What is Considered to be a Day in Scripture?

What constitutes as a Day in Scripture? Before answering this question that may seem simple, we must first understand that much of what we have been taught from birth has been to indoctrinate us into a specific way of thinking – leading us further from our Creator. The truth has been twisted, and many lies have been taught as fact. Satan has undoubtedly deceived all of mankind in one way or another. And because we have been so indoctrinated into believing the worldly teachings that Satan through man has ingrained in our minds, a simple question like this becomes mind boggling. But once understood becomes simply beautiful. The simplicity of the Scriptures can easily be misinterpreted when reading with a corrupted mind. In order to grow in Mashiach, we must unlearn the lies the world has taught us.

Before we get into this topic I want to quote the Mashiach when He speaks to John concerning the eleventh-hour church.

Revelation 3:17-18: Because you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel you to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich; and white raiment, that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness does not appear; and anoint your eyes with eye-salve, that you may see.

The generation of people living in the earth today represent the eleventh-hour church that Yahushua is speaking about. As most people are aware, the eleventh-hour is the last hour of the Day, because there are twelve hours in a Day. It is the very last church in the stream of time. It is the remnant of YAHUAH’S people found in the earth directly before Mashiach returns. It is this church that easily oversees the obvious. It is this church that easily oversees the simplicity that is in Mashiach. We are warned,

2 Corinthians 11:3: But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Mashiach.

This last church (or remnant) has been fed so many lies. We have mingled Truth with error, twisting the pure Word of Aluahim in order to match man’s current understanding of science. Without even knowing, we have become blind, ignorant, and naked in the eyes of YAHUAH. True science spoken by the Word of Aluahim has been neglected and pushed aside in order to accept a convenient lie created by none other than our Creator’s archenemy, Satan.

Most the world regards a Day as a 24-hour period. The 24-hour day which includes 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness was created by Yasharal’s enemies. See, every time Yasharal (Israel) and Yahudah (Judah) went into bondage they left tainted with false traditions, and the worship of pagan deities. The Apostle Paul warns us about this,

Colossians 2:8: Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Mashiach.

In a book titled The Sage Age, by MaAnna Stephenson, we read on page 168:

“Ancient Middle Eastern cultures had also developed precise solar calendars which required them to divide the day into equal periods of specific length. By 3000 BC the Sumerians had divided the day into 12 periods, each with 30 sub-periods. Similarly, around 2000 BC the Babylonians developed the 24-hour day divided into 60 minutes, which was divided into 60 seconds. This is the division adopted by the Western world.”
– The Sage Age, by MaAnna Stephenson

And, in The History of Time A Very Short Introduction, by Leofranc Holford-Strevens, we read on page 6:

“A variant on these ‘Italian hours’ characteristic of Majorca was a 24-hour sequence counted from dawn; these are known as ‘Babylonian hours’, from a false opinion in ancient authors that the Babylonian day began at sunrise, In fact, it began at sunset;“
– The Sage Age, by MaAnna Stephenson

The sunset to sunset Day (total of 24-hours) can be traced all the way back to both the Babylonians and the Ancient Egyptians, and later adopted by the Talmudic Rabbis who helped create the modern religion of Judaism. We will soon learn that both a 24-hour Day along with a Day supposedly starting at sunset is not Biblical at all.

Most all ancient civilizations measured each day using sundials, and there’s evidence that the ancient Hebrews also adopted this way of keeping time. We read in the book of Isaiah,

Isaiah 38:8: Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which is gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down.

The shadow on the face of a sundial tells the time of the Day, and the shadow depends on where the sun is in the sky. This Scripture clearly tells us that YAHUAH created the sun to keep track of the Day, because a Day is considered the time in which the sun is visible.

See, the sundial doesn’t work at Night, so the Egyptians developed a time system in order to account for the time when there was no shadow. Since the sun is at its highest point at noon, they figured the opposite had to be the middle of the Night (midnight). This is when the 12 started over again, so that’s why they decided that the 24-hour Day would start at midnight. To track time at Night, they used a 12-hour water clock. The Ancient pagans combined the 12-hours of darkness, and the 12-hours of light to make a 24-hour Day. This is the very same way we track time today, but it is not Biblical. Let’s turn to the Word of Aluahim to see what He considers to be a Day and when the Day should actually begin.

