lunar sabbath's in god's calendar - response to lynnford beachy

Lunar Sabbath’s in God’s Calendar

Response to 8 objections of Lynnford Beachy from Smyrna Gospel Ministries

Objection # 1:

Traveling was commanded on the 15th of the month, which you regard as a weekly

Sabbath. The 15th can’t be a weekly Sabbath:

―And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the

cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony. And the children of Israel took

their journeys out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud rested in the wilderness of

Paran.… And they departed from the mount of the LORD three days’ journey: and the ark of

the covenant of the LORD went before them in the three days’ journey, to search out a resting

place for them‖ (Numbers 10:11, 12, 33). Again, an immense amount of work was directly

commanded to be done on the 22nd day of the month proving this was not a Sabbath.

WLC response:

The journey which began on the twentieth day of the second month (Numbers 10:11) is called

in Scripture a ―three day journey.‖ The statement is made that verse 33 says the Israelites

would journey three days to search out a place to rest, but the Bible does not say this. It

rather calls the journey a three days’ journey. ―What is the difference?‖ you might ask.

What is a three days journey? Is it a period of three complete days? Is it 72 hours? No. The

Bible gives us a clear example of exactly what a three days’ journey really is. We find the

answer by noticing a similar account, which mentions a particular day’s journey. Numbers

11:31 states:

31Now a wind went out from YHWH, and it brought quail from the sea and left them

fluttering near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the

other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground.

Notice carefully that this quail was two days journey, but the children of Israel gathered them

a day and a half according to Numbers 11:32a, which tells us:

32And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the

quail…

It took the people a day and a half to gather two days journey worth of quail. How in the

world can this be done? It is possible because a day’s journey is not speaking of a twenty-four

hour period, but rather a unit of measurement. In other words, one day’s journey equaled a

distance traveled. Smiths Bible Dictionary has this to say concerning the phrase.

…the day’s journey was the most usual method of calculating distances in traveling, Gen.

30:36, 31:23; Ex. 3:18, 5:3; Num. 10:33, 11:31, 33:8; Deut. 1:2; 1 Kings 19:4; 2 Kings 3:9;

Jonah 3:3; 1 Macc. 5:24, 7:45; Tobit 6:1, though but one instance of it occurs in the New

Testament - Luke 2:44. The ordinary day’s journey among the Jews was 30 miles; but when

they traveled in companies, only ten miles. Neapolis formed the first stage out of Jerusalem

according to the former and Beeroth according the latter computation. (Reference below)

According to Mr. Smith, Numbers 10:11 is meant to be taken as Israel was about to embark

on a 30 mile journey. This journey could be accomplished in less than three days. Just think

about the passage in regards to the quail. Not only did Israel travel the length which the quail

were, but also gathered them in the process; a whole two cubits high worth of them!

We might also mention that the Bible speaks of a Sabbath day’s journey (Acts 1:12). This,

too, was simply a distance or measurement, which one was allowed to travel on the Sabbath.

Although this was probably an interpretive restriction, it was most likely followed by the

Israelites of the first century.

I should further point out that there is nothing in the text that tells us we should believe the

entire three-day’s journey was accomplished before the Sabbath of the 22nd. They could have

stopped on the Sabbath, and then picked up their journey where they had left off. A sister in

our local assembly gave the example of a trip to California. She stated that from Georgia to

California in a car would take three days. However, if you stopped off somewhere and stayed

a few days to ―see the sights‖ it may take you five or six days to get to California. Does this

mean from Georgia to California is not a journey of three days? Not at all. Keep in mind that

those who believe in a continuous seven-day cycle with no interruption have no choice but to

have the Israelites marching around the walls of Jericho on the Sabbath. Yet they try to use a

traveling argument against lunar Sabbatarians. This is inconsistent argumentation.

1 A Dictionary of the Bible, by William Smith, 1986, pg. 740.

From the book (Why Weekly Sabbath Days are Determined by the Moon, by Arnold Bowen)

Objection #2:

Food preparation commanded on the 8th day of the month:

For forty years the Israelites were taught not to prepare food on the Sabbath. The manna was

still falling on this day. Then Joshua commanded, ―Pass through the host, and command the

people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go

in to possess the land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it‖ (Joshua 1:11).

