Deciphering Night and Day OR Day and Night?*

(Times and Seasons Series: Post #III)

[When the Lutes edition, Joseph Smith Translation, of the Bible, is used, strikeouts and bold type show the JST corrections.]

From my studies so far, the question of whether a new day begins at sunrise or sunset often seems to hinge on the definitions we insist on using — on the context we permit. Does morning or morrow mean “next day” or does it mean “the dawning of light”? Does day mean only daylight? or can it mean a 24-hour period? It seems to me, in some instances of disagreement, both positions could be argued using the same scriptures. In other instances, the case strongly supports a specific position.

So, further to the Déjà Vu Times II post of September 2, 2022,¹ here are three additional considerations in exploring questions of signs, seasons, days, and years:

1. Was light the first thing created as claimed by many in support of sunrise²?
Light³ is first mentioned in verse three (first day). Verse one also mentions heaven and earth, but they are both called forth later and defined: heaven being the divider of waters above from waters below (vs. 4-8, second day); and earth being dry land (vs. 9-10, third day). In fact, earth seems to have two definitions: first as whole structure in verse one (before light) , and second as a portion of structure being “dry land” in verse ten. The waters, however, seem to have existed before everything, even light. So we have the question: Were the waters preexisting or were they the first creation (organization), though not mentioned as created or brought forth?

This is the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) description of events:

1 And it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Behold,  I reveal unto you concerning this heaven and this earth; write the words which I speak.
2 I am the Beginning and the End; the Almighty God. By mine Only Begotten I created these things.
3 1 Yea, in the beginning God I created formed2 the heaven, and the earth upon which thou standest.
4 2 And the earth was without form empty, and void desolate;3 and I caused darkness was to come upon the face of the deep.
5 2 And the my Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, for I am God.
6 3 And I, God, said, Let there be light, and there was light.⁴

From Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, we read:

Elements Are Eternal
In the translation “without form and void” it should read, empty and desolate. The word created should be formed, or organized. (p. 181)

From the Book of Abraham, we read:

1 AND then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they went down at the beginning, and they, that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth.
2 And the earth, after it was formed, was empty and desolate, because they had not formed anything but the earth; and darkness reigned upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of the Gods was brooding upon the face of the waters. (Pearl of Great Price | Abraham 4:1-2; bold emphasis added.)

Thus it seems that, in addition to waters, darkness preceded light in the unfolding of this heaven and earth creation / organization, (not to mention that the sun and moon did not appear till the fourth day, Genesis 1:14-19), which may lead us to:

2. More Symbolism:
In additional to the symbolism from Part I⁵:

▪ If astronomers are correct, there seems to be much more dark matter than luminous matter which is like an unfolding continuum of moving from the dark into the light, from the unseen into the seen.
"We became astronomers thinking we were studying the universe, and now we learn that we are just studying the 5 percent that is luminous." Vera Rubin⁶

▪ Providing an explanation for dark matter remains one of the biggest prizes in astronomy. However, in 1999, a possibly even more puzzling phenomenon was uncovered. It was discovered that 68 percent of the universe was neither matter nor dark matter, but so-called dark energy. Dark matter makes up 27 percent; visible matter comprises a mere 5 percent.
"For the moment we might very well call them DUNNOS (for Dark Unknown Nonreflective Nondetectable Objects Somewhere)." Bill Bryson⁷

3. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John: No Firm Consensus
If Mary Magdalene came “the first day of the week” “early, when it was yet dark,” does that not mean that the first day had already begun while it was yet dark, before the sunrise?

1 THE first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. [JST adds only: and two angels sitting thereon.]
2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. (New Testament | John 20:1-2: bold emphasis added)

This seems to contradict the accounts of Matthew and Mark which are the accounts argued by sunrise proponents.

1 IN the end of the sabbath [JST: day], as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, [JST: early in the morning] came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. (New Testament | Matthew 28:1)

1 AND when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. (New Testament | Mark 16:1-2)

Whereas Luke leaves the question unresolved.

1 NOW upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they [JST: the women] came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. (New Testament | Luke 24:1)

Thus, deciphering the the truth of night and day or day and night continues.

