Visible Stars Defined

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Visible Stars

Define the Parameters of Day and Night

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he stars are often mentioned in Scripture in conjunction with the sun and moon. All three were designed by the Creator to measure the parameters of His units of time (Genesis 1:14-18). The sun directly defines the parameters of the four seasons, as well as each solar revolution also known as a calendar date. The sun also differentiates, with its precise points of sunrise and sunset, exactly when the day begins and when the night begins. The moon on the other hand in receiving its light from the sun, directly defines lunar years commencing in the spring, lunar months commencing at the first visible crescent New Moon, lunar weeks and Sabbaths, as well as the exact date applied to a calendar date as counted from the New Moon. All of the holy feast days of Scripture can only be found according to the New Moons. The stars define the seasons and they specifically define the "nights." But by default, the stars also define the parameters of the "day," because stars only become visible after sunset. They begin to shine at the commencement of the First Watch, continuing throughout the four watches of the night and become invisible again at sunrise."

Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:14-18 NKJV

The sun to rule by day, for His mercy endures forever; the moon and stars to rule by night, for His mercy endures forever. Psalms 136:8-9 NKJV

In Genesis and Psalms the word "rule" has been chosen by the translators with reference to the sun, moon and stars ruling either the day or the night. Other Strong's Concordance word definitions that also apply are the words "govern" and "having dominion." This last term "dominion" holds particular interest as the root word for "dominion" is "dome." Are not all three of the lights designed by the Creator to define time as they are visible at specific times in the sky's heavenly dome, having dominion over the day or over the night? Another interesting consideration is the Dictionary definition of the word "rule:"

Webster's Dictionary:

1 rule- 1a : a prescribed guide for conduct or action 1b : the laws or regulations prescribed by the founder of a religious order for observance by its members 2 d : a determinate method for performing a mathematical operation and obtaining a certain result

2 rule- 1a : to exercise supreme authority 1b : to be first in importance or prominence 3 : to lay down a legal rule

In combination with the Scripture verses above, we can see that the sun, moon and stars were given preeminence by the Creator for governing His ordained and appointed units of time. As the Creator is deserving of worship for religious purposes, is it possible the sun, moon and stars were designed with this purpose in mind, to pinpoint His appointed holy times? Also, time according to the sun, moon and stars appears to take precedence over Rome's purported week that cycles without end since creation, yet is void of regulation by the moon and the stars.

The Stars and the Night Watches
It is only when the stars are visible that they rule or have dominion over the night and define its parameters. The same principle must equally be applied to the sun. Therefore, it is only the visible sun that defines when a day begins and ends. This is not to be confused with an entire lunar civil calendar date, as the focus here is on the parameters of each day and each night, which are the two halves of the entire calendar date. In most cases in Scripture when the term "day" is used it refers specifically to the daylight portion of a lunar civil calendar date. This is particularly true in the Genesis 1 account of the Creation week as well as the Forth Commandment, as they both speak of the same week of daylights followed by a Sabbath of daylight. Refer to article, "Sunrise or Sunset, When does a day begin."

1. Evening Watch
The period of dusk/twilight commences at the moment of sunset and is referred to in Scripture as the Evening Watch or First Watch of the night. At this time the largest planet/stars become visible. While this is primarily Venus or Mercury, on occasion all of the main planets are somewhat visible just after sunset and just before sunrise.

"Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming - in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning - lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!" Mark 13:35 NKJV

This is the only verse in all of Scripture that lists all four night watches by name. Perhaps you noticed that the words "night watch" are missing. However, this is because of an error in translation, as each of these come from a Greek word that specifically states both the names of the watch and its order in the night. The only one that is not clearly identified as a night watch is the first one, called the Evening Watch. But because they are all listed together, and three are clearly identified, then we can apply the same principles to the Evening Watch as well. For more details, refer to article, "The Four Watches of the Night."

2. Midnight Watch
When the sky has fully darkened, the smaller stars come into full view and stay fully visible during the Second and Third Watches. The Second Watch is also called the Midnight Watch as it ends at precisely midnight. The night is bisected directly in half, between the Second and Third Watch, just as the day is bisected in half, at precisely noon.

"And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. But know this that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into." Luke 12:38-40 NKJV

3. Cock Crowing Watch
The Third Watch is called the Cock Crowing Watch, for the reason that it terminates about the time the rooster begins to crow with the first light of dawn.

So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. Judges 7:19 NKJV

Since there are four watches and not three, there is no such thing as a middle watch. In a deeper word study it is found that this verse was to say, "at the beginning of the bisection of the watches," meaning midnight.

