way. But what if instead of the Messiah loving us, He was bitter toward us? We know it isn't this way, therefore let us not be this way toward our wives:

Colossians 3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

How does Messiah deal with us? We have a clear example of how we should deal with our wives. We know how gently, patiently and longsuffering He is with us. Though we aren't perfect, He still pours out his love and blessings on us. Yes, let's be this way with our wives!
Continuing in Ephesians 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious assembly, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

The Messiah's love sanctifies and cleanses the body. In the same way we cleanse, cherish and care for our own bodies, so should we love our wives. We should care for the needs of our wife in the same way we would care for the needs of our body. If we are hungry, we eat. If we are thirsty, we drink. If we are not clean, we cleanse ourselves. We need to have this level of care and concern for our wives. We should take care of the physical and spiritual needs of our wives in this same way. For she is, as Adam said: Genesis 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Continuing in Ephesians:
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Master the assembly: 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Messiah and the assembly. 33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
With the husband and wife relationship being a picture of the Messiah's relationship to the body, let's remember that we demonstrate the Messiah's love for the body to our children with the way we treat our wives. If we want our daughters to grow up being submissive, humble and wonderful blessings to their future husbands, then we need to show them how wonderful it is to be submissive when a husband prefers, honors and respects his submissive and humble wife. We have a real opportunity with our children, to show them the Messiah's love! We can show them His mercy, His care and His concern for us every day in our homes. After all, it is the Messiah's love for us that has compelled us to love Him:
1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. 20 If a man say, I love Elohim, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love Elohim whom he hath not seen?
But if we can demonstrate the Messiah's love to our children through our love for our wife, our children can truly understand the Messiah's love for us first and then proceed to love Him in return. It is all part of following the Messiah's footsteps and walking as He walked! We could potentially teach the ways of Yahweh to our children a hundred times over and still not have them understand it because we really aren't demonstrating the Messiah's love for them in action and deed. This could potentially result in them forsaking Yahweh later in life! Oh how important it is for us to fulfill this commandment!
When scripture says that we love ourselves when we love our wives, it really means it. Let's discover why.
A "Help"
When we love and honor our wives as we should, it creates the best environment for our wives to fulfill their role as a submissive, faithful helper. Woman was created to be a "help" meet for man. The Hebrew word used for "help" is often used to describe how Yahweh is our divine helper. Yahweh knew that two is better than one:
Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
With a man, a woman and Yahweh, we have a threefold cord that is not quickly broken. When we add our children, and then the assembly, we are invincible! How many husbands and wives (and indeed the entire family!) are prayer teams, praying together, uniting against the adversary? But we need oneness with Yahweh to accomplish anything. Yahushua prayed for this:
John 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
There is great power in this unity if the unity includes a oneness with Yahweh. Let's strive to attain that oneness! However, we later learn that the unity that Adam and Eve (Chawwah) had with Yahweh was broken in Genesis chapter three:
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which Yahweh Elohim had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath Elohim said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, Elohim hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For Elohim doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as elohim, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Here we see that Eve was deceived into eating the fruit that Yahweh had forbidden. Also notice that Adam was 'with her' when all this was going on. Other translations I have checked (even the Septuagint) say that Adam was in the company of Eve at this time. It is true that Adam was not deceived (1Tim 2:14):
1 Timothy 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
So Adam apparently failed to protect her and take the lead in this situation. A silent husband who just kind of 'goes along with everything' has wreaked havoc in many a home. In this case, it appears a silent husband created an environment that wrecked the whole world and all of their children. The potential is the same today, husbands! The "silent husband" perhaps thinks that if his wife does something and he just goes along with it, that somehow he is less responsible for what takes place. Adam too, thought he had an excuse:
Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of Yahweh Elohim walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh Elohim amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And Yahweh Elohim called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
Adam said, "The woman that thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat". Adam's excuse was not effective at all. He was cast out of the garden and sentenced to death just as Yahweh had warned. We too are expected to live according to the word of Yahweh, and not remain silent when a temptation enters our walled city. We must stand and protect our wives, and thus, our children from the enemy and the deception that he brings. We keep ourselves from evil in doing so. Therefore, when we fulfill our roles as husbands, we are only truly helping ourselves in doing so!
The blessings
Let's look at some other reasons why it is beneficial to ourselves that we truly fulfill our roles as husbands. Doing these things will create the best environment for us to have the virtuous wife we all desire. Many men are missing one of the glorious crowns they could have, a virtuous woman:
Prov 12:4 A virtuous woman [is] a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed [is] as rottenness in his bones.
Prov 31:10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price [is] far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. 12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
Prov 31:28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband [also], and he praiseth her.
Our wives can be safely trusted to do us good and not evil all the days of our lives. We can know that the decisions she makes are the same as our own because we have spent so much time with her in the Word, instructing her and the whole family in the ways of righteousness. Such a woman will have mature judgment, wise counsel and knowledge and understanding. Such a woman would have no major spiritual problems in her life because her husband is so jealous for her spiritual well being. We see that the husband trusts and praises the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. He is also a well known elder at the gates:
Proverbs 31:23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
The husband sits among the elders of the land. He is trusted to make the decisions the elders make, in part, because it is evident that his house is in order, his children (who rise up and call their mother blessed) are in submission and his wife is obviously well cared for.
1 Timothy 3:10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.
But let's remember that even if our wives are perfect in character, it is Yahweh that deserves the praise and glory:
Proverbs 19:14 House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from Yahweh.
Having a prudent, virtuous wife can bring about the same characteristics in our children. What a blessing we could have giving our daughters to wise husbands! A wise husband would spot a rebellious daughter pretty quickly. Having children whose marriages are good can save us a lot of heartache in the future.
These are only the beginnings of the great blessings we can receive when we are fulfilling our roles as husbands. We can and should take responsibility for their physical and spiritual well being. We are entrusted to care for them, to love them and truly appreciate them as the blessing from Yahweh they are. If these things convict you, repent before Yahweh and before your whole family and confess your sins. It will go a long way toward the healing you need to improve your home and it will go a long way toward the respect you need to bring about the necessary changes. Husbands, love your wives!

When does the Sabbath Begin

When Does the Sabbath Begin?


In modern culture, most of us have been raised to believe that a new day begins at midnight. There is no scriptural precedent for this belief and the way that midnight is reckoned today would be impossible without mechanical clocks.
Since Yahweh is the one who created days and nights, it is important for us to understand when He regards a new day to begin. This becomes important if we want to keep the Ten Commandments because the fourth commandment says that we must "Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy." 
The purpose of this study will demonstrate from the scriptures that evening marks the time when a day has ended and a new 24 hour day begins. Some have written and asked me to address various objections where some believe that a day ends at sunrise. If you are interested in reading a response to those points, feel free to contact me and I'll give you a link to a point-by-point response. 
As you read this study, you will notice that I often refer to the Hebrew and Greek. This is so that we can be sure that we are getting the true meanings that Yahweh intended when He inspired the scriptures. The best way to arrive at a proper understanding of a Hebrew or Greek word is to examine how it is used throughout the scriptures. Lexicons are nice, but examining the various contexts of Hebrew and Greek words is the very thing that lexicon writers do when coming up with their definitions. Therefore, it is important that we trace their steps rather than just blindly accepting what any lexicon may have to say. 
Genesis 1
According to the scriptures, Elohim created the heavens and the earth, the waters, and all that is in them in six days:
Genesis 1:1-2 n the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of Elohim was hovering over the face of the waters.
So Elohim begins His creation of the heavens and earth in Genesis 1:1. The earth present in verse 2, otherwise there would not have been any "face of the waters" for the Spirit of Elohim to move upon, and there would have been not "face of the deep" for darkness to be upon. Therefore, Genesis 1:1 is describing the first event which occurred on day 1--the creation of the heavens and the earth. With this, other scriptures agree:
Exodus 20:11a "For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.
Exodus 31:17 'It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.' "
Therefore, since Yahweh made the heavens and the earth in six days, the creation of the heavens and the earth would have needed to occur on the first day of creation. 
In Elohim's creation of the earth, the earth is described as being:
1.     Without form (Hebrew #8414, "tohu")
The Hebrew word translated "Without form" is used in other verses such as:
Job 12:24-25 He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, And makes them wander in a pathless wilderness. (#8414 "Tohu")  25 They grope in the dark without light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.
Jeremiah 4:23-26 I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form (#8414 "Tohu"), and void; And the heavens, they had no light. 24 I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, And all the hills moved back and forth. 25 I beheld, and indeed there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens had fled. 26 I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness, And all its cities were broken down At the presence of Yahweh, By His fierce anger.
Seeing how the Hebrew word #8414 "Tohu" is used in other verses of scripture, we can come to a clearer understanding of its meaning. Some of suggested it simply means that the earth didn't exist at all, and it was just "nothing." But we see that it's "Tohu" is used to describe the condition of an already existing earth in Job 12:24 and Jeremiah 4:23. Therefore this Hebrew word would also be describing the condition of an already existing earth in Genesis 1:2 as well.
2.     Void
The Hebrew word translated "void" is also used in Jeremiah 4:23 above (Jeremiah 4:23 "I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form and void") as well as an existing (but empty) land in Isaiah 34:11 ("stones of emptiness").
3.     Dark
The Hebrew word translated consistently means "darkness" in every place it is translated, including 3 places where it is translated "obscurity" but could easily have been translated "Darkness" and convey the same meaning.
So one of the things that existed in His initial creation of the heavens and the earth was darkness. Therefore, darkness existed as part of the creation of the heavens and earth. Therefore, in Genesis 1, we have Yahweh's creation of the heavens, and Yahweh's creation of a formless, empty, dark earth containing waters and a "face of the deep." 
If the earth had not yet been created, the earth would not have had any attributes at all. It could not have had water for the Spirit of Elohim to hover over, and it could not have had a "face of the deep" for darkness to be upon. For something to have any attributes, it first needs to exist. 
The next creation of Elohim was light:
Genesis 1:3 Then Elohim said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
There are some who believe a day begins at sunrise, so they regard this creation of light to be the initial act which began the six days of creation. But since Yahweh created the heavens and the earth in six days, we can't place the creation of the heavens and earth outside that six day period. So to start the first day in verse 3 is a contradiction. 
Next, Elohim separates the light from the darkness:
Genesis 1:4 And Elohim saw the light, that it was good. And Elohim separated the light from the darkness.
Since the sun was not yet created, it is anyone's guess as to how the light was separated from darkness and what it all really looked like. But we know that at first that the earth He created in verse 1 was dark, formless and empty. The darkness existed first, and light was created afterward. 
In the first part of the next verse, Elohim gives names to the light and darkness:
Genesis 1:5a And Elohim called the light 'day' and the darkness He called 'night.'
Some have suggested that light begins a day due to the fact that it says He called the light "day" first and then afterward calls the darkness "night." But that is a clear contradiction of the previous verses where we see that Elohim created the heavens as well the formless, empty, and dark earth before He ever created light. It doesn't say He waited until day and night came before He named them. Half of the earth is lit up and the other half is dark at any given time. Elohim, who is above the the earth, could easily have named them both at the same time. 
The first day's order of events is further confirmed by the remainder of verse 5 where the concept and order of time is first described:
Genesis 1:5b And there came to be evening and there came to be morning, day one.
Up until now, the timeframe in which Elohim did all these things had not been mentioned. But with these words, all the acts of creation up to this point are placed in an specific frame of time. 
It is evident that "evening" describes the time when there is no light (beginning after the sun has set), and "morning" is describing the time when there is light (beginning at sunrise). 
But what exactly is sunrise? We all know that sunrise begins when the sun casts its first beam of light over the horizon. This moment would begin the morning. 
Now, let's look at the verse again with this understanding:
"And there was evening (no beams of light over the horizon) and there was morning (the moment when the sun casts its first beam of light over the horizon), day one"
Since the phrase "there came to be evening" would apply to the first day of creation, the phrase "there came to be morning" would also need to apply to the first day of creation. 
So there were two things that happened as part of day one: 
1) A time period of no light
2) A time period of light. 

