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March
20 and September 22 are not the true equinoxes!
I like to believe most people, given the right information,
will make the right choice/decision. The problem comes in with deception and that is why the Scripture speaks so much about
it. We have to work at not being deceived, or take heed, as the Scripture warns. We must be very careful and prove all things,
especially as to “when the day begins”, because that will throw ever one of our appointments
with the Heavenly Father off.
I believe it is the evening and morning twilights that divides the light from the darkness, and NOT
THE HORIZON, Genesis 1: 4 – 5. Twice each year, in February and October, the twilights EQUALLY divide the light from the darkness,
leaving the exact same amount of pure light and pure darkness. This belief is confirmed by Philo, who lived during the time
of our Savior, which means they could not have believed a March 20 equinox. See Philo below.
The traditional equinox
proponents believe it is the horizon that divides the light from the darkness because they believe the evening twilight is
a part of or the beginning of darkness but if that were so, there is no true division of light and darkness because they still
touch each other. In other words the twilight touches the pure light and therefore there is no division of light and darkness
if twilight is considered to be part of the darkness. i.e. the light is NOT divided from the beginning of darkness, when using
this line of thinking.
I
believe the Scripture teaches that the twilight is a divider between light and darkness and not to be counted as either light
or darkness, especially not to count “both” twilight with one or the other. The
sunset at the horizon DOES NOT begin dark, because it is not dark and neither are all the stars out. The sunset at the horizon
BEGINS TWILIGHT, NOT DARK, and the twilight in the evening leads to full darkness, same as the twilight in the morning leads
to full light. The twilight in the morning, gently brings you out of darkness,
into full light and the twilight in the evening gently brings you out of light into full darkness. Neither of the twilights
are counted as either light or darkness, but are dividers between the two. This is the way Philo and the people during the
time of our Savior understood it.
The bottom line is that it is
THE TWILIGHTS that divides the light from the darkness, NOT THE HORIZON. The evening twilight divides the light from the darkness,
it is not the darkness, but a divider between the two, and the morning twilight divides the darkness from the light, it is
not the light but a divider between the two, and twice each year the twilights equally divided the light and darkness in February
and October. I do not believe anyone on earth can read the following writings
of Philo and honestly conclude that he does not believe that it is the “twilights” that divides light from darkness
and day from night, and if this is so, it should end the debate because he kept the same feasts as the priests in the temple
and our Savior.
THE SPECIAL LAWS, IV* Yonge's title, A Treatise on Circumcision.} XLII. (233)
“Nature, therefore, has marked out those PERIODS IN EVERY YEAR, which are called the EQUINOXES, from the STATE OF THINGS
WHICH EXIST AT THAT TIME with such DISTINCTNESS, that EVEN THE MOST ILLITERATE persons are aware of the EQUALITY which THEN
EXISTS between the EXTENT of the DAYS and of the NIGHTS.”
NOTICE there is absolutely no doubt how the Israelites
understood what an equinox was. He says it is the EQUALITY or sameness which EXISTS at that time between the EXTENT or length of the days and
of the nights, namely when the equinox occurs. It is evident that back then the equinox was UNDERSTOOD as the equal length
of day and night not when the Sun crosses the equator at the traditional equinox when there is 12 hours from sunrise to sunset.
Philo also writes.
WHO IS THE HEIR OF DIVINE THINGS XXIX. (146-150) “These things being thus previously sketched out, see now how God,
dividing things in the middle, has divided them into equal portions according to all the ideas of
equality which occur in the creation of the universe…. So, in the same manner, he had divided
light from darkness, and day from night,… (149) From the spring equinox
to the summer solstice, day receives an addition to its length, and night,
on the other hand, submits to a diminution; until the longest day and the shortest night are both completed.
And then after the summer solstice the sun, turning back again the same road, neither more
quickly nor more slowly than he advanced, but always preserving the same difference in the same manner, having a constantly
equal arrangement, proceeds on till the autumnal equinox; and then, having made day and night both equal, begins
to increase the length of the night, diminishing the day until the time of the winter
solstice.” (150) “And when it
has made the night the longest night, and the day the shortest
day, then returning back again and adopting the same distances as before, he again comes to the spring equinox.
Notice it is the LENGTH of the light and darkness that determines
the equinox. Philo never mentions anything about the equator in every place describing the equinox. He did mention the equitor
in one place when speaking of temperature and zones but not in connection with the equinox. Philo also reveals how they understood the light
and darkness was divided in creation, he writes,
ON THE CREATION IX. (32 - 35) “Moses is right also when he says, that "darkness was over the face of the abyss." ….
then its adversary darkness yielded, as God put a wall between them and separated them,….and did
not only separate light and darkness, but did also place boundaries in the middle of the space between
the two, by which he separated the extremities of each. For if they had approximated they must have produced confusion,
preparing for the contest, for the supremacy, with great and unextinguishable rivalry, if boundaries established between them
had not separated them and prevented them from clashing together, (34) and these boundaries are “evening”
and “morning”; the one of which heralds in the good tidings that the “sun”
is ABOUT TO RISE, gently dissipating the darkness: and “evening” comes on as
the sun sets, receiving gently the collective approach of darkness. And these,
I mean morning and evening, (35) But when light came, and darkness retreated
and yielded to it, “and” boundaries were set in the space between the two, namely, evening and morning,
then of necessity the measure of time was immediately perfected, which also the Creator
called "day…..”
Notice Philo believes that evening and morning is what divided the light and darkness. He did not recognize
the evening/dusk and morning/dawn twilights as either light or darkness but a buffer between the two! He also understood morning
to be BEFORE sunrise at the Horizon, at which time you have pure unshaded light. The Hebrew definition for “morning” is “dawn” and is a specific place in time other
than sunrise which is also a specific place in time.
Do you see how Philo understood there were four parts of the day, namely evening, morning,
light, and darkness with evening and morning dividing between the light and darkness? This happens twice each year on February
16 and October 26th when you allow one hour of twilight before sunrise and after sunset at the Horizon. This gives you 11
hours of pure light from sunrise to sunset at the horizon and 11 hours of pure darkness which is divided by two hours of twilight,
one on each side.
The
above indicates the boundaries were set in the space between the TWO, referring to light and darkness and the boundaries were
evening and morning which is literally “dawn” and “dusk” according to the Hebrew definition of evening
and morning which begins about 60 minutes or so before sunrise at the Horizon and continue 60 minutes after sunset at the
horizon. This was Philo’s understanding which is not contrary to Scripture or the Hebrew definition of “divided”
in Genesis 1 which is made up of 2 Hebrew words which he understood to mean divided in the middle, showing the equality of
the Almighty.
Again, it is the twilights that divides the light and darkness,
NOT the horizon. If
we were to somehow argue the twilights are not what divides the day and night, and should be counted, the following would
apply. The question would be, should “both” the evening
and morning twilights be placed in the same 12 hours period of the 24-hour day, as is the case with the traditional March
20 equinox, or should the morning twilight be reckoned with the 12 hour day and the evening twilight with the 12 hour night?
The Scripture would refer to day and night being equally divided into “two
12 hour divisions”, when counting the twilights. These two 12 hour divisions would be evening and morning,
consisting of 12 hours each!
There would be 12 hours in the
evening half of the day and 12 hours in the morning half of the day! In other words there are 12 hours from the beginning
of dusk/evening to the beginning of dawn/morning and 12 hours from the beginning of dawn/morning, back to the beginning of
dusk/evening. The Hebrew definition for morning is “dawn”
and one definition for evening is “dusk”, and when the Scripture says the evening and the morning
were the first day, it is referring to a 24-hour space of time that has been divided equally into evening and morning, with
12 hours in each half, if you allow evening as dusk and morning as dawn.
The
traditional March 20 equinox has both the evening and morning twilights in the same 12 hour period, which
leaves the other half of the day without an evening or morning! One
half of the day should have a morning and the other half an evening. Someone would be just as justified and have just as much
right to add both the twilights to the day as someone has to add them to the night, but the Scripture teaches
“two” 12 hour divisions consisting of evening AND morning, when the twilight are counted.
The Scripture does not teach that BOTH the evening AND morning twilights belong
on one side or the other. Let’s look at it like this, let’s say that in
the beginning the Almighty created the heavens and a city and the city was without form and void and darkness
was upon the face of the city and the Mighty One of equality, equally divided between the light part of the
city and the dark part of the city by placing a six-foot wide WALL BETWEEN, or DEAD IN THE MIDDLE of the city. Would the wall
belong to the light side of the city or the dark side of the city, or would it be equally divided between the two???
According to Philo, the wall would not belong to either side, but would be a divider
between the light side and dark side of the city. Neither side could claim the whole width of the wall as is the case with
the traditional March 20 equinox, which puts the whole wall on the dark side of the city and therefore the wall cannot be
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CITY. At best, 3 foot of the wall should belong
to one side and 3 foot to the other, making a equal division of the city. https://www.freeconferencecallhd.com/playback.html?n=7560613526-17-65-67-17-65-6737100-17-65-67-17-65-67-17-65-67-17-65-67-17-65-67-17-65-67100;0MjAxMjcxNzc=1
The following shows that originally
March 1 was the first day of the year instead of March 20. "Early Roman Calendar: March 1st Rings in the New
Year
The early Roman calendar designated March 1 as the
New Year. The calendar had just ten months, beginning with March. That the New Year once
began with the month of March is still reflected in some of the names of the months. September through
December, our ninth through twelfth months, were originally positioned as the seventh
through tenth months (septem is Latin for "seven," octo is "eight," novem is "nine," and decem
is "ten.
"January Joins the CalendarThe first time the new year was celebrated on January 1st was in Rome in 153 B.C. (In
fact, the month of January did not even exist until around 700 B.C., when the second king of Rome, Numa Pontilius, added the months of January and
February.) The new year was moved from March to January because that was the beginning of the civil year,
the month that the two newly elected Roman consuls—the highest officials in
the Roman republic—began their one-year tenure. But this New Year date was not always strictly and widely observed,
and the New Year was still sometimes celebrated on March 1.
Julian Calendar: January 1st Officially Instituted as the New YearIn 46 B.C. Julius
Caesar introduced a new, solar-based
calendar that was a vast improvement on the ancient Roman calendar, which was a lunar system that had become wildly inaccurate
over the years. The Julian calendar decreed that the New Year would
occur with January 1, and within the Roman world, January 1 became the consistently observed start of the new year.