---------------------------------------/
*JST Genesis 1:18-21 | KJV Genesis 1:14-19
18 14– 15 And I, 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 for years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven, to give light upon the earth; and it was so.
19 16 And I, God, made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; and the greater light was the sun, and the lesser light was the moon.
20 16– 18 And he made the stars also were made, even according to my word; and I, God, set them in the firmament of the heaven, to give light upon the earth; and the sun to rule over the day, and the moon to rule over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness.
21 18– 19 And I, God, saw that it all things which I had made was were good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
Lutes, Kenneth and Lyndell. Joseph Smith Translation (p. 19). Lutes Publishing. Kindle Edition. (JST Genesis 1:18-21 | KJV Genesis 1:14-19)

1. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/09/deciphering-heavens-times-signs-and.html
2. Light being the first thing created is one of the chief arguments for many proponents of the “day begins at sunrise” as is stated here by Dave Wright (circa min. 8) “When Does the Day Begin in Scripture?” (World's Last Chance | Dec 8, 2019 | Time 55:00 min) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe424_hURSw
Also: ▪ “When Does a Day Begin?” (World's Last Chance | Oct 7, 2012 | Time 15:00 min) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnjAfhPBg3I&t=8s ;
▪ Sabbath at Sunset? Absurd and Impossible! (World's Last Chance | Dec 16, 2016 | Time 27:21 min) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWKq_YiWTNA
Or just web-search “new day begins at sunrise” to encounter numerous examples.
3. KJV Old Testament | Genesis 1:1-3
   1 IN the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
   2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
   3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
   4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
   5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
   6 ¶ And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
   7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
   8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
   9 ¶ And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
   10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
4. Lutes, Kenneth and Lyndell. Joseph Smith Translation (p. 18). Lutes Publishing. Kindle Edition. (JST OT Genesis 1:1-6; KJV Genesis 1:1-3)
Internal footnotes in quote refer to Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Comp. Joseph Fielding Smith (p. 181)
5. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2022/09/deciphering-heavens-times-signs-and.html
6. DK. The Astronomy Book (Big Ideas) (p. 550). DK Publishing. Kindle Edition.
7. DK. The Astronomy Book (Big Ideas) (p. 556). DK Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Signs, Seasons, Days, and Years: # II (Enoch)

(Times and Seasons Series: Post #II)

The Luminaries

As background to further exploration of this “Signs, Seasons, Days, and Years” series, below is a table gleaned from The Book of the Courses of the Heavenly Luminaries (LXXII-LXXXII)¹ that purports to be a record of Enoch, father of Methuselah, and a prime character in Pearl of Great Price | Moses, chapters 6-8. Could there be truths in these descriptions to help us sort out the signs, seasons, days, years, and calendar despite the changes, corruptions, and disruptions over time and catastrophe? Over a period of study, will these descriptions by Enoch match observation? (All bold emphasis in paragraphs is added.)

1. The book of the courses of the luminaries of the heaven, the relations of each, according to their classes, their dominion and their seasons, according to their names and places of origin, and according to their months, which Uriel, the holy angel, who was with me, who is their guide, showed me; and he showed me all their laws exactly as they are, and how it is with regard to all the years of the world and unto eternity, till the new creation is accomplished which dureth till eternity.
2. And this is the first law of the luminaries: the luminary the Sun has its rising in the eastern portals of the heaven, and its setting in the western portals of the heaven.
3. And I saw six portals in which the sun rises, and six portals in which the sun sets and the moon rises and sets in these portals, and the leaders of the stars and those whom they lead: six in the east and six in the west, and all following each other in accurately corresponding order: also many windows to the right and left of these portals.
4. And first there goes forth the great luminary, named the Sun, and his circumference is like the circumference of the heaven, and he is quite filled with illuminating and heating fire. ...
7. And in that fourth portal from which the sun rises in the first month are twelve window-openings, from which proceed a flame when they are opened in their season.²

