MOON

LUNAR SABBATH MYTH BUSTER

How many times did Yahusha explain the Shabath (7th day of the week) was determined by using the moon phases? He didn't mention it once, yet many new teachers take up most of their time explaining how things changed and the correct day of rest is not the day observed by the Yahudim today. These new teachers claim the 7-day week is not a repeating cycle, but restarts itself according to lunar phases. This study shows the evidence that the 7-day week is not associated with the phases of the moon.

Here is proof that the moon phases have nothing to do with the 7-day weekly cycle. Look at the sequence of events that occurred during the week of Matsah the year Yahusha was executed on the stake:

Yahusha was in the tomb for exactly 3 days and 3 nights.

The 3^rd 24-hour part of this 3 days and 3 nights was a weekly Shabath according to Scripture.

For most lunar-Shabathers, the full moon was a weekly Shabath, yet just a few days later, Scripture states the women went to the tomb “on the first day of the week.”

And on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared,

and they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.” – Luke 24:1-2

This “3 days and 3 nights” is the sign of Yunah, so we know the women didn’t wait a whole week to discover the empty tomb.

This proves the lunar-Shabath teaching is not valid, and is a scheme to divide the followers of Yahusha.

article by Lew White

SEE ALSO www.fossilizedcustoms.com/lunarsabbath.html

MOON PEOPLE:  http://www.fossilizedcustoms.com/moonpeople.html

~ Or, as some will insist:  7th, 14th, 21st, 28th ~

The Seventh Day Of The Week

The phrase "seventh day" begs the question, "seventh day of what?" It was reintroduced to the chosen ones using manna. It's a cycle Scripture refers to as a SHABUA, translated week. The word SHABUA itself is based on the root SHEBA, meaning "seven." Since the time Yahusha walked the Earth, there has been no alteration of that cycle, and the seven-day week (SHABUA) is the same today.

The Romans had named the days after planetary deities, and Norse deities came along later. The Romans attempted to alter the number of days in a week to 8, but this effort was a complete failure.

Lunar Sabbathers struggle to explain Lev. 23:16: it tells us to "count" seven complete Sabbaths, up until the day after the seventh Sabbath, "fifty days."
Also, they cannot tell us who, when, and where any change ever occurred that shifted the 7-day week from any involvement with the moon, as if there ever was an involvement with the moon.

LUNAR SABBATH STRONGHOLD:  LIKE "SUN-DAY," AN ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION

Why would satan work so hard to re-program the whole world to rest on his "Day of the Sun"? It's because the weekly Shabath Day is the true 7th day of the week, the sign forever between Yahuah and His people. Now that many Christians are becoming Natsarim, a new scheme to deceive them is ramping-up.
The new idea that the 7-day week is re-set each new moon is another trick, and behind it is the deceiver of the whole world. 

Some are falling for a false teaching that the 7-day week is somehow associated with the phases of the moon. For those who do this, their “week” of 7 days is re-set each time the moon comes between the Earth and the sun. We call this the “new moon.”

Here's a dilemma for those who calculate their weeks based on the moon phases. The year Yahusha was impaled as our Passover, we know the feast of Matsah began at sunset, the beginning of the 5th day of the week.

This marked the 15^th day of the moon, when the moon is always full. For Lunar Sabbathers, the 15th of the moon is the 7th day of their "week".

Yahusha was in the tomb for exactly 3 days and 3 nights.

The real weekly Shabath was the 3rd 24-hour part of the 3 days and 3 nights. For Lunar Sabbathers, the full moon was the weekly Shabath. Confusing, isn’t it?

Yahusha was placed in the tomb before sunset on Passover (the 14th), and that 1st night began the 15th day of the 1st moon. Because Catholics have always taught people the "preparation day" for the high Shabath was on a "Fri-day", everyone hearing the repeated lie thinks the 15th of the moon was a weekly Shabath. They have a problem counting to 3 as well, and ignore the sign of Yunah, 3 DAYS and 3 NIGHTS. 

There is no record of Yahuah instructing us to re-set the 7-day week based on the moon’s phases. If anyone ever used the moon to re-set the weekly set of 7 days, who can say they were correct?

We can either believe the inspired Scriptures, or the unreliable record of encyclopedic sources. The Romans didn't invent the 7-day week.

Since the time Yahusha walked the Earth, there has been no alteration in the pattern of the 7-day week. Since Yahuah neglected to tell us about the moon re-setting the weeks, He will also understand why we don't know anything about it.

If we fall for the “Lunar Sabbath”, we will not have the sign of the everlasting Covenant (which is the weekly day of rest, the Shabath, the commemoration of creation week).

THE TEMPLE NOT MADE WITH HANDS IS THE BRIDE OF YAHUSHA.  HE IS THE 'MASTER OF THE SABBATH', AND THE SABBATH IS THE SIGN OF THE EVERLASTING COVENANT (EZ 20).  IF A TEACHING REMOVES THIS SIGN AND SETS UP AN ABOMINATION THAT "DESOLATES" THE COVENANT, AND ITS SIGN, WE HAVE TURNED ASIDE TO MYTHS AND DOCTRINES OF DEMONS.

The Hebrew word SHABATH is spelled SHIN-BETH-TAU, and means rest, cease, stop, relax. People are told it is impossible to obey, it's too difficult.

Circumambulating  or "Tawaf " is discussed near the bottom of this page.  Moon dancing too . . .

EVIDENCE FOR 7-DAY PATTERN NOT BASED ON THE MOON:

QUESTION asked by Lunar Sabbathers:

"Can any evidence be found in Scripture of a repeating 7-day pattern?"

ANSWER: First, look in any concordance for the word "week" (Hebrew, SHABUA, #7620).  This word is based on the word 
SHEBA, "7".  The word Sabbaton is used 58 times in the Messianic writings, or Brit Chadasha, and translated as the 7th day of the week, or weekly Sabbath day.  But, in 9 other cases, it is translated as "week", referring to the cycle or period of 7 days we are familiar with.  Further, at Lev. 23:15,16 the weekly Sabbaths are used to count off 7 Sabbaths.   It tells us to count 7 "completed Sabbaths", up until the "morrow after the seventh Sabbath", you count 50 days.  Do the math.  This is another example, and even numbers the total elapsed days involved, so we know that "Shabuoth" falls on the 1st day of the week each year.   As Brian Allen recently pointed out, if the weekly Sabbath were governed by the moon, you'd run into trouble reconciling the "7 Sabbaths" within this 50 days, because you'd have 2 new moons falling within this period.   The way they (Lunar Sabbathers) figure it, you'd have more than 7 Sabbaths within 50 days' time (in just 30 days, the lunar Sabbath folks calculate 6 Sabbaths, and so they reach their count to the day after their 7th Sabbath in only 37 days).   The 50th day, called "Pentecost" (Greek, "count fifty"), is our (Israel's) Wedding Anniversary, commemorating the giving of the Torah at Sinai, and should be the day after the 7th Sabbath.   Instead of taking 49 days to get there, they reach 7 Sabbaths in only 37 days.    Shabuoth (weeks) is the plural of Shabua (week), and is a High Sabbath, and follows the weekly 7th-day Sabbath.    In another place, Sabbatical "years" are explained (7 cycles of 7 years each, sheba shabathot shanah, seven Sabbaths of years—seven times seven years, Lev. 25:8), so that we can determine when the year of Jubilee arrives, the 50th year of the cycle.   Remember, SHABUA means week, and SHABUOTH means weeks.  A Shabua would represent a "complete" week of seven days, from day 1 through Shabbath, the seventh day.  After that, we have “the first day of the week” starting over again, as most of us can wrap our minds around that concept.   The week of 7 days cannot be altered by mankind.  The seven lampstands on the menorah remain an eternal sign of Yahuah’s Torah, and the seven days of the week remain an eternal sign of Yahuah’s act of creation.