―And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; And they

commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God,

and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it‖

(Joshua 3:2, 3). ―And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month,

and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho‖ (Joshua 4:19). The Israelites were

commanded to prepare food on the 8th day of the first month, and they crossed the Jordon on

the third day afterward, the 10th day of the month. Again, we find that the 8th day was not a

Sabbath.

WLC response:

InJoshua 1:11, it is assumed that on the 8th

day of the month Israel was commanded to

prepare victuals before entering the land of Promise on Abib 10. Reasoning that the 8th

cannot

be a Sabbath because YHWH would never ask Israel to cook on the Sabbath (which is true,

but this did not occur on the 8th

). Here is the verse…

Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within

three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which YHWH your

Mighty One giveth you to possess it. Joshua 1:11

The math employed to come up with Abib 8 as the day to prepare victuals is wrong. It would

be nice to agree, but we have a simple math problem. From dawn on the 8th

to dawn on the

10th

is only TWO 24 hour periods, not three.

Joshua 1:11 says that on a certain day Joshua gave the command to prepare food because

within THREE days they would cross the Jordan. Then it is shown in Joshua 4:19 that Israel

indeed entered the land on the 10th

day of the month.

If the command was given on the 8th

, then count forward three days from the 8th

, 8 + 3 = 11,

not 10. I think that pretty well settles this point. The 10th

of Abib is TWO days later if

counting from the 8th

not three. So, Israel cooked on the 7th

day of the month, interestingly,

this is preparation day for the Sabbath. There is always harmony in the truth.

Objection #3:

The Wave sheaf in Joshua 5

―And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month;

on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight

of all the Egyptians‖ (Numbers 33:3). The morrow after the Passover is the fifteenth day of

the month.

―And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened

cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day‖ (Joshua 5:11). The Septuagint says, ―And they

ate of the grain of the earth unleavened and new corn.‖ ―And the manna ceased on the

morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel

manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year‖ (Joshua 5:12).

Note: The manna came on the day they ate of the new corn, ―the morrow after the passover‖

(Joshua 5:11), ―the fifteenth day of the first month.‖ (Numbers 33:3). Therefore the fifteenth

could not have been a Sabbath, for no manna fell on Sabbath.

WLC response:

When Comparing Joshua 5:10-12 with Leviticus 23:10-14 which says to wave the sheaf on

the morrow after the Sabbath, we find that the Passover was on the 14th

of Abib and that the

wave sheaf was performed the day (Abib 16) after the Sabbath. This proves that the 15th

of

Abib in Joshua 5:11 was the weekly Sabbath.

11. And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow

after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. Leviticus 23:11

10. And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day

of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.

11. And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened

cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day.

12. And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land;

neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of

Canaan that year. Joshua 5:10-12

Joshua 5: 10 says that Passover was on the 14th.

Joshua 5:11 says that on the 15th

they ate from the old corn of the land, we know that the 15th

is the Sabbath from Leviticus 23:11.

Joshua 5:12 says that manna ceased on the 16th

which was the first day of the week, and not

on the 15th

.

Objection #4:

David eating the Shewbread

―So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the

month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame. And it came to

pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed [4150 moed]

with David [the 3rd day of the month], and a little lad with him‖ (1 Samuel 20:34, 35). David

and Jonothan met on the 3rd day of the month. Then David took a three day journey to where

he met Ahimelech the priest, asking for food.

―And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but

there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. And

David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about

these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is

in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel. So the priest gave

him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from

before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away‖ (1 Samuel 21:4-6).

The changing of the showbread only took place on the Sabbath. The priest said that it was

sanctified that same day in the vessel. (Leviticus 24:8, 9). David departed from Jonathan on

the third day of the month. He told the priest that he had been traveling for three days, and the

day on which they met was a Sabbath day. That makes the 5th day of the month a Sabbath

day.

WLC response:

Leviticus 24:8-9 says that there had to be bread continually on the Lord’s table (12 loaves in

number); this is further supported by Numbers 4:7. So, the bread (12 loaves) was there on the

table the whole time from Sabbath to Sabbath. But on the Sabbath it was changed with new

hot 12 loaves of bread and the old 12 loaves were then and only then given to be eaten by the

priests. By giving hallowed bread to David from off the Lord’s table the priest didn’t only err

in giving that which was only allocated to be eaten by the priests but he also broke another

command by taking away 5 loaves out of the 12 before the Sabbath day had arrived on the 8th

of the month.