Therefore, sunset would have begun the night portion of the first day and sunrise would have began the light portion of the first day. Yahweh mentions the beginning of each half of a day and since the beginning of each half of the day is mentioned, the remaining portions must be encompassed as part of a day as well.
So it makes perfect sense that since darkness was first mentioned as part of the formless/empty earth, evening would need to be mentioned as starting the first part of the day, and morning starting the second part of the day. Elohim created the heavens and the dark, formless, empty earth during the evening. Then to cause morning to come, Elohim brought light into His creation. He then separates the light from the darkness and gave names to each. 

The Four Evangels (Gospels)
A careful study of the 4 accounts of Yahushua's resurrection will reveal that Yahweh regards a day to begin at evening. For simplicity, we will do a side by side comparison of the timing that the women came to the tomb:
 
Scripture verse Matthew 28:1 (ISR) Now after the Sabbath, toward dawn on the first day of the week, Miryam from Magdala and the other Miryam came to see the tomb. Mark 16:2 And very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. Luke 24:1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. John 20:1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
Timing
  1. After the Sabbath
  2. Toward dawn on the first day of the week
  1. Very early on the first day of the week
  2. When the sun had risen.
  1. On the first day of the week
  2. Very early in the morning.
  1. On the first day of the week
  2. Early, while it was still dark.
Position of sun "Toward dawn" so sun had not yet risen Sun had risen "very early in the morning" so sun had risen "Still dark" so sun had not yet risen
Time Reference When they left to go to the tomb When they arrived at the tomb When they arrived at the tomb When they left to go to the tomb
On the surface it would appear that these four accounts contradict one another, but they are easily reconciled when we understand that Matthew and John are speaking about the time the they set out to head to the tomb but Mark and Luke would be speaking of when they actually arrived at the tomb. Since a person needed to travel on foot, it would taken some time to get there. 
Notice that while John 20:1 says it was already the "first day of the week," it also says that "it was still dark." If it is still dark, that would mean the first day of the week had already begun prior to sunrise. This would mean the first day of the week began at the previous sunset. The word translated "dark" does indeed mean dark and cannot have any other meaning. 
The word translated "still" where it says "still dark" in John 20:1 is #2089 "eti." In every instance the word is found in scripture, always carries a meaning similar to "still" or "yet." The actual definition given in the Strong's Lexicon is "yet, still (of time or degree).
Some who believe a day begins at sunrise have suggested that #2089 "eti" can carry a meaning of "no longer." But the only time it can mean "no longer" or "no more" is when it is accompanied by a Greek word which means "no." For instance
Galatians 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer <2089> <3765> under a schoolmaster.
Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no <3364> more <2089>.
The only time #2089 "eti" can mean "no longer" is when it is coupled with another word that means "no." To say that "eti" means "no longer" would be like a foreigner trying to tell us that our English word "light" actually means "darkness" because they saw the word "light" being used in the phrase "no light." 
I've also heard that "eti" can mean "after that." Knowing that context is key, I looked diligently but could find any place where "eti" is translated "after that" in the KJV or any translation. The Strong's lists "after that" as one of the translations in the KJV (words after the "---" in any Strong's definition are the KJV translations of the word), but it simply does not exist and the Thayer's lexicon agrees that it does not exist. 
Also, notice that Matthew 28:1 says it is "after the Sabbath" which indicates the first day of the week has begun. The sun had not yet risen though because it says that it was "toward dawn."
Matthew 28:1 (ISR) Now after the Sabbath, toward dawn on the first day of the week, Miryam from Magdala and the other Miryam came to see the tomb.
In this instance I used the ISR version because it accurately conveys the Greek word used in this instance which is #2020 and means "to begin to grow light." The Sabbath had ended at evening and now it was beginning to grow light outside just before the sun rose. Therefore, it was "toward dawn" but not quite sunrise when the women started heading toward the tomb. It does not mean "sunrise." There are two Greek words that actually do describe sunrise:
Luke 1:78 (ISR) through the tender compassion of our Elohim, with which the daybreak (#395 "anatoley") from on high has looked upon us,
2 Peter 1:19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns (#1306 "Diaugazo")  and the morning star rises in your hearts;
But the word used in Matthew 28:1 "toward dawn" describes same period of time as John 20:1-- the time when they started heading toward the tomb. It was still technically dark outside, but the light of dawn was on the horizon. 
In Mark 16:1, it appears that a possible reason it took some time to get to the tomb was due to their purchase of spices:
Mark 16:1-2 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
So this is yet more evidence that the Sabbath had ended the evening before. Of course, if we believe the Sabbath day is still in effect until sunrise, the women and the seller of spices would have been breaking the Sabbath. 
So based on the 4 accounts, it is evident that the chronology was that the women started heading to the tomb before the sun rose on the first day of the week, they bought spices "after the Sabbath" yet before sunrise, and they arrived at the tomb at sunrise. 
Here is a summary of how these accounts actually contradict "sunrise to sunrise" Sabbath keeping:
  1. John 20:1 says that it was "on the first day of the week", yet it was "still dark." Therefore the first day of the week had already begun prior to sunrise.
  2. Mark 16:1 says that they bought spices "when the Sabbath was passed," yet it was before the sun had risen, proving the Sabbath ended at sundown.
  3. Matthew 28:1 says that it was "after the Sabbath" during the period of time that it began to "grow light," a word that describes the period of time just before sunrise. 
Therefore, these verses clearly support the fact that the Sabbath ends at sundown and the first day of the week was already in motion prior to sunrise.  

"Evening to evening shall you celebrate your Sabbath"

Scripture plainly commands "from evening to evening you shall celebrate your Sabbath."  
Leviticus 23:27-32 Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to Yahweh. 28 "And you shall do no work on that same day, for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before Yahweh your Elohim. 29 "For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day shall be cut off from his people. 30 "And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 "You shall do no manner of work; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 32 "It shall be to you a sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict your souls; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath."
Numbers 29:7 On the tenth day of this seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall afflict your souls; you shall not do any work.
Since Yahweh doesn't contradict Himself, it is no contradiction that the 10th day of the month is "Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement" while also commanding that we begin and end this day at evening. Since the 10th day began and ended at evening, the days surrounding it would need to begin and end at evening as well. Thus, all days begin and end at evening.
Another example:
Exodus 12:15-19 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. 
16
'On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, and on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation for you. No manner of work shall be done on them; but that which everyone must eat -- that only may be prepared by you. 
17
'So you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this same day I will have brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as an everlasting ordinance. 
18
'In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 'For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses, since whoever eats what is leavened, that same person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land.

Notice that the same language which described the timing of the tenth day of the seventh month (Day of Atonement) is also used to describe when the fifteenth day of the first month (the Feast of Unleavened Bread). 
The common thread between this feast and the Day of Atonement is they both have eating restrictions of some kind. In ancient times, without the electric lights that we have today, it was typical for a person to work throughout the day until sundown. At that time they would all sit down to eat. But since the Day of Atonement and Feast of Unleavened Bread had eating restrictions, it would mean that they would need to break from their normal habit to keep these observances. Therefore, these are perfect places in scripture for Yahweh to explain when a day begins so that they would remember to refrain from eating leaven, or in the case of the Day of Atonement, refrain from sitting down to eat as they normally would in the evenings. 
So why do these verses use a phrase like "on the 9th day at evening" or "on the fourteenth day at evening" to describe the time when each observance begins? We use similar language in our own day when trying to tell people when we start keeping Sabbath. One will often say "on 'friday' at sundown we start keeping the Sabbath" even though it's understood that "friday sundown" is actually the beginning of the Sabbath day. Likewise, when Yahweh is attempting to describe when the fifteenth day begins, He says "on the fourteenth day of the month at evening (sundown)" to describe when we begin the fifteenth day. In other words, if you are sitting in your house on the fourteenth day of the month, the fifteenth day (the time you begin eating unleavened bread) will begin at sundown.  
If Yahweh wanted to explain to them that a day begins at sundown, He couldn't say "on the sundown of the 15th you eat unleavened bread" because some might think that they would need to start eating unleavened bread in the middle of what would be the 15th day of the month. Explaining that the feast of unleavened bread begins on the 15th and we start when sundown occurs on the 14th should be sufficient explanation for us to understand when the 15th actually begins. Otherwise, you aren't actually beginning the Feast of Unleavened Bread on the 15th, but you are starting it in the middle of the 14th. Then, you would end it in the middle of the 22nd day which makes no sense at all. 
Besides, you can't reckon 7 days out of the year as beginning and ending at evening without affecting how the Sabbath is observed during those 7 days and affecting every day of the year. 

"They came no more on the Sabbath"

If we take the time to study Nehemiah thoroughly in context, it will also clearly demonstrate when the Sabbath begins. 
Let's take a moment and examine it in full context:
Nehemiah 13:15 In those days I saw people in Judah treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and loading donkeys with wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them about the day on which they were selling provisions. 
16
Men of Tyre dwelt there also, who brought in fish and all kinds of goods, and sold them on the Sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 
17
Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, "What evil thing is this that you do, by which you profane the Sabbath day? 
18
"Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our Elohim bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath." 

What is Nehemiah speaking about when he says "Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our Elohim bring all this disaster on us and on this city?" 
In the writings of the prophet Jeremiah, Yahweh made an offer to the children of Israel. It's a quite amazing offer actually. He said that if they would only stop bringing burdens through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath, to keep the Sabbath, He would bless the city and allow it to remain forever. And Kings & princes would enter those gates forever, sons of David riding in horses and chariots, to an everlasting city. He told Jeremiah to stand in each of the gates of the city and declare these things:
Jeremiah 17:19-27 Thus Yahweh said to me: "Go and stand in the gate of the children of the people, by which the kings of Judah come in and by which they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem; 
20
"and say to them, 'Hear the word of Yahweh, you kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who enter by these gates. 