Creation

In order to understand this topic better we must go back to Genesis 1 and the account of creation. Before taking a look at the very first Day of creation, I must first mention that there is no evidence in Genesis chapter 1 that defines a Day as within a 24-hour period, nor the start of a Day during the dark hours. As Satan loves to mix Truth with error, it is he (Satan) who has deceived the whole world into believing that both; the combination of Day-time and Night-time, totaling 24-hours all together, defines what a Day is, and that a Day begins during the dark hours.

The first Day of creation clearly defines what a Day is. Now, let’s read what YAHUAH did as soon as He created Light.

Genesis 1:3-5: And Aluahim said, Let there be light: and there was light. And Aluahim saw the light, that it was good: and Aluahim DIVIDED (badal) the light from the darkness. And Aluahim called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

At the end of each creation Day the verse goes on to say that that evening and that morning marked a Day of creation. It would be quite presumptuous to read these verses and say that a Day is from evening to evening, or that a Day includes the Night time. We just read that YAHUAH DIVIDED the light from the darkness, and understanding this separation is of the utmost importance when studying this topic. The Hebrew word used for divided is Strong’s Concordance number 914, badal: to be divided, separate, make or put difference, distinguish, differ, sever.

As soon as YAHUAH created light, He separated the light from the darkness. He never intended for both light and darkness to be combined, nor did He intend for Day to be combined with Night. The above verses plainly indicates that a Day is when it is light out, and that Night is when it is dark out. The image below should bring better understanding to each creation Day.

The word, “were” is very important here, “And the evening and the morning were the first day”, because it refers to past tense. YAHUAH is referring back to His Day of work, and is implying that He worked (created) from morning to evening (during the light hours), and now that the Night (the dark hours) has come, He is no longer working. Yahushua, in whom all things were created by, puts it plainly,

John 9:4: I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is Day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

Yahushua used the Greek word hemera to describe what a Day is. Hemera is Strong’s Concordance number 2250: a day, the period from sunrise to sunset.

Aluahim intended for man to follow the very same work schedule that He kept during creation week. Aluahim worked six Days a week from morning to evening (sunrise to sunset), and rested the seventh Day. The Psalmist proclaims,

Psalm 104:23: Man goes forth unto his work and to his labor until the evening (ereb).

The Hebrew word used for evening in Psalm 104:23 is the same word used in Genesis Chapter 1 (from morning to evening). This is Strong’s Concordance number 6153, ereb (eh’-reb): Evening, night. In the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament concerning the word ereb, we read:

“‘ereb is found 131 times in the OT. The phrase “there was an evening and there was a morning” occurs six times in the creation narrative (Genesis 1:5-31), delimiting the six days of divine creativity. This phrase would indicate that in ancient Israel a day began with sunrise. Some have felt this at variance with the Jewish practice of regarding sunset as the beginning of the next day. Cassuto, after dealing the Biblical data and the Jewish custom, concludes that there was “only one system of computing time: the day is considered to begin in the morning … This judgment appears vindicated in the employment of “ereb” in Levitical legislation respecting uncleanness. One was considered unclean because of certain acts “until the evening” (Lev. 11:24, plus thirty times). This means, that a person was unclean for the duration of the “daylight” only.”
– Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament [Tanakh].

The time period between the rising of the sun to the setting of the sun is the definition of a Day.

In A Summary of Biblical Antiquities we read,

“The time between the rising and the setting of the sun was divided into twelve equal parts, which were called hours. John 11:9. As this period of time, however, is longer at one season of the year than at another it is plain that the hours would also be of different length at different times. In the winter they were, of course, shorter than in summer. They [the Days] were numbered from the rising of the sun, and not from the middle of the day, as is common with us.”
– Nevin’s Biblical Antiquities, pp. 171, 172.

After the sun sets it is no longer Day, but rather turns to Night. Understanding the separation of both light and darkness, and Day and Night is essential in defining the time period of a Day. The Apostle Paul writes, “You are all children of light, and the children of the day”. Here we can plainly see that light and Day are considered the same. He further writes, “we are not of the night, nor of darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Likewise, the Night and darkness are the same. Paul was very careful to separate these two concepts. He further writes,

2 Corinthians 6:14: What communion has light with darkness?

On the first Day of creation YAHUAH divided the Day (light) from the Night (darkness). After YAHUAH divided the light from the darkness, He gave us the sun to rule the Day and the moon to rule the Night. We read,

Genesis 1:14: And Aluahim said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to DIVIDE (BADAL: SEPARATE OR SEVER) the Day from the Night; and let them be for signs, and for appointed times, and for days, and years.

