Shalom YY,
I was really hoping to get some scriptural answers from you and not just statements and show the proof of looking for a cresent new moon.
I was wondering if you could please explain to me where this man at the web site I posted could be wrong about Ps.81:3? and the other scriptures involved.
I will copy and paste it for you.
One of the first things we need to do is to take a look at
the phases of the Moon.
The Moon travels in a counter clockwise orbit around the
Earth.
The orbit is more oval in structure, rather than circular.
The time of the Moon's orbit varies each and every
Month.
So, periodically YAHWEH's Law comes into effect, and a
Miracle occurs.
YAHWEH causes the Moon, Sun, and Earth to come into
direct alignment with each other.
And this is a Sign for mankind to begin to count, for the
Set Apart Days.
Conjunction
The time for counting starts when the Moon is positioned
exactly in alignment between the Earth and the Sun.
Remember in The Scriptures where it says the Sun and
Moon, and Stars are for Signs (Genesis 1:14-18).
History records that many nations were able to calculate
the Conjunction exactly.
For example two of them, Egypt and Babylon, although
they only calculated to find when the Crescent would
take place.
The ancient Aztecs were more than capable of
determining the Conjunction as well.
Any man or woman with the proper talents or gifts can
do this quite easily.
At the Conjunction, the Moon is very different than at any
other time of its orbit.
It is totally obscured to the eye.
It cannot be seen.
As a result of this, you will not be tempted to look up see
the Moon, "crescent" and/or "full", and "worship" it, as
YAHWEH has warned against.
Crescent
The Moon in this phase is now emitting a thin line of light.
Many "religious" people today use this method of
counting to determine the days.
The nation of Islam uses this, among others.
If you will take notice, on the top of their temples the
Crescent Moon, which they describe as having horns is
quite Visible.
Where did this originate?
The symbolism of using horns came from Babylon,
because of the "worship" of Cows and the Sun and Moon.
Babylon utilized it and used the Crescent as part of
"worship" toward other Gods.
There is a great deal of research available on this.
Abraham lived in Ur, and later in Haram, where it was the
center of Crescent "worship" of the Moon-Goddess
Ishtar called Ningal in Ur.
She has had many names in many different nations - her
worship required licentiousness, sacred prostitution in
connection with her temples - her priestesses entertained
male "worshippers" in disgraceful ceremonies - every
maid, wife or widow had to officiate at least once in her
lifetime in these rites - Sin-the Moon-God was the deity
of Ur.
YAHWEH called Abraham out of Babylon, as HE calls us
"out of her" today (Revelation 18:4)!
There is a time the Moon is different from any other.
That is at The Conjunction.
From the time the Moon starts its orbit at Conjunction, it
travels around the Earth, until its journey is completed.
Then it is renewed by YAHWEH to begin the start of a
New Month, and does exactly what YAHWEH has
designed it to do.
This is the time THE FATHER brings it into alignment with
the Earth and the Sun.
What a miracle that is, when this takes place.
King David knew this, and has informed us in The
Scriptures!
Psalm 81:3: "Blow up the trumpet (shofar) in the New
Moon, in the Time Appointed, on our Solemn Feast Day".
Let us analyze this, and determine what David was
saying.
This should be obvious that David is talking about the
Feast of Trumpets (the Day of Shoutings).
That is the Day of the New Moon.
The words "New Moon" is translated from: 02320
chodesh kho' -desh from 02318; Taken from the root
2318 1) the new moon, month, monthly 1a) the
first day of the month The root word. a primitive root
AV-renew 7, repair 1) to be new, renew, repair.
Examples of how this word is used in other Scriptures:
1 Samuel 11:14 and renew the kingdom there
2 Chronicles 15:8 renewed the altar
2 Chronicles 24:4 repair the House of the LORD
[YAHWEH]
2 Chronicles 24:12 carpenters to repair the House
Iyyob (Job) 10:17 Thou renewest thy witnesses
Psalms 51:10 renew a right spirit within me.
Psalms 103:5 thy youth is renewed
Psalms 104:30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are
created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
David chose to use the word "Codesh" which comes
from the root word "Chadesh"...
This word means to renew, repair, be new, bring back.
But David could have chosen the Hebrew word
"Saharon", which means Crescent Moon.
But he did NOT!
More on the Crescent Moon later.
But David chose the word "Chadesh", meaning New
Moon.
"The Time Appointed": this seems to be a bad translation.
In the NIV it is translated "Full Moon".
Well all know we cannot have a Full Moon on the First
Day of the Month, because the Full Moon is the time
when the Moon is in the middle of her orbit, that is in the
middle of the Month, and NOT in the beginning of the
Month.
So what is the real meaning here.
The word "Appointed" is translated from the Hebrew:
3677 kece' {keh'-seh} or keceh {keh'-seh} Which is from
the root: 3680 kacah {kaw-saw'} Which means: to cover,
conceal, hide.
So, what David is really saying is: "Blow up the trumpet
(shofar) on the First of the Month (7th Month), in the time
of the Hidden Moon, on our Solemn Feast Day".
What is the New Moon?
The Hidden Moon, when totally dark is a Conjunction with
the Sun, and Earth.
A miracle of YAHWEH's Time Clocks in action.
Another example from King David...
How could David make these statements with such
certainty?
1 Samuel 20:5: "And David said unto Yahnathan, Behold,
Tomorrow [is] the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit
with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide
myself in the field unto the third [Day] at even".
Yahnathan also knew with certainty that Tomorrow is the
New Moon! How?
1 Samuel 20:18: "Then Yahnathan said to David,
Tomorrow [is] the New Moon: and thou shalt be missed,
because thy seat will be empty".
There was no written and saved history, before the
Yahdaim (Jews) came back from Babylon.
We know how it was done then.
Witnesses were sent out, and when they saw the
Crescent Moon, they lit a fire on the mountain, then came
back to Yerusalem to be questioned by the Sanhedrin....
Well, that took some time, did it not?
But how did David know that Tomorrow was the New
Moon?
Well, could he have looked up in the sky and saw the
Conjunction, and said Tomorrow is the Crescent Moon,
and that is the New Moon? Hardly possible.
You can not see the Moon when YAHWEH is renewing it.
It is dark.
So, how could he have known?
Some say, they were calculating it.
Well, many nations knew how to do that as well as
Israel....
Others say, well this dinner David was talking about was
pre-planned ahead.
And some say, the kings always invited envoys from
other parts of Israel to attend.
Still more have concluded that it had to have been
planned for quite a while.
So, calculating the Conjunction is how they did it.
Many feel that, David looked up and saw the Last
Crescent Moon, thereby knowing Tomorrow is the New
Moon.
You can see the Last Crescent just about daybreak the
day before Conjunction.
Is that what David saw?
How could David have stated with certainty, that
"Tomorrow is the New Moon"?
If they were doing it in the way it was done when they
returned from Babylon, David would have had to wait
until they saw the Crescent Moon, about Sunset, then
waited until the Witnesses had returned to Yerusalem,
then word would have been brought to the King.
It seems likely that process would take a bit of time...
But what if, it was cloudy and overcast that evening, then
they would have had to wait another day.
Is that Scriptural?
Argument for the Crescent
Some say, according Gesenisus' Hebrew / Chaldee
Lexicon, that "the term 'Hodesh' (# 2320) came from #
2318 which means to be new, or to polish a sword.
Etymologist has well observed that its primary sense is
that of cutting and polishing... and the signification of
newness appears to proceed from that of a sharp
polished splendid sword. We see that a new
moon cannot mean a full moon. A full moon in no way
appears as a polished sword (or a conjunction moon). In
the case of a True New Moon, it appears as a scimitar,
or curved sword" (end of quote).
Answer
Yes, we knew of this definition early on in our Search for
the Truth.
There are many Hebrew scholars that certainly disagree
with the "Gesenisus".
We really have not found any other definitions that agree
with "Gesenisus".
Some would say, the Crescent does not look like a
sword.
But we would disagree with that.
Searching has shown us that the Arab (Muslims) built
their swords in a Crescent style.
We understand that Islam counts from the Crescent, in
fact many Crescent Moons appear on top of their
Mosques as previously stated.
And there is evidence in the digs around Ur and Haram
(where Abram was called from), that on top of the
temple built for the Moon God; a Crescent Moon was
there.
Crescent Moon
The Crescent Moon - Saharon.
Isaiah 3:18: "In that day the Lord [YAHWEH] will take
away the bravery of [their] tinkling ornaments [about their
feet], and [their] cauls, and [their] round tires like the
Moon...".
The NIV has this: "In that day the Lord [YAHWEH] will
snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and
Crescent necklaces...".
The word Moon is translated from: 7720 saharon
{sah-har-one'} 1) moon, crescent, as ornament.
Other places this is found:
Judges 8:21: "Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou,
and fall upon us: for as the man [is, so is] his strength.
And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and
took away the ornaments that [were] on their camels'
necks".
Judges 8:26: "And the weight of the golden earrings that
he requested was a thousand and seven hundred
[shekels] of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and
purple raiment that [was] on the kings of Midian, and
beside the chains that [were] about their camels' necks".
What about this?
History seems to indicate that after the Babylonian
captivity that the First Visible Crescent was sighted.
The sighting was then checked and verified by a great
assembly, which was the forerunner of the Sanhedrin.
Was this the way they observed the New Moon before
the Exile?
We have not found any evidence to show it.
The fact is there are few references to a calendar before
the Exile.
The only proof we have is the history recorded by the
Pharisees who are the Rabbis of today.
The next problem we have is that while in Babylon the
leaders may have taken on more than just the Babylonian
names for the months.
The fact is, as The Scriptures themselves reveal, the
Israelites were influenced by the people around them.
The Saharon, which was probably made of metal and
had the form of a Crescent, i.e., the Crescent Moon.
It was worn by women (Isayah 3:18), and by kings
(Judges 8:26), and tied to the necks of camels (Judges
8:21) to protect them from the Evil Eye.
"The Crescent was a favorite amulet among many
peoples of Western Asia, and it represented to them the
strength and protection of the waxing and not the waning
moon" (Budge, pg. 213).
"Before Yaaqob went to Bethel to present himself before
YAHWEH he made all his people to hand over to him
their "strange gods" and ear-rings (i.e., Crescent-shaped
amulets), and he hid them under the oak which was in
Schechem (Genesis 35:4)" (Budge, pg. 214).
Of these references, the Scriptural evidence is
pre-Exodus with the exception of Isayah which talks of a
time when the daughters of Yerusalem will have their
jewelry taken away including Crescents.
It is also interesting to note that the ancient Babylonians
had a Elohim (God), they called "Mighty One", whose
name was Sin, and whose symbol was that of a
Crescent.
"The Babylonian Moon-God Sin (su'e) stands in a
Crescent-Moon, his symbol. Agate Neo-Babylonian seal
c. 7th - 6th century B.C." (The Illustrated Bible
Dictionary, pg. 1023).
There is a word in Hebrew that means Crescent Moon,
that word is Saharon yare'akh.
The word Saharon is in The Scriptures, and refers to
amulets as seen above.
But it is interesting that the Hebrew word for New Moon
(Chodesh), and Crescent Moon (Saharon yare'akh) are
NOT the same!
If there was a word available to describe what Moon the
New Moon is, and if the New Moon was a Crescent, then
why is NOT it used in The Scriptures?
We can see that the First Visible Crescent (waxing) is
used by the neighbors of Abraham, Isaac, and Yaaqob,
and their descendants, the Israelites, as a protective
amulet as well as "worshipped" as a deity.
If you read throughout The Scriptures, you will see that
the Israelites followed after these peoples and practices
their idolatries.
Why else would YAHWEH say that HE would take away
their Crescents?
It seems very clear that it proves that the Crescent is
NOT the New Moon, and we find the evidence of
Crescent-Moon "worship" very disturbing!
Would YAHWEH link HIMSELF to pagan practices and
rites?
We think NOT!
http://www.thecommunityo...ctionversuscrescent.htmlAlso, I don't see how you can come up with dates ahead of time for the feasts when you are suppose to wait for the barley each year to come up on it's own?