4. Morning or Day Break Watch
At the first light of dawn or twilight is when the Fourth Watch begins. This Fourth or last watch of the night is also called the Daybreak or Morning Watch, and it ends precisely at visible sunrise. It is called the Daybreak or Morning Watch, because it is during this watch that the watchman are watching for the moment of daybreak when the morning and new day commence.

Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians . . . And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Exodus 14:24, 27 NKJV
So it was, on the next day, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and killed Ammonites until the heat of the day. 1 Samuel 11:11 NKJV

Not by accident, but rather by design, both the shining of the stars and the night cease precisely as the first visible rays of the sun light up the landscape. Likewise, the shining of the sun and the day cease, just as the first planet/stars begin to shine. All is in perfect harmony, as the daylight and the night continue to be separated by the direct rays of the sun by day and the shining of the stars by night.

. . . God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. Genesis 1:4-5 NKJV

From Scripture we have it on good authority that planets were considered to be in the same category as stars.

And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 2 Peter 1:19NKJV
. . . and I will give him the morning star. Revelation 2:28 NKJV
I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." Revelation 22:16 NKJV

The planet Venus has for thousands of years been referred to as the "Morning Star." This is because it is often visible during the twilight of the fourth watch of the night, known as the Daybreak or Morning Watch. It is also visible during the First Watch of the night. While the "Morning Star" appears to be about the morning, the very fact that it is a star, declares it to be shining in the night and not in the morning, or day. It is one of the planets that presents itself first following sunset and last before sunrise. As the sky begins to darken slowly during the First Watch of the night, more and more stars become visible until they are all in full display when the Midnight Watch commences, with complete darkness.

It is the visible presence of the sun that is to measure the parameters of the day, and the visible presence of the stars that are to measure the parameters of the night. Therefore the divisions of the day and the night occur at precisely sunrise and sunset, when there is a changing of the guard of the sun and stars. This is a foundation stone in the lunisolar calendation principles. In contrast to the of the Roman Gregorian day commencing at midnight and the Rabbinical Jewish day beginning at sunset, the Scriptural day begins at precisely, sunrise and not dawn, a period characterized by a mix of light and dark, which is defined in Scripture as the Fourth Watch of the night. The divisions the Creator ordained to divide the day from the night, simply do not occur at midnight, the first light of dawn (Fourth Watch of the night) and the end of dusk (First Watch of the night), nor do they occur at noon. Just because one of the Creator's natural divisions does occur at sunset, does not automatically define it as the beginning of a day, rather it is the end of the day, but the beginning of the night. As we are discovering, "light" is the signature of the Creator and not darkness, as darkness is the mere absence of light, just as error is the absence of truth. All of creation is about the "light," when it begins and when it ends. The night is the interlude between one day and the next, it is also the second half of a full lunar calendar date. For more on when a day begins, refer to full article, "Sunrise or Sunset, When Does a Day Begin"?

It is through illustrations such as this that the Saviour Yahushua's faithful followers can obtain clarity for each heaven ordained unit of time. He is calling His people to come out of false religious practices and traditions of men in every area of His Law and His divinely ordained celestial calendar/clock. For it is with regards to the Creator's calendar/clock that all the end-time prophecies have their time-centric fulfillment.

Just as Yahuwah re-defined His time system to Israel at the time of the Exodus from Egypt, He is now revealing and re-defining the same time system as He prepares His faithful for the final Exodus and Heavenly Promised Land. No other calendar/clock will work for His sacred and divine appointments, as these are nothing short of prophecies yet to be fulfilled at their precise time and according to His celestial time piece. It is protected in His ordained heavenly dome, out of the reach of the tampering of man or beast, and it remains harmoniously on time after 6000 years.

Above is a planet visibility chart for the Gregorian months of the year 2010. The purpose of this chart is to show the visibility of the largest planets during each of the four watches of the night. Of particular interest is the fact that there is always a visible star/planet immediately after sunset and also just before sunrise, every night throughout the year. In other words, during the First Watch of the night, and also the Fourth Watch of the night, some of them are particularly bright and visible.

It is not the intention of this article to discuss the names of the planets for the purpose of worshiping them. Rather, these are their given names that we can effectively use for identification to determine that each of these planets/stars were designed by their Creator to measure the length of each night, from precisely sunset to sunrise. Because the stars so effectively define and illustrate the four watches of the night, from beginning to end, by default, they also establish the beginning and ending markers of each daylight as well. Therefore, according to the stars alone, the day (daylight) cannot commence at midnight, sunset, dawn, or noon. There is one and only one commencement point for the "day" as ordained by the Creator and that was at visible sunrise (Jeremiah 31:35-36; Psalms 136:7-9; Exodus 18:13). No other option will meet with the criteria and specifications of the sun, moon or the stars.