  -- PARADIGM-COLLAPSE EXPRESSION  -- MENORAH

The Lunar Sabbath idea is a new wind of doctrine promoting the idea that the phases of the moon identify or set the weekly Sabbaths.  Even among those promoting this concept, there are major differences.  These doctrines say the new moon re-sets the "week" we know as the 7-day pattern ending with a Sabbath, and that the way the Yahudim have been doing it is wrong, and inherited from the Romans.  All the cultures on this planet - even those never having contact with the Roman Empire - have the same 7-day week, and this pattern goes far back into the mists of history.  It is unchangeable, and yet these new doctrines claim there was a change.  Yahusha never claimed there was any problem, and certainly since His coming there has been no alteration attempted by anyone, anywhere.  Those who teach this new "Lunar Sabbath" method have no Scripture to back them up.  Reading their books and articles will readily show this.  When we go to unbelievers (such as Karaites) to learn, our foundations will soon begin to spin out of control. 

Yahuah's Word is our sure foundation.

     “And Yahuah said to Mosheh, ‘See, I am raining bread (manna) from the heavens for you. And the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, in order to try (test) them, whether they walk in My Torah or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.” (Ex. 16:4,5)

A word about "crescent sighting", a teaching that is found in the Koran (Quran):

"Crescent sighting" is not done by the Yahudim today, but rather their view is that the first day of each moon begins with the "conjunction", or dark moon.  They did not learn this from Babylon as some will claim.  The moon "builds" from this zero-point, until the first 24-hour period ends at sunset, and a thin crescent may be seen above the western horizon, indicating that the first day of the moon is completed.   Many Messianics teach that we should view the "crescent sighting" to be the starting point, or "zero", counting forward from that sunset as the beginning of the first day of the moon.  This delay of one full day causes the "full moon" to appear on the 14th day of their count.   By deduction, we find this to be in conflict with this text:

If the moon is not full when you reach the 15th of your count, investigate why this might be, and adjust your beginning point to "zero" using the dark moon. 

The Islamic tradition uses the "crescent sighting", and you may verify this by visiting their website, http://www.icoproject.org/, where the ICOP (Islamic Crescents' Observation Project) carefully explains how the Koran (Alcoran) directs the crescent sighting.

The "Lunar Sabbath"  ~  This new wind of doctrine is extremely divisive, and is rapidly becoming a new custom within our generation.   We must watch, and stand fast and hold to the traditions which you were taught, and be without wrath and disputing.   (see 2 Thess. 2:15, 1 Tim. 2:8).

The languages of Earth affirm the universality of the 7-day week, and 108 of them have based their name for the 7th day on the original Hebrew word:

 Ancient Syriac: shabatho, Babylonian: sabatu, Arabic: assabt, Etheopic: sanbat, Armenian: shapat, Polynesian: hari sabtu, Swahili: assabt, Latin: Sabbatum, Italian: Sabbato, Spanish: Sabado, Russian: Subbota, Polish: Sobota, Assyrian: Sabata, Tigre: Sanbat, Kurdish: Shamba, Georgian: Shabati, Morduin: Subbota, Portuguese: Sabbado, New Slovenian: Sobota, Prussian: Sabatico.

Robert Wells made this observation: [Robert's spellings retained]

False teaching:  Lunar Sabbath

  The fact that men of Yahuah worked or traveled on a new moon day is one of the strongest indications that it (a new moon day) was never understood to be a day of rest (except for the 7^th new moon, which is specifically set apart as being a day of rest, so deductively this means the other new moons were not).  The week is never aligned to the moon in any way, and the moon is a light given for the annual moed’im which are counted from the new moons. 

The weeks are not counted or marked from the new moons, but stand on the foundation of creation week only.

The moon is not the foundation of the week, it was only a part of creation, coming into existence on the 4^th day.

The “week” had already started before the moon came into existence!

Is the MOON the real "Master of the Sabbath"?

The new moons are indicators for us to tell time.   Sundials and clocks are round because the sun and moon are round.   We know that days, moons, and years can be established from a study of Scripture, and world History.   The pattern of the 7-day week is something that reflects or echoes the reminder of the Creation week to each person on Earth.  And it's a daily reminder!   A very good question was asked of me about the pattern of 7 days:

Answer:     We already know about the 1st and 2nd chapter of Genesis (Bereshith), so we'll assume that isn't good enough proof, and look at a couple of other Scriptural situations where the cycle of 7 days are involved (a week of days).  There are also cases where a "week of years" are mentioned.  We'll even get the thrill of multiplying 7 x 7 to get the answer of 49 -- so pay close attention kids.  We need to consider the Hebraic concept of the week as a unit, made up of seven days; and in some cases units of 7 years.

     First, look in a concordance for the word "week" (Hebrew, SHABUA, #7620).  This word also means "7".  The word Sabbaton is used 58 times in the Messianic writings, or Brit Chadasha, and translated as the 7th day of the week, or weekly Sabbath day.  But, in 9 other cases, it is translated as "week", referring to the cycle or period of 7 days we are familiar with.  Further, at Lev. 23:15,16 the weekly Sabbaths are used to count off 7 Shabaths.   It tells us to count 7 "completed Sabbaths", up until the "morrow after the seventh Sabbath", you count 50 days.  This is another example, and even numbers the total elapsed days involved, so we know that "Shabuoth" falls on the 1st day of the week each year.   As Brian Allen recently pointed out, if the weekly Sabbath were governed by the moon, you'd run into trouble reconciling the "7 Sabbaths" within this 50 days, because you'd have 2 new moons falling within this period.   The way I figure it, you'd have more than 7 Sabbaths within 50 days' time (in just 30 days, the lunar Sabbath folks calculate 6 Sabbaths, and so they reach their count to the day after their 7th Sabbath in only 37 days).   The 50th day, called "Pentecost" (Greek, "count fifty"), is our (Israel's) Wedding Anniversary, commemorating the giving of the Torah at Sinai, and should be the day after the 7th Sabbath.   Instead of taking 49 days to get there, they reach 7 Sabbaths in only 37 days.    Shabuoth (weeks) is the plural of Shabua (week), and is a High Sabbath, and follows the weekly 7th-day Shabath.    In another place, "Sabbatical years" are explained (7 cycles of 7 years each, sheba shabathot shanah, seven Sabbaths of years—seven times seven years, Lev. 25:8), so that we can determine when the year of Jubilee arrives, the 50th year of the cycle.   Remember, SHABUA means week, and SHABUOTH means weeks.  A Shabua would represent a "complete" week of seven days, from day 1 through Shabbath, the seventh day.

Evidence of a repeating 7-day cycle

     Father Yahuah did not have to explain what a week of 7 days was (shabua), until Israel had forgotten it; He used the manna to re-train them how to count the week again in the wilderness.  If the week, and specifically the 7th day Sabbath (the completion of a week), could be ascertained at all from something in the skies, the manna would not have been necessary to train Israel.   A day without food tends to get your attention.   One important thing to remember is that the moon in no way effects or rules over the day/night pattern, or the count of the 7 days of creation.  The moon rules over the night, and the moedim, or annual High Sabbaths.  It can never affect the 7-day cycle of creation.  In Daniel, we see the “7 sevens”, or 7 weeks of years.  Again, at Lev. 25 we can apply this 7-year cycle for us to know when to let the land rest in the “Sabbatical years”, and there is smooth rhythm of 7 x 7 years, making up 49 years, in the count to the “Jubilee year” following this “seven weeks of years”, sheba shabua shanah.  If the 7 years (a week of years) establishes the model for the land to rest, we can be sure that our interpretation of the week of days is also sound.   So, yes, it is safe to say there are Scriptures to back up the understanding of “an unending seven-day cycle from Creation”.  The Pagan Babylonians did not establish the 7-day week (shabua), nor did the Romans;  it was Yahuah alone.  Sabbath, the word, is not even a stone's throw from the Hebrew word for seven, sheba, or the word shabua.  The “7 pillars” referred to at Ps. 75:3 and Prov. 9:1 in their context refer to the unmovable and unshakable foundation which Father Yahuah established for the 7 days of each week.  The moon is brought in to determine the 7 annual High Sabbaths.  The 7 millennia, or pattern of 7 periods of 1000-years each, is unaffected by the moon.  The first 7 days (creation week) established arepeating cycle of 7 in order that we recall creation, and honor the Creator each 7th day.    Besides all this, if the Yahudim (Jews) and the 12 tribes of Israel dispersed all over the Earth think that the Sabbath Day each week is the same one the Pagans have been calling "Satyr Day" (or day of Satyrn), and it isn't REALLY the Sabbath, then why would Satan arrange to change the day of rest from the true 7th day of the week to Sun-Day (the 1st day of the week) for his deceived followers?    (Under penalty of death, Constantine ordained the change of the Sabbath to his "Sun-Day" in the year 321 CE, in his "Edict of Milan").   Satan changed the day of rest for Mohammad's pupils in the 7th century to the six day of the week.  

