Assemblies of Yahweh Ministries Newsletter

Issue No. 04                                               India                                                           Feb. 2003

Assembly building dedications

During the month of December and January there were two Assembly buildings dedicated for the proclamation of the Name of Yahweh.  In Malikipuram, brother Issac Kusima dedicated a nice building in the E.G. Dt. A.P.  Then in the Guntur Dt., village of Gorantla, bro. G. Samson dedicated a concrete building.  The foundation was laid about ten years ago for the prayer hall in Guntur, and it has finally been completed by the grace of Yahweh.

Blow the Shofar at the New Moon, Ps. 81:3

"Blow up the trumpet(shofar) in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.  For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the Elohim of Jacob."  Ps. 81:3,4.  In ancient Ysrael the day of the new moon was a special day that was announced by the blowing of a curved horn.  For the announcing of the beginning of the new moon day it is necessary to blow a trumpet.  The hebrew word "shofar" means, curved horn in English. 

In Vijayawada a brother Benjamin Yehu Baruch has made some nice ram's horns that look and sound very well.  If anyone would be interested in obtaining one of these they can contact bro. Benjamin for prices and sizes at:  0866-2531871.

Timing of the Annual Festivals  by Bro. Matithyah

Last month we looked at the Sabbath days, weekly and annual;  it was seen that they were given at creation, commanded in the law of Yahweh, kept by Yahshua Messiah and His disciples, and they will be kept in the new heaven and earth.   In Leviticus 23 it gives the exact timing for the annual sabbaths, but when does the Scriptural month and year begin?  This article will give a brief answer to this question but will not go into detail to answer all doubts.  For anyone who desires more info on this subject than what is presented herein, it is recommended that they write to the address at the end of this letter for a more in depth study document of the subject.  Or they can go to www.sevendayweek.com and view the information presented there, in the "articles" section.

The Day

In Gen. 1:14-18 it says, "And Elohim said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:  And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And Elohim made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.  And Elohim set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and Elohim saw that it was good."

One of the reasons for the lights in the heavens is to rule over the day and night.  The sun rules over the day, and whenever the lights of the stars or moon is seen, the rule of the sun has ceased and the rule of the lesser lights has now started.  In Neh.4:21,22 it shows that the people of Jerusalem considered the visible sighting of the stars in the heavens to be the sign that the time of night had begun.  We read,

"So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour in the day" Neh. 4:21,22.  Thus we see that the people of Jerusalem labored in the day and stood guard at night, (when the stars appeared).

Jere. 31:35 says, "Thus saith Yahweh, 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; Yahweh of hosts is His Name:"  Thus showing again that night does not come until the moon or stars can be seen.

In the Bible, the official day started with the dark part, not the light part, as can be seen from Gen. 1 where is says repeatedly, evening and morning were the first day, second day, etc...  Dt. 19:15 says that two or three witnesses were required to settle various matters of legal dispute.  So when it comes to the law of Yahweh, two or three lights of witness in the heavens would signal that the new day has begun.

The Month

As the visible sighting of the stars in the heavens signaled the beginning of the day, it likewise follows that the visible sighting of the crescent moon after a day or two of darkness signals the start of the new month.  Gen. 1:14 says that the "lights" in the heavens set the time for the "years", and thus the month also.  This is when the trumpets were blown to announce that the new month had begun, Num. 10:10;  Lev.23:23,24.  Ezra 6:15 and Neh 6:15  shows the use of Babylonian month names in Jerusalem for their use also. This would lead to confusion unless the Israelite month began the same way the Babylonian month began, and it is known from many surviving Babylonian writings that they began a month with the new crescent. Neh 8:2, 9 shows that Ezra and Nehemiah correctly began the seventh month on the right day that year, so they knew when the month began. 