Summary of the Laws of “CHAPTER LXXII. The Sun.³

CHAPTER LXXIII. [The Moon]
1. And after this law I saw another law dealing with the smaller luminary, which is named the Moon.
2. And her circumference is like the circumference of the heaven, and her chariot in which she rides is driven by the wind, and light is given to her in (definite) measure.
3. And her rising and setting change every month: and her days are like the days of the sun, and when her light is uniform (i.e. full) it amounts to the seventh part of the light of the sun.
4. And thus she rises. And her first phase in the east comes forth on the thirtieth morning: and on that day she becomes visible, and constitutes for you the first phase of the moon on the thirtieth day together with the sun in the portal where the sun rises.
5. And the one half of her goes forth by a seventh part, and her whole circumference is empty, without light, with the exception of one-seventh part of it, (and) the fourteenth part of her light.
6. And when she receives one-seventh part of the half of her light, her light amounts to one-seventh part and the half thereof.
7. And she sets with the sun, and when the sun rises the moon rises with him and receives the half of one part of light, and in that night in the beginning of her morning [in the commencement of the lunar day] the moon sets with the sun, and is invisible that night with the fourteen parts and the half of one of them.
8. And she rises on that day with exactly a seventh part, and comes forth and recedes from the rising of the sun, and in her remaining days she becomes bright in the (remaining) thirteen parts.⁴

CHAPTER LXXIV.
1. And I saw another course, a law for her, (and) how according to that law she performs her monthly revolution.
2. And all these Uriel, the holy angel who is the leader of them all, showed to me, and their positions, and I wrote down their positions as he showed them to me, and I wrote down their months as they were, and the appearance of their lights till fifteen days were accomplished.
3. In single seventh parts she accomplishes all her light in the east, and in single seventh parts accomplishes all her darkness in the west.
4. And in certain months she alters her settings, and in certain months she pursues her own peculiar course.
5. In two months the moon sets with the sun: in those two middle portals the third and the fourth.⁵

CHAPTER LXXV.
1. And the leaders of the heads of the thousands, who are placed over the whole creation and over all the stars, have also to do with the four intercalary days, being inseparable from their office, according to the reckoning of the year, and these render service on the four days which are not reckoned in the reckoning of the year.
2. And owing to them men go wrong therein, for those luminaries truly render service on the world-stations, one in the first portal, one in the third portal of the heaven, one in the fourth portal, and one in the sixth portal, and the exactness of the year is accomplished through its separate three hundred and sixty-four stations.
3. For the signs and the times and the years and the days the angel Uriel showed to me, whom the Lord of glory hath set for ever over all the luminaries of the heaven, in the heaven and in the world, that they should rule on the face of the heaven and be seen on the earth, and be leaders for the day and the night, i.e. the sun, moon, and stars, and all the ministering creatures which make their revolution in all the chariots of the heaven.
4. In like manner twelve doors Uriel showed me, open in the circumference of the sun's chariot in the heaven, through which the rays of the sun break forth: and from them is warmth diffused over the earth, when they are opened at their appointed seasons.
5. [And for the winds and the spirit of the dew† when they are opened, standing open in the heavens at the ends.]
6. As for the twelve portals [east and west] in the heaven, at the ends of the earth, out of which go forth the sun, moon, and stars, and all the works of heaven in the east and in the west.
7. There are many windows open to the left and right of them, and one window at its (appointed) season produces warmth, corresponding (as these do) to those doors from which the stars come forth according as He has commanded them, and wherein they set corresponding to their number.
8. And I saw chariots in the heaven, running in the world, above those portals in which revolve the stars that never set.
9. And one is larger than all the rest, and it is that that makes its course through the entire world. ⁶

