The Full Moon is the New Moon (Rosh Chodesh)
I have read many articles in the past couple years regarding both the lunar Sabbath and the New Moon (Rosh Chodesh); debating whether the lunar Sabbath is Scriptural or not and if the start of the lunar month is based on the dark crescent or the full moon. There are many deceivers out there, so I tell you, “be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16) and, “test the spirits, whether they are of Aluahim; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). This article will primarily focus on presenting the evidence for the beginning of the New Moon (Rosh Chodesh) with the full moon.
For more information on the topics of, when a Day begins, when and how to observe YAHUAH’S Moedim (Appointed Times), the Lunar Sabbath and when the Sabbath begins, please read the following articles: What is Considered a Day in Scripture? Have YAHUAH’S Feast Days Been Done Away With? Saturday and Sunday, Tradition or Sabbath. And, When Does the Sabbath Commence?
Now let’s begin this study with a passage from one of Moses’s prayers to Aluahim. The Prophet advises us to ask YAHUAH,
Psalms 90:12: So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
The only way to know which day it is, according to YAHUAH’S calendar, is to read the lights in the heavens; the sun, the moon, and the stars together make up our Creator’s calendar.
The Creation of the Moon
Genesis 1:14-16: Then Aluahim said, Let there be lights [sun, moon, stars] in the firmament of the heavens to divide the Day from the Night; and let them be for signs (oth) and seasons (moed), and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth; and it was so. Then Aluahim made two great lights: the greater light to rule the Day, the lesser light to rule the Night. He made the stars also.
Notice that YAHUAH created the lights in the heavens in order for us to know the seasons, days, and years. All of the lights work in perfect harmony with each other in order to tell us the signs of the times. The rising and setting of the sun gives us our days, and this is the greater light that rules the Day. The stars not only give us light at night, but act as a grid for both the sun and moon to move through the starry constellations in order to give us years. Now, when it comes to seasons, this is not the four-seasons that man has made up. This word is improperly translated and should be rendered as, appointed times (moed).
The Hebrew word used for seasons is Strong’s Concordance number 4150, moed (mo-ade’): appointed time, place, meeting.
The word moed is used multiple times in Scripture to describe a holy convocation; a time for YAHUAH’S people to rest from their labors and gather together for worship. Now, there is an actual list of appointed times mentioned by YAHUAH in Leviticus chapter 23, where we are to rest and worship on these very specific dates. And the only way to know when these dates are, is by reading the lights in the heavens; the calendar given to us by YAHUAH. The Psalmist writes,
Psalm 104:19: He (YAHUAH) made the moon for the appointed times (moed); the sun knows his going down.
All of the Appointed Times mentioned in Leviticus chapter 23 are reliant on the phases of the moon. These Moedim – holy convocations or appointed times to worship YAHUAH, include:
- Shabbat (the Seventh-Day Sabbath)
- Pesach and Matzah (Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread)
- Reshith (First Fruits)
- Shabuot (Feast of Weeks or Pentecost)
- Yom Teruah (Day of Trumpets)
- Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
- Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)
YAHUAH also created the luminaries as “a sign”. This is Strong’s Concordance number 226, oth: sign or mark. This is the exact same word used in Exodus 31:13-17, Exodus 13:16, Deuteronomy 6:8, and Ezekiel 20:19-20, when YAHUAH describes that His Torah is His sign or mark between Him and the children of Yasharal. This word oth (sign or mark) is purposely used by YAHUAH in Genesis 1:14 to tell us that it is through His luminaries that marks the occasions in which we are to worship Him according to His Torah.
The luminaries are YAHUAH’S sign between Him and His children; to know when to worship, how to keep time, and to know when our king will return.
YAHUAH gave us the sun – the greater light to rule or have dominion over the Day, meaning that, the entire time the sun is out it is considered Day time. From the rising of the sun to the setting, the Day is counted. We look forward to each Day and give praise to YAHUAH that the sun shines bright to give us light and warmth.
YAHUAH also gave us the moon – the lesser light to rule or have dominion over the Night. This is where the first clue of the full New Moon is mentioned in Scripture because the only phase of the moon that rules or has dominion over the entire Night (dark hours) is the full moon. Every other phase of the moon will rise and or set either sometime during the Day (light hours) or Night (dark hours). It is only the bright full moon that rises directly before or after sunset, travels across the Night sky, and sets around the same time the sun rises. This clue continues to be built upon as we study the Word of Aluahim.
You know the saying, “what came first, the chicken or the egg?” Well, as a believer in the creation week in the Genesis chapter 1 account, we know that Aluahim created everything in their full potential. All the plants, animals, and along with man were created fully mature, and there is no exception to the lights in the heavens. Therefore, the moon also was created as a full moon; bright, mature, and existing as its full potential. This simply means, that the first phase of the moon is the full moon; a complete shining circle that gives us light throughout the entire Night.
The sun and moon were created in exact opposition to each other; one to rule the Day and the other to rule the Night. The only time the sun and moon are in exact opposition to each other, is when the moon is a full moon. There is only one Day out of the lunar month where the full moon is visible on the western horizon at the same time the sun rises in the east. This marks the beginning of the month or New Moon Day (Rosh Chodesh), and from here, the moon begins to wane. Interestingly, every seven days, the moon’s phase changes.
After the full moon, the moon begins to wane, and this is when the moon is in front of the sun. Moonrise becomes later and later in the Night, and exactly seven days after New Moon Day (the full moon), the moon becomes a waning half-moon. This is when moonrise is in the middle of the Night and sets in the middle of the Day. This marks the first Sabbath of the lunar month. From here, moonrise becomes later and later in the night, and closer and closer to sunrise. When the moon is a waning crescent, it is best seen shortly before sunrise, and this tells us that the moon is only a couple days away from rising with the sun.
Seven days after a waning half-moon, the moon’s phase becomes completely dark and it rises with the sun. This is the only time a solar eclipse can occur. Keep that in mind as we move forward. The dark phase of the moon which is wrongfully given the title ‘new moon’ marks the second Sabbath of the lunar month.
After the dark moon, the moon begins to wax. This is when the moon falls behind the sun, and the waxing crescent is best seen shortly after sunset. Seven days after the dark moon, the moon becomes a waxing half-moon. This is when moonrise is in the middle of the Day and moonset is in the middle of the Night. This phase of the moon marks the third Sabbath of the lunar month.
From here, moonrise becomes later and later in the daytime. The moon waxes stronger and stronger until it is full yet again, and then rises either directly before or after sunset. This marks the fourth and last Sabbath of the lunar month, and New Moon Day (Rosh Chodesh) is either the following day or two days later depending on whether the lunar month is 29 or 30 days long.
The Full New Moon is always something to look forward to. Every night we can see the light of the moon become brighter and brighter until the day that it is fully renewed, and New Moon Day signals the beginning of the new month.
Speaking about the Full New Moon, the wise king and Prophet writes,
Proverbs 4:18: But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect Day. The way of the wicked is as darkness; they know not at what they stumble.
And he further writes,
Song of Solomon 6:10: Who is this who looks down like the dawn, as beautiful as the full moon (lebanah), as pure as the sun, as awesome as an army with banners?
The word translated as full moon is Strong’s Concordance number 3842, lebanah לבנה (leb-aw-naw): full moon. The origin of this word is from the word laban (law-ban) which is Strong’s Concordance number 3835: to be white. The country of Lebanon is named after this Semitic word because the mountains in Lebanon become white as the moon when it snows in the winter.
Interestingly, there is one Hebrew word translated as moon, and two Hebrew words translated as full moon, but there is not one Hebrew word that is translated as crescent moon. As we further study, we will learn all of these words.
