At the beginning of this paper I want to say that just because I believe what this paper states, I still respect those who disagree. We need to be able to still have love for one another even when we disagree on doctrine. If someone wants to keep the postponements, that I no longer believe in, it does not make that person a NON-brother or NON-sister to me. This is the same with all teachings that I believe pertaining to the calendar. I can still love and respect any person and their entitled opinions when they disagree with me.

The understanding we each have is the understanding God has brought us to or allowed us to have. Not just about the calendar issues, but all doctrine. When we judge another person's understanding, are we judging God? And, are we being a loving brother or sister if we try to force our beliefs onto others, even if we may be right. We need to allow our Father to open one's eyes, when He knows that person is ready and the time is right for them. And you know, there is always the possibility that we are the one who is wrong.

After you have read what is below, ask yourself if the calendar information needed to keep God's Holy Days, IS or IS NOT in the Bible. Try to figure out when to keep God's appointed times using the information below.

Scriptures are taken from J.P. Green's Literal Translation.

Valid assumption:
If God commands His people to keep appointed times, He will tell His people when these times are. And I do not believe He would make it something so hard that His people could not figure it out. But until God opens our eyes to any teaching, we will not be able to see it. We can, in reading the Bible, see there are appointed times. One example is in Leviticus 23 which tells us of specific days, such as, the fifteenth day of the first month and so on.

Information needed to determine when God's appointed times are:

The "DAY" starts and ends at sunset. - Gen 1:3-5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31,

3: "then God said, Let light be! And there was light.
4: And God saw the light, that it was good, and God separated between the light and darkness.
5: And God called the light, Day. And He called the darkness, Night. And there was evening, and there was morning the first day." 8: ". . . And there was evening, and there was morning the second day."

9: "And rising early on the first of the week (#4521), He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons."

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of The New Testament, along with a number of other lexicons, tell us that Strong's #4521 means, in Mark 16:9, "seven days, a week."

Also, with scriptures stating that the first of the week follows the Sabbath (the 7th day), we can know that the week is 7 days in length. Mark 16:1-2:

1: "And the sabbath passing, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome, bought spices, so that coming they might anoint Him. 2: And very early on the first of the week, the sun having risen, they came upon the tomb."

In the past I questioned what a new moon actually was, the conjunction, the new crescent or the full moon. A friend pointed out the fact that God gave us the moon and the sun as signs (Gen 1:14). A sign should be something you can see.

Strong's Complete Dictionary of Bible Words gives this for "signs," #0226.

probably from #0225(in the sense of appearing); a signal (lit. or fig.), as a flag, beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence, etc.:-- mark, miracle, (en-) sign, token.

The word, Strong's # 02320, which is used as "new moon" or "new moons" comes from the root word, Strong's # 02318. And according to GESENIUS' HEBREW-CHALDEE LEXICON, # 02318 means:

"TO POLISH AS A SWORD. Etymologists have well observed that its primary sense is that of cutting or polishing. . . and the significance of newness appears to proceed from that of a sharp polished splendid sword."

I know that this does not prove anything, but if one thinks of a sword as a curved sword (as in the eastern scimitar), it tends to give a little more credence to a crescent moon as being the "new moon." My wife mentioned that it may refer to the slicing of a sliver by a very sharp polished sword. Also, the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament says this about Strong's # 02320, hodesh:

"Month, monthly, new moon. Although this word properly means 'new moon,' it is commonly used as an equivalent to our word 'month' because the month began when the thin crescent of the new moon was first visable at sunset."

FOUR QUOTES from THE WORKS OF PHILO, Complete and Unabridged, NEW UPDATED EDITION, Translated by C. D. Yonge. And I do realize that this is not the Bible and I am not trying to state that this is from scripture. I am only passing it on for your information.

FIRST quote: The Special Laws, II
"XI. (41) Now there are ten festivals in number, . . .The third is that which comes after the conjunction, which happens on the day of the new moon in each month."