Why would Satan do that, if the 7th day was already wrong?    The real answer is, the 7th day of each week really is the true Shabath, the commemoration of creation; and this honors the true Maker of Heaven and Earth, Yahuah  -  the Alahim OF ISRAEL.     Even if the cycle of seven days had been changed at any point from some "lunar pattern", how could the whole Earth have adopted the flaw all at once, without any echo of the previous "correct" pattern lurking about in some culture?    Also, remember that many remote cultures all over the Earth have retained in their indigenous languages the meaning, and often a close sounding word for the Hebrew word, "Sabbath"  --  for their 7th day of each week (Shabbath, Sabbath, Sabo, Sabado, Subbata, Shubuta, etc.,.).    The Shabath is the only day of the week that has a name  --  the other days were only numbered, until the Pagans decided to give homage to various deities by calling the days by the proper names of their false Alahim  (i.e., Sun Day, Moon Day, Tyr's Day, Woden's Day, Thor's Day, Frigga's Day, Satyrn Day).

The sun rules over the day.  A week of 7 days cycles over and over, and the moon is in no way able to interfere with it.  The manna, not the moon, was used to emphasize this "shabua" cycle to remind Israel.  Days and months are not connected or geared together, but flow separately through time.  The period of 7 days, which we call the week (Hebrew, SHABUA, #7620), has been assaulted in recent years by the new teachings concerning new moons.  This mostly is the result of deciding to believe something, then hunting down the texts that support that belief (eisegesis). Once a person falls for the re-setting of the weekly pattern which they believe is caused by the moon, the moon becomes an all-consuming topic for them from that point on. They feel that they must convince everyone else to see the hidden secret they've discovered.

By deduction, or the taking away (discounting) of what is not discussed, we know there is only one new moon day which is a day of rest from work; the first day of the 7th moon.  By simple deductive reasoning, we know that the other 11 new moon days are not rest days.  The fact that men of Yahuah worked and traveled on new moon days is but one indication of this.  The best method for study is by exegesis, not eisegesis.

We do not worship or serve the men who promote a floating weekly Sabbath involving the moon cycles, so we don’t have to fear them or their teachings;  but we should not be hateful to them in their deception either.   There is not a single text from Scripture which suggests or implies that the 7th day Sabbath is regulated or connected to the moon or its phases; the only associations that can be made between new moon days and Sabbaths are imagined assumptions, and the mishandling of the Word of Father Yahuah.  Bending, wrestling, and twisting the Scriptures is a grievous thing to do, and falling from our steadfastness can easily be the end result. We are not to judge the person, however as the Body of Mashiach we are to judge the teachings regarding food, drink, new moons, Sabbaths, and moedim.

It's natural to have differences of understanding, but we must not allow these to become roots of bitterness between one another. There are many points of contention today; the "new moon" re-setting the weekly Sabbath is one example. The controversy over who is to be the recipient of the tenth part of our increase is another point of difference, mostly argued by those who have been used to taking the tithe as teachers. Then there is the issue of whether the crescent moon sighting is the beginning, or the end, of the actual first day of the new moon.  Like the Bereans, we need to test and examine if what we hear is really true.

TWO APPROACHES IN UNDERSTANDING SCRIPTURE

FIRST:    We go to the Writings with an open, unbiased attitude, free of denominational slants or teachings, or previous impressions.   This is called Exegesis (direct analysis or interpretation of Scripture). Allowing the Word to directly speak to us, we can form a solid foundation through personal study, guided by our Teacher, the Spirit of Yahusha.   Listening to other men teach us what Scripture says is fine also, as long as we test everything we hear, being careful how we listen, as the assembly at Berea did (Acts 17:10,11).

SECOND:   (the wrong approach)  -- We go to the Writings to prove something we already believe, finding sentences which hint at the idea.  This is called Eisegesis (analyzing from one's own ideas).  In these cases the text is not directly describing or teaching the concept we are trying to prove, but rather the words are extracted  and hunted-down, to "prove" what we believe.  This is how men "twist" or "spin" the Words of Scripture, especially the letters of Shaul (Paul):  ". . . as also our beloved brother Shaul wrote to you, according to the wisdom given to him, as also in all his letters, speaking in them concerning these matters, in which some are hard to understand, which those who are untaught and unstable TWIST (spin) to their own destruction, as they do also the other Scriptures.   You, then, beloved ones, being forewarned, watch; lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the delusion of the lawless."   -  2 Kepha 3:15-17     

      Ha shatan, the adversary, hates the marriage Covenant, and Israel.  This means the enemy of our beings hates the "sign" of our Covenant, the Sabbath.  This being attacks Israel at every turn, and attempts to alter the Covenant, or make it seem unimportant. The “sign” of this Eternal (Everlasting) Covenant is the sign of the Sabbath, which is the 7th day of each week.  Today some have begun to believe that the Yahudim (tribe called "Jews" today) altered the original pattern for keeping track of the correct WEEKLY Sabbaths.  They feel that the MOON was originally used to determine not only the ANNUAL High Sabbaths, but also the WEEKLY day of rest.  The 7-day pattern is found in every corner of our world, and the 7th day, which most English-speaking people call "Saturday", is widely known to be the Sabbath day which is found throughout Scripture.  Many languages exist on our planet;  and if you study the various names these languages have for this 7th day, you will find they closely relate cognatively to the Hebrew word for Sabbath, SHABATH (cease).  So, even if the Yahudim attempted to change the pattern, it would become evident to everyone that they did so when the patterns are compared to one another.  The pattern of  7 weekdays (shabua) is found across the entire planet without any conflict in its rhythm --  none of the cultures on Earth use a lunar phase to determine or re-set their week.  Their languages even identify within themselves the day of rest being the one called "Shabbath" in Hebrew.  Their word for this day still bears a strong resemblance to the Hebrew original.

     “And Yahuah said to Mosheh, ‘See, I am raining bread (manna) from the heavens for you. And the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, in order to try (test) them, whether they walk in My Torah or not. And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.” (Ex. 16:4,5)

The elect can be deceived, and fall away from the Covenant, by crafty schemes and trickery.   The false doctrine will claim this "hidden manna" is a SECRET, and is only revealed to those it is intended for.  That's why it's not clearly explained in the Torah, so they will say.  However, if we don't know what we are to believe and do, and we are not given the teaching, then we are without sin:  "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin;  but now they have no excuse for their sin." Yn. 15:22.  If Yahuah is keeping secrets from us about when His REAL Sabbaths are, then we are without sin  -- but He DID tell us about them, and each one is a commemoration of the first week of creation (Heb. 4:9-11).

The evolutionist will say,   "First, there was nothing.  Then, it exploded.  The elements were not yet existent, since all the energy (from nothing) was purely kinetic (active, non-material, radiation).   After the cooling effect from the expansion of space, and the propagation of the energy from this cosmic “big bang”, the first material elements coagulated together as hydrogen, oxygen, and traces of H2O2."      (I am not a proponent of the “big bang”, nor string theory).

SABBATHS, NEW MOONS:   ANY RELATIONSHIP?

