1. What Are Lunar Sabbaths?

remember a new dessert taste sensation that was introduced back in the 60’s. It was called Something Different, and boy, was it ever delicious. It was a very light and fluffy, chocolate mousse-like dessert that was served after having been chilled in the refrigerator. For a time, Something Different was a

very popular dessert item and it was widely advertised on TV. To my disappointment, however, the product apparently didn’t catch on with enough consumers, and within a few years, it was only a fading memory.

ISomething Different would be an appropriate description of a relatively new belief structure currently

being promoted by some professing Sabbathkeepers. Like the dessert, this mode of Sabbath observance has a certain appeal that has drawn many people into embracing it. The question is, will this belief attract enough people to have any significant impact on the Sabbathkeeping world, or will it one day find itself a faded memory, a testimony to a passing idea or fad that simply didn’t “catch on”? More importantly to our current investigation is the question, “Is this method of Sabbath observance based upon truth and does it have the support of Scripture?”

In simple terms, “Lunar Sabbaths” can be defined as the observance of the weekly Sabbath based upon the lunar cycle instead of the continuously-repeating weekly Sabbath observed by Judaism, which always falls on the day commonly known as Saturday. Of course, in ancient Judaism the days of the week were not known by their planetary names as they are referred to by today’s society. Ancient Judaism simply referred to this day as “Shabbat,” not “Saturday.” The weekly Shabbat handed down to us from Judaism is consistently separated by six days of work. For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as the “continuously-repeating weekly Sabbath.” With Lunar Sabbaths, however, the interval from one Sabbath to the next is interrupted once a month. Since the timing of Lunar Sabbaths is determined by the lunar cycle, the “cycle of sevens” must be broken once a month to allow for the fact that a lunation (29.53 days) cannot be divided by seven. As a result, there will always be at least seven days (instead of the usual six) separating one weekly Sabbath from the Sabbath of the old month to the Sabbath of the new month. Moreover, if the old month has 30 days, there will be eight days separating the weekly Sabbaths. If you’re having difficulty envisioning how this process works, don’t worry … we will provide a sample calendar later in this study.

Why Observe Lunar Sabbaths?

There are three key factors that I believe serve as prerequisites for observing Lunar Sabbaths. One factor requires an intense distrust of Judaism1, as well as a belief that they were successful in

1 Here are a few quotes validating the fact that lunar sabbatarians, at least the ones we have encountered, exhibit an intense distrust for Jews. The following remark comes from lunar sabbatarian Arnold Bowen, directed at a forum discussion participant, who, although not yet a lunar sabbatarian (as of this writing), has admitted to being very close to accepting this doctrine: “Something for your consideration: it seems that you are aware that the so-called Jews of today are not YHWH’s chosen people, and anyone who would “dare” to study the matter can very easily see the same thing. Anyhow you, Brother Matthew and I, along with many others, have dared to search into the matter and have found them to be liars and descendents of Ashkenazi etc.; they are not Abraham’s seed, it is as simple as that.” (This quote is taken from EliYah’s Forums (www.eliyah.com), the “True Sabbath” private forum discussion thread entitled “The word Sabbath in Lev-23:11,” posted on 05-27-2004). As I mentioned, in the above quote, Mr. Bowen complimented this discussion participant for agreeing with him that the Jews of today are “liars.” Later, however, Mr. Bowen scolded this man for accepting the Jews’ “Saturday Sabbath.” The following admonition was posted on 06-09-2004 in the forum “thread” entitled “Did you see the moon tonight?”: “We both know that the so-called Jews of today are phonies and I know their Sabbath as phony also AND you admit

Something Different: Lunar Sabbaths

manipulating the historical record so as to remove all traces of their having collectively switched from being Lunar Sabbatarians in favor of observing the current continuously-repeating cycle that is practiced by Judaism today. Another prerequisite involves taking three isolated verses of Scripture (Genesis 1:14, Psalms 104:19 and Leviticus 23:1-3), then piecing them together to formulate the lunar sabbatarian conclusion that Scripture upholds observing the weekly Sabbath based upon the lunar cycle. We will cover this method of exegesis, as well as the verses in question, later in this study. The third factor involves an extreme reversal of the “truth in numbers” mentality. We all understand the world’s way of reasoning, “The majority must be right,” whereas the Messiah made it plain that the path to the Kingdom is a narrow one, and only a few will find it. Lunar Sabbatarians tend to take this teaching to the extreme level of exhibiting the mentality that, not only are there too many folks observing the Sabbath on the wrong day of Sunday, but there are also too many folks who observe it on the day known as Saturday, so they must also be deceived! We will address this particular reasoning in the next section of our study.

First, let’s consider the fact that lunar sabbatarians as a whole have an intense distrust for Judaism and the historical record. I believe we should be careful, especially when it comes to accusing others (or expressing distrust) without having the evidence to support the accusation. In other words, I believe we should adhere to the “innocent until proven guilty” maxim. I have my share of conflicts with the practices and beliefs of Judaism, chief of which is their rejection of Yeshua the Messiah. They have other doctrines that I believe can also be demonstrated as false. Is the day on which they observe the weekly Sabbath one of them? If so, why have lunar sabbatarians been unsuccessful in providing the evidence? They have been quite adamant about charging Judaism with abandoning the lunar sabbath in favor of “pagan Roman Saturday sabbaths,” as lunar sabbatarians have frequently labeled them, but they have not been successful in providing the necessary evidence to support their claims.

It can be shown that Judaism, in the year 358/359 C.E., switched from abiding by a calendar based upon the sighting of the crescent new moon to one based upon the calculation of the conjunction. This is something that Judaism admits to having done, and is no secret.2 Thus, of the charge involving changing the calendar, I believe Judaism is guilty by their own admission. Judaism also admits that, in the beginning, there was no scruple against speaking the Creator’s name in daily speech.3 Other Jewish traditions without Scriptural foundation are also well-attested to having originated outside of Scripture, such as the tradition of men’s headcoverings and mixing meat and dairy products. However, there is no record of Judaism swapping one method of Sabbath reckoning in favor of another one. Indeed, the likelihood of such an event occurring worldwide without a trace of protest, or even a trace of agreement, is so remote that it defies all logic. It also fails to answer such questions as how a remote community of Jews in India known as “Bene Israel” was discovered in the 1700’s … a community that traces its

the Jews are phonies, yet you accept their phony Sabbath. Even if they were true Jews that have been blinded, the Scripture teaches us not to follow the blind. END”Still another participant in the Lunar Sabbath forum discussion expressed his distaste for Judaism in the way he chose to spell the word: “I find that on [the] EliYah [forum] there is a bias leaning toward jew-duh-ism and against christianity. Who at least acknowledges Messiah came, died for our sins, and rose again?? But both are influenced HEAVILY by rome and babylon, babylon being the anti-messiah world system power predecessor to rome!!! Let us not ignore that.” (From a posting submitted by David, who uses the screen name “shieldofdavid,” on February 1, 2006 in the forum thread entitled “Are ALL "Moedim" Moon-related?”)2 Cf., The Encyclopædia Judaica, Jerusalem, Israel: Keter Publishing House. Vol. 5, where we read the following: “According to a tradition quoted in the name of Hai Gaon (d. 1038), the present Jewish calendar was introduced by the patriarch Hillel II in 670 Era of the Seleucids = 4119 Era of the Creation = 358/59 C.E. (500 C.E., claimed to derive from another version, seems to rest on a mistake).”3 Cf., Everyman's Talmud, by A. Cohen, originally pub. in 1949, p. 24.