We are told yet again that light and darkness and Day and Night are supposed to be completely separate.

The prophet Jeremiah further expounds on this by writing,

Jeremiah 31:35: Thus says YAHUAH, which gives the sun for a light by Day, and the ordinances of the moon and stars for a light by Night, who disturbs the sea and the waves roar; YAHUAH is His name.

In the flat earth model (the true model of the earth), we can see this separation of light (Day) and darkness (Night) more clearly.

Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/SunAnimation.gif

The Hebrew word for Day that is used in Genesis Chapter 1 is Yom. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance says this about the word Yom: From an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm hours).

A Day constitutes as the time when the sun is out, therefore creating warmth or heat. The Night constitutes as the time when it is dark when the moon and stars are out. The Psalmist writes,

Psalm 121:6: The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.

Psalm 104:20: You make darkness, and it is night…

Yes, light existed before the sun was created, but the sun was the light given to us whom dwell in the earth in order to tell time. It is merely a greater light in comparison to the lesser light – the moon, and is made to rule the Day. We were given the sun as a way to know when it is Day out, what time of Day it is, and how long we have before Night or darkness comes. Yahushua confirms the length of a Day when he asks the rhetorical question,

“Are there not twelve hours in the Day?” – John 11:9

When we read the account of Mashiach’s crucifixion the Apostle Mark states,

“And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.” – Mark 15:25

This too is more evidence that a Day begins at sunrise, because the third hour of the Day (in Mashiach’s time) was around 9:00 a.m. or three hours past sunrise.

The Scriptures break the Day into three parts; morning, midday (noon), and evening. David writes,

Psalm 55:17: Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice.

Nowadays we say good morning all the way up until noon (mid-day), and we say good evening well after dark. This has become custom, but is not necessarily Biblical. I have provided the definitions of these terms from what I have gathered in my personal studies of the Bible. As we read on, we will see these terms backed by Scripture.

Day: The time period when the sun is visible (the sun is the light of the Day). From morning to evening. From the rising of the sun to the setting of the sun. Aluahim gave us the sun to rule the Day. Therefore, when the sun is past the horizon, even if you still see some sunlight from it, it is no longer Day time, because the sun is no longer visible. Daylight is divided by hours.
Morning: It is the beginning of a new Day. This time period begins after dawn, when the very first ray of light is seen from the visible sun. It is the rising of the sun seen from the horizon.
Midday: This is the middle of the Day (noon), when the sun mounts its highest.
Evening: Later part of the Day time. It begins in the late afternoon around 3 p.m., and ends as the sun begins to set (refer to Acts 3:1 – 4:3). Once the sun has completely set it is no longer evening and no longer Day, but rather twilight (dusk).
Twilight: The time period when the sun has completely set, but you can still see minimal light from the sun on the horizon (in the west). If you are looking in the opposite direction of the setting sun (in the east) you will see darkness and perhaps a few stars. This is the beginning of Night time and also often referred to as dusk. Twilight is also the time at the end of the Night when sunlight is seen on the horizon, but the sun is not yet visible. This is often referred to as dawn. Both Twilights are part of the night.
Night: The time period between the two twilights (from dusk to dawn), when it is dark, the sun is not visible, and the moon and stars are shining. Nights are divided by four watches (refer to Matthew 14:25, Mark 13:35).

Scriptural Evidence

The story of Samson is well known, but just like many stories in the Bible it is easy to get caught up in the excitement of it all, and miss some very important principles. Let’s take a look at a few passages from this story relating to the topic of what a Day is.

Judges 16:1-2: Then went Samson to Gaza and saw there an harlot, and went unto her. And it was told the Gazites, saying, Samson has come here. And they compassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning (boqer), when it is Day (owr), we shall kill him.

Before breaking down the Hebrew words for morning and Day used in this passage, we can clearly see that the morning marks the start of a new Day.

The word morning is Strong’s Concordance number 1242, boqer: dawn, day, daybreak, tomorrow, next day, next morning.

The word Day is Strong’s Concordance number 216, owr: daylight, light, sunlight.

