▪ new moon v. full moon;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).
▪ 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.
However, remembering that the Book of Abraham account gave a fuller “evening to evening” description, I posted this comment:
Should we also consider these?The blogger replied:
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)
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?
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.
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 morrow4. Symbolism?
1 archaic : MORNING
2: the next day
3: the time immediately after a specified event
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morrow
▪ If the earth began in darkness:1 IN the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.▪ if our mortal journey begins and endures nine months of darkness before birthing into light;
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 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)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?
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)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
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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