CHAPTER LXXVI.
The Twelve Windows and their Portals
1 And at the ends of the earth I saw twelve portals open to all the quarters (of the heaven), from which the winds go forth and blow over the earth.
2. Three of them are open on the face (i.e. the east) of the heavens, and three in the west, and three on the right (i.e. the south) of the heaven, and three on the left (i.e. the north).
3. And the three first are those of the east, and three are of †the north, and three [after those on the left] of the south†, and three of the west.
4. Through four of these come winds of blessing and prosperity, and from those eight come hurtful winds: when they are sent, they bring destruction on all the earth and on the water upon it, and on all who dwell thereon, and on everything which is in the water and on the land.
5. And the first wind from those portals, called the east wind, comes forth through the first portal which is in the east, inclining towards the south: from it come forth desolation, drought, heat, and destruction.
6. And through the second portal in the middle comes what is fitting, and from it there come rain and fruitfulness and prosperity and dew; and through the third portal which lies toward the north come cold and drought.
7. And after these come forth the south winds through three portals: through the first portal of them inclining to the east comes forth a hot wind.
8. And through the middle portal next to it there come forth fragrant smells, and dew and rain, and prosperity and health.
9. And through the third portal lying to the west come forth dew and rain, locusts and desolation.
10. And after these the north winds: from the seventh portal in the east come dew and rain, locusts and desolation.
11. And from the middle portal come in a direct direction health and rain and dew and prosperity; and through the third portal in the west come cloud and hoar-frost, and snow and rain, and dew and locusts.
12. And after these [four] are the west winds: through the first portal adjoining the north come forth dew and hoar-frost, and cold and snow and frost. And from the middle portal come forth dew and rain, and prosperity and blessing; and through the last portal which adjoins the south come forth drought and desolation, and burning and destruction.
14. And the twelve portals of the four quarters of the heaven are therewith completed, and and all their laws and all their plagues and all their benefactions have I shown to thee, my son Methuselah.⁷

CHAPTER LXXVIII.
The Sun and Moon: the Waxing and Waning of the Moon.
1. And the names of the sun are the following: the first Orjârês, and the second Tômâs.
2. And the moon has four names: the first name is Asônjâ, the second Eblâ, the third Benâsê, and the fourth Erâe.
3. These are the two great luminaries: their circumference is like the circumference of the heaven, and the size of the circumference of both is alike.
4. In the circumference of the sun there are seven portions of light which are added to it more than to the moon, and in definite measures it is s transferred till the seventh portion of the sun is exhausted.
5. And they set and enter the portals of the west, and make their revolution by the north, and come forth through the eastern portals on the face of the heaven.
6. And when the moon rises one-fourteenth part appears in the heaven: ⌈ the light becomes full in her ⌉: on the fourteenth day she accomplishes her light.
7. And fifteen parts of light are transferred to her till the fifteenth day (when) her light is accomplished, according to the sign of the year, and she becomes fifteen parts, and the moon grows by (the addition of) fourteenth parts.
8. And in her waning (the moon) decreases on the first day to fourteen parts of her light, on the second to thirteen parts of light, on the third to twelve, on the fourth to eleven, on the fifth to ten, on the sixth to nine, on the seventh to eight, on the eighth to seven, on the ninth to six, on the tenth to five, on the eleventh to four, on the twelfth to three, on the thirteenth to two, on the fourteenth to the half of a seventh, and all her remaining light disappears wholly on the fifteenth.
9. And in certain months the month has twenty-nine days and once twenty-eight.
10. And Uriel showed me another law: when light is transferred to the moon, and on which side it is transferred to her by the sun.
11. During all the period during which the moon is growing in her light, she is transferring it to herself when opposite to the sun during fourteen days [her light is accomplished in the heaven], and when she is illumined throughout, her light is accomplished full in the heaven.
12. And on the first day she is called the new moon, for on that day the light rises upon her.
13. She becomes full moon exactly on the day when the sun sets in the west, and from the east she rises at night, and the moon shines the whole night through till the sun rises over against her and the moon is seen over against the sun.
14. On the side whence the light of the moon comes forth, there again she wanes till all the light vanishes and all the days of the month are at an end, and her circumference is empty, void of light.
15. And three months she makes of thirty days, and at her time she makes three months of twenty-nine days each, in which she accomplishes her waning in the first period of time, and in the first portal for one hundred and seventy-seven days.
16. And in the time of her going out she appears for three months (of) thirty days each, and for three months she appears (of) twenty-nine each.
17. At night she appears like a man for twenty days each time, and by day she appears like the heaven, and there is nothing else in her save her light.⁸