Judges 16:2 should read as follows, … “In the morning when it is light”. The morning is the beginning of the light hours. And the light hours is considered Day (yom in Hebrew). The same word, boqer (morning) is used in the first book of Samuel when Saul is trying to kill David. We read,

1 Samuel 19:11: Saul also sent messengers unto David’s house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning (boqer): and Michal, David’s wife told him, saying, If you save not your life tonight (layelah), tomorrow (machar) you will be slain.

Samuel breaks it down nicely here. The word tonight is Strong’s Concordance number 3915, layelah: night, midnight, overnight, tonight.

And the word tomorrow is Strong’s Concordance number 4279, machar: tomorrow, time to come.

Both of the previous stories tell us first, that the Night and the Day are separate. And second, the morning marks the beginning of a new Day. Now, let’s flip a few pages to the second book of Samuel to read another verse where the Hebrew word owr is used. This is the story of Joab and his men who were traveling all Night in the dark towards Bethlehem to bury Asahel, and they finally reached Hebron in the morning – the next Day or beginning of the Day.

2 Samuel 2:32: And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulcher of his father, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day (owr).

Now, let’s read about the story of Jacob wrestling with Aluahim, which is another example of a Day beginning in the morning. Jacob was in fear for him and his family’s lives. He heard that his brother Esau along with a large band of men were coming to meet him. So, Jacob went to YAHUAH in prayer, and he prayed all Night until the morning. We read,

Genesis 32:24-26: And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the Day (shachar). And when the man saw that He prevailed not against Jacob, He touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as Jacob wrestled with the man. And the man said, Let me go, for the Day (shachar) breaks (Alah). But Jacob replied, I will not let You go, unless You bless me.

Let’s take a look at the word used in this passage to describe the beginning of a Day. Strong’s Concordance number 7837, shachar: dawn, morning, daybreak.

The Hebrew word used for breaks is Alah: to ascend, go up, climb. Jacob wrestled with Aluahim until dawn – as the Day was rising (or ascending).

The same words shachar and Alah are used together in the book of Jonah after the prophet warned Nineveh of their coming destruction unless they repented and turned back towards YAHUAH. We read,

Jonah 4:7: But Aluahim prepared a worm when the morning (shachar) rose (alah) the next day (mochorath), and it smote the gourd that it withered.

The word used for next day is Strong’s Concordance number 4283, mochorath: tomorrow, next day.

Once again, Scripture clearly tells us that the next Day or tomorrow is in the morning or rising of the sun, and not at sunset or at Night. Another misconception that many people hold is that the evening is tied to the Night, probably because that is how we today traditionally view it, but it is simply a part of that same Day sometime after midday (the sun’s highest point) and before the setting of the sun (dusk). Below are a few examples:

Mark 4:35: And the same Day, when the evening was come, he said unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.

John 20:19: Then the same Day at evening, being the first day of the week.

Matthew 27: 58-59: When the evening was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Yahushua’S disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Yahushua. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.

Why was it so important for Joseph to take down the body of Yahushua before the Night time came? Joseph was simply obeying the Law of the land, for the Law states:

Deuteronomy 21:22-23: And if a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is to be put to death, and you hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but you shall in any wise bury him that day.

Joseph took Yahushua’s body down off the cross (a tree) in the evening, before the Night time came. That goes to show that the evening is part of that same Day.

While quoting Moses, let’s take a look at the word mochorath again. The word that Moses chose to describe the next Day (the morrow) in both books of Exodus and Leviticus. This word is Strong’s Concordance number 4283, mochorath or mochoratham: day after, following day, next day, next morning. We read,

Exodus 18:13: And it came to pass on the morrow (Mochorath), that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from morning unto the evening.

In the above verse, we can easily substitute the words the morrow for the next day. And the latter part of this verse clearly describes the definition of a Day: as “from morning unto the evening” (or sunrise to sunset). We can make the same substitution in the verse below, and it will be in complete alignment with the commandments given concerning this specific appointed time – Reshith (First Fruits).

Leviticus 23:11-12: And he shall wave the sheaf before YAHUAH, to be accepted for you: on the Morrow (Mochorath) after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And you shall offer that Day (yom) when you wave the sheaf, a he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto YAHUAH.

