Ed,It occured to me that the symbol of Islam is the crescent moon. That ought to say something! Blessings to you,Gina
Ed P (10 Oct 2007)
"Crescent sighting is NOT the new moon, or new month. Period."
Fellow watchers,Below is an article that I dug up several years ago. It's one of the few that does a fairly good job explaining the Jewish calendar. I have modified the text to replace his example for year 2000 with the 2007 data that I posted recently. BTW, his dates for 2000 are one day off from mine because the time stamp on the new moon actually occurs in the evening of that day, so it carries over to the next day on my table. Otherwise everything is identical. His 2002 example is identical to mine because the new moon occurs during the day.
Which Calendar is YAHWEH's?:
Monday, February 25, 2002 12:20:02 AM
http://www.assemblyofyahshua.com/calendar.htm
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Which Calendar is Yahweh's true Calendar?A study by Jim Leonard
You can find many different calendars in the world today. Are any of them scriptural? I haven't found any. Many try to use the equinoxes or the solstices in one way or another to start their year. Many try to use the crescent to start their months. Still others are concerned about how the barley is growing in Israel. These things have nothing to do with Yahweh's calendar.
Yahweh did, however, tell us how to use His calendar in the heavens. Gen 1:14-16 says, "Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to divide the day from the night and let them (the lights) be for signs and for seasons [Strong's #4150 - festivals] and for days and for years." If we accept this as being truth (which it is), then we have to make sure we use the SUN, MOON and STARS (and nothing else) to tell us when to start our years and months. This would be scriptural.
2 Tim 3:7 states, "Many study a lifetime and never come to the knowledge of the truth." There are people who have studied the calendar for many years, have written books, made tapes and used reams of paper trying to explain the calendar, and all they have accomplished is to have their calendar (man made) full of confusion.
Would Yahweh tell us to keep His Feast days and not give us a clue as how to tell the right days? Would Yahweh make His calendar so complicated that only a few people could understand it? Yahweh's calendar is really NOT complicated. All you need is an ephemeris, which can be bought at most large bookstores. The definition of ephemeris is a table showing the position of heavenly bodies at regular intervals of time. It is a day-by-day listing of the sun, moon and stars.
We find the ZODIAC has twelve divisions of 30 degrees each month, a month for each division. ARIES (Latin, ram) is the FIRST month of the year. When the SUN comes into ARIES, then the FIRST NEW MOON that comes into ARIES WILL be the FIRST day of the year. Simple enough?
I need to mention, also, that some claim Ex 34:22 is an EQUINOX (Hebrew: teqaphah). The scriptures do NOT say this. It merely says "at the turning of the year", or "the year's end." This just means at the end of the agricultural season and the end of the Feast days for the year. To read anything else into this just isn't scriptural.
There are seven years in every nineteen years where there is a 13th month. This is because there are only 353-355 days in a 12 month lunar cycle. A 13th month occurs every so often so that the year will begin and Feasts will take place in their correct season. For instance, the first day of the seventh month is the Feast of Trumpets. The 15th day of this same month is the beginning of the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles). These feasts always take place in the 7th month regardless of whether it's a 12 or 13 month year.
Genesis 37:9-10 shows that Jacob knew about the ZODIAC, the symbolic meaning of the SUN, MOON and STARS. In 1 Sam 20:5, David and Jonathan knew that the next day was the NEW MOON. The only sensible way they could have known this is they obviously had a calendar. There is nothing strange about this. People have always had calendars. In his writings, Josephus said that Seth was working with astronomy (we have always had calendars). It should be obvious as you read Gen 7:11 that they are talking about a calendar... In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
Matt 18:16 "In the mouth of two or three witnesses a thing is established." The SUN, MOON and STARS are three witnesses. When the SUN comes into the constellation ARIES (sign of the RAM) we have TWO witnesses, and when the FIRST NEW MOON comes into ARIES we have THREE witnesses. They have all made their circuits to show us the beginning of the NEW YEAR. This ONLY takes place ONE day in the year.
Dan 5:11 Daniel was over the Chaldeans (astrologers). They knew how to read signs in the heavens. Exodus 13:1-10 shows the people knew when to keep the passover and the days of Unleavened, in the month of Abib. They obviously had a calendar. They did this from year to year without any problem. There are other scriptures to further prove this point, but I feel that these should be sufficient.
The first day of the year of 2007 (Abib 1), when the sun comes into the constellation of Aries, according to the ephemeris, will be March 20th. The New moon then comes into Aries on April 4th. In other words, the first day of the first month (Exodus 12:2), as indicated by the sun, moon and stars, will be on April 17th.
Astronomy is a very deep subject and most know little about it. The good part of all this is we don't have to be astronomers to know YAHWEH's calendar. All we have to do is to read the scientific knowledge found in the ephemeris. If you know the first day of the year, it is easy to establish all the Feast Days. This calendar needs no adjustments by man! YAHWEH adds a 13th month every 3-4 years and it always comes out accurate. It is a natural phenomenon. The only thing taken away is confusion.