Notice that Jeremiah is standing at the gates while giving this message. Remember this for later:
Jeremiah 17:21 'Thus says Yahweh: "Take heed to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sabbath day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem; 22 "nor carry a burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day, nor do any work, but hallow the Sabbath day, as I commanded your fathers. 
23
"But they did not obey nor incline their ear, but made their neck stiff, that they might not hear nor receive instruction. 
24
" And it shall be, if you heed Me carefully," says Yahweh, "to bring no burden through the gates of this city on the Sabbath day, but hallow the Sabbath day, to do no work in it, 
25
"then shall enter the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, accompanied by the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall remain forever.
26 "And they shall come from the cities of Judah and from the places around Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin and from the lowland, from the mountains and from the South, bringing burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, bringing sacrifices of praise to the house of Yahweh. 

So Yahweh gives a promise here. And what a promise it was, for He didn't even ask them to serve Him or not worship idols, etc. Just keep the Sabbath. I think Yahweh knew that if they would keep the Sabbath, the Sabbath would keep them (Meaning, cause them to delight themselves in Yahweh). And this memorial of creation would cause them to seek Yahweh weekly. But if they chose bring burdens through those gates and break the Sabbath, He would burn those gates with fire.
He said if they will only keep the Sabbath and "bring no burden through the city gates of this city on the Sabbath," Yahweh would allow Jerusalem to remain forever. But if they chose to break the Sabbath and allow the carrying of burdens through the city gates on Yahweh's holy day, He would destroy the city:
Jeremiah 17:27 "But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched." ' "
So it makes sense why Nehemiah says:
Nehemiah 13:18 "Did not your fathers do thus, and did not our Elohim bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you bring added wrath on Israel by profaning the Sabbath." 
Nehemiah's course of action from this point will make a lot more sense when we understand his comments in the proper context. Jeremiah said that Yahweh would allow Jerusalem to remain forever if they would keep the Sabbath and forbid the bringing of burdens into the gates of the city, but He would destroy it if they permitted these things. So what does Nehemiah do?
Nehemiah 13:19 So it was, at the gates of Jerusalem, as it began to be dark before the Sabbath, that I commanded the gates to be shut, and charged that they must not be opened till after the Sabbath. Then I posted some of my servants at the gates, so that no burdens would be brought in on the Sabbath day. 
To ensure that no burdens were brought through the gates on the Sabbath, He made as special point to command that the gates be shut "as it began to be dark before the Sabbath." In looking at the Hebrew, there is no doubt that this refers to a time prior to sunset. The Hebrew word translated "dark" in this verse is #6751 which means "shadowing." Other words related to #6751 carry this kind of meaning as well:
4699 mtsullah mets-ool-law' from 6751; shade:--bottom.
6738 tsel tsale from 6751; shade, whether literal or figurative:--defence, shade(-ow).
6751 tsalal tsaw-lal' a primitive root (identical with 6749 through the idea of hovering over (Compare 6754)); to shade, as twilight or an opaque object:--begin to be dark, shadowing.
6752 tselel tsay'-lel from 6751; shade:--shadow.
Here are a couple of examples of these words: 
Job 40:22 The lotus trees cover him with their shade (#6752); The willows by the brook surround him.
Ezekiel 31:3 Indeed Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, With fine branches that shaded (#6751) the forest, And of high stature; And its top was among the thick boughs.
Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow (#6738) of thy wings
Thus, the New International Version Nehemiah 13 as:
Nehemiah 13:19 When evening shadows fell on the gates of Jerusalem before the Sabbath, I ordered the doors to be shut and not opened until the Sabbath was over. I stationed some of my own men at the gates so that no load could be brought in on the Sabbath day.
But no matter how one translates it, it has something to do with shadows. Since there are no shadows after sunset, the verse would have to be speaking of a time prior to sunset. Long shadows are a characteristic of the time just before sunset. 
So now that we have established that the timing of Nehemiah's closing of the gates occurred just before sundown, what would have been the purpose of shutting at that time? Obviously, it was the time just "before the Sabbath." Nehemiah did not want people bringing in and carrying burdens into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day so he had the gates shut just before sundown to ensure that. If he shut the gates right at sundown, someone could have come in just prior to sundown and lugged their wares around to their destination on the Sabbath. 
Nehemiah 13:20 Now the merchants and sellers of all kinds of wares lodged outside Jerusalem once or twice. 
21
Then I warned them, and said to them, "Why do you spend the night around the wall? If you do so again, I will lay hands on you!" From that time on they came no more on the Sabbath
22
And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should go and guard the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day. Remember me, O my Elohim, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of Your mercy!

If the previous verses were not clear enough, we have Nehemiah himself telling us when the Sabbath is. Note the progression of events here. 
1. The merchants came and spent the night around the wall, presumably in hopes to bribe their way in or to buy/sell to anyone leaving the city.
2. Nehemiah threatens to lay hands on them if they spend the night around the wall.
3. Inspired scripture says, "From that time on they came no more on the Sabbath.

Since the scriptures tell us they were coming on the Sabbath, and they were coming to spend the night around the wall, this would clearly tie in the Sabbath as beginning in the evening. The gates were shut as the shadows fell upon the gates of Jerusalem just before the Sabbath, then the merchants came afterward and tried to spend the night around the wall, hoping to get in the next morning. Nehemiah then threatened them to prevent them from spending the night around the wall--a time that scripture calls "the Sabbath."
After taking care of that problem, Nehemiah then commands the Levites to cleanse themselves and guard the gates so that the Sabbath would be sanctified. Earlier he had placed his own servants there but now he is trusting the Levites to do what they are supposed to do and guard those gates from Sabbath breakers, lest the gates be burned with fire again as Jeremiah prophesied. 
Another scripture supporting the fact that the Sabbath ends at evening is in Luke chapter 4:
Luke 4:38-40 And having risen out of the synagogue, he entered into the house of Simon, and the mother-in-law of Simon was pressed with a great fever, and they did ask him about her, 39 and having stood over her, he rebuked the fever, and it left her, and presently, having risen, she was ministering to them. 40 And at the setting of the sun, all, as many as had any ailing with manifold sicknesses, brought them unto him, and he on each one of them his hands having put, did heal them.
For people to wait until the setting of the sun to bring the sick people to Yahushua for Him to heal demonstrates that it was certainly a first century practice to end the Sabbath at sundown. After all, why wait until sundown to carry the sick to him if it's still considered to be the Sabbath day? 
Historical Evidence
Confirming the above scripture, we also have historical evidence that in the first century, the Sabbath was observed starting at evening. Josephus, a first century Jewish historian makes the following comment:
Wars of the Jews 4:582 and the last was erected above the top of the Pastophoria, where one of the priests stood of course, and gave a signal beforehand with a trumpet, at the beginning of every seventh day, in the evening twilight, as also at the evening when that day was finished, as giving notice to the people when they were to stop work, and when they were to go to work again.
So his report is that a trumpet was blown at the beginning of every Sabbath, to mark when the people should stop working, and begin working. Josephus had no reason to lie, and archaeological finds concur with Josephus' comments about the place of trumpeting:
"When we excavated the beautifully paved Herodian street adjacent to the southern wall and near the southwestern corner of the Enclosure Wall, we found a particularly large ashlar block. On the inside was a niche where a man might stand, especially if the ashlar were joined to another which would enlarge the niche.
On the outside was a carefully and elegantly incised Hebrew inscription: LBYT HTKY ’H LHH [RYZ]; “To the place of Trumpeting to (declare).” If the restoration of the world “declare” is correct, the rest of the missing part of the inscription probably went on to tell us more about the declaring of the beginning and the end of the Sabbath.
The stone had been toppled during the Roman destruction of the Temple onto the street below where it had lain for nearly two thousand years until we uncovered it.
It must have originally come from the pinnacle of the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount. From a spot on top of the Temple chambers a priest would blow a trumpet on Sabbath Eve, to announce the arrival of the Sabbath and the cessation of all labour, and to announce, on the following evening, the departure of the Sabbath and the resumption of all labor.
The entire city was visible from this spot on the southwest corner of the Temple Mount; the clarion call of the trumpet would reach the farthest markets of the city. Such a scene is recounted by Josephus in his work, The Jewish War. (IV, 582)." Editor, H. S. 2004; 2004. BAR 06:04 (July/Aug 1980). Biblical Archaeology Society

I know that some might say that the Jews (e.g. Pharisees) were observing it wrong in the first century. But wouldn't it seem pretty odd that Yahushua would say things like "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loosen his ox or his donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?" but then never once mention that they break the Sabbath every week when the trumpeter sends out his call to resume working after after sundown? I think we can be certain that such a major issue would not escape the attention of Yahushua and the apostles.
With as strict as the Jews were about Sabbath breaking, it seems quite unlikely that they would even try to change it. And the idea that all the Jews scattered around the world would simultaneously change the time that they observed the Sabbath is quite incredulous--especially when you consider that there is not a shred of evidence indicating such a change.
Conclusion
The scriptures seem pretty clear that Yahweh reckons days from evening to evening. While modern reckoning is from midnight to midnight, we need to submit ourselves to the daily heavenly clock that Yahweh Himself established at creation. It makes perfect sense that a day ends when a day ends...at evening. 

