Calculating Yahweh's Calendar 2001

Yahweh's people are dependent on Him for everything from the basic necessities of life to the calendar that we use to keep His holy feasts. We can prove that we are to keep all of Yahweh's laws without any man made additions. We must prove that our calendar also comes from the understanding of the scriptures that Yahweh has given. In this modern age Yahweh has given us the ability to easily calculate the new moon but calculations just don't come close to the truth of a simple visible sighting. This article is written to help brethren understand the estimations that we make.

Every year we make calculations to determine when Yahweh's feasts are to be kept but the final authority is Yahweh's. Yahweh may delay Abib or the sighting of a new moon. What we try to do is estimate when Yahweh's feasts will be kept. We make our calculations available so that nothing is done in secret. We attempt to explain each step in a logical way following the scriptures. Yahweh has given us many tools to determine the calendar. We encourage you to look more closely at Yahweh's calendar. Our goal is to understand the scripture as Yahweh guides us.

The Biblical calendar is based on the visible crescent of the new moon. The English word month is derived from the word moon. In Hebrew also the word for new moon and month are used interchangeably. The Hebrew word "Yereach" (Strong's #3394) which means moon is actually from the word "Yerach" (Strong's #3391) which means month or lunar cycle. "Yereach" is different from "Chodesh" (Strong's #2320) which is translated 254 times in the King James Version as month, 20 times as new moon and 2 times as other variants. "Chodesh" is derived from "Chadash" (Strong's #2318) which means to renew. So the main difference between "Yerach" and "Chodesh" is that "Yerach" refers to the lunar cycle while "Chodesh" refers to the renewing of the moon. Renewing is referred to as the rebuilding or the growth from darkness to a full moon. The renewing of the moon is usually referred to as the crescent moon.

The calendar of Yahweh is made of twelve new moons except in years where a thirteenth month must be added to keep Abib in the proper time. Abib is the Hebrew word "Abiyb" which is translated in King James Version six times as "Abib", one time as "in the ear", one as "green ears of corn". According to the Online Bible Hebrew Lexicon Abib is from an unused root meaning to be tender. The Lexicon continues by stating that it is "fresh, young barley ears, barley" and "month of ear-forming, of greening of crop, of growing green Abib, month of exodus and Passover (March or April)" thus giving the month a start at the time of the barley being in the green ear stage. This is a time when the barley stalk is yet green or yellow and the head of grain is green or yellowing.

We find an example in Exodus where the barley and flax were destroyed and the wheat and rye were not destroyed. (Exodus 9:31-32) The word ear in verse 31 of Exodus 9 is "Abiyb". Meaning that the barley was green eared and mostly grown. Barley while yet grass can be cut and still grows an ear but if it is cut when it is in ear it will not fully mature to a ripe ear and may even die. We find here in Exodus that the wheat and rye have not grown enough to affect their lives. Every year we have brethren from Israel report when they have found Barley at the right stage.

Abib or Nissan is estimated to be March 25th at sunset assuming that the new moon is seen. It is often asked how do you estimate when the new moon will be seen. The best way that I have found is to use an almanac and determine the time between when conjunction takes place and when the sunsets. Most authorities on astronomy state that the moon is not visible if it is less than 22 hours old. As a hardened new moon observer I think that the youngest new moon we have ever seen has been 18 hours old. So lets do the calculations to figure which days we should look.

Lets start with the day of the conjunction. The age of the new moon can be calculated by taking the time that the sunsets and subtracting the time of the conjunction. The conjunction is when the moon is completely dark. There are a couple things to take into consideration. If the moon sets before the sunset there is no way to see it. Also the age of the moon means that the older it is the easier it will be to see it. We usually make calculations for the closest place to us. Kansas City, MO is close to Holts Summit and we will be looking here for the new moon. Here is a chart of abbreviations that we will be using for these calculations and are also used in the almanac.

2001 Almanac in Adobe Acrobat 4.01 format.

Here are the calculations that we will need to make for January 24th:

Time Possibly Visible = (MS - SS) = (17:44 --- 17:30) = (17h 44m - 17h 30m) = (44m - 30m) = 14m

January 24th you may have 14m to see the moon after sunset.

Age of Moon = SS - NM = 17:30 - 7:09 = 17h 30m - 7h 9m = 17 + 30/60 - ( 7 + 9/60) = 10.35h

January 24th the moon will be 10.35h old since it was completely dark at the conjunction.

Notice that this year there are a few new moons that will be really close to the cut off point. One of the most important new moons for Trumpets may be visible at sunset on the 17th September. This just shows the significance of actually going out and looking for the visible crescent that will start the seventh month and the Feast of Trumpets.