Objection #5:

Jesus healed the blind man on Sabbath, the 23rd day of the month:

―In the last day, that great [3173 - Megas] day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If

any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.‖ (John 7:37) I know some claim that this

was the seventh day of the feast instead of the eighth, but then why is it called ―great‖? And if

the seventh day of the feast is the last day, why is there a day following that is called ―the

eighth day‖ (Numbers 29:35). The word great (Megas) is also used in John 19:31 where the

Sabbath that coincided with the first day of unleavened bread was called a ―high‖ (megas)

day. It is clear to me that ―the last day of the feast‖ was the 22nd day of the month, and the

following day is when Jesus healed a man on Sabbath.

WLC response:

John 7:2 to John 9:14. You can read the whole narrative. Here is a short commentary…

7:37 – Jesus spoke during the last great day (John 7:2 says this was the feast of Tabernacles.)

7:43-53 – There was contention between the people and the religious authorities. After which

every one went home.

8:1 – Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

Some taught that the Eighth day of the Feast, Tishri 22, is the last great day of Tabernacles.

Scripture apparently does not teach this. Leviticus 23:34-36 says that Tabernacles begins on

the 15th day of the seventh month and is a seven day feast. Count the days…

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

The EIGHTH day was a holy convocation, a day added to the seven day feast. The eighth

day would be the 22nd day of the seventh month. Let’s see what Scripture calls the day after

the last day of the feast.

8:2 – The next day (the 22nd of the month), Jesus returned to the temple. (Why? We shall

soon see…) There, another lengthy debate took place…

8:59 – …After which Jesus was nearly stoned, but He passed through…

9:1 – as Jesus left the temple, He passed by a blind man….read John 9:14: “Now it was the

Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes.”

Jesus returned to the temple because it was the Sabbath. The last day of the SEVEN day feast

is the 21st of the seventh month. The eighth day was the day AFTER the last great day. This

proves that the 22nd

day of the 7th

month was and is the weekly Sabbath, just like it says in

Leviticus 23. A weekly Sabbath, not an annual Sabbath. And Jesus attested to this fact--

without protest, we might add.

Jesus, His disciples and all of Israel observed this Sabbath, not as part of the seven day feast,

but as the EIGHTH day. The ―eighth day‖ is sometimes used as a Hebrew idiom. It means

the weekly Sabbath in some instances in Scripture.

Nowhere in the Torah or the prophets is the 8th

day of this festival called the last great day.

And in fact, it is not called that in the NT either. Here is a literal translation of how John 7:37

looks like?

And in the last day of the great feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let

him come to Me and drink.

The last day of a seven day feast is the seventh day, unless one can come up with something

that proves the 7th

really means 8th

. The 8th

day is connected to the feast for sure, but can one

prove from Scripture that it is included as part of the 7 days of Tabernacles? We can’t cram 7

days in to the 7 days from the 15th

to the 21st. If one fits an 8

th day into that 7 day feast, then

he/she is adding to Torah. Deuteronomy 4:2.

The Passover lamb was only prescribed for Abib 14. The seven lambs, a bullock, ram and

goat are prescribed for the day after Tabernacles, the eighth day. What’s the problem? It was

a special day on the calendar no different than Passover, the first day of Unleavened Bread,

Feast of Weeks, Trumpets, and Day of Atonement. All these days had sacrifices that were

offered in addition to the regularly scheduled sacrifices. If the eighth day is part of

Tabernacles, then WHY the sacrifices did not drop down to 6 bullocks, kindly see Numbers

29:12-35? And WHY weren’t the Israelites still living in booths on that day?

Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths.

Leviticus 23:42

We can’t ignore the obvious, that Feast of Tabernacles is called a SEVEN day feast THREE

times in Leviticus 23 alone (23:34-36, 23:39 and 23:41-42) in order to come up with the

above objection. The day after the last day of Tabernacles is the 8th

day, it was also the 22nd

day of the month, not the 23rd.

The 15th

is a Sabbath. The eighth day (22nd

day of the month) was not part of Tabernacles it

is an additional day APART from Tabernacles, yet it is a Sabbath every year.

Looks like this:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 (30)

Objection #6:

Paul and the feast of Unleavened bread:

Acts 20:6, 7 ―And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came

unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days. And upon the first day of the

week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to

depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.‖ When we count the days

backward we find that Paul actually traveled over the Sabbath, which was accidental, for he

planned on arriving in Troas before the Sabbath. It was 130 miles from Philippi to Troas, a

trip that could be easily done in two days going less than 3 miles per hour. Paul made this

same trip in two days at another time. (Acts 16:11, 12).