CHAPTER LXXXII.
Charge given to Enoch: the four Intercalary Days: the Stars which lead the Seasons and the Months.
1. And now, my son Methuselah, all these things I am recounting to thee and writing down for thee, and I have revealed to thee everything, and given thee books concerning all these: so preserve, my son Methuselah, the books from thy father's hand, and (see) that thou deliver them to the generations of the world.
2. I have given Wisdom to thee and to thy children, [And thy children that shall be to thee], That they may give it to their children for generations, This wisdom (namely) that passeth their thought.
3. And those who understand it shall not sleep,
4. Blessed are all the righteous, blessed are all those who walk in the way of righteousness and sin not as the sinners, in the reckoning of all their days in which the sun traverses the heaven, entering into and departing from the portals for thirty days with the heads of thousands of the order of the stars, together with the four which are intercalated which divide the four portions of the year, which lead them and enter with them four days.
5. Owing to them men shall be at fault and not reckon them in the whole reckoning of the year: yea, men shall be at fault, and not recognize them accurately.
6. For they belong to the reckoning of the year and are truly recorded (thereon) for ever, one in the first portal and one in the third, and one in the fourth and one in the sixth, and the year is completed in three hundred and sixty-four days.
7. And the account thereof is accurate and the recorded reckoning thereof exact; for the luminaries, and months and festivals, and years and days, has Uriel shown and revealed to me, to whom the Lord of the whole creation of the world hath subjected the host of heaven.
8. And he has power over night and day in the heaven to cause the light to give light to men--sun, moon, and stars, and all the powers of the heaven which revolve in their circular chariots.
9. And these are the orders of the stars, which set in their places, and in their seasons and festivals and months.
10. And these are the names of those who lead them, who watch that they enter at their times, in their orders, in their seasons, in their months, in their periods of dominion, and in their positions.
11. Their four leaders who divide the four parts of the year enter first; and after them the twelve leaders of the orders who divide the months; and for the three hundred and sixty (days) there are heads over thousands who divide the days; and for the four intercalary days there are the leaders which sunder the four parts of the year.
12. And these heads over thousands are intercalated between leader and leader, each behind a station, but their leaders make the division. And these are the names of the leaders who divide the four parts of the year which are ordained: Mîlkî’êl, Hel’emmêlêk, and Mêl’êjal, and Nârêl.
13. And the names of those who lead them: Adnâr’êl, and Îjâsûsa’êl, and ’Elômê’êl--these three follow the leaders of the orders, and there is one that follows the three leaders of the orders which follow those leaders of stations that divide the four parts of the year.
14. [missing or mis-numbered]
15. In the beginning of the year Melkejâl rises first and rules, who is named †Tam’âinî† and sun, and all the days of his dominion whilst he bears rule are ninety-one days.
16. And these are the signs of the days which are to be seen on earth in the days of his dominion: sweat, and heat, and calms; and all the trees bear fruit, and leaves are produced on all the trees, and the harvest of wheat, and the rose-flowers, and all the flowers which come forth in the field, but the trees of the winter season become withered.
17. And these are the names of the leaders which are under them: Berka’êl, Zêlebs’êl, and another who is added a head of a thousand, called Hîlûjâsĕph: and the days of the dominion of this (leader) are at an end.
18. The next leader after him is Hêl’emmêlêk, whom one names the shining sun, and all the days of his light are ninety-one days.
19. And these are the signs of (his) days on the earth: glowing heat and dryness, and the trees ripen their fruits and produce all their fruits ripe and ready, and the sheep pair and become pregnant, and all the fruits of the earth are gathered in, and everything that is in the fields, and the winepress: these things take place in the days of his dominion.
20. These are the names, and the orders, and the leaders of those heads of thousands: Gîdâ’îjal, Kê’êl, and Hê’êl, and the name of the head of a thousand which is added to them, Asfâ’êl’: and the days of his dominion are at an end.⁹