Beware of the Lunar Sabbath

Beware of the "Lunar Sabbath"


   
If you are new to the understanding of keeping Yahweh's Sabbath, you probably have never heard of "Lunar Sabbaths." But it is pretty likely that you will eventually find someone who practices and teaches it. Just as the traditional Christian Sabbath departs from keeping the Sabbath on the day that Yahweh made holy, so does the Lunar Sabbath. This study is written to help equip the body of Messiah with a scriptural basis of keeping the Sabbath on the 7th day of every week, and to establish why any deviance from that is unscriptural. 
Bias & ulterior motives
    As I did when studying out the validity of the traditional "Sunday Sabbath," when studying out this subject I tried to be as objective as possible, not caring one way or another if I have to change anything I believe. At this stage in my life I am a business owner, so I would not be affected in the least if the Lunar Sabbath doctrine were true. I would have no problem at all with resting on any day of any week if I needed to change it. I do not have a denominational hierarchy of men to answer to, and I'm not part of any man-made organization. I like to be free to study and learn the truth, and apply it to my life without hindrance.
I hosted a discussion on this topic in a private forum for almost 4 years in which there were over 5500 contributions by people promoting and disagreeing with the Lunar Sabbath doctrine. I'm not going into this topic as a novice and I've had plenty of time to mull over, pray, and meditate on this subject. To date, I have not seen anything that would prove the Lunar Sabbath doctrine to be scriptural. Rather, quite to the contrary.
What constitutes proof?
    I have found that there are different levels of what constitutes "proof" in the mind of people. Some require just a little bit of evidence to support a doctrine or belief, and others require a lot of evidence to support a doctrine or belief. We need to be careful that we are relying on real evidence to support our belief rather than an interpretation of evidence. In my mind, the evidence used to "prove" the Lunar Sabbath doctrine rely on a person to already be predisposed to believing in the Lunar Sabbath in order to interpret the evidence in such a way that supports their doctrine.  
I've found that in order to really believe in the Lunar Sabbath doctrine, one would need to rely on a certain level of (highly interpretive) evidence rather than real "proof." Yet, strung throughout some Lunar Sabbatarian literature are very strong terms such as "conclusive proof." When examining this "conclusive proof," it becomes clear that the evidence offered is far from proof, let alone conclusive. We need to beware of someone's broad-brushed use of terms like this and be a good judge of whether or not what they offer is really "proof." It's easy to be swayed by such strong terminology, so we should be willing to make our own judgments about whether or not their evidence really is "proof." 
So at the heart of where we stand regarding this doctrine is determining "what truly constitutes a scriptural fact," and what is merely a surmising, or a theory which requires one believe a series of "possibilities" rather than real facts. 
What is the Lunar Sabbath?
    The Lunar Sabbath ignores the current weekly 7 day cycle in use today and uses the moon to determine when a new week begins and ends. So rather than observing the Sabbath on the 7th day of a recurring, uninterrupted 7 day week, Lunar Sabbatarians restart a weekly 7 day cycle near the beginning of each lunar month. A lunar month follows the phases of the moon rather than the 30-31 day calendar in use today. 
Yahweh's annual feast days are indeed determined by certain days of certain lunar months. Starting from the crescent phase of the moon, Yahweh's Passover is on the 14th day of the first month of each year. But Lunar Sabbath keepers believe that the regular Sabbath falls on certain days of every month. They choose to keep the regular Sabbath on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th day of every lunar month. A few do it on the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th days of each lunar month but for the sake of simplicity we will address those who keep it on the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th days. Here is an illustration to help clarify:
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

One moon cycle is approximately 29.5 days in length
Because the Lunar Sabbath ignores the current weekly cycle in use today, their Sabbath may fall on any day of our modern week. It depends completely and solely on the moon phases. One major problem that Lunar Sabbath keepers face is the fact that there are extra days in the month which prevent them from being able to keep the Sabbath every seven days. 
The moon moves through one complete cycle (new moon, first quarter, full moon, last quarter, conjunction) in approximately 29.5 days (See graphic to the right). Since we cannot split a day in half, this means that some lunar months will last 29 days, but other lunar months will last 30 days. 
So what do Lunar Sabbath keepers do on the 1st and 30th days of each month? 
This is where some may differ. While everyone calls them "New moon days," some keep them as an extension of the Sabbath day on the 29th. This presents a problem though because there are scriptures which show men building (Exodus 40) and traveling (Ezra 7:9) on the new moon day. Also, it is not commanded anywhere that we must rest on any new moon day except the new moon day of the 7th month. The new moon on the 7th month is the Feast of Trumpets. This new moon would be what scripture alludes to in Amos 8:5 when some couldn't sell their grains on the new moon day.
Others only refrain from commerce or employment on those days but are free to do all other manner of work such as mowing the lawn, gardening, digging ditches, building houses, traveling, and doing housework. What this would essentially mean is they don't truly get a day of rest every seven days.  They would have to wait for up to nine days to get a day of rest. For instance, if they kept the Sabbath on the 29th day of the month, they would be permitted to do various kinds of work on the 30th day of that month and the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th days of the following month. This means a person could potentially work 8 days rather than the 6 that Yahweh commanded, and rest on the 9th day instead of the 7th day that Yahweh commanded. 
With either method, Yahweh's command to work six days and rest on the seventh is ignored at the end of every month. 
"Moedim" scriptures proving Lunar Sabbaths?
    The Lunar Sabbath doctrine is primarily founded upon three key scriptures. These three scriptures are foundational to the Lunar Sabbath believer, and they will be prominently quoted on their web sites and study papers when trying to prove their doctrine. One Lunar Sabbatarian says they are the "strongest points" for this doctrine, and most others seem to agree. 
Since they are considered to be the strongest points, we should look to see if they are effective in establishing any facts. The first scripture is found in the book of Genesis:
Genesis 1:14 Then Elohim 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;
A Lunar Sabbath believer will quickly point out that the moon, being one of the lights in the firmament of heaven, was created for "seasons." The word translated "seasons" in this scripture is the Hebrew word "Moedim," which most everyone will agree means "Appointed times." 
Here is the Strong's Lexicon entry:
4150 mow`ed mo-ade' or moled {mo-ade'}; or (feminine) moweadah (2Chronicles 8:13) {mo-aw-daw'}; from 3259; properly, an appointment, i.e. a fixed time or season; specifically, a festival; conventionally a year; by implication, an assembly (as convened for a definite purpose); technically the congregation; by extension, the place of meeting; also a signal (as appointed beforehand):--appointed (sign, time), (place of, solemn) assembly, congregation, (set, solemn) feast, (appointed, due) season, solemn(-ity), synagogue, (set) time (appointed).
Now we will look at the second key scripture, the introduction to Yahweh's appointed times in Leviticus 23:
Leviticus 23:1-3 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'The feasts <4150> of Yahweh, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts <4150>. 3 ' Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of Yahweh in all your dwellings. 
The word translated "feasts" in verse 2 is again the Hebrew word "Moedim." Notice that the weekly Sabbath is chiefly listed among the "moedim." This is a very important scripture to the Lunar Sabbath believer. For them, it proves that the moon must be involved in setting the time of the weekly Sabbath. Since the Sabbath is listed as one of the "moedim" along with the other festivals such as Passover and the Feast of Weeks later on in this chapter, and Genesis 1:14 says the moon is for the "moedim," the logic of Lunar Sabbatarians is that the moon must also be used to determine the regular weekly Sabbath. 
Let's now move onto the third and final scripture which Lunar Sabbath believers use as the "strongest points" for their belief:
Psalm 104:19 He appointed the moon for seasons; The sun knows its going down.
Again, we have the Hebrew word "Moedim" in this verse, translated "seasons." For them, this scripture puts to rest any argument that the moon is not used to determine the weekly Sabbath, which is among the "moedim" 
On the surface, this might sound like pretty sound logic: 
1) The moon is for "moedim."
2) The regular Sabbath is called a "moedim" in scripture.
3) Therefore, the moon must somehow be used determine the regular Sabbath.