Middle Ages: January
1st AbolishedIn medieval
Europe, however, the celebrations accompanying the new year were considered pagan and unchristian like, and
in 567 the Council of Tours abolished January 1 as the beginning of the year. At various times and in various
places throughout medieval Christian Europe, the new year was celebrated on Dec. 25, the birth of Jesus; March 1;
March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation; and Easter.
Gregorian Calendar: January 1st RestoredIn 1582, the Gregorian calendar reform restored January 1 as new year's day. Although most Catholic countries adopted the Gregorian
calendar almost immediately, it was only gradually adopted among Protestant countries. The British, for example, did not adopt the
reformed calendar until 1752. Until then, the British Empire —and their American colonies—
still celebrated the new year in March." http://www.infoplease.com/spot/newyearhistory.html
The following is conclusive scriptural proof
that ALL three agricultural feasts each year are to be observed “within
the year” every year which is impossible with the traditional equinox!
The sacred year begins in Abib each
year but there is an agricultural year which begins and ends in
the fall with seedtime.
This
rules out the traditional equinox because Tabernacles will go into the next year resulting in only two feast IN THE YEAR and one
feast outside the year and into the next year/revolution! See and study Exodus 23:10, 14, 16 and 17 carefully. Ex 13:10 Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance Ex 23:16 And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown
in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the “end” of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field. Ex 23:17
“Three times in” the year all thy males shall appear before
YHWH.
Notice THE THREE TIMES “IN” THE YEAR is referring
to the NATURAL YEAR which “begins” and ENDS in the fall with “seedtime” and is NOT referring to the
sacred year which begins in Abib, Exodus 12:2. The Almighty did not break his covenant with Noah when he said that “seedtime
and harvest and winter and summer shall not cease as long as the Earth remaineth”. The three times IN THE YEAR is referring
to seedtime to seedtime.The natural year still
begins in the fall and that is when the New Year seeds are sown and they are harvested in that “same year”
BEFORE seedtime comes around again or else you go outside the year and into the next year with your feast of Tabernacles.
The agricultural year is from seedtime to seedtime and that’s what the above Scriptures are referring
to and no harvest or feast that is sown in one year should go beyond the tequfah or “years end” or else it will
be in another year. With the traditional equinox
the third feast/Tabernacles goes past the tequfah/years end and into the next year of seedtime/sowing seed
again and the command was to keep them IN THEIR SEASON and IN the year/Revolution.
Ge 26:12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and “received” in the “same
year” an hundredfold: and YHWH blessed him."
In a nutshell, the seeds should be sown and harvested in the
“same year”! And of course the harvest-feasts will also be in that “same
year” and so will the three times in the year all males are to appear before him, which is not the case with
the traditional equinox.
In 2010 I erroneously observed Tabernacles at the end of October around the 22nd which
is a month past the traditional equinox and was in violation of the above Scriptures which says, “THREE TIMES IN
THE YEAR”. If you do not believe the year still began and
ended in the fall, even after Exodus 12:2 where he said “this will be the first month of the year for you”, please
read chapter 25 of Leviticus 1 through 12, which teaches that WHEN THEY COME INTO THE LAND every seventh year and all the
years including the 50th year of Jubilee began and ended with seedtime in the fall.
Again,
based on all these Scriptures, the feast were to be kept WITHIN THE YEAR, and the agricultural year was from seedtime
to seedtime and no harvest “or feast” was to go into the next year but were to be kept in
their seasons or within the year. Someone thinks to chance these times and seasons, as Daniel prophesied. Let’s assume
for a moment that February 20 was equinox or first day of the year in Egypt, when there is equal light and darkness, which
was divided in the middle by evening and morning, as was the case on the first day of the year in creation according to Philo
who lived during the time of our Savior. Although some places on earth who are on different latitude, such as Ohio, might
be a little off equal light and darkness on February 20 because of the curvature of the earth, we can safely assume that the
first month of the year would apply to everyone same as in Exodus 12:2 WOULD APPLY to everyone on earth even
though they are on different latitude and their harvests will also be different. Or else would someone in Ohio would start
their year different from the Israelites in Egypt?
I think most would agree that the first month of the year in
Exodus 12:2 would have applied to everyone on earth no matter what latitude they are on and what stage their crops would be
in, so why not use Egypt or Israel and everyplace on that latitude now as a starting point???
The sun will come
back to that same place it was in Egypt year after year from then on and we can find the sun was not on mar 20 by the crops
and the wheat seed that had not come up yet in Egypt, etc. Due to the curvature of the earth there will always be a slight
difference in when the light of the sun reaches them. Alexander Egypt is in the northern part of Egypt and is on the same
latitude with Israel. Alexander is a major metropolitan city in Egypt and there were thousands of Israelite Jews, including
Philo, who would go up to Jerusalem for the feasts of the Almighty and would take the first fruits of their crops.
I am going to make a profound Statement: what we believe the Scripture teaches concerning time and appointments of the Almighty
MUST harmonize or agree 100% with what Philo and the people, including the priests, who lived at the time of the Messiah,
believed the Scripture teaches concerning time and appointments. i.e. we must believe what they believed unless they were
rebuked for it or the Scripture spoke negative of it. In other words we must keep the same Sabbath that the people kept and
the same appointments at the same time. The reason for this is because they observed the appointments the Messiah observed
and if they were in error the Messiah was in error and I don’t believe that he was.
Is there anyone who disagrees
with this and why? If we know from the New Testament that our Saviour kept the same Sabbath and Feasts as
the Jews of that day, all we have to do is find out from History what Sabbaths and Feasts they” kept
and how they understood the seasons. What is it if I had phrased it like this, we must believe like our Savior believed concerning
the appointed times. The Key is they believed like our Savior and if we believe like them then we automatically believe like
our Savior. When we have documented Historical proof from people who lived at the time of our Savior as to how the feasts
and Sabbaths were observed, we have the truth on the subject because our Savior observed the same Feasts and Sabbaths. EVERYONE
KNOWS WHEN IT’S DARK AND LIGHT. NO ONE KNOWS IF ITS THE CENTER OF THE SUN that is ABOVE OR BELOW HORIZON. What did he
used to divide the light from the darkness????
Did the first day in creation begin with about 60 minutes of twilight
in the evening and then darkness??? And was there about 60 minutes of twilight before Day???
The beginning of
morning twilight in the morning gradually brings you out of the mass of darkness until full light of the sun at the horizon.
This would be easier on our eyes and the evening twilight does the opposite and gradually takes us out of the Bright light
into the on coming mass of darkness again, giving our eyes a chance to adjust that we do not stumble, and the process begins
anew with a new 24-hour day. If the first day in creation began in darkness, this would set a precedent for all the other
days that follow and they also would begin in darkness and if Adam was created on the sixth day of the week at dark, or the
beginning of the day, this would give his sensitive eyes time to adjust to his first sunrise at the horizon because of the
morning twilight before the full light. Try to imagine what it would be like without the twilights gradually introducing light
and darkness and the sun just popped on in full strength and again off without any warning. Even spiritually people are gradually
drawn to the light of the word or it would be too much for them to bear. "In the time of the end, every divine
institution is to be restored."
EQUINOX EGYPT Another
clue in finding the scriptural first month of the year is also found in nature. The spring wheat, that had not come up in
Exodus 9:32, takes 4 months to harvest according to nature, the agriculture Department and our Savior, John 4:35.
This presents serious problems with the traditional equinox because the fields are under water in July 21 which is 4 months
after March 21! The flooding of the Nile was so accurate that Egypt set their calendar by it, see websites below, and with
the traditional equinox, the wheat would be underwater!
The reason the spring wheat would be underwater with the
traditional equinox is because if the wheat was not up on March 21, it would not be ready for harvest until July 21 which
is a month too late because of the flooding of the Nile River. Whatever the first month of the year in Egypt was, it was the
month that the barley was ready to be harvested and the wheat had not come up. This had to correspond with our month February
and had to have happened 4 months before the flooding of the Nile because it takes 4 months for spring wheat to be ready for
harvest and it had to be harvested before the flood which came around the middle of June. This puts the barley ready for harvest
around the middle of February or 1 March as many sources and scholar agree and nature itself teaches.
The bottom
line is with the traditional equinox on March 21, the wheat that had not come up in Exodus 9:32 would not be ready for harvest
until July 21 which is a month too late because of the flooding of the Nile River, making the traditional equinox impossible.
I took the following from a website which states,
"The flooding
cycle of the Nile“The flood cycle
was so predictable that the Egyptians even based their ancient calendar on it. Akhet was the first season of the
year, between the months of June and September. Peret or the Egyptian Autumn season marked
the time when their crops grew in the fields and were harvested,[1] running from October to mid-February. Shemu was the third and last season of the
Egyptian year which ran from mid-February until the end of May; it essentially signalled
the spring season of the Egyptian calendar.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flooding_of_the_Nile Another reference says, Akhet
- the inundation (June-September): The Flooding Season.
No farming was done at this time,
as all the fields were flooded. http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/egypt/farming.htm
You might ask what does all this mean? In a nutshell
it means the first month of the year is Abib and is comparable to our months February/March, "NOT" the traditional
March/April. One might argue that that was the first month of the year in Egypt but what about Israel, how would they have
ripe barley in this same month, when they came into the land? In the land of Jericho they could have planted their barley
a month earlier than Egypt because of the flooding of the Nile River limited Egypt's plantain. Egypt had to wait until the
water receded, but Jericho did not. At any rate the spring wheat had not come up which would have been in the middle of February
and the barley was almost ready for harvest which is in the middle of February as Albert Barnes points out
in his commentary on this verse and you can verify that this is still true today.
It is the length of the light
from the sun that causes the barley to grow and ripen and this happens in February/March. Peoples crops further North of the
equator will not mature at the same time but they can watch the great lights and determine their conjunction points of the
length of light and darkness/equinox and solstices, this is what they were created for, i.e. days and years etc, Genesis 1:14.
it is not the barley we are to watch for to determine years/tequfahs/revolutions/cycles/circuts.