---------------------------------/
1. Anonymous, Enoch. The Book of Enoch: The Complete Collection (Translation and commentary by R.H. Charles) (Alpha Centauri Religion 9201) (Kindle Locations 2500-2502). Alpha Centauri Publishers. Kindle Edition.(
Also accessible at https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Enoch_%28Charles%29
Other info at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Enoch#The_Astronomical_Book
2. Anonymous, Enoch. The Book of Enoch: The Complete Collection (Translation and commentary by R.H. Charles) (Alpha Centauri Religion 9201) (Kindle Locations 2504-2522). Alpha Centauri Publishers. Kindle Edition.
3. Ibid. (Kindle Location 2503). (Table was prepared September 11-12, 2022 by SMS from data under this heading LXXII. Any miscalculation errors are hers.)
4. Ibid. (Kindle Locations 2580-2597).
5. Ibid. (Kindle Locations 2598-2606).
6. Ibid. (Kindle Locations 2635-2650).
7. Ibid. (Kindle Locations 2651-2681).
8. Ibid. (Kindle Locations 2717-2737).
9. Ibid. (Kindle Locations 2815-2867).

Deciphering the Heavens: Times, Signs, and Seasons? # I

(Times and Seasons Series: Post #I)

Until recently, I never realized how many diverse opinions and controversies about Biblical times, signs, and seasons have been published concerning:

▪ new moon v. full moon;
▪ fixed calendar v. continuous calendar;
▪ real sabbaths v. false sabbaths;
▪ sunset v. sunrise to mark the beginning of a day;
▪ full days v. partial days to calculate “three days and three nights”;
▪ etc.

The jump start to this diversity exploration began in reading a lengthy post¹ asserting that sunrise, not sunset, should mark the beginning of a new (Biblical) day where day, in the Genesis creation account, is claimed to mean just daylight (if I understand the analysis presented).

However, remembering that the Book of Abraham account gave a fuller “evening to evening” description, I posted this comment:

Should we also consider these?
Pearl of Great Price | Abraham 4:5, 8, ETC)
5 And the Gods called the light Day, and the darkness they called Night. And it came to pass that from the evening until morning they called night; and from the morning until the evening they called day; and this was the first, or the beginning, of that which they called day and night.
…
8 And the Gods called the expanse, Heaven. And it came to pass that it was from evening until morning that they called night; and it came to pass that it was from morning until evening that they called day; and this was the second time that they called night and day.
ETC. (Abr. 4:13, 19, 23, 31) (SMS 2022-08-30 11:43)

The blogger replied:

If you are trying to use those verses to show the day starts in the evening, you are taking them out of context. As this post and https://seekingyhwh.org/2018/12/09/on-the-morrow-morning/ from the BoM and https://seekingyhwh.org/2018/10/30/highlights-from-sunrise-or-sunset/ from the Bible give multitude of examples the day starts in the morning with real life examples. (Steven 2022-08-30 11:51)

I have carefully read these posts and others, and watched several videos (with many more posts and videos in queue), seeking to understand and test the sunrise assertion. But for now, I will make only four initial observations:

1. Meaning of day?
Did the ancients consider a more-or-less 24-hour period (day?) different from us? When someone asks: What day were you born? do we not reply with a specific date, regardless of the degree of darkness or light at the time of birth? If someone, through accident or illness, had lost track of time (then or now), and awoke at 2 AM (or during the third watch) to ask, What day is it? would we reply: It's not day, it's night? Or would we say: It's Tuesday, or, it's the third day of the week, or, it's the ____ day of ________ ? And if night cannot count as the dark part of a day, what do we make of Ezekiel referring to the “day of the new moon” (Ezek. 46:1, 6)?  If the full definition, use, and context of day² were allowed, would it sustain the “sunrise” claim?

2. Reconciling New Month, New Day?
Our 24-hour, secular calendaring marks a new day as beginning a nanosecond after midnight which passes without any sign of “new day.” Some mechanical or digital device must inform us, whereas, with the ancients (according to tradition), no device, just nature's sunset, was needed to inform of a new, 24-hour period / day. And yes, the same nature argument could be said of the sunrise, but how do we reconcile new moon / new month (when the crescent moon first becomes visible in the evening) with a new day that doesn't begin until the next sunrise? Does the month begin 12 hours before its first new day? Or is the allegation that the “day of the new moon” means the new month and day begin together at sunrise after the first appearance of the new crescent the prior evening? Possible, yes, but the heavy reliance on the word morrow to establish sunrise as the beginning of a new 24-hour count could as readily sustain the sunset tradition which brings us to the:

3. Meaning of Morrow?
Many scriptural quotes containing the word morrow were given to concretize the sunrise position, BUT morrow has more definitions than “the next day.”³ The archaic one simply means “morning.”