     “And Alahim said, ‘Let lights come to be in the expanse of the heaven to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and appointed times, and for days and years.” Bereshith 1:14 Is there any indication that the moon resets the week each month?

     “And Alahim said, ‘Let lights come to be in the expanse of the heaven to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and appointed times, and for days, (and weeks?)  and years.”  No, it doesn't say the lights are for our weeks.  This pattern is not seen in the skies.

Now watch very closely;  here's a few words which should show the distinction between a "new moon" and a "Sabbath":

    "Why are you going to him today?   It is neither New Moon nor the Sabbath."  2Kings 4:23.  This is the text describing the events in Shunem, concerning the Shunammite woman, her son, and Elisha the prophet  -  her son had just died in her lap.    But, this same text may cause some to make a Federal case out of it, declaring it to mean that all "new moon days" are also days of rest from work.   They even go to the extent of allowing new moon days to recalculate the weekdays, without a single shred of evidence from Scripture for doing so.  It was a "custom" to visit a prophet on the day of the new moon, as well as the weekly Sabbath;  but not everyone could do this, and it certainly wasn't a Torah instruction.

“You are exhausted by your many counsels; let the astrologers, the stargazers, and those who prognosticate by the new moons stand up and save you from what is coming upon you.”  Isaiah / Yesha Yahu 47:13

     In the above text, these moon-worshippers are equated with astrologers, stargazers, and witches. Both sun worshippers and moon worshippers will be devoured by fire, which they so fervently honor. The “lake of fire” will destroy the enemies of Yahuah, and His wrath at the end of days will consume them with fire. The moon was a deity among the Pagans, and it ruled their lives as we see it echoed in the horoscopes of Astrology today. Crystal gazing, Tarot card reading, and spellbinding (chants, enchantments to bewitch) are exploding in popularity all over the Earth today, reflected in the success of the adventures of Harry Potter. Moon dances and rain dances are performed at pow-wows, where incantations and dancing are used to invoke divine aid in hunting, battle, or against disease.

     “If I speak with the tongues of men and of messengers, but do not have love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.  “And if I prophesy, and know all secrets and all knowledge, and if I have all belief, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am none at all.  “And if I give out all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but do not have love, I am not profited at all.

    “Love is patient, is kind, love does not envy, love does not boast, is not puffed up, does not behave indecently, does not seek it own, is not provoked, reckons not the evil, “does not rejoice over the unrighteousness, but rejoices in the Truth.  It covers all, expects all, endures all.

    “Love never fails.  And whether there be prophecies, they shall be in active; or tongues, they shall cease; or knowledge, it shall be inactive.  “For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part shall be inactive.

    “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child, I reasoned as a child. But when I became a man, I did away with childish matters.  “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know, as I also have been known.

“And now belief, expectation, and love remain - these three.  But the greatest of these is love.”   1 Cor. 13:1-13

     Many articles have been written debunking the idea that the first day of each new moon is a Sabbath. Not only have many sincere Natsarim begun to believe each new moon is a Sabbath, but they also “re-set” the pattern of the 7-day week each new moon. This reshuffles the 7-day week into a new beginning each month for these folks, and each new moon begins with the seventh day rest, counting from nothing.

     The final few days of this pattern chop the last week of their month off with the abrupt arrival of a sudden “7th day Sabbath”. It is not harmonious at all. The pulse of the first week of creation is lost to those who follow this pattern, and so they have become observers of some lunar-based Sabbath system.  If the weekly Sabbath is set by the new moon, the pattern of the week is under constant change.  During the week of creation, the moon was brought forth on the 4th day, and is simply called the “lesser light” to rule over the night. It is also used to calculate the appointed times, or annual Sabbaths, referred to as “High Sabbaths”. The greater light, the sun, is used to calculate day and night.  Brian Allen has correctly noted that:  "If the 15th day of every month is a Sabbath, the Israelites certainly ignored it when traveling in the wilderness.  At Exodus 16:1 it reads:  'The children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin . . . on the fifteenth day of the second month.'   In this, the cloudy pillar led them to disregard this day as a Sabbath!  If it were a Sabbath, the cloud would not have moved, and they would have rested."

How this will be weighed by Yahusha, the Righteous Judge of us all, is unknowable.  He told us that stumbling blocks would come, but woe to those through whom they come.  Those who ignore the Sabbath each week (the real one) are cut-off from Israel, and death is proclaimed as their judgment.  If the moon were involved in such a vitally important operation as calculating the weekly Sabbath, it seems He would have mentioned it somewhere in His Torah.  Even though the 29.5 days in each moon don’t divide evenly by 7, this doesn’t matter to them; the new moon comes and they re-set their week, and it BEGINS the new moon day as a Sabbath.  Even though the true Sabbath is supposed to be the 7th day of each week, they let the MOON tell them when that 7th day is — the previous week which the same moon “set” for them is interrupted with a sudden arrival of a new 7th day, the 1st day of the moon (the first day of the moon is the seventh day of their week). Careful, you could get cross-eyed thinking about this too long.  The week is simply not in the sky, but set by the counting of days! The “greater light” determines these days, and all we have to do is count to 7, the number of completion.  How could anyone possibly go for such a system?  They read Scriptures which make them get panicky, and so hunt for other clues. A very strong urge comes from the following:

Amos 8:5 brings out a question, “When does the new moon pass so that we sell grain, and the Sabbath so that we trade our wheat, to make the ephah small and the sheqel large, and to falsify the scales by deceit, to buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals, and sell the chaff of the wheat?”  The context of this verse in Amos shows that these are a list of things Yahuah finds displeasing to Him.  The moon worship of that period had led many to observe strange customs, blending it together with His Torah.  If we add to the Torah by reading something into the meanings of sentences like Amos 8:5, we can trouble ourselves.  According to the Torah, resting on the new moon from work only applies to ONE of the new moons, and it is possible that this particular new moon spoken of in Amos 8:5 was the 7th new moon, the harvest time of some grain they wished to sell.  I can abide the people who believe these things about the other new moons being Sabbaths, but I cannot abide this new wind of doctrine for these reasons:

These are listed carefully, and only ONE new moon is designated as being distinguished from the other common new moons as a day of resting from labor. No indication is given that any other new moon is qodesh, or set-apart as a day of rest in any way. Further, there is no hint that the weekly Shabbath is related in any way to the moon phases. This is entirely a misreading of the text at Yesha Yahu (Is.) 66:23. If Father Yahuah wanted us to know that every new moon was a Sabbath, all He had to do was say so. By the act of telling us that the 7th new moon was a Sabbath, He told us by deduction that the other new moons werenot days of rest, and therefore He distinguished the 7th new moon for us.

Reason #5. The manna was used to re-teach the Israelites when the seventh day was, not when the new moon arrived. During the captivity of the Israelites in Egypt, it is possible that no one on Earth had kept the record of days for the 7-day week. Israel had succumbed to the Pagan system, and lost it also. They had to be re-taught. This is why the 4th Commandment begins with the word “remember” - it had been forgotten. The manna was provided for 6 consecutive days without fail. There was no interruption in this cycle mentioned, nor did the new moon come into any references that pertained to the manna. A double-portion of manna coming before each new moon would surely have been a signal, and yet there is no record of this occurring. The new moons have no connection to the 7-day week.

   We are seeing many new winds of doctrine these days. There are even those who feel that the FULL MOON is the new moon, which would mean that when the Israelites came out of Egypt, they had to travel in utter darkness. There is no end to the development of new winds of teaching. What is most important is that we listen to the advice of Ephesians 4, and not lose sight of our foundation.

     Many now realize that the nicolaitanes designed a crafty plot of control over civilization. From ancient cultures to the present, the authority over mankind has been a fusion or blend of religious and political purpose. One example is the obelisk described in the book of Daniel (3:18). Often the rulers were worshipped as the principle deity by the people, such as Pharaoh of Egypt or Kaisar of Rome. It had begun this way under Nimrod, but after he was slain the Paganism became “occult” (hidden), and became shrouded in mystery. The true spiritual nature of what was being done was made to look innocent on the surface for the uninitiated.