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Something Different: Lunar Sabbaths

ancestry to seven families who were shipwrecked while fleeing persecution during the 2nd century B.C.E. … yet were still found practicing the same weekly Sabbath recognized by Judaism today.4

From January 2004 through February 2007, I participated in an online Lunar Sabbath discussion, hosted by EliYah’s Forums (www.eliyah.com). One of the participants in the discussion, although not a Lunar Sabbatarian, intimated that he is close to accepting the Lunar Sabbath doctrine.5 One trait he shares with Lunar Sabbatarians that definitely helps bring him closer to this understanding is his healthy distrust of Judaism, including the belief that the Jews of today are not “really” Jews. In spite of holding to this belief, however, he recognized that this position cannot be used to promote Lunar Sabbatarian theology. Here is one remark he made, which I believe is worthy of notation:

“Even opposing religions will have some things in common, as well as disagreeing on other things. For example, the SDAs, the "Jews", the COG(7th Day), and most WCG offshoots all believe in not eating unclean meats. When the Kazars, Edomites, and others became "Jews", they adopted "Judaism", along with whatever Sabbath it was keeping at the time, whether it was the true one or a false one. The fact that many "Jews" were now false ones doesn't make their Sabbath false. Remember that there were false Jews in Yahshua's time, keeping the same Sabbath that He kept.”6

As expressed by my fellow participant in the online Lunar Sabbath discussion, even if today’s Jews are not related to the Jews of Yeshua’s day, this would not reverse the fact that whichever group was absorbed into Judaism also absorbed their practices and beliefs. Thus, if the “false Jews” were somehow successful in changing the Jewish day of rest and worship, this colossal change, along with the record of protests (and there would certainly have been more than a few!), was somehow erased from the record of history, for no writer ever so much as hinted at such a change having occurred. The gentleman who participated in the Lunar Sabbath discussion later expressed this same understanding, using different terminology:

“Even though the House of Israel lost its identity, Yahshua's followers never lost theirs, or the sign of the Sabbath; unless of course you can show me in history when and where this happened? I have asked this before, without getting any answer. (And remember i'm not talking about the Jews, or the RCC.)”7

Even though this particular individual shares the belief that Judaism was somehow absorbed by such people as the Ashkenazi, and thus lost their identity, he understands that this does not mean a remnant didn’t continue to preserve the weekly Sabbath. He, like me, asked but did not receive the answer to the question of “when, where and how” the weekly Sabbath was switched from one method to the other.

4 Cf., Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, which may be accessed at the following URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bene_Israel. According to this same article, the Bene Israel Jews claimed descent from the Cohanim. In 2002 a DNA test was administered, which confirmed their claim as being true.5 The non-lunar sabbatarian gentleman in question, whose name is Chuck, at one point (in a discussion pertaining to some information presented by Arnold Bowen from the Dead Sea Scrolls) stated, “Greetings Bro. Arnold, You may have discovered some very significant information here. And if it weren't for the Sign of Jonah, i would be getting very close to being convinced.” (From EliYah’s Forums (www.eliyah.com), the “True Sabbath” private forum discussion thread entitled “The Dead Sea Scrolls proves lunar Sabbaths,” posted on 08-28-2006 06:52 PM).6 This quotation is taken from EliYah’s Forums (www.eliyah.com), the “True Sabbath” private forum, posted by Chuck on May 27, 2004 in the thread entitled “The word Sabbath in Lev-23:11.”7 This quotation is taken from EliYah’s Forums (www.eliyah.com), the “True Sabbath” private forum, posted by Chuck on June 9, 2004 in the thread entitled “Did you see the moon tonight?”

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Something Different: Lunar Sabbaths

The second prerequisite for adopting lunar sabbatarian theology involves accepting the three key, yet isolated, Scriptures they piece together to formulate their doctrine. As mentioned earlier, these verses are Genesis 1:14, Psalms 104:19 and Leviticus 23:1-3. There is a key Hebrew word that connects these three verses, the Hebrew word moedim, variously written as mowadah or in its singular form mo’ed. Although this word is commonly translated “seasons” in the King James Version, lunar sabbatarians typically insist that the correct meaning is “appointed times.” Does the lunar sabbatarian connection of Genesis 1:14, Psalms 104:19 and Leviticus 23:1-3 reflect an exegesis supported by the whole of Scripture? Or is this a piecing together of isolated texts that results in a gross misinterpretation of Scripture? We will closely examine this method of interpretation later in our study. Before conducting an analysis of how and why lunar sabbatarians believe as they do, let’s examine what they believe and how they practice their belief.

A Typical Lunar Sabbatarian Month

Frequently referred to as “Lunar Sabbaths,”8 those who promote this belief teach that, in antiquity, the new moon dictated when the Sabbath day was to occur each month. Although there are various methods commonly taught with regard to exactly how this was done, the one I am most familiar with goes like this: The new moon conjunction determines day one of each month, and this day is a “non-week day.”9 That’s right, it doesn’t count as a day of the week, nor is it a weekly Sabbath day. It is a special “New Moon Day,” on which these particular lunar sabbatarians believe no “regular work,” i.e., employment, should be done, although they believe it is okay to do work around the house, such as mowing the lawn 10. Of course, they also believe it is a day for Bible study. The following day, day two of the month, is a regular work day that these particular lunar sabbatarians regard as being the first day of the week. The eighth day of the month, however, is the weekly Sabbath. Each seventh day thereafter (the 15 th, 22nd and 29th days of the month) is regarded as a weekly Sabbath day.

If we examine this particular method, we will notice that at the end of each month, the seven-day repeating cycle is interrupted. Here is what occurs: On day 29, the last weekly Sabbath day of the month, it is possible the conjunction of the moon will occur before sunset ends the day. If so, then the following

8 Also referred to as “Floating Sabbaths.”9 That these particular lunar sabbatarians do not believe the “New Moon Days” count as days of the week can be verified from the direct answer I was given to a question I asked in an internet forum discussion on July 9, 2005. My queston was, “Finally, could you please tell me which day of the week the 30th day of the month falls upon?” That same day I was given the following answer: “RESPONSE; as I have told you and others many times in this forum, the week begins after the new moon day and therefore the new moon is not counted when counting out the weeks.” (From EliYah’s Forums (www.eliyah.com), the “True Sabbath” private forum discussion thread entitled “Why you don't count the New moon day when counting out the weeks”).10 That certain lunar sabbatarians believe the day of the new moon is a day on which household chores, including yard work, is allowed, can be understood from a taped sermon delivered on 06/08/2003 by lunar sabbatarian Matthew Janzen, where he makes the following comment: “On the day of the new moon, my wife and myself … we do stay at home. It is somewhat to us as a day of getting things straightened up around the house, and in the household. If we’ve got something to do out in the yard, we may do … you know, cut grass or something along those lines. But we do have a worship service, and we teach our children that, according to the Scriptures I’ve given here on this tape. But we do not go out and buy and sell. We do not believe that is to be done.”