Harvest:
People’s harvests who are on different latitudes will be different because of the distance
from the equator and therefore it would be impossible to bring the first fruits of their harvest at the time Egypt or Israel
brings there’s. The only solution I see is the first month of the year in Egypt “applies to everyone”,
regardless of their latitude and harvests. Suppose you were in Ohio at the time the first month of the year was pinpointed
in Egypt by the Almighty. Would you let that month and that year apply to you also, even though you’re on a different
latitude, or would you figure there is no way to work it out?
Think about this. If March 20 is approximately equal
sunrise and sunset for ever one on Earth, then one day before March 20 is one day before March 20 for ever one on Earth also.
30 days before March 20 is 30 days before March 20 for everyone. In other words the time that it is equal light and darkness
around February 20 in Israel is February 20 for everyone on the Earth even though they may be a day or two off on their latitude
and harvest.
I believe the traditional equator and equinox is scientifically impossible or either the earth is
not in the center because it will be equal light and darkness when the light of the sun shines in the center of the earth.
And I see how Jerusalem and the regions round about is the center of the earth. The center of the earth was promise to the
children of Israel for an inheritance according to the book of jubilees.
"And there came forth on the writing as Shem's lot the middle of the earth
which he should take as an inheritance for himself and for his sons for the generations of eternity Jubilees 8:12.
An Egyptian pyramid is said to be in the center of the earth according to global positioning. Again, if we can find out which of the Roman months corresponded with the first month
of the year/Abib, in Egypt and Israel, we will have the truth as to when the year begins. This can be done and I know how
to do it.
Noah did not have the barley during the flood to determine the year and Noah could not have used a sundial
to find the equinox on a moving ship either. He could have found the true equal light and darkness equinox without the barley
or a sundial and so can someone who is in a valley and cannot see the horizon. At any rate a sundial would be useless on a
ship. With the traditional equinox, you cannot believe the day begins and ends at dark same as the first day of the year in
creation. You must give up that and other truth in order to accept the traditional equinox to work because they use 12 hours
from sunrise to sunset at the horizon and this makes there day have 12 hours of pure light, and only 10 hours of pure darkness
when you count the 60 minutes of twilight on each side of sunrise and sunset, in with the darkness come. Again I could be
100% wrong but as of now I cannot see why the traditional equinox is a better choice, even if they had a perfect track record
on when the hours, days, months, years, and weeks begin and end which they do not.
Scientific
EquinoxEQUINOX Scientific Evidence The following shows the traditional equinox
ignores nature and does not line up with the natural movement of the Sun. Equal day and night occurs when the Sun is Center of the TRUE EQUATOR,
not the traditional equator. The seasons are caused by the Sun’s upward and downward motion across the equator from one hemisphere to the
other, NOT with a mathematical count of how many sunrises and sunsets. With the traditional spring equinox there are 24 days
from March 20 to the traditional fall equinox on September 23rd in which the Sun is hesitating in the northern
hemisphere and the seasons is not changing while the Sun is hesitating BUT IS STILL COUNTED, by solar only Rome, as if it
were still moving back toward the equator.
It would help if everyone would study the almanac and see how the sun is hesitating around the solstices. Remember the Sun crosses
the equator, up into the northern hemisphere, in the spring until it reaches the summer solstice and then back down to the
equator in the fall at which time you have equal light and darkness again. This process takes close to 8 months. The problem
with the traditional equinox is that it ignores nature and what the Sun is actually doing because it counts
the days in which the Sun is hovering and not moving down toward the equator AS IF IT WERE MOVING. This can be verified in
any almanac by counting the days that the Sun is not moving. Remember it is the up and downward motion of the Sun across the
equator that sets the seasons and when the Sun stays in the same spot the seasons stop changing. When the traditional equinox
counts the 24 days that the Sun is not moving as if it were moving, it will change the time of the equinox from September
23 to around October 22nd at which time there is true equal light and darkness.
At any rate the traditional equinox
ignores nature by ignoring what the Sun is actually doing. This will be explained along with how the traditional calendar
is an arithmetical calendar in my next post if anyone cares to read it. The traditional calendar it is an
arithmetical calendar and is not concerned with the feast days of the Almighty. From the equal light and darkness equinox
around February 20 when the sun proceeds on up into the northern hemisphere and comes back down to where it started and again
produces the equal light and darkness around October 22nd. This natural process takes a number of days longer than the traditional
arithmetical calendar “because” they are simply evenly dividing the approximately 365¼ day year in half,
regardless of what the Sun and nature is actually doing. All this is ruff estimation; I have not fine-tuned it yet. Remember
the traditional calendar is based on arithmetic ignoring that the Sun actually stays in the northern hemisphere a number of
days longer than September 20 equinox allows, which they call the nominal equinox. Nominal means “in name only”.
Instead of a carnal count of counting solar days, as is the cases with the traditional equinox and the traditional Sabbath,
why not let nature make it's own equinox when it reaches equal light and darkness. The Sun then leaves the fall equal light
and darkness which occurs around October 22 and then crosses into the southern hemisphere and returns to the same spot around
February 20 and again produces equal light and darkness which happens around 30 days before the traditional
nominal equinox.
The following is from an encyclopedia and also exposes the traditional equinox and calendar. "Arithmetic and astronomical calendars“An astronomical calendar is based on ongoing observation;
examples are the religious Islamic calendar and the old religious Jewish calendar in
the time of the Second Temple. Such a calendar is also
referred to as an observation-based calendar. The advantage of such a calendar is that it is
perfectly and perpetually accurate. The disadvantage is that working out when a particular date would occur is difficult.
An arithmetic calendar is one that is based on a strict set of rules; an example
is the current Jewish calendar. Such a calendar is also referred to as a rule-based calendar.
The advantage of such a calendar is the ease of calculating when a particular date occurs. The disadvantage
is imperfect accuracy. Furthermore, even if the calendar is very accurate, its accuracy diminishes slowly over time, owing
to changes in Earth's rotation. This limits the lifetime of an accurate arithmetic calendar to a few thousand years. After
then, the rules would need to be modified from observations made since the invention of the calendar. The
Gregorian solar calendar is an arithmetical calendar. It counts
days as the basic unit of time, grouping them into years of 365 or 366 days; and repeats completely every 146,097 days, which
fill 400 years, and which also happens to be 20,871 seven-day weeks.[10] Of these 400
years, 303 (the "common years") have 365 days, and 97 (the leap years) have 366 days. This gives an average calendar-year
length of exactly 365.2425 days, or 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes and 12 seconds.A Gregorian year is divided
into twelve months of irregular
length, with no regular relationship among their lengths:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar
THE KEY is we should be
looking for a conjunction point of equal light and darkness, or equinox, to begin and end the year/revolution. The ancients
did not make a misnomer when naming the solstices which means sun stand still or stop and when we look for the solstice we
are looking for when the Sun stops and goes back the other way. Why should we think that they did not know what they were
talking about when they named the equinox, which is referring to equal day and night?At
the solstices the day and night are at their extremes from each other but at the equinoxes they come back equal to each other
at conjunction and then start over again. These are the most obvious conjunction places to begin and end a year/revolution.
Therefore when we are to look for the solstice we are to look for when the Sun stops which will be at the point the day and
night are at their extremes IN LENGTH and when we look for the equinox we should look for when the day and night is equal
to each other IN LENGTH, NOT where the 365 days of the year is arithmetical divided equal.
We are looking for
equal light and darkness at the conjunction, NOT equal division. It is evident that equinoxes are not in the center of the
solstices. It is also possible that the equator is not where they have it, but approximately 30 days off. Perhaps the map
on the globe should be pulled down 30 days putting Ethiopia, which is the hottest place on Earth, where the traditionally
equator is. When a light is shined in the middle of a glob or earth, you have equal light and darkness. As you move the light
upward the light grows longer in the northern hemisphere until the summer solstice when the sun turns and heads back toward
the equator and the light declines until the sun has returned to the equator or middle of the earth again. Due to the fact
that it is not equal light and darkness at the traditional equinox lets us know the sun is not centered the earth’s
equator. This can be proven by taking a light and shining it on the center of a globe, or any spear, which will simulate the
Sun shining on the Earth. The bottom line is they are on an arithmetical calendar and are counting several days into a season
when the Sun, that causes the seasons, is not moving. This can be conclusively proven in any Almanac. Ethiopia is also one
of the oldest sites of human existence known to scientists today, having yielded some of humanity's oldest traces.[7] It may be the region from which Homo sapiens
first set out for the Middle East and points beyond. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopia
EQUATOR The equator is an imaginary line between the North and South Pole that separates the Earth into the two hemispheres,
southern and northern. The light makes manifest all things and the light of the sun reveals where this equator actually is.
When the light shines in the “center” of the Earth, or a globe, it causes one half of the Earth
or globe to be light and the other half dark which is known as equal light and darkness or equinox. This can only happen when
the light is shined in the center of the Earth. Each degree the light of the sun rises above the equator into the northern
hemisphere the length of the day grows longer and you have the opposite effect in the southern hemisphere where the length
of the nights grow longer and the day shorter. At the time of the traditional equinox, the length of the light has passed
the darkness and has grown to 12 hours of pure light at the horizon, leaving only 10 hours of pure darkness
with 2hrs of evening and morning twilight. This is not equality and does not represent or mimic the very first day of the
year in creation when he equally divided the light from the darkness.
The Hebrew word for divided in Genesis 1
is made up of two Hebrew words and one of them mean’s “between”, in other words he equally divided in the
center and this is the way Philo understood it, to be equally divided in the middle. Quote:
WHO IS THE HEIR OF DIVINE
THINGS
XXVIII. (141) “But since Moses not only uses the expression, "he divided," but says further, "he
divided in the midst," it is necessary to say a few words on the subject of equal divisions;
for that which is divided skilfully just in the middle makes two equal divisions….. (143) But it is established by
the incorruptible word of truth that there is nothing equal in inequality. God alone therefore seems to be exactly just, and
to be the only being able to divide in the middle bodies and things, in such a manner that none of the divisions
shall be greater or less than the other by the smallest and most indivisible portion, and he alone is able to attain to sublime
and perfect equality….”
According to the above, Philo believes the light in creation was equally divided from the darkness.
Whether his belief is right or wrong does not matter. What matters is if he believes this, he could not possibly believe the
traditional equinox because on March 20 there is 12 hours of light and 10 hours of darkness which is divided by two hours
of twilight, one on each side of the day.
