When Does YEHOVAH's Day BEGIN?

When does YEHOVAH God want us to observe the Sabbath? Is It from morning to morning as some claim the Bible teaches?

There are some today who are loudly trying to proclaim to all the Sabbath observing churches around the world, that the Bible teaches the days really begin in the MORNING, from sun-rise to sun-rise. They say we have been deceived in many ways, to believe that we should observe the Sabbath from evening to evening, from dusk to dusk. They have their MANY arguments to back their teaching that the day is from morning to morning. They have their MANY technical arguments. They have page after page looking at technical words used in the Bible from the Hebrew and from the Greek languages. They spend countless pages trying to expound certain verses that to them are supposed to teach a morning to morning time frame for the 24 hour day. They have technical arguments, that quite frankly are at times very difficult to follow, in answering the verses that are really quite simple to read and believe, even by young children. They have all this and more.

It is not the purpose of this article to answer all the technical arguments the above people put forth in advocating their theory. Maybe one day, when I have the time, I will, just for the sake of it, write an article to answer their technical arguments.

But this article is for the simple minded, and I do not mean that in any negative way, it is for the child-like minds, for those who do not have the technical books, do not have a degree in Hebrew or Greek, do not have any formal Theology training by some "religious" school or college.

I have said many times and I will say it once more, you can understand the basic foundational doctrines of YEHOVAH God, the ones He wants you to be clear on, by just reading the Bible from cover to cover. Yes, you will have to SEARCH the Scriptures, collect all the verses on any topic, let the easy plain ones help you to understand the more difficult ones. But with those few keys to Bible understanding, you can come to the truth on the issues and topics of life that YEHOVAH wants you to know.

Let's go to the beginning. Do you believe that the 7 days of Genesis chapter one were SEVEN LITERAL 24 hour (near enough) days? If you do, then you can continue reading. If you do not, then we may as well say "goodbye" to each other right here, for then your theology and mine are not the same.

Let's work backwards from the 7th day YEHOVAH God made and rested upon and sanctified in the book of Genesis. Before that day arrived there was a morning. After that morning YEHOVAH blessed and sanctified the 7th day. After the word "morning" in chapter 1:31 we are not told there was another evening or night before the LORD blessed the 7th day and rested upon it. Then before that "morning" of verse 31 we are told there was an "evening." In this particular context when does the "morning" come after the "evening"? Is it an hour later? Or is it four hours later? Maybe six hours later? Well even a young child can understand that morning does not arrive after whatever you think is the evening, until the morning arrives, until the sun comes up. Morning does not come at 12 mid-night, or at 2 p.m. Morning comes when morning arrives, and as we are in THIS CONTEXT talking about a literal 24 hour day, morning is obviously that part of the 24 hours when the sun is up, and it is light. I mean most small children know that the day is divided up into TWO BASIC parts -- NIGHT-TIME AND DAY-TIME. That gives us one day of about 24 hours.

Here in Genesis chapter one we are talking about 7 literal days of approximately 24 hours to each day.

Working our way back from the sixth day, the evening of the sixth day comes AFTER the morning of the fifth day. Now when does the dark or the night come? Well it comes AFTER a period of daylight. And the daylight of the fifth day is said to be after the evening of the fifth day. When does the daylight part of a day come? It comes after there has been a night part.

It is easy, you might like to try this with your young children. Say to them: "Now I want you to think of a 24 hour day. What two parts is it divided into? " I think they will have no trouble with this question. They will answer, "Well it is divided into NIGHT and DAY, or DAY and NIGHT." Now take them to the book of Genesis chapter one. Tell them that here YEHOVAH God is speaking of LITERAL 24 hour days. Read verse 5 and 8 to them. Now ask them, "is YEHOVAH dividing the day into two parts here?" I believe they will readily see the answer. Then ask them, "What do you think the word 'evening' represents here in this one part of the 24 hour day?" I believe they will answer that it represents the NIGHT part of the day. Then ask them, "What do you think the word 'morning' represents here?" I think you will have a response that it represent the DAY-LIGHT part of the 24 hour day.

Now ask them, "Which part does YEHOVAH put FIRST?" I believe they will readily see and answer that it is the EVENING OR NIGHT that comes first. Ask them to read the rest of the chapter, and see if YEHOVAH God is CONSISTENT here at the BEGINNING as to how He divides the day into two parts. Ask them if there is a consistency in which part is put FIRST.

You may like to try this little test on some young child that is not from a religious background, does not attend a church, and has had no Bible training or teaching from anyone. There is no need to know the technical words of the Hebrew in this passage for "evening" and "morning." No need to go to the Hebrew Lexicons. It is quite obvious to those who believe that these days of Genesis chapter one are literal 24 hours days, that YEHOVAH God is using whatever Hebrew word for "evening" to represent that part of the whole day that is the one half of the day, the NIGHT part. And it is just as obvious that whatever the Hebrew word is for "morning" YEHOVAH was using it to represent that part of the whole day that is the light or DAY part of the 24 hour day.

It is just that SIMPLE my friends. Right here in the beginning, YEHOVAH tells us that the light was DAY, and the darkness was NIGHT, then He goes on to give us the ORDER of those two parts of the whole day. NIGHT or evening comes FIRST, and LIGHT or morning comes SECOND!

The Bible does not have to be complicated, not at all. If we approach it with a child like mind, the Bible can be SIMPLE to understand.

If YEHOVAH God had chosen to start the day in the morning, and He could have done, for He after all is God, and we are not. If He had chosen to start the day in the morning, at sun-rise, He could have easily had Moses write, ".....and the morning and the evening were the first day." It could have been very simple for Moses to have written it this way, especially under the inspiration of the holy spirit.

What the Eternal is teaching us RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING, is that He wants us to understand that the days BEGINS in the EVENING, the darkness, the night, the time when the light of the sun is no more. As the Messiah later said, "Are there not 12 hours in the day, and the night comes when no man can work." Generally speaking, in round terms, two divisions to the 24 hour day, one called day or morning of about 12 hours, and one called night or evening of about 12 hours. In Genesis the word evening representing the whole night, and the word morning representing the whole day-light part of the day. For it takes all that they represent before the second day can come, so those words in THIS CONTEXT represent about 24 hours of time.

Yes, later those words "evening" and "morning" may be used in more limited contexts, but the context of Genesis one, is its own context, and here they are terms for about 12 hours each. Adding them together they make a 24 hour day. For only after that length of time can the second day come.

Now with all that clear in our minds, and as we come to the very time of Moses and YEHOVAH God instructing the children of Israel about His Sabbath, or one particular Sabbath -- the day of atonement Sabbath in Lev. 23:32, we find a simple statement that says, "....from even to even shall you celebrate the Sabbath." What could be more clear to understand. It was not given that we observe the Sabbath from morning to morning, but we are to observe it from evening to evening.

Now, will you agree with me that Israel was given the Sabbath day to observe by YEHOVAH God (you might like to read again Exodus 16)? Yes, they were. Will you agree with me that YEHOVAH would have made it very clear to Moses from what time of the day to start to observe the Sabbath, whether from the morning or from the evening? Will you agree with me that Israel would have had this truth of the time aspect, and they would have preserved it as part of their culture?

Yes, they went away from YEHOVAH at times, but the Eternal usually brought them back, and in so doing His truth was restored. Yes, the house of Israel finally had to be taken away and scattered among the nations, never as a block of people returning to the Promised land. Yet, Judah remained faithful for a time, with the basic truths of the LORD. Ah, yes, she also went astray and YEHOVAH had to send her into captivity for 70 years to Babylon. But she was restored to Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah. They found the book of the law and truth and knowledge was once more restored to Judah. Would you agree with me that the truth of the Sabbath would have been restored, that YEHOVAH God would have revealed to them what hours to observe the Sabbath on, and when the Sabbath started? Would you agree with me that YEHOVAH God would have revealed to the MAIN body of Jewish leaders if the Sabbath should have started from either the evening or the morning? We are not here talking about an hour difference, but a whole bunch of hours, I mean about 12 hours! This is NO SMALL point!