WLC response:

Unleavened Bread ends on the 21st. The Sabbath is the 22

nd. So how was Paul going to get to

Troas in two days and not travel on the Sabbath? Why not just read what is there without

adding anything.

This passage totally destroys the notion of a satyrday Sabbath.

In Acts 20:5-7, Paul took five days to get to Troas after the last day of Unleavened Bread,

which is Abib 21. So he arrived on the 26th day of Abib then stayed 7 days. We know that

Passover is on the 6th day of the Israelite week, followed by the 15th (the weekly Sabbath and

first day of Unleavened Bread). This passage is a stumbling block for those who cling to the

Gregorian calendar because there is no way to ―create‖ or force the end of the 7 day stay to

fall on the first day of the week successfully. We don’t force anything; we accept it for what

it says.

Please read Acts 20:5-7 and put these dates on the calendar.

These going before tarried for us at Troas.

And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to

Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.

And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul

preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

Acts 20:5-7

Here is a Gregorian calendar format with Abib 14 and Abib 15 in the appropriate places...

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30 1 2 3 4 5 6

Paul could have left on the evening of the 21st (said he left after the days of Unleavened

Bread) but he could have left after the Sabbath (the 22nd). It matters not. All that is

necessary is for him to arrive in Troas 5 days after the last day of Unleavened Bread. The

number of actual travel days are not mentioned, and not necessary to know. Unleavened

Bread is over on the 21st ―day‖ of the first month. He arrived at Troas 5 days after

Unleavened Bread (arriving on the 26th of Abib). And at Troas they abode 7 days (26-27-28-

29-30-1-2) and he preached until midnight on the last night of his stay (the night after the first

day of the week), departing on the morrow (the 3rd). Is the 2nd day of the month (above)

the first day of the week? No, it is the 3rd day of the week.

So, since that little exercise disproved the counterfeit Gregorian calendar model, some try to

manipulate the calendar so Paul CAN leave on the first day of the week. Here is what THAT

calendar model looks like...

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 1

2 3 4 5 6

They say that Passover (Abib 14) must have taken place on a wednesday, forcing the weekly

Sabbath to take place on the 17th. Now when Paul leaves on the evening of the 21st, arriving

in Troas in 5 days (Abib 26), and abodes there 7 days, (26-27-28-29-30-1-2) ready to depart

on the morrow, the night he preached was actually the first day of the week (at least on this

calendar). Do you spot the problem? It is highlighted in red (Abib 10 and the first day of the

next month). New moon days never fall on the weekly Sabbath. Ezekiel 46:1, Isaiah 66:23,

II Kings 4:23.

Do you remember what happened on Abib 10? The 10th day of Abib (the day to set aside the

Passover Lamb) is a work day. Abib 10 floats around on the Roman calendar. Look above.

By forcing the calendar to say what they ―believe‖, they force Abib 17 to be the Sabbath that

month. If the 17th is the Sabbath, so is the 10th, but the 10th is always a commanded work

day.

The 14th day of Abib is always the preparation day for first day of Unleavened Bread. Matt.

27:62, Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54--24:1, John 19:14, 31,42—John 20:1. Abib 14 floats on

our calendar. The fact is that the 10th, 14th and 16th of Abib are, without exception,

commanded work days. The barley could be harvested on the 16th after the Wave Sheaf had

been offered, Leviticus 23:9-14.

Abib 10, 14 and 16 all float on the Roman calendar. If there is a continuous 7 day cycle,

every few years either the 10th, 14th, and 16th will fall on a satyrday. Evidence: Abib 10 fell

on a satyrday in 2003. The 14th fell on satyrday in 2004 and 2008. Abib 16 fell on satyrday

in 2002, 2006 and 2009. There is no legislation provided to do these tasks a day early or late,

these work dates are fixed. And YAHWEH never has Israel do commerce or work on a rest

day. He is not the Author of confusion.

Isn’t it interesting how the Father maneuvered His commanded work days in such a fashion

that they would totally disrupt and destroy all the calendars of apostate man? So, would you

like to see how Abib 15 CAN be the Sabbath and Paul CAN preach on the first day of the

week? No problem. The days of the week are in green. Israel used ordinal numbers, not

names.