The Year

Gen. 1:14 shows that the something about the sun is to determine the start of the year.  The only thing about the sun that could directly influence the start of the year is the equinoxes and solstices.  The ancient Egyptians were observers of the equinoxes as the pyramids they constructed were perfectly aligned with the east west shadows of the sun during the equinoxes.  Moses was learned in all the wisdom of Egypt, Acts 7:22.  When Yahweh said to Moses, "This month(moon) shall be the beginning of months for you", Ex.12:2, Moses was in Egypt at the time and he would not have thought of Barley in Canaan being that He never entered Canaan land, and he would not have thought of the equinox unless it had already occurred.  For Moses to think of the moon after the vernal equinox would be in accordance with his many years of Egyptian study and training.

Babylonian historical records show that they began a year with the first visible crescent moon after the vernal equinox.  Being that the Israelites adopted the Babylonian month names, they must have started the year the same way or there would have been great confusion.   

There are surviving letters today of Jews that lived on an Egyptian island called Elephantine, and they wrote letters to the Jews in Jerusalem during the years of 472-400BC, which is the same time of Ezra and Nehemiah.  These letters are double dated with the Egyptian calendar date as well as the Jewish calendar date.  And never once in this seventy-two year period did the Jewish year start before the vernal equinox.  So we have proof of righteous teachers of the law in Biblical times starting the year with the first visible crescent after the vernal equinox. 

Feast of Weeks (Pentecost)

The exact month and day of six of the seven annual sabbaths are specifically mentioned in the Scriptures, in Lev. 23.  Thus, if someone has correctly determined the start of the Scriptural year it is very easy to find the correct timing of six of the annual Sabbaths.  But, the exact day of Pentecost is not named, as far as giving the month and day.  The timing of this festival is described as thus, in Lev. 23:9-11,15,16,21, "And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:  And he shall wave the sheaf before Yahweh, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it....And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto Yahweh....And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations." 

Amongst the Jews in Yahshua's time there was a controversy between the Pharisees and the Saducees concerning the timing of the feast of Weeks.  The Pharisees said that the count to the feast of Weeks should start on Abib 16, whereas the Sadducees said it should start on the day after the Weekly Sabbath of Unleavened Bread.  The Sadducees had control of the the temple in Yahshua's day and thus Pentecost was kept on the first day of the week during the days of Yahshua Messiah,  see Acts 5:17;  9:1,2.  Thus, the feast of Weeks was kept on the morrow of the seventh Weekly Sabbath of Unleavened Bread by Yahshua Messiah, and He is our example, 1Pet. 1:21.  Of course Yahshua was simply following what the law of Yahweh said in Lev. 23.  Also, on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 Yahweh showed His approval by sending His spirit in fullness of power.  Pentecost was still kept on the first day of the week at this time.  If Yahweh had meant that the count to Pentecost should start on Abib 16 then He would have said so, but He did not.

Concerning the word "Pentecost", the SDA Bible Dictionary says, "About the time of Christ there was a dispute between certain Pharisees and Sadducees. Some of the latter contended that Pentecost was to be always on the day after a weekly Sabbath because they insisted that the wave sheaf, from which the 7 weeks were counted, should be offered on the day after the weekly Sabbath that fell during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Talmud Menahoth 65a)".

Any questions on the information presented in this newsletter can be directed to the address below.

2003 Festival Dates

• Abib 1-  Scriptural New Year-  Rosh Hashanah- Apr. 4, 2003

• Abib 14-21-  Passover/Unleavened Bread-  Pesach/Matszohs-  Apr. 17-24  (will be kept in Visakhapatnam at the Zion School premicises)

• Feast of Weeks-  Pentecost-  Shavout-  Jun. 8  (will be kept in Hyderabad at the Medipally prayer hall)

• Ethanim 1-  Festival of Trumpets-  Yom Teruah-  Sept. 28

• Ethanim 10-  Day of Atonement-  Yom Kippur-  Oct. 7

• Ethanim 15-22-  Festival of Tabernacles-  Sukkot-  Oct. 12-19  (will be kept in Eluru, WG., Dt. with Pas. G.B. Benoni)

G. B. Ben Oni

Eluru, Navabpet

W.G. Dt. A.P. 534001

tele- 08812-50404, 35109

email (bro. Mattithyah)-  Yahweh@vsnl.com

Y. Sunith Premanand -  sunithy@rediffmail.com