Perpetual Weekly Cycle Myth

Some people claim that there is and has always been a perpetual weekly cycle, uninterrupted from the time of creation.

Sunday worshipers don't worry much about this concept. Their day was changed from the 7th day (or Saturday if that is their belief) to the "Lord's day" and that is the end of it.

Saturday worshipers, on the other hand, go to great lengths to defend a belief that a perpetual weekly cycle has extended unchanged from the time of creation to present, therefore, they are still worshiping on the correct day. This false doctrine is taught and repeated without any real understanding or proof and it is provably wrong on several levels:

First, and foremost, it fails the test of guiding principals for calendars in Genesis 1 - it is NOT ruled by the sun OR the moon.

Second, according to the Bible, it has no basis. And in fact can be proven unbiblical and incorrect.

Third, it isn't in accordance with the history of ancient calendars and customs.

Fourth, we know WHEN and WHO created the perpetual weekly cycle (it wasn't God, it was Rome in 46 BC).

Fifth, it isn't in accordance with the testimony of the Jews.

I realize that these are bold statements, but know, to my own satisfaction, that they are true.

On the other hand, the first and foremost proof should be sufficient by itself.

See also 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 or New Moons?

See also Perpetually Repeating Weekly Cycle

1 - Fails the Test of Guiding Principals

The guiding principals as given in Genesis 1:14 require all calendation to be dictated by the great lights, the sun and the moon.

The ONLY dictate of a perpetual weekly cycle is correct counting.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,1,2,3,
4,5,6,7,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,1,2,3,4,5...etc

No sun, no moon, no stars. Simply count: 1,2,3...

The sun still controls the start and end of each day, but NOT the week or the weekly cycle - and it can't. Nor do the lights announce or confirm any Sabbath day.

If you lose track, you can never get it correct again. One lost day is lost forever. There is no way to calculate and retrieve it. There is NO self-correcting mechanism. There is NO external verification. There is no way to check your counting. There is no way to know if you're right or wrong. There is no "signal" "between" God and man.

Don't lose count!

Marooned on an uninhabited island, and knocked unconscious for an undetermined amount of time, you won't know what day to keep holy. Did you lose one day? or three? When is the next Sabbath?

These problems don't plague God and His calendar. Look up. What is the moon phase? dark moon, monthly transition and Sabbath. Full moon? the 15th day of the month and a Sabbath. Either 1/4 phases? Sabbath. Anything else - get to work!

Naval Observatory

The usual hackneyed "proof" of the perpetual weekly cycle is some quotation from some Naval Observatory that they can trace a weekly cycle all the way back to... It doesn't matter how far back.

There is no doubt that one day has followed another for all time (with the possible exception of the story of Hezekiah, when the sun stood still).

That isn't proof of anything. The question always is "Compared to what?" or "Based on which calendar?"

Just because one day followed another, doesn't mean that the ancient days used that false counterfeit calendar.

If you and I invented a calendar today with a five day weekly cycle we could send a letter to any observatory and ask "Based on our new (make believe) 5 day weekly calendar, has there ever been a change in this cycle?" Since one day has always followed another, a five day cycle can also be extended into the past indefinitely.

These are some of the quotations used:

"There has been no change in our calendar in past centuries that has affected in any way the cycle of the week."—James Robertson, Director American Ephemeris, Navy Department, U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, D.C., March 12, 1932.

This is partially true - the change was made 20 centuries ago.

"It can be said with assurance that not a day has been lost since Creation, and all the calendar changes notwithstanding, there has been no break in the weekly cycle."—Dr. Frank Jeffries, Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and Research Director of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, England.

This is provably false because for hundreds of years Rome had a nine day weekly cycle, NOT a seven day cycle. (from some time around 700 BC until 46 BC). Six hundred years of a nine day week! And just how can a seven day perpetual week survive six hundred years of a nine day week?

Furthermore, ALL ancient calendars had a break in the seven day weekly cycle EVERY month, when the month re-started.


