The Sun was Darkened from the Sixth to the Ninth Hour – Luke 23
The Sun was Darkened
from the Sixth to the Ninth Hour
Discover in this Hebrew Study that the sun was darkened from the sixth to the ninth hour, fulfilling the ancient Amos 8 prophecy of a Total Solar Eclipse on the day of the Messiah’s crucifixion. This celestial three-hour phenomenon, magnified by Divine intervention, appears to have occurred during the dark conjunction lunar phase in the middle of the month of Abib.
The image above depicts a TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE that commenced at noon on the fourteenth day counted from the full New/Renewed moon in spring. It is only during a Total Solar Eclipse that the stars will shine forth during the day, revealing both the sun and the moon to be in the constellation of Aries, the lamb. In this way, on that epic day nearly 2,000 years ago when the leadership of Israel was in denial of their evil actions, and hell-bent on crucifying the anointed Messiah, the very heavens cried out, revealing His glory and majesty, and declaring, “Behold the Lamb of Yah, who takes away the sins of the world.”
By extension, the weighty evidence from this mid-month event suggests that the original extraterrestrial origin of lunar months (night of the visible New Moon) has always been the full moon by night, fifteen days prior, at that pivotal appointed day, nearly 2,000 years ago.
The Epi-Center of Time
While on an earthly stage, the pivotal occasion of the crucifixion was the groundbreaking work of the Eternal Most High for redeeming man. Upon that day, the Son of Yahuah became the promised Lamb sacrifice by laying down His life as the ransom for mankind. 
It was the first phase in His ministry to transform willing earthlings back into the image of the Father and to transcend mankind’s finite perspective of their great need for a savior.
On that day, the epicenter of time, as foretold by the prophets of old (Amos 8:9-11), the most incredible event occurred. The Son of the King of the Universe eternally paid the price for sin and death. As a result, the attention of all the created beings and messengers in the shamayim (heavens) was focused upon these final hours and the aftermath of that great sacrifice occurring in Jerusalem that day, the 14th of Abib.
A profound truth and imperial time indicator for being able to determine which lunar phase is the actual start of lunar months is whether a “solar eclipse” occurred on the day of our Messiah’s crucifixion. That mid-month day was well documented as the 14th of the Hebrew lunar month. If there was no possibility of a “solar eclipse” that day, then the chance arises that the first visible crescent (FVC) or dark conjunction may be the New Moon after all. If evidence can be provided that a solar eclipse may have occurred on that day, the actual New Moon, start of lunar months, fourteen days earlier, would be the full moon, whether it is a popular concept today or not, and whether it is practiced by the modern Rabbinical Jews (Pharisees), Karaite Jews, or Messianic Torah keepers.
Those who believe a solar eclipse cannot last three hours are not aware that some solar eclipses do last three hours from start to finish, although they are not wholly darkened the entire time. You can verify this for yourself using the free software program, Stellarium. But, in the case of that most noteworthy day in all history, the sun could have well been fully darkened in a solar eclipse for three complete hours by the sheer fact that the omnipotent and all-powerful Eternal Father punctuated the significance of that day. However, many tenaciously cling to the traditions of the ancient Babylonians and Rabbinical Pharisees (dark/crescent new moon), who would likely renounce as impossible the following events for similar reasons:
The creation of heaven and earth in six literal days.
Noah and his family saved in a boat, while a flood destroyed everything and everyone else on the face of the earth.
The parting of the Red Sea so Yasharal (Israel) could cross over on dry ground.
The forty years Yasharal (Israel) was fed manna, in the wilderness.
When the shadow on the sundial went backwards 10 degrees for King Hezekiah and then returned to its natural progressive position.
The miracle reality that sinners can be forgiven and transformed into the image of Yahuah Alahim.
- The promise of the Second Coming of the Messiah, and the total restoration of all His obedient followers to the Eternal Father along with the earth made new.