However, the above logic is not based on all the facts. It is important that we base our beliefs on the full counsel of Yahweh, and not on what "sounds plausible" from just looking at a few scriptures and assuming we have the truth. 
This logic does NOT center around the understanding that the moon is for "moedim." This logic centers around the belief that the moon must be used in setting ALL "moedim." It is very important to understand the difference. 
If there are examples in scripture where the moon is not used to determine a "moedim," then their entire argument will fall to the ground. Why? Because if we have examples in scripture where the moon is not involved in setting some "moedim," it proves that the moon doesn't necessarily need to be involved in the weekly Sabbath either.
So let's take a look:
Judges 20:38 Now the appointed signal <4150> between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise up from the city,
In the above scripture, the word "moed" is translated "appointed signal." "Moed" is the singular form of "Moedim." It comes from the same Strong's lexicon word number. Obviously, since the appointed signal was making a cloud of smoke rise up from the city, we would have to conclude that the moon had no involvement in this "moedim." Obviously we can't use the moon to light a fire. 
Here the word is translated "appointed time:"
Numbers 28:2-4 "Command the children of Israel, and say to them, 'My offering, My food for My offerings made by fire as a sweet aroma to Me, you shall be careful to offer to Me at their appointed time. <4150> ' 3 "And you shall say to them, 'This is the offering made by fire which you shall offer to Yahweh: two male lambs in their first year without blemish, day by day, as a regular burnt offering. 4 'The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, the other lamb you shall offer in the evening,
This is describing a daily sacrifice in the temple or tabernacle. There were two lambs were offered daily, one in the morning and the other in the evening. Yahweh says, "you shall be careful to offer to Me at their appointed time <4150>." The "appointed time" or "moed" here is morning and evening. The moon is not involved in determining the morning or evening, yet these are called "moedim." This clearly demonstrates that some of Yahweh's "moedim" do not involve the moon at all. 
It is true that Yahweh did appoint the moon for "moedim," but obviously not ALL of Yahweh's "moedim" as Lunar Sabbath keepers indicate. Therefore, their assertion that ALL of Yahweh's "moedim" must involve the moon (and thus the Sabbath must also involve the moon) is simply not true
To prove this point even further, consider the context of Psalm 104:19:
Psalm 104:18-19 The high hills are for the wild goats; The cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers. 19 He appointed the moon for seasons; The sun knows its going down.
If we choose to follow the belief of Lunar Sabbath keepers, it becomes evident that they are adding to Yahweh's inspired word when they say Yahweh "appointed the moon for ALL 'moedim and ALL 'moedim' must involve use the moon.'" 
To prove this notion wrong, we need only check the context of Psalm 104:19. Take a moment and notice closely the previous verse, which uses a similar kind of sentence structure. It says, "the high hills are for the wild goats." For a Lunar Sabbath keeper to be consistent in his belief, consider the problem here: 
IF: Yahweh "appointed the moon for ALL 'moedim and ALL 'moedim' must involve use the moon."
THEN (by the same logic): Yahweh has also made "the high hills for ALL wild goats and ALL wild goats must use high hills"
Of course, this is ridiculous but it demonstrates the fallacy of being so dogmatic that ALL 'moedim' involve use the moon. 
What we're looking at here in Psalm 104 is Hebrew poetry, not dogmatic, legalistic statements. Otherwise, you could even go on to verse 20 and find that ALL the beasts of the forest need to wake up and creep about at least once every night. 
In summary, the assertion that all of Yahweh's "moedim" must use the moon is simply not true. The meaning of the word "Moedim" in Hebrew is broader than Lunar Sabbath keepers make it out to be, and when you examine their very rigid interpretation of Psalm 104:19 more closely, it defies the basics of common sense.
We do need to be careful about things like this. Anyone can pull a scripture out of context here or there and it might appear to fit their theology. But in order to fully understand the meanings of Hebrew words, we need to consistently examine the meaning and context of various scriptures. When we do this, the true meanings come to light. 
So for me, all of this begs the question, "If these scriptures are the 'strongest points for the Sabbath by the moon,' and the interpretation given is obviously quite groundless, what does that say about their weaker points?" 
In the absence of any scriptures telling us that the moon must be involved in the weekly Sabbath, there is no real scriptural basis for Lunar Sabbath keeping.
Pinpointed Sabbaths proving Lunar Sabbaths?
    The second of the "strongest points for Sabbaths by the moon" are the places in scripture that speak of Yahweh's Sabbath occurring on days of the month that Lunar Sabbatarians consider to be the Sabbath. I don't see why it would even be a strong point to begin with. Since this there is a one in seven chance of it happening with the weeks being independent of the moon cycle, it can happen almost twice a year on average. The fact that one of them would be mentioned in scripture proves absolutely nothing. 
For a Lunar Sabbath doctrine to be established, one would need to prove that the Sabbath was on particular day of the lunar month for two or more months in a row. This would be impossible with the recurring weekly cycle. But, in spite of valiant efforts by Lunar Sabbatarians, they have yet to prove such a thing. If anyone thinks that they have, feel free to contact me.
In my own examination of their claims, there are only one or two places in scripture that one might be able to prove Yahweh's Sabbath fell on a particular day of the month.  
The first one appears when you examine Exodus 16:1 which places the completion of Israel's journey to the Wilderness of Sin on the 15th day of the 2nd month:
Exodus 16:1 And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt.
On the following day (16th day of the month), Yahweh began to send His manna from heaven and told them to gather twice as much on the sixth day which would be the 21st day of the month:
Exodus 16:22-23 And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 Then he said to them, "This is what Yahweh has said: 'Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to Yahweh. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.' "
Assuming that there weren't any days in Exodus 16 that scripture doesn't mention anything about, this would place the seventh day Sabbath on the 22nd day of the month. Of course, the fact that we can find a scripture where the Sabbath happens to fall on the 22nd day of the month does not prove that we should accept the Lunar Sabbath doctrine. As I previously mentioned, this can take place about twice a year on average.
In reality, these passages do more damage to the Lunar Sabbath doctrine than help. Yahweh gave Manna for six days but withheld Manna on the Sabbath:
Exodus 16:24-30 So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. 25 Then Moses said, "Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to Yahweh; today you will not find it in the field. 26 "Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there will be none." 27 Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. 28 And Yahweh said to Moses, "How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? 29 "See! For Yahweh has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day." 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
Notice that it says, "How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? "See! For Yahweh has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days." Yahweh was trying to teach them which day the Sabbath was by giving them bread for two days. They were sent Manna for the 6th and 7th days of the week so they would not need to gather any on the Sabbath.
With the Lunar Sabbath, such a principle falls into trouble at the end of the month. Did Yahweh give triple or quadruple the amount of Manna so that Israel could keep the 29th, 30th and 1st day of the following month? Or, did He rain the double portion of Manna on the 28th day of the month and allow them to collect Manna again on the 30th day and 1st day of the following month (new moon days)? 
Either way would conflict with the principle that Yahweh was teaching in Exodus 16. Either Yahweh would have to send a quadruple portion on the 28th day to cover the 28th, 29th, 30th and 1st day (they might be up to their knees in Manna!), or He sends Manna for the 7-8 days following the 29th day of the Lunar month (which conflicts with the principle "Six days you shall gather it.")
The second place in scripture where it might be demonstrated that there was a Sabbath on one of the Lunar Sabbath days is during the week that Yahushua died on the tree. The day after His death was clearly some kind of Sabbath:
John 19:30-31 So when Yahushua had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. 31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
We know that Yahushua was killed on the day of Passover, which would be the 14th day of the 1st month. If we believe the above Sabbath to be a weekly Sabbath, that would indeed place the 15th day of the 1st month on a Sabbath. However:
Matthew 12:40 "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
If Yahushua was speaking here of His time in the grave, and we take the expression "three days and three nights" literally rather than understanding it as an idiomatic expression, it would mean Yahushua died on the 4th day of the week. 
We know that the women visited the tomb on the 1st day of the week and Yahushua had just risen. Tracing back three days and three nights in the tomb, we come to the 4th day of the week, commonly called "Wednesday." This would mean the Sabbath mentioned in John 19:31 was a feast day Sabbath (15th day of the feast month, Feast of Unleavened Bread) rather than a weekly Sabbath. This would clearly contradict the Lunar Sabbath doctrine. 
But even if the "three days and three nights" was an idiomatic expression and Yahushua died on the 6th day of the week as claimed by most of Christianity, the presence of Yahweh's Sabbath on the 15th day of the month in scripture does not prove it was always on the 15th day of the month. Still, Lunar Sabbath keepers regard these "pinpointed Sabbaths" and the dogmatic "Sabbath is a Moed" we discussed earlier to be, as one person puts it, the two "strongest points for Sabbath by the moon." 
All I can say is that such a threshold for establishing the truth of a doctrine is way too low, especially for something as important as keeping the fourth commandment! The basis upon which we make statements as if they are "fact" is very important. If someone is making a factual statement, they better have proof to support it. Even in their two "strongest points," there really isn't much strength to them at all.
Scriptures which declare the real Sabbath
    A real problem with the Lunar Sabbath doctrine is a lack of a clear explanation anywhere in scripture. It would be different if there were two scriptures that seemed to contradict one another and we were trying to figure out why that seemed to be. But there is nothing in the weekly Sabbath pattern that contradicts the scriptures. 
I don't believe anyone reading the Sabbath commandment in Leviticus 23, or Exodus 20 alongside the creation account is going to come up with a "Lunar Sabbath" doctrine. There is no commandment anywhere in the scriptures which says:
"On the day following the new moon of each month, six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of Yahweh your Elohim. You shall do this for four weeks. Then, depending on whether the new month has started, you shall not engage in commerce or paid work for 1 or 2 days. Then you shall reset your week into the 'Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest' pattern."
Obviously, Yahweh never said any such thing, but this is the commandment that most Lunar Sabbath keepers follow. This is nothing more than a commandment of men because it is not found in the scriptures anywhere. 
Let's remember that Yahweh said:
Deuteronomy 12:32 "Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.
The lack of such a command is, in my mind, quite damaging to the Lunar Sabbath doctrine. It basically means we need to assume that Yahweh thought people knew these things already, and always would, so He didn't need to explain it. 
But...
If Yahweh was expecting man to work six days and keep the Sabbath on the seventh day on an uninterruptible recurring pattern, it would be easy to see that all He needed to do was command us to do our work for six days and rest on the seventh -- no further explanation needed. 
And that's exactly what He did: 
Exodus 20:9-10 "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of Yahweh your Elohim."
Exodus 23:12a "Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest."
Exodus 31:15 "Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to Yahweh."
Exodus 31:17 "It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.' "
Exodus 34:21 "Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest;"
Exodus 35:2 "Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to Yahweh"
Deuteronomy 5:13-14 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of Yahweh your Elohim.
