The emphasis on the importance of knowing and understanding Yehovah’s Calendar cannot be overstated, because the prophetic events of the Scriptures are in no way aligned with the calendar that the world uses on a day to day basis. Because of this, many will be caught as a thief in the night. Here is a brief introduction to the subject.
The Days
From the moment we are born, the counting of time begins for each of us. According to the date our parents claim we were given birth, we begin to count the days, weeks, months and years. That special day that we celebrate every year, begins at 00:00 hours, that is to say at midnight; and ends one second before midnight of the following day. However, our Eternal Father defined the beginning and the end of the days in another way. When we read the account of Creation in the Bible, each stage of the Process, is described as:
“and the evening and the morning were one day” Genesis 1.5.
The days begin at sunset and end 24 hours later when the sun sets again.
The Weeks
The Scripture only gives a name to the seventh day: Shabbat in Hebrew (Saturday in English). The other days are recognized as: the first day of the week, the second day of the week and so on, until the sixth. Only the Bible RVR 1909, keeps the name of the Sabbath for that day. All the other translations changed the word Sabbath, for the expression: “day of rest”, thus making difficult the recognition of the Shabbat as well as the fulfillment of the order of our Eternal Father.
The Months
According to the Scriptures, the months begin with the novilunium or the appearance of the first portion of the moon, after the nights in which it has not been visible. (Clarification: The astronomical new moon, is a calculated event that happens in an instant when it enters into conjunction with the sun, one of the nights when the moon is not visible).
When the Temple in Jerusalem was still standing, it was imperative that two persons testified before the high priest that they had observed with the naked eye the first fraction of the moon’ he then proceeded to declare that day (which had already begun at sunset) as the beginning of a new month.
The Years
The calendar we use today is a solar calendar. It means that we calculate time according to the sun exclusively; however, our Father Yehovah administers His Creation according to His calendar which is lunar-solar, making the convenient use of both stars.
God determined when the years begin:
Yehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; this shall be the first of the months of the year unto you. Exodus 12:1-2
At that time, the Hebrew people were about to be liberated from their slavery in Egypt. It was spring, when all the plants are greening up and life returns after the cold winter. The beginning of that first month was determined by the new moon. Later Yehovah gave instructions as to a second condition that should be taken into account in determining the beginning of the years: the ripeness of the barley:
Ye go forth this day in the month of Aviv. Exodus 13.4
The Feast of Unleavened Bread you shall keep; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I have commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Aviv; for in the month of Aviv you came out of Egypt. Exodus 34.18
Aviv was not the name of the month, but the condition of the barley: if it is ripe and ready to be harvested, it is said to be “aviv”.
Now we know everything we need to determine how to start the years today, following the instructions of the Torah. In short: if the barley is aviv, on the day the first fraction of the moon appears, then the beginning of a new year is declared.
The way to understand how this calendar operates is to practice it, by celebrating the New Moons, keeping in mind the Feasts of Yehovah, keeping Shabbat as the last day of the week and being aware of the beginning of each day at sunset. This will help us to better understand the Scriptures and our Father’s Plans.
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