The Wrong Question

As far as letters from various observatories: Of course, one day has followed another since the beginning of time. But the wrong question was asked. The wrong question says "Based on some known calendar (Julian or Gregorian) has the weekly cycle varied?" Of course not. But how can one ask about days prior to the existence of these calendars, based on these non-existent (at the time) calendars?

The better question would be: What calendar was used at the time of Adam or Moses or Christ. This is a historical question, not an astronomical one. This question, the observatory likely will not answer.

The next question would be: "Based on that calendar, did IT have a perpetual weekly cycle?" The answer to this question would be "no".

2 - No Biblical Basis and is Provably False

Nowhere in the Bible is there any evidence or record supporting a perpetual weekly cycle. A seven day weekly cycle, yes. But a perpetually repeating one, no.

The Biblical record proves (with no room for doubt) that every new month started a new week. (further proof to come)

Every month had four COMPLETE weeks, and four Sabbaths. No month had less, no month had more. There were EXACTLY four complete weeks and four Sabbaths in each month.

Our Creator made NO months with partial or incomplete weeks.

The first day of every month was a new moon day, and NOT a day of the week nor a work day.

Every month had Sabbaths on the 8th day of the month (seventh day of the first week), the 15th day, the 22nd day and the 29th day.

There are many Sabbaths mentioned in the Bible. EVERY one of these is on one of these days and there is NO mention of any Sabbath on any different day.

When the children of Israel left Egypt, for three consecutive months, the 15th day of the month is specifically mentioned as a Sabbath day. This COULD NOT happen with an uninterrupted (perpetual) weekly cycle and COULD NOT happen if the weekly cycle didn't start with the new month and COULD NOT happen with "our" current apostate Roman Calendar.

3 - Not in Accord with Ancient Calendars and Customs

ALL calendars, prior to 800 BC were luni-solar with exactly 30 days each and twelve months per year.

The ancient Hebrew, Buddhist, Hindu, Burmese, Bengali, and Tibetan calendars, as well as the traditional Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Mongolian and Korean calendars, plus the ancient Hellenic, Coligny, and Babylonian calendars are all lunisolar. Also some of the ancient pre-Islamic calendars in South Arabia followed a lunisolar system.[1] The Chinese, Coligny and Hebrew[2] lunisolar calendars track more or less the tropical year whereas the Buddhist and Hindu lunisolar calendars track the sidereal year. Therefore, the first three give an idea of the seasons whereas the last two give an idea of the position among the constellations of the full moon. The Tibetan calendar was influenced by both the Chinese and Hindu calendars. The Germanic peoples also used a lunisolar calendar before their conversion to Christianity. (wikipedia)

Luni-solar calendars CANNOT support a perpetual weekly cycle because the weeks are controlled by the moon and the lunar cycle repeats on the basis of the new moon, NOT on the basis of previous weeks.

4 - It was Rome

The false concept of the perpetual weekly cycle was first commanded by the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar (in his Julian Calendar) and perpetuated by the Roman Pope Gregory to replace the moon's function which was removed from their false, counterfeit calendars. Prior to this, the Roman calendar was lunar with a NINE DAY weekly cycle, starting with an observable new moon. How can THAT calendar accurately perpetuate a seven day perpetual weekly cycle?

(and... How can ANY true Protestant observe and defend ANYTHING Roman?)

The Gregorian and Julian calendars are solar ONLY, thus lack the qualities of the two great lights specified by God at creation (sun AND moon). They are therefore counterfeit, prima fascie.

This fulfills the prophecies of Daniel and Job that there would be counterfeit calendars.

And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change TIMES and laws... Daniel 7:25

Why, seeing TIMES are not hidden from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his DAYS? Some REMOVE THE LANDMARKS; Job 24:1-2

Knowing that there will be false, counterfeit calendars, we should be especially on our guard when it comes to time.