It is natural to take a stand that something is impossible on the basis that we have never experienced it. However, some things must be accepted as truth through faith, as miracles are beyond our control or validation. Some miracles we can measure from the sheer fact that our own lives have been touched and transformed by them, such as the case of forgiveness and becoming a new creation through the righteous merits of Yahusha the Messiah.
Furthermore, this proposed miracle is unique in that it involves measuring time itself through the sun, moon, and stars, thereby fulfilling the prophecy of the long-promised Messiah with the Feast of Passover and the Lamb sacrifice. Might it be only by coincidence that on this epic time-centric day, the sun, together with the moon and stars, appears to have made an orchestrated and profound display?
As recorded by three Scriptural witnesses, this highly visual event declared that Yahusha was the authentic Messiah, the promised Lamb as slain from the foundation of the world at precisely noon, from the 6th to the 9th hour, as noted on a sundial. If, indeed, this did occur, what impact would this have on our current perception of time relative to the New Moon and the start of lunar months? What would it tell us about the modern Roman solar calendar, or the Jews, and all the other religions that believe the dark or crescent moon is the New Moon?
Was There a Solar Eclipse on the Day of the Crucifixion?
First, let’s establish a firm foundation. All solar eclipses occurring since the dawn of time have done so during a dark conjunction lunar phase and are observed somewhere on Earth during the daylight. This occurs when the Moon visibly comes between the Earth and the Sun during the daytime, causing the Sun to be partially or completely obscured by the Moon. With any mention of a “solar eclipse” or “darkened Sun,” there is an automatic understanding that the lunar phase on that day is in conjunction with the Earth and Sun, thereby blocking the light of the Sun.
Since this darkening of the sun was a daytime event, it cannot be construed as a lunar eclipse, as lunar eclipses are only visible during the night.
If a solar eclipse occurred on the day of the crucifixion, then it is self-evident, according to the order of the lunar phases, that the full moon must occur 14-15 days prior. Only if the months begin with the “full moon” is it possible for the dark conjunction lunar phase to obscure the Sun in a classic total solar eclipse on the day of the crucifixion.
If, indeed, it was recorded that “the sun was darkened” because of the conjunction moon at noon on the day of the crucifixion, this one factor alone would provide evidence that the “full moon” has always been the New Moon (start of lunar months) from the time of Creation, the flood, the time of the covenant with Abraham, and the Exodus from Egypt. Thus, it is paramount to let Scripture and the astronomical witnesses that Yahuah divinely ordained in the shamayim (heavens) reveal the truth on this so weighty subject. These explain how His clock/calendar system operates, rather than the other way around. Strikingly, we have it on good authority that the Moon is “the perpetual and obedient witness in the heavens (shamayim) (Psalms 89:37).
Another primary piece of evidence supporting this view is that the declaration of the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus fully substantiates it.
When the authentic and original full New Moon (start of lunar months) and the correct starting point for the wheel of the stars are restored by 180 degrees to their original and rightful positions, the sun continues to perpetually arise in the constellation Aries on the 14th daylight of the lunar month of Nisan (Abib) several times in the nineteen-year Metonic cycle. This removes all possibility that the stars have lost time since the time of Moses, as many teach. Our compassionate Father is never asleep on the job and continues to keep His calendar and clock in perfect running order. It is only as the elements of His time-measuring model are skewed that it has come to appear that the celestial clock, via the constellations, is speeding up.
This statement by Josephus was divinely ordained, as it holds a grand key to identifying the true Messiah and the facts surrounding that great day that He sacrificially laid down His life for you and me. The same sign that Josephus applies to Passover at the time of Moses is prophetically fulfilled by this extreme and epic event that highlighted Yahusha as the promised Messiah and Passover Lamb. Visibly, this was the appointed time, as it was the only day of the month and year it could occur.