The basic correct time frame of keeping the Sabbath would have been revealed to Ezra and Nehemiah, From their time on the Jews became fanatical about Sabbath observance. They set up 600 or more rules and regulations for their followers to keep in observing the Sabbath. Most of the main religious bodies of Judah, like the Pharisees and the Sadducees (and the Messiah actually said the scribes and Pharisees sat in Moses' seat -- Mat. 23) agreed together as to WHEN to observe the Sabbath. I know of no argument between these groups that differed in as much as 12 hours as to when to start observing the Sabbath. They may have differed on HOW to observe the Sabbath, but no large difference as to WHEN.

We now move to the time of Yeshua the Messiah. Oh, he had some differences with the Pharisees on HOW to observe the Sabbath. He was teaching and preaching for THREE YEARS around Palestine and in their Synagogues. We can read about how the scribes and the Pharisees accused the Messiah of HOW to observe the Sabbath, claiming he broke the Sabbath. But the context of such arguments shows it had NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH "TIME," but with what to DO on the Sabbath or what not to do.

You can look in VAIN to find any verse in the four Gospels where the Sadducees or the Pharisees came anywhere close to accusing the Messiah of not starting to observe the Sabbath at the correct basic time period.

Look, either way, if the Pharisees were keeping it from morning to morning and the Messiah was not, but evening to evening, or the other way around, IT WOULD HAVE CAUSED SUCH A THEOLOGICAL DEBATE between the two (Yeshua and the Pharisees), IT WOULD BE ALL OVER THE NEW TESTAMENT!! There would have been no way around it, such a difference in Sabbath observing hours would have been spoken about all over the four gospels. I mean this is the Sabbath we are talking about, not how to cook your corn flakes, or when to take out the garbage.

The Messiah said the scribes and Pharisees did sit in Moses' seat, they did have some authority, they did have some knowledge of YEHOVAH God and some truths of the word. They were not totally in error on everything. Even the Roman Catholic church understand certain truths of the word, and they have never sat in Moses' seat (though they do teach that they have authority from YEHOVAH God).

We know from Jewish history that the Pharisees observed the Sabbath from evening to evening, always did, and their literal spiritual descendants to this day, still observe the Sabbath from evening to evening, not morning to morning. The Messiah had three years to tell his disciples and his followers that the Pharisees were WAY OFF TRACK in observing the Sabbath from evening to evening. Can you imagine, something as important as one of the very TEN commandments of YEHOVAH God, being observed WRONG by the main religious leaders of Judah, AND that they should have been observing it from morning to morning, AND THE MESSIAH NOT SAYING ONE WORD ABOUT IT TO THEM OR HIS DISCIPLES! It just blows my mind to think that Yeshua would have just ignored such a mistake on the part of the Pharisees. At least the Messiah should have wanted his followers to know the truth of a morning to morning observance of the Sabbath, if it had always been the Father's intention and wish for the Sabbath to be kept between the hours of morning to morning.

Somewhere in the four gospels there was plenty of time for the Messiah to have pulled his disciples to one side, and said, "Look fellows, the scribes and Pharisees have for centuries been teaching you to observe the Sabbath at the wrong hours. They missed the boat by about 12 hours. They have taught the Sabbath should be observed from evening to evening, but I want you to know, so you can tell all the followers I shall have down through the time to come, that the Sabbath should be kept from the rising of the sun to the rising of the sun -- those are the true and correct hours."

It is impossible for me to imagine that the Messiah would not have personally corrected, during his three years ministry, the error of the scribes and Pharisees as to their wrong time in observing the Sabbath hours. Certainly his example of not following them in such a matter, week after week, month after month, would have had them breathing down his neck and arguing with him over the issue. They noticed how the disciples did not fast, or did not wash their hands like they did, and came to him about it. They noticed how the disciples plucked the ears of corn on the Sabbath day and wanted to argue with the Messiah over the matter. To think they would have noticed that Yeshua and his disciples observed the Sabbath from morning to morning AND DID NOT CONFRONT HIM ON THE MATTER IN THREE YEARS, is beyond any reasonable thinking or sound logic. No, such a life style by the Messiah could not have been hidden. The Pharisees would have argued with him about it over and over again. Such an argument would have earned at least one verse in the gospels somewhere, for sure.