     After Yahusha, people who had his Spirit in them spread out in the Roman Empire. The old idolatry was being questioned and exposed, and began to falter. The Pagan religious cults began to feel the effects of the Truth. Something had to be done to save the order and control which those who ruled civilization had, and their religious Paganism was failing. Along came Constantine, a compromiser who could find the “middle ground”. Keeping the previous Pagan priesthood and their framework intact, he brought together elders of the Natsarim from all over the Roman Empire to Nicaea in 325 CE (the first council of the Catholic Church). Upon hearing some of the matters being discussed, many elders fled for their lives. The elders who remained helped formulate what later became known as Catholicism, and they adopted the creed or constitution of the Roman Church, The Nicene Creed. This was to fight against what was called the Arian doctrine, thought to be a heresy at that time (research Arianism). The Pagan “leaven” would eventually leaven the whole lump. Paul told the former Pagan Corinthians to purge-out the old leaven (errors, patterns), and be a new unleavened lump (1 Cor. 5:6-13). Yahusha also described this at Luke 13:21.

     The former line of Caesars were of a family line, but Constantine was a break in that line; but he became the “father” of the Empire, assuming both political and religious control. The former Caesars (Czar, Kaisar) took titles such as “Pontifex Maximus” and Pope (father), and ruled over a body of Pagan priests called the Curia (Latin, council). The members of this body were called Cardinals, from the Latin word CARDO, meaning hinge. The idea that they were a “hinge” (of a door) suggested that they assisting the high priest of Janus, who was “the door” to the Elysian fields, the Pagans’ heaven. These Pagan priests assisted the Caesar, who was this Pagan high priest of JANUS*. So the Pagan title of “Pope” was retained by the man who held the office of Pontifex Maximus (Latin, highest priest).

    With the framework remaining in place, the central control of the Pagan administration could go on, simply blending-in with the elements of the Messianic belief, but leaving out the elements essential to the obedience of Yahuah. The Pagan organization in place retained the office / title of Pope, the body of priests called Cardinals, and even the word Curia for council. The “Pope” was no longer thought of as the high priest of Janus, but to literally be the authority of “Christ” on Earth. The former Pagan pattern was brought through perfectly intact. Idolatry mixed with Truth became clothed in the former framework of sun-worship. The main objective was to anger our Creator by mixing the patterns of idolatry together with the Truth, so that it would become poisoned (wormwood). Darkness and Light would mix together, and be taught for centuries through a Pagan framework of priests, and a calendar based on idolatry.

*Janus was the 2-faced Roman deity of doors, locks, and arches, and was the door to the Elysian Fields, the Pagans' "heaven".

"Let no man therefore judge you in food, or in drink, or in respect of a festival, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days, which are a shadow of things to come;  but the body of Mashiach."    Col 2:16-17

NEW MOON CALCULATION

There will always be differences in interpretations, but love overcomes these.

Some "sight" a new moon sliver at sunset, others know the dark moon is the actual

new moon.  The day before a new moon, a "sliver moon" appears just before SUNRISE.

Then, there's one day without a moon to see at all.  When a sliver moon appears at

SUNSET, that simply means that the first day of the moon just ended.  The best test of

when we should start the count is when the 15th of the moon arrives (on the 15th the moon should always be full).

"Blow the shofar in the new moon, and in the full moon, the day of our feast."   Ps 81:3
(Referring of course to the Sabbaths of the 7th moon, when we blow the shofar on the new moon day.  The important thing to notice is the FULL MOON, the "day of our feast", which arrives on the 15th - Sukkoth or Tabernacles).

If the moon is FULL on the 15th, then we started with the dark moon.   If the full moon arrives on the 14th of our count, it is because we started our count with a sliver moon.  If the moon is FULL and we've only counted to 14, the following day the moon will be missing the same amount of light we started our moon with.  The only new moon day that is a Shabbath of rest is the first day of the seventh moon. 

The reason we're seeing so many differences in Messianic Natsarim observance is because

people have allowed themselves to be infiltrated with teachings from misled individuals,

anti-missionary groups, or the Karaites.  Those who don't believe in Yahusha as the Mashiach

must not be any final authority for our doctrine, but as time passes, the TALMUD and the Karaites are being quoted

by more Messianic teachers all the time.   Without the indwelling of the Teacher, we can be

tossed back and forth by any wind of doctrine.  Much may be correct, but there are even differences in observance between the Orthodox Yahudim and the Karaites. 

No "moon sighting" is mentioned in the Torah.  For the most part, we find that Scripture agrees with most of the Orthodox views in the weekly Shabbath, and the 7 High Shabbaths, except for the count to Shabuoth - the Karaites

actually keep that correctly.  Neither of these groups have belief in Mashiach Yahusha; but if we have the Scriptures, the discernment of Yahusha, and the moon, we can eventually find the correct pattern.  Most importantly, we are well advised to be at peace with others in spite of subtle differences.  I'm not saying to compromise what we believe, but rather accept that others are searching for the Truth as well.   Impatience, unkindness, and intolerance will 

interfere with the work of Yahusha.  People change as they better understand Torah.

The only new moon that we are told is a day of rest from regular work is the 1st day of the 7th moon.

MOON WORSHIPPERS ORIGINALLY:      "Allah" was the proper name of the moon-deity of the Arabs before Muhammad brought his brand of religion to them.  They worshipped hundreds of idols in a big black cube, the Ka'aba, in Mecca.   Today, they believe "Allah" resides inside this same black box, calling the Kaaba the "house of Allah".  This term, Allah, was adopted because of its "name recognition" among the common population.  Because the previously Pagan Arabs worshipped the moon diety they called Allah, you will often notice that the primary Islamic symbol is the crescent moon, placed above their places of worship in a similar way Christians use the cross.   Both of these are "talismans".  The Arabs used the moon's crescent shape in the design of their swords also, called the scimitar, a design inherited from the ancient Persians.  The sword is also a symbol for Islam.  By using the name "Allah" (Arabs' former term for their moon deity),  and the symbol of the crescent moon, we see the pattern of adopting familiar terms and symbols from former Pagans.   This "adopting" is called syncretism by scholars.  And it certainly is not limited to the Arabs.  Similarly,  the Celtic/Druidic sun-deity was worshipped  under the proper name "GOTT", which was adopted into our English as "GOD".  The Hebrew term is Alahim, but translators chose to use a more popular term with "name recognition".    In place of the personal Name of the Creator, Yahueh (yod-hay-waw-hay), Christians use the "device" LORD, and Muslims use the word "Allah".  

"And I saw thrones - and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them - and the lives of those who had been beheaded because of the witness they bore to Yahusha and because of the Word of Alahim, and who did not worship the beast, nor his image, and did not receive his mark upon their foreheads or upon their hands.  And they lived and reigned with Messiah for a thousand years."  Rev. 20:4    

Have we arrived at the 5th or even 6th seal described at Rev. 6?   The Islamic "sword" is seen beheading people for religious reasons, killing in the the name of their "god", Allah, the moon deity of the Arabs.

    The Sabbath was shown to Israel through re-training using manna for 6 days, then one day without it;  if the moon were involved in any remote way, then Yahuah would have pointed it out to them.   For the same reason He left it unmentioned for 40 years in the wilderness, He left it unmentioned during thefirst week:   the moon is not involved.   They had lost the Sabbath while in Mitsrayim, and Yahuah gently caused them to "remember" it by training with the manna.   The moon's relationship to the weekly Sabbath didn't come up during the whole 40 years they spent living on manna.  The seasonal High Sabbaths involve the moon.   The onlynew moon day that is a rest day is the new moon day of the 7th moon, so He was careful to mention it.   Neither this 7th new moon nor the other new moons have any bearing on the week of 7 days established at Creation Week.   To ignore the weekly Sabbath, or make one up that follows the moon, causes us to depart from the Covenant sign between Israel and Yahuah.  The Roman calendar has the imprint of the original 7 days of Creation Week, yet it ignores the real new moons.  If you notice it carefully, those 7 days of the Creation Week have no relationship to any nuance of the Roman calendar, yet the 7 days keep plowing through it.   Roman "months" have no foundation since they are not based on the moon.  Their "new year" is loosely based on the winter solstice;  but the echo of Creation Week throbs like a deafening drumbeat throughout the whole world. 