Even if you ask a little child when Night time is and Day time is, they will tell you that when it is light out it is Day, and when it is dark out it is Night. The simplicity of the Scriptures can easily be misinterpreted when reading with an indoctrinated mind. The last two verses brings us to Leviticus chapter 23 where we will cite the passage that many today use to back up their claims that a Day is from evening to evening, all while learning about two very specific high Days – rest and worship Days associated with the appointed times (moed).

High Days

YAHUAH’S appointed times (moedim) are also called high Days; these are the seven rest and worship days mentioned in Leviticus chapter 23. They are listed as follows:

First Day of Matzah – Unleavened Bread which follows Passover meal (verse 7)
Last Day of Matzah – Unleavened Bread (verse 8)
Shabuot – Feast of weeks; after Reshith (First Firsts), count seven Sabbaths and then count an additional fifty days after the seventh Sabbath (verse 21)
Yom Teruah – Day of Trumpets (verse 24)
Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement (verse 27, 28, 32,)
First Day of Sukkot – Feast of Tabernacles (verse 35, 39)
Eighth Day of Sukkot – the Feast of Tabernacles (verse 36, 39)

These seven high days are sometimes referred to as high Sabbaths, but not all of them are actual Sabbaths – a day of rest and worship that no food is allowed to be prepared. YAHUAH is very specific to use either the Hebrew word Shabbath or Abad when referring to the type of rest that the high day is supposed to be. Shabbath is the word used to describe the weekly seventh day of rest and worship along with Yom Teruah (Day of Trumpets), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), and the first and eighth day of Sukkot (Tabernacles). The word abodah (#5656) and abad (#5647) are used to describe the high days where no servile work is to be done, but the preparing of our food is allowed. These days include, the first and last day of Matzah (Unleavened Bread), and Shabuot (Pentecost).

For more information pertaining to YAHUAH’S appointed times (moedim), please read the article, Have YAHUAH’S Feast Days Been Done Away With?

Now, some people will use this chapter (Leviticus 23) to back up their claims that a Day is from evening to evening or Night to Night. The Scriptures mention only two annual Appointed Times that are celebrated from evening to evening. They are:

Passover week (includes Unleavened Bread)
Day of Atonement

Passover celebration begins on the 14^thDay of Abib. Abib is the first month of the year for the Hebrews (and still is for all of YAHUAH’s people), and it is sometime in what we call the spring season. The Passover lamb is kept until the Day of Passover, then it is killed (sacrificed) in the late afternoon (evening), roasted that same Day in the late evening, and specifically eaten on that Night after sunset. All leaven is to be cleared out of the homes by the Day of Abib 14^th, and unleavened bread is eaten that evening along with the Passover lamb that Night. This is why YAHUAH says,

Exodus 12:18: In the first month, on the fourteenth Day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, unto the one and twentieth Day of the month at evening.

Here, we also can see that the evening is part of the same Day because Passover celebration begins on the fourteenth Day before the sun sets. Notice how unleavened bread is eaten from the fourteenth Day beginning in the evening (late afternoon) all the way up until the twenty-first Day at evening. YAHUAH uses the terms evening to evening because all leavened is to be cleared out of the house by Abib 14^th, so Yasharal will only be eating unleavened bread that evening along with Passover dinner. Also, because the Feast of Unleavened Bread ends after sunset on Abib 21^st. Once the sun goes down on Abib 21^st, Passover week ends, and the next Day is a seventh-Day Sabbath. Now let’s further read about the Feast of Pesach (Passover) and Matzah (Unleavened Bread). Moses writes,

Leviticus 23:5-7: In the fourteenth Day of the first month at evening is YAHUAH’S Passover. And on the fifteenth Day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread unto YAHUAH: seven Days you must eat unleavened bread. In the first Day you shall have an holy convocation: you shall do no servile work therein.

Moses was specific about the seven Days of Matzah (Unleavened Bread). And he was also very specific about the time of Day in which the Passover was to begin, “at evening is YAHUAH’S Passover”. As we have learned, evening is sometime in the late afternoon, and this is the time period the Hebrews were supposed to prepare the lamb. And, Moses was very precise about when this Passover lamb is to be eaten, “And they shall eat the flesh in that Night” (Exodus 12:8). The Night time period is from twilight to twilight, after the evening time. “And you shall let nothing of it remain until the morning” (Exodus 12:10). The morning is considered Day break or the very first light from the sun. As we have learned, the morning marks the beginning of a new Day. Therefore, the morning after Passover dinner, is the first Day of Matzah (Unleavened Bread), which is a high Day – rest and worship Day. It is also a seventh-Day Sabbath.