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Something Different: Lunar Sabbaths

day is regarded as “day one” of the new moon.11 Shown below is a basic calendar illustrating this particular lunar sabbatarian practice and belief:

First Day Second Day Third Day Fourth Day Fifth Day Sixth Day Sabbath Non-Week Day

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 12 3 4 5 6 7 89 10 11 12 13 14 15

As we can see from the above lunar sabbath calendar scenario, there are seven days separating the weekly Sabbath of the 29th day of the old month from the weekly Sabbath of the new month. However, since lunar sabbatarians consider the first day of the month to be both a “no work day” and a “non-week day,” it does not count as one of the six working days of the week. Thus, they feel justified in maintaining that there are still the required six days of work between the one Sabbath and the following Sabbath, even though seven literal days have actually elapsed.

Of course, it is also possible that the conjunction will not occur on the 29th day of the month. It may not occur until the 30th day. When this happens, day 30 is regarded as a “New Moon Day,” i.e., a no-work, non-week day, as is the first day of the month. As with the actual “New Moon Day,” it is termed an “extended worship day,”12 producing three consecutive “no work days.” The following calendar illustrates this particular scenario:

11 To illustrate that these particular lunar sabbatarians begin “day one” of the new moon on the day following the conjunction of the moon, I will cite the following quotation from page 18 of Matthew Janzen’s booklet entitled “New Moon Regulations,” published 09/2003, Conyers, Georgia:

“The day of the new moon I presently observe is the first evening to evening after conjunction. If conjunction happens at 10:00 p.m., that would mean the following evening (app. 20 or so hours later) would be the first full 24 hour period of the rebuilding moon. However, even if a conjunction happened at 5:30 p.m. with only a short time till dark, I would still take the very next evening as the first official day of the new moon/rebuilding. After all, that’s exactly what this day is.” Elsewhere in his booklet, on page 16, Mr. Janzen makes the following remark: “Thus the day of the new moon is the first 24 hours (evening to evening) of the rebuilding. This could not be the day the conjunction happens in, seeing that some hours of the day were not in a rebuilding moon, but rather in an old waning moon.”

12 That lunar sabbatarians refer to the “New Moon Day,” as well as “day 30” of the month, as “extended worship days” can be verified from a comment made by lunar sabbatarian Arnold Bowen in EliYah’s Forums (www.eliyah.com), the “True Sabbath” private forum discussion thread entitled “Philo,” posted on 08-27-2005. This is what he wrote:“Every month the 4 Sabbaths have six work days between each and the last Sabbath/worship day of the month is followed by an extended worship day called the New Moon and then the six day intervals begin anew with a Sabbath at the end of each. This is why they are called Lunar Sabbaths, because they are Governed by the moon and not the sun, as the traditional Sabbath is.” Notice from Mr. Bowen’s commentary that the six-day interval can only begin anew when there is “a Sabbath at the end of each.” Since this Sabbath can only fall on day eight of the month, and since “day one” is not a day of the week, and since “day 30” of the previous month cannot fall on the first day of the week, it, like the day of the new moon, cannot be regarded as a day of the week. Are you confused yet?Lunar sabbatarian Matthew Janzen also addresses the fact that when a month contains thirty days, “day 30” would be the first day of a “two day festival”: “This last 29th day would be followed not necessarily by day 30 and day 1, but rather by a two day festival of the new moon.” (From his study entitled “Sabbath Regulations,” October 2003, p. 29.) Curiously, the first-century Alexandrian Jew named Philo also mentioned the “festival of the new moon,” yet he never once associated it with the Sabbath. Philo devoted an entire column of his writing to the “festival of the new moon,” yet not once did he mention a connection to the observance of the Sabbath, nor did he ever explain that the day of the new moon is to be observed as a day of abstention from work. Cf., The Works of Philo, translated by C. D. Yonge, Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA, “The Special Laws, II,” XXVI, p. 581.

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Something Different: Lunar Sabbaths

First Day Second Day Third Day Fourth Day Fifth Day Sixth Day Sabbath No Work Day No Work Day

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 12 3 4 5 6 7 89 10 11 12 13 14 15

The above calendar reveals an eight-day separation between the weekly Sabbath of the 29th and the weekly Sabbath of the 8th, which is what occurs each time there is a month consisting of 30 days. As with the previous calendar depicting a 29-day month, lunar sabbatarians feel justified in observing the above calendar because, in their estimation, the 30th day of the month, as well as “New Moon Day,” are not days of the week, so they do not count when reckoning weeks.

With all the above in mind, here is a potential lunar sabbath scenario in layman’s terms: A new moon conjunction might occur on a Tuesday. Since “New Moon Day” must come the day following the conjunction, this makes Wednesday the first day of the new month. Remember, however, that although Wednesday would be the first day of the new month, this day does not count as a “day of the week” for these particular lunar sabbatarians. The following day, Thursday, marks the first day of the week. Six days later, then, is the weekly Sabbath, which will always fall on the 8th day of the new month.

For those who might have a difficult time envisioning how one might follow a Lunar Sabbath calendar, we are displaying one for you to examine. The following calendar accurately depicts a potential month during any given year. We are superimposing the Lunar Sabbath calendar over a Gregorian calendar to assist those who may have difficulty understanding how the Lunar Sabbath calendar clashes with a Gregorian calendar:

A Potential Lunar Sabbath MonthSunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Fourth Sabbath of Previous

Month (29th day of month)

“Conjunction Day” 30th day of

previous month, (Not considered a day of the week)

1New Moon Day(Not considered a day of the week)

2Day one of work week (Sabbath

this month will fall on a Wednesday)

3Day two of work

week

4Day three of work week

5Day four of work week

6Day five of work week

7Day six of work

week

8Day seven (first Sabbath of the

month)

9Day one of work

week

10Day two of work

week

11Day three of work week

12Day four of work week

13Day five of work week

14Day six of work

week

15Day seven

(second Sabbath of the month)

16Day one of work

week

17Day two of work

week

18Day three of work week

19Day four of work week

20Day five of work week

21Day six of work

week

22Day seven

(third Sabbath of the month)

23Day one of work

week

24Day two of work

week

25Day three of work week

26Day four of work week

27Day five of work week

28Day six of work

week

29Day seven

(fourth Sabbath of the month)

ALSO:“Conjunction Day”

1New Moon Day (Not considered

a day of the week)

2Day 1 of new month’s work

week; Sabbath this month on a

Thursday

3Day two of work

week

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Something Different: Lunar Sabbaths

Note that the Sabbaths of the above calendar (indicated in red) fall on the 8 th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th days of the month. In any calendar promoted by Lunar Sabbath observers of this particular persuasion, this same sequence will always occur, whether the Sabbath should happen to fall on, say, a Monday or a Thursday. Their calendar also requires observing extended worship days (also indicated in red), which we will address later in this study, as well as fact that neither the first nor the 30 th days of each month are considered actual days of the week.

