This is a great study and very interesting to learn the calendar and timing of His Feast days too. There are a few (well, many) verses that will help with this, and when a definition is needed, it is best to let the bible define itself. Is a biblical day sunrise to sunrise? Is a biblical day sunset to sunset? Or is a biblical day sunrise to sunset? (and some say dawn or daybreak to dusk).
I will just post a few of the seemingly hundreds of verses available. My thoughts aren't to try to sway or convince anyone...just to show some verses and open a door that you can pray on and ask YHWH our Father in Heaven for Him to reveal the truth to you.
Starting in the beginning, Gen. reveals much about the day but it is also hard for many people to see it as it can be preconceived in many different ways. But since it is the beginning of the bible we can start there, just don't give up there because there are so many more verses to reveal it.
On the first day He created the Heavens and Earth and then... Elohim said, Let there be light: and there was light. And Elohim saw the light, that it was good: and Elohim divided the light from the darkness. And Elohim called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. (Gen 1:3-5)
We see here that He divided the light from the darkness and they became 2 parts...there is light which is called Day...and there is darkness which is called night. The Father in heaven separated, He did not combine, light with darkness, He divided the Day from Night.
Then as we read on we see that after He created then came evening and then the morning was the end of that 2 part day. If you look at each day, He always did His work in the light, in the Day light period, and then came evening, then morning ended that day. If we look at this in the "Big Picture" We are later told by the Messiah... I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. (Joh 9:4)
What about the day of Atonement?
This is a fast that goes from evening to evening. Many think since this feast goes from evening to evening it proves a day does too. But the Father in Heaven tells us when each feast starts and ends, Feast of Unleavened Bread lasts for 7 days, the Feast of Tabernacles last for 7 days followed by the 8th day being the Last Great Day. There is also a Jubilee Year and others that show us Feasts are not just one day in length. And we are told when to start and end the Day of Atonement, it begins on the 9th at evening through the 10th day and ends that evening.
(Lev 23:27) Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement:
(Lev 23:32) It shall be unto you a Sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath.
Sunrises and the 9th begins. After the sun sets on the 9th day the fast starts. The next morning the sun rises beginning the 10th day, and when the sun sets the fast is ended. Clear and simple.
But for those that start their day in evening they have an impossible task to justify their thoughts on the Atonement. Their belief is that evening starts day 1, evening starts day 2, evening starts day 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, etc. Except when they get to atonement. Because if they start their feast in the evening on the 9th that would be the beginning of their day, through that night and through the next day would still be the 9th, then that evening would begin day 10. Do they keep going then? or end when the 10th day starts missing the 10th completely? Do they add an additional day of fasting so that they can include the 10th? confusing and impossible to reckon biblically.
Passover is the other feast that has a special note about evening
Exo 12:5,6 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.
From reading about the Passover we are told that the lamb was taken in on the 10th day of the first month and kept until the 14th day. Then on the evening of that same day it is killed and eaten, and the angel of death also passed over that same night. When laid out we can see all the pieces that the Bible give us about the Passover fit the timeline with a sunrise day.
- sunrise - 14th begins, the lamb is still alive.
- sunset - evening of the 14th the lamb is killed and Passover dinner is eaten
- midnight - same night the destroyer passed over killing the first born of all those without the blood of the lamb on their door post.
- sunrise - morning of the 15th Feast of Unleavened Bread, its a high day...no work...all remains of the lamb had to be burnt before sunrise.
Again this causes a great dilemma for those starting a day in darkness since with their reckoning a day starts in the evening. If they follow scripture and keep the lamb (alive) on the 14th day, then when that evening comes when they kill and eat it, that would start the 15th for them and they are a day late. The destroyer also passed over that same night, the 14th. The timing of all feasts is very important...but can you imagine if on this first Passover they were a day late! They would not have had the blood of the lamb on the door posts and their first born would have been slain too!
Why do Passover and Atonement start in the evening?
They both represent the sacrifice of sin. On the Atonement we are to make a sacrifice for our sins, to atone for them, and the Passover is the sacrifice of the Lamb for our sins. They are the only days with such a solemn and grave observance of the price of sin. So why is this done in the evening? in the time of darkness? Because I believe the Bible teaches us that sin is the result of darkness/evil and we are to shed that sin and become one who can walk in the Light of YHWH...who is pure and sinless, and who is light and has no darkness. Sin equals death, and the bible equates sin with darkness but YHWH is light and pure. For example, Joh 8:12 and Eph 5:8 And we must strive to be clean and pure, to do our best for YHWH and accept no sin as acceptable.
1Jn 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that YHWH is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
Back to the definition of a day...How about the word tomorrow?
Another interesting point is about the word tomorrow, or on the "morrow". If the day starts at evening then at 3pm I can say "see you tomorrow" when we plan to meet up that evening after sunset. But even people who hold to the evening reckoning can not get there thoughts to line up with this. On more than one occasion I have attended meetings with them on friday night only to have them say, "see you tomorrow" as we depart. But if the day started at evening it would be incorrect to say see you tomorrow, instead it would be later today. Very confusing.
1Co 14:33 For Elohim is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all assemblies of the saints.
Psa 71:1 In thee, O YHWH, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.