WHY ARE THE WRITING’S OF PHILO SO IMPORTANT????? “In the quest for Historical evidence
as it relates to the “true equinox” during the time of the Messiah, Philo is of the utmost importance because
it reflects their understanding of things. The writings of Philo are very important for establishing all “ISREALITE
PRACTICE” and belief both before and “during the Messiah’s”
time here on earth.
Philo lived from approximately 20 BCE until about 50 CE. Thus, his lifetime spanned not only
the years prior to the Messiah’s birth, but also the years following His resurrection (not to mention the years in between).
The evidence reveals that Philo’s beliefs were representative of those of Judaism during that period of
time. Philo, who was born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, was one of more than 100,000 Jews/Israelites living in that city.
When the prefect Flaccus initiated a massacre of the Jews in the year 39 CE, PHILO WAS SELECTED to
head the Jewish delegation that went to Rome to plead their case before Gaius Caligula.
Please pause for a moment
and reflect on the “SIGNIFICANCE” of Philo’s having been chosen from among his peers for
such a monumental task. “WOULD PHILO HAVE BEEN CHOSEN FOR SUCH A MISSION “IF” HIS PRACTICE AND
BELIEFS “HAD NOT” SQUARED WITH THOSE OF NORMATIVE JUDAISM/Israel?” No, he would not have been
chosen unless his views matched those of his peers. We know from Philo’s writings that he “BELIEVED”
"THE TRUE EQUINOX had to do with the equal division of light and darkness."
If
normative Judaism had practiced keeping the feasts by "the traditional equinox" while Philo rebelliously observed
the "nature made equal light and darkness equinox”, would this detail have affected their decision to select him
to lead a delegation to Rome??? ABSOLUTELY.
The timing of the feast observance is very
important and one of the most DISTINGUISHING MARKS of Israel. For Philo to have "gone against
the grain" of Israel with regard to Feast observance would have signaled a break with Israel. We can thus
discern that if Philo observed and believed the nature made equinox which is equal light and darkness,
so did the rest of his fellow Israelites, including our Savior and His Apostles because there were
absolutely NO CONTROVERSY between our Savior and the Jews concerning the timing of the feasts found
in Scripture, as a matter of fact I can conclusively prove from scripture that the Messiah kept the same feasts as did the
Jews. Remember they were all gathered at Jerusalem, from every nation kindred and tongue, to keep Pentecost because when it
had fully come in the book of acts, they were there.
At any rate, Philo’s writings teach how things were
understood and done by the priest in the Temple and the Israelites at the time of the Messiah. Our Savior said, “Are there not 12 hours in a day?”
The question is does these 12 hours in a day include the “morning/dawn” before sunrise as the sun pushes up the
dawn, or are they measured from sunrise to sunset excluding the dawn/morning that is pushed up by the sun? Remember the sun
is following the dawn/morning, how can you not count it in with the day???
Why wait till the sun peeks at the
horizon before counting the light that is pushed up, as light? It is like saying that that light is not light because the
sun has not reached the horizon yet. The orb of the Sun is following the light. The Sun is a dispenser of the light on the
Earth, why not count the light that it dispenses upon the Earth before the orb reaches the horizon??? The stars rule the night and the stars are gone
from sight 30 minutes BEFORE the Sun reaches the horizon in the morning and there is absolutely no stars at all for some time
when the Sun goes below the horizon in the evening and this is because the Sun is still ruling and it is not scripturally
considered night until the light, that is called day, leaves and then the stars rule. When the Scripture says the stars rule
the night, it is referring to all of the stars. I do not believe that 2 or 3 stars rule the night.
I live in a
place where I cannot see the horizon but I am able to see when the light of the sun is gone and when all the stars have risen
and I can no longer see the ribbon of blue in the tassels and all 3 of these witnesses happens at the same time because without
light you cannot distinguish colors and none of the stars will be obscured by the light but will all be visible. EQUINOX
POSSIBILITY There is another Scripture and historical possibility for the equinox.
The book of Genesis
speaks of the light being divided from the darkness and immediately follows by saying, and there was evening and there was
morning day one or the evening and the morning were the first day. Could it be possible that it was the evening and morning
that was doing the dividing of the light from the darkness???
Philo thought
this was the case because he taught that the evening and morning were buffers “between the light and darkness”
so that they would not clash because of the two extremities. He writes,
WHO IS THE HEIR OF DIVINE THINGS XXVIII. (141) “But since Moses not only uses the expression,
"he divided," but says further, "he divided in the midst," it is necessary to say a few
words on the subject of equal divisions; for that which is divided skilfully just in the middle
makes two equal divisions….. "
Q.
EQUINOX
QUESTIONS Questions for the traditional equinox observers. A very important question for those who believe the day begins and
ends when the traditional sunset when the sun is below the horizon, is this. Some people believe the sun should be at the
center of the horizon, same as the sun is center the equator when determining the traditional equinox. Others believe it is
when sun is BELOW the horizon at sunset, but with this belief the sun should be ABOVE the horizon at on the other side at
sunrise in order to be consistent, if sunset is below the horizon on the other side. The majority believes that the Sun is
just below the horizon on “both sides” at sunrise and sunset. My question is which one of the 3 methods is right
and more importantly, WHY do you believe it? How can you prove which is the scriptural sunrise and sunset???
There
is nothing in Scripture or history that supports the horizon theory. Also where in your area can you find a non-obstructed
view of the horizon, in order to get a precise reading?
These problems go away with the nature made equinox. Another
question is, if the light of the sun “stops ruling” the day when the Sun goes below the horizon, at which time
there are no stars out, which one is ruling and is it day or night???
I believe the reason you cannot see the stars
is because the Sun is still ruling and the light, that he called day, has not gone away yet or neither one is ruling during
the twilight. The light will not go away until the scriptural sundown when it is dark, Genesis 15:17, and then all the stars
will come out.
I believe
the first day of the year should be a carbon copy where it mimics the very first day of the year in creation which happens
at equinox/conjunction of equal light and darkness. I believe anything more or less is not true equinox and would not reflect
or MIRROR the first day of the year in creation.
I have more information where Philo and also Babylon and other
nations celebrated or connected the equinox to commemorate first day of creation when light and darkness was equal length.
The sun returns to the same spot from which it started, after finishing it cycle of approximate 365 days, year after year
after year and with the traditional equinox it goes a full month BEYOND the equal light and darkness and fulfills the prophecy
of Daniel 7:25. There is equal light and darkness around October 26, 2011 and again around February 17th, 2011. The only scientifically
way this can be is if the Sun goes 2 months into the southern hemisphere and then back up 2 months to the place where it started
which is the center of the Earth which causes equal light and darkness again! This is an absolute that cannot be intelligently
argued against, or the earth is not in the center. It then crosses the true equator into the northern hemisphere and goes
up 4 months and back down 4 months to where it started and it will be equal light and darkness again when it reaches the center
of the Earth again. The only thing I can see that causes the equal light and darkness is when the Sun shines in the center/equator
of the Earth. The center of the Earth was given to his chosen people and it is the choice part of the Earth, not to hot or
cold.
The thought occurred to me that if the Sun only goes 2 months in the southern hemisphere toward the South
Pole, there should be a huge difference in temperature at the south pole. I Googled the South Pole and sure enough it is the
coldest place on Earth and much colder than the North Pole. You can conduct an experiment with a flashlight and the globe.
Philo
teaches that it is the stars that fix the boundaries of night and day by their rising and setting.
CONCERNING NOAH'S WORK AS A PLANTER* {**Yonge's title, The Second Part of the Treatise about the Planting of Noah; On Husbandry
(De Agricultura) to be closely tied to Concerning Noah's Work as a Planter (De Plantatione).} XXVIII. (117) (118) “for
the light which is perceptible by the outward senses, and held in honour,
being that which throws the most brilliant light both upon itself and upon other things, and upon its own parents the
sun and the moon, and upon the most sacred company of the stars, which by their rising and setting fix the boundaries of night
and day, and moreover, of months and years, and which have shown the nature of number,”
Notice
it is the rising and setting of the stars that sets the boundaries of night and day. Not only that but the stars affect the
boundaries of months and years because without their rising and setting you would not know when the first day of the month
or year begins. Everyone wonders what part the stars play in the calendar and according to Philo they play a huge part in
the beginning and ending of a day month and year by setting boundaries by their rising and settings.
According
to the above, did Philo acknowledge these boundaries and begin and end the day when the stars were ruling or when the Sun
was at the horizon???
My home is located in a small bowl like wooded valley area where it is impossible for me
to see the horizon and I doubt anyone reading these forms has an unobstructed view of any horizon. Nevertheless I am able
to watch the light of the sun go away in the West at which time all the stars began ruling because the light of the sun no
longer shone on them and at the exact same time that the light of the Sun went away, I could no longer see the ribbon of blue
in my tassels. These three witnesses happened at the same time.
All the stars are not out when the Sun goes
below the horizon. You might see one peep out about 20 or so minutes later but it takes more than one or two stars to rule
the night. This is something you can verify for yourself and then decide. Anyone who is too lazy or does not care enough to
get up in the morning or watch at evening to check this out should not say anything one way of the other concerning this subject.
I believe when the Scripture says “the stars to rule the night” it is speaking of all of them
not just two or three or even half, but all of them. At any rate anyone who cannot see the horizon can still
discern when a day begins and ends when using the stars and the light.
The only time I see an unobstructed horizon
is when I go to the ocean or desert. When I was in Israel many years ago, I remember our Gide telling us that Israel was once
a wilderness with many trees before they were cut down on account of wars etc. Can you imagine someone in a wooded area or
wilderness trying to decide the exact moment the Sun touches the horizon? This problem goes away with the true equinox and
the true boundary setters/stars.
The traditional
equinox does not count the morning/dawn twilight in with the 12 hours of the day. If you think about it, the morning twilight
is in “front” of the sun and is pushes up into the day, where it dissipates into the day, or
is blended into the day, and is therefore a part of the day. If the morning twilight followed behind the Sun, you could count
it in with the 12 hours of the night. The evening/dusk twilight follows or trails the Sun and leads to pure darkness but
the morning/dawn twilight goes before the sun and leads to pure light and this is what makes up the 2 twelve
hour halves of the day, spoken of in Genesis 1. i.e. evening and morning was the first day, evening and morning was the second
day etc, in other words, the Scriptural evening and morning represents two halves of the 24-hour day, but
the traditional evening and morning only represents one half of the 24 hour day because they are BOTH placed
on one side of the day and if it were not for the tradition of men, no one would disagree with this.