One thing to remember as you read this study is the fact that the above calendar does not apply to all lunar sabbatarians. In fact, I have found that those who have a different understanding of how the lunar sabbath calendar should be reckoned are easily offended when they feel I am lumping them in with those who reckon it in a different way than the way they do it!13 Those who adhere to the teaching that the Sabbath should be governed by the timing of the new moon are not themselves in agreement over how this belief was (apparently) practiced, which makes it difficult to come up with a response to each piece of logic they offer in support of their position. Some lunar sabbatarians, in deference to the calendar displayed above, believe the weekly Sabbath should fall on the 7 th, 14th, 21st and 28th days of the month. Some believe the new moon governing the Sabbath observances each month is actually the conjunction of the moon. Others believe it is the visible new moon crescent. Thus, some believe the new moon crescent sighting heralds the beginning of the new month. Others believe the sighting of the new moon crescent signals the end of the first Sabbath day of the month and the beginning of a new work week. Still others have no regard whatsoever for the visible sighting of the moon. The calendar shown above is based upon the belief that the new month begins on or after the conjunction of the moon.

One question looming large in the minds of many, including June and me, is when exactly did Judaism collectively reject lunar sabbath practice and belief in favor of the continuously-repeating cycle that is now universally recognized and practiced? Although I began asking this question from the moment I heard of the lunar sabbath teaching, no lunar sabbatarian has ever shown me any evidence from any historical records that such a switch was made. Instead, they produce counter-proposals, suggesting that those who request historical evidence are placing their trust more in “historical records” than we do in Scripture. Of course, this doesn’t answer the question, nor do such charges reflect the desire that June and I have to “live by every Word of Yahweh.” Sometimes it seems that when the opposing camp is unable to produce answers, they justify their inability to respond by making accusations and/or other charges designed to discredit the one asking the question.14

13 One lunar sabbatarian in particular was not pleased with my delivery, as he (mistakenly) felt I had lumped him in with those who reckon the weekly Sabbath on the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th days of the month. The following was posted by Shimone in EliYah’s Forums (www.eliyah.com) on 01-29-2006, the “True Sabbath” private forum discussion thread entitled “Are ALL "Moedim" Moon-related?”: “In your study entitled "something different" you state early on that those who reckon the shabbat by the yareach [moon] hold to different formats and that there was no concensus. You later showed some problems with the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th day format AND state that all follow that reckoning........as you imply above. It is not honest to say that there are different reckonings and then say that they all claim [a certain] one.” Note: Shimone is a lunar sabbatarian who observes weekly sabbaths on the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th days of each month. He misunderstood a reference I made regarding lunar sabbatarians who observe the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th days of the month, a reference I directed at those particular lunar sabbatarians, which, when taken out of context, might be construed so as to appear that I believe all lunar sabbatarians observe the weekly Sabbath on those dates. Since I can only address the belief structure of one particular cluster of lunar sabbatarians at a time, such misunderstandings are bound to occur.

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Something Different: Lunar Sabbaths

A few lunar sabbatarians have attempted to at least narrow down a general time frame for when they believe the “switch” occurred. Some have expressed the notion that this method was unlawfully changed by the Jews upon their return from the exile. Others teach that “Lunar Sabbaths” were in fact observed during the time of the Messiah, but were rejected at some unspecified point in time afterwards. Some have told me this post-Messianic “switch” occurred as early as 70 C.E., while others have suggested a time as late as the fourth century C.E. Thus, when I consider that some lunar sabbatarians have suggested the change to have been implemented as early as the return from the Babylonian exile (5 th century B.C.E.), and still other lunar sabbatarians have suggested a time as late as the 4 th century C.E., this computes to a range of some eight hundred years! When we factor in the reality that, even within this 800-year time frame, lunar sabbatarians are unable to produce a record validating the change they’re trying to prove happened, their research methods immediately become suspect. This, of course, is the great conundrum faced by lunar sabbatarians, and the fact that no one supporting this belief has come forward with solid, tangible historical evidence dating and documenting exactly “when” such a change occurred, much less “how” such a colossal event could have escaped the notice of all historians … or how “evil men” would have been capable of manipulating and subverting the record of each protest that would have surely ensued. Producing such a record is critical to establishing any credibility to lunar sabbatarian claims. In fact, as we will demonstrate in this study, the available historical evidence reveals that Judaism, during the time of the Messiah, reckoned the weekly Sabbath the same as they do today. More on this later.

A few years ago I attended a debate between a man espousing Lunar Sabbaths and a man who supports observing the weekly Sabbath as handed down to us by Judaism. Typical of all such debates I have attended, when it was over, each man felt he had presented his case in such an unequivocal manner that there was “no question” as to whether or not he had successfully refuted the other’s position. To the credit of the man supporting Lunar Sabbaths, he maintained his composure and remained respectful throughout the debate, in spite of many hostile interruptions from a rather disrespectful audience. I don’t believe anyone in attendance could question either his integrity or his sincerity, at least not during the course of that particular debate. Nevertheless, his opponent brought up many points which I believe invalidate the Lunar Sabbath position and he raised too many questions that were not, in my opinion, satisfactorily answered. For the benefit of those who may be considering the merits of observing Lunar

14 Here are a couple of examples of the reactions I have received from lunar sabbatarians who are unable to produce the historical record of when Judaism switched from lunar sabbath observance to the current continuously-repeating cycle: From a man named David, posting under the screen name of “shieldofdavid” in EliYah’s Forums (www.eliyah.com), the “True Sabbath” private forum discussion thread entitled “Are ALL "Moedim" Moon-related?,” directed the following comment to me on 02-09-2006: “You sound like a judeo-xian history spokesperson. But I'm glad you keep admitting your foundation of belief in shabbath and the calendar is on history .” In an earlier posting in the same forum thread (02-06-2006), David issued the following statement regarding his respect, or lack thereof, for the historical record: “First, history is not to be our guide. History is written by corrupt men and can be manipulated by the anti-messiah rulers of the world.” Of course, his remark does not answer my question as to how the record of all Jews worldwide collectively deciding to switch from lunar Sabbathkeeping to their present method of reckoning, without a trace of any controversy over such a decision, let alone a whimper of protest, vanished.Another lunar sabbatarian, Arnold Bowen, issued the following remark on 07-13-2005 in the same private forum, in the thread entitled “Philo”: “RESPONSE; I don't need history to prove my doctrine. The History is for you and others that don’t seem to have the faith to believe Scripture alone.” Note: I might add that this particular lunar sabbatarian does assert his interpretation of Philo’s writings as his “historical support” in favor of the lunar sabbath doctrine.

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Something Different: Lunar Sabbaths

Sabbaths, we would like to offer our reasons for choosing to not implement such a drastic lifestyle change.

First, however, I need to point out that we have only covered two of the three prerequisites for adopting lunar sabbatarian theology. We have addressed the lunar sabbatarians’ intense distrust of Judaism, and we briefly touched upon the three isolated texts that are foundational to their position. The third one, as mentioned previously, is the reversal of the “truth in numbers” mentality. We refer to it as Reverse Numbers Logic, and we address this technique in our next section.