Definition of morrow
1 archaic : MORNING
2: the next day
3: the time immediately after a specified event
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morrow

4. Symbolism?
▪ If the earth began in darkness:

1 IN the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.(Old Testament | Genesis 1:1-3);

▪ if our mortal journey begins and endures nine months of darkness before birthing into light;
▪ if our spiritual journey is one of moving from darkness into increasing levels of enlightenment, e.g.:

6 Now, this was what Ammon desired, for he knew that king Lamoni was under the power of God; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of his goodness—yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light of everlasting life was lit up in his soul, yea, he knew that this had overcome his natural frame, and he was carried away in God— (Book of Mormon | Alma 19:6)

7 But behold, verily, verily, I say unto you that mine eyes are upon you. I am in your midst and ye cannot see me;
8 But the day soon cometh that ye shall see me, and know that I am; for the veil of darkness shall soon be rent, and he that is not purified shall not abide the day.(Doctrine and Covenants | Section 38:7-8)

then, would not a 24-hour day — repeatedly moving from a marked darkness into daylight — daily witness the direction and purpose of our journey if we remained conscious and observant of it?

9 Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.
10 But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. (New Testament | John 11:9-10)⁴

Yes, I believe that God's calendar and clock situated in the observable heavens are not as precise or understandable as they once were because of deception, forgetfulness, ignorance, corruption, and catastrophic celestial and world events. We have been caught up in the ways and abuses of a Babylonian system of domination and deception (not to mention God's own interventions according to His purposes⁵). It can be very challenging to figure things out: analyzing words, meanings, traditions, ideas, etc., but often I write to explore what makes sense through the prism of scripture, just as the above blogger did. Have we both  narrowed or broadened meanings to achieve a desired result? So many conflicts and questions seem rooted in God's words without knowing the accompanying images in God's mind.⁶ Thus, I intend, in coming weeks, to seek greater light concerning times, signs, and seasons. Speaking for myself, it is long overdue.

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1. https://seekingyhwh.org/2022/08/01/the-undiscovered-sabbath-secret-you-should-know/ (a re-post of a lengthy article by Milton Carnes)
https://seekingyhwh.org/2018/10/30/highlights-from-sunrise-or-sunset/
https://seekingyhwh.org/2018/12/09/on-the-morrow-morning/
2. Definition of day
  1a: the time of light between one night and the next // the shortest day of the year
    b: DAYLIGHT sense 1 // woke up at the break of day
    : DAYTIME // sleeps during the day and works at night
  2 astronomy : the period of rotation of a planet (such as earth) or a moon on its axis // the length of one day on Mars
  3: the mean solar day of 24 hours beginning at midnight by mean time // open seven days a week // the first day of every month // Take one pill two times a day.
  4: a specified day or date // their wedding day // the day of her birth
  5: a specified time or period : AGE // in grandfather's day—often used in plural // the old days // the days of sailing ships
  6: the conflict or contention of the day // played hard and won the& day
  7: the time established by usage or law for work, school, or business // starts his day with a cup of coffee // after a long day at school // We have a busy day tomorrow.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/day
3. See also: https://www.quotescosmos.com/bible/bible-concordance/H1242.html
[Strong's Concordance, Hebrew Dictionary | Early, morning, morrow, properly, dawn (as the break of day) | Hebrew: בֹּקֶר, bōqer (H1242) | 188 King James Bible Verses]
4. This scripture was used to support a sunrise day, but I see it merely as a narrow, descriptive use as opposed to a comprehensive use.
5. Doctrine and Covenants | Section 121:12
   12 And also that God hath set his hand and seal to change the times and seasons, and to blind their minds, that they may not understand his marvelous workings; that he may prove them also and take them in their own craftiness;
Old Testament | Daniel 2:19-22
   19 ¶ Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.
   20 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:
   21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:
   22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
6. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2015/02/words-without-images.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2014/02/here-and-there.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2016/03/considerations.html
https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2016/03/3-flags.html