People need
to be honest with themselves, even if it means changing their theology. Unfortunately, some people are so addicted with their
tradition, same as a drug addict is addicted with their drugs, it is hard for them to break loose.
The traditional 12 hour half of the day, from sunrise to sunset at the horizon, does not even have
a evening or morning twilight and the other 12 hour half of the day has two or BOTH the
twilights. This ought not be. The morning twilight is pushed up and should go with the day and the evening twilight with the
night, in order to be an equal division.
DEFINITION OF SUNDOWN: I believe the Scriptural 24 hour day begins and ends at dark. First of all the original Scriptural definition of evening
was the period of darkness that was called night and the definition of morning was the period of light that was called Day,
no other division of time was mentioned at this time in Genesis 1, I don't see how this can be intelligently
argued against.
As time went on and men began to multiply they developed terms of being more specific in communicating
with each other, such as between the evenings, which can be before sunrise (Ex-!6) and between the evenings at the going down
of the sun (Deut-16) etc. it appears that between the evenings can be anywhere between the darks and possibly why they use
such phrases as, “between the evenings at the going down of the sun” which starts when the Sun reaches its apex
and begins its descent after noon and continues to go down below the horizon until its light is gone and it becomes night/dark.
In today’s fast pace we have minuets and seconds of
time but in the beginning the two basic periods of a day was evening and morning or light and darkness, the evening/darkness/night
lasted until dawn/light/morning/day, which in turn lasted until evening/dark and it began over again. At least that is how
I see it as of now.
I believe they understood sundown as dark. See Genesis 15:17
“and it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and
it was dark,”
Notice, when the sun is completely
down it is dark.
Amos 8:9 says “I will cause the sun
to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:”
Notice: If the sun goes down at noon, it will be dark according
to the Almighty’s own words/definition.
Micah 3:6 “the sun
shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.”
Here again we see that when the sun goes down OVER them, the
day is dark OVER them. It is NOT dark when the sun is just below the horizon because the sun is NOT down.
Another verse says there shall be light at evening time, insinuating that is not
the norm. These verses shows that true sundown is considered dark and these next verses
shows that evening and sundown and dark are synonymous which will harmonize with Genesis 1: where it refers to evening as
dark.
“Or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he
may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath; The soul which hath touched
any such shall be unclean until even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he wash his flesh
with water. And when the “sun is down”, he shall be clean… [LEVITICUS 22:5-7]
Notice the Sun is not down until it is dark. Sundown, evening
and dark are synonymous which harmonizes with the definition of evening, given in Genesis 1.
Again, the Scriptures teaches that true sundown is dark which is in harmony with the very first day in creation
and the evening and morning days that followed. I do not know of any conclusive Scripture that refers to sundown any other
way other than dark. I believe the ones I gave above are conclusive.
We
know from Genesis 1 where He said, “the light He called day”, i.e. day is the name for light, and if you still
see light you are seeing that day but when it gets completely dark at sun down/conjunction, same as the conjunction of the
moon when the last sliver goes away, the light is gone and the new day or month begins. It’s much like opening and closing
a door. When the day or a door opens the light begins to shine through and at the closing of the day or a door the light is
shut off. As long as you see the light, the door is not shut. It’s that simple.
I believe the Scriptures will interpret themselves as to what sundown and
evening is. If the moon can complete its cycle without the aid of the horizon or the barley, why can’t the Sun complete
it’s cycle or circuit/revolution without the aid of the horizon or barley??? Genesis
1:14 -16 teaches that He made the great lights for days and years and appointments without the help of barley or the horizon
or anything else therefore they can complete their cycles independently of anything else. They even complete their cycles
independently of each other although they are used in tandem with each other throughout the year.
In Genesis we read, “the light he called day and the darkness he called night and the evening
(darkness) and the morning (light) were the first day (24hr period).”
I believe this is a Scripture definition of evening, and I believe the above
concerning sundown being dark is a scriptural definition of sundown and therefore a new 24 hr period begins at dark/sundown.
Try to picture the first day in creation when the light popped on, there would be one half of the Earth light and the other
half dark, 50 50 equals 100.
People's
understanding of words today is different than two thousand years ago I gave scripture where sundown is referring to dark
but the traditional understanding of sundown is different.
Proverbs
7:9 in the twilight in the evening, in the black and dark night:"
Nature teaches that there are different degrees of twilight, which is the
period of light just after the orb of the sun is below the Horizon before dark.
There is another space of twilight
after the darkness is over before the orb of the sun is seen at the horizon. The morning twilight is called dawn.
With the traditional equinox, BOTH these degrees of light are counted in with the night, which does NOT square with the equinox
on the 1st day of the year in creation.
The traditional Roman calendar counts BOTH the two degrees of twilights
in with the dark, which is only half of the 24-hour day. They say the equinox is when you have 12 hours from sunrise
to sunset at the horizon. If you count 60 minutes of light on each side of sunrise and sunset, you have 12 hours of PURE light
and only 10 hours of PURE darkness which is not equal light and darkness as was the first day in creation.
Nehemiah-13:19
"When the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark “before” the Sabbath"
Notice it does not say anything about the barley or the orb of the sun touching
the horizon etc. it says, “when it “began” to “be” dark “before”
the Sabbath. i.e. the Sabbath had not begun yet and would not begin “until dark”, even though the Sun would have
been below the horizon the Sabbath WOULD “begin at dark”, same as the first Sabbath in creation.
If the very first day in creation began and ended at dark, every day since then should mimic it and if the first
day of the year in creation was of equally divided light and darkness, the beginning of every year since then should mimic
it because the sun comes back to the exact same spot year after year and it’s ordinance will not change or Israel will
ceased to be a nation.
Evening is defined as follows, by Strong’s
Exhaustive Concordance, and Brown, Drivers, Briggs Hebrew Lexicon: H6153
/ SEC Definition / ‛ereb / eh'-reb / From H6150; dusk:— + day, even (-ing, tide), night.H6153 / ‛ereb / BDB Definition: / 1) evening,
night, sunset / 1a) evening, sunset / 1b) night"
To conclusively
prove that evening ends a day I offer the following Historical evidence from a time period when the Temple was still standing,
which teachers that the Sabbath had not yet begun after the sun was below the Horizon even in the evening twilight.
WARS OF THE JEWS book 4 CHAPTER 9 (582) “and
the last was erected above the top of the Pastophoria, where one of the priests stood of course, and gave a signal beforehand,
with a trumpet, at the “beginning” of every seventh day, in the “evening twilight,”
as also at the “evening” when the “day was finished,” as giving
notice to the people when they were to “leave off work,” and when they were to go to “work again” In the above Josephus is saying that the trumpet was blown BEFOREHAND at evening twilight which
is before the beginning of every seventh day and at the evening at the end of every seventh day for the people
to go back to work again."
Notice: the sun was below the horizon at twilight and the Sabbath had not began
yet because it says the trumpet was blown BEFOREHAND or BEFORE the Sabbath. The trumpet was blown the second time in the “evening”
instead of EVENING TWILIGHT. This shows they understood evening to be dark and the Sabbath would be over at dark and begin
at dark. Remember Josephus is writing this during the time of the destruction of the Temple
when the priesthood was still active which conclusively proves the Jews at this time understood the day ends at evening/dark
and the day consisted of 24 hours. I don’t believe he would’ve blown the trumpets after the
Sabbath began but in the evening twilight before dark and again at evening which is dark and the Sabbath would be over.
I have much more on this subject but this should be enough to get us started thinking
and if I am wrong I want to get off of it. I believe the multitude of cancel is a built-in safety net for his people.The night DOES NOT END when the Sun is at the horizon,
60 minutes after Dawn.
Job 26:10 “He
hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.”
I believe
the night ends at the morning/dawn twilight BEFORE the Sun is at the horizon. The night does not end 60 minutes after it is
light enough to read the Torah and then ends the night. In other words you are not able to read the Torah all night long,
without artificial light, and then the night leaves at dawn where you can now read the Scripture at least 30 minutes before
the Sun is at the Horizon and then to say that the night did not end until the Sun reached the horizon does not make sense.
Isa 60:19 "The sun shall be no more thy light by day;
neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy
Elohim thy glory." Isa 60:20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither
shall thy moon withdraw itself: for YHWH shall be thine everlasting light,..”.
There is still light when the sun is at the horizon because the sun is not down.
Ge 28:11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun
was set;"
Ps 104:19 He appointed the moon for seasons: the
sun knoweth his going down.
Ps 104:20 Thou makest darkness,
and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. Ps 136:8
The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:
Ps 136:9
The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever."
Equinox happens without the aid of barley or man.
THE HEBREW WORD FOR NOON-
The first thing to point out is that the
biblical day begins at evening (GENESIS 1:5; LEVITICUS 23:32). While there are some who opt for a day beginning at daylight
or morning, it is not the intent of this article to examine that belief. Knowing that the day begins at evening should cause
us to immediately recognize that the day does not begin at noon. This is primarily because there are two completely different
words for evening and noon in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Evening is defined as follows, by Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, and Brown, Drivers, Briggs Hebrew
Lexicon:H6153 / SEC Definition / ‛ereb
/ eh'-reb / From H6150; dusk:— + day, even (-ing, tide), night.H6153 / ‛ereb / BDB Definition: / 1) evening, night, sunset / 1a) evening, sunset / 1b) night
While paying careful attention
to the definition for the Hebrew word for evening, take note of the entirely different Hebrew word translated into English
as “noon” in the King James Version of the Bible: H6672 / SEC Definition
/ tsohar / tso'-har / From H6671; a light (that is, window); dual double light, that is, noon:—midday, noon (-day, -tide), window.H6672 / tsohar / BDB Definition: / 1) noon, midday (noun masculine)
/ 1a) noon (as specific time of day) / 1b) noon (in simile as bright of happiness, blessing) / 2) roof (noun feminine) / 2a)
meaning dubious
These two Hebrew words are never used synonymously in the
entire Bible. As a matter of fact they are used in opposition to one another as different time frames of a 24 hour day in
the following passage: Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud:
and he shall hear my voice. [PSALMS 55:17]
It is clear from this passage
that the Psalmist speaks of three different specific time periods. Notice specifically that evening and noon are mentioned
as separate time periods in the above passage, proving conclusively that noon (the apex of the sun) is not evening in any
way. THE MEANING OF EVEN, EVENING, ETC.The easiest way to prove the meaning of the word evening is not necessarily by going
to a Hebrew dictionary or lexicon, but by going to clear instances or uses of the Hebrew world ereb in the Old Testament in
order to develop the proper meaning of the term according to the context. Here are such verses that do just that.