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Something Different: Lunar Sabbaths

2. Joining the “Remnant” Bandwagon!

efore addressing the problems incurred by Lunar Sabbath observance, we believe it is important to direct your attention to a technique that is often utilized by some individuals in an attempt to persuade others to give views such as this one more serious consideration than they might

otherwise be willing to give it. This technique is what we term Reverse Numbers Logic. Perhaps a better designation is the Remnant Bandwagon (Romans 9:27), often used as an appeal to the emotional value of being “few in number.” Here is how this system works: We all know of how society in general teaches that anything practiced and believed by the majority of people “must” be correct. This is the truth in numbers logic. In other words, our society, as a whole, believes that truth is decided by majority vote. Hopefully, we all know better than to believe such a thing. We know the Messiah taught that broad is the way leading to destruction and of how “many” will follow that path. The road to eternal life, however, is narrow, and only a “few” will follow it (Matt. 7:13-14). In other words, as the Messiah plainly outlined, majority vote most certainly does not decide truth. Lunar Sabbath proponents capitalize on this reality, using the fact that their numbers are currently small as a springboard to subtly persuading others of how this demonstrates that their position “must” be correct. They then play a little “hardball” with this “reverse numbers logic” by sprinkling in sporadic comments to the effect that anyone who doesn’t accept their position is “closed minded.” We have found that promoting the “remnant” bandwagon works on many people, and since we have found examples of lunar sabbatarians who have used this technique, we thought we should incorporate this cautionary section before proceeding with our study.

B

Lunar sabbatarian Eric Bess, who read the above in our study that first appeared on the Web, did not appreciate the above introduction. In September 2006 he sent me a lengthy rebuttal, some of which I will incorporate into this revision, including his objection to this chapter’s introduction:

The implication that a Lunar Sabbath proponent would believe that they “must be correct”, and that others would be “close minded” on the basis of numbers is a fabricated accusation.15

I believe Eric’s response was premature, for I had proceeded to cite examples to illustrate our point. Perhaps I didn’t give him enough, though, so I will add a few others here. From Ernie L. Hoch’s online study entitled “The Burning Questions: Sabbath - When is it?”

Let me say right now, that I do believe that there are some of Yahweh’s chosen who are, in fact, keeping Sabbath as Yahweh intended.16 

This was Mr. Hoch’s subtle introduction to his lunar sabbath study. His remark that “some” are keeping Sabbath as Yahweh intended strongly implies that “many” are not. If we read the rest of his study, it becomes clear that those who practice lunar sabbaths are “keeping Sabbath as Yahweh intended.” It would certainly not be possible for Mr. Hoch to make his allusion to the “some” who are “doing it right” if the majority of Sabbathkeepers were lunar sabbatarians. He thus takes a subtle approach to

15 From the response entitled “Something Different/Something Renewed,” chapter two, that Eric e-mailed me on 9/5/2006 2:32:15 P.M. Central Standard Time.16 From “The Burning Questions: Sabbath - When is it?”, by Ernie L. Hoch, 1/18/2002, found online at the following URL: http://www.yahwehmusic.com/covenants/burningquestion.htm

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promoting the Remnant bandwagon approach, something he couldn’t do if he didn’t ascribe a certain amount of credibility to the belief that “the ‘few’ must be right.”

Lunar sabbatarian Arnold Bowen more forcefully echoes this same thought process in a remark he made while participating in an internet forum discussion:

RESPONSE; he [YHWH] is restoring it [the true Sabbath] now as we speak but he is doing it His way, through His ministers, Apostles, Profits, etc. but if you don't believe in these and know how to distinguish between the true and false you will not be perfected.

Here is a clue, our Saviour said there will be “many” false teachers and they will deceive “many”, now I ask you do I or Brother Matthew fit the category of the “many”? How “many” do you see like us?17

Mr. Bowen here simultaneously presents his belief that the Almighty is restoring the “true Sabbath” while candidly playing the “reverse numbers logic” card. He would not be able to use this “Remnant bandwagon” approach if the majority of believers agreed with his doctrine. However, since the majority of believers do not (at this time) share his interpretation of Scripture, it is convenient and often effective to employ the Reverse Numbers Logic approach at persuading others of his position. Since there aren’t “many like him” out there, the implication is understood that he and Brother Matthew (his son-in-law) are among the “few” … the “remnant.”

If I were out to gain a large following, I might use this same approach. When anyone examines the beliefs that June and I have, it soon becomes apparent that there really aren’t many believers out there quite like us! Of course, we could start with the weekly Sabbath. We live in a neighborhood consisting of few, if any, Sabbathkeepers. If there are any Sabbathkeepers in our neighborhood, we have not yet met them. The nearest Sabbathkeepers we know of live approximately 30 miles away. On the occasions that we travel on the Sabbath to visit these believers, we cannot help but notice how crowded the shopping centers and malls are as we drive by. Conversely, on Sundays the local church parking lots are packed! Thus, I believe it is safe to say that there really aren’t a whole lot of folks out there who practice Sabbath observance on the same day that June and I do. We can narrow the field down even further by mentioning that June and I do not believe that Yahweh wants His children to do extensive food preparation, including cooking of any kind, on the weekly Sabbath. There is an Hispanic group of believers, known as Soldados de la Cruz, that meets about 25 miles south of here, and this group is one of the few we know of that shares our belief with regard to food preparation on the weekly Sabbath.

However, to narrow things down even further, there aren’t a whole lot of believers who share our belief that we honor Yahweh by calling upon Him by His name, and the field gets even smaller when we explain that we do not believe we honor Him by even referring to Him as God when this word is used as a title. Just in case you’re still in agreement with each of the beliefs I have just mentioned, I will continue by mentioning that we believe the Scriptural month begins with the sighting of the new moon crescent over Israel. We also believe the commandment to wear tassels (Numbers 15:37-40) hasn’t been “done away.” Are you still with us? If you are, do you count to Pentecost the same way we do? We personally believe the count to Pentecost is reckoned from the morrow after the “festival Sabbath,” not the weekly Sabbath. I could probably narrow things down even more by mentioning such things as men’s and women’s headcoverings, the fact that we observe Hanukkah, and the fact that we do not observe the 17 From a posting submitted by Arnold Bowen on 01-23-2007 at 05:58 AM in the “True Sabbath” forum at EliYah’s Forums, forum thread entitled “Debunking Larry’s Book.”

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United States’ version of Thanksgiving. June and I have authored studies addressing each of these beliefs. If you should somehow still agree with all the beliefs I have listed to this point, I could mention a few others that would very likely separate us, such as the fact that we do not agree with the “trinity doctrine,” nor do we believe that Yeshua is Yahweh. Please understand that I am not bringing up these beliefs in an attempt to present ourselves as “holier than thou” or to otherwise underscore how small our numbers are. We are simply not out to separate ourselves from other believers, nor do we have any desire to set ourselves apart by pointing out how we are obviously not a part of “the many.” Indeed, our chief concern lies in the fact that we have a very difficult time fellowshipping with others because virtually all of the above items have resulted in friction with various groups we have visited over the years. In short, we have no desire to point out how “few” our numbers are in any attempt to subtly present ourselves as not being a part of “the many.” We believe the bottom-line focus should be on seeking the truth, not how “few” of us there are.

As we have demonstrated, the tendency of lunar sabbatarians is to coerce others into joining their “remnant bandwagon” by bringing up their numbers. I believe our “numbers” demonstration should suffice to illustrate that “reverse numbers logic” is indeed employed by lunar sabbatarians. Therefore, contrary to Eric Bess’ claim, the “reverse numbers” approach is not a “fabricated accusation” on my part. It is an observation that can be demonstrated, as I have just done.