If we start without any fanciful ideas, and just take the scriptures for what they say, not adding anything to it, we could only arrive at understanding that Yahweh's Sabbath falls on an uninterruptible seven day (weekly) rotation. There really isn't room for any other possible interpretations. Six days you labor, and you rest on the seventh. 
To further illustrate that a recurring pattern was intended, let's go back to the beginning of creation and find the Sabbath that Yahweh Himself established. 
As we know, Genesis 1 details six days that Yahweh used to create the heavens and the earth. Each of those days consisted of an "evening and morning." Yahweh said that each of the "evenings and mornings" were specific days of a week. 
When the seventh day came in Genesis 2, Yahweh said that He rested from his work, then blessed and sanctified that day:
Genesis 2:1-3 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day Elohim ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then Elohim blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which Elohim had created and made.
Later, when giving the Ten Commandments, Yahweh said:
Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of Yahweh your Elohim. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
Now, please pay close attention to what Yahweh has said. He blessed and sanctified one day. Twice He called it "the Sabbath day" and twice He called it "the seventh day." 
Meditate on this a moment: 
The fact that Yahweh blessed and sanctified one specific day... clearly demonstrates that a cyclic pattern is to follow. If that cyclic (recurring) pattern is ever interrupted by extra days, the one specific day (the 7th day) disappears!
If Yahweh wanted to sanctify and bless the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th days of the month, He would need to say that He blessed and sanctified specific days of the month. In other words, the blessing and sanctifying would have been in the context multiple days of a lunar month, not one specific day of a 7 day week. Thus, the fact that there is one day called the Sabbath demonstrates that you can't interrupt the week.
To further illustrate this, let's go back to the beginning and look at things from Adam's perspective. 
Yahweh had just created the heavens and the earth in six days. The Sabbath was sanctified and just passed. All was beautiful and perfect.
Now what?
The following day is obviously going to be a day for fulfilling Yahweh's command to work in the garden. If we were Adam, what would we do if six "evenings and mornings" go by? Obviously, we keep holy the seventh day, the one specific day that Yahweh commanded be kept holy.
Then what? We have additional evenings and mornings coming so what do we do? The obvious choice is that we work six more and rest on the seventh day. The recurring seven day week cycle is born from the moment Yahweh rested on the seventh day and told man to do the same. It is very obvious and not difficult to understand at all. 
Now suppose Yahweh instituted the Lunar Sabbath at creation. After 3 weeks of following a recurring 7 day week with observing the one specific day that Yahweh called the Sabbath, six more "evenings and mornings" go by and what do we do? We rest again on one specific day, the seventh day
Then what? This is where even Lunar Sabbatarians differ from one another. Some say, if we were Adam we would rest on the eighth day, and then rest the ninth day also if the moon isn't in new yet. But for what reason? This doesn't fit any pattern that Yahweh set forth in creation. We would no longer be keeping "the Sabbath" on that one specific day, the seventh day. To allow that pattern to be interrupted is to walk away from keeping the Sabbath on the one specific day that Yahweh made holy, the seventh day!
Other Lunar Sabbatarians would say that Adam would have only needed to refrain from commerce and/or working for money on the eighth and ninth days. But in Adam's day, there wasn't anyone around to buy or sell to, and there certainly wasn't anyone to pay Adam for any work. In fact, with this understanding Adam could have resumed his tending of the garden of Eden on the day after the Sabbath and would continued his work in the garden for a total of 7 or 8 days, then rested on the ninth day. The fact that he could continue working in the garden for 7 or 8 days violates the pattern that Yahweh set forth in Genesis. The seventh day passes by and is ignored with this understanding of Sabbath keeping. 
The truth is, Yahweh didn't rest two days and He didn't rest for three days. He didn't say to do a half-rest for one day or two days following the 4th Sabbath of the month. This is a commandment of men. Yahweh made one specific day holy and one day only. He did no work for six days and rested on the seventh day. It is His pattern that we are supposed to be following when it comes to keeping the holy Sabbath, as He said here:
Exodus 20:11 For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
It says "Yahweh blessed the seventh day and hallowed it." Notice it does not say "Elohim blessed the seventh day, and sometimes the eighth and ninth days are blessed and sanctified too, depending on whether or not the new moon has shown up yet." 
There is only one day out of the week that Yahweh sanctified, and that is the seventh day of the week. There is no such thing as an eight day week or a nine day week. If there were, the pattern established at creation is thrown into confusion. A Sabbath could last not one day, but one, two or possibly three days--thereby causing the one day sanctification pattern to disappear. If one chooses to work for 7 or 8 days rather than rest on the extra days, it causes the seventh day sanctification pattern to disappear. 
In acknowledgement of this contradiction, some Lunar Sabbath observers have started referring to the leftover days at the end of the month as "non-days." In other words, those days at the end of the month aren't really days at all. They're just nothing. 
Of course, this is all they really can say. 
But we know from Genesis 1 that a day consists of an evening and a morning. The days at the end of Yahweh's months are days with an evening and a morning, no matter how hard you try to ignore it. Two or three "evenings and mornings" go are going by, so they are indeed "days." We can't just hide our heads in the sand and pretend they don't exist so that we can continue to believe what we want to believe.
The truth is, the concept of a week extending to 8 or 9 days is foreign to scripture. In fact, it is a direct contradiction of scripture. In Hebrew, the number seven and the word translated "week" are both rooted in the same Hebrew root verb which simply means "seven." 
The Strong's Lexicon defines "week" (#7620) as:
7620 shabuwa` shaw-boo'-ah or shabuan {shaw-boo'-ah}; also (feminine) shbu.ah {sheb-oo-aw'}; properly, passive participle of 7650 as a denominative of 7651; literal, sevened, i.e. a week (specifically, of years):--seven, week.
And the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament states:
Shabua -  period of seven, a week, the Feast of Weeks. This term occurs twenty times in the OT, always indicating a period of seven. Indeed, the word obviously comes to us from sheba (q.v.) and could literally be translated always as "seven-period."
Notice that this reference says "Shabua" is derived from "Sheba." The word translated "Seven" all throughout the scriptures is "sheba." 
7651 sheba` sheh'-bah or (masculine) shibrah {shib-aw'}; from 7650; a primitive cardinal number; seven (as the sacred full one); also (adverbially) seven times; by implication, a week; by extension, an indefinite number:--(+ by) seven(-fold),-s, (-teen, -teenth), -th, times). Compare 7658.
"Shabua" is just another form of the same word. "Sheba" is translated "seven" over 350 times in the scriptures. 
Clearly the word "week" cannot be separated from the number seven. The entire reason a "week" is called a "shabua" is because it always contains seven days. This being the case, a week cannot be 8 or 9 days. 
As we read in the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, the very word translated "week" literally means "seven-period." It would be a contradiction to say in Hebrew "an eight day week" because you would to say "an eight day seven-period." Just like a "dozen" always means twelve in our language, a "week" always means seven in Hebrew.
Thus, an 8 or 9 day week is totally foreign to the scriptures. To create one is to add to Yahweh's word. Of course, their solution is to not count those days, and call them "non-days" because that's all they can really say. Their pat answer is "those days aren't included in the count." How convenient! 
But scripture says that the opposite. Scripture says that an "Evening and morning" are one day. And one of the days they refer to as being a "non-day" is called a "day" in this verse:
Haggai 1:1-2 In the second year of King Darius, in the sixth month, on the first day <3117, "yom"> of the month, the word of Yahweh came by Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying, 2 "Thus speaks Yahweh of hosts, saying: 'This people says, "The time has not come, the time that Yahweh's house should be built." ' "
With such logic, there are 1-2 days in a month where you aren't even living within the context of a week. On the 30th day of the month and the 1st day of the month, the week ceases to exist! The days are coming and going, but you need to pretend like they aren't there. 
The truth is, if a week is interrupted by extra days, we are no longer keeping the Sabbath on "the seventh day." If we change the pattern that Yahweh set forth in creation, we are departing from Yahweh's example and keeping the Sabbath on some other day. The Sabbath would no longer be on "the seventh day." 
Lunar Sabbath keepers wait on the day after the new moon to restart the week every month. But if weeks are determined by moon phases, this would mean that Yahweh would have needed to create the earth, create the moon, put it in orbit and maybe even wait for a day after the new moon before starting the first week!
But the moon wasn't even made and given its place in the heavens until the 4th day:
Genesis 1:16-19 Then 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. 17 Elohim set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 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. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
So there was no sun to even give light on the earth, and no moon to reflect that light on the earth (thereby creating the moon phases) until the 4th day of the week. If we were to believe that each week is determined by the moon phases, this would be yet another direct contradiction.
If Yahweh wanted to set a pattern of Lunar Sabbath keeping for us, and the pattern is to be found in His creation of the world, why would He not create the world in one lunar month, not resting every seventh day but resting on certain days of the month so that we have an accurate pattern of Sabbath keeping to go by? 
Of course, Yahweh could have created the heavens and the earth in an instant, but instead He set in motion the concept of a "week" so that we would follow His example in working six days and resting on the seventh. The Lunar Sabbath violates this pattern at the end of every month by doing physical labor six days and resting on the 7th, 8th and possibly 9th days  -OR-  doing physical labor 7 to 8 days and resting on the 9th day.
Leviticus 23:3 'Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of Yahweh in all your dwellings. 
The most logical and clear choice here is to do just what Yahweh said. Work six days and rest on the seventh. This is the pattern given for us in the scriptures. 
Yahweh never specified certain days of the month for His regular Sabbath, but a specific day of the month is given for each of His feast day Sabbaths. Does this not speak volumes?
Leviticus 23:4 'Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of Yahweh in all your dwellings. 4 These are the feasts of Yahweh, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times. 5 'On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is Yahweh's Passover. 6 'And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to Yahweh; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7 'On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.
Notice also that Yahweh needed to inform us that the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread, being the 15th day of the first month, is a day that "no customary work" is to be done. If indeed the 15th day of each month is already a regular Sabbath, why would He even need to inform us that it's a day of rest to begin with?
The regular Sabbath is a memorial of the seven days of creation. The holy days scattered throughout the year are observed on certain days of the year as a memorial to other acts of Yahweh such as the anniversary of when the children of Israel went out of Egypt, etc. 
But the Sabbath is given for us to remember the creation of the world and rest as Yahweh did. We need to do what He did and do all our work on six days, but rest on one specific day, the seventh day. The day that Yahweh made holy and commanded that we "Remember" is one specific day, the seventh day, and we are to "keep it holy."
Count to Pentecost
    One pretty obvious problem with the Lunar Sabbath is how it contradicts how the Feast of Weeks is commanded to be observed. We are told to count 7 Sabbaths from the Sabbath that occurs during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This would consist of 49 days. Then it says that we would arrive at 50 days if we count to the day after the seventh Sabbath: 
Leviticus 23:15-16 And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed.
16 'Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to Yahweh.

