Lesson Two: "Discover the Sacred Significance of the Sabbath, New Moon, and Feast Days"

Hi everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m excited to dive into the second part of our lesson. The goal here is to help you grow a closer relationship with the Most High by walking in His righteousness. To do that, it’s essential to understand His commandments, laws, and statutes and learn how to apply them in our lives.

Now, let’s get into today’s lesson. We’re going to explore the feast of the New Moon, the Sabbaths, when the year begins, and the Feast of Passover. As you’ve heard before, the Ten Commandments and the feasts are interconnected, dating all the way back to creation and passed down from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to the children of Israel. I’ve already covered how God’s calendar works, including the start of the month based on the moon phase and the observance of the Sabbaths. Today, we’re going to focus specifically on the Sabbath: what it is, why it’s important, how it should be observed, and who should observe it.

Before we jump in, I want to clarify something. When I talk about Christianity, it comes from my personal experience, not from a textbook. I’m sharing information based on my own journey. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out via email or join the chatroom for group or one-on-one studies.

Alright, let’s get to the heart of today’s topic. The key to developing a closer relationship with the Most High is understanding His commandments, laws, and statutes. These foundational principles are vital to walking in His righteousness. So, let’s start at the beginning of creation because God’s laws and commandments were established from the start and are connected to the righteous path we must follow.

In Genesis 1:1-19, we learn that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. He brought light into the world, divided the day from the night, created the firmament, separated the waters, and called the dry land Earth. Then, on the fourth day, God created two great lights—the sun and the moon—to govern the day and the night. Genesis 1:14-19 clearly shows us the beginning of God’s calendar:

“14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.”

It is in these verses that we see the moment when the heavenly calendar was established, specifically in verse 14, where God says, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.” These lights— the sun and the moon—were created to measure time: the days, years, and seasons.

Now, let's focus on the Sabbath, a key part of God’s plan. According to Genesis 2:1-3:

“1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made.”

Here, we learn that God didn't just rest on the seventh day; He blessed and sanctified it. This makes the seventh day significant, and if we reverence God, we should honor and respect the day He has set apart as holy.

Now, let me address a common misunderstanding about the Sabbath. Some people believe the Sabbath refers to an eternal rest after death. This idea is inaccurate. The truth is, the Sabbath is a weekly day of rest, not a rest in the afterlife. When the Bible speaks of rest, it is referring to physical rest from work, and this is a practice we follow here on earth. The Sabbath is an eternal ordinance, one that we will continue to observe in the new heaven and new earth when the Messiah returns.

Let’s look at Jubilees 50:9-10, where we see the practice of the Sabbath outlined:

“9 Ye shall do no work whatever on the Sabbath day except what ye have prepared for yourselves on the sixth day, so as to eat, and drink, and rest, and keep the Sabbath from all work on that day, and to bless the Lord your God, who has given you a day of festival and a holy day: and a day of the holy kingdom for all Israel is this day among their days forever.10 For great is the honour which the Lord has given to Israel that they should eat and drink and be satisfied on this festival day, and rest thereon from all labour which belongs to the labour of the children of men save burning frankincense and bringing oblations and sacrifices before the Lord for days and for Sabbaths.”

The key idea here is that the Sabbath is a day to eat, drink, rest, and bless God. But what about the dead? Can the dead eat, drink, rest, or bless God? Psalms 115:18-19 says:

“18 For the dead cannot praise You; they cannot raise their voices in praise. Those who go down to the grave can no longer hope in Your faithfulness.19 Only the living can praise You as I do today. Each generation tells of Your faithfulness to the next.”

Clearly, the Sabbath is for the living—not for those who are dead.

Now, let’s look at Jubilees 2:18-21, which emphasizes that God and the angels observe the Sabbath, and He chose the seed of Jacob (the children of Israel) to keep it as well:

“18 And all the angels of the presence, and all the angels of sanctification, these two great classes, He hath bidden us to keep the Sabbath with Him in heaven and on earth.19 And He said unto us: ‘Behold, I will separate unto Myself a people from among all the peoples, and these shall keep the Sabbath day, and I will sanctify them unto Myself as My people, and will bless them; as I have sanctified the Sabbath day and do sanctify it unto Myself, even so will I bless them, and they shall be My people and I will be their God.20 And I have chosen the seed of Jacob from amongst all that I have seen, and have written him down as My first-born son, and have sanctified him unto Myself forever; and I will teach them the Sabbath day, that they may keep Sabbath thereon from all work.'21 And thus He created therein a sign in accordance with which they should keep Sabbath with us on the seventh day, to eat and to drink, and to bless Him who has created all things as He has blessed and sanctified unto Himself a peculiar people above all peoples, and that they should keep Sabbath together with us.”

This passage reveals that God has chosen the seed of Jacob (Israel) to observe the Sabbath and has sanctified it for them. However, it doesn’t stop there. Numbers 15:14-15 clarifies that any stranger who joins themselves to Israel must also observe the Sabbath:

“14 And if a stranger dwells with you, or whoever is among you throughout your generations, and would present an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord, just as you do, so shall he do.15 One ordinance shall be for you of the assembly and for the stranger who dwells with you, an ordinance forever throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord.”