SECOND quote: The Special Laws, II
"THE THIRD FESTIVAL, XXVI. (140) Following the order which we have adopted, we proceed to speak of the third festival, that of the new moon. First of all, because it is the beginning of the month, and the beginning, whether of number or of time, is honourable. Secondly, because at this time there is nothing in the whole of heaven destitute of light. (141) Thirdly, because at that period the more powerful and important body gives a portion of necessary assistance to the less important and weaker body; for, at the time of the new moon, the sun begins to illuminate the moon with a light which is visible to the outward senses, and then she displays her own beauty to the beholders. And this is, as it seems, an evident lesson of kindness and humanity to men, to teach them that they should never grudge to impart their own good things to others, but, imitating the heavenly bodies, should drive envy away and banish it from the soul."

THIRD quote: The Special Laws, II
"XLI. . . . (224) Accordingly, in this month, about the fourteenth day of the month, when the orb of the moon is usually about to become full, the public universal feast of the passover is celebrated, which in the Chaldaic language is called pascha; . . ."

I believe we can rule out the conjunction and the full moon and I believe the new moon is a crescent. The first possible sighting, just after sunset, at the beginning of a new day.

"chodesh from #2318; the new moon; by implication a month: - month(-ly), new moon."

The Hebrew word for "month" is the same as for "moon" and for "new moon."

1: "And Jehovah said to Moses and to Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
2: This month shall be the chief of months for you. It shall be the first of the months of the year for you."

At this point in time, the people did not have to figure out when to start the year, God told them. AND, by reading on in Exodus 12 and also Leviticus 23, you will see that this is the month of the Passover and of Unleavened Bread. AND there would be a wave sheaf offering on the Sunday during the days of Unleaveaned Bread. Leviticus 23:5-6; 10-13:

5: "In the first month, on the fourteenth of the month, between the evenings is the Passover to Jehovah.
6: And on the fifteenth of this month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to Jehovah; you shall eat unleavened things seven days."
10: "Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them, When you come in to the land which I am giving to you, and have reaped its harvest, and have brought in the sheaf, or the beginning of your harvest, to the priest,
11: then he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah for your acceptance; on the morrow of the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
12: And you shall prepare a lamb in the day you wave the sheaf, a perfect one, a son of a year, for a burnt offering to Jehovah.
13: And its food offering shall be two tenth parts of flour mixed with oil, a fire offering to Jehovah, a sweet fragrance; and its drink offering, a fourth of a hin of wine."

Leviticus 23 tells us that the offering was to be from the current harvest. We also know that there had to be barley mature enough to make flour, according to verse 13.

When they came into the promised land, God was still leading them, and again, instructed them when to start the year. They did not have to determine when to start the year. Joshua 4:19; 5:10-12:

19: "And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth of the first month, and camped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.
10: "And the sons of Israel camped in Gilgal, and prepared the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month, at evening, in the plains of Jericho.
11: And they ate the old grain of the land on the morrow of the Passover, unleavened bread and roasted grain, in this same day.
12: And the manna ceased on the next day after they ate of the old grain of the land. And there was no more manna to the sons of Israel, but they ate the produce of the land of Canaan in that year."

From the time of the Passover in Egypt until they entered into the promised land, they did not have to determine when the year started. There were no crops and they had God with them for instruction on when to start the year.

When it became necessary for the people to determine when the first month of the year was to be, God gave them the knowledge necessary to do this.

Abib:

These scriptures refer to Abib. Exodus 13:3-4; 23:15; 34:18; Deuteronomy 16:1:

3: "And Moses said to the people, Remember this day in which you went out from Egypt, from the house of slaves. For by the might of His hand Jehovah brought you out from here. And no leavened bread shall be eaten. 4: Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out."

15: "You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I have commanded you, at the set time of the month of Abib. For in it you came out from Egypt, and they shall not appear before Me empty."

18: "You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, which I commanded you, at the time appointed, the month of Abib; for in the month of Abib you went out from Egypt."

