January 2007
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31

February 2007
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28

March 2007
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

April 2007
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30

May 2007
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31

June 2007
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23 Pentecost
24 Pentecost	25	26	27	28	29	30

July 2007
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16 New Moon	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

August 2007
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14 New Moon	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31

September 2007
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13 New Moon	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30

October 2007
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13 Feast of Trumpets
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22 Day of Atonement	23	24	25	26 Fall Retreat	27 Fall Retreat
28 Fall Retreat	29 Fall Retreat	30 Fall Retreat	31 Fall Retreat

November 2007
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
				1 Fall Retreat	2 Fall Retreat	3 Fall Retreat
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30

December 2007
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7	8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15
16	17	18	19	20	21	22
23	24	25	26	27	28	29
30	31

As you may be aware, determining the dates for the annual Sabbaths is a controversial issue. Some believe the year begins with the first new moon after the barley harvest. Others believe the Biblical year begins with the new moon closest to the vernal equinox. A third view is that the Biblical year begins with the first new moon after the vernal equinox. With all these views, how are we to "assemble together" and "so much the more as ye see the day approaching?"

First, we believe that it is very important for us to approach this topic Biblically. Historical evidence should only be a secondary source to the Bible. Next, we believe that it is important for each person to live up (fully) to the light they have. This is what we are doing. We, at Lighted Way Ministries, are students of the Word. We love truth and we walk in every ray of light that shines upon our path. This is the light of the Word we have on the subject of calculating the annual Sabbaths and the Biblical year.

At Lighted Way Ministries, we believe the end of the Biblical year takes place on Tekufah. This Hebrew word is translated in English in the Bible as "the end of the year" (see 2 Samuel 11:1). An alternate meaning for this Hebrew word is "Vernal Equinox."

Just as Josephus (the Jewish Historian) explained the Jews did in the time of Christ, and the book of Enoch states was done in his day (located with the Dead Sea Scrolls), we start the Biblical year with the first new moon following the Tekufah (Vernal Equinox). This is also in accordance with Genesis 1:14, which states that the heavenly lights are used for determining days and years.

What about the Abib? We believe that the Abib is the second witness to the timing of the beginning of the year. Abib does not mean "barley" as some have believed. It literally means "greening" or "spring". So in literal translation, the beginning of the year happens in the month of the "greening".

Obviously the barley played a vital role in the timing of Passover and Unleavened Bread as the barley had to be used for the wave sheaf on the day of Firstfruits. But, having barley for wave sheaf isn't the same as starting the year by waiting for the new moon after the barley is ripe in Jerusalem.

The following are several reasons we do not believe that the barley was the primary source for determining the beginning of the Biblical year.

1. The Bible never states to start the year by the barley harvest! It does state that the heavenly lights are to be used to determine the years (Genesis 1:14).

2. The Bible states that the Biblical year ends at Tekufah or the equinox of Spring (2 Samuel 11:1). (The word Tekufah is translated from Hebrew on a total of four different occasions in the Scripture.) This corresponds to the way the year was begun according to the historical sources of Josephus and the book of Enoch.

3.For two successive growing seasons (the Sabbath and Jubilee years), no grain was to be planted and, therefore, no maturing barley was available to consult (Lev. 25:1-24). True, barley sometimes sprouts and grows voluntarily with no cultivation, but this was less likely in the second year. It was illegal to reap volunteer grain in the 50th year, so Israel probably allowed their flocks to graze the fields. This was legal (Lev. 25:7,11).

4. During the flood, Noah was apparently able to determine the first day of the year without consulting the barley harvest.

5. During the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness (a desert), Israel kept a careful record of the months and years - apparently without consulting the barley harvest in Canaan.


What about the Jews today? The Jews largely determine the beginning of the year by the new moon CLOSEST to the vernal equinox. This year, the Tekufah or vernal equinox took place on March 21. The nearest new moon was on March 20. Thus, by counting from the new moon of March 20 (the day most Jews called the first day of the year) 14 days later would be Passover. This is why the majority of Jews kept Passover at the beginning of April.

Why, then are we holding Passover and Unleavened Bread at the beginning of May this year? Because we calculate the end of the year at the Tekufah (the Spring equinox). And we begin the Biblical with the first new moon AFTER the Tekufah. Since the first new moon after the Spring equinox is April 19, 2007, we calculate the first day of the Biblical year to be April 19. Thus, the 14th day of the month (the day of Passover) is May 2, 2007.

We, at Lighted Way Ministries, believe that Seventh-day Adventists received direct confirmation from YHWH for our use of the ancient method of dating the year. It was by calculating from the new moon AFTER the vernal equinox that our SDA forefathers reached the date of October 22, 1844 as the Day of Atonement. This was a month later than the majority of the Jews were keeping Atonement. Thus, the Jews have long argued that Adventists were wrong, Atonement was on September 23, 1844.

While the early SDA leadership did not understand what would happen on the 1844 Day of Atonement (they wrongly believed that Christ would return on that day), they did have the day correct (meaning that it really was the Day of Atonement). This put the Day of Atonement, in 1844, a full month after the day the majority of Jews kept it.

Why were the Jews and SDAs keeping Atonement on different days in 1844? Because the Early SDAs agreed with the Bible and Joseph which stated that the year began at the first new moon after the vernal equinox. And the Jews that year (like this year) were starting the year from the new moon NEAREST to the vernal equinox. By dating from the new moon nearest to the vernal equinox, the day of Atonement in the year 1844, would be September 23. But by dating from the new moon AFTER the vernal equinox, October 22 is the Day of Atonement that year.

We think that it is most interesting that this year, for the first time since 1844, the Day of Atonement will be on October 22!


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