This means that anyone from another nation who chooses to follow the God of Israel must keep the same commandments, including the Sabbath.

Finally, let’s look at Isaiah 66:22-24, which confirms that the Sabbath will continue to be observed in the new heaven and new earth as an eternal ordinance:

“For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord, “so shall your descendants and your name remain.23 And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the Lord.24 And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

This passage shows that the Sabbath will continue to be observed in the new heavens and new earth, reaffirming that it is an eternal ordinance.

In conclusion, the Sabbath is not just a day of rest, but an eternal ordinance that should be observed by all who follow the God of Israel. If you are serious about building a relationship with the Most High, you must honor His commandments and feasts, including the Sabbath.

I will dedicate a separate lesson to explain the Sabbath and how to observe it properly. In the meantime, I encourage you to study the scriptures related to the Sabbath and feel free to reach out with any questions.

The New Moon is to be celebrated every month. It’s a feast where you can cook, relax, eat, drink, and worship. Similar to the Sabbath, the New Moon is a day of rest, no buying or selling with the key difference being that you are allowed to cook. It’s a day off, observed once a month, whereas the Sabbath is observed every week. The New Moon has been celebrated since the time of Noah, where he offered sacrifices to God (Jubilees 6 and 14). There are many other references to the New Moon, and it’s significant because God spoke to His people during this time.

With that in mind, the Sabbath was incorporated into the Ten Commandments as the fourth commandment, found in Exodus 20:8-11:

“8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

As you may recall, Jubilees 2 mentions that God chose the seed of Jacob to keep the Sabbath with Him. This is why there are no references to Noah, Abraham, or Isaac keeping the Sabbath; it wasn’t until Jacob’s descendants that the commandment became prominent. If you look at the story of Moses, the observance of the Sabbath began when Moses went to Pharaoh and requested a day of rest for the children of Israel from their hard labor, which was granted. The Sabbath had been designed from the beginning and was later incorporated into the Ten Commandments.

Now, if you still believe the Ten Commandments are abolished, I must respectfully disagree. The scriptures are clear, and it’s impossible to have a close relationship with God without following these commandments. As Moses said in Deuteronomy 4:2:

“Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.”

In Revelation 22:18-19, we are warned:

“18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll.19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.”

Now, let’s touch on the topic of when the day begins. We are often taught that a day starts at midnight, but according to the scriptures, this is incorrect. A day actually begins at sundown and ends at the following sundown. I know this can be a bit confusing, but as we see in the scriptures, there are 12 hours of night and 12 hours of day. To clarify, the day does not start at midnight or from morning to midnight—it starts from evening sundown to the next evening sundown. It took me a while to fully understand this, but it’s clear in Genesis, where it says, "And the evening and the morning were the first day." I will do a separate lesson on this topic, but for now, let’s move forward and continue with the year.

The Year and When It Begins:

Let’s now discuss the beginning of the year, according to scripture:

Exodus 12:1-2“And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, ‘This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.’”This marks the beginning of the year for the Israelites, and it is tied to the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which were celebrated just before the final plague struck Egypt.

Exodus 13:4-5“Today, in the month of Aviv, you are leaving. When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites—the land He swore to give your ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey—you are to observe this ceremony in this month.”This statement was made by Moses after the Israelites left Egypt, marking the first month of their journey.

The Month of Aviv (Abib) and Its Significance:

Another name for the month of Aviv is Nisan. In Nehemiah 2:1, it is written:“In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king.”Nisan begins in the spring, and its New Year’s Day is marked by the first New Moon closest to the Spring Equinox (typically around March 20 in the Gregorian calendar). This is why God instructed Moses to regard this month as the start of their calendar year.

Why Nisan (or Aviv) is the First Month:

Nisan (Aviv) is the month of Passover and Unleavened Bread, making it not only the start of the year but also a time of remembrance for God's deliverance. It is the beginning of the first season—spring, a time when nature starts to bloom, and the world is renewed. This aligns with the idea of a new beginning for the Israelites as they were freed from Egypt.

Just like the moon recycles each month, the seasons cycle each year. Spring, marked by the blossoming of flowers and trees, reflects the flourishing of the earth and the start of the new year. It is fitting that Nisan is the month to celebrate the New Year, alongside the observance of the Passover and Unleavened Bread, for those who uphold God's commandments and feasts.

Thus, Nisan/Aviv becomes a symbol of both spiritual and natural renewal, marking the beginning of the year and God's sacred festivals.

Note: Read Jubilees 49:1-23 (The Passover). It is one of the most important feasts to celebrate at the beginning of the year. Remember, you are not to kill a lamb, as God must choose the place where it is to be eaten. For us today, we should only keep it as a remembrance of that night. I have seen people buy a piece of lamb from the store, cook it, and share their recipes. However, I do not recommend this practice. We must learn to follow God's instructions carefully. Simply keep it as a memorial—nothing more. That said, we should still eat unleavened bread for seven days as part of the feast.