Yet another example of a lunar sabbatarian using the Reverse Numbers Logic technique is found within the commentary offered by a man who goes by the screen name of “legalbear”:

The reason I’m saying these things is to remind you that when it comes to obeying Jahuwah, you never look around you asking, is anybody else doing this? As you know, broad is that path that leads to destruction and many there are that are on it. If you are the only one in your whole city or state that keeps a Lunar based Sabbath it should matter not. Like Jahshuwah, you should spend your time bringing others to the truth and blessing of keeping a Lunar based Sabbath. Remember, it’s the ones that both do and teach the least of Jah’s Commandments that will be called great in the Kingdom. Mat. 5:19. People to fellowship with on Sabbath will come around easy when they see you walking in the blessing.18

On the surface, the above commentary appears very profound. Indeed, if we are the only ones found to be obeying the Almighty, this should not discourage us from continuing in obedience out of our love for Him. The only thing is, the subtle message the author attempts to convey is that to avoid the “broad path” leading to destruction, we need to understand “the truth and blessing of keeping a Lunar based Sabbath.” Since, conversely, he does not consider the continuously-repeating weekly Sabbath as “the truth,” then those who observe it can only be regarded as being among the “many” who are headed down the wrong path leading to destruction. Once again, the Reverse Numbers Logic technique is applied. I believe it is safe to say that “Legalbear” would not consider using this technique if the majority of Sabbathkeepers were lunar sabbatarians.

As I mentioned earlier, once lunar sabbatarians play the “reverse numbers logic” card, they then go for a little “hardball,” portraying those who are unable to either see or embrace their position as “closed-minded.” For example, here are a few quotations from some articles I have found on the internet:

18 Excerpt from a posting submitted by “legalbear” on Dec 04 2004 at 1:44:23 PM in ECC Forum and Fellowship’s “Lunar Sabbath” forum, page 2. “Legalbear” also offered his website: www.legalbears.com. The forum thread where this posting was submitted may be accessed at the following URL: http://ecclesia.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=364&whichpage=2

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The new moon is indeed a PENDANT – the weekly Sabbath depends on it for its very existence since it is counted from the day after the new moon. Anybody with an open mind should be able to see this.19

Of course, the implication is that those with closed minds will not be able to grasp the lunar sabbatarian position. The author of the above comment employs a method known as “the obvious fallacy,” an approach marked by the introduction of sparse evidence combined with the forceful reasoning that the author’s conclusion should be “obvious” to everyone. In the above case, the author’s premise is that the weekly Sabbath depends upon the moon “for its very existence,” and anyone with an open mind should understand this to be true. However, there is not a single place in Scripture where we are ever told that the weekly Sabbath is determined by counting from the day after the new moon. In fact, there isn’t, to my knowledge, a text of Scripture outlining any connections between the weekly Sabbath and the lunar cycle. How, then, could someone expect an open-minded person to “just accept” such a thing? I believe those who are well-grounded in Scripture will be able to see through such subtle uses of propaganda. Tactics such as “the obvious fallacy” are designed to sway the reader into accepting the author’s position without regard to any distortions found in his interpretation of Scripture. Thus, although there isn’t a single verse of Scripture telling us the weekly Sabbath depends upon the moon for its existence, if we don’t agree with the author’s completely unsubstantiated premise, our minds are not considered open … at least not by lunar sabbatarians.

The author goes on to write:

Most of professing Christianity claims Sunday is the day, while Jews and various of the Adventists and Churches of God claim YEHOVAH God set Saturday apart from the rest of the week. This article suggests that both parties are in error and that we have no way of knowing when YEHOVAH’s Sabbath day falls in our Gregorian calendar. The fact is, time has been lost! But YEHOVAH God, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, has planted clues in His Word the Bible – clues that those with an understanding mind can uncover and use to reinstate YEHOVAH God’s TRUE SABBATH DAY!20

It appears that not only do open-minded folk grasp that the weekly Sabbath is dependent upon the lunar cycle, but those with an “understanding mind” can unearth the hidden clues that are apparently buried in Scripture and thus accomplish reinstating the “true Sabbath day” by sharing this “hidden treasure” with others. Conversely, then, those who are closed-minded and lacking an “understanding mind” will not be able to accomplish this feat. Surely, since all of us want to be open-minded and possess superior understanding, we will see and understand what the author sees, or so he reasons. From all indications, the author of the above comments has a simple criterion for determining whether or not an individual has an open mind: Agreement with his position.

The author concludes his study with the following remark:

It is my sincere hope and prayer that you, the reader, will have an open mind and see the irrefutable truth that YEHOVAH God set up His holy Sabbath days on the four quarters of the moon (Exodus 16) and intends for us to worship Him on these very days. The Saturday sabbath is NOT YEHOVAH God’s day – any more than Sunday is. In the search for truth we have

19 From “The New Moon and the Weekly Sabbath – Side-By-Side!”, by John D. Keyser, Hope of Israel Ministries (Church of Yehovah), http://www.hope-of-israel.org/sideside.htm, p. 9.20 Ibid.

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uncovered vital new truth that, frankly, is going to separate the men from the boys; those who will obey YEHOVAH God without equivocation from those who will continue to thumb their noses at YEHOVAH and resist to the very end.21

Are you a real man or are you just a “boy”? Are you an obedient believer or do you “thumb your nose” at Almighty Yahweh? According to the author of the above commentary, if you worship on the “Saturday sabbath,” you are, metaphorically speaking, just a “boy,” not a man. Moreover, unless you are able to understand and observe Lunar Sabbaths as the author does, you are figuratively thumbing your nose at the Creator.

Lunar sabbatarian Eric Bess, in his own rebuttal to our original study, built upon the “man/boy” approach:

Meanwhile, this [a quote he had supplied from the Encyclopædia Britannica] is just one of the many historically documented pieces of evidence that demonstrate several key things:

1st – The calendar has been altered throughout history, changing days and dates, including Saturday.

2nd – The Saturday Sabbath cannot possibly be traced back to creation.

3rd – The earliest calendars and time keeping were based on the moon.

4th – This commentary [i.e., our study Something Different: Lunar Sabbaths] is completely wrong in its assessment of historical facts and the availability of evidence which contradicts that Saturday must be the true Sabbath.

I hope it is not too offensive to state that one would have to be close-minded and blind and an intellectual “boy” not to see this. For to not see it is to smack the face of historical fact, whether you disagree with me or not.

The changes were made summarily by godless men in order to accommodate economic trade and their pagan religious practices. Thank goodness that Yahweh’s system for keeping time has never changed, which is the Sun, Moon, and Stars (Gen. 1:14-18). This astrological basis for time keeping has been replaced repeatedly by man-made tradition, especially the concept of a “week”.22

Building upon the “man/boy” approach that understanding and embracing lunar sabbaths is what “separates the men from the boys,” Eric Bess maintains that one would have to be an “intellectual boy” to not see that unregenerate heathens forced Judaism to switch from an original weekly cycle governed by the lunar cycle to a continuously-repeating one that is independent of astronomical observation. The lunar sabbatarian quoted above, as noted in his comment, cites the Encyclopædia Britannica as his supporting evidence that, since there have been various calendar alterations throughout history, this of necessity means the weekly Sabbath is included. While we do not dispute the various calendar changes that have been implemented by various cultures throughout history, this does not mean we can arbitrarily lump the continuously-repeating weekly cycle in with those calendars, especially since there is no record that it was ever done! Moreover, the continuously-repeating weekly cycle is not connected to any calendars or the 21 Ibid, p. 31.22 From a response entitled “Something Different/Something Renewed,” chapter three, which we received via e-mail from Eric Bess, Jonesboro, GA on September 5, 2006.