The scribes and Pharisees observed the Sabbath from evening to evening and so did the Messiah. They never argued over that point. Yeshua never corrected them on it. He never instructed his disciples any differently on that point of the Sabbath observance. Yeshua caused a lot of controversy in Judah, but not on WHEN to start to observe the Sabbath. The Messiah observed the Sabbath as did all the main body of Judah, from evening to evening. They would have known this from the days of Moses. The main body of Jews have observed this evening to evening Sabbath from the time of the Messiah and the Pharisees that sat in Moses seat at that time.

The main body of Jews are a living WITNESS down from the time of Moses, that the Sabbath is NOT observed from morning to morning but from evening to evening. Then add to that:

The Church of YEHOVAH God is granted the holy spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). They go forth in POWER preaching. But at the same time, they attend the Temple and Synagogues, move among the accepted and main body of Jewish religious society. They perform some pretty mighty healing miracles. But in short order they run headlong into the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the leaders of the Sanhedrin, the same group of people that had planned the death of the Messiah a few days before the Passover, and had been victorious in having it carried out. Soon, the anger of this Sanhedrin group was furiously bent towards this group of people that were now claiming this Messiah, that had been killed, was alive and well. As you read through the first number of chapters of the book of Acts, a few things are quite evident.

This newly formed group of people thought they belonged to the overall culture of Judaism. They moved among the main established groups of Judaism. They preached in the Temple, and they did not dis-associate themselves from mainstream Judaism. They did have one unique doctrine and teaching, that stood them out like a beacon on a hill, from mainstream Judaism, and that was that the MAN called Yeshua was the promised Messiah, was dead but is eternally alive, and has gone to his adoptive Father in heaven, until he is sent back to rule Israel. This teaching also contained within it that only through this Messiah could sins be forgiven and people could be saved into eternal life.

As far as Judaism, and certainly as far as the Roman Empire was concerned, this new sect of people who were preaching the Messiah, would have been thought of as just another group or sect WITHIN Judaism.

When you read through those early chapters of the book of Acts, the main conflict you find between the NT church and the Jewish leaders was over the man Messiah Yeshua. It was not over any deep major doctrinal difference. It was not over Feast day observance, clean or unclean foods laws, tithing laws, sacrifices in the Temple, a Levitical priesthood, any of the Ten Commandments being done away with, and other such things. And there is not one verse devoted to tell us that there was some conflict between the NT church and Judaism concerning the hours to observe the Sabbath on. There is no conflict mentioned about a 12 hour difference between when the body of Judaism and the body of people who were following this man Yeshua, as to WHEN to start to keep the Sabbath. And it is very unlikely that Luke (who wrote Acts) would not have mentioned such a discrepancy between the two bodies of religious believers, when both founded their teachings upon the same book -- the law, prophets and writings -- the Old Testament. The SABBATH command and its observance was as much a part of Jewish life as was CIRCUMCISION. It could NOT HAVE BEEN IGNORED in the NT if there was a 12 hour observance difference between the NT church and Judaism. Just as the conflict over CIRCUMCISION was not ignored by the NT, and the Church of YEHOVAH God, with a big debate on it -- Acts 15).

Then for the sake of argument, let us suppose that this revelation of truth, that the Sabbath should be observed from morning to morning, was not revealed to the Church until later, some years later, after the holy spirit had come. Before that time, when this truth was revealed (supposing now it is truth), the Church was observing the Sabbath from evening to evening as were the Pharisee/Sadducee Jews and all mainstream religious Jews of the time. Then the spirit reveals to the Church its error on when to start the Sabbath. Would it be done when all the Church was gathered together and all the ministers were there, so everyone would clearly know the error and the new revealed truth? How would the spirit speak to such a gathering of people and ministers? With an audible voice? I guess anything is possible for YEHOVAH God, so it is written, but that was not the way it was done with the new truth on "circumcision" revealed to the Church. No, they finally had to call for a ministerial conference on the subject, because of the huge problems it was causing, and the back and forth arguments from both sides of the issue.