Three Recorded Eye Witnesses in Scripture
It is considered a fact that neither lunar eclipses nor solar eclipses last for a duration of more than a few minutes of total darkness, and seldom to never three hours of complete darkness. Yet, four eyewitnesses who are intricately familiar with the movements of the celestial bodies and whose names are recorded in Scripture lay claim that the “SUN WAS DARKENED” from the sixth to the ninth hour on the day of the crucifixion. This is the period between Noon and 3:00 P.M. on the modern clock. The primary clarification they each make is regarding its unusual length. This, along with the intensity of the darkness, was the only difference between the occurrence of this “darkened sun event” and all the previous darkened sun events, which are generally referred to today as “solar eclipses.”
Matthew
Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. Matthew 27:45Mark
Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. Mark 15:33Luke
Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45ThenTHE SUN WAS DARKENED, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. Luke 23:44-45
In the record of Luke above, it is of great importance to note that the word “then” does not exist in the Greek text. Translators added it later to make it appear that first, “there was darkness over all the earth, and then the sun was darkened.” This twist in meaning was designed to remove all connections to the natural TIME rhythm of a solar eclipse. But this is not true. Instead, the phrase “the sun was darkened“ was declared by Luke as the required explanation for the darkness that covered the entire earth. These were not two separate events but one and the same event.
Individually, yet in one accord, each of the Renewed Covenant (New Testament) writers determined that the miracle of this “darkened sun” event lay in its profoundly unusual length. It was Luke alone who overtly stated that the darkness over all the earth was directly related to the fact that “the sun was darkened,” but the others made the same statement covertly. But, you may ask, “How did both of the others declare the darkness was related to the sun itself?”
The answer lay in the fact that they all identified the time of day as the sixth to the ninth hour. Remember, there are precisely twelve hours allotted by the ruling sun for every daylight, as presented on a sundial or divided in the sky (John 11:9). All agree that the sun was shining as usual from sunrise to the sixth hour. Then, the sun was obscured until the ninth hour. At the ninth hour, the sun was shining again as usual until it set at the end of the twelfth hour, at its natural time. So, the “sun” ceasing to shine was the predominant focus of the darkness.
Dionysius the Areopagite (Greek Astronomer mentioned in Acts 17:34)
Living in Heliopolis at the time of the crucifixion of Yahusha, the Messiah, was the Greek Astronomer Dionysius the Areopagite. He described the events of that day as appearing to be the end of the world, clarifying that a solar eclipse had occurred on that day. If this were simply a darkened sky, dark clouds, or a premature setting of the sun by six hours, he would have said so, as that would have been extraordinary. He was the expert astronomer who had no reason to lie or conceal the truth regarding the sun being eclipsed by the dark conjunction of the lunar phase. Rather, he describes that “solar eclipse” as an epic event.
If, as some have suggested, the full moon occurred on the 14th of the lunar month of Abib, in which a solar eclipse occurred, we can be certain that the trained eyes of these ancient students of the shamayim (heavens) would have recorded this most unusual occurrence in their testimonies. They would have each declared with enthusiasm that the moon had been moved either forward or backward by a full 180 degrees to place it in the position to darken the sun.
But none of these four astronomically proficient men recorded anything of the sort. Amazingly, they were all silent on this point, which speaks equally as eloquently as what was recorded in their Scriptural statements. The sheer lack of evidence in Scripture for a “full moon” occurring at the time of the crucifixion identifies this theory as a modernly popular but deeply faulty hypothesis.
Other Recorded Testimonies
Tertullian of the 2nd Century A.D.
