When Does Sabbath Begin?
When Does a Day Begin?
There are THREE easy rules for determining Biblical days. The difficulty is not in the words or in the understanding, but that the results are so opposed to our deeply held belief system and conditioning.
RULE 1: "Day" is defined as the period of "light". It does NOT / can NOT include any period of dark, which is defined as "night" and is the opposite of day.
This rule is given by God, himself...
"And Elohim called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And Elohim made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night..." Genesis 1:5, 16
RULE 1 that defines "Day" and "Night" is as simple and straightforward as can be. Day (light) starts at daybreak, ends at sunset and is ruled by the sun. Night (dark) starts at sunset, ends at daybreak and is ruled by the moon.
To make sure we correctly understand Rule 1, Rule 2 was given by the Messiah.
RULE 2: A day is 12 hours long, NOT 24 hours.
"Yahushua answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him." John 11:9-10
Nobody disputed this rule. Nobody said "No there are 24 hours in a day!" At this period in history, using the Creator's calendar of the Bible, days were 12 hours long. PERIOD! (the length of hours varied slightly for differences between summer and winter).
Notice also, the relationship of dark and light to evil and good. See also Romans 13:12.
RULE 3: There is no such thing as a 24 hour period in the Bible. It is referred to as two 12 hour periods, a day and a night. A day is NEVER a 24 hour period. (see Rules 1 and 2)
Following are a few examples of multiple periods:
40 days and 40 nights
And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights. Genesis 7:12
And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and got him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights. Exodus 24:18
And he [Elijah] arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of Elohim. 1 Kings 19:8
Then was Yahushua led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. Matthew 4:1-2
3 days and 3 nights
And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights. 1 Samuel 30:12
Now yhwh [Yahweh] had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Jonah 1:17
Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. Esther 4:16
7 days and 7 nights
So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great. Job 2:13
When referring to multiple periods of time, they are ALWAYS referred to separately:
The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever. Psalms 136:8-9
Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. Isaiah 60:11
Thus saith yhwh, 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; yhwh of hosts is his name: Jeremiah 31:35
Whenever you forget or get confused, refer back to these three rules. Return to these, Yahweh's definitions.
A Confusion of Terms
Some of our confusion is caused by a confusion of terms (definitions).
Biblical day = period of sunlight, sunrise to sunset, 12 hours
Modern Jewish "day" = sunset to sunset, 24 hours
Roman calendar "day" = midnight to midnight, 24 hours
(Both the modern Jewish "day" and the Roman calendar "day" include a day and a night in a single, so-called but falsely named, "day".)
24 hour "days" are physically, logically, mathematically and semantically impossible.
It would be like saying that a dollar = a dollar and a half.
a dollar (day) + a 50 cent piece (night) = a dollar (day)
+
= (NOT!)
This defines something to be equal that can NOT be equal!
When does the sabbath day begin?
(when does any day begin?)
This question completely answers itself with the correct definition of a day. A day begins in the morning (daybreak) and ends in the evening (Rule 1). End of discussion. Remember the Sabbath DAY to keep it holy Exodus 20:8 . A day is 12 hours (Rule 2). There is no Sabbath night. The day is Holy, light; the night is not. The day is light, the night is darkness (there is no darkness in the light, 1 John 1:5).
This is the end of the study and it is all that is required, keeping it simple. However, I will continue by providing proofs of modern errors. If you're still unconvinced, read on.
But the Jews keep a 24 hour day starting at sundown....
Yes, this practice comes from their Talmudic traditions of men, NOT from the word of yhwh [Yahweh] written in the Tanakh (law and prophets, the Old Testament, Bible) nor in the New Testament.
They might make a weak reply that the practice is based on the creation story in Genesis 1, where "the evening and the morning were the first day" (etc); claiming that evening is listed before morning, proving that the evening comes before morning, while neglecting (in the same chapter) to consider that day is LIGHT ONLY (12 hours), NOT night. If night is ignored, as it should be, the question answers itself.
Correctly interpreted, the "evening" and "morning" mark the two furtherest boundaries of a day. Knowing that a day is ONLY the sunlight time, the two boundaries are obviously not chronological, but travel from the current time as spoken (evening at the end of the day while the Creator reminisces) back to the beginning of the day, morning to include ALL (ONLY) the daylight time.
Sunset to sunset, would be a day and a night, two periods, NOT a day. (see the three rules).
There are too many Bible verses to list, showing day and night as separate, distinct periods. Never is there an instance of a day referring to a single 24 hour period. Here are a few examples:
That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night. Genesis 31:39
And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. Numbers 11:32
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Joshua 1:8
And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. Mark 1:32
And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. Mark 4:35 (an evening to evening day would make evening the following day, not the same day).
light=day, dark=night
While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. Genesis 8:22
And yhwh went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: Exodus 13:21
And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel's father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home. Judges 19:9
And Yahushua saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. Mark 14:30
Questions answered:
But Leviticus 23:32 says that Sabbath is from even unto even?
