CONTENTS
IS LUNAR YEAR BIBLICAL?
Is lunar year biblical? Is it found in the scriptures plainly, without a doubt, that year is based on the cycles of the moon?
But why is this question necessary?
Because it is critical in answering the question as to whether or not a lunar sabbath is biblical.
Now let me just state that this and other articles about the sabbath were made without bias. We did not assume and end and then seek for points to prove what we believe. Instead, we assumed ignorance and let the Ruach guide us.
Check out our approach in this post about a priori vs a posteriori.
So, these posts to prove a lunar sabbath and calendar were made after a concerted search for the truth of the ancient biblical calendar.
This has been the most demanding and difficult thing I have ever done in my search for the truth of the scriptures. It has taken years of patiently understanding step by step.
Subsequently, I have found it most instructive to break down the understanding into years, months, days, weeks and seasons. This particular post is about the years.
WHAT IS A LUNAR YEAR?
First of all though, what is a lunar year?
A lunar year is a year based on the phases of the moon. It is usually a 354 day calendar and there are mainly 12 major lunar calendars in use today.
There are many other types of calendars around, but there is rising trend among Hebrews in this Hebrew awakening. And what is that trend you may ask?
Many are gravitating toward lunar calendars, keeping lunar sabbaths.
So our job here is basically to figure out if a lunar year is biblical in our pusg to figuring out if a lunar sabbath is biblical. Should we follow the trend?
THE LENGTH OF A BIBLICAL YEAR
To begin with, we must come to a consensus as to the length of a biblical year. Now there are two sets of books I believe was given to us by the Most High to help us with time. These are:
Both of these books are available on our website. I personally believe these books were shut up until the end so that his people can have access to the truth.
Why?
The bible does not have a calendar, but the book of Enoch does.
Additionally, there are instructions, warnings and advice given to us in the book of Jubilees that really help us in restoring the ancient biblical calendar.
THE YEAR MUST BE EXACTLY 364 DAYS
So, the first thing to understand when computing the ancient biblical calendar is that the year must be 364 days only.
No less, no more.
THE 364-DAYS YEAR IN ENOCH AND JUBILEES
Book Of Enoch 72.32 And on that day the night becomes shorter, and amounts to nine parts, and the day amounts to nine parts, and the night becomes equal with the day. And the year amounts to exactly 364 days.
Jubilees 6:38 For this reason I command and testify to you that you may testify to them; for after your death your children will disturb them, so that they will not make the year three hundred and sixty-four days only, and for this reason they will go wrong as to the new months and seasons and Shabbats and festivals, and they will eat all kinds of blood with all kinds of flesh.
Both Enoch and Jubilees agree on a 364 days year.
THE SUN’S YEAR AND THE MOON’S YEAR
Now an interesting thing to note, is that both the sun and the moon have different length of years.
The moon’s year is 354 days, while the sun’s year is 364 days (ten days more than the moon).
Jubilees 6:36 For there will be those who will assuredly make observations of the moon
-how it disturbs the seasons and comes in from year to year ten days too soon.
So which is used to calculate the year? Is it the moon or the sun?
First of all we must understand the computation of the year. The moon’s days are the same as the sun. This means the length of a day is the same for both.
So is the year 354 days (moon days) or 364 days (sun days)?
As a foundation, the year must be 364 days as we have shown at the beginning of this post.
But why?
THE SUN HAS SIX DAYS GREATER THAN THE MOON
Firstly, in that three hundred and sixty four days, the sun has six more days than the moon.
Book Of Enoch 74.10 And if five years are added together, the Sun has an excess of thirty days. For each year, of the five years, there are three hundred and sixty four days.
74.11 And the excess, of the Sun and the stars, comes to six days. In five years, with six days each, they have an excess of thirty days, and the Moon falls behind the Sun and the stars by thirty days.
This means that added to the three hundred and fifty four days of the moon, are six days (belonging to the sun).
This is 354 + 6 = 360 days.