Allah  -  The Moon God   

The Archaeology of The Middle East

     The religion of Islam has as its focus of worship a deity by the name of "Allah." This term is Hebrew, ALEF-LAMED-HEH, and means high or mighty one. The Muslims claim that Allah in pre-Islamic times was the "God" of the Patriarchs, prophets, and apostles. The issue is thus one of continuity. Was "Allah" the Yahuah, or a pagan god in Arabia during pre-Islamic times? The Muslim's claim of continuity is essential to their attempt to convert Jews and Christians for if "Allah" is part of the flow of divine revelation in Scripture, then it is the next step in biblical religion. Thus we should all become Muslims. But, on the other hand, if Allah was a pre-Islamic pagan deity, then its core claim is refuted. Religious claims often fall before the results of hard sciences such as archeology. We can endlessly speculate about the past or go and dig it up and see what the evidence reveals. This is the only way to find out the truth concerning the origins of Allah. As we shall see, the hard evidence demonstrates that the god Allah was a pagan deity. In fact, he was the Moon-god who was married to the sun goddess and the stars were his daughters.

     Archaeologists have uncovered temples to the Moon-god throughout the Middle East. From the mountains of Turkey to the banks of the Nile, the most wide-spread religion of the ancient world was the worship of the Moon-god. In the first literate civilization, the Sumerians have left us thousands of clay tablets in which they described their religious beliefs. As demonstrated by Sjoberg and Hall, the ancient Sumerians worshipped a Moon-god who was called many different names. The most popular names were Nanna, Suen and Asimbabbar. His symbol was the crescent moon. Given the amount of artifacts concerning the worship of this Moon-god, it is clear that this was the dominant religion in Sumeria. The cult of the Moon-god was the most popular religion throughout ancient Mesopotamia. The Assyrians, Babylonians, and the Akkadians took the word Suen and transformed it into the word Sin as their favorite name for the Moon-god. As Prof. Potts pointed out, "Sin is a name essentially Sumerian in origin which had been borrowed by the Semites."

     In ancient Syria and Kana, the Moon-god Sin was usually represented by the moon in its crescent phase. At times the full moon was placed inside the crescent moon to emphasize all the phases of the moon. The sun-goddess was the wife of Sin and the stars were their daughters. For example, Istar was a daughter of Sin. Sacrifices to the Moon-god are described in the Pas Shamra texts. In the Ugaritic texts, the Moon-god was sometimes called Kusuh. In Persia, as well as in Egypt, the Moon-god is depicted on wall murals and on the heads of statues. He was the Judge of men and gods. The Old Testament constantly rebuked the worship of the Moon-god (see: Deut. 4:19;17:3; II Kngs. 21:3,5; 23:5; Jer. 8:2; 19:13; Zeph. 1:5, etc.) When Israel fell into idolatry, it was usually the cult of the Moon-god. As a matter of fact, everywhere in the ancient world, the symbol of the crescent moon can be found on seal impressions, steles, pottery, amulets, clay tablets, cylinders, weights, earrings, necklaces, wall murals, etc. In Tell-el-Obeid, a copper calf was found with a crescent moon on its forehead. An idol with the body of a bull and the head of man has a crescent moon inlaid on its forehead with shells. In Ur, the Stela of Ur-Nammu has the crescent symbol placed at the top of the register of gods because the Moon-god was the head of the gods. Even bread was baked in the form of a crescent as an act of devotion to the Moon-god (the crousant). The Ur of the Chaldees was so devoted to the Moon-god that it was sometimes called Nannar in tablets from that time period.

     A temple of the Moon-god has been excavated in Ur by Sir Leonard Woolley. He dug up many examples of moon worship in Ur and these are displayed in the British Museum to this day. Harran was likewise noted for its devotion to the Moon-god. In the 1950's a major temple to the Moon-god was excavated at Hazer in Palestine. Two idols of the moon god were found. Each was a stature of a man sitting upon a throne with a crescent moon carved on his chest . The accompanying inscriptions make it clear that these were idols of the Moon-god. Several smaller statues were also found which were identified by their inscriptions as the "daughters" of the Moon-god. What about Arabia? As pointed out by Prof. Coon, "Muslims are notoriously loath to preserve traditions of earlier paganism and like to garble what pre-Islamic history they permit to survive in anachronistic terms."

     During the nineteenth century, Amaud, Halevy and Glaser went to Southern Arabia and dug up thousands of Sabean, Minaean, and Qatabanian inscriptions which were subsequently translated. In the 1940's, the archeologists G. Caton Thompson and Carleton S. Coon made some amazing discoveries in Arabia. During the 1950's, Wendell Phillips, W.F. Albright, Richard Bower and others excavated sites at Qataban, Timna, and Marib (the ancient capital of Sheba). Thousands of inscriptions from walls and rocks in Northern Arabia have also been collected. Reliefs and votive bowls used in worship of the "daughters of Allah" have also been discovered. The three daughters, al-Lat, al-Uzza and Manat are sometimes depicted together with Allah the Moon-god represented by a crescent moon above them. The archeological evidence demonstrates that the dominant religion of Arabia was the cult of the Moon-god.

     In Old Testament times, Nabonidus (555-539 BC), the last king of Babylon, built Tayma, Arabia as a center of Moon-god worship. Segall stated, "South Arabia's stellar religion has always been dominated by the Moon-god in various variations." Many scholars have also noticed that the Moon-god's name "Sin" is a part of such Arabic words as "Sinai," the "wilderness of Sin," etc. When the popularity of the Moon-god waned elsewhere, the Arabs remained true to their conviction that the Moon-god was the greatest of all gods. While they worshipped 360 gods at the Kabah in Mecca, the Moon-god was the chief deity. Mecca was in fact built as a shrine for the Moon-god.

     This is what made it the most sacred site of Arabian paganism. In 1944, G. Caton Thompson revealed in her book, The Tombs and Moon Temple of Hureidha, that she had uncovered a temple of the Moon-god in southern Arabia. The symbols of the crescent moon and no less than twenty-one inscriptions with the name Sin were found in this temple. An idol which may be the Moon-god himself was also discovered. This was later confirmed by other well-known archeologists.

     The evidence reveals that the temple of the Moon-god was active even in the Christian era. Evidence gathered from both North and South Arabia demonstrate that Moon-god worship was clearly active even in Muhammad's day and was still the dominant cult. According to numerous inscriptions, while the name of the Moon-god was Sin, his title was al-ilah, i.e. "the deity," meaning that he was the chief or high god among the gods. As Coon pointed out, "The god Il or Ilah was originally a phase of the Moon God." The Moon-god was called al-ilah, i.e. the god, which was shortened to Allah in pre-Islamic times. The pagan Arabs even used Allah in the names they gave to their children. For example, both Muhammad's father and uncle had Allah as part of their names.

     The fact that they were given such names by their pagan parents proves that Allah was the title for the Moon-god even in Muhammad's day. Prof. Coon goes on to say, "Similarly, under Mohammed's tutelage, the relatively anonymous Ilah, became Al-Ilah, The God, or Allah, the Supreme Being."

     This fact answers the questions, "Why is Allah never defined in the Qur'an? Why did Muhammad assume that the pagan Arabs already knew who Allah was?" Muhammad was raised in the religion of the Moon-god Allah. But he went one step further than his fellow pagan Arabs. While they believed that Allah, i.e. the Moon-god, was the greatest of all gods and the supreme deity in a pantheon of deities, Muhammad decided that Allah was not only the greatest god but the only god.