Now, do you think a new revealed truth of observing the Sabbath from morning to morning, and not evening to evening, would have not caused just as much a conflict in the NT Church, with endless arguments from both sides, as did circumcision? Oh, you bet your life on it, it sure would have! With an institution like the Sabbath, as with the institution of circumcision, I tell you all hell would have broken loose within the Church over this time issue. And another ministerial conference would have been called, just like the one in Acts 15, to decide the matter for the people of YEHOVAH God. Letters to all the churches everywhere would have been sent out to tell the people of YEHOVAH God that new light from the spirit, had revealed to them that they were in error in observing the Sabbath from evening to evening, and now it should be from morning to morning.

No such doctrinal conflict of time over the Sabbath (we are talking about a 12 hour difference or there abouts) EVER CAME UP IN THE NT CHURCH, NOR WITH JUDAISM, AS TO WHEN TO START OBSERVING THE SABBATH. No such evening/morning conflict existed in the Church of YEHOVAH God under the apostles, or between the Church of YEHOVAH God and Judaism, simply BECAUSE THERE WAS NO CONFLICT -- PERIOD!!

The NT Church of YEHOVAH God observed the evening to evening Sabbath just like the mainstream religion of Judaism did.

Then we have the testimony of the apostle Paul, and his life of religion in the world of the Pharisees and the Church of YEHOVAH God. Paul tells us in his writings that he was indeed a Pharisee, and a great one at that, excelling above many his equals, in the Jewish religion, was taught under the feet of the great Gamaliel. He then observed the Sabbath as the Pharisees did for many years. They observed it from evening to evening, as their descendants in Judaism do to this very day. Then Paul was stuck down by the Messiah and converted to the true light. He said all that he had before he counted but as dung if he could win Messiah Yeshua.

Paul tells us in the book of Galatians, that what he preached and taught was not from men, but that he was personally taught by the Messiah himself. Was Paul taught that the Sabbath was being incorrectly observed as to TIME? Was he taught by the Messiah that the Sabbath should be observed from morning to morning? If so, and if he started to observe it that way, then the NT is silent about it. And do you not think that if Paul observed the Sabbath from morning to morning it would not have been noticed by others in the Church? Do you think Paul would have kept silent about this new truth, if the Messiah had taught him about it? There is no way! Again, through Paul this truth would have come out, and wow! You would have had TWO huge debates flaming their way within the Church -- circumcision and the time to begin Sabbath observance. Paul was revealed the NT truth about circumcision. He knew the truth of that from the beginning of his ministry and fought for it loud and clear. There is no word from his mouth about the days having to be started from the morning, no word from his mouth about observing the Sabbath from morning to morning, or observing any of the holy days of the feasts of the LORD from morning to morning.

Paul alone is testimony that such an observance in the NT Church of keeping the Sabbath from morning to morning NEVER EXISTED!

Would YEHOVAH God only NOW in this 20th century, decide to reveal this truth about the Sabbath (supposing for sake of argument it is truth, which it is not)? The spirit of YEHOVAH God was working POWERFULLY in the days of the apostles, and they were really men called of YEHOVAH to do His work, turning the world up-side-down as one Scripture says. Could such an important truth concerning WHEN to observe the Sabbath be left unrevealed to them, and only NOW be revealed to us right at the end time? Did all those from when....way back when, keep it incorrectly? When did the mistake start, sometime after Moses, sometime after Ezra? We know the Pharisees observed the Sabbath from evening to evening as long as they existed and they came before the time of the Messiah. We have seen the Messiah and the NT Church had no conflict within themselves or with the Pharisees over an evening/morning issue. So if it was wrong, if they were all in error, then this was a sin they were all guilty of, EVEN YESHUA THE MESSIAH, and so we have no savior, and no salvation!

Yes it is just that important. This is no small matter these teachers of a morning to morning Sabbath observance preach.