Let's now look and see if this fits as a possibility for a Lunar Sabbath keeper. The small numbers will indicate the counting of 50 days from the day after the Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread:
Abib (First Month)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15
<-- 1st day of feast

161 172 183 194 205 216 227

238 249 2510 2611 2712 2813 2914 3015
116 217 318 419 520 621 722 823

924 1025 1126 1227 1328 1429 1530

1631 1732 1833 1934 2035 2136 2237

2338 2439 2540 2641 2742 2843 2944
145 246 347 448 549 650 7 8
As you can see in the above calendar, the Feast of Weeks does not fit at all into the Lunar Sabbath model. In scripture, Yahweh said that when we count 50 days, we will count "to the day after the seventh Sabbath." In the above Lunar Sabbath calendar, it is impossible for the 50th day to be "the day after the seventh Sabbath." In fact, Pentecost/Shavuot can never be "the day after the seventh Sabbath" if we keep Lunar Sabbaths. Thus, Lunar Sabbath keeping contradicts the scriptures.
Historical Data 
    Historical information can be helpful if we are trying to discern the truth of something that doesn't seem very clear to us from scripture. Although I believe the scriptures are speak clearly about the seventh day Sabbath always occurring every seventh day, referencing historical works may be helpful for some who are not yet convinced. 
Lunar Sabbath keepers love to quote from a few Encyclopedic references which say that the week was originally tied to the lunar cycle. If we rely on such Encyclopedias to tell us about historical data, we might indeed wonder if the moon had something to do with setting the weeks. 
But the truth is, most of those references are very old and are relying theories that have their basis in the idea that the bible was not authored and inspired by Yahweh. 
Rather, such articles are usually written by people who have the same historical data we do, but they generally don't even believe in the scriptures, and view Yahweh to be just another one of those "tribal war gods." Because they don't believe in the scriptures, they make statements like the Sabbath was originally tied to the moon. This is due to an assumption that the children of Israel picked up Sabbath keeping from being in Babylon, or some other pagan culture that may have used the moon in setting monthly observances.
When researching this topic historically, we don't need to go any further in history than the time period that Yahushua the Messiah was born into. We do know that He kept the Sabbath day and we know that He kept it on the same day as the rest of the Jews in His day. For example: 
Luke 4:16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.
The first century disciples also did the same:
Acts 17:2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
So, for me the question is whether or not there are any first century eyewitnesses that may enlighten us as to whether the Jews of that time kept the Sabbath by the moon, or by a recurring seven day week. 
Can we find a clear answer to this question? Absolutely. 
To find a clear answer to this question, we will examine the Talmud, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Josephus and various Roman Historians and writers of that period.
1. The Talmud
First of all, please understand that I do not believe in following the Talmud or looking at it as being authoritative for doctrine 
I'm not going to be using it for the purposes of telling me how or when to keep the Sabbath, except that I know the Messiah was in agreement with the weekly Sabbath of 1st century Judaism. Therefore, we will only use the Talmud to help us understand what views of 1st and 2nd century Judaism actually were. 
The Talmud is a pretty good source because although it was compiled about 130 years after the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem, parts of it act as a historical reference for things that were going on when the temple was still standing. 
The Talmud is composed of three parts. There is the Mishnah, which is the central focal point of the whole Talmud. There is the Gemara, which is a commentary on the Mishnah. Then there is Rashi's commentary on both. 
The Mishnah simply records the beliefs of 1st century Judaism. It speaks often about the views of two Jewish scholars called Shammai and Hillel. They were leaders of two (often opposing) schools of thought, called "houses." Hillel and Shammai lived from c. 50 BCE to 50 CE so they were alive during Yahushua's ministry on the earth.
The Talmud records some 300+ differences of opinion between both houses. In Judaism, the views of the house of Hillel (Beth Hillel) usually prevailed over the views of the house of Shammai (Beth Shammai). 
As you will see, the Talmud is pretty clear that the Lunar Sabbath was not observed by Beth Hillel, Beth Shammai, or any Jewish man living in the first century. 
In our first example, we will examine a difference of opinion between Hillel and Shammai on what blessing needed to be recited if the "new moon falls on a Sabbath." 
"R. Zera replied: The New Moon is different from a festival - Since its mention is included in the benediction on the sanctity of the day in the morning and evening prayers it is also included in that of the additional prayer. But do Beth Shammai uphold the view that the mention of the New Moon is to be included? Was it not in fact taught: If a New Moon falls on a Sabbath, Beth Shammai ruled: One recites in his additional prayer eight benedictions and Beth Hillel ruled: Seven? This is indeed a difficulty." Talmud - Mas. Eiruvin 40b
Of course, if they were keeping the Lunar Sabbath, the New Moon can never fall on a Sabbath because the Lunar Sabbath is never on the first day of the month. This difference of opinion wouldn't have been recorded if they kept the Lunar Sabbath. 
Next, we will see that the Mishnah records what the first century temple priests did with the non-meat portions of the Passover Lamb:
"Mishnah. The bones, and the sinews, and the nothar of the paschal lamb are to be burnt on the sixteenth. If the sixteenth falls on the Sabbath, they are to be burnt on the seventeenth, because they do not override either the Sabbath or the festival." Talmud - Pesachim 83a
With the Lunar Sabbath, there is no such thing as the sixteenth day of the month falling on the Sabbath. These are not men who are trying to figure out how to fit a weekly Sabbath into Babylonian life, it is a reference to the acts of first century priests who certainly did not keep the Lunar Sabbath. These are the practices observed during the temple era when Yahushua and His disciples lived. 
The Mishnah also recorded the following rule regarding the meal offerings:
"Mishnah. A man may offer a meal-offering consisting of sixty tenths and bring them in one vessel if a man said, I take upon myself to offer sixty tenths, he may bring them in one vessel. But if he said, I take upon myself to offer sixty-one tenths, he must bring sixty in one vessel and the one in another vessel; for since the congregation bring on the first day of the feast of tabernacles when it falls on a Sabbath sixty-one tenths as a meal-offering, it is enough for an individual that his meal-offering be less by one tenth than that of the congregation." Talmud - Menachoth 103b
Obviously, this is a record of what went on while the temple was still standing because after that time, there would be no place to take it. With a Lunar Sabbath, there is never a time when the first day of the feast of Tabernacles falls on any day other than the Sabbath (15th day of the seventh month). 
Obviously, the recorded practices of first century Judaism while the temple still stood indicate that they did not keep a Lunar Sabbath. They kept the Sabbath on a recurring, seven day week just as it is given in Genesis chapter 1, independent of the moon cycle. Therefore, since Yahushua kept the Sabbath along with the rest of the Jews of that period, He did not participate in a Lunar Sabbath, a doctrine that doesn't appear to exist in Judaism at that time.
I should also mention that if you ever read the Talmud in depth, you will come away with one clear impression: They debated about almost everything. Something as major as a change in when the Sabbath is observed ought to have been at least debated somewhere. After all, they debated every little fine point of the law! The lack of such a debate speaks volumes.
2. The Dead Sea Scrolls and Josephus
The Dead Sea Scrolls are considered by scholars to be authored by the Essenes, a sect in first century Judaism. In the Dead Sea Scrolls, there are a number of extra-biblical scrolls which appear to shed light on what this sect believed and practiced. Understanding what they believed can be helpful in determining whether or not the Lunar Sabbath was being observed by mainstream Judaism of that time.
It is generally undisputed (even by Lunar Sabbatarians) that the authors of these scrolls did not keep a Lunar Sabbath. Rather, the Calendrical scroll shows that they observed a recurring seven day weekly cycle, independent of the moon phases. I know of no one who disputes this. The Calendrical Scroll and the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice confirms this.
Of course, Lunar Sabbatarians generally will teach that this Jewish sect was wrong about the Sabbath.
But in the book of Josephus, he speaks much about the Essenes. Josephus was a first century Jewish historian who wrote much about life in Judea during the first century. He goes into great detail as to how practices of the Essenes were different than others. He mentions everything from how the Essenes don't carry anything with them when they travel, to how they regard oil to be defilement. In Wars of the Jews 2:119-161, Josephus speaks of them in no less than 2000 words, describing over 100 characteristics of their way of life. 
So did Josephus mention that they kept the Sabbath on a day that was different than the rest of Judaism?
Wars of the Jews 2:147 ... Moreover, they are stricter than any other of the Jews in resting from their labors on the seventh day; for they not only get their food ready the day before, that they may not be obliged to kindle a fire on that day, but they will not move any vessel out of its place, nor go to stool thereon.
In this, Josephus even goes so far as to say that the Essenes are "stricter than any other of the Jews in resting from their labors on the seventh day." Does it sound like there was any disagreement as to when the Sabbath was? Wouldn't it seem strange that Josephus would mention that the Essenes were stricter in their resting from labors on the Sabbath but not bother to mention that the Essenes held the Sabbath on a totally different day than the other Jews of that period? 
The fact is, if the Essenes were keeping a different day than the rest of Judaism, Josephus wouldn't have been able to say that they were even resting on the seventh day to begin with. He would have to say they were typically resting on some other day. 
There is no record in the Dead Sea Scrolls of the Essenes disagreeing with other groups as to when the Sabbath was. In fact, there is no historical record of any Jewish sects disagreeing with each other on when the Sabbath was.  
In another interesting note, Josephus speaks of one of the large towers that were built in Jerusalem:
Wars of the Jews 4:582 and the last was erected above the top of the Pastophoria, where one of the priests stood of course, and gave a signal beforehand with a trumpet, at the beginning of every seventh day, in the evening twilight, as also at the evening when that day was finished, as giving notice to the people when they were to stop work, and when they were to go to work again.
So his report is that a trumpet was blown at the beginning of every seventh day, to mark when the people should stop working, and begin working. As an interesting side note, archaeological finds concur with Josephus' comments about the place of trumpeting:
"When we excavated the beautifully paved Herodian street adjacent to the southern wall and near the southwestern corner of the Enclosure Wall, we found a particularly large ashlar block. On the inside was a niche where a man might stand, especially if the ashlar were joined to another which would enlarge the niche.
On the outside was a carefully and elegantly incised Hebrew inscription: LBYT HTKY ’H LHH [RYZ]; “To the place of Trumpeting to (declare).” If the restoration of the world “declare” is correct, the rest of the missing part of the inscription probably went on to tell us more about the declaring of the beginning and the end of the Sabbath.
The stone had been toppled during the Roman destruction of the Temple onto the street below where it had lain for nearly two thousand years until we uncovered it.
It must have originally come from the pinnacle of the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount. From a spot on top of the Temple chambers a priest would blow a trumpet on Sabbath Eve, to announce the arrival of the Sabbath and the cessation of all labour, and to announce, on the following evening, the departure of the Sabbath and the resumption of all labor.
The entire city was visible from this spot on the southwest corner of the Temple Mount; the clarion call of the trumpet would reach the farthest markets of the city. Such a scene is recounted by Josephus in his work, The Jewish War. (IV, 582)." Editor, H. S. 2004; 2004. BAR 06:04 (July/Aug 1980). Biblical Archaeology Society

Josephus also records that Agatharchides, a 2nd century BCE Greek Historian, wrote something quite interesting about Ptolemy's defeat of Jerusalem:
Against Apion 1:208 "When Agatharchides had premised this story, and had jested upon Stratonice for her superstition, he gives a like example of what was reported concerning us, and writes thus:-- 
209
``There are a people called Jews, and dwell in a city the strongest of all other cities, which the inhabitants call Jerusalem, and are accustomed to rest on every seventh day; on which times they make no use of their arms, nor meddle with husbandry, nor take care of any affairs of life, but spread out their hands in their holy places, and pray till the evening. 
210
Now it came to pass, that when Ptolemy, the son of Lagus, came into this city with his army, that these men, in observing this mad custom of theirs, instead of guarding the city, suffered their country to submit itself to a bitter lord; and their law was openly proven to have commanded a foolish practice"

Ptolemy was the General of Alexander the Great, who took over Jerusalem in 332 BCE. We see that the Jews would not defend themselves or take up arms on the Sabbath, which was "every seventh day." 
If I were to describe the Sabbath keeping practices of Lunar Sabbatarians, I certainly wouldn't describe their Sabbath keeping as something they did "every seventh day." Rather, I would mention that they only keep a Sabbath on certain days of the month. Therefore, it's quite evident that Josephus was describing the practice laid out for us "in the beginning" when Elohim created the first week and that is to rest every seventh day, without moon interruptions.
3. Roman Historians and Writers
There seems to be a trend among Lunar Sabbath keepers to refer to people like me who keep a recurring weekly Sabbath as "Satyr-day keepers" -- as if we are following the a pagan Roman week rather than the week that they believe to be in the scriptures. 
The truth is that Jews didn't want the holy Sabbath to be associated with "Saturn," an idol that had nothing to do with Judaism. The name "Saturday/Day of Saturn" originated with the pagans, not with the Jews. The Jews repeatedly and unequivocally refer to the seventh day of the week as "the Sabbath." 
However, when it comes to determining whether or not the Jews of the first century kept the Sabbath using the Lunar Sabbath or, as I believe, a recurring weekly Sabbath, examining the records of Roman historians and other writers can be helpful. By the admission of Lunar Sabbath keepers, and clear historical record, the Romans did not follow the moon phases when determining the weeks, or even the months for that matter.
For this reason, we can look into the writings of Roman historians and other writers to see if the Romans associated the Jewish Sabbath with their "Saturday/Day of Saturn." If they did associate the Sabbath with their Day of Saturn in the first century or before, this would be undeniable evidence that the Jewish week and the Roman week were both kept on the same recurring weekly cycle.  
As we will see in this section, there is no doubt that Roman historians and other writers explicitly and repeatedly consider the timing of Jewish Sabbath keeping to be linked with the seventh day of the Roman week, which was a repeating seven day cycle, independent of the moon phases. 
70 - 84 CE (AD)
Frontinus, a Roman Soldier who lived from c. 40 CE to 103 CE, wrote book on military strategy called Strategematicon in 84 A.D. In it, he writes:
"The deified Augustus Vespasian attacked the Jews on the day of Saturn, a day on which it is sinful for them to do any business." Frontinus Stratagem 2.1.17. 
The original Latin version of this book has "Saturnis" for Saturn, confirming that the Romans associated the Sabbath day with their "day of Saturn" which is on the seventh day of the week. 
Since this book was written a mere 14 years after Vespasian's (Titus') destruction of Jerusalem, this is this is obviously very strong historical evidence directly from a first century eyewitness, tying in the Sabbath with the recurring seven day cycle of the Romans.
63 BCE - 229 CE
Cassius Dio, a Roman Historian who lived from ca. 155 to 229 CE, using the historical annals of the Roman empire, wrote about 3 battles which the Roman empire had with the Jews. 
The first battle was during a time when the Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II, two brothers who were the offspring of the Maccabees, were engaged in a dispute over who would rule. The Romans, through the actions of Pompey, came in and settled the dispute, siding with Hyrcanus. While speaking of Pompey's battle, the Sabbath is mentioned. 
The setting is 63 BCE
"Most of the city, to be sure, he took without any trouble, as he was received by the party of Hyrcanus; but the temple itself, which the other party had occupied, he captured only with difficulty.
For it was on high ground and was fortified by a wall of its own, and if they had continued defending it on all days alike, he could not have got possession of it
As it was, they made an excavation of what are called the days of Saturn, and by doing no work at all on those days afforded the Romans an opportunity in this interval to batter down the wall
.
The latter, on learning of this superstitious awe of theirs, made no serious attempts the rest of the time, but on those days, when they came round in succession, assaulted most vigorously. 
Thus the defenders were captured on the day of Saturn, without making any defense
, and all the wealth was plundered.
The kingdom was given to Hyrcanus, and Aristobulus was carried away." Cassius Dio Roman History 37.16.1-4