All dictionaries that I have seen, show tomorrow meaning the day after today...I have never seen it defined as later that same day, but lets let the Bible tell us how to define tomorrow.
Exo 16:23 And he said unto them, This is that which YHWH hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto YHWH: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
Here we see that tomorrow is the Sabbath, prepare today (the 6th day), and it will be kept until morning. If you read previous verses you will also find that any manna that was collected and held over on any of the other work days would rot and grow worms, but on the 6th day it was required to lay it up until tomorrow morning, the Sabbath, and it will be preserved!
(1Sa 11:10-11) Therefore the men of Jabesh said, To morrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you. And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.
Here is another timeline of events that lays out a Day...
(1Sa 19:10-11) And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night. Saul also sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain.
We are told of the events that night, and Saul's plan to slay him in the morning, and Michal's warning of it using the word tomorrow.
Exo 32:5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to YHWH.
Exo 32:6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
They rose up early in the morning...which was tomorrow.
While the Bible has defined tomorrow...does it also define the "same day"?
Mar 4:35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
Joh 20:19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Yahushua and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
Both of these accounts show that it was the same day AFTER evening had come.
How does the Bible count the hours of a day?
When we count we start with one at the beginning of a day and end at 24 hours in a full cycle of Day and Night. When we look to the bible it starts that first hour at...
(Act 2:15) For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
(Joh 1:39) He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
(Act 10:3) He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of YHWH coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.
(Mat 20:5-6,12) Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
(Luk 23:44-45) And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.
The information given to us above tells us that the first 12 hours are the hours of Light, of Day. Hour one is the beginning of that day at sunrise (also known as dawn and day break, or breaking forth), the 12th is at the end of the daylight period.
(Joh 11:9) Yahushua 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.
Does this line up with the overall theme of the bible?
Another angle to look at would be metaphorically...
(1Th 5:5) Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
(Jas 1:17) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
HalleluYaH the Father of Lights starts His day with Light!
A question was presented about the Jewish evening to evening day, and an observation of Rev. 21 and that there was no mention of the evening and morning following the Sabbath in Gen. The following is my response to those questions.
When I first learned about the Sabbath I was taught to follow that Jewish tradition of starting the day with darkness at evening. But the more that I read the bible the more I was learning that what I was taught as a child wasn't lining up with scripture, and the traditions of the Jews also had errors. It was somewhat comforting finding this warning... For laying aside the commandment of YHWH, ye hold the tradition of men...(Mar 7:8). But that also meant that I had to stop relying on what I was taught and go back to relearning everything by reading the word, praying and only trusting what YHWH showed me.
(Mat 23:8) But be not ye called Rabbi [teacher]: for one is your Rabbi, even the Messiah; and all ye are brethren.
(Psa 118:8) It is better to trust in YHWH than to put confidence in man.
You quoted some great verses from Gen 2. (vs 1-3) Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.And on the seventh day Elohim ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And Elohim blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which Elohim created and made.
One study point that I have found, is that when YHWH repeats something to us, that it is a key piece of information. Here we are told YHWH didn't just rest on the 7th day...we are told He rested from His work...and we are told 3 times in just those three verses. I was never shown that when I was taught the evening to evening Sabbath.
What is the significant time of work?
The reader mentioned that YHWH worked day and night...but that isn't what is written in the timeline that Gen. 1 shows, or with other scriptures.
We are reminded when the Messiah symbolically said we "must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work". (Joh 9:4 I)
YHWH has told us that light is day and darkness is night, and now we see that no man can work in the night, what does that mean?
(Amo 5:20) Shall not the day of YHWH be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?
The day of YHWH is the day of darkness when He returns and baptizes with fire. To do the work of YHWH and to be a laborer and prepare for the harvest, we must do this work before that darkness comes...in that time of darkness will be too late to do His work and be fishers of men.
(Luk 10:2-3) Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Master of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.
So we see that this lines up with Rev. 21 too. Today is our period to do YHWH's work while there is light...our rest period will come after that terrible day of darkness when YHWH baptizes the earth with fire, ends the period of darkness...and then there will only be Light.
(Rev 21:23-25) And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of YHWH did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
Night and darkness relate to sin and evil...and there is no evil when His Holy Kingdom is set up, just the light of YHWH! But it is because of people choosing darkness/evil instead of the ways of YHWH, that the day of YHWH will come.
(Joh 3:19-21) And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in Elohim.
(Isa 13:10-11) For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. [the oppressor]
Which brings us back to Gen where YHWH tells us that He divided the light from the darkness and establishes the Night to represent darkness where He called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.And one last note...about the 7th day in the creation story (Gen.), and relating to the book of Revelations and setting up the kingdom...there is no evening, no night, no darkness, that follows that Sabbath Day like there is in the other 6 Days, (the period of work), and there is no evening, no darkness, when the kingdom is established, (the period of rest).
In fact, there is no weekly Sabbath night referenced in the entire bible! Could our 7 day week be referencing to our time of work, (spreading His word), and the Sabbath day equal the time after the Harvest where YHWH will come and establish our Sabbath rest? When our Father in heaven, the Father of Lights returns, there will be no sun or moon as YHWH will be our light, all sin and darkness will be purged.
Rev 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of YHWH did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Rev 21:24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
Rev 21:25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
Rev 21:26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
Rev 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.
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