Quite frankly this is a deceptive HERESY! Yeshua warned that in the last days many would come saying he was the Messiah but would deceive many. We have many deceptions out there within the Christianity of this world, but we also have many deceptions that are floating around the Church of YEHOVAH God. They come in all shapes and sizes. You need to keep your nose in the Bible, for Yeshua said that before he returned deception would be so great that only the very elect would not be deceived (Mat. 24:24). And you need to USE simple plain human LOGIC!

While I stated at the beginning of this article that the purpose of this treatise was not to answer all the technical arguments put forth by those advocating their sunrise-to-sunrise error, something came to my attention that has a bearing on this subject.

In his book, The Mystery of the Last Supper: Reconstructing the Final Days of Jesus, author Professor Colin J. Humphreys has this to say:

Here are some insights from a religious "forum" I was on some years ago -- answering arguments that teach we should observe the Sabbath from morning to morning:

ARGUMENT:

The following scriptures will prove that the evening does not begin the 24 hour day: John 20:1.

1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

Here we have Mary coming to the tomb on the first of the week.

ANSWER:

How on earth do you use this verse to say the day begins in the morning at sunrise? The first day of the week began Sabbath night, at or after dusk (depending if you believe it starts at the beginning or end of dusk). The night came and before it was light Mary M. came to the tomb, and it was still the first day of the week, as it would be until dusk. This actually disproves your idea. John is telling us that Mary came to the tomb BEFORE morning, before sunrise, while still DARK, and he tells us it was the first day of the week. We know this was the first day of the week, just before sunrise from all the other Scriptures on the subject. So the darkness leading up to sunrise when Mary came to the tomb WAS the first day of the week. This proves that evening or darkness BEGINS the 24 hour day. It was already the first day of the week and it was DARK, when Mary came to the tomb.

ARGUMENT:

Notice Matthew 28:1 shows us,... "it began to dawn", the sun was beginning to come over the eastern horizon and the first rays of light were able to be seen.

ANSWER:

This verse does not say the first day of the week BEGAN at dawn. There is only ONE dawn, or daylight period, and the beginning of that daylight (called dawn) in ANY single 24 hour day. This verse says "it began to dawn TOWARDS the first of the week." There is only one dawn within any day, in this case, the first day of the week day. It was still night but as that dawn which belongs to the first of the week was coming, Mary and others made their way to the tomb. This was before the sun rose that Sunday morning, which was already the first of the week, as it started at dusk Saturday evening. This is saying the same things as John 20:1. The dawn BELONGS to the first day of the week, and does not say the first day of the week BEGAN at dawn. There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE.

ARGUMENT:

Mark 16:2 also confirms it was at the, ... "rising of the sun."

ANSWER:

Again, it does not say here that the first day of the week BEGINS in the morning. Every 24 hour day contains a "morning." The morning BELONGS to the daylight part of the 24 hour day. Mark is making sure we know exactly WHEN what he is telling us about took place. It was early, at the rising of the sun, and he tells us "the day," not the second or the fifth, but it was the first day when they cam to the tomb. Basically the same as John and Matthew. Every day has a morning, and Mark said it was the morning of the first day when this took place. He does not say the first day BEGAN at morning time. There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE.

ARGUMENT:

The rest of John 20: 2-18 tells us the other events that took place during this day but I would like to point out what happen next in verse 19 of chapter 20.

John 20:19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came (Yeshua) and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. Notice it was still the first of the week at evening! If the day begins according to the sunset to sunset rule, then it would not have been the same day (but the beginning of another day).

As you can see the scripture shows it was the same day. It was still the first day of the week at (evening/sunset)!

ANSWER:

Ah, this is one of just a FEW verses in the entire Bible that are EXCEPTIONS to the rule -- exceptions to the NORM. Yes, the evening is SOMETIMES by YEHOVAH God put with the previous day, but that is not the norm. The norm was established at the BEGINNING -- Genesis -- the "evening and the morning" were the first day etc. I have written a whole study on this, and posted it about a month ago. Another place where the "exception to the rule" is undertaken is in Lev. 23:26-32. The tenth day is to be Atonement -- fasting -- but it starts in the evening of the ninth day (the evening when the tenth day comes is put with the ninth day). The "evening" here means "dusk" not the whole 12 hours (approx) of darkness or night.

