CALCULATING TIME
The following letter was written in 1983 in the interest of unity concerning Yahweh’s set times.
Dear Brother:
Shalom in Yahweh and Yahshua. HalleluYah.
It has come to me to write this to you concerning a point, in the interest of all Yahweh’s called observing the correct days. This is in accordance with a prayer of mine about 19 years ago.
First of all, I hope you had a trip to Israel that was a beneficial blessing. Also, I want to say I preach, and desire to be known as a minister that represents the entire assembly of Yahweh – not just the local FAITH assembly in Michigan.
Since you have just been to Israel, the point I make may be quite understandable to you; however, many have apparently not been able to see it.
Thinking of yourself as being in Jerusalem and observing the weekly Sabbath, you are observing a day that is called Saturday. Thinking of me as being in Florida and observing the weekly Sabbath, I also am observing a day that is called Saturday. We each observe the same day of the week, Saturday. I begin to observe it about 7 hours after you start, and those in Japan begin to observe it before you do; but we all observe the same day of the week, Saturday, when it comes to us. Some people might reason that if I am going to keep the same Sabbath as you in Jerusalem, I should begin to do it the same hour as you do in Jerusalem. We know this reasoning is [erroneous] don’t we? Wherever we are on earth, we keep the same day of the week (Saturday) for the Sabbath, when it comes to us.
Now let us consider another sabbath, an annual sabbath, the day of Trumpets. Again think of yourself in Jerusalem and observing the Trumpets sabbath. Let’s say that the particular year you are observing this Trumpets sabbath, it falls on a Friday. The person in Japan, and I here in Florida will also observe it on Friday when it gets to us, in the same manner as we observe the weekly Sabbath, Saturday, when it gets to us. Right? Yahweh is not the author of confusion is He? I do not think He tells some on earth to observe Saturday for the weekly Sabbath – and others to observe Friday. Neither, in this case of Trumpets sabbath, do I think He tells some to observe it on a Friday, and others on a Thursday. Forgive the use of the pagan names for the days of the week, which Yahweh likely would not use; but I thought this might make it plainer. We can substitute 5th, 6th, and 7th for these days of the week in this letter.
I have probably made my point and maybe do not need to continue, however, I will elaborate a little more.
If in Jerusalem this coming day of Trumpets, I think you will find it to be on the 6th day of the week (Friday) as in the foregoing example. This is September 9, 1983 on the worldly calendar. The so-called conjunction is about 4:36 a.m., Sept. 7 Jerusalem time. The next sunset is only about 13 hours, 20 minutes later – the moonset less than 14 hours after conjunction – not enough time from conjunction to see this new moon, you and I both believe. Therefore Sept. 8 would not be the day of Trumpets. Sept. 9 would, (Friday) the 6th day of the week. As in our foregoing examples, I also want to observe this 6th day of the week for Trumpets sabbath no matter where I may be on earth.
It so is this coming Sept. that as we go west from Jerusalem that we might begin to see the new moon in the western U.S. the night (after sunset) of Sept. 7 – and of course it would also be seen that night west to the date line east of Japan; but not at Jerusalem (or east of it to the date line) this night of Sept. 7. Do we have a right to set a date line down through the U.S. and proclaim the sabbath west of it to be Thursday, the 5th day of the week, and east of it through Jerusalem to Japan and Yahweh’s date line (in the ocean), to be Friday, the 6th day of the week? I think not. I believe Yahweh’s date line, where days of the week start, is out in the ocean east of Japan at the latitude where we can draw a straight vertical line from north to south pole where it crosses no land (or nearly no land). There is only one such place like this on earth. If the date line came down through the land mass, it would cause quite a disturbance with it being one day of the week on one side of it, and another day of the week on the other side.
It is orderly and good, isn’t it, that we keep the same day of the week for the weekly Sabbath, no matter where we are on earth. I think it will also be good when all the true believers around the world will also keep the same day of the week for Trumpets sabbath, and all the other new moon days as well.