     In effect he said, "Look, you already believe that the Moon-god Allah is the greatest of all gods. All I want you to do is to accept that the idea that he is the only god. I am not taking away the Allah you already worship. I am only taking away his wife and his daughters and all the other gods." This is seen from the fact that the first point of the Muslim creed is not, "Allah is great" but "Allah is the greatest," i.e., he is the greatest among the gods. Why would Muhammad say that Allah is the "greatest" except in a polytheistic context? The Arabic word is used to contrast the greater from the lesser. That this is true is seen from the fact that the pagan Arabs never accused Muhammad of preaching a different Allah than the one they already worshipped. This "Allah" was the Moon-god according to the archeological evidence. Muhammad thus attempted to have it both ways. To the pagans, he said that he still believed in the Moon-god Allah. To the Jews and the Christians, he said that Allah was their God too. But both the Jews and the Christians knew better and that is why they rejected his god Allah as a false god.

     Al-Kindi, one of the early Christian apologists against Islam, pointed out that Islam and its god Allah did not come from the Bible but from the paganism of the Sabeans. They did not worship the God of the Bible but the Moon-god and his daughters al-Uzza, al-Lat and Manat. Dr. Newman concludes his study of the early Christian-Muslim debates by stating, "Islam proved itself to be...a separate and antagonistic religion which had sprung up from idolatry." Islamic scholar Caesar Farah concluded "There is no reason, therefore, to accept the idea that Allah passed to the Muslims from the Christians and Jews." The Arabs worshipped the Moon-god as a supreme deity. But this was not biblical monotheism. While the Moon-god was greater than all other gods and goddesses, this was still a polytheistic pantheon of deities. Now that we have the actual idols of the Moon-god, it is no longer possible to avoid the fact that Allah was a pagan god in pre-Islamic times. Is it any wonder then that the symbol of Islam is the crescent moon? That a crescent moon sits on top of their mosques and minarets? That a crescent moon is found on the flags of Islamic nations? That the Muslims fast during the month which begins and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon in the sky?

     The pagan Arabs worshipped the Moon-god Allah by praying toward Mecca several times a day; making a pilgrimage to Mecca; running around the temple of the Moon-god called the Kabah; kissing the black stone; killing an animal in sacrifice to the Moon-god; throwing stones at the devil; fasting for the month which begins and ends with the crescent moon; giving alms to the poor, etc.

     The Muslim's claim that Allah is the God of the Bible and that Islam arose from the religion of the prophets and apostles is refuted by solid, overwhelming archaeological evidence. Islam is nothing more than a revival of the ancient Moon-god cult. It has taken the symbols, the rites, the ceremonies, and even the name of its god from the ancient pagan religion of the Moon-god. As such, it is sheer idolatry and must be rejected by all those who follow the Torah and Gospel. moongod.htm  ~ END OF QUOTE ~

FOSSILIZE THIS:  circum: (around) +  ambulate:  (walk about) 

homage / worship performed by walking around the object of worship

"Circumambulating" the "holy stupas" of Nepal are described in the sutras of Buddhism.  The devotees of Shiva pay homage by circumambulation.  The picture below shows the pilgrims circumambulating the Ka'aba (Arabic for "cube"):

 

   It is believed to create "merit" for the devotee to circumambulate the object of worship (See also:  data on "cone of power" at www.fossilizedcustoms.com/birthday.html).  Buddhists believe it will prevent them from being re-born as an animal or barbarian.  The Buddhists teach that even "mental" circumambulation of an object will accomplish their goal.  Buddhist worship at a stupa (solid) or temple (hollow) is performed by circumambulating the stupa.  Oh, and reciting mantra while circumambulating the stupa is a wonderful thing, you know.   The photos below show Buddhists circumambulating various stupas for blessing, and they make offerings as they pass the buckets.  Making seven complete circuits, especially if they are holding a light or flame, gets them extra bonus points.  Now, why take chances with playing BINGO or the LOTTERY?

These people are all amazed at how silly the rest of us are for passing up this easy and obviously brilliant form of worship.  Now that your brain has been stretched to this point, it will never return to its former size.  Recall all those times you've seen movies with natives dancing around a campfire, shaking rattles (snake tails usually), and beating on drums.  Dt. 12:28-32 clearly tells us to NOT LEARN the ways of the goyim, the ways they worship;  nor are we to pattern such worship toward Yahuah.

  The Yahudim have been living among Pagans for too long also;  there's a "Jewish" traditional wedding custom that may look suspicious.  Who's perfect?  In a traditional wedding, the bride circles the groom seven times under the khupe.    One old tradition is for the mothers of the bride and groom to guide the bride as she circles the groom, sometimes each holding a candle.  If it looks Pagan, sounds Pagan, and moves like a Pagan, it could be a Pagan thing.  They inherited this custom from somewhere, and it wasn't Torah.  So, if you take your vows to each other and no one "circles" anyone else, what have you lost?   So break some traditions.  

From cryticcavern.com, we learn more about the "Maypole" phallic worship:

  The May Pole  

"Another was the Maypole, which was derived from archaic Roman religion. It was a tradition to erect Maypoles adorned with flowers in honor of the Roman goddess Flora. The Maypole is traditionally a tall pole garlanded with greenery or flowers and often hung with ribbons that are woven into complex patterns by a group of dancers. This is similar to the ancient dances around a living tree in spring rites designed to ensure fertility. Ash, birch, cypress and elm were some of the woods used for the maypoles." 

From pagannews.com:  "The God and Goddess are represented by the May King and Queen, and the tradition of dancing 'round the maypole represents their unity - the pole being the God and the ribbons the Goddess, wrapped around him."   (END OF QUOTES)

This wouldn't be related to an ASHERAH POLE would it?  Asherim were abominations condemned by Yahuah, and led Israel into sin.  The "Christmas Tree" is an Asherah too  -  the worship of trees in the groves included leaving gifts on and under them.   Brilliant of them, wasn't it?   Why is it still going on?

Because Israel hasn't been doing the work of priests, preserving knowledge.  Our mission is to teach the nations the Torah of Yahuah!  

We'll have to answer for not doing so.

Circumambulating (Tawaf in Arabic) is discussed in this excerpt from www.islamonline.net:

"The basic reason for keeping the Ka`bah on one’s left when performing Tawaf (circumambulation) is to follow the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

In this regard, Sheikh M. S. Al-Munajjid, a prominent Saudi Muslim lecturer and author states:

'The basic reason for keeping the Ka`bah on one’s left when performing Tawaf (circumambulation) is to follow the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Following the Prophet has been ordained in the Qur’an. Allah says, (Obey the Prophet so that you may be blessed with mercy.) (An-Nur 24:56) We also read in the Qur’an, (Say (O Muhammad): if you really love Allah, then follow my example and Allah will love you and grant you forgiveness of your sins.)'(Aal `Imran 3:31)

Regarding the rituals of Hajj and `Umrah, the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said, "Follow my example in performing your rituals" (Al-Bukhari and An-Nasa’i).

This should suffice as the reason for a Muslim performing Tawaf around the Ka`bah in the way it is prescribed.  Muslims by nature must believe, submit to and act according to what was authentically and duly recorded as the behavior or statements of the Prophet.  If on top of this a reason or some relevant wisdom comes to light, then so be it, and all thanks is due to Allah.  Otherwise, a Muslim submits to the order of Allah and His Prophet and, will accordingly, be recompensed for his obedience and good deeds.  Finally, we must note that circumambulation is an act specified only for the Ka`bah as part of worship and is not to be done in any other place or situation."  ~  End of quote.    

This site was presented with the question, "What is the significance of doing Tawaf around the Ka`bah seven times?"   

The answer:    "In Islam, there are symbolic acts that represent the Divine Wisdom.  We are not required to search for this hidden wisdom.  Acts like Tawaf or circumambulating around the Ka`bah are ta`budi in the sense that we must fulfill them regardless whether their immediate benefits are clear to us or not.   The Ka`bah is the center and the focus that we are directed to turn in our prayers.  By making Tawaf we are re-enforcing the centrality of this spiritual focus in our life.  It also connects us with the tradition of Prophet Ibrahim (peace and blessings be upon him) who was perfect monotheist.  By performing this rite consciously we are re-enforcing such ideals as Prophet Ibrahim, Isma`eel and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon them all) manifested in their lives."  