Because people do not understand the Bible uses, at times, EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE, all kinds of crazy ideas keep them from the truth. They use "exceptions to the rule" to BE THE RULE, and the basic rule I guess to them becomes the "exception to the rule." They have it all BACKWARDS!

ARGUMENT:

The scripture says, the darkness was upon the face of the deep! It was already in existent before time began. When YEHOVAH created the light, time as we know it, begun.

ANSWER:

So was time, already in existence, but not from our way of seeing it. But time has always existed. There was a time when there were no angels, then as the NT tells us YEHOVAH God created them. There was a time when the physical universe did not exist, then a time it was created by YEHOVAH God. Time has always been and will always be. Time was there when the earth was covered by water and darkness had come upon it. The light was created yes, but how? Gen. 1:3-5 tell us. Verse five is the answer to WHEN of verses 3, 4. YEHOVAH at some point said this will be the first day of His re-creation week. At some point during the darkness He said from this point in time this part of the darkness is the beginning of the first day of my re-creation week. Then He said "x" number of hours from this point will be the light that I will create. He said, "we shall call this time of darkness (from this point to that point) Night, and the time of Light (from a point to a point) we shall call Day. Verse 3, 4 does NOT say YEHOVAH God started the 24 hour first day of the seven days to come, with LIGHT, or in the morning. That is something you are READING INTO those verses. Verse 3, 4 is a nut shell explanation by Moses to say that the seven days he will now expound upon were made up of LIGHT and DARKNESS. Out of the existing darkness YEHOVAH God did create light, and saw it was good. YEHOVAH did establish a period of light and darkness, which He gave names to -- Day and Night, BUT, verses 3, 4, DO NOT SAY that YEHOVAH BEGAN the first day with the light. Moses then at the END of verse five, after the GENERAL explanation of the days YEHOVAH God formed with light and darkness, TELLS US HOW YEHOVAH DECIDED TO ARRANGE THE 24 HOUR DAY -- "AND THE EVENING, AND THE MORNING (THE DARKNESS AND THE LIGHT) WERE THE FIRST DAY." Remember in the original Hebrew there is no punctuation whatsoever. Verses 3, 4 are not CHRONOLOGICAL. The phrase "evening and morning" IS chronological, and the beginning basic normal instruction as to WHEN the 24 hour day begins. Hence we observe the Sabbath of Atonement and all Sabbaths from "even to even" (Lev. 23:32).

ARGUMENT:

Furthermore, the day begins with the light and not the night, just as these two verse's of John 20: 1 & 19 prove!

ANSWER:

Not so, just as I proved above. The day begins at even/evening. And we observe the Sabbath from "even to even." The Jews have always so observed the Sabbath. They did it that way when the Messiah lived on earth. He observed the Sabbath and never had ANY ARGUMENT over WHEN, the time, of keeping the Sabbath with the scribes or Pharisees. And believe me if the Messiah had been observing the Sabbath from morning to morning, there would have been ALL KINDS of arguments about it from the Pharisees, and it would be all over the NT Gospels. If the Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, had been observing the Sabbath at the WRONG time, Yeshua and the NT apostles would have clearly taught, in no uncertain language, to the NT church, that the Sabbath should be observed from morning to morning. Not one single verse comes anywhere close to teaching the NT church to observe the Sabbath from morning to morning.

ARGUMENT:

The evening to evening day originated from Babylon and was carried on as a tradition by the Jewish people. Many have fallen for this trap!

ANSWER:

Big huge piles of GARBAGE to that idea. The beginning of the day starting at evening goes back to Gen. 1:5, and is continued in Lev. 23:32.

Yeshua and the Apostles NEVER CORRECTED (as they surely would have in BIG BOLD LANGUAGE) what you consider a deception from Babylon.

ARGUMENT:

Come out of her my people (Rev. 18:4)!

ANSWER:

I think you have gone into her,

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Hope of Israel Ministries
P.O. Box 853
Azusa, CA 91702, U.S.A.
www.hope-of-israel.org

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Hope of Israel Ministries (Ecclesia of YEHOVAH):

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