And (the) Almighty called the light
Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. [GENESIS 1:5]
Without me planting anything into your thoughts, read the
above Scripture and ask yourself which terms are synonymous?
And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until
the even. And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even. [LEVITICUS
11:24-25]
Compare the above verse with the following: Or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be
made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath; The soul which hath touched any such
shall be unclean until even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he wash his flesh with water. And
when the sun is down, he shall be clean… [LEVITICUS 22:5-7] Notice
sundown and evening is synonymous and when we take into consideration the scriptural definition of sundown as being dark
this confirms that evening is dark as was the case in creation!
We must undo what we were taught that is wrong. Out of ALL the scriptures so far, the ONLY evening is the one that ENDS the day, why is that????
The Leviticus 11 passage places the man clean at even, while the Leviticus 22
passage places the man clean when the sun is down; this shows that even is equivalent with when the sun is down. Here are more sundown Scriptures confirming true sundown is dark not just as it
goes below the horizon.
Ge 28:11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night,
because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that
place to sleep.
Jos 8:29 And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun
was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the
gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.
De 24:12 And if the man be
poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge: De 24:13 In any case thou shalt deliver him
the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness
unto thee before the LORD thy God. De 24:14 Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is
poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates:
De 24:15 At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall
the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the
LORD, and it be sin unto thee.
De 23:11 But it shall be, when evening cometh on,
he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.
Le 22:6 The soul which hath touched any such shall be unclean until even, and
shall not eat of the holy things, unless he wash his flesh with water.
Le 22:7 And when
the sun is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterward eat of the holy things; because it is his food.
Ge 28:11 And he lighted
upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of
that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
Jg 14:17
And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her,
because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people. Jg 14:18
And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down,
2Sa 2:24
Joab also and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah,
that lieth before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon…….
2Sa 2:29
And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passed over Jordan, and went through all
Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim... 2Sa 3:35 And when all the people came to cause David to eat meat
while it was yet day, David sware, saying, So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or ought else,
till the sun be down.
Ps 104:19 He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down.
Ps 104:20 Thou makest
darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.
Ps 136:8 The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: Ps 136:9
The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Jer 15:9 She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her
sun is gone down while it was yet day: she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue
of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the YHWH.
Am 8:9 And it
shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon,
and I will darken the earth in the clear day:
Mic 3:6 Therefore
night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you,
that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark
over them. In the morning thou shalt say, Would (the) Almighty it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would (the)
Almighty it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou
shalt see. [DEUTERONOMY 28:67]
This
verse places evening and morning as opposites, i.e. night verses day.And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah
abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow. 13And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before
him; and he made him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants
of his lord, but went not down to his house. And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter
to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. [2 SAMUEL 11:12-14]
Here
we have evening mentioned as the time Uriah went to lie down on his bed, and then we have the phrase, “…and it
came to pass in the morning…” This is simple to understand.
Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing:
and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity. Dig thou through the wall in their sight,
and carry out thereby. In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt
cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel. And I did so as I was
commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand;
I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight. And in the morning came the word of Yahweh
unto me… [EZEKIEL 12:4-8] Here, even is mentioned as the equivalent of twilight and
as the opposite of morning which came after evening.
And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. And it came to pass in
the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her. And Laban gave unto his daughter
Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid. And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban,
What is this thou hast done unto me… [GENESIS 29:22-25] Notice that Jacob went in to Leah in the evening, the normal time a man would go into a woman. Then we have
the morning being mentioned implying that they went into each other and then slept and then morning (daylight) came.
And Jacob came out of the field in the
evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son’s
mandrakes. And he lay with her that night. [GENESIS 30:16] Here we see that
Jacob came out from the field (most likely finishing work) at evening, and then lay with Leah that night; evening and night
being the same thing.
But it
shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp
again. [DEUTERONOMY 23:11] Here we see
that as evening cometh on (draweth near) the person was to wash himself, then when the sun is down (evening no longer coming
on but present) he is clean to enter the camp.
Man goeth forth unto
his work and to his labour until the evening. [PSALMS 104:23] Everyone knows that it is common for man to work in the daytime and come home or enter home at night.
Passing through the street near her
corner; and he went the way to her house, In the twilight, in the evening , in the black and dark night: And, behold, there
met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtle of heart. [PROVERBS 7:8-10] We see here the three emboldened terms above used synonymously.
Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more
fierce than the evening wolves… [HABBAKUK 1:8] Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.
[ZEPHANIAH 3:3]
Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour
the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil. [GENESIS 49:27] Everyone associates wolves with darkness, not with noonday. Also note that the word “night”
in the Genesis passage is the Hebrew word ereb. And
it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known
to Yahweh, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. [ZECHARIAH 14:6-7] For evening time to be light is an exceptional thing of abnormality;
normally evening time is dark.
So
am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me. When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise,
and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day. [JOB 7:3-4] The second night here is translated from the Hebrew word ereb. Could it be any
more clearer that ereb here refers to the night time?
And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua
commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise
thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day. [JOSHUA 8:29] Notice carefully that the king hung on the tree until eventide. This is equivalent with
the statement that Joshua commanded him to be brought down as soon as the sun was down. In noticing that evening and the time of sun down being synonymous, we should
also take the following Scriptures into consideration for this study. And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and
a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. [GENESIS 15:17] We clearly see here that when the sun went down, it was dark. This means the light
of the day had vanished and it was then night. In opposition to this, notice this verse: And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord Yahweh, that I will cause
the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day… [AMOS 8:9] This passage is akin to Zechariah 14:6-7 in that it is a supernatural, extraordinary
occurrence. While the sun begins its waning or going down at noon, it does not go down (get dark) at noon. Neither is clear
day normally dark. In this passage sun down and darken are equals, and noon and clear day are equals. This once again, with
no ambiguity, shows that noon and evening are not synonymous. What all of this shows is that evening and noon are not the same time periods. Noon is a time period during
the daylight hours of the day, and evening is a time period of the beginning of the day - the sun down or dark portion of
the day.
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Aaron's rod that budded (Nu 17:2,3) was an almond rod. The common variety grows to the height of 25 feet and produces an abundant blossom
which appears before the leaves; In Palestine this is fully out at the end of January or beginning of February;
it is the harbinger of spring.” http://net.bible.org/dictionary.php?word=almond
Notice it says
February is the “harbinger” of spring and the word harbinger means to herald or the announcer or messenger of
spring. The almond tree is a sign that spring is upon us.I have already posted other unbiased sources that support the flax in ancient Israel was harvested in February/March,
such as the Reader’s Digest book entitled Jesus and His Times, pages 100-101.
“The agricultural year in Israel begins
in the autumn (after the harvest festival of Tabernacles) with ploughing and sowing. Harvests in Israel begin in
spring in the month of “Adar (February/March).”http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sbs777/saccal/calbook/part2-4.html
The above shows the spring rains comes in February and the almond trees are in full bloom in February and
it is also the flax harvest. It is very important to know that the flax had not been harvested in Egypt when the hail came,
Exodus 9:31 and this is a major key to finding what Roman month corresponds with this nature event which is called the month
of Abib and it is the first month of the year!
If the flax was destroyed, obviously it
had not yet been harvested, this means that this first month of the year was no later than our Roman month February or the
flax would have already been harvested because the flax is harvested in our Roman month of February! Also
the spring wheat was protected from the hail Exodus 9:32 because it had not come up yet which is planted in February. The
bottom line is that in Egypt the flax had not yet been harvested, which is harvested in our Roman month February and we have
barley that had not yet been harvested which is harvested in the middle of our Roman month February and we have spring wheat
that had not yet come up which is sown in the middle of February. When we apply deductive reasoning to these agricultural
facts we see that the hail was not later than February. It appears they would have been in the process of harvesting the flax
when the hail came and the barley would have been harvested in February/March. The flax is harvested in
January/February at the time the barley is Abib and the flax was still in the field during the hailstorm.
Challenge to Anyone. If the flax was in the field, still unharvested, at the time the “barley was in the ear/Abib”,
in Egypt when the hail came, and if the flax is harvested in January/February, and the barley in February/March, what month
was the hail? And would not the Roman month of February/March be Abib, instead of March/April? If not, please explain why? Here is some information on the flax and when it is mature for harvest.
Maturation“Flax is harvested for fiber production after approximately 100 days, or a
month after the plant flowers and “two weeks” after the seed capsules form. The base
of the plant will begin to turn yellow. If the plant is still green the seed will not be useful, and the fiber will be underdeveloped.
The fiber degrades once the plant is brown.”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flax
The Septuagint says, “for the barley was advanced, and the flax was seeding” Exodus 9:31.Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament Exodus 9:31 and Exodus 9:32, "The flax and the barley
were smitten, for the barley was ear, and the flax was גּבעל (blossom); i.e., they were neither of them quite ripe, but they were already in ear and
blossom, …These accounts are in harmony with the natural history of Egypt. According to Pliny, the
barley is reaped in the sixth month after the sowing-time, the wheat in the seventh. The barley is ripe about the
end of February or beginning of March; the wheat, at the end of March or beginning of April. The flax is
in flower at the end of January. …. Consequently the plague of hail occurred at the end of January,
or at the latest in the first half of February;” The evidence shows
that in Egypt the flax is harvested in January/February and barley in February/March and the flax had not been harvested when
the hail destroyed it and the barley that was in the ear/Abib. The 1st month of the Hebrew year was named after the stage
that the barley was in and it was in that stage/Abib “before” the flax harvest which had to be in January/February.
At any rate the flax had not been harvested at the time the barley was Abib and this month was called the month of Abib which
is the first month of the year which corresponds with the Roman month February/March. The
barley was in the “ear” the Hebrew word for ear is Abib. The month of Abib gets its name from the stage of the
barley in the springtime. The barley was at this stage in Egypt and it was BEFORE the flax harvest which takes place in February
therefore the first Hebrew month is February.
Adam Clarke's
Commentary on the Bible 1 Chronicles 12:32 Children of Issachar - According
to the Targum they were all astronomers and astrologers: "and the sons of Issachar, who had understanding to know the
times, and were skilled in fixing the beginnings of years, the commencement of months, and the intercalation of months and
years; skillful in the changes of the moon, and in fixing the lunar solemnities to their proper times; skillful also in the
doctrine of the solar periods; astrologers in signs and stars, that they might show Israel what to
do; and their teachers were two hundred chiefs of the Sanhedrin: and all their brethren excelled in the words
of the law, and were endued with wisdom, and were obedient to their command." - T. It appears
that in their wisdom, experience, and skill, their brethren had the fullest confidence; and nothing was done but by their
direction and advice."
Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible 1 Chronicles 12:32Ver. 32. Understanding of the
times; either,1. Skill in the stars,
and several seasons and changes of the air; which might be of good use in husbandry, to which this tribe
was addicted Ge 49:14; De 33:18."
I think everyone agrees that year can be divided into 4 seasons, 3
months per season, but the question is does the first three month season began in February/March
or March/April? It can be proven by Scripture, nature, and historical
evidence that the spring season begins in February/March. King
Solomon, Hesiod, Ovid, and others, had something very important in common and that is they all specifically teach that the
winter season is over when the swallows appear and nature teaches the swallows appear
in February, 60 days, not 90 days, after the winter solstice. It’s that simple, the first three-month season
begins in February not March. Here’s the proof, from Scripture and history, winter ends when the swallows appear in
February.
Song of Solomon 2:11 For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and
gone; Song 2:12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing
of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
Notice Solomon says that when winter is OVER, the
flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the
voice of the turtle is heard “in our land”, in other words,
the beginning of SPRINGTIME in the land of Israel. This is talking about when the flowers first appear and
the birds first begin to sing the spring songs. The above Scripture is referring to none other than February/March
because “In our land” is referring to the land of Israel and it is in February
that the flowers first appear on earth and the singing of birds begins. A poet named Hesiod, who lived at the time of Daniel
the prophet, pinpoints this event as being 60 days after the winter solstice. He says it is the end of the year, equal day
and night, and the beginning of spring, which is 60 dats after the winter solstice, which is Februaet 19th.
Hesiod Works and Days (ll. 564-570) “Avoid it; for this is the hardest month, wintry, hard
for sheep and hard for men. In this season let your oxen have half their usual food, but let your man have
more; for the helpful nights are long. Observe all this until the year is ended
and you have nights and days of equal length, and Earth, the mother of all, bears again her
various fruit. “When Zeus
has finished sixty wintry days after the solstice, then the star Arcturus leaves the holy
stream of Ocean and first rises brilliant at dusk. (25) February
to March. ) After him the shrilly wailing daughter of Pandion, the
swallow, appears to men when spring is just beginning. Before she comes, prune the vines,
for it is best so.”
Notice he understood that you have days and nights of equal length 60 days after the winter solstice,
not 90 days after. This is harmony with Philo, who teaches that the evening and morning twilights are not counted as either
day or night but is a wall between the light and darkness or Day and night. See, Philo ON THE CREATION IX. (32 - 35)
“God put a wall
between them and separated them,….and did not only separate light and darkness, but did also
place boundaries in the middle of the space between the two, by which he separated the extremities of each….(34)
and these boundaries are “evening” and “morning”; the one of which
heralds in the good tidings that the “sun” is ABOUT TO RISE, gently dissipating the darkness:
and “evening” comes on as the sun sets, receiving gently the collective approach of darkness.
And these, I mean morning and evening,… (35) “But when light came, and darkness
retreated and yielded to it, “and” boundaries were set in the space between the two, namely, evening and
morning, then of necessity the measure of time was immediately perfected, which
also the Creator called "day…..”
the above happens 60 days after the winter solstice. See also,
WHO IS THE HEIR OF DIVINE THINGS XXIX. (146-150) “see now how God, dividing things in the middle, has
divided them into equal portions according to all the ideas of equality which occur in the creation
of the universe…. So, in the same manner, he had divided light from darkness, and day from night,…
(149) From the spring equinox to the summer solstice, day receives
an addition to its length, and night, on the other hand, submits to a diminution; until
the longest day and the shortest night are both completed. And then after the summer solstice the
sun, turning back again the same road, neither more quickly nor more slowly than he advanced, but always
preserving the same difference in the same manner, having a constantly equal arrangement, proceeds on till the autumnal
equinox; and then, having made day and night both equal, begins to increase the length of the night,
diminishing the day until the time of the winter solstice.” (150) “And when it has made the night the longest
night, and the day the shortest day, then returning back again and adopting the same distances
as before, he again comes to the spring equinox.” See also,
THE SPECIAL LAWS, IV* Yonge's title, A Treatise on Circumcision.} XLII. (233) “Nature, therefore, has marked out those PERIODS IN EVERY YEAR, which are called the EQUINOXES, from
the STATE OF THINGS WHICH EXIST AT THAT TIME with such DISTINCTNESS, that EVEN THE MOST ILLITERATE persons are aware of the
EQUALITY which THEN EXISTS between the EXTENT of the DAYS and of the NIGHTS.”
The above shows they did not count the twilights
when counting the equal light and darkness/equinox. If you do count the twilights, you should count the morning/dawn twilight
with the light part of the day and the evening/dusk twilight in with the night part of the 24-hour day, instead of putting
both the twilights in with the dark, or even in with the light. If you do this equal division of the day it will still happen
on February 20. I believe the most illiterate person today still understands there is equal division when the morning twilight
belongs with the day and the evening twilight belongs with the night. It
further shows that Philo’s understanding, and the people of his day, was the same as the people during Daniel and Hesiod’s
day, around 600 BC, before the change took place. Remember, Hesiod lived at the
time of Daniel, around 600 BC, who prophesied of a future change or alteration of the seasons, Daniel 7:25.
The change had not taken place at this time and it is clear they understood there was equal day and night and
that the year and winter ended 60 days after the winter solstice when the swallows first appear,
not 90 days. There was also a man by the name of Ovid who actually lived during
the time the change took place. He sings about how the ancient year was altered by Julius
Caesar, from a February springtime, when the swallows appear, to January 1 when it is still winter. He writes,
“Am I wrong, or has the swallow come, herald of
the Spring:”Does
she not fear lest winter should turn back, return again? Ovid: Fasti Book II: February 24: The Regifugium (Notice Winter is gone and springtime has begun by February 24.) http://poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Latin/OvidFastiBkTwo.htm#_Toc69367696
Notice
Ovid sings that winter is over by February 24 because the swallow has come, herald, or the
announcer, of the Spring. This is in harmony with both King Solomon and Hesiod. Now that we see that Ovid understood that winter is past by February
24 when the swallow has come, let’s look what he sang under January 1 and we will see him telling Caesar that January
1 is still winter and the new year should begin when the swallows appear, when winter is over, i.e. springtime. He writes
under January 1,
Book I: January 1: Kalends See how Janus appears first in my songTo announce a happy year for
you, Germanicus. (Germanicus--Another
name for Caesar...... ‘Tell
me why the new-year begins with cold, When it would be better started in the spring?Then all’s in flower,
then time renews its youth/equinox,
And the new buds swell on the fertile vines: The trees are covered in newly formed leaves,
And grass springs from the surface of the soil: Birds delight the warm air with their melodies,
And the herds frisk and gambol in the fields. Then the sun’s sweet, and brings the swallow, unseen, To build
her clay nest under the highest roof beam. Then the land’s cultivated, renewed by the plough. That
time rightly should have been called New Year.’
Notice the time for the New Year should begin in the spring AFTER WINTER IS PAST, when the swallows
are come, and we know from what he sung under February 24, the swallows had already come and winter was over before February
24. The conclusion is, the new year and the first month of the
spring season begins in February, not March. Remember we’re trying to find out how the ancients
understood when the three months of the spring season began. Was it February, when the swallows appear and flowers first appear
on earth, or was it a month later in March, a month after the fact? The swollows still apear in February. The
flooding cycle of the NileThe three stages of the Egyptian flood cycle were Akhet, the time of the Nile flood, Peret, the sowing time, and Shemu, the time of harvest. Without this cycle people would die from starvation. The flood cycle was
so predictable that the Egyptians even based their ancient calendar on it. Akhet was the
first season of the year, between the months of June and September. Peret or the Egyptian Autumn
season marked the time when their crops grew in the fields and were harvested,[1] running from October to mid-February. Shemu was the third and last season of the
Egyptian year which ran from mid-February until the end of May; it essentially signalled
the spring season of the Egyptian calendar.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flooding_of_the_Nile
Notice the above states that the middle of February single’s Spring season. Moses lived
in Egypt and it was in Egypt when the Almighty said this is the first month of the year for you/Springtime, Exodus 12:2.
Holman Bible Dictionary says: “RAIN Moisture
from heaven providing nourishment for plant and animal life. Palestine was a land dependent upon the yearly rains to ensure
an abundant harvest and an ample food supply for the coming year. Thus, the presence or absence of rain became a symbol of
God's continued blessing or displeasure with the land and its inhabitants. Rain fell in two seasons: the
early rains during October and November, and the later rains in February
and March. Rarely did rain of any significance fall outside these two periods.”
The later rain refers to the spring rain and begins February March, not March April. This also lets us know that the year begins with the FORMER RAIN, the later
rain comes on later in the “SAME” year because there were two major rainy seasons each year. Here’s the
Strong’s definition for “later rain” and “former rain”, which further proves the later rain
is in the springtime and there are scholarship that says this begins in February.
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary 4456. malqowsh
vwqlm malqowsh mal-koshe' from
3953; the spring rain (compare 3954); figuratively, eloquence:--latter rain.See Hebrew 3953 See Hebrew 3954 Strong's Hebrew Dictionary 4175. mowreh
hrwm mowreh mo-reh' from 3384; an archer; also teacher or teaching;
also the early rain (see 3138):--(early) rain.See Hebrew 3384 See Hebrew 3138 Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible
Joel 2:23The former rain moderately - המורה לצדקה hammoreh litsedakah, "the former rain in righteousness,"
that is, in due time and in just proportion. This rain fell after autumn, the other in spring. See Ho 6:3.
I believe
all five of our senses tell us when the seasons change. We can feel the temperature and see the lengthening
of the light and darkness, we can see and hear the swallows/birds we can see, feel and smell
the flowers, and we can see and taste the Barley. People’s senses are not as keen as they used to be
but we can still know when spring is in the air.PS. Remember the light part of the year begins around February 20, when the light begins to
exceed the darkness, and the light stays on until around October 26, after which the night exceed the light for four months.
This is the dark and rainy season in Israel. This is the 4 month 8 month pattern that nature produces and can be easily seen
in the daylight saving time change. It is set on this same 4--8 pattern each year, i.e. 4 months from November
6 to March 13 and then 8 months back to November 6. They have to do it this way because that is what the sun is actually doing.
Of course if they rightly divided the evening and morning twilights you would back everything up one month to October and
February instead of November and March. The days are on the same 4 – 8 pattern. i.e. you have one third of the day/8
hours which consisted of night and rest and 16 hours of light and activity. They would love to divided it on a 6 – 6 pattern but the sun/light
would expose them. Someone could ask themselves, if the equinox divides
the year into two 6 month periods, why is the light longer than darkness for eight months each year? And then, why is
it that the darkness is longer than the light for only four months each year? This creates the 4 – 8 pattern found in
nature. The nights are longer than the days for about four months each year and the days are longer than the nights for about
eight months each year. When using the nature made equinox of equal light
and darkness, around February 16, there are 125 days to the June 21 solstice and another 127 days to the nature made equinox
on October 26 and then another 113 days back to February 16, a total of 365 days. When I say nature made equinox, I am referring to allowing the morning twilight to belong to the
day and the evening twilight to belong to the night, which producers a true equal night and day, instead
of putting BOTH the twilights in with the night, as is the case with the March 20 equinox. Philo speaks of a middle season between the two equinoxes. Notice above, using
the nature made equinox on February 16, puts the June 21 solstice is in the middle of the two.
EQUINOX “conclusion” I believe it is the evening and morning twilights
that divides the light from the darkness, and NOT THE HORIZON, Genesis 1: 4 – 5. Twice each year, in February and October,
the twilights EQUALLY divide the light from the darkness, leaving the exact same amount of pure light and pure darkness on
those days. This belief is confirmed by Philo, who lived during the time of our Savior, which means they could not have believed
a March 20 equinox. See Philo below. The traditional equinox proponents believe
it is the horizon that divides the light from the darkness because they believe the evening twilight is a part of or the beginning
of darkness but if that were so, there is no true division of light and darkness because they still touch each other. In other
words the twilight touches the pure light and therefore there is no division of light and darkness if twilight is considered
to be part of the darkness. i.e. the light is NOT divided from the beginning of darkness, when using this line of thinking.
I believe the Scripture teaches that the twilight is a divider between light and darkness
and not to be counted as either light or darkness, especially not to count “both” twilight with one or the other.
The sunset at the horizon DOES NOT begin dark, because it is not dark and neither are all the stars out. The sunset at the
horizon BEGINS TWILIGHT, NOT DARK, and the twilight in the evening leads to full darkness, same as the twilight in the morning
leads to full light. The twilight in the morning, gently brings you out of darkness, into full light and the twilight in the
evening gently brings you out of light into full darkness. Neither of the twilights are counted as either light or darkness,
but are dividers between the two. This is the way Philo and the people during the time of our Savior understood it. The bottom line is that it is THE TWILIGHTS that divides the light from the darkness, NOT
THE HORIZON. The evening twilight divides the light from the darkness, it is not the darkness, but a divider between the two,
and the morning twilight divides the darkness from the light, it is not the light but a divider between the two, and twice
each year the twilights equally divided the light and darkness in February and October. I do not believe anyone on earth can
read the following writings of Philo and honestly conclude that he does not believe that it is the “twilights”
that divides light from darkness and day from night, and if this is so, it should end the debate because he kept the same
feasts as the priests in the temple and our Savior. THE SPECIAL LAWS, IV* Yonge's title, A Treatise
on Circumcision.} XLII. (233) “Nature, therefore, has marked out those PERIODS IN EVERY YEAR, which
are called the EQUINOXES, from the STATE OF THINGS WHICH EXIST AT THAT TIME with such DISTINCTNESS, that EVEN THE MOST ILLITERATE
persons are aware of the EQUALITY which THEN EXISTS between the EXTENT of the DAYS and of the NIGHTS.” NOTICE there
is absolutely no doubt how the Israelites understood what an equinox was. He says it is the EQUALITY or sameness
which EXISTS at that time between the EXTENT or length of the days and of the nights, namely when the equinox occurs.
It is evident that back then the equinox was UNDERSTOOD as the equal length of day and night not when the Sun crosses the
equator at the traditional equinox when there is 12 hours from sunrise to sunset. Philo also writes. WHO IS THE HEIR OF DIVINE THINGS XXIX. (146-150) “These things being thus previously sketched
out, see now how God, dividing things in the middle, has divided them into equal portions
according to all the ideas of equality which occur in the creation of the universe…. So, in
the same manner, he had divided light from darkness, and day from night,… (149) From
the spring equinox to the summer solstice, day receives an addition to its length,
and night, on the other hand, submits to a diminution; until the longest day and the shortest night
are both completed. And then after the summer solstice the sun, turning back again
the same road, neither more quickly nor more slowly than he advanced, but always preserving the same difference in the same
manner, having a constantly equal arrangement, proceeds on till the autumnal equinox; and then, having made day and
night both equal, begins to increase the length of the night, diminishing the day
until the time of the winter solstice.” (150) “And when it has made the night
the longest night, and the day the shortest day, then returning back again
and adopting the same distances as before, he again comes to the spring equinox. Notice it is the LENGTH of the light and darkness that determines the equinox. Philo never
mentions anything about the equator in every place describing the equinox. He did mention the equator in one place when speaking
of temperature and zones but not in connection with the equinox. Philo also reveals how they understood the light and darkness
was divided in creation, he writes, ON THE CREATION IX. (32 - 35) “Moses is right also when he says, that "darkness was over the face of the abyss." ….
then its adversary darkness yielded, as God put a wall between them and separated them,….and did
not only separate light and darkness, but did also place boundaries in the middle of the space between
the two, by which he separated the extremities of each. For if they had approximated they must have produced confusion,
preparing for the contest, for the supremacy, with great and unextinguishable rivalry, if boundaries established between them
had not separated them and prevented them from clashing together, (34) and these boundaries are “evening”
and “morning”; the one of which heralds in the good tidings that the “sun”
is ABOUT TO RISE, gently dissipating the darkness: and “evening” comes on as
the sun sets, receiving gently the collective approach of darkness. And these,
I mean morning and evening, (35) But when light came, and darkness retreated and yielded to it, “and”
boundaries were set in the space between the two, namely, evening and morning, then of necessity the measure
of time was immediately perfected, which also the Creator called "day…..” Notice Philo believes that evening and morning
is what divided the light and darkness. He did not recognize the evening/dusk and morning/dawn twilights as either light or
darkness but a buffer between the two! He also understood morning to be BEFORE sunrise at the Horizon, at which time you have
pure unshaded light. The Hebrew definition for “morning” is “dawn” and is a specific place in time
other than sunrise which is also a specific place in time. Do you see how Philo understood there were four parts of the day,
namely evening, morning, light, and darkness with evening and morning dividing between the light and darkness? This happens
twice each year on February 16 and October 26th when you allow one hour of twilight before sunrise and after sunset at the
Horizon. This gives you 11 hours of pure light from sunrise to sunset at the horizon and 11 hours of pure darkness
which is divided by two hours of twilight, one on each side. The
above indicates the boundaries were set in the space between the TWO, referring to light and darkness and the boundaries were
evening and morning which is literally “dawn” and “dusk” according to the Hebrew definition of evening
and morning which begins about 60 minutes or so before sunrise at the Horizon and continue 60 minutes after sunset at the
horizon. This was Philo’s understanding which is not contrary to Scripture or the Hebrew definition of “divided”
in Genesis 1 which is made up of 2 Hebrew words which he understood to mean divided in the middle, showing the equality of
the Almighty. Again, it is the twilights that divides the light and darkness, NOT
the horizon. If we were to somehow argue the twilights
are not what divides the day and night, and should be counted, the following would apply. The question would be, should “both”
the evening and morning twilights be placed in the same 12 hours period of the 24-hour day, as is the case with the traditional
March 20 equinox, or should the morning twilight be reckoned with the 12 hour day and the evening twilight with the 12 hour
night? The Scripture would refer to day and night being equally divided into “two
12 hour divisions”, when counting the twilights. These two 12 hour divisions would be evening and morning,
consisting of 12 hours each! There would be 12 hours in the evening half of the day and 12 hours in the morning half of the
day! In other words there are 12 hours from the beginning of dusk/evening to the beginning of dawn/morning and 12 hours from
the beginning of dawn/morning, back to the beginning of dusk/evening. The Hebrew
definition for morning is “dawn” and one definition for evening is “dusk”,
and when the Scripture says the evening and the morning were the first day, it is referring to a 24-hour space of time that
has been divided equally into evening and morning, with 12 hours in each half, if you allow evening as dusk and morning as
dawn. The traditional March 20 equinox has both the evening and morning twilights in the same 12 hour period,
which leaves the other half of the day without an evening or morning! One half of the day should have a morning
and the other half an evening. Someone would be just as justified and have just as much right to add both
the twilights to the day as someone has to add them to the night, but the Scripture teaches “two” 12 hour divisions
consisting of evening AND morning, when the twilight are counted. The Scripture does not teach that BOTH the evening AND morning
twilights belong on one side or the other. Let’s look at it like this, let’s
say that in the beginning the Almighty created the heavens and a city and the city was without form and void
and darkness was upon the face of the city and the Mighty One of equality, equally divided between the light
part of the city and the dark part of the city by placing a six-foot wide WALL BETWEEN, or DEAD IN THE MIDDLE of the city.
Would the wall belong to the light side of the city or the dark side of the city, or would it be equally divided between the
two??? According to Philo, the wall would not belong to either side, but would be a divider between the light side and dark
side of the city. Neither side could claim the whole width of the wall as is the case with the traditional March 20 equinox,
which puts the whole wall on the dark side of the city and therefore the wall cannot be IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CITY. At best,
3 foot of the wall should belong to one side and 3 foot to the other, making a equal division of the city.
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