Anciently, the new moon was spotted around Jerusalem, and the day of month beginning was proclaimed there. Why not do the same today and end the confusion of some people beginning a month on one day of the week, and others on another day of the week? At the year beginning, we consider the barley in Palestine, don’t we – not somewhere else on earth. Why not go all the way in being correct, and go to Jerusalem to determine on what day of the week a month starts so we will all be using the same day of the week, in the same manner that we all use the same day of the week for the Sabbath (and go to the date line to say where it starts)?
Sunset is, of course, the time that a day starts wherever we are; but it is at the date line that determination is made as to what day of the week it is that is starting at sunset wherever we are. At every moment, the sun is setting somewhere on earth, and a day is beginning. Let’s say Sabbath is beginning. As the earth rotates, Sabbath keeps beginning later in time westward. We cannot continue to say that Friday is ending and Sabbath is starting. Eventually, as we go west, we must say at some point that it is not Sabbath starting now – it is Sunday starting now. This point is, I believe, Yahweh’s date line (not man’s crooked international date line). Because, in this example, it is Sabbath on one side and Sunday on the other, it is good that the date line is over water – not land where there would be confusion among the populace. Is it not significant that if we divide the earth at the date line, and spread it out as a flat map, we find Jerusalem nearly (or maybe exactly) in the center of the land mass?
This might be another reason to say that Jerusalem is the spot to say when it occurs, “We see the new moon now. It is the 6th day of the week just starting. This day of the week is the month beginning throughout the earth.” Someone might say that a problem with this reasoning is that this day had already started in Japan and beyond to the date line BEFORE it was proclaimed at Jerusalem to be the new moon day; so how did those people know to observe it as new moon day? Firstly, if Yahweh indicates to determine it from Jerusalem, we do not argue with Him. Secondly, those in Japan can calculate from Jerusalem just as we in the U.S. can. Others might say, “How can we expect people to calculate things without instruments?” I will ask a question: “It has been cloudy weather for several days. We have not seen the sun. How am I going to know when it is sunset to start the Sabbath?” The answer is obvious. By calculation. Have not Yahweh’s people always been intelligent enough to figure and calculate a little bit?
Another question has been, “How can we know without instruments when is the equal day and night in the spring?” If a person can count, he can simply count about 365 days from the last time. Or he can set up a couple stakes lined up east and west. When the sunset is in line with them, it is the equal day and night time of year. By the counting of days from this time, he can know ahead of time when the next such time will occur. If we were alone somewhere, such as on an island, would we not also do a little calculation to keep track of what day of the week it was? I would say calculation is not an unsurmountable problem. If it was, then we might have to say that the day of the week of the new moon should be determined by the new moon sighting at the date line. But then, who would be out there in the water to observe it?
I hope I have not digressed so much that my main point has been lost; and that point is: If we all keep the same 7th day of the week Sabbath, should we not also all keep the same day of the week for the Trumpets sabbath – and all month beginnings?
It would follow, of course, that moon sightings at various spots around the world would not necessarily all be significant in determining the beginning of the month; but have you not already indicated this a year or so ago in a newsletter, on one occasion of moonlighting, that even if they saw the moon a day earlier, it would not change the day that had been already determined? People can still observe the new moon everywhere for its interest, beauty, and educational value.
Sincerely,
George Kinney
The Faith staff has determined the visible new moon crescent for the beginning of the year as follows. Take the new moon nearest to the spring equinox (Gen. 1:14, Psalm 104:19, Jer. 31:35), and use as the starting point of the new year. This keeps the lunar year and the solar year in a closer relationship. When the sun crosses the equator whatever the minute or second, a new year begins. That is an event for the whole world, whatever time zone we are in. Equinox — the time when the sun crosses the equator, making night and day of equal length in all parts of the earth (Webster’s New World Dictionary).
The Faith staff takes the visible sighting of the new moon crescent at Jerusalem rather than local sighting. When Yahshua returns to this earth and sets up His Kingdom, the law will go forth out of Zion and the Word of Yahweh from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3, Jer. 3:17).