Sometimes the most "obvious" things slip past our power of discernment, perhaps because of the preconditioning from birth to adulthood concerning another time system. This occurs even for those avid Bible scholars who are familiar with the terminology. So we can't be too hard on ourselves. So here is the point, the Creator never intended a "day" to be considered a twenty-four hour period. The two are not one and the same. He ordained the "light" to be called "day," and the "darkness" to be called "night" (Genesis 1:5). The "day" followed by the "night" make up a complete solar revolution, otherwise known as a calendar "date." While there is much evidence for this, the greatest substantiation is in the profound contrast of how time is reckoned for the "day" in contrast to the "night." As we have just learned the night commences at sunset and is divided into four parts of varying lengths known as the four watches of the night. The night was never intended to be divided by hours. Reckoning the night by hours is a modern invention that led to the commencement of the "day" at "midnight." It may have also aided in some believing that the "day" actually commenced at sunset instead of sunrise.

Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, who disturbs the sea, and its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name): "If those ordinances depart from before Me, says the LORD, then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever." Jeremiah 31:35-36 NKJV

According to Genesis 1:5, "day" was the name given by the Creator for the period of "light" in contrast to "night," each calendar date. (A calendar date includes both the day followed by the night.) The "day" was to be divided by hours as displayed upon a sundial. The sundial was a readily available instrument to measure of the movement of the sun. There were to be only twelve hours for any given "day," whether it was the first day of the week or the seventh-day Sabbath. Only direct radiant beams of sunlight can make a distinct shadow on a sundial. This is evidence that the "day" could not commence prior to sunrise nor could it continue after sunset. Of necessity the "day" is bound by an undeviating link to the direct rays of sun light.

Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. John 11:9-10 NKJV

If the "day" commenced at sunset, otherwise known as "night" as the Jews and others have traditionally held, this statement of the Messiah and Savior would make no sense. He is in harmony with all the statements made in Genesis 1 of the "day" being only the light portion of any given calendar date.

Criteria for the "Day" Criteria for the "Night"

It was the Creator who named the “light” day. Genesis 1:5;	It was the Creator who named the “darkness” night. Genesis 1:5
Day is to be defined by the direct “light” of the sun. Genesis 1:5; Genesis 1:14; Jeremiah 31:35-36;	Night is to be defined by the “darkness” when the sun is not present. Genesis 1:5; Genesis 1:14; Jeremiah 31:35-36;
Lights were given by the Creator to divide the day from the night. Genesis 1:14	Lights were given by the Creator to divide the day from the night. Genesis 1:14
At the Creator´s command, the sun alone is to rule what is known as the “day.” Genesis 1:14-18	At the Creator´s command, the lesser light of the moon and the stars have rule of the night. Genesis 1:16-18
Day is to be reckoned by “hours.” John 11:9-10	Night is to be consistently reckoned by the four Night Watches. Mark 13:35
Days are consistently “twelve hours” in length, no matter what time of year. John 11:9-10	The night watches consistently divide the night into four parts. The first and the fourth watch are of equal length and occupy the twilights of dusk and dawn. The second and third watch are of equal length and occupy the darkest parts of the night from the end of dusk to the beginning of dawn. Refer to chart above.
Day is opposite of night. Genesis 8:22; Jeremiah 31:35-36;	Night is opposite of day. Genesis 8:22; Jeremiah 31:35-36;
Day is not mixed with the darkness of night or the twilights of dusk and dawn, just as the truth is not mixed with error. The moment that error is mixed with truth, it is no longer truth. John 1:4; John 3:20; 1Peter 2:9; Proverbs 4:18-19; Jeremiah 31:35-36;	Night includes both twilights as there is no direct rays from the sun. Dusk is the twilight following sunset and is the First Watch of the night. Dawn is the pre-sunrise twilight, and is also the Fourth Watch of the night. Mark 13:35; Jeremiah 31:35-36;
By default, the boundaries of the “day” define the parameters of the “night.”	By default, the parameters of the night define the boundaries of the “day.”

At such a time in earth's history when war and catastrophe rage all around, our loving heavenly Father is calling His would be faithful to wake up and be restored to His true time-keeping. This includes His lunisolar years, lunar months, lunar weeks, lunar Sabbaths, lunar civil calendar dates, twelve hour days defined by sunrise and sunset, and all His holy appointed times Feasts days for worship. We must diligently seek to be obedient and learn to keep them according to His will.

Kerrie L. French

Freelance Writer/Illustrator

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