At length being fastened to the cross, and having cried out and commended His spirit into the hands of His Father, He gave up the ghost of His own accord, and so prevented the executioner’s breaking His bones, by dying in His own time, and fulfilled a prophecy by so doing. Moreover, in the same moment He dismissed life, the light departed from the sun,2 and the world was benighted at noonday, and those men who acknowledged this eclipse, but were unacquainted with the prophecies that foretold it upon Christ’s death,
and finding it impossible to be solved by the laws of nature[This strikethrough section was most likely added by the Correctories of Rome to apease the Jews at the time of their forced adoption of the Babylonian dark conjunction New Moon in A.D. 358.], at last roundly denied the fact; and yetthis wonder of the worldyou have related, and the relation preserved in your archives to this day. Tertullian, Apologia, 65.2 Diliquiunt utique putaverunt. An eclipse of the sun at a full moon [as testified by the Jews after they changed their New Moon to the Babylonian dark conjunction] is by the known laws of nature demonstratively impossible, and this
it was made it so much[caused it to be] taken notice of by the ancient astronomers: by Dionysius the Areopagite, Apollophanes the Sophist, by Phlegon in his Olympiads, etc. Vid. paraphrase of Zephyrus, and the notes of Pamelius, and especially the annotations of Grotius upon Matt, xxvii. 45, where this passage of Tertullian is taken notice of.The 3rd-century Christian historian Sixtus Julius Africanus in a section of his work surviving in quotation by George Syncellus, stated that the chronicler Thallus (A.D. 52) had called the darkness during the crucifixion a solar eclipse. Chronography, George Syncellus, 391.
The church historian Eusebius of Caesarea (A.D. 264 – 340), in his Chronicle, quotes Phlegon [second century A.D.] as saying that during the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad “a great eclipse of the sun occurred at the sixth hour that excelled every other before it, turning the day into such darkness of night that the stars could be seen in heaven, and the earth moved in Bithynia, toppling many buildings in the city of Nicaea.“ Chronicle, Olympiad 202, trans. Carrier (1999)
Laws of Time Created for Signs
The principles of TIME were laid at creation as a foundational principle, ordaining the SUN AND MOON TOGETHER WITH THE STARS to beacon signs, seasons, days, and years (Genesis 1:14). Every time a solar eclipse occurred throughout all history, it was consistently the moon that blocked the light of the sun, causing the “sun to be darkened.” From this standpoint, is it reasonable for the Creator to change this well-known and recognized time phenomenon He created and ordained, and replace it with something never seen before on this most time-centric event of history? NO!
Instead, might the Omniscient Creator, whose real signature is “TIME,” govern His prophetic events, especially this most important of all? Might He have designed it in advance to occur in sync with His perfectly maintained and orchestrated Astro-luni-solar time-measuring model, thereby fulfilling prophecy with precision on that specific day, the fullness of time?
We know this to be accurate because, for at least 1,500 years, the blood of the Passover lamb had been shed and placed on doorposts representing both the first Passover in Egypt and, more profoundly, their future promised Messiah’s great sacrifice. The specific “time” of His death was to fulfill the prophetic criteria in types precisely on astro-luni-solar time, Passover Abib 14. If His death had not perfectly met the requirements of the Torah Laws of love, justice, and time, we would know Yahusha was an impostor.
Might it have been reasonable for Yahuah to have utilized a dark conjunction lunar phase to highlight a “three-hour” solar eclipse to bring attention to this most weighty event of His Son’s selfless act for humankind? Knowing the end from the beginning, might He have known that in the years following the crucifixion, the authentic and original New Moon (start of the lunar months) would be the subject of great conflict by the Yahudim (Jews)? Might He have known that the reckoning of the “month” would be changed 180 degrees from His marvelous light of the full moon to the dark conjunction by the Rabbinical Jews or the first visible crescent by the Karaite Jews? Might He have foreseen that the MOON would be entirely dispensed with by the Romans and their Catholic Christian church, along with all her daughter churches, to the end of time, under the deceptive leadership of the prince of darkness?
All that would have been necessary for Yahuah to do, without changing the cycle of the moon, would have been to bring the moon closer to the earth for a period of three hours to totally block the sun. He could have made the shadow cover the entire world.