5 - Not in Accordance with the Testimony of the Jews

This history has become relatively lost. Most Jewish historians know that their calendar used to be luni-solar. They know that the new month was originally declared by direct observation of the new moons (until Babylonian captivity). Later, calculation was added, and finally, by calculation only (359 AD).

They know that the year was adjusted to the sun and the barley harvest.

They know that the sighting of the new moon started a new month.

It is now very difficult to find modern recollection of the weekly cycle beginning with the new month. However, here is secular proof:

"Declaring the new month by observation of the new moon, and the new year by the arrival of spring, can only be done by the Sanhedrin. In the time of Hillell II [4th century C.E.], the last President of the Sanhedrin, the ROMANS prohibited this practice. Hillel II was therefore forced to institute his fixed calendar, thus in effect giving the Sanhedrin's advance approval to the calendars of all future years. ("The Jewish Calendar and Holidays (incl. Sabbath)": The Jewish Calendar; Changing the Calendar, www.torah.org, emphasis supplied.)

The New Moon is still, and the Sabbath originally was, dependent upon the lunar cycle." (Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, p. 410)

The ONLY way the Sabbath could be dependent upon the lunar cycle, is if the weekly cycle started anew. If the weekly cycle were perpetual, the Sabbath would be known and NOT be dependent on anything. (which is the current case in Judaism - think 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,1,2,3,4,5,6,7).

New year

A shofar made from a ram's horn is traditionally blown in observance of Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Jewish civic year.

Exodus 12:2 and Deut 16:1 set Aviv (now Nisan) as "the first of months": this month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.

Nisan 1 is referred to as the ecclesiastical new year.

In ancient Israel, the start of the ecclesiastical new year for the counting of months and festivals (i.e. Nisan) was determined by reference to Passover. Passover is on 14 Nisan, (Leviticus 23:4-6) which corresponds to the full moon of Nisan. As Passover is a spring festival, it should fall on a full moon day around, and normally just after, the vernal (northward) equinox. If the twelfth full moon after the previous Passover is too early compared to the equinox, a leap month is inserted near the end of the previous year before the new year is set to begin. According to normative Judaism, the verses in Exodus 12:1–2 require that the months be determined by a proper court with the necessary authority to sanctify the months. Hence the court, not the astronomy, has the final decision.[34]

According to some Christian and Karaite sources, the tradition in ancient Israel was that 1 Nisan would not start until the barley is ripe, being the test for the onset of spring.[35] If the barley was not ripe an intercalary month would be added before Nisan. See here

This is (almost hidden) proof of the Jewish record of a non-perpetual week, because a perpetual week could NOT guarantee that every abib (nisan) 14 would be at the time of a full moon, and, in fact, would guarantee its impossibility.

No Proof that Saturday is the Seventh Day Here is the bottom line:

How are you going to prove that Saturday (which didn't exist until 46 BC) is the seventh day, without pointing to Rome's false calendar?

"Saturday" or whatever it's called in the language of your choice, doesn't even exist EXCEPT on Rome's false calendars.

If NOT a Perpetual Weekly Cycle, WHAT INSTEAD?

Instead of a perpetual weekly cycle, we will study that the weekly cycle starts fresh with the start of each new month. This can occur because the week was completed by the end of the month.

A new month, a new week.

God makes nothing incomplete. He makes no months with partial or incomplete weeks. Each month contains ONLY completed weeks. And each month contains exactly four completed weeks. (pus one or two new moon days to start the month)

Neither of the new moon days are numbered in the week, and only one new moon day is numbered in the month. EVERY month looks like this:

00 00 00 00 00 0X 01
02 03 04 05 06 07 08
09 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29

01 is the first day of the month and a new moon day but is NOT part of any week, 0X is a potential, additional new moon day, not counting as part of any week or any month. It was just a filler, probably required only after the earth tilted on its axis, and NOT part of God's original perfect design.

Sabbaths are the days of the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th. Every month, just the same.

Work weeks are days 2-7, 9-14, 16-21 and 23-28, the first six days of every week, every month.