People who falsely believe that the Day begins at sundown have a little problem with dates. See, if the 14^th of Abib begins the Night before this Day, then the Passover is technically eaten on the 15^th of Abib. This would be unlawful, and would not align with YAHUAH’S Feast instructions in Leviticus 23. The Passover observance begins in the Day time of the 14^th of Abib, and the lamb was to be eaten in the Night of that same civil date. Therefore, the Passover lamb was eaten after the sun went down on the 14^th Day of Abib. This would be considered the Night of Abib 14^th.

The second example of a High Day that YAHUAH commanded all of Yasharal to observe “from evening to evening” is the one that people use to define the start and end of a Day. This is the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). Now, let’s take a look at that verse by itself.

Leviticus 23:32: It shall be unto you a Sabbath (sabbat) of rest (sabbatown), and you shall afflict your souls: in the ninth Day of the month at evening, from evening unto evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath (šab·bat·tə·ḵem).

Notice how I put in parenthesis all the places that Moses writes Sabbath. There is only one occurrence in the entire Bible where the last word used for Sabbath; šab·bat·tə·ḵem is used. This particular Sabbath (Day of Atonement) is called “your Sabbath”, to denote a difference between this very specific high Sabbath and other Sabbaths; for the weekly seventh- Day Sabbath is often called the Sabbath of YAHUAH. It was only this Appointed Time – Day of Atonement, where YAHUAH specifically commands us to celebrate from evening to evening. Throughout the entire chapter of Leviticus 23, this is the only time when Yasharal (Israel) is commanded to celebrate a Sabbath – rest and worship Day, that commences the evening before the actual Sabbath Day.

This high Day is very different than the others, because it is the Day of judgement for all of Yasharal. As we have read, the ancient Hebrews were very careful when writing about the separation of Day and Night. The Day of Atonement is a rare Sabbath, where YAHUAH’S people are supposed to celebrate from evening the Day before unto evening the Day of. Now, let’s read all the verses pertaining to this special Sabbath.

Leviticus 23:27-32: Also on the tenth Day of this seventh month there shall be a Day of Atonement: it shall be a Day of Atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto YAHUAH. And you shall do no work in that same Day: for it is a Day of Atonement, to make an Atonement for you before YAHUAH your Aluahim. For whatsoever soul it be that does any work in that same Day, that same soul will I destroy from among his people. You shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a Sabbath of rest, and you shall afflict your souls: in the ninth Day of the month at evening, from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath.

I must first say, that it is presumptuous to take the last sentence from this passage and use it to say that all the high Days including the weekly Sabbath should be observed from evening to evening, and it is even more far-fetched to use it in order to define the beginning of a Day.

Moses purposely breaks up the directions YAHUAH gives him pertaining to each one of these Appointed Times with their types of rest by starting off with, “And YAHUAH spoke unto Moses, saying,”. Very similar to when he writes in Genesis 1 and the account of each creation Day, Moses starts off each Day by stating, “And Aluahim said”. Also, we now know that evening is part of the same Day, therefore this special Sabbath begins in the evening (or sunset) on the ninth Day of the month, and ends in the evening (around sunset) on the tenth Day of the month. This appointed time is 24-hours long but falls on two civil dates (9^th and 10^th), not one civil date.

This Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is a very special occasion. Only once a year the high priest used to entered into the most holy to minister for all the children of Yasharal, but not without first making an atonement for the sanctuary, because of the uncleanliness of the children of Yasharal. He was required to sprinkle blood on the mercy seat, make a sin offering for both himself, the holy place, and then for the children of Yasharal. All of this cleansed the entire sanctuary along with the people of Yasharal from the uncleanliness of sins accumulated throughout the year. Now, he was ready to minister in the most holy for all of Yasharal (refer to Leviticus 16). This was the only Day in the year that the priest would go into the most holy among the presence of the glory of YAHUAH, the Most-High. This special occasion demanded special preparations.