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 23:32
This verse refers to the feast sabbath of the Day of Atonement (ONLY), NOT the weekly Sabbath Day. It lasted from even to even, a one night and one day feast (two time periods over two different days of the month). It started on the 9th day of the month at even (the even of the 9th - v. 32) lasting the entire night and extended over all the next (10th) day of the month until even of the 10th (v. 26). This clearly shows that it covers a two day period (the 9th and the 10th days of the month) so could NOT be describing a single weekly Sabbath Day. The Day of Atonement is a yearly sabbath and has nothing to do with the weekly Holy Sabbath Day.
But Genesis 1 declares that the evening and the morning were the xx day, proving that the evening comes before the morning. See Rules 1 and 2.
Following are a few verses disproving evening to evening days:
And when the man rose up to depart, he, and his concubine, and his servant, his father in law, the damsel's father, said unto him, Behold, now the day draweth toward evening, I pray you tarry all night: behold, the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayest go home. Judges 19:9
And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning. Leviticus 7:15
The Jewish traditions of men changed and reversed many of yhwh's times and laws. And he will think to change times and laws.
Yahweh's year starts in the spring and follows the planting and harvest year. Spring is a new start after the death and rest of winter. This is followed by the rapid growth of summer, the autumn harvest and finally, winter rest.
Jewish tradition has changed the new year to start in autumn, just before winter, while Roman law changed it to deep winter.
The Sabbath day was given by yhwh as the 7th day. Jewish tradition has changed this day to Saturday, a Roman day dedicated to the pagan planetary god Saturn, while Rome has changed it to Sunday, a day dedicated to the Sun god. Neither of these are the 7th day.
yhwh gave his people a 12 hour day, consisting
only of light and starting in the morning but Jewish tradition has changed this to a 24 hour "day" including darkness and starting with dark, in the evening.
Yahushua, the messiah denounced these traditions of men. When asked why his disciples ignored their traditions, "He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. Mark 7:6-13
But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves... Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. Matthew 23:13-38
We can't depend on this Pharisaical lot for any truth at all.
And yet, Jewish rabbis, even today, know and admit that their Talmudic traditions oppose the word of yhwh.
The temple service started in the morning and ended before the next morning, a day and a night. "And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning." Leviticus 7:15
"In order to fix the beginning and ending of the Sabbath-day and festivals and to determine the precise hour for certain religious observances it becomes necessary to know the exact times of the rising and setting of the sun. According to the strict interpretation of the Mosaic law, every day begins with sunrise and ends with sunset... (Jewish Encyclopedia, p. 591-597)
"There can be no doubt that in pre-exilic times the Israelites reckoned the day from morning to night. The day began with the dawn and closed with the end of the night following it..." (Jacob Zallel Lauterbach, Rabbinic Essays, (Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College Press, 1951), p. 446)
When the Hebrews returned to Palestine after THEIR BABYLONIAN EXILE (516 B.C.E.) they brought back with them the BABYLONIAN astronomy and WAY OF RECKONING TIME...Hebrew tradition STRETCHES THE DAY a little; a FEW MINUTES is ADDED at EITHER END--and even an HOUR OR TWO among the more observant..." (What is a Jew, p. 108).
The (New Catholic Encyclopedia -Volume 11, p. 1068) adds the following under the heading, "EARLY Palestinian Calendar": "...a sacred day of rest on the 7th day (the Sabbath) . DAYS WERE RECKONED FROM MORNING to morning..." Under the heading "LATER JEWISH CALENDAR" (same article) we read: "Following the reign of King Josia (c. 640-609), and ESPECIALLY AFTER THE BABYLONIAN EXILE a number of SIGNIFICANT and ENDURING CHANGES OCCURRED IN THE ISRAELITE CALENDAR showing that the Hebrew GRADUALLY ADOPTED THE BABYLONIAN CALENDAR of the time...The seven
day week persisted despite its failure to divide evenly either the month or the year. The DAY however, was counted from EVENING TO EVENING, AFTER THE BABYLONIAN FASHION...".
For Further Reading:
"Biblical days started at daybreak not sunset" By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin (Here) or (Here)
"The Counting of 'Day' and 'Night'" by Meir M. Ydit in the "Conservative Judaism Journal" (Here) or (Here)
"Day or night - when do we start?" By LEVI COOPER in The Jerusalem Post (Here) or (Here)
The Roman calendar is even futher from the true. It blurred the boundaries between day and night by starting at midnight, a 24 hour "day", midnight to midnight. 1/2 of the "day" is actually night, but called "day". Half of the night belongs to the previous "day" and half belongs to the next, coming "day".
Worse, it lacks an observable beginning and end. A watch or clock is required to know when it starts. All Yahweh's times are easily observable.
RULE 1: "Day" is defined as the period of "light". It does NOT / can NOT include any period of dark, which is defined as "night" and is the opposite of day.
RULE 2: A day is 12 hours long, NOT 24 hours.
RULE 3: There is no such thing as a 24 hour period in the Bible. It is referred to as two 12 hour periods, a day and a night. A day is NEVER a 24 hour period. (see Rules 1 and 2)