Below, is an example of the lunar calendar:
YAHUAH created the luminaries in the sky in order for all of us to keep track of time. The Hebrews were not the only tribe of people to follow lunar months. All early civilizations based their months upon the moon. In The Popular and Critical Bible Encyclopedia, we read,
“It is powerfully urged by the believers in primitive Sabbath, that we find from time immemorial the knowledge of a week of 7 days among all nations – Egyptians, Arabians, Indians – in a word, all the nation of the East, have in all ages made use of this week of 7 days, for which it is difficult to account without admitting that this knowledge was derived from the common ancestors [Adam, Noah, etc.] of the human race. Among all early nations the lunar months were the readiest large divisions of time … In order to connect the reckoning by weeks with the lunar month, we find that all ancient nations observed some peculiar solemnities to mark the day of the New Moon. Accordingly, in the Mosaic law the same thing was also enjoined (Numbers 10:1; 28:11, etc.), though it is worthy of remark that, while particular observances are here enjoined, the idea of celebration the New Moon in some way is alluded to as if already familiar to them. In other parts of the Bible, we find the Sabbaths and New Moons continually spoken of in conjunction; as (Isaiah 1:13, etc.) the division of time by weeks prevailed all over the East, from the earliest periods among the Assyrians, Arabs, & Egyptians. It was found among the tribes in the interior of Africa… The Peruvians counted their months by the moon, their half-months by the increase and decrease of the moon… without having any particular names for the week days.”
– The Popular and Critical Bible Encyclopedia 1904. Vol. 3, p. 1497.
All early civilizations celebrated New Moon Day and as we further study, we will come to learn that this Day was, and still is, the full moon. The full moon is the only phase of the moon in which people are more active; naturally wanting to celebrate, feast, and commune with one another. More Scriptural evidence that tells us when New Moon Day is, is found in the Hebrew definition of Chodesh. YAHUAH tells Moses,
Exodus 12:2: This month (chodesh) shall be the beginning (rosh) of months (chodesh) for you. It is to be the first (rosh) month (chodesh) of the year (shanah) for you.
The Hebrew word translated as New Moon is Strong’s Concordance number 2320, חדש chodesh. This word originates from the Hebrew root word חדש chadash. This word is spelt the exact same, but is pronounced differently due to the modern and corrupted Masoretic diacritical markings. This is Strong’s Concordance number 2318, חדש chadash: A primitive root; to be new; causatively, to rebuild – renew, repair, restore.
The definition of renewal and repair means to fix something that is worn out, old, or broken. It is the end process of making something whole again. The repaired or Renewed Moon cannot begin with the dark or crescent phase, because Aluahim created the moon fully mature as a full bright moon to rule the Night. A dark crescent moon does not match the definition of making something whole again.
The word chodesh can quite possibly be rendered as chadash, because the Masoretes changed the sound of the word chodesh (New Moon) to distinguish it from the root word chadash (renewed). The chodesh or chadash can be translated as; Renewed Moon hence the restoration of the light returning to the moon making it full yet again. New Moon is not an inaccurate translation but does not reveal the true meaning of what the Chodesh (Renewed Moon) really is, and what phase of the moon marks Rosh Chodesh (Fully Renewed Moon).
This same word chadash, is used to describe the Brit Chadashah which should not be translated as, New Covenant, but rather, Renewed Covenant. And Scripture backs up this definition, because Yahushua did not come to make a new covenant with man but rather, to renew or restore the same covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses (refer to Matthew 5:17-20, 1 John 2:7, 1 Chronicles 16:13-18, Isaiah 58:12). And for those who are thinking of the Scripture when Yahushua describes what the wine (properly grape juice) represents in the act of communion, I will briefly say that the word “new” in Matthew 26:28 is an added word. Some Bible translations have dropped the word “new”, but the ISR translates this Scripture with the proper understanding. We read,
Matthew 26:28 (ISR): For this is My blood, that of the renewed covenant, which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins.
When speaking about YAHAUAH’S everlasting covenant, the Psalmist writes,
Psalm 89-30-37: If his sons forsake My Law (Torah) And do not walk in My judgments, If they break My statutes And do not keep My commandments, Then I will punish their transgression with the rod, And their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless My loving-kindness I will not utterly take from him, Nor allow My faithfulness to fail. My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the Word that has gone out of My lips. Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David: His seed shall endure forever, And his throne as the sun before Me; It shall be established forever like the moon, Even like the faithful witness in the sky. Selah.
Take note, that the Psalmist links the moon to the covenant Law (Torah). This is because the moon was given to us to know when to keep His Appointed Times mentioned in His Torah.
Both YAHUAH’S everlasting covenant and the moon were established forever. Without the moon, we will not be able to keep His whole Torah and thus, break the everlasting covenant.
The Psalmist goes on to say that the moon is the faithful witness in the sky. Yes, the moon has faithfully continued to tell us when New Moon Day is, when each Sabbath is, and what day YAHUAH’S appointed times of worship are. As long as YAHUAH’S Torah exists, the moon will be there as a witness to tell us when we worship our Aluahim. Even in New Yarushalam we will depend on the moon to tell us when both New Moon Day is and when the seventh-day Sabbath is. The Prophet Isaiah writes,
Isaiah 66:23: And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me, says YAHUAH.
And the Prophet Ezekiel gives further explanation,
Ezekiel 46:1,3: Thus says YAHUAH: The gateway of the inner court that faces toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened. Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the entrance to this gateway before YAHUAH on the Sabbaths and the New Moons.
In the Book of Sirach, we read,
“And then the moon, ever punctual to mark the times, and everlasting sign: it is the moon that signals the Feasts, a luminary that wanes after being full. The month derives its name from hers. She waxes wonderfully in her phases, a banner of the hosts on high, shining in the vault of heaven.”
– Ecclesiasticus 43:6-8, c.a. 19-180 B.C.
The Prophets whisper the words of Moses in their writings. We read,
Psalm 136:7-9: To Him who made great lights, for His mercy endures forever – the sun to rule by Day, For His mercy endures forever; the moon and stars to rule by Night, for His mercy endures forever.
Jeremiah 31:35-36: Thus says YAHUAH, who gives the sun for a light by Day, the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by Night, who disturbs the sea, and its waves roar (YAHUAH of hosts is His name): If those ordinances depart from before Me, says YAHUAH, then the seed of Yasharal shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever.
Once again, YAHUAH links the lights in the sky to His people; those who keep His Commandments and His Testimony. If the lights in the sky cease to do their job, then there will no longer be a people to worship YAHAUH.
I must point out that there is a big difference between giving worship to the heavenly lights and using them to know when to worship YAHUAH our Aluahim. We are strictly told not to make idols of anything in the heavens above, in the earth, in the waters, or under the earth (refer to Exodus 20:4-5). Moon worship became quite prevalent in ancient cultures. Man forgot that the moon was created to learn when to worship YAHUAH instead of becoming an actual object that is worshipped. One of the oldest moon deities, is an Egyptian deity named Iah (Yah, Jah, or Aah). Keep that in mind every time you see our Creator’s name shortened to Yah.
We now need to return back to the story of creation in order to uncover how Moses clues us in to the knowledge of the lunar month. Keep in mind, the moon determines the beginning of months (Rosh Chodesh). The first working day of the week always follows New Moon Day. Therefore, the first working day is always the second day of the month. Keep that in mind as we read the next passage. Moses writes,
Genesis 2:1-3: Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh Day Aluahim ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh Day from all His work which He had done. Then Aluahim blessed the seventh Day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which Aluahim had created and made.
Notice that Moses writes two different seventh days. Moses tells us that Aluahim ended His work on the seventh day, but then also tells us that Aluahim rested on the seventh day. This seems to be a contradiction unless your eyes are opened to the lunar month. YAHUAH blessed the Sabbath, sanctified it, and commands us to rest on the Sabbath or else we are cut off from our people and put to death (refer to Exodus 20:8-11, Exodus 31:14-15). Therefore, YAHUAH could have not ended His work on the seventh day of the week but rather on the evening of the sixth day; the last working day of the week. The answer to this predicament is simply the lunar month, for in the lunar month there is the seventh day of the month and the seventh day of the week.
Aluahim ended His work on the evening of the seventh day of the month in which is the sixth day of the working week, the day in which He created man. Aluahim then rested with man on the seventh day of the week which is the eighth day of the month. This is the very first Sabbath of the lunar month when the moon is a waning half-moon. This was the very first phase of the moon seen by man, when the moon is half-dark and half-light; showing a perfect separation of light and dark.
Many Saturday Sabbath-keepers believe in a continuous week that begins with the first day and ends with the seventh day. So when they read Genesis chapter 1 they can only see seven days, but in fact, there are eight days mentioned. Moses carefully records the six working days (from light – man), by starting each day of with “Then Aluahim said” and ending with “the evening and the morning”.This is similar to when Moses writes down each Appointed Time and Feast. Before each Appointed Time and Feast mentioned in Leviticus chapter 23, Moses writes, “Then YAHUAH spoke to Moses”.
The first day of creation does not begin until Geneses 1:3 when Aluahim made light. Many people also falsely believe that Genesis 1:1-2 is a summary, but in fact, it is New Moon Day (Rosh Chodesh). Let’s read the first two verses of the Bible to see what YAHUAH did on New Moon Day,
Genesis 1:1-2: In the beginning (reshith) Aluahim created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of Aluahim was hovering over the face of the waters.
The creating of the heavens and the earth cannot be either a summary of creation nor can it be part of day one when Aluahim created light. Remember, each day begins with “Then Aluahim said”. And it cannot be a summary because directly after Moses tells us that Aluahim created the heavens and the earth, he tells us that the earth was formless and empty and not filled with land (day 2), plants (day 3), animals and man (day 5 and 6). The only conclusion, is that prior to the first working day when YAHUAH made light, He created the space to put everything in; an empty earth with water.
The word used for beginning is reshith. This is Strong’s Concordance number 7225, reshith: beginning, chief. From the root word rosh (#7218): head.
The Hebrew word reshith comes from the Hebrew root word rosh. The word rosh is also used in Exodus 12:2 when YAHUAH reminds Moses when the head or beginning of months (Rosh Chodesh) is. The first word in the Bible points to many things, such as, the Mashiach being the Reshith – Beginning, First fruits, and our Savior. But the first word in the Bible also points to the beginning of time reckoned by the luminaries. “In the beginning” was none other than the first day of the month – Rosh Chodesh (New Moon Day).
On this day – New Moon Day, all of the heavenly host entered in through the east gate of the heavenly temple to worship YAHUAH Aluahim (refer to Ezekiel 46:1-3, Psalm 103:20, Hebrews 12:22-23). After worshipping the King, they stood watch to see the wonderous works that YAHUAH was about to perform through His “Aleph” “Taw” – The Word of Aluahim. YAHUAH was surrounded by His heavenly host (refer to 1 Kings 22:19, Isaiah 6:1-2, Revelation 7:11) and on this day – New Moon Day, YAHUAH created the space to work for six full Days – from morning to evening. We will later learn that New Moon Day is considered to be neither a working day nor a rest day, so YAHUAH would have used this day to prepare for the coming week of work. This is the day YAHUAH was referring to when He asked Job,
Job 38:4-7: Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its Cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of Aluahim shouted for joy?
I encourage you to read the entire chapter of Job 38 with this new understanding of creation. Just like any carpenter, Aluahim measured out his job and poured the foundation (creating an empty formless earth) in order to build for the next six working days (monthly count: days 2-7). The heavenly host were in awe, shouting, singing, and giving praise to the King – YAHUAH Aluahim. The “Cornerstone” mentioned by YAHUAH is a reference to His Mashiach, who, from the beginning was our Creator that would be born of man, become a carpenter yet again, then give His life on the behalf of His very own creation. Rosh Chodesh – Full New Moon Day, marks “the beginning”.
Hebrew Apostacy
After the destruction of Yarushalam in 70 A.D. the Yahudim were scattered, hence the name ‘the Jewish diaspora’. The original Hebrews fled to various countries; some fled to Egypt and several other countries throughout Africa while others fled north to Asia minor or found other territories throughout the Eastern Roman Empire to settle. After centuries of extreme persecution, many of the original Yahudim were either killed or forced to adopt the state religion of Christianity or pressured to worship on the seventh-day of the Roman calendar and not according to the phases of the moon. During this time (between the 1st – 4th Century A.D.), many of the Natsarim – true followers of Mashiach, were martyred while a remnant fled into the wilderness (refer to Revelation 12:6).
We read from A Profession Of Faith From The Church Of Constantinople in the year 325 A.D. Under The Emperor Constantine:
“I renounce all customs, rites, legalisms. Unleavened breads & sacrifices of lambs of the Hebrews, and all other FEASTS of the Hebrews, sacrifices, prayers, aspersions, purifications, sanctifications and propitiations and fasts, and NEW MOONS, AND SABBATHS, and superstitions, and hymns and chants and observances and Synagogues, and the food and drink of The Hebrews; in one word, I renounce everything Jewish, EVERY LAW, rite and custom and if afterwards I shall wish to deny and return to Jewish superstition, or shall be found eating with The Jews, or feasting with them, or secretly conversing and condemning the Christian religion instead of openly confuting them and condemning their vain faith, then let the trembling of Gehazi cleave to me, as well as the legal punishments to which I acknowledge myself liable. And may I be anathema in the world to come, and may my soul be set down with Satan and the devils.”
– Source: Parks, James The Conflict Of The Church And The Synagogue Athenaeum, New York, 1974, p. 397-398.
Shortly after the Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.) the Council of Laodicea (363 A.D.) declared that all true Sabbath keepers (based on the Full New Moon) were to work on YAHUAH’S true Sabbath and keep the pagan Roman Sunday or Saturday as their day of rest. This is why to this day, the Jews have kept the tradition of resting on the seventh-day of the Roman Gregorian calendar while the rest of their worship days are based on the crescent moon.
During harsh Roman persecutions, many Yahudim fled to parts of Babylon which was under minimal Roman control. It was here in Babylon that the new religion of Judaism was born. The Talmud – a compilation of pagan rabbinic traditions, was written in Babylon (present day Iraq) between the 3rd – 5th Century A.D. The Talmud became the primary piece of literature for obtaining Jewish doctrine and to this very day is held higher than the Tanakh – the Torah and the Prophets.
In 359 A.D. Hillel II created the modern Jewish calendar to use for celebrating their feast days. This calendar is based on the new moon (Rosh Chodesh) beginning on the dark crescent, which is a Babylonian tradition and not Biblical. According to Epiphanius of Salamis, Hellel II was secretly baptized on his deathbed. The Christian convert Joseph of Tiberias was one of his disciples who built many churches in Jewish towns that did not yet have a Christian community.
In the Encyclopedia Judaica, we read,
“In AD 351-352 Roman persecution flared and the Jews revolted. They were soon crushed. Many Jewish towns were destroyed and decrees issued against the local authorities and against Judaism. The privileges of the head of the Sanhedrin and the freedoms of the Sanhedrin itself were curtailed. Roman pressure to conform Jewish Time lunar Sabbath to Roman Time had reached crises level. Under this pressure Hillel II agreed to limit the functions of the head of the Sanhedrin, as well as the Sanhedrin itself, with respect to proclaiming the New Moon, setting festival dates, and employing intercalation [inserting the 13th month]. With the decline of the Jewish power-base in Israel, the Jewish community in Babylon had been rising in influence to fill the vacuum. Hillel II published details informing all Jews of the methods of the [new] calculated calendar developed in Babylon. From that time on the Sanhedrin in Judea ceased to function or to maintain calendar experts. Hillel II is thus given the credit for present fixed Rabbinical calendar, but in reality it originated in Babylon and was just the starting point of the development of the Rabbinical calendar in use today.”
– Encyclopedia Judaica, s.v. “Hillel”.
The current lunar calendar used by both modern Jews and Muslims was devised in the Roman territories of Babylon. The true New Moon – the Renewed Full Moon, was lost during the first few centuries after Mashiach’S death, when extreme measures were taken by the Roman Empire to ensure that all the Yahudim accepted the Roman calendar and the consecutive seven-day week. The true Full New Moon was caused to be forgotten by all who forsook YAHUAH, His Mashiach, and His Torah. The Prophets writes,
Lamentations 2:6: He [YAHUAH] has violently taken away His tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: He has destroyed His places of the assembly: YAHUAH has caused the solemn Appointed Times (moed) and Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and has despised in the indignation of His anger the king and the priest.
Hosea 2:11: I will cause all her mirth to cease, Her feast days, Her New Moons (Chodesh), Her Sabbaths – All her Appointed Times (Moed).
The Fully Renewed Moon which was the sign in which began the new month was caused to be forgotten by YAHUAH for the harlotry of Yasharal. Time and time again, YAHUAH’S children broke the covenant they made with Aluahim at Mount Sinai, denied Aluahim’s Prophets, and after they denied His Mashiach, He allowed utter destruction, persecution, and slavery to swallow up the original Hebrews. Those who chose their lives over the Torah of YAHUAH and the faithful witness in the sky that tells them when to worship our Creator, were given over to Babylon the Great and the new religion of Judaism.
YAHUAH warned His children many of times that if they continued to reject His Torah and His Prophets then He would bring utter destruction to them. The Prophet Isaiah warns the children of Yasharal in Isaiah chapter 3 before the captivity of Babylon. And in verse 18, he writes,
Isaiah 3:18: In that day YAHUAH will take away the finery: The jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescent (saharon) ornaments.
The women of Yasharal did not openly wear crescent earrings or crescent shaped jewelry because it represents the crescent moon in which many of the other pagan nations use to represent their pagan moon deities. The Torah of YAHUAH forbids making any type of idol, and a crescent shaped earring or neck jewelry represents a pagan moon deity. For example, the crescent shaped horns on the golden calf in the wilderness represented a pagan moon deity.
The Hebrew word crescents is Strong’s Concordance number 7720, saharon: moon, crescent. Crescent is an improper translation because the root word is sahar. This is Strong’s Concordance number 5469, sahar: roundness.
Some Bibles have properly translated this word as “round ornaments” instead of “crescent ornaments”, and that would be a more proper rendering. YAHUAH took away all of the women’s jewelry including their round hoops. These round full moon-shaped ornaments were worn on both their ears and their necks. The same word saharon is used in Judges 8:21 and Judges 8:26 to describe the round ornaments that were placed around the neck of camels.
The Hebrew word sahar is translated properly in the Song of Solomon. The wise king and Prophet writes,
Songs 7:2: Your navel is like a round (sahar) goblet; It lacks no mixed wine. Your waist is a heap of wheat set about with lilies.
It was pagan nations like Egypt and Babylon that used (and still use) the symbol of the crescent moon for their pagan deities. The crescent moon has long been used for idol worship and still is being used by all the religions of Babylon the Great who wrongfully begin their months with the dark crescent moon. All of YAHUAH’S obedient children begin their months with the bright full moon; round, beautiful, and lighting up the dark night sky. Remember,
1 Thessalonians 5:5: You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
Three Days of Darkness
Many Rabbinic scholars will falsely teach that the lunar month, Rosh Chodesh, begins with the dark crescent which is wrongfully titled the “new moon”. These same Babylonian teachers will try and convince the earnest Bible reader that the Egyptian Exodus occurred during the full moon, but this cannot be possible at all because the full moon is the New Moon – Rosh Chodesh, and the dark crescent did not become the “new moon” until after Mashiach’S death.
The night YAHUAH led His people out of Egypt was on a dark night in the middle of the lunar month. The first evidence we have that tells us that the moon was in the dark phase during the Exodus is the story of the ninth plague.
Exodus 20:21-23: Then YAHUAH said to Moses, Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt. So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Yasharal had light in their dwellings.
Directly after the ninth plague – three days of darkness, the Hebrews celebrated their very first Passover. Passover was and still is on the 14th of the lunar month, which is the middle of the month. If we were to believe what Babylon teaches concerning the dark “new moon”, then we would think that the very first Passover occurred during a full bright moon, but the only way that complete darkness was able to occur over the land of Egypt was because the moon was in its waning phase and close to being completely dark. If the moon had been in a waxing gibbous – close to being full, then this would have not been recorded the way it was by Moses.
The next piece of evidence we have that tells us that the moon was in its dark phase during the Exodus is the light that YAHUAH gave the Hebrews in order to travel across the dark desert. The people of Yasharal did not leave Egypt until the night after Passover night. They rested in their homes on the seventh day Sabbath, then fled Egypt after the sun went down on Abib 15th (refer to Exodus 12:22, Numbers 33:2-3, Deuteronomy 16:1). On this night of Abib 15th, the moon was in its dark phase and the Saharan desert was completely black. This is the reason why YAHUAH needed to lead them, “by night in a pillar of fire to give them light” (Exodus 13:21).
If the moon was a full moon, then there would have been no reason for YAHUAH to give them light. Have you ever been to Egypt or to the desert or to the beach during a full moon? I, personally, have traveled to Egypt near the full moon during a waning gibbous, I have lived on or near the beach for many years, and I have also lived in the high mountain desert for many years. On a full moon night, the light of the moon reflects off of the white sand providing extra light. This same thing happens with snow; the moon’s light reflects off the snow and makes it brighter than when the snow is not there. Without the light from the full moon, the desert or the beach is a very dark place.
All early civilizations, including pagan ones such as, Babylon and Egypt, began their months with the full moon. So when YAHUAH reminded Moses that this month – the month of Abib, was to be the beginning of months (refer to Exodus 12:2), YAHUAH did not need to explain to Moses when a month began. Instead, YAHUAH had to remind Moses when the beginning of the year was.
During the time of the Exodus, the Egyptians utilized the full moon for the beginning of months, but began their years between summer and late fall. This is similar to the modern religion of Judaism, who begin there years in the late fall.
A French Assyriologist identified that the early Mesopotamia culture utilized the Full Moon as the start of months. This represents the first civilization following the flood, who would have been direct descendants of Noah and his three sons who were at the time faithful to YAHUAH Aluahim. We read,
“Assyria and Babylonia – The twelvefold division of the zodiac was evidently suggested by the occurrence of twelve full moons in successive parts of it in the course of each year. This approximate relation was first systematically developed [or maintained] by the early inhabitants of Mesopotamia and formed the starting point for all other divisions of time… [Later] The idea of tracing the sun’s path among the “stars” [by daylight] was when it occurred to Chaldaean astronomers, and original and, relatively to their means, a recondite one. We owe to its realization by them the constitution and nomenclature of the [modern] twelve signs of the zodiac.”
– 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica – Zodiac , p. 992, Lenormant, Orgines de I’Histoire, Vol. 1, p. 236
It wasn’t until the time of the Chaldeans in Babylon, that the solar calendar superseded the lunar calendar, and this paved the way for the coming Heliocentric Solar system that would be easily sold to the world. The sun disc and the crescent moon was and still is a symbol of Babylon the Great – the Harlot who has “thought to change appointed times and laws” (Daniel 7:25).
Three Hours of Darkness
The Scriptures give us more evidence that Rosh Chodesh is the Full Renewed Moon. The year in which our Aluahim and Savior gave up His life was on Passover day – Abib 14th. Passover is always in the middle of the lunar month. If we were to believe what Babylon teaches concerning the New Moon then we would think that Yahushua died on the full moon, but that is not what the Gospels record. Directly before Mashiach’S death, the Scribe and Prophet records,
Luke 23:44-45: Now it was about the sixth hour (12 pm), and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour (3 pm). The sun was darkened…
Only in Luke’s Gospel do we read, “The sun was darkened”. This important information clues us in to how there was darkness over the whole land.
Only during the dark phase of the moon (middle of the month), does the moon rise with the sun and provides the perfect situation for the moon to move in front of the sun; blocking the light of the sun and causing a solar eclipse.
According to an article by William Doehring, – “James C. Vanderkan, and John A. O’Brien, Professors of Hebrew Scriptures at the University of Notre Dame, has written extensively about the Dead Sea Scrolls community. Set up approximately 200 years prior to the birth of Jesus [Yahushua], the Qumran community split off from the mainstream population of Judea, because the community believed that the religious system at the time had become corrupted. One crucial conviction of Qumran was that the religious system had corrupted the Jewish calendar, thereby corrupting all Jewish Sabbaths and Holy days… … In Vanderkam’s article, “Calenndrical Texts and the Origins of the Dead Sea Scroll Community,” he reveals that the Qumran community followed a Jewish calendar, which is different than the calendar that Jews use today. More crucial to the parados, he reveals that the Qumran community taught that the “Full Moon” commenced the month, which would mean that Passover, which occurs mid-month, would have occurred when the moon was dark. Thus, if Passover was celebrated within Ancient Judaism at the dark of the moon, rather than at the full of the moon, then it would be very possible for a total solar eclipse to occur simultaneous to Passover and the Crucifixion of Jesus [Yahushua].
We already know that the Pharisees during Yahushua’S time were corrupt, but the calendar was not completely corrupted just yet or else Yahushua would have clearly rebuked the Pharisees and chief priests. Yahushua kept all of the Appointed Times based on the Full New Moon, because Rosh Chodesh was not changed until Rome – Babylon the Great, “thought to change appointed times and laws” (Daniel 7:25). This happened in the 4th Century A.D. when YAHUAH’S religion was completely lost amongst His original chosen people.
All of the Apostles of Yahushua knew exactly when to keep the Appointed Times and were warned by Yahushua when to flee Yarushalam. All the followers of Mashiach who were not tortured, imprisoned, or martyred fled to the mountains before the siege in 70 A.D. (refer to Matthew 24:16, Luke 21:21). When Rome pressured the rest of the Yahudim to forsake their calendar, the Natsarim, the remnant of Yasharal and the true followers of Mashiach, were living in the wilderness just as John the Revelator tells us (refer to Revelation 12:6). These are they who kept the true Rosh Chodesh – the Full Renewed Moon, along with the Commandments of Aluahim and the Testimony of Mashiach.
When is Rosh Hashanah (New Year’s Day)
The modern religion of Judaism begin their New Year (Rosh Hashanah) in the late fall and in the same month the Feast of Sukkot is celebrated. This is a Babylonian Talmudic tradition which is not based on Scripture. YAHUAH was very specific when He reminded Moses when the beginning of the year was. He said,
Exodus 12:2: This month (chodesh) shall be the beginning (rosh) of months (chodesh) for you. It is to be the first (rosh) month (chodesh) of the year (shanah) for you.
The month in which YAHUAH said, “It is to be the first month of the year for you”, is the same month in which Passover is celebrated. This month is known as Abib; the first month of the year for all the children of YAHUAH. The month of Abib is in the spring season of renewal and regrowth. Nature tells us that life begins as a seed, then matures from there. Whether it be a human seed, animal seed, or plant seed, they all start as a seed and grow from there. Therefore, it is natural to say that the season which we call spring is the beginning of all seasons. This is when seeds are planted and life begins to grow. Just as the cycle of life is from birth to death, the astro-lunar-solar calendar year begins with life in the spring and ends with death in the winter.
YAHUAH was also very specific to what month each Feast (chag) and Appointed Time (moed) was to be observed. The last and final Feast of the year, Sukkot (Tabernacles) is celebrated in the seventh month of the year (refer to Leviticus 23:39) and not the first month like the modern Jews celebrate their Feast of Sukkot. I must mention, that all of the modern Jewish Feast days are not in sync with YAHUAH’S Fully Renewed Moon because their Rosh Chodesh (New Moon) is the dark crescent. And their interpretation of when Shabuot (Pentecost) is, is completely inaccurate. This is why YAHUAH said,
Amos 5:21: I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.
So the question remains, what is the sign from the luminaries that tells us when the first month of the year commences? Remember, the Full New Moon was not lost until after the death of Mashiach and sometime by the 4th Century A.D. So it is fitting that the specific details about when Rosh Hashanah (New Year’s Day) is, isn’t mentioned in the Bible until after Mashiach’S death. The answer is found in the book of Revelation, the last book written in the Bible. We read,
Revelation 12:1: Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the bright moon (selene) under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.
The Greek word rendered as moon is selene. This is Strong’s Concordance number 4582, selene: the moon. From selas (a bright flame). There is only one phase of the moon that represents a bright flame; this would be the full moon.
The entire Bible speaks both literally and figuratively, and the above passage is no different. Figuratively; the woman clothed with the sun represents the church of Aluahim, the remnant of Yasharal – those who keep the Commandments of Aluahim and the Testimony of Mashiach.
The above verse is also speaking literally; the twelve stars are the twelve zodiacs or constellations, the woman clothed with the sun represents a virgin – the constellation of Virgo. And the bright moon is the full moon which can be found under her feet.
The moon moves through the twelve zodiacs just like the sun does. Within every lunar cycle the moon takes about 2-3 days to move through each zodiac, and the only time throughout the entire year that the full moon is found at the feet of the constellation Virgo is in the spring season (Roman month of April).
Full New Moon Day will always be after the moon has reached 100% fullness, and the very first day the full moon is in exact opposition to the rising sun. On New Moon Day, you will be able to see the bright full moon begin to set in the West and the morning rays of the sun in the East. The sun has to have already risen in order for the commencement of the new month (Rosh Chodesh).
Full New Moon Day is proclaimed in the morning unlike the dark crescent which is proclaimed in the evening. Remember, “You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Sometimes New Moon Day will be the day after the last Sabbath (the 29th of the month) and sometimes it will be after the 30th day of the month. The moon’s yearly phases, whether there are twelve or thirteen months within that year, will always match up to return back to being a Full Moon at the feet of the constellation Virgo every spring season.
The Egyptian pyramids are said to be one of the seven wonders of the world. There is much mystery around the Egyptian pyramids, the Sphinx, the sculptures, and the perfectly cut out tombs. Remember, all ancient civilizations began their months with the full moon, and ancient Egypt was no exception. Due to the preservation of the ancient Egyptian Sphinx, we are left with another witness to the beginning of months (Rosh Hashanah). A 19th Century Anglican clergyman, biblical scholar, and theologian, writes,
“The Sphinx is a figure with the head of a woman and the body of a lion! What is this but a never-ceasing monitor, a sign-post telling us the year commences with [the constellation] Virgo and is to end with Leo! In the Zodiac in the Temple of Esneh, in Egypt, a Sphinx is actually placed between the signs of Virgo and Leo…”
The Witness of the Stars, E.W. Bullinger page 25.
Interesting how the Sphinx is situated toward the East, as the heavenly lights move from East to West. It is as if the Sphinx directs us to look in the exact direction where the heavenly signs, constellations, sun, and moon, begin.
Interestingly, the English word “East” derives from the Hebrew word קדם qedem (“quph” “dalet” “mem”). This is Strong’s Concordance number 6924, qedem: front, east, formerly, beginning.
The first letter in the Hebrew word qedem is ק “quph”. Ancient Semitic letters that were written in a horizontal plain were later tilted to a vertical plane. The ancient version of the modern Hebrew letter ק “quph” was originally written horizontally as a circle with a line drawn horizontally through the circle. This depicted the sun at the horizon.
YAHUAH’S true clock – the heavenly lights, move from East to West or beginning to end, in a circular motion above our heads. Just as YAHUAH’S true language is written from right to left or beginning to end, the phases of the moon changes from right to left. When it is waning, the dark part fills in from right to left. When the moon is waxing, the light fills in from right to left. East to West and right to left is how YAHUAH intended things to be.
It is Babylon the Great that has deceived us into thinking that a day begins at night, that a year begins in the fall or winter, that the New Moon is the dark crescent, that the clock moves from left to right (“clockwise”), and that languages should be written from left to right. Babylon the Great has truly “thought to change appointed times and laws” (Daniel 7:25).
How Many Days in a Month and How Many Months in a Year?
The majority of Bible teachers that refuse the lunar Sabbath and lunar months use a handful of passages to try and support their belief while disregarding all of the other passages that clearly tells us that the moon was created for the Appointed Times, Sabbath included, and that the Mashiach kept all of the Appointed Times based on the moon. Because these Bible teachers do not perform a deeper study, they rely on their own understanding and therefore are not fed the truth about YAHUAH’S calendar. I will agree that the Bible tells us that there are twelve months in a year and thirty days in a month.
I will first begin with the common passages that are used to prove that there are twelve months in a year and thirty days in a month, then I will further explain why we currently need to add a leap year (i.e. thirteenth month) and why a lunar month is not precisely 30 days long but rather some months are 29 days long.
Speaking of New Yarushalam, the Prophet writes,
Isaiah 66:23: And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me, says YAHUAH.
Many Bible teachers combine this verse with the following verse in order to come up with the fact that there are twelve months in a year or otherwise put, twelve New Moons in a year. The beloved John writes,
Revelation 22:1-2: And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of Aluahim and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the Tree of Life, which bore twelve fruits, each Tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the Tree were for the healing of the nations.
Bible teachers figure if the Tree of Life yields twelve fruits, one for each month, then there must be twelve months in a year. This is simple math and is not incorrect.
The next passage comes from the story of Noah’s flood. Moses writes,
Genesis 7:11: In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
Genesis 7:24: And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.
Genesis 8:3-4: And the waters receded continually from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. Then the ark rested in the seventh month, the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.
Once again, all we need to do is some simple math and we can come to understand that there are 30 days in a month. 150 days divided by 5 months equals 30 days. I will completely agree with these passages that teach us more about YAHUAH’S calendar.
Now, we must first understand that both of these stories are about two completely different time eras than the one we currently live in. Noah’s flood was during the antediluvian era. The story about the Tree of Life is after the thousand-year reign. What we need to take in account is the time period in between these two eras and what events changed the rhythm of the heavenly lights.
From the very same book of the Prophet that tells that we will worship YAHUAH from New Moon to New Moon and Sabbath to Sabbath, we read,
Isaiah 38:7-8: And this is the sign to you from YAHUAH, that YAHUAH will do this thing which He has spoken: Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has 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.
Nearly all ancient civilizations used a 360-day calendar, but that changed around the 8th century B.C. when YAHUAH added five days to the solar year. See, the ancient civilizations used a sundial to keep track of time. The sundial had 720 steps and when YAHUAH brought the sun back ten degrees, He added 5 days in total to the year. 10 parts in 720 is the same as 5 in 360. Many archeologists admit that calendars from all over the world were 360 days long before the time of king Hezekiah and the turning back of the sundial.
We live on a flat plain with the heavenly bodies circulating above us. This is where the degrees of a circle comes from. The sun, moon, and stars rotate in a circular motion – 360 complete degrees above our heads. When YAHUAH added five days to the year, many civilizations were thrown off for centuries. For example, it took the Mayans around 400 years to realize that their calendar was off. The Mayan calendar went from 12 months of 30 days to 18 months of 20 days, then to a 365-day calendar in the 4th century B.C. This is why most civilizations including Egypt and Babylon started to rely on a solar calendar.
It used to be less complex, for the moon marked the months and it coincided with the sun, always making a 360-day year made up of 12 Full New Moons with thirty complete days. Remember, “YAHUAH made the moon for the appointed times; and the sun knows his going down” (Psalm 104:19). The moon follows the sun, so when YAHUAH changed the going down of the sun, the moon had to also adjust in order to be in sync with the years. This is when the moon changed its lunar cycle from 30 days to 29.5 days. Even though YAHUAH only mentions the sun’s shadow going back ten degrees, this does not mean that the rest of the heavenly lights didn’t readjust also. This is similar to the story of Joshua and the battle of Gibeon. It is mentioned that the sun and the moon stood still, but it is obvious that the stars which are not mentioned also would have stood still. In order for the moon to continue giving us the proper seasons in order to worship YAHUAH, it too needed to realign with the sun along with all of the constellations.
Both Scripture and history tells us that Mashiach kept the Moedim (Appointed Times) in their proper seasons. This means that the Levites had to calculate in a 13th New Moon every couple of years to align back up with Rosh Hashanah (New Year’s Day) beginning with the full moon at the feet of the constellation virgo. Thirteen Full New Moons in a year is not what YAHUAH originally intended, but it is currently necessary in order to keep His Moedim (Appointed Times) in their proper season and usher in Rosh Hashanah (New Year’s Day) when the full moon is at the feet of the constellation Virgo.
The Prophet Isaiah also tells us that YAHUAH will once again return the sun back to its original degree. This will happen after the Millennial Sabbath (Thousand-year reign). This means that the moon will also return back to giving us 30 days in a month and 12 months in a year.
The Beloved Apostle and Prophet writes,
Revelation 21:23: And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of Aluahim illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.
Revelation 22:5: There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun. For the YAHUAH Aluahim will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.
Since we are told that we will worship our King from New Moon to New Moon then there are only two ways to understand the above verses. Either, there will be a sun and moon in New Yarushalam in order to give us a clock, but they won’t be what gives us light to see because the light of Aluahim will overpower them. Or, because YAHUAH’S Law will be written on our hearts (refer to Ezekiel 36:26, Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:10) we will know exactly when New Moon Day and Sabbath will be. This is how the heavenly host know when to worship YAHUAH, and why they did not need a moon “in the beginning” (reshith) in order to know what day it was.
Before king Hezekiah, every year had 12 New Moons and 30 days in each New Moon. This means that every month, the Hebrews celebrated the Full New Moon for two days. In a thirty-day month there is the last Sabbath on the 29th, the full moon (Chodesh) on the 30th, and New Moon day (Rosh Chodesh) on the 1st. YAHUAH is very specific to tell us that we work for six days in a row. Therefore, the 30th day of the month is not a working day but rather another New Moon day.
Tomorrow is the New Moon
The story of David and Nathan on the New Moon clues us in to this “second” New Moon or as we today call, a ‘Blue Moon’; two full moons within a month. Before moving forward, I suggest reading this story which is found in 1 Samuel chapter 20. Let us now begin to read the verses pertaining specifically to this topic,
1 Samuel 20:5: And David said to Jonathan, Indeed tomorrow is the New Moon (Chodesh), and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third [day] evening.
Just like every story in the Bible, it is important to carefully read this story because it gives us some very important details concerning the two New Moon days. Many Bible translations including the NJKV in which I primarily use will add the word “day” before “evening” and therefore it leads the reader into thinking that David hid from Saul until the third day of the month. This would be incorrect, and we will have to break down why this is so.
“Until the third evening” as it should be rendered, is counted from the current evening which would have been after Sabbath (the 29th of the month). Hebrew system of counting includes the current day, month, or year. Three evenings from Sabbath evening, would be the evening of the first day of the Month. And as we further read, we come to learn that it was in the morning after the third evening in which David returned (being the second day of the month). The first evening was the 29th, second evening being the 30th (last day of the month), and the third evening being the 1st of the month (Rosh Chodesh).
David tells us that tomorrow is the New Moon (Chodesh) but as we further read, we come to learn that it is the 30th of the month and is the second New Moon of the current Month. The story goes on to say,
1 Samuel 20:24-27: Then David hid in the field. And when the New Moon (Chodesh) had come, the king sat down to eat the feast. Now the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty. Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, Something has happened to him; he is unclean, surely he is unclean. And it happened the next day, the second [day] of the month (Chodesh), that David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?
The Hebrew word Chodesh can be translated as either month or New Moon. So Bible translators can choose for themselves how to render the word Chodesh in order to match their limited understanding of the Scriptures. They will also add words to a Scripture in which they will let you know that it is added by italicizing the word. Once again, the word “day” is added after the word “second” and before “of the month”. This makes the reader falsely believe that the day in which Saul inquired of David was on the second day of the month, making David’s return on the third day of the month but this is not so. The above Scripture should be rendered as follows:
1 Samuel 20:27: And it happened the next day, the second New Moon (Chodesh), that David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?
The next day after the New Moon (Chodesh) is New Moon Day (Rosh Chodesh). The first Full New Moon marks the last day of the month (the 30th) and the following day marks New Moon Day (Rosh Chodesh). This is where the title ‘Blue Moon’ came from. Before the Roman Gregorian calendar, and before YAHUAH turned the sun’s shadow ten degrees on the sundial, each month had 30 days, thus two New Moons or as we today call “a blue moon” – two full moons within a month.
Notice that David was missing for two days. Saul said, “either yesterday or today”. This is because both days were New Moon days (Chodesh), when David was expected to sit and feast with the king. This is also why Saul assumed that David was unclean, because New Moon days are considered to be worship days. When David did not show up for the second Chodesh or New Moon Day, Saul got upset because he knew that David could have not been unclean because one is only ceremonially unclean until the evening. So Saul knew that David and Johnathan were up to something. The story goes on to say,
1 Samuel 20:34-35: So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month (Chodesh), for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully. And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him.
Let’s break this down. The word “day” here is not added, but does not necessarily mean that it is the second day of the month. Even if the word Chodesh should be rendered as month, then the days in which David hid himself would be off. If supposedly, it was the third day of the month in the morning when Johnathan went to meet David, then it would have been more than three evenings. This includes counting the evening of the Sabbath (29th of the month) in which David left. And, what would have been so special about feasting with the king on the second day of the month? There are only two explanations to this.
Either, there were only 29 days in this month. Evenings of: 29th, 1st of the month, and 2nd of the month. And then David met Johnathan on the 3rd day of the month in the morning. But this does not align with the rest of the Bible nor the current storyline.
The only other explanation is that there are two New Moons in a month. In the beginning of this story, David purposely tells us that the New Moon is coming and this is a special occasion in which he is expected to sit down with the king to feast. This occasion obviously lasted two days. David did not come back from hiding until after three evenings from Sabbath evening. This would have been the morning after New Moon Day, the second day of the lunar month and the first working day of the week. The above verse should be rendered as follows:
1 Samuel 20:34-35: So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the New Moon (Chodesh), for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully. And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him.
The king’s feast lasted two days because the Full New Moon used to be celebrated for two full days. After the last Sabbath on the 29th day of the month, YAHUAH’S children are given two more days of worship. This would be three full days of worship; Sabbath, and two Full New Moons.
This would have quite possibly been why Moses specifically requested that Pharaoh allow the Hebrews to go and worship YAHUAH for three days in the wilderness. If you were to deeply study the ten plagues of Egypt, then you would come to learn that they lasted about two full weeks. Therefore, when Moses confronted Pharaoh the very first time before the plagues fell on Egypt, would have been near the Full New Moon. Moses writes,
Exodus 5:1-3: Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, Thus says YAHUAH Aluahim of Yasharal: Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, Who is YAHUAH, that I should obey His voice to let Yasharal go? I do not know YAHUAH, nor will I let Yasharal go. So they said, The Aluah of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days journey into the desert and sacrifice to the YAHUAH our Aluah, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.
When we read further, we come would learn that on this day Moses reminded the Hebrews to rest on the Sabbath day and this angered Pharaoh very much. We read,
Exodus 5:4-5: Then the king of Egypt said to them, Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor. And Pharaoh said, Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest (Shabath) from their labor!
This would have been the last Sabbath of the month (the 29th) and the following two days would have been New Moon days; the last full moon of the month (30th) and the New Moon Day (Rosh Chodesh). This is why Moses wanted to leave with his people to the wilderness for three days; to hold a feast to YAHUAH their Aluah. Because Pharaoh made the Hebrews work on the Sabbath and didn’t let them go worship YAHUAH on the Full New Moon, YAHUAH cursed the land of Egypt with ten plagues.
The same is going to happen in these end-days; when Babylon the Great and her ten kings make it life threatening for the remnant of Yasharal to keep YAHUAH’S Full New Moon and His proper Sabbath. For more information pertaining to YAHUAH’S Sabbath and the correlation between the ten plagues of Egypt and the seven last plagues, please read the article, The Sabbath – YAHUAH’S Everlasting Covenant.
What to do on New Moon Days?
The Scriptures mention three types of days:
- New Moon days
- Sabbath days
- Six working days
The Bible tells us that both New Moon days and Sabbath days are worship days, when buying and selling is prohibited.
We read,
Amos 8:5: When will the New Moon be past, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may trade wheat?
Ezekiel 46:1: Thus says YAHUAH Aluahim: The gateway of the inner court that faces toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened.
The Sabbath is a day of complete rest from our labors when no food is to be cooked. Therefore, we are commanded to prepare our food the day or night before the Sabbath day (refer to Exodus 16:23). On the Sabbath, we can heat up our food in which we have prepared and sit down with our family to eat. We rest from all our labors, spend time with our family, and take time for worship, prayer, and study.
New Moon days are not considered either a rest day nor a work day. We are not supposed to buy or sell because it is a day of worship. Every day that is considered a worship day will be a day of no buying and selling.
This is one of the reasons why Yahushua said, “You cannot serve both Aluahim and money” (Matthew 6:24). There is only one New Moon Day (Rosh Chodesh) in which is considered a Sabbath rest, and this is Yom Teruah; the Day of Trumpets which falls on the first day of the seventh month of the year. Here we see the law of sixes and sevens. Six working days, and on the seventh day we rest on the Sabbath. Six New Moons we can work, but on the seventh New Moon Day we rest.
So, if New Moon day is not a work day nor a rest day, then what are we allowed to do? Remember, king Saul hosted a special feast on New Moon Day in which David was expected to be a guest. The Scriptures only mention that we are not supposed to buy or sell on New Moon Day (Rosh Chodesh) but this does not mean we cannot do any type of work. We are allowed to take care of our household chores, do some work from home, and cook a feast to enjoy with our family. We just want to make sure that we take some time for worship, prayer, and study. And when there is a back to back New Moon or a Sabbath on the previous day, we can do all our buying and selling the night before. Sabbaths and New Moon Days are worship Days which is from sunrise to sunset.
The Bible gives us an example of work and more specifically battle being done on New Moon Day (Rosh Chodesh). The story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho lasted seven days.
Joshua 6:3-4: Now Jericho (Yarecho) was securely shut up because of the children of Yasharal; none went out, and none came in. And YAHUAH said to Joshua: See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets.
Let us first learn about the origin of the name of the city of Jericho. This word is Strong’s Concordance number 3405, Yarecho. The name of this city derives from the Hebrew word for moon, yareach. This is Strong’s Concordance number 3394, yareach ירח (yaw-ray’-akh): moon.
The city of Yarecho was named after an ancient moon deity named Yareakh. One of the reasons why the city of Yarecho was handed over to the children of Yasharal was because they were pagan moon worshippers.
Now take note that the men of war marched around the city more times on the seventh day than on the previous six days. If we are commanded to rest on the seventh-day Sabbath, then why would YAHUAH command the men of war to not only march more times on the seventh day but to overtake the city and engage in battle on this day?
The answer is in understanding the lunar month. Interestingly, the name of the city, Yarecho, points us in the right direction. The first day they marched around the city was on New Moon Day (Rosh Chodesh). This means that the seventh day that they marched around the city seven times and then engaged in battle would have been the seventh day of the month. The first lunar Sabbath of the month falls on the eighth day of the month. The children of Yasharal overtook the city of Yarecho on the day before the Sabbath and then rested on the Sabbath day directly after a victorious battle.
There is a lot to learn from every story in the Bible and the story of the battle of Yarecho teaches us that it is ok to work on New Moon Day (Rosh Chodesh) as long as we are not buying or selling goods because remember, we cannot serve YAHUAH on His Appointed Times of worship while serving money, materialism, and self.
Signs of the Times
People have lost sight of the times that they’re living in. They do not realize how close Mashiach’S return is, they do not even know anything about YAHUAH’S true calendar, and they have been deceived by Babylon the Great into transgression YAHUAH’S Appointed Times and Laws. This last generation does not know how to read the heavenly lights given to us by our Creator in which clues us in to knowing where we are in the stream of time. The Mashiach says,
Matthew 16:3: Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.
The signs in the heavens will tell us of the events that are about to occur in a sequential order. For instance, the shepherds in the field were looking for the signs in the heavens to know when the Mashiach was going to be born of man. Similar to the second coming of Mashiach, the signs of the heavens will tell us when He will return. I rarely hear a Bible teacher speak about all of the Scriptures that point to the luminaries for understanding when Mashiach will return. Let’s take a look at a few of them now,
Isaiah 13:10: For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon (yareach) will not cause its light to shine.
Isaiah 30:26: The light of the full moon (lebanah) will be as bright as the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter–like the light of seven days–on the day that YAHUAH binds up the brokenness of His people and heals the wounds He has inflicted.
Joel 2:31: The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon (yareach) into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of YAHUAH.
Acts 2:20: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood (selene), before the coming of the great and awesome day of YAHUAH.
Joel 3:15: The sun and the moon (yareach) shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
Revelation 6:12-14: I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon (selene) became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
I, myself, do not know nearly enough about YAHUAH’S calendar in order to just look up at the luminaries and tell you what day it is, what month it is, or what year it is. Fortunately, we have applications like Stellarium to assist us in this process. But I know for certain, that all of the Prophets are telling us that before the great day that Mashiach returns there will be a solar eclipse. And on the actual day that He returns, there will be a lunar eclipse, hence, the moon turning blood-red.
The only time a lunar eclipse can occur, is during a full moon; when the sun and moon are in exact opposition to each other. It only makes sense that if the beginning of this world started on the Full New Moon Day (Rosh Chodesh), that it will end on the Full New Moon.
And one more time, we read from the words of the wisest king to ever live,
Proverbs 7:19-20: For my husband is not at home; He has gone on a long journey; He has taken a bag of money with him, And will come home on the day of the full moon (keseh).
Our Savior tells us, “And behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Aleph and the Taw, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last” (Revelation 22:12-13). From the Reshith to the Amen, from New Moon to New Moon, from the beginning to the end, the heavenly lights which represents the Light of our Creator, will tell us when our king will return to gather the remnant of his flock.
The word translated as full moon in Proverbs 7:20 is keseh כסא. This is Strong’s Concordance number 3677, keseh כסא: full moon. This word comes from the root word kasah (#3680): to cover. This is a similar meaning to the word lebanah; to be covered with white like the full moon.
This same word keseh כסא is also Strong’s Concordance number 3678. This word is usually translated as throne.
As long as we have a king who sits on the throne, we will have the Full New Moon to mark the Appointed Times to worship YAHUAH – our Creator, Aluahim, and Savior – the Most Holy One of Yasharal.
There are only two occurrences when the word keseh כסא is translated as full moon and this is in Proverbs 7:20 in which we just read (when the Husbandman returns), and Psalms 81:3. This brings us to the last Scripture, that if rendered properly, tells us when the true New Moon is. The Psalmist writes,
Blow the trumpet (shofar) in the New Moon (Chodesh), at the Full Moon (keseh), on our solemn feast day. – Psalm 81:3
Jewish Rabbis and Christian teachers alike have butchered this verse in order to support their false belief in the crescent new moon. In my personal opinion, this verse clearly tells us that the Full Moon is the New Moon.
The Bible will often explain itself by saying something, then repeating with a different word so that the reader knows exactly what the writer meant. For example,
2 Samuel 7:16: And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you…
The writer tells us that the house and Kingdom of David will be established forever. Then the writer makes it even more clear what the Kingdom and house of David represents. The latter part of this verse reads,
2 Samuel 7:16: … Your Throne (keseh) shall be established forever.
The Prophet Samuel is telling us that the Kingdom and house of David is the throne of Aluahim that will be established forever. This is exactly what the Psalmist was doing in Psalm 81:3. This verse tells us to blow the trumpet (shofar) on the New Moon (Chodesh), then further explains that the New Moon (Chodesh) is the Full Moon (keseh). And lastly, he tells us that this special day is a feast day (chag). The above verse can also be rendered as:
You shall blow with the New Moon shofar in the Full Moon, for the day of our festival sacrifice. –Psalm 81:3
The Full Moon (keseh) is the New Moon (Rosh Chodesh). And I will give praise to YAHUAH my Aluahim according to the Fully Nenewed Moon. I will worship Him who created heavens, the earth, the seas, and everything in them. Amen.
Psalm 148:1-6: Hallalu YAHUAH! Praise YAHUAH from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light! Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of YAHUAH, For He commanded and they were created. He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away.