Over the last 100 years, science has revealed that the moon’s proximity to Earth has a significant impact on the Earth’s magnetic field. If it were brought closer by Divine intervention, that alone would have likely caused a great earthquake. A naturally scheduled solar eclipse would not have been necessary for this to occur, but only the precise time of the lunar conjunction. By bringing the moon that was already in the proximity of conjunction closer to the Earth, the Almighty Father could easily have created a profound solar eclipse. Amazingly, this would not have even required changing the moon’s orbit or true timekeeping for the remainder of either that day or month, as all of this can be adjusted by its distance from Earth.
- Does Yahuah have the power to move the sun forward or backwards on the sundial 10 degrees? YES. Have you seen this happen or simply trust that it can happen, because of King Hezekiah’s testimony in 2 Kings 20:11?
- Then there was the battle in the book of Joshua in which the sun stood still and the moon stopped until Israel avenged their enemies (Joshua 10:13).
- Do you believe Yahuah has the same power to move the moon closer to the earth for three hours on the day of the crucifixion of His only son, the Messiah that was promised from the foundation of the world?
- Are two disciples, one apostle, and one Greek astronomer’s testimonies of equal value to that of one King named Hezekiah and Joshua? YES.
Discounting the evidence on the basis that a three-hour “solar eclipse” does not typically occur in nature does not allow for the Divine intervention factor. This belief also undermines the testimony of the four eyewitnesses and their recorded statements.
But Yahusha looked at them and said to them, “with men this is impossible, but with Yahuah all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 NKJV
Evidence from the Dead Sea Scrolls
According to an article by William Doehring- “James C. Vanderkam, and John A. O’Brien Professor of Hebrew Scriptures at the University of Notre Dame, has written extensively about the Dead Sea Scrolls community. Set up approximately 200 years prior to the birth of Jesus [Yahusha], the Qumran community split off from the mainstream population of Judea, because the community believed that the religious system at the time had become corrupted. One crucial conviction of Qumran, was that the religious system had corrupted the Jewish calendar, thereby corrupting all of the Jewish Sabbaths and Holy days. ibid
In Vanderkam’s article, Calendrical Texts and the Origins of the Dead Sea Scroll Community, he reveals that the Qumran community followed a Jewish calendar, which is different than the calendar that Jews use today. More crucial to the paradox, he reveals that the Qumran community taught that the “full moon“ commenced the month, which would mean that Passover, which occurs mid-month, would have occurred when the moon was dark. Thus, if Passover was celebrated within Ancient Judaism at the dark of the moon, rather than at the full of the moon, then it would be very possible for a total solar eclipse to occur, simultaneous to Passover and the Crucifixion of
Jesus[Yahusha the Messiah]. ibidNote: Hillel II, the last president of the Sanhedrin, established the modern Jewish calendar, approximately 350 years afterJesus[Yahusha]. Other arguments have been made as to why the Jewish calendar may have been corrupted as well.” Christianity Shrouded by Solar Eclipse, Examiner.com, William Doehring, May 19, 2012.
Although it is argued above that the Qumran community split off 200 years before the Messiah, it is more likely that these calendar corruptions did not begin until the early years following the crucifixion of Yahusha, the Messiah. As the true Son of Yahuah, the Messiah gave His life as the Lamb slain for us on the precise day of the ancient Jewish Passover. This signified that at this epicenter of time, the Creator’s original calendar had not yet become corrupted.
Stellarium Images of Conjunction 2000 Years Ago
Each of the following images from Stellarium is a simulation of what appears to have occurred in the respective years and is based on NASA’s UTC coordinates, which correspond to GMT. Each image depicts the 6th hour (Noon) with the sun straight up and the moon at or near conjunction and a possible solar eclipse. This is the view from Jerusalem, facing due south, for four different years: A.D. 30, 31, 32, and 33. Do not be confused by an apparent night sky or the fact that the constellations are visible, for these are examples of what might have been visible when the sun was in an extreme eclipse on the 14th day from the whole New Moon in the first month of spring. Each image will be addressed from left to right.
Note: Unless the boundary markers (in red) were marked differently 2,000 years ago (and very possibly so), the sun does NOT occur in Aries every year in the middle of the first lunar month of Abib. You will see that the sun is often very near the border, most of the time, and not actually within the borders.