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changes that have been wrought upon them. By the way, the references cited by Eric, including the Encyclopædia Britannica, all support various calendar changes throughout history, but none offer supportive evidence that Judaism ever allowed the lunar cycle to determine the days of the week.

Mr. Bess’ use of such references to show support for his position calls to mind another subtle practice that all of us need to beware of. We have already seen the “obvious fallacy” technique at work among lunar sabbatarian writers. Eric Bess, with his use of the Encyclopædia Britannica article, calls to mind another tactic that we need to be aware of. The term we use to describe this practice is “selective scholarship.” Selective scholarship, in its most abusive form, involves picking and choosing select quotes from a particular reference or work, then citing them as scholarly support to validate a certain doctrinal position while conveniently ignoring other information presented in the same reference that presents the full, true picture. In the above instance, Eric Bess selected some quotes from the Encyclopædia Britannica which he feels validates his position that heathens imposed the continuously-repeating weekly cycle upon Judaism, and that Judaism subsequently embraced the change without so much as a whimper of protest. Let’s review the quote that Mr. Bess selected to see if there is any mention with regard to a change from a lunar-based weekly cycle to a continuously-repeating one:

Either way, let us dispel this notion of the absence of historical evidence right now. Let’s look at what the widely acclaimed and internationally recognized Encyclopedia Britannica has to say about the origin if the seven day week:

“The origins of three familiar units of time—the year, the month, and the day—are rooted in the natural cycles observed by ancient peoples (see Calendar). The seven-day week may have originated in the Middle East. It is probably from the ancient Sumerian method of reckoning (which featured divisions based on gradations of 60) that days are divided into 24 hours, hours into 60 minutes, and minutes into 60 seconds. Today the second is precisely defined on the basis of energy changes in atoms.

Early Calendars

“The Sumerians of Babylonia were probably the first people to make a calendar. They used the phases of the moon, counting 12 lunar months as a year. To make up for the difference between this year and the solar year of the seasons, they inserted an extra month in the calendar about every four years. The early Egyptians, Greeks, and Semitic peoples copied this calendar. Later the Egyptians worked out a calendar that corresponded almost exactly to the seasons.

“The early Romans also used a calendar that was based on the moon. The year in this calendar was 355 days long. The months corresponding to March, May, July, and October each had 31 days; February had 28 days; and the rest had 29. An extra month was added about every fourth year. The high priest regulated the calendar. On the calends, or day of the new moon, he announced to the people the times of the nones (first quarter) and ides (full moon) for that month. The word calendar is from the Latin word kalendae.

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“The priests, however, performed their calendar-keeping duties poorly, and by Julius Caesar's time they had summer months coming in the spring. Caesar corrected this situation in 46 BC in the Julian calendar. He adopted the plan of the Egyptian astronomer Sosigenes—a 365-day year, with one day added every fourth, or “leap,” year. He distributed the extra ten days among the 29-day months, making them identical with the months today. Pope Gregory XIII remedied this by directing that ten days be dropped from the calendar and that the day after Thursday, Oct. 4, 1582, should be Friday, October 15.”23

This, then, was Eric’s “historical support” for an original, lunar-based weekly cycle. Please notice that the word “week” only appears once in the entire article, and even with this one isolated appearance of the word, there is not so much as a hint that the author of the encyclopedia article believes the week was ever determined by the lunar cycle. In addition, let’s pay close attention to the very first sentence of the citation offered by Mr. Bess: “The origins of three familiar units of time—the year, the month, and the day—are rooted in the natural cycles observed by ancient peoples.” It is a “given” that Mr. Bess would have included a fourth unit of time … the week … in the above list. The author of the article he cited, however, did not. The only mention of the word “week” in the above encyclopedia excerpt involves the author’s recognition that it may be have originated in the Middle East, a statement that we agree with. Since the encyclopedia author chose to not lump the “week” in with the year, month and day, it is clear that he does not recognize the “lunar connection” that lunar sabbatarians attempt to impose upon the weekly cycle.

Clearly, the above attempt at forcing the Encyclopedia Britannica article to offer support for an original, lunar-based weekly cycle is an example of “selective scholarship,” albeit a sloppy one. Sometimes lunar sabbatarians do produce quotes that actually appear, on the surface, to support believing that the author recognizes an original, lunar-based weekly cycle. We will show examples of this later in our study. In each instance that we have seen of such “apparent” support for a lunar-based weekly cycle, the same author, in other articles or even excerpts from the same article (or book), produces statements invalidating either his previous remarks or his own scholarly credibility.

If Mr. Bess had somehow come across an Encyclopædia Britannica article that might, on the surface, appear to offer support for an original, lunar-based weekly cycle, the fact that he employed “selective scholarship” would have been made clearly manifest via one simple statement found in The New Encyclopædia Britannica, Vol. 15, which states:

Moreover, by the 1st century BC the Jewish seven-day week seems to have been adopted throughout the Roman world, and this influenced Christendom.24

The above statement invalidates any attempts to infuse any understanding into the Encyclopædia Britannica articles that the continuously-repeating weekly cycle as handed down to us by Judaism is a “modern invention.” According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, the current “Jewish seven-day week” was in place by the 1st century BCE. This is the clear, unbiased understanding as expressed by the authors of articles in the Encyclopædia Britannica, as well as the other authoritative references we have reviewed.

23 Ibid.24 From the New Encyclopædia Britannica, Vol. 15, 15th ed., p. 417.

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Our purpose in this chapter, however, is not so much to address lunar sabbatarian research miscues as it is to address the approach tactics that we have observed to this point. Eric Bess, instead of agreeing that John D. Keyser’s “man/boy” approach is unscrupulous, built upon the same concept in his own response, while citing a reference that in no way suggests the veracity of lunar sabbatarian concept.

Using another “hardball” tactic, some lunar sabbatarians approach this issue from the perspective that those who observe the continuously-repeating seventh-day Sabbath are following “traditions of men.” Notice the claim listed in a booklet we were given by a proponent of Lunar Sabbaths:

Many people keep a seventh day, Heathens included, the Christians on Sunday, the Muslims on Friday, and the Jews on Saturday, etc. Anyone can keep a 7 th day count, but how many can keep a Sabbath of YHWH? How many are willing to forget all the traditions of men that they have inherited? (The lies) ‘Our fathers have inherited lies, vanity and things where there is no profit’ (Jer. 16:19) Follow the scriptures they are profitable for doctrine (II Tim. 3:16).25

According to the above author, the true “Sabbath of YHWH” is, by process of elimination, not necessarily based upon a “7th day count,” and those who observe a continuously-repeating seven-day cycle ending in a Sabbath each week are keeping a Sabbath based upon “the traditions of men,” which is in turn based upon “lies” that they have inherited. He then cites a verse of Scripture that outlines how our ancestors have inherited lies, as though offering such a “proof text” validates his lunar sabbatarian premise. Is the continuously-repeating weekly Sabbath a “tradition of men” or is it ordained by Yahweh? We do not prove a point by making a negative remark about a certain belief, then citing Jeremiah 16:19!