One more things about signs. YAHWEH has given signs such as the Sabbath. It is a sign between Him and His people. We must accept the signs that are given, but we should NOT be looking for signs that are not given in scripture!
Now we go to the scriptures to establish all the feast days for the year 2007. Levitcus 23 list all the feast days. The first day of the year will be April 17. Counting 13 more days brings us to April 30 (Abib 14, which is the Passover).
May 1st (Abib 15) is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened (a high day). We are not to eat any leavening for seven days. May 7th (Abib 21), the last day of the Feast of Unleavened, is also a high day, a commanded assembly.
Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) is counted from the first day after the Sabbath during the week of Unleavened. This brings us to June 24, fifty days later.
The Feast of Trumpets is the 1st day of the seventh month, which is October 11th (Tishri 1, a new moon and a Sabbath)
Next is the fast of Atonement, which is October 20 (Tishri 10). Then comes the Feast of Tabernacles, October 25 (Tishri 15) for seven days. The seventh day is Oct 31, and The Last Great Day is Nov 1st. This concludes the calendar for year 2007.
At some time in history, man has worshipped just about everything, especially the host of heaven. This is NO reason to avoid them! One reason that they are there, is for us to know when to keep the feast days. Is the zodiac pagan? No! Not unless you worship them. The question seems to be, how can we trust them? Are they man made? I think that it can be shown by scripture that YAHWEH has inspired the twelve divisions of the zodiac. It should be obvious He acknowledges their use. Job 38:31-33 has a lot to say about the zodiac...
Job 38:31-33:
31 Canst thou bind the cluster of Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion? {Pleiades: or, the seven stars: Heb. Cimah} 32 Canst thou bring forth constellations in their seasons? or canst thou guide the great bear with its cubs? {Mazzaroth: or, the twelve signs}
33 Do you know the ordinances of heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?Why would YAHWEH acknowledge the constellations if they were man made? According to scripture, YAHWEH has named these constellations himself. Verse 32 talks about constellations in their seasons. Doesn't this show that they are to be used as Genesis 1:14 states? Do they have dominion? This verse says they do. Amos 5:8 tells us to seek Him that makes the Pleiades and Orion. He has also established then forever and ever (the host of heaven). He has made a decree which shall not pass away. Jeremiah 31:35
Jere 31:35 Thus saith YAHWEH, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; YAHWEH of hosts is his name
Don't these laws (ordinances) still govern our seasons today? I think they do.
Should we use a sign to determine when the new moon begins? I don't think we should. Is there any scripture that says we should use a sign? Let's see what Yahshua has to say about signs. 1st Corinthians 1:22 "For the Jews ask for a sign." We can see here that the Jews of Yahshua's day wanted a sign. Mat 12:38-39 "an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and NO sign will be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the son of man be in the heart of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights." Mat 16:4 says virtually the same thing making a second witness. Luke 11:29 "...This is an evil generation, it seeks a sign, and NO sign will be given it..." This is the third witnesss, that NO sign will be given. Now, is the crescent moon a sign? It certainly is, what else could you possibly call it? Is the crescent moon pagan? I think you will be able to see it is, after we read these next verses.
Here also is an interesting parallel. When the moon wanes to a crescent and disappears, it is about three days and three nights until the crescent reappears. I find this very interesting, don't you?
Let's look at Judges 8:21. Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on their camel's neck. What were the crescents that were around their camels' necks? Were they pagan? It would certainly seem so. Isaiah 3:18 should make this a little clearer. Isai 3:18 In that day YAHWEH will take away the ornament of anklets, and the little suns and crescents. If YAHWEH is going to take away the crescents, why not get rid of them now?
If the new moon does not start with the crescent, then when does it actually begin? It begins at conjunction, or a moment thereafter. Conjunction is the moment when the moon passes between the earth and the sun, so that the part of the moon that is illumined, is the side that is facing 180 degrees away from the earth. This event takes place once a month, every 29 - 30 days, and immediately thereafter is new moon, even though it is not yet visible to the naked eye.
To finish off this article, I will give this year's calendar for the feast days.
I hope this will help those seeking the truth of YAHWEH's calendar. Many are accepting this precious truth now.
Days Start at Sundown the day before Gregorian Dates
New Years day in 2007 April 17
Passover (Abib 14) (Monday) April 30
Days of Unleavened (15th - 21st of Abib) (Tues-Mon) May 1 - May 7
Pentecost (count 50 days from the morning after Sabbath) June 24
Feast of Trumpets (1st day of 7th month) (Thursday) Oct. 11
Day of Atonement (10th day of 7th month) (Saturday) Oct. 20
Feast of Tabernacles (15th - 21st of Tishri) (Thurs-Wed) Oct 25 - 31
Last Great Day (22nd day of Tishri) (Thursday) Nov 1