Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Calendar Questions

How do I calculate Lunar Sabbath dates using astronomical data?

Each month on the Lunar Sabbath Calendar begins with the New Moon Day. The reckoning of this day is done using various methods such as calculating the lunar conjunction or by observation of the crescent moon. This can result in some people calculating a different calendar than others, since the conjunction will occur one or two days before the crescent moon is observed. For more information on calculating the Lunar Sabbath Calendar see our Lunar Sabbath Calendar page.

What day is the Lunar Sabbath?

Lunar Sabbaths will always fall on the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th days of the month. The day of the week will change every month based on the New Moon Day. For more information see our Lunar Sabbath Calendar page.

When is the next Lunar Sabbath?

The next Lunar Sabbath date will depend on how you decide to determine the New Moon Day, whether by the conjunction of the moon, or the sighting of the New Moon, or by other means. The New Moon Day is Day One of the month, and the Lunar Sabbaths will always fall on the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th days of the month. For more information on calculating the Lunar Sabbath Calendar see our Lunar Sabbath Calendar page.

When is the Sabbath according to the lunar calendar?

Lunar calendars track the phase of the moon each month, rather than a solar calendar whose cycles track the solar year and divide it into twelve months. When using a lunar calendar, the Sabbath would traditionally still be observed on the sixth day of the week ("Saturday" or "Shabbat"). However the Lunar Sabbath Calendar does not tie the Sabbath to the day of the week but instead to the day of the month. For more information see our Lunar Sabbath Calendar page.

How does the Lunar Sabbath work?

The Lunar Sabbath Calendar is a Luni-Solar Calendar in which the days of the month and the days of the week are determined by the cycle of the moon. Lunar Sabbaths will always fall on the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th days of the month. The day of the week will change every month based on the New Moon Day. For more information see our Lunar Sabbath Calendar page.

Which is the true Sabbath according to the Bible?

When you take the time to closely examine the theology of the Lunar Sabbath, you will find that it has numerous "fatal flaws". The timing of Pentecost, the invention of a non-Biblical "Extended Worship Day", and the multitude of Invalid Arguments used as "proofs" are just some examples that can be found on our Lunar Sabbath Debunked page. These fatal flaws, along with the deceptions used by Lunar Sabbath proponents, should convince anyone that the Lunar Sabbath is not the "true" Sabbath of the Bible.

History

Does the Bible follow a lunar calendar?

The Bible never states that a lunar calendar was ever observed by the Hebrews or Christians. However proponents of the Lunar Sabbath have identified seventy-two Pinpointed Lunar Sabbaths as evidence that the Sabbath was observed on the 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th days of the month. We have documented each of these events on our Pinpointed Lunar Sabbaths page, and unfortunately most of them have been found to not be credible or convincing.

Should Christians follow the lunar calendar?

There is no credible evidence that Jesus or his followers ever observed a lunar calendar. Even the secular Jewish historian Josephus documented in his writings that the Jewish people of the first century observed the Pentecost using traditional reckoning and not via the method required by the Lunar Sabbath Calendar. For more information, see our page on Josephus.

Why do people no longer use a lunar calendar?

Lunar calendars are no longer used because they do not stay aligned with the seasons, making it impractical for agriculture, global coordination, and modern civil life. The moon's cycle is around 29.53 days, which means that a lunar year would be about eleven days shorter than the solar year. Because agriculture depends on the sun (knowing when to plant and harvest), ancient societies had to constantly add extra months to fix the drift of the lunar calendar. This made using a lunar calendar complex and inconsistent.

What is the historical basis for lunar sabbath observance?

Although many ancient societies followed a lunar calendar, there is no evidence that the timing of the Sabbath day was tied to the lunar cycle. Lunar Sabbaths were first observed by Jonathan David Brown, who authored the book Keeping Yahweh's Appointments. Although there is no direct evidence that the Lunar Sabbath was observed in Biblical times, many proponents cite examples from the Bible where sabbaths and holy days appear to fall on Lunar Sabbath dates. These are often referred to as Pinpointed Lunar Sabbaths. The Lunar Sabbath Encyclopedia has an entire page dedicated to each of these events, and contains an Objections section that explains why this particular example may not be correct, or taken out of context, or has a possible explanation that does not support it falling on a Lunar Sabbath date.

Website

How can I make edits to the Lunar Sabbath Encyclopedia?

Most Wiki sites allow registered users, or even anonymous users, to edit their pages. This is not the case for the Lunar Sabbath Encyclopedia. The Wiki format was chosen for this site not for allowing others to edit the content, but rather to leverage the organizational structure of Wiki pages. This allows complex topics to be broken down into multiple pages that are focused on specific subjects, while making it easy to navigate from one page to another. Edits are not permitted due to the principle of Wikiality.

What should I do if I want to edit the content of a page?

Simply Contact Us and let us know what you would like to change and why. Changes will be made at the discretion of the site administrators.