Year A.D. 30
Year A.D. 31 
Image A above illustrates the sun at noon on (03-11-31), in the constellation Pisces (a 30-degree portion of the sky represented by the fish), nearing conjunction. This is the closest the moon will get to the sun during any daylight portion of this month from the perspective of Jerusalem at noon. On the following day (not pictured), the moon has leapfrogged beyond the sun. This is too early.
Image B above illustrates the sun the following month of 4-10-31 at noon in the constellation Aries (a 30-degree portion of the sky represented by the he-lamb). Here, the moon is just below the sun as it nears the conjunction and is the closest the moon will get during any day of this month. This is the most likely choice for a “darkened sun,” i.e., “a solar eclipse” during the crucifixion for A.D. 31. As stated above: “A natural eclipse would not have been crucial for this to occur, but only the approximate time of conjunction. By bringing the moon that was already in the proximity of conjunction closer to the Earth, the Creator of all things in the shamayim above and below could easily have created a profound solar eclipse. Amazingly, this would not have needed to change the moon’s orbit or true timekeeping for the remainder of either that day or month, as all of this can be adjusted by its speed in relation to the distance from Earth.”
Also of interest is that Jupiter and Mercury are within the Aries boundary markers on this day.
Year A.D 32
Image A above illustrates the sun in the constellation Aries (03-29-32). The moon is entering conjunction, and it will be the closest to the sun during daylight hours for this month. This appears to be the most likely day this year that the crucifixion might have occurred.
Image B above illustrates that the sun is well into the constellation Taurus (04-28-32), a 30-degree portion of the sky represented by the bull, as seen in this middle-of-the-month image. The moon is in conjunction. This depicts a partial solar eclipse, but this month appears to be too late for Abib.
Year A.D. 33
Image A above illustrates this 14th day of the month, the sun remains well in the constellation of Pisces. The moon is very close to conjunction and a partial eclipse. But this month appears to be too early for Abib.
Image B above illustrates this 14th day of the month with the sun just inside the border between Aries and Taurus. The moon is the closest to conjunction it will get during daylight. If divine intervention had been utilized by bringing the moon closer to the Earth, a solar eclipse could have been created in any fashion Yahuah ordained.
Note: A.D. 33 is the year for which the Catholic Church and most of her Sunday-keeping daughter churches claim was the year of the crucifixion. It was of primary importance that they harmonize this epic event with Rome’s new calendar so the Resurrection would appear to occur on a Sunday, the sacred day of their creation. So today, they claim the crucifixion occurred on Friday, April 3, 33 A.D (middle image above). Strikingly, that was the night of the full moon, placing them 180 degrees removed from the solar eclipse, the GREAT SIGN in the shamayim, and the truth.
Before the seventeenth century, Rome adhered to a different date altogether. It was not until Sir Isaac Newton pointed out that their previously established date did not line up with their doctrine of a Friday Crucifixion and a Sunday Resurrection that they opted to change their view. Newton provided two options: Friday, April 7, A.D. 30, and Friday, April 3, A.D. 33. The rest is history.
Sun, Moon, and Stars in Concert
What profound and essential details can be surmised by the above images?
The real miracle of gross darkness that day may have been twofold: 1) The extraordinary length of time the solar eclipse lasted from start to finish, and 2) The intensity of the darkness it created so the visible stars could tell their story and reveal redemption’s long-promised mystery. As mentioned earlier, all that would have been necessary for divine intervention would have been to bring the moon either closer to Earth or cause the moon’s orbit to align with the sun for three hours.
