Lucifer, Yahuwah's enemy, has stolen the worship due the Creator by changing the calendar used to find the seventh-day Sabbath. But that is not all he has changed. He has even changed when a day begins! The modern 24-hour "day" begins at midnight. Jews and Saturday-sabbatarians begin their Sabbaths Friday evening at sunset. However, Scripture reveals when the day begins and it is neither midnight nor sunset.
Day begins at dawn and ends at dusk. The night is ruled by the moon and stars, therefore, day begins when the stars disappear - before actual sunrise and ends when they appear after sunset.
The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 136:9
Thus saith Yahuwah, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Eloah of hosts is his name: Jeremiah 31:35
The night begins at dusk and ends at dawn. A calendar date is not synonymous with a day. In contrast a calendar date includes both the day and the night, but also begins at dawn. A day is only the first half of the calendar date, while the night is the second half.
Creation week began when the Creator said, "Let there be light!" The first day of the first week of this world began with the creation of light.
And Elohim divided the light from the darkness. . . . Elohim called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. (See Genesis 1:4-5.)
When Yahuwah separated the light from the darkness, He called the light "Day" and then He defined that "day" as being made up of both the evening and the morning:
"So the evening and the morning were the first day." (Genesis 1:5, KJV)
When Moses wrote the book of Genesis, he did not lack the word "night." In Genesis, he defined the day to include both of the transition times, evening and morning. If the day began at midnight or at sunset, Moses would not have written that the evening and the morning were all part of the day.
Leviticus 23:32 is the main Bible text that is used to support the "day" beginning at sunset:
"From evening to evening, you shall celebrate your sabbath." (Leviticus 23:32b, KJV.)
When the text is read in context, however, it becomes clear that it cannot be applied to every day or even the seventh-day Sabbath. Leviticus 23:26-32 contains Yahuwah's directions regarding Day of Atonement. If every day began at evening, He would not have needed to tell the Israelites to begin their observance of Day of Atonement the evening before.
"Day of Atonement" spans two calendar dates: the ninth and the tenth.
"On the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: . . . It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath." (Leviticus 23:27, 32, KJV)
If the day began at evening, Moses would have simply been told: "Day of Atonement is on the tenth day of the seventh month." Day begins with the coming of light. Evening does not begin the day of the ninth. Neither does evening begin any other day, including the seventh-day Sabbath.
The sun was given to rule over the day. Day begins with the coming of light and is over when there is no longer enough light for the sun to be ruling. Centuries later the Saviour asked, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?" (John 11:9, KJV) No one argued with Him! Everyone knew that the day began with the coming of light. The hours of the day were divided evenly into twelve parts, as shown on a sundial. Hours were longer in the summer, and shorter in the winter, but each day had only 12 hours.
Gospel accounts of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Yahushua reveal this timing of beginning the day.
"In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre." (Matthew 28:1, KJV)
The first day of the week did not begin until light began to grow in the Eastern sky. Likewise, the evening after the crucifixion, the Sabbath did not begin at sunset. Scripture clearly states that the priests and rulers did not want the bodies to remain on the cross over the Sabbath:
The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day, (for that Sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Yahushua, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs. (See John 19:31-33.)
Death by crucifixion generally took several days. The whole point to hasten the death of the victims was so that they could be taken off their crosses before the Sabbath began at dawn the next day.
Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Yahushua. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Yahushua. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb, and departed. (See Matthew 27:57-60.)
This took a long time!
- Joseph went to Pilate and asked for the body. (Matthew 28:58)
- Pilate did not believe Yahushua could die so quickly from a process that typically took several days. He sent for the centurion to confirm Yahushua's death. (Mark 15:44, 45)
- Joseph went and got burial linens, returned to Golgotha and removed the body. (Mark 15:46)
- Nicodemus arrived bringing 100 pounds of myrrh and aloes for preparing the body for burial. (John 19:39)
- The body was likely washed before being bound in "strips of linen with the spices." (John 19:40)
- The body was then laid to rest in Joseph's own tomb which was nearby. (Matthew 27:59, 60)
 |
|
A Biblical day begins at dawn, with the earliest |
This was a very lengthy process that took the entire night. The Sabbath did not begin at "even" because that was the very time Joseph of Arimathea first went to Pilate to ask for the body!
Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Yahushua. (See Mark 15:42-43.)
The work of burying the Saviour finished just as the Sabbath began to dawn.
"And he [Joseph of Arimathea] took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on." (Luke 23:53, 54, KJV)
"The phrase translated 'drew on' in this text, is the Greek word, . . . (epiphosko). The definition is startling: 'to begin to grow light: – begin to dawn.' It is a form of #2017, . . . (epiphauo), which means 'to illuminate . . . give light.' Because they waited until evening to even begin the process of seeking permission to take the body, taking it down, cleaning and wrapping it, etc., it took them the night hours to do their work. They did not finish until the Sabbath began as it started to grow light." (eLaine Vornholt and L. L. Vornholt-Jones, The Great Calendar Controversy, p. 40.)
The first thing Yahuwah did after creating light was to divide light from darkness. He then named the two different parts that He had separated. The light part He called "Day" and the dark part He called "Night." It is a principle of Scripture that what Yahuwah has joined together, let no man separate. (See Mark 10:9.) Likewise, what Yahuwah has separated, no man should join together. Claiming the day begins at midnight or at sunset joins together what the Creator has separated.
Lucifer boasted that he would “change times and laws.” (Daniel 7:25, KJV) By changing the day of worship, the calendar used to find that day, and even when the day begins, he has stolen worship that rightfully belongs to the Creator.
Step free of error and tradition. Join the growing number of truth-seekers the world over who are restoring the true Sabbath day.
Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations,
that you may know that I am Yahuwah who sanctifies you. (See Exodus 31:13.)
Related Content:
