Overview
Our Father in Heaven created the sun, moon and the stars on the fourth day of creation week; therefore our solar calendar New Years will always be on the fourth day which we call today Wednesday. The completion of the year will always be on a Tuesday and then the next year again will start on Wednesday, the fourth day of the week. This is when the sun returns to its creation position each year.
“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.” LXX Gen 1:14-19
The first day of the New Year, and the start of each season, must always be on a Wednesday. This is just intended to be a short essay on why the New Year is on Wednesday, as follows:
· So that our Sabbath day is the same as our Father in Heaven’s Sabbath on the seventh day of the week
· Feast with offerings, such as First Fruits and the Feast of Weeks, must be always on the first day of the week
· The holy festivals, that require a lot of work to be performed, must never be on a Sabbath rest day
· In order to not break the Jubilee cycle
The Feast of First Fruits and the Feast of Weeks Festival Dates
It is difficult placing the Feast of First Fruits (Wave Sheaf) and the Feast of Weeks (Pentecosts) on the calendar strictly based on our bibles since we must determine what date ‘on the morrow after the Sabbath’ implies.
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD. And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin. And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD. Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the firstfruits unto the LORD.” LXX Lev 23:9-17
The book of Jubilees places the date of the Feast of Weeks on the 15th day of the 3rd Month which is in agreement with the Dead Sea scrolls. On this page of my site I provide a detailed account of events that occurred on this date from the book of Jubilees along with the feast dates in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Therefore, the writer of the book of Jubilees and the Essenes that wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls both agreed that the date ‘morrow after the sabbath’ is the Sabbath after the Feast of Unleavened Bread ended. The verses prior to Leviticus 23:9 are instructions for Unleavened Bread; therefore the implication could be the Sabbath after unleavened bread is finished.
Below is one verse from the Dead Sea Scrolls showing that the Feast of Weeks is the fifteenth of the third month. This book does show in a few places that it is on the fifteenth of the 3rd month. Sometimes it shows which priest is serving on the temple during the feast of weeks and you would have to understand the rotation schedule to see what date they are referring to. Here is my understand of the priest rotation schedule on this link based on what the Dead Sea Scrolls calendar states.
“On the fifteenth of it: Feast of Weeks.” Dead Sea Scrolls Fragment 4Q394 1-2
Below shows the calendar for the 1st quarter of 2023 and it reflects when First Fruits (FF) and Feast of Weeks (FW) are scheduled. Notice they are both on Sunday, the day after the Sabbath as scripture states and the calendar starts on the 4th day of the week which we now call Wednesday.
All feasts that present offerings are on the first day of the week that we now call Sunday. I have documented more information about this fact here.
Sabbath Day & Feast Day Conflict
The calendar you follow should never conflict with the Sabbath day laws. Our Father in Heaven gave us the Sabbath Day so that we could rest once a week; whereas, feast days are days that our Father in Heaven wants us to perform specific work for HIM.
Here are examples of the Sabbath Day laws:
“And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” ESV Genesis 2:2-3
“See, for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day.” KJV Exodus 16:29-30
"Remember that thou keep holy the sabbath day. Six days shalt thou labour, and shalt do all thy works. But on the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work on it, thou nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy beast, nor the stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them, and rested on the seventh day: therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it.” DR Exodus 20:8-11
“You shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.” WEB Exodus 31:14
“Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the Lord: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.” DR Exodus 35:2-3
The Feast of Trumpets which is the same day as the Fall Division Festival must not be on a Sabbath since they were to work all day preparing offerings. This is not a day of rest at all:
“And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you. And ye shall offer a burnt offering for a sweet savour unto the Lord; one young bullock, one ram, and seven lambs of the first year without blemish: And their meat offering shall be of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, and two tenth deals for a ram, And one tenth deal for one lamb, throughout the seven lambs: And one kid of the goats for a sin offering, to make an atonement for you: Beside the burnt offering of the month, and his meat offering, and the daily burnt offering, and his meat offering, and their drink offerings, according unto their manner, for a sweet savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord.” DR Numbers 29:1-6
The Unleavened Bread feast day cannot occur on a Sabbath since our Father in Heaven asked them to travel out of Egypt, on this date, the year prior:
“You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this same day have I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall you observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance forever.” WEB Exodus 12:17
The first day of Unleavened Bread actually requires a lot of work and it is definitely not a Sabbath rest day:
“On the fourteenth day of the first month is the Lord's Passover, and on the fifteenth day of this month is a feast. Seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten. On the first day there shall be a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, but offer a food offering, a burnt offering to the Lord: two bulls from the herd, one ram, and seven male lambs a year old; see that they are without blemish; also their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil; three tenths of an ephah shall you offer for a bull, and two tenths for a ram; a tenth shall you offer for each of the seven lambs; also one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you.” ESV Numbers 28:16-22
Most of the feast days do require meal preparation for the festival; therefore they are not rest days. However it is understood though that during week long feasts a Sabbath rest day will occur in the middle of the feast week. It is important to understand the law requirements for each feast day and ensure it does not conflict with the calendar you are following.
The Jubilee Cycles
It is very important not to disturb the Jubilee cycles since each year and each Jubilee year starts on a Wednesday. Every third year both the sun and the moon are in their creation position on Wednesday. I have written an essay on explaining how the Jubilee cycles and high priest courses work and it can be viewed here.
Conclusion
I do hope I have communicated the importance of the first day of each year beginning on Wednesday. I do want to ensure that I am observing the weekly Sabbaths the same day that our Father in Heaven is. I also want to ensure I am observing the feast days that same day that He is also. If you are interested, I have also documented how the weekly cycle of seven has never been disturbed here.
Many blessing to you all!
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