1: "Observe the month Abib, and keep the Passover to Jehovah your God. For in the month of Abib Jehovah your God brought you out of Egypt by night."

defining abib

1. The seeds have produced enough dry material so it can be parched.
2. It has developed enough so that it will be harvest-ready 2-3 weeks later.

In my opinion, we do not need to debate what abib means exactly. We do know that the barley has to be mature enough to make flour. We know this because of the scriptures, Leviticus 23:5-6; 10-13, mentioned above.

Along with the scriptures above telling us that the wave sheaf had to be firstfuits, we have Deuteronomy 16:9 telling us that Pentecost would be 7 weeks from the time they started to harvest their "standing grain." This would be from the wave sheaf day mentioned above.

9: "You shall number to yourself seven weeks. When the sickle begins to reap in the standing grain, you shall begin to number seven weeks."

Determining the length of the year:

When the 13th "new moon" is sited, at sunset in the Jerusalem area, and the barley is not going to be ready, it would be the beginning of the thirteenth month. If the barley is going to be ready in time, by the "morrow after the Sabbath" during Unleavened Bread, it would be the beginning of the first month of the new year.

FOURTH quote from Philo: On The Life of Moses, II
"XLI. . . .(222) Moses puts down the beginning of the vernal equinox as the first month of the year, attributing the chief honour, not as some persons do to the periodical revolutions of the year in regard of time, but rather to the graces and beauties of nature which it has caused to shine upon men; for it is through the bounty of nature that the seeds which are sown to produce the necessary food of mankind are brought to perfection. And the fruit of trees in their prime, which is second in importance only to the necessary crops, is engendered by the same power, and as being second in importance it also ripens late; for we always find in nature that those things which are not very necessary are second to those which are indispensable. (223) Now wheat and barley are among the things which are very necessary; as, likewise, are all the other species of food, without which it is impossible to live. But oil, and wine, and almonds are not among necessaries, since men often live without them to the very extremity of old age, extending their life over a number of years."

My OPINION of how to find the first day of the first month:

With the information given above we can see how to determine the "first day" of the "first month" of the "year."

1. We look at the maturity of the barley (abib) in and around Jerusalem in March, and if not foound, in April.

2. When we have found "abib", we look for the next new moon, which will be the first new moon of the year.

3. Once you have the beginning of the first month, you only need to count new moons until the seventh month to know when the fall Holy Days are.

As far as knowing when the "new moons" are and the maturity of the barley harvest, There are now resources in Israel to get this information from.

We can know, now, when the new moon starting the first month of the year is. And those in biblical times could have known when the new moon starting the first month of the year was. We can know the new moon in the same fashion as those in biblical times, by observation. We can know the state of the barley harvest by observation. If we are not in Jerusalem now, in this day of technology, we can turn to those who are there.

Once you know this, without a calendar made by man, you can keep all the Holy Days right on through the year until the next year and then start over. This is with only the scriptures in the Bible, astronomical signs given to us by God, and observation of the maturity of the barley in the fields near Jerusalem. AGAIN, this is without a man made calendar.

The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week - Lev 23:3
The Passover is on the 14th day of the first month - Lev 23:5; Num 9:5; Ex 12:1-12
1st Day of Unleavened Bread (DUB) is on the 15th day of the first month - Lev 23:6
Wave sheaf to be waved on the morrow after the Sabbath (Sunday during DUB) - Lev 23:10-11; Deut 16:9
7th DUB is 21st of the first month - Lev 23:6-8
Pentecost is the morrow (Sunday) after 7 full weeks, starting your count with the morrow after the Sabbath (Sunday during DUB) - Lev 23:15-17
Feast of Trumpets is the 1st day of the seventh month - Lev 23:24
Atonement is on the 10th day of the seventh month - Lev 23:27
Tabernacles starts on the 15th day of the seventh month - Lev 23:34
Tabernacles shall be 7 days in length - Lev 23:34
Last Great Day shall be right after Tabernacles on the 22nd of the seventh month - Lev 23:36