So the Romans took advantage of the fact that the Jews would not work on the Sabbath. When was the Sabbath? Again, the weekly Sabbath coincides with the Roman "days of Saturn." 
The second battle listed by Cassius Dio occurred in 36 BCE, is the one that resulted in the very first King Herod coming to power: 
"The Jews, indeed, had done much injury to the Romans, but they suffered far more themselves.
The first of them to be captured were those who were fighting for the precinct of their god, and then the rest on the day even then called the day of Saturn.
And so excessive were they in their devotion to religion that the first set of prisoners, those who had been captured along with the temple, obtained leave from Sosius, when the day of Saturn came round again, and went up into the temple and there performed all the customary rites, together with the rest of the people.
These people Antony entrusted to a certain Herod to govern; but Antigonus he bound to a cross and flogged,— a punishment no other king had suffered at the hands of the Romans,— and afterwards slew him." Cassius Dio Roman History 49.22.4-6
Note that Cassius Dio reports the Jews as keeping "customary rites" at the temple on "the day even then called Day of Saturn." This indicates that the Sabbath wasn't only called the "Day of Saturn" during his lifetime, but it was called the "Day of Saturn" back in 36 BCE, well before Yahushua was born in Bethlehem. Next, he records that the 70 CE Jerusalem destruction was on the Sabbath, which he once again calls the "day of Saturn:" 
70 - 229 CE
Thus was Jerusalem destroyed on the very day of Saturn, the day which even now the Jews reverence most.
From that time forth it was ordered that the Jews who continued to observe their ancestral customs should pay an annual tribute of two denarii to Jupiter Capitoline.
In consequence of this success both generals received the title of imperator, but neither got that of Judaïcus, although all the other honours that were fitting on the occasion of so magnificent a victory, including triumphal arches, were voted to them. Cassius Dio Roman History 65.7.2
So his report is that the Jews kept the Sabbath on the "day of Saturn" from 63 BCE up until his day, no later than 229 CE. His report also agrees with Frontinus' account of the 70 CE battle. 
c. 100 CE
The Historian Cornelius Tacitus (ca. 56CE – ca. 117CE), after suggesting that Jews kept the Sabbath out of laziness, also associated the Sabbath with the Roman idol, Saturn: 
They are said to have devoted the seventh day to rest, because that day brought an end to their troubles. Later, finding idleness alluring, they gave up the seventh year as well to sloth. 
Others maintain that they do this in honor of Saturn
; either because their religious principles are derived from the Idaei, who are supposed to have been driven out with Saturn and become the ancestors of the Jewish people; or else because, of the seven constellations which govern the lives of men, the star of Saturn moves in the topmost orbit and exercises peculiar influence, and also because most of the heavenly bodies move round their courses in multiples of seven. From The Histories, Book V

Again, the fact that a pagan associated Sabbath keeping with Saturn demonstrates that the Roman week's day of Saturn (Satur-day) was concurrent with what Yahweh calls the Sabbath day. Tacitus is an eyewitness from the first century who has no "axe to grind" in regards to when the Sabbath should be observed. He wrote this a mere 30 years after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.  
28 BCE to 1 BCE
Tibullus, a Latin Poet who lived from 54 BCE - 19 BCE, references the Sabbath in one of his Elegies. The Poet is quoted by J. Hugh Michael in his paper entitled "The Jewish Sabbath in the Latin Classical Writers." In this Journal article, he says:
"Tibullus, again, gives us a glimpse of the influence of the Sabbath on the Romans. The Poet, sick in a foreign land, complains of his loneliness; neither mother nor sister has he there to nurse him; nor is Delia with him--she who had inquired of all the gods before permitting him to leave the city. Says Tibillus:
All promised a return; yet did nothing stay her from looking back in tears and terror on my journey. Yea, even I her comforter, after I had given my parting charge, sought still in my disquiet for reasons to linger and delay. Either birds or words of evil omen were my pretexts, or there was the holy day of Saturn to detain me. (Book I, Eleg. iii 13-18 in Postgate's translation in the Loeb Classics.)
The day of which the poet speaks is of course the Saturday, or, as Postgate puts it, "the Jewish Sabbath, on which no work was to be undertaken," and the implication is clear that unwillingness to set off on a journey on the Sabbath day was no unusual thing among the inhabitants of Rome, for Tibullus is enumerating the common reasons for the postponement of journeys of which he was only too ready to avail himself." The Jewish Sabbath in the Latin Classical Writers. J. Hugh Michael Victoria College, Toronto, Canada. The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures, Vol. 40, No. 2. (Jan., 1924), pp. 117-124. 
It is interesting that Roman's would have any concern at all about traveling on the Sabbath. J. Hugh Michael references another writing by the Poet Ovid, who lived from 43 BCE to 17 CE:
Still more impressive is the witness of Ovid. In the Ars Amatoria he instructs the young Roman who is desirous of finding an object for his affections how he should set about his search.
The quest need not take him far a field: there is no lack of suitable damsels in Rome.
The poet even specifies the parts of Rome where the quest of the amorous youth is most likely to be crowned with success: he should not neglect '(Adonis lamented of Venus, or the seventh day observed as holy by the Syrian Jew."
The first part of this direction can only mean that the youth should visit the Temple of Venus when her grief for Adonis was commemorated on the anniversary of his death.
Similarly the second part must mean that he should attend the Sabbath services held in the Jewish synagogues.
Is it possible to attach any other meaning to the advice that the youth should not avoid the seventh day observed by the Syrian Jew?
And what meaning is there in the counsel unless Roman maidens were wont to attend those services?
It is not easy to think that it was the poet's intention that the young Roman should become enamored of a Jewess!
The Jewish Sabbath in the Latin Classical Writers. J. Hugh Michael Victoria College, Toronto, Canada. The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures, Vol. 40, No. 2. (Jan., 1924), pp. 117-124
The work that J. Hugh Michael references, Ars Amatoria, was written in approximately 1 BCE. Thus, it is evident that even the Romans were associating the seventh day of their Roman week with the Sabbath. But was Sabbath keeping really this tied into their culture?
119 CE
The Sabbath does appear to be closely entwined to the weekly cycle of the first century Romans. This is evidenced by the writings of Suetonius. Suetonius (ca. 69CE - 130CE) was a Roman historian who wrote "Lives of twelve Caesars" in 119 CE. While describing the life of Tiberius Caesar (14 - 37 CE), he wrote::
"The grammarian Diogenes, who used to lecture every Sabbath at Rhodes, would not admit Tiberius when he came to hear him on a different day, but sent a message by a common slave of his, putting him off to the seventh day. When this man waited before the Emperor's door at Rome to pay his respects, Tiberius took no further revenge than to bid him return seven years later." Suetonius The Life of Tiberius 32.2
Rhodes was a major schooling center for Roman families. It's interesting that the seventh day is referred to as the "Sabbath" (Latin: sabbatis) in Roman literature, especially when it is written by a pagan historian who was even the Roman Emperor's secretary for a time (Wikipedia entry on Suetonius)
It appears that J. Hugh Michael's references to the Roman poets, as well as this reference from Suetonius, is a strong indication that the seventh day Sabbath had become more tied into Roman society than most people realize. Possibly this is one of the reasons Josephus said:
"The masses have long since shown a keen desire to adopt our religious observances; and there is not one city, Greek or barbarian, nor a single nation, to which our custom of abstaining from work on the seventh day has not spread and where our fasts and the lighting of lamps and many of our prohibitions in the matter of food are not observed. Apion 2:282-283
In consideration of these things, it appears to me that the Romans picked up the recurring seven day week from the Jews, not the other way around. For 5 centuries or longer the Romans had kept an 8 day week with the days being named by the letters of the alphabet A through H. They did not keep a seven day week until they came into more contact with Sabbath keeping Jews in the early centuries BCE. 
The fact that they named the days of the week after various planetary idols doesn't prove that they originated the recurring 7 day week. The naming of the days after planetary idols appears to have originated with either the Babylonians or the Hindu civilization, not the Romans. 
So if you are a Lunar Sabbath keeper, the obvious question for you is, "If the Jews in the first century kept the Lunar Sabbath, and only later adopted what you call the 'Roman week,' why do the first century Romans keep saying the Jewish Sabbath is on their "day of Saturn (Saturday)?" The obvious answer to the obvious question is that the first century Jews, including Yahushua the Messiah and His disciples, kept the same recurring seven day week as the Romans. It is historical fact that the same week and day sequence exists to this day and has not changed. Yahweh has preserved His holy Sabbath!
Conclusion 
    Historically, Lunar Sabbath keepers believe that the Lunar Sabbath was observed by 1st century Judaism, but was lost some time after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. But even if one rejects all the evidence to the contrary, it would seem quite impossible for every Sabbath keeper scattered all throughout the world to simultaneously drop a supposed "Lunar Sabbath," all without a trace of evidence of such a dramatic change. The clear historical record is that the Jews of the first century kept the Sabbath just as we do, on a recurring seven day week.
Scripturally, you can look from Genesis to Revelation, but you will not find a single commandment to keep the "Lunar Sabbath." Just as Yahweh has ensured that His inspired word was not lost in antiquity, He also protected His holy Sabbath. Adam kept it, Noah kept it, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob kept it. Joshua kept it, the righteous judges and kings kept it. The prophets of Yahweh kept it, the returning exiles who were very meticulous about the Sabbath kept it, and we know that Yahushua and His disciples kept it, proving that Yahweh preserved His Sabbath up until the 1st century CE. The same is true today. Yahweh has preserved His word, His Name, and His Sabbath for us today. Let's forsake any teachings that would draw anyone away from the example He set in Genesis chapter 1 and 2.