Here’s a commentary from yet another supporter of the Lunar Sabbath teaching:

Have you been finding yourself weary of having fallen to deceit at every turn since your birth? If Yahweh has been leading you on His path to truth, at every turn now, you find that man (at Satan’s instigation) has devised ways to supplant Yahweh’s ways. Let’s count a few of them.26

The above author, Ernie L. Hoch, goes on to list 12 “false teachings” that he believes the adversary has allowed to creep into the assembly at large. Notice which item makes “number two” on his list:

2. Sabbath was ‘fixed’ to a Saturn’s day or a Sun day instead of being determined according to Yahweh’s faithful witness, the moon and its lunar cycle.27

Please note Hoch’s subtle attempt to portray the regular weekly Sabbath handed down to us by Judaism as being fixed to “Saturn’s Day.” This, of course, is clever propaganda designed to subtly persuade the reader that the Jewish Sabbath stems from heathenism. By attempting to associate Judaism’s day of rest with the name given to this day by heathens, the author apparently hopes to succeed in discrediting the Jewish day of worship. However, it is common knowledge that it wasn’t Judaism that attached heathen designations to the seven days of the week; rather, it was heathens!28 The decision of

25 Source: Booklet entitled Proof That Weekly Sabbath Days Are Determined by the Moon by Arnold Bowen, p. 45.26 From “The Burning Question: Sabbath – When is it?” by Ernie L. Hoch, http://www.yahwehmusic.com/covenants/burningquestion .htm , 01/18/2002, p. 10.27 Ibid.28 For those who might question whether or not the names for the days of the week really came from heathens, we cite the encyclopedia The New Book of Knowledge, Vol. 4, Grolier, Incorporated, New York, 1972, article “Days of the Week,” p. 47, where we read the following: “The English names for the days originated so long ago that it is difficult to trace their source. However, all of them are of Teutonic (Germanic) origin.” Elsewhere, on this same page, we read about the origin of the name

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lunar sabbatarians to hold Judaism accountable for names imposed upon the days of the week by heathens is no better than a court’s decision to hold McDonald’s Corporation accountable for a woman who burned herself by spilling hot coffee in her lap. Elsewhere in Hoch’s article (p. 2), he refers to this day as “the Saturnday Sabbath,” even though, once again, it is common knowledge that Judaism never associated any days of the week with the names of the planets.29 The author then concludes his treatise by making the following appeal to his readers:

Can I say to you, “BEWARE OF THE TRADITIONS OF MEN”? Yahshua warned the people of His day concerning the traditions of men. I personally believe that the Lunar Sabbath was primarily being observed during Messiah’s day and that the seven day circle (known as the “week”) was instituted by man after the time of Messiah. CAUTION: If it is a widely accepted and celebrated holiday or tradition in this world today, I’d caution, BEWARE.30

With this commentary, Ernie L. Hoch joins the previously quoted lunar sabbatarian (Arnold Bowen) in lumping the continuously-repeating weekly Sabbath in with the “traditions of men.” Even though those who observe the weekly Sabbath on the day commonly known as “Saturday” are considerably fewer in number than those who worship on Sunday, apparently their numbers are still “too high” in the opinion of the author just quoted, and this consequently serves as a “red flag” indicating that the “true Sabbath” cannot fall on a Saturday each week. If the continuously-repeating weekly Sabbath as handed down to us by Judaism is truly a “tradition of men,” then certainly we need to examine this issue very closely and reevaluate our decision to set aside that day for rest and worship. On the other hand, if the day blessed by Yahweh can be shown as being the very day handed down to us by Judaism, then it is most certainly not a “tradition of men,” and those who promote such an agenda are themselves guilty of subverting Yahweh’s Word, as well as profaning the very day He blessed at Creation.

Although the author of the above commentary uses the power of persuasion in an attempt to sway the reader into believing that the “Saturnday Sabbath” is not the true Sabbath of Yahweh, he rightly proceeds to challenge his readers to even question his writings, which is commendable. Indeed, all of us should be open to correction. Nevertheless, in spite of Hoch’s expressed openness to being questioned, the appeal to the senses has been made: If you observe something being practiced by large numbers of people, deception “must” be involved. Of course, the same logic employed by Ernie Hoch could be directed at those who believe in a Creator. Since nearly all Bible believers believe in a Creator, this should arouse our suspicions, at least if we pursue the logic he promotes. For those who prefer a more controversial analogy, I might point out that Hoch’s reasoning could also be directed at those who believe Yahweh is male. Some believers, including some lunar sabbatarians we’ve met, believe Yahweh is both male and female. Could it be that they pursued this particular belief because the belief that Yahweh is 100% male is predominantly accepted by Jews and Christians alike? Since the “majority” of believers regard Him as

“Saturday”: “The Roman word for Saturday, dies Saturni, (‘day of Saturn’) really challenged the Teutons. The Romans named that day after Saturn, a god of farming and planting—two occupations fit only for slaves, thought the Teutons. They had no god even remotely resembling Saturn. The problem was solved by their clumsy attempt to pronounce the word. It came out a harsh-sounding ‘Saeternesday.’ However, some Teuton tribes noticed that the Roman soldiers bathed on Saturday. These Teutons liked the custom so much that they named Saturday ‘bath day.’ In Iceland, Saturday is called Laugardagur, and in Sweden and Denmark it’s Loerdag. Both words mean ‘bath day.’” Notice that the word “Saturday” is a Roman word, not a Jewish word! Nevertheless, we have found that lunar sabbatarians in essence mock the day recognized by Judaism as the Sabbath by drawing attention to the designation applied to it by heathens.29 In fact, as revealed by S. Bacchiocchi in From Sabbath to Sunday, p. 247, the designation “Saturday” (dies saturni) originally denoted the first day of the week, not the seventh.30 From “The Burning Question: Sabbath – When is it?” by Ernie L. Hoch, http://www.yahwehmusic.com/covenants/burningquestion .htm , 01/18/2002, p. 13.

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all-male, some may reason that this belief must, on those grounds, be erroneous. This is simply how Reverse Numbers Logic works.

We suggest that, instead of focusing any attention on Reverse Numbers Logic, all of us should simply focus our attention on the truth of Yahweh’s Word, using it as our ultimate guide. His Word should be our “measuring stick,” not the numbers of people found to be practicing a certain belief. The Apostle Paul admonished the Thessalonian believers to “prove all things,” holding fast to that which is good. We believe he would give us that same advice today. Furthermore, when historical evidence aligns with the “measuring stick” of Scripture, the truth of the matter is confirmed.

It was at this point of his review of our original study that Eric Bess offered the following response the above paragraph:

“WE” suggest that you take your own advice and get on with the business of using the Word to show us why the Sabbath as reconciled by the moon is false. And show us the Saturday Sabbath in Scripture, if you can.31

I do not believe the burden of proof has ever been on non-lunar sabbatarians to prove to anyone that “the Sabbath as reconciled by the moon” is false, especially since there is not a single verse of Scripture stating that the Sabbath is reconciled by the moon. Nevertheless, since there are indeed several passages of Scripture that do invalidate “the Sabbath as reconciled by the moon,” I will be producing those texts throughout this study. First, however, I will accommodate Mr. Bess’ request that I show him “the Saturday Sabbath in Scripture.”

31 From a response entitled “Something Different/Something Renewed,” chapter two, which we received via e-mail from Eric Bess, Jonesboro, GA, on September 5, 2006.

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