It genuinely amazes me when someone says there is no proof in Scripture or the historical record that the original Sabbath was observed by the phases of the moon. Most of the time, this is a statement made by someone who has really not studied the issue thoroughly. If you wish to maintain that the Rabbinical Sabbath (Satyrday) is the only valid interpretation, I respectfully present a list of 21 categories of Scripture you must ignore, disregard or spiritualize away. This is not an exhaustive list…
1. Leviticus 23:1-3 says the Sabbath is the first of the Mo’edim (feasts-Strong’s H#4150), so you can ignore Genesis 1:14 (heavenly luminaries are for Mo’edim), and Psalms 104:19 (moon for Mo’edim).
2. If you think the Sabbath is NOT a Mo’ed, then ignore all of the following passages of Scripture: Numbers 15:3, I Chronicles 23:31, II Chronicles 2:4, II Chronicles 8:13, II Chronicles 31:3, Ezra 3:5, Nehemiah 10:33-34, Ezekiel 45:17, and Hosea 2:11.
3. Ignore that the Exodus was on Sabbath, the 15th of Abib (Numbers 33:3, Deuteronomy 5:12-15, Psalm 81:3-6).
4. Please disregard as a coincidence that the 8th day of the same month is called a set time or Mo’ed in Hebrew (Exodus 9:5).
5. Ignore that the 15th day of the second month was also the Sabbath (Exodus 16:1). Manna fell for 6 days after the 15th. They gathered twice as much on the 6th day (the 21st day of the month, 15 + 6 = 21) because the following day was the Sabbath. If the 22nd was the Sabbath, so was the 15th.
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6. Disregard the fact that on the 15th day of the third month Israel departed from “Rephidim” which means rest (Exodus 19:2), inferring that the 15th day of the month for three consecutive months has been a weekly Sabbath, which cannot happen with the pagan/papal Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian can produce a weekly Sabbath for TWO consecutive months IF a February of a non-leap year is the first month (and assuming that the 15th of February just happens to be a Satyrday). February did not exist 4,000 years ago.
Point to Ponder: A calendar tells you when to worship. WHEN you worship tells heaven and the on-looking universe WHO you worship. It’s that serious! The Gregorian calendar is only a little over 420 years old and came into existence at the hand of a Jesuit astronomer and Pope Gregory XIII.
7. Normally, I like 2-3 witnesses (texts) in order to prove a doctrine, but I will lower that standard to even ONE passage in Scripture that says that Satyrday is the Sabbath. When you cannot find one, please ignore that as evidence.
8. Please disregard the fact that the daily sacrifices of Numbers chapters 28-29 are offered in addition to the sacrifices of the weekly Sabbath and annual feasts, and that the monthly offering is offered in addition on Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets), the first day of the seventh month. But the Sabbath offering is never offered if it “just happens” to fall on one of the feast days. There are no coincidences in Scripture.
9. Ignore that Numbers 29:12-35 shows eight days where the first and last (15th and 22nd) are Sabbaths. There is no provision for a Sabbath to “just happen to fall in the middle somewhere” because the Sabbaths are fixed, they fall on the same days each month.
10. Ignore how Exodus 40 through Leviticus 8 describes the seven days of consecration for Aaron and his sons (starting on Rosh Chodesh—the new moon or first day of the month) without the intervention of a Sabbath, and how the Sabbath fell on the 8th, the day AFTER the 7 day consecration. This seven day stretch was a new moon and 6 work days if you’re counting.
11. Try to spiritualize away the battle of Jericho (Joshua 6:1-16), and how every day for seven days, Israel dressed for battle, carried every weapon at their disposal AND carried the Ark of the Covenant into this battle. Which begs the question: Which day of this 7 day battle was the Sabbath?
Point to Ponder: For 40 years, YHVH taught Israel how to keep the Sabbath. Are we to believe that His first instructions after entering the land was to break the Sabbath by engaging in battle? Come now, let us reason together. The Book of Jasher, twice mentioned in Scripture, gives an account of this battle adding only one small detail. This 7 day battle began on a new moon day (Day 1). Day one is followed by six working days (2-7). The first Sabbath of each month is the 8th day of the month. Israel marched around Jericho for 7 consecutive days (1-7) and did not break the Sabbath, as they observed the Creation Calendar…
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The Observer 