THE FOUR SEASONS (SOLSTICES AND EQUINOXES)
In addition to those 360 days, to make a year complete, there are 4 days of the year that are not included in those 364 days. These are the divisions of the seasons.
There are 91 days each season (the first 2 months of the season are 30 days each, while the last one to end the season is 31 days).
That is 91 days per season x 4 seasons = 364 days.
These four seasons are 13 weeks each to make the year a total of 52 weeks.
Without these 4 seasons? We err according to the times. Our calendar will be off.
Book of Enoch 75.1 And the leaders of the tens of thousands, who are in charge of the whole of creation, and in charge of all the stars, and also the four days which are added, and are not separated from their position, according to the whole reckoning of the year. And these serve on the four days that are not counted in the reckoning of the year.
The Book of Enoch 75.2 And because of them men go wrong in them. For these lights really serve in the stations of the world, one in the first Gate, and one in the third Gate, and one in the fourth Gate, and one in the sixth Gate. And the exact harmony of the world is completed in the separate 364 stations of the world.
Now the seasons (solstices and equinoxes) are determined by the sun.
WHAT IS AN EQUINOX?
This is explained when we look at the question, what is an equinox?
There are only two times of the year when the Earth’s axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, resulting in a “nearly” equal amount of daylight and darkness at all latitudes. These events are referred to as Equinoxes.
WHAT IS A SOLSTICE?
Likewise, we must look at what is a solstice.
On the day of the summer solstice, the sun appears at its highest elevation with a noontime position that changes very little for several days before and after the summer solstice. The summer solstice occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer, which is located at 23.5° latitude North and runs through Mexico, the Bahamas, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India, and southern China. For every place north of the Tropic of Cancer, the sun is at its highest point in the sky and this is the longest day of the year.
The winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, it occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, which is located at 23.5° south of the equator and runs through Australia, Chile, southern Brazil, and northern South Africa.
Source: https://www.weather.gov/cle/seasons.
So the seasons are determined by the sun. Additionally, the sun has 6 days greater than the moon, and in the book of Jubilees we are given the warning about using the moon for our years.
Jubilees 6
30 And all the days of the commandment will be fifty two weeks of days, and (these will make) the entire year complete. Thus it is engraved and ordained on the heavenly tablets.
31 And there is no neglecting (this commandment) for a single year or from year to year.
32 And command you the children of Yisrael that they observe the years according to this reckoning- three hundred and sixty-four days, and (these) will constitute a complete year, and they will not disturb its time from its days and from its feasts; for everything will fall out in them according to their testimony, and they will not leave out any day nor disturb any feasts.36 For there will be those who will assuredly make observations of the moon -how it disturbs the seasons and comes in from year to year ten days too soon.
CONCLUSION – IS LUNAR YEAR BIBLICAL?
So with all that, is lunar year biblical?
No.
A lunar year is not biblical.
The year is determined by both the sun and the moon, but the sun is the leader. Effectively, the days of the moon are 354 days, plus six more days each year for the sun, plus the four seasons which are determined by the sun.
Hence, the sun has ten days in excess of the moon, making it a grand total of 364 days.
Remember, these are the exact amount of days we are told to hold the year, nothing more, nothing less. It must be exactly 364 days. So, in calculating the ancient biblical calendar, the sun year (364 days) was used.
Again, remember that it tells us plainly in both Enoch and Jubilees that they year MUST BE 364 days! Just look at the verses below.
Jubilees 6:36 For there will be those who will assuredly make observations of the moon -how it disturbs the seasons and comes in from year to year ten days too soon.
Jubilees 6:38 For this reason I command and testify to you that you may testify to them; for after your death your children will disturb them, so that they will not make the year three hundred and sixty-four days only, and for this reason they will go wrong as to the new months and seasons and Shabbats and festivals, and they will eat all kinds of blood with all kinds of flesh.
That is like someone pleading with you, “please, please do not use the moon to calculate your year!”
It is so plain, why aren’t we listening?
So what about the moon?
Do we just discard her?
No, she has her function in the ancient biblical calendar, and that is what we will look at next.
See also:
