Hello John and Doves,

 

Back on June 23, 2024, I wrote this letter "The Correct Way To Count The Hebrew Days?"  I lean towards a moon month - i.e. using the sighting of the new moon.  A new month begins after the sliver of the moon is witnessed.  This makes sense to me now, but I have not studied this in depth; I could be completely wrong about this as Aaron of God A Minute points out in the following video:   

 

Aaron at God A Minute showed how using the new moon for the months and counting to the Sabbaths is "completely wrong":

 

He showed that by simply looking at 14 Nisan starting with Passover, that there is no way the 'moon' calendar will work for the death of Christ to His resurrection. We are told in Matthew and Mark that the women showed up at the tomb on the "first day of the week" - "the day after the Sabbath....  If Day 1 is the first day of the new month, and the seventh day is a Sabbath etc. etc.then looking at 14 Nisan and Jesus death to Jesus' empty tomb, the day count will not reach the 'first day of the week' or the day after the Sabbath when the women show up at the empty tomb.  There are too many days that don't match up.  

 

Here's his Youtube where he explains this

A.A.RON'S Updated Rapture Timeline & Studies - YouTube

run time 1:05:55

 

In Aaron's video, he shows a moon calendar with Sabbaths on Day 7, Day 14, Day 21, and Day 28. 

 

However:  

 

In Leviticus 23:5 and 6 we are told that the Passover is on the fourteenth day of the first month.  On the 15th day of the first month begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread..."For seven days you must eat unleavened bread."  That would be for days 15 - 21.

 

Leviticus 23:9 starts with the information on the Feast of Firstfruits - verse 11:  "the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.  That next Sabbath is day 21 - the end of feast of Unleavened Bread.  The day after is day 22....So Feast of Firstfruits falls on day 22.

 

IF this is correct, I've been looking at these first three feast days wrong...I had believed that Feast of Firstfruits was the day following Feast of Unleavened Bread - but that puts it inside the 'seven days' of Unleavened Bread which have their own instructions from the Lord.  That never seemed to make sense.  How could they celebrate Feast of Firstfruist if they were already celebrating Feast of Unleavened Bread??  Having it fall AFTER the week long Feast of Unleavened Bread makes more sense now. 

 

So - Passover is day 14, Unleavened Bread is days 15 to 21..and day 21 on the moon calendar (shown on Aaron's video) 21 is a Sabbath (Day 7)...then Feast of Firstfruits is on the day after the Sabbath - that does fit perfectly with the moon month ...the women came to the tomb on the day after the Sabbath...so they came on day 22. 

 

Matthew 28:1:  "After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb."

 

Mark 16:1:  "When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they  could go and anoint the body of Jesus.  Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they went to the tomb."

 

Luke 24:1: "On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared."

 

John 20:1:  "Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance."

 

Jesus was the firstfruits of the dead - we put His resurrection on this feast day.  Is that correct?  That would be on day 22 - the day after the Sabbath.  Aaron says that is too many days for Jesus resurrection for a moon month to work.  But remember, Jesus's body was in the tomb during the Feast of Unleavened Bread - to fulfill the three day prophecy - He could have resurrected during that time as prophesied...but the women didn't come back until the first of the week.  So to them, He resurrected on the day they saw the tomb was empty - still fulfilling the Feast of Firstfruits.  They did not go to the tomb during the holy week of Unleavened Bread - maybe there were oral rules about that week....and we are told they waited until the day after the Sabbath (Feast of Firstfruits) - when Unleavened Bread was over.

 

So I really don't have a problem squaring Jesus' resurrection with the three day prophecy. 

But the women/disciples didn't go to the tomb until Feast of Firstfruits.  That's when they knew he was risen from the dead; that's when the announcement by the angel was made to the women - "He is not here; He has risen...".  Matthew 28:6

 

Having written the above, I can't find anything wrong with the moon month.  As I can still use the moon month for the month of Nisan for Jesus' Crucifixion, burial and resurrection and the announcement that He had risen from the grave.  (Maybe there is something I am missing...??)

 

Just my thoughts for now...

 

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

 

Maranatha!

 

Chance