1 2 3 4 5 6 Sabbath

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

In blue, the new moon days are a third category of day. They do not count against the week

(JUST like Ezekiel 46:1 says). The black numbers represent the working days. The

Sabbaths are in red. In this calendar, Passover (Abib 14) can be the preparation day for the

Sabbath of Abib 15, the first day of Unleavened Bread, and Paul can be in Troas for 7 days

and preach on the first day of the week, ready to depart on the morrow. Unleavened Bread is

over on the 21st ―day‖ of the first month. Paul arrived at Troas in 5 days (arriving on the 26th

of Abib). And at Troas they abode 7 days (26-27-28-29-30-1-2) and he preached until

midnight on the last night of his stay, departing on the morrow (the 3rd).

Objection #7:

Joseph and Mary depart on the 22nd day of the month:

Luke 2:43 ―And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried

behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.‖

WLC response:

The feast of Unleavened Bread ended at sunset of the 21st. The days begin at dawn in

Scripture, so the Sabbath would not begin until the following sunrise, Abib 22. Regardless of

what the scholars say, the NT does not say that they left immediately after the feast. What it

does say is that they went a ―days journey‖—at some point after the feast was over—which is

a reference to distance, not time—before they discovered Jesus missing, then it says that Jesus

was not found until 3 days later—a reference to time, not distance.

Objection #8:

Sacrifices compared:

In God’s commands about sacrifices we find some very interesting data about the weekly

Sabbath. Notice what we learn.

Every day Lamb in the morning and evening. Numbers 28:3

Every New Moon, New moon sacrifices

+ lamb in the morning and evening. Numbers 28:11-15

The 7th New Moon 7th new moon sacrifices

+ New moon sacrifices


Every Sabbath day, Sabbath day sacrifices (Sabbath day)

+ lamb in the morning and evening. Numbers 28:9, 10

The 15th of the 1st Month, 15th of 1st month sacrifices


The Day of Pentecost, Pentecost sacrifices


Day of Atonement, Day of Atonement sacrifices


The 15th of the 7th Month, 15th of 7th month sacrifices


The 22nd of the 7th Month, 22nd of 7th month sacrifices


Notice that every day has the command for a morning and evening sacrifice, and on the

special days there is at least one extra sacrifice to be given, making them to have double-

stacked sacrifices. But there is one day that has a triple-stacked set of sacrifices mentioned.

On the first day of the seventh month they were to offer 1) feast of trumpets sacrifices, 2) new

moon sacrifices, 3) and the daily morning and evening sacrifices. This is the only day that has

a triple-stacked set of sacrifices. The fact that the Sabbath sacrifices were not commanded to

be offered on any of the feast days proves that they do not always fall on a weekly Sabbath,

especially since the day of trumpets specifically mentions all the sacrifices to be offered on

that day when three types of days coincide. If every annual feast day Sabbath was also a

weekly Sabbath then three types of days would coincide then too, and Sabbath sacrifices

would have to be offered along with the annual sacrifices and the daily sacrifices. This is

convincing proof that the weekly Sabbath did not always fall on the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th

days of the month.

WLC response:

This is irrelevant. If Yahweh commanded certain sacrifices on certain days, that is His

privilege. YAHWEH has never been dependent upon man to establish the sacrificial law, nor

has He needed our approval for the order of His sacrificial system.

The sacrificial system is dependent upon the Calendar of YAHWEH, not the other way

around as the some seem to think it should be. The Calendar was established during Creation

week, the sacrificial system some time later.

Point 1: Numbers 28:16 says that the 14th

was the Passover with no mention at all to the daily

sacrifices, does that mean there were no sacrifices on Abib 14th?

Point 2: In the seven day feast for the unleavened bread and for the tabernacles there must

have been a Sabbath day within the 7 days, but in Numbers chapters 28 and 29 there is no

mention of Sabbath sacrifices for any of the seven days for the two feasts, does that mean

there were no Sabbath sacrifices during the 7 day feasts?

The important point is: not because the sacrifices for the Sabbath were not mentioned for the

15th

of the 1st month and for the 15

th of the 7

th month and for the 22

nd of the 7

th month, this

meant that these dates were not weekly Sabbaths. This is evident from Point 1 and 2.

He created the moon,

which marks the seasons,

and the sun,

which knows when to set.

Psalm 104,19 God’s Word

Like the moon,

it shall be forever;

and a faithful witness in the sky.

Selah.

Psalm 89,37 Green’s Literal

lunar sabbath's in god's calendar - response to lynnford beachy

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