YAHUAH wants to make sure that the children of Yasharal are fully attentive, with no distractions during this time. Twice, Yasharal is commanded: “you shall afflict your souls”. This Day is like no other Sabbath, because Aluahim is judging each and every person. This Appointed Time is the anti-type to the great judgment day when Yahushua returns to judge the world. YAHUAH does not want Yasharal to take this Day lightly or treat it like every other Day of rest. No, He wants us to meditate on our character, and all of our accumulated sins from the past year. To re-evaluate the way in which we live; from our actions and words, to our very own thoughts. YAHUAH wants us to make sure that the evening before this special Sabbath Day (“our Sabbath”), we have already finished all of our preparations in order to mentally prepare for the coming Day of judgement. This is why He said, “from evening to evening, you shall celebrate your Sabbath”.

No work at all is to be performed on the Day of Atonement, nor the evening before. We are to finish our work by the afternoon, while the evening is set aside for contemplation, and self-examination. This special Sabbath is to remind Aluahim’s people of the first and second coming of Mashiach, and the judgment of the whole world. It is supposed to remind us that each and every one of us will have to answer for every single transgression made throughout our life. This Sabbath is meant for deep repentance, encouraging Yasharal to turn back towards YAHUAH and walk in His Law (Torah). This is an example of how we should be living each Day, preparing ourselves mentally and spiritually for the return of Mashiach.

There is not any solid evidence in the Scriptures that back up the theory of a 24-hour Day, an evening to evening Day, or a sunset to sunset Day. There is in fact countless verses that support a Day as: from sunrise to sunset, from morning to evening, and 12-hours in a Day. Also, defining Night as being the dark hours, and Tomorrow being the morning after the Night time. We have been keeping a pagan Babylonian tradition when it comes to the keeping of time.

In the Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Bible we read,

“Evening to Evening as a New Concept – “The original meaning of the word “day” is the period of the daylight, from sunrise to sunset, as distinct from the night, the period of darkness … in this sense the “day” is said to “decline” (Jer. 6:4) in the late afternoon, and is followed by night. Hence the earlier sequence, “day and night … The flesh of the thanksgiving sacrifice shall be eaten on the day it is offered; none of it may be kept till the next day” (Lev. 7:15), the nighttime is considered as belonging to the preceding period of daylight. From this there developed the meaning of “day” in the sense of the cycle made up of one period of daylight and one period of darkness, or according to our modern reckoning, twenty-four hours … from the natural viewpoint the twenty-four hour day begins at sunrise… However, beside this conception there arose another idea of the twenty-four hour day, according to which this daily period began at sunset… Although the earlier computation did not die out completely, the custom of considering the day as beginning at sunset became general in later Jewish [Rabbinical Babylonian Pharisees] times…”
– Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Bible, p. 497

The 24-hour day along with the 24-hour Sabbath is a newer concept. Even the Romans during the time of Yahushua separated the Day from the Night. They all used a sundial to track time during the Day, and separated the Night into four watches. The Gospels give us proof that the Yahudim (Judeans) in Yahushua’s time separated the Day from the Night. The first hour of the Day is around sunrise between 6am – 7 a.m. We can clearly read that Yahushua was crucified around 9 a.m., because Mark records,

Mark 15:25: And it was the third hour [of the Day], and they crucified Him.

The Gospels also give us proof that the Night was divided into four watches.

Matthew records,

Matthew 14:25: And in the fourth watch of the Night Yahushua went unto them, walking on the sea.

And Yahushua even mentions all four Night watches,

Mark 13:35: Watch you therefore: for you know not when the Master of the house comes, at evening, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning.

Because we have been deceived and indoctrinated into believing that a Day consists of both light and darkness, we don’t see the simple truths in the Bible that plainly tell us what the definition of a Day really is. This goes for much of what is written in YAHUAH’S Word, and especially when it comes to the story of creation. This is one of the many reasons why Yahushua said,

Mark 7:13: Making the Word of Aluahim of none effect through your tradition, which you have handed down: and many such like things you do.

We should not assume that the Hebrews in Yahushua’S Day kept the same reckoning of time as the modern Jews do today. For the modern religion of Judaism was born out of the Roman Empire (Babylon the Great), along with their Talmud which is handed down traditions coming straight from the land of Babylon. Remember, it was the last Beast (Babylon the Great) who “Shall intend to change appointed times and laws” (Daniel 7:25). It is important to carefully study the Scriptures, line upon line, and precept upon precept, so that we can gain the true knowledge of YAHUAH. Moses’s successor tells us,

Joshua 1:8: This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it Day and Night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.