Abib's new moon should be visible on March 25th. If count fourteen days forward we find that Passover will be April 7th at sunset and end on April 8th at sunset. The Feast of Unleavened Bread will be April 8th at sunset through April 15th at sunset. The Wave Sheaf Offering will be made April 15th. If we count 50 days starting with April 15th we find that the Feast of Weeks will be kept June 3rd. The new moon for the seventh Biblical month will possibly be seen 17th of September at sunset but will more likely be seen September 18th at sunset. If the new moon is seen September 18th at sunset the Feast of Trumpets will be from the sighting of the new moon until the sunset on September 19th.

The solemn Day of Atonement will then be the tenth day of the seventh month which will be September 28th. The fifteenth day of the seventh month is the first high day of the Feast of Tabernacles, October 3rd. The Last Great Day will be October 10th which is 22nd day of the seventh month.

The Biblical calendar can be laid out by following Leviticus 23. The first feast that we find in Leviticus 23 is the weekly Sabbath. We find in first two verses that Yahweh spoke this to Moses saying that these are to be Yahweh's holy convocations. In verse two Yahweh says that these are My feasts. Verse three Yahweh says that six days we are to labor but the seventh day is a day of rest. The word Sabbath means to desist from all labor. The word rest here is Shabbathown which also means a Sabbath observance.

Verse four Moses writes that these are the feasts of Yahweh. Verse five Moses writes that in the first month on the fourteenth day that we are to keep Yahweh's Passover. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is explained next starting on the 15th as a holy day and ending on the seventh day which is also holy day.

The wave sheaf offering is done on the day after the weekly Sabbath which falls during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This is the Sunday that falls within the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We find that the new Barley could not be eaten until the wave sheaf offering. It was after the waive sheaf that Israel would make cakes or what we would call patties from the green ears of barley.

The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost is kept on the 50th day from the wave sheaf offering. Pentecost is when the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 was poured out on the apostles. The Pentecost of Acts 2 took place at least 15 years after the resurrection of Yahshua the Messiah according to most sources. We have the apostles keeping Yahweh's laws after the Messiah's resurrection and baptizing three thousand people that day. This is an important time and one of the three times that Yahweh's people are to come together. Pentecost is a day that we are not to do any servile work.

The Feast of Trumpets or Yom Teruah is the feast that many believe the Messiah Yahshua will return and has yet to be fulfilled. Yahweh says that we are not to do any servile work on this day. This is the only feast that falls on the beginning of the month. Unless you remain watchful for the new moon this feast could be missed.

The Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur is the day where we are commanded to appear before Yahweh afflicting our souls with a fast. Yom Kippur is considered a very holy time because it was when the High Priest would go before Yahweh asking for His covering of our sins for another year. Yahshua is the High Priest of the Melchizedek Priesthood and he goes before Yahweh with our petitions much in the same way.

The final two Feasts are the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day. The Feast of Tabernacles is when Yahweh's people come out of the world and spend seven days before Yahweh. The Last Great Day is a solemn assembly and is the eighth day or the 22nd day of the seventh month. This is a time when we live in temporary dwellings not concerned with modern convinces. This is a time where we are dependent on Yahweh to show us the correct path. The first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is Yom Tov which means the day of the judgment mark and is a high day on which no servile work is permitted.

Yahweh's feasts represent what happened in the past, what we are to do in the present, and what we are to do in the future. Yahshua kept all the law of Yahweh perfectly and proved once and for all that the law of Yahweh is not grievous. For this is the love of Yahweh, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (1 John 5:3) The Holy Spirit, Yahshua's example, and our understanding of the Scriptures compel us to keep every point of Yahweh's law. We must strive to keep the feasts of Yahweh.

Every month begins with the sighting of a crescent moon. There are twelve new moons a year except years that Abib is seen later. In those years an extra new moon is required to off set the calendar to the time of the barley being in the Abib stage. The following chart shows the feasts and their time in the Biblical Calendar.

Yahweh blessings can be found in His people. When we come together for the feasts we realize the magnitude of the gifts. We form bonds that letters and phone calls don't provide. When Yahweh's people come together the topics are spiritual. Scriptural discussions that cover far more than one verse, one chapter, one book, or one testament are in no short supply. We are a family of Yahweh's people. Learn of the many things that Yahweh has in store for us if we continue striving to do Yahweh's law in our hearts and minds. Yahweh says that three times a year His people are to appear before Him. I would love to appear before Him with you.

Yahweh bless and protect you! I pray that one day we might hear the most beautiful words Yahweh could ever say. "Well done, good and faithful servant."

[ Home ] [ Up ] [ First Scriptural Month ] [ Calendar 2001 ] [ Calendar 2000 ] [ Crescent Moon ] [ New Moon Instructions ]