~  End of quote.   

  In other words, circling the Ka'aba seven times is done, but no one really knows why.   Sadly, in Orthodox weddings, the bride "circumabulates" around the groom 7 times, often accompanied by her mother.  The Buddhists were circumambulating with their stupas long before Mosheh received the Torah from Yahuah at Sinai.  Abraham never mentioned doing any circling of the Ka'aba, nor did he ever mention its existence, nor is there a record of him being anywhere near it.   According to Islamic tradition, Adam built the Ka'aba originally, and Abraham rebuilt it.  Ur was in modern-day Iraq, Abram's origin.  Surely Abram knew much about moon-worshippers, but Yahuah called him out of idolatry.   Circumcision is much more prominent in the Scriptures than is circumambulating,  and circumcision was only the sign of a Covenant regarding LAND, not salvation.

Allah or Jesus?

By Rick Mathes (copied as written, but you should know that Rick means Yahusha when he writes "Jesus", as JESUS has no meaning in Hebrew).

"Last month I attended my annual training session that's required for maintaining my state prison security clearance.

During the training session there was a presentation by three speakers representing the Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim faiths, who explained each of their beliefs.

I was particularly interested in what the Islamic Imam had to say.  

The Imam gave a great presentation of the basics of Islam complete with a video.

After the presentations, time was provided for questions and answers.

 When it was my turn, I directed my question to the Imam and asked:

'Please, correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that most Imams and clerics of Islam have declared a holy jihad [Holy war] against the
infidels of the world.  And, that by killing an infidel, which is a command to all Muslims, they are assured of a place in Heaven.

If that's the case, can you give me the definition of an infidel?'

There was no disagreement with my statements and without hesitation, he replied: 
'Non-believers!'

I responded, 'So, let me make sure I have this straight.  All followers of Allah have been commanded to kill everyone who is not of your faith so they can go to Heaven.  Is that correct?'

The expression on his face changed from one of authority and command to that of a little boy who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

He sheepishly replied, 'Yes'.

I then stated, 'Well, Sir, I have a real problem trying to imagine Pope John Paul II commanding all Catholics to kill those of your faith, or Dr. Stanley ordering Protestants to do the same in order to go to Heaven!'

The Imam was speechless.

I continued, 'I also have a problem with being your friend when you and your brother clerics are telling your followers to kill me.

Let me ask you a question.  Would you rather have your Allah who tells you to kill me in order to go to Heaven, or my Jesus who tells me to love you because I am going to Heaven and He wants you to be with me?'

You could have heard a pin drop as the Imam hung his head in shame.

Needless to say, the organizers and/or promoters of the "Diversification" training seminar were not happy with Rick's way of dealing with the Islamic Imam and exposing the truth about the Muslim beliefs.

I think everyone in the U.S. Should be required to read this, but with the liberal justice system, liberal media, and the ACLU, there is no way this will be widely publicized.

Please pass this on to all your e-mail contacts.  This is a true story and the author, Rick Mathes, is a well-known leader in prison ministry."  (end of quote)

 

FOSSILIZE THIS:

  THIS IS A SMALL GLIMPSE OF ANOTHER CIRCULAR FORM OF WORSHIP

 

POW-WOW   -    Sacred fires, fire dancing, circumambulation-dancing in a "Circle of Life", drums, animal disguises (mascot is Latin for "witch"), sacrificing tobacco, tea, and meat to the fire, moon dancing;  Hey-now . . . it's not just for the cub scout jamboree.   The on-line encyclopedia, Wikipedia, tells us:   "It derives from the Narragansett word powwaw, meaning shaman.  It has since come to be used to describe any gathering of Native Americans of any tribe, and as such is occasionally heard in older Western movies. The word has also been used to refer to any meeting, but especially a congress, a friendly gathering, or a meeting of powerful people such as officers in the military."  Photographing the authentic religious activity, such as fire dancing, is forbidden.  Now, let's look briefly at the activity from the perspective of those who actually practice it:

 

Pow-wow Etiquette

1. Pow-wows are fun events, but they are also sacred events. Ceremonial songs and dances, which are sacred, are performed from time to time throughout the pow-wow.
2. People should stand during all ceremonial songs and dances. These include the Grand Enter, Flag Songs, Veteran Songs, Honor Songs and any other songs that the M.C. designates as ceremonial songs.
3. Do not take any photos or video or sound recordings of ceremonies without asking permission from the person or group you are recording. Some areas of Turtle Island do not allow the recording of ceremonies, period.
4. People should listen to the M.C. because he will announce the different songs and will also let people know when they can dance and when they cannot. He will also give out other information and news.
5. Respect the Elders, drummers, singers, dancers, and the pow-wow staff and committee.
6. The dancers wear regalia while they are dancing, not "costumes". People should not touch the regalia before asking for permission.
7. Appropriate dress and behavior are required in the dance area.
8. People should take good care of their children at pow-wows. Please make sure they are not getting into other peoples personal items as they are dancing.
9. Do no hold children while dancing in the dance area unless carrying the child in a carrier on the back. The child may be construed as a gift to the Creator.
10. Do not run around the dance area. Always walk in a clockwise direction when you are in the dance area. Horseplay is not tolerated.
11. Do not bring alcohol or drugs to a pow-wow. Do not come to a pow-wow while you are intoxicated.
12. Dogs are not allowed around the pow-wow area. They may become drums.
13. Bring your own chairs. Do not sit on someone else’s chair unless you have their permission.
14. Shelters are for the Elders so please move if you see your seat is needed.
15. The Sacred fire is also a ceremony and a place for prayer. Respect to fire keepers and no fooling around the fire.
16. Women on their time can not attend the pow-wow. Their bodies are going through a ceremony and the energy around them is too powerful. Please stay home as the dancers and drummers can become very ill from the conflicting energies.
17. Remember you are a guest. Have fun, ask questions and meet people.

Absolutely LEGENDARY.   And, many people are proud of their ancestral customs.  From the ENDS OF THE EARTH, the Gentiles will come and say something very interesting:

O Yahuah, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come to You from the ends of the Earth, and shall say, 'Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.'   Shall a man make Alahim for himself, and they are no Alahim?   Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know My hand and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yahuah.   Jer / YirmeYahu 16:19-21  

The lesson will not be painless, you can count on that;  yet Paganism persists in many cultures.  Israel is here to warn the nations, but we are attacked for it.  Time is almost up;  Yahusha spoke of and "END" of the times of the Gentiles. 

When is the New Moon?
The "older brother" has thousands of years' experience with this, yet newcomers think they know better.
The new moon is 15 days before the full moon, and is a planet-wide occurrence. Because there are 24 time zones, individual locations experience the beginning of the first day of the moon at 24 different times, adding to the confusion about what to look for. Add to this the Karaite "sighted moon" rebellion that started in 767 CE, and we have an enormous job of explaining to do.

If Yahuah did not instruct us to do something, question it.

People have seen this, and some are running out to look at the moon now.

NEW TRANSLATION FOR MILLENNIALS:

Original Hebrew Name restored
   

You can review the text without purchasing it.

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IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING BEING IMMERSED INTO Yahusha'S NAME, SEE THIS LINK:   CIRCUMCISION   and   IMMERSION 

 Q:  Where did we get the form "JESUS" from? 

  WHO ARE THE     THE JUDAIZERS ? 

 What about that KIPA?  (dome hat) 

Is the author of Revelation still alive?

    SHORT ARTICLES:  CLICK HERE TO VIEW TITLES   

   ISHTAR, ASHERAH, OSTER      EASTER  

FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THE SABBATH DAY  -  CHECK OUT:   SABBATH WORSHIP SABBATH WORSHIP

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