Also mentioned earlier and recorded by Phlegon, this solar eclipse occurred in the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad. “Its darkness was so complete that the stars could be seen in the heavens, and there was a great earthquake.” As stated earlier, this earthquake may have even been the result of the moon being brought closer to the Earth.
both the sun and the moon would have been centralized to one location in the shamayim (heavens), which was in the constellation Aries, at the feet of the lamb. Might our sorrowing Father above have utilized this timely astronomical event to fulfill prophecy on the grandest of scales, to announce to the whole earth, “Behold the Lamb of Yahuah, who takes away the sin of the world?”Among all these time-centric illustrations, there is only one that meets all the necessary criteria to work together succinctly with Divine intervention. This is the illustration for 04/10/31. So what sign in the shamayim marks this day that could not occur on any of the other days? It is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, portrayed in the starry constellation of Aries (Revelation 13:8). This supports the historical quote made earlier by Flavius Josephus, which states, “the SUN was in the constellation of Aries.” The significance of this cannot be overstated, as only a solar eclipse could reveal this astronomical reality. Marked by a dark conjunction of lunar phase and a darkened sun, the LAMB constellation came into full view directly overhead at noon.
Additional Miraculous Events Occurred that Day
During the violent earthquake, the rocks were split, and even graves were opened up. This exposed the bones of the fleshless prisoners, awaiting the Messiah’s resurrection on the third day that they, too, might be raised to life (Matthew 27:52).
Concerning the sun being darkened, the only phenomenon recorded in Scripture in connection with it was in relation to its “three-hour” duration from start to finish. It appears that YAHUAH Most High Father dramatized the “eclipse” by making it last longer and with such a full and complete lunar coverage of the sun that the stars may have come out, as testified by Phlegon. In this way, bringing attention to that day so that it may be recorded and considered throughout the world as the grand miracle it was, and highlighted by a predominant dark lunar conjunction.
Not to be overlooked is the sister event that most likely occurred at the 9th hour, at the end of the solar eclipse, when our Savior declared, “IT IS FINISHED!” The veil or curtain that had, since the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, hung as the separating wall between the sacred outer room and Most Kadosh (holy) place of the earthly temple at Jerusalem was torn in two from top to bottom at the moment of Yahusha’s death. This revealed that the mediatorial work and advocacy of our Savior, the Messiah, had now begun, and a direct PATHWAY to the FATHER was opened for all mankind. For Yahusha, our Messiah, is the righteous interface between the Eternal Father and His children. So while the “darkened sun” commenced the three hours of darkness, the curtain was torn at its end at the moment of our Savior’s death.
While this was, no doubt, the saddest day ever to occur in all eternity, the Most High’s absence in the Most Kodesh Place (the holiest place) of Earth was also a sign that this phase of ministry had been completed. The prophesied and promised Lamb of Yahuah was now slain on the cross for our sins. The work of restoring humanity was, at that moment, moved to the shamayim temple above, not made with hands, where the remainder of the process for salvation was to be embarked upon for the souls of humanity. There are three primary periods of the Ministry of the Messiah, which continue to be identified by the prophetic Feast Days. Only the first prophetic phase was completed and finished at the cross. At the moment each prophetic period ends, the next one begins. Since that time, we have been living in the second phase, with an active advocate between the Father and us. Soon, this will come to a close as our Messiah enters the third and final prophetic phase, preparing to return for His people. This will be when the books are closed, and there is no more opportunity for forgiveness of sin.
Time-keeping Changes Begin to Be Made
There is evidence dating back to the third and fourth centuries A.D. that shows efforts were made to debunk the idea that a solar eclipse actually occurred on the day of the crucifixion. So, one must ask the question: What brought about this quarrel over such a well-recorded solar eclipse event? And why did a conflict not become prominent until two or three hundred years after the crucifixion? Might it be that at so late a date, a transformation in timekeeping had begun among the Jews, as well as by the Romans, whereby they necessitated a cover-up pinpointing the true crucifixion date? The following quote is an example of many such arguments:
Third century critics declare Thallus’s statements as false because the lunar phase was 14 days from a crescent moon, naturally making it “full.” And solar eclipses cannot occur on the full moon. ~ Loveday Alexander, ‘The Four among pagans’ in Bