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Frequently Asked Questions

Why don’t you all go with Jerusalem observance of the new moon

for unity’s sake?

If the new moon was seen a day earlier in another part of the

country, which does sometimes happen, then the brethren in that

area would be in disobedience by not keeping the Appointed

Times as they should. Yahshua’s statement in the New Testament

addressing the idea of worship not being in Jerusalem alone is

revealing:

Yahshua saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye

shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye

worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the

Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall

worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to

worship him. Elohim is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship

him in spirit and in truth, John 4:21-24.

The temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. and worship now is where

two or more meet together: For where two or three are gathered together

in my name, there am I in the midst of them, Matt 18:20.

His people have His Spirit within them, 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19; 2 Cor

6:16. Since we are spread out across the world, we do our best to

come together in obedience to His commands to meet and

worship together:

And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel,

and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of Yahweh, which ye shall

proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. Six days shall

work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation;

ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of Yahweh in all your dwellings.

These are the feasts of Yahweh, even holy convocations, which ye shall

proclaim in their seasons, Lev 23:1-4.

The command of keeping a “holy convocation” literally means

that we are to be meeting together to keep any of Yahweh’s

commanded moeds (Appointed Times). In the future Kingdom it

will be in Jerusalem (Isa 66:23; Zech 14:16), but for now we do the

best we can with Yahweh and Yahshua’s help, in Spirit and in

Truth.

Why not just use calculations from the United States Naval

Observatory to figure out when to keep Yahweh’s Feasts?

We actually do in preparation for the next year’s Feast days, but

we still practice the ancient ways of looking for the new moon. They

didn’t have the technology we have today. And we may not either,

in the near future.

One may know when the time is estimated for the setting of the

sun on a Sabbath, but mechanical watches can break. We should

wait until we actually see the sun setting down below the horizon

before declaring a new moon day. We could lose Internet and

phone services due to tribulation or other reasons. Even so, we

will still need to keep Yahweh’s Appointed Times. We all need

to be practicing these things in obedience. It may be a big test for

many, one that prayerfully we’ll all pass. We are to observe those

“lights” that Yahweh put in heaven for a reason, Gen 1:14-19.

Why do you not go with a regular calendar?

Regrettably the world and it’s way of doing things is not in-line

with Yahweh’s ways. We are told to come out of symbolic Babylon

and it’s false worship. In thinking how Yahweh wants us to keep

His Feast days, let’s consider the 4^th day of creation:

And Elohim said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to

divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons,

and for days, and years, Gen 1:14. The word for “seasons” is Strong’s

#4150 {moed} meaning, “appointed times.”

In other words, these lights, such as a visible new moon are part

of Yahweh’s calendar for setting Appointed Times (Feast days).

His calendar is both lunar and agriculturally based.

Notice the following scriptures for the agriculture connection in

Yahweh’s calendar:

Lev 23:10-11 Wavesheaf (first fruit offering) of barley

offered during early Spring. This is done in the first month

of Yahweh’s calendar, verses 4-5.

Ex 9:31 7^th plague of hail destroys Abib of barley, just before

Passover occurred. Israel is looked upon for confirmation

for the early barley grain, since Isreal has been designated

as the “holy land” by Yahweh, Zech 2:12.

Lev 2:14 Abib (early grain)

Deut 16:1; Ex 34:18 First month of the year is called, “the

month of Abib.” It’s in the Spring, not in the dead of winter

Why do you have North America as a regional sighting area, can’t it

be divided into smaller areas? Wouldn’t Alaska , for example, be

large enough for a separate new moon region?

At certain times of the year it would be impossible to see the new

moon from that far north. Alaska will have constant sunlight, in

parts of the year, as the sun seems to float along the horizon around

in a flat clockwise movement. In such situations it is has been

agreed that it would be best to default to another area (further

south) where brethren could confirm the new moon. The idea that

Yahweh desires mercy and not sacrifice comes to mind.

It has been the common understanding and agreement among

most of the major Sacred Name Assemblies in the United States, for

example, to allow two or three reliable witnesses (Deut 19:15; 2 Cor

13:1) to confirm a new moon sighting wherever they may be within

the nation, even though they may be in different time zones. The

United States has four time zones, while other countries may have

only one. It seemed appropriate to make all of North America

inclusive for the reasons stated. Those from different areas or time

zones will travel to the sojourning Feasts such as the Feast of

Tabernacles in obedience to Yahweh. Besides the North America

region, there would be the regions of South America, Europe, Asia,

Africa, Australia , and the Middle East .

What if I travel to a different county to keep the Feast of

Tabernacles, will I need to still observe the biblical calendar

according to my region?

Sometimes it’s best to answer a question with a question. If one

was to travel to a different country would they keep the 7th day

Sabbath according to their own region or the region that they come

into? The answer would obviously be the region that they came

into, and it would be the answer to any other Appointed Times. The

weekly Sabbath is from Friday night sunset to Saturday night sunset

wherever you may be.

I Samuel 20:5 – How did they know that the new moon was the next

day without sighting it? Someone pointed this out to me and it

raised my curiosity.

We don’t really have a definitive answer and can only speculate,

but some have proposed that those of David’s time, including

David himself, knew the whole year out, through nothing more than

“calculation,” and didn’t need to look for the new moon. In other

words, they had a calendar already and didn’t need to visually see

anything.

It seems more likely that with a regular 29 to 30 day lunar cycle

that David knew that since he didn’t see it the 29th most assuredly it

would show the next day, therefore affirming the new month. It has

been suggested that they may have had an abacus type counting

tool with beads on a string or something as simple as a string with

knots. We are not aware of any archeological finds on either a pre-

calculated lunar based calendar at that time or strings with knots for

the Israelites.

There is an Assyrian Calendar that was found in the form of a

cuneiform tablet. It seems to be more of a chronological calendar of

past events, placing events with the changing arrangement of the

stars and planets. It is said to have been helpful for scientist to

calculate some of the biblical events.

There is also what could be called an Israelite Calendar, but just

like with the Assyrian tablet being called a calendar, it can be

deceiving. It’s actually called the Gezer Calendar (for the area it was

found), but it is not lunar based. In fact, it seems to be a student

tablet with an agricultural lesson on it which was translated and

written as follows:

Two months are harvest

Two months are planting

Two months are late (planting)

One month is hoeing flax

One month is barley-harvest

One month is harvest and feasting

Two months are (vine-) pruning

One month is summer fruit

Source: Albright, W. F. "Palestinian Inscriptions." In Ancient Near

Eastern Texts. Edited by J. B. Pritchard, 320-22. 3rd ed. Princeton ,

N.J. : Princeton Univ. Press, 1969.

Psalm 81:3 – I noticed in some versions that the “full moon” is

mentioned. I know that this could have been added, especially

since I was not able to find another scripture about it (witness).

The Ryrie Study Bible’s note points out the 81st Psalm is

associated with the Feast of Tabernacles. That is a special time on

Yahweh’s calendar. Four of the seven “moedim” Feast days occur in

this month. It is a glorious time of deep repentance followed by the

good news of the first resurrection and then the promise of the

coming Kingdom. This new moon (also translated month) is the

“fullest” of monthly blessings for the faithful.

Instructions given for observing Tabernacles and Atonement are

based on observance of the new crescent moon. So why mention the

“full moon”? Most likely this is a poetic or exuberant expression of

expectations of the final feast of the year. It is “full” of good news.

Do you have further questions about the new moon or

Yahweh's Biblical calendar? If so please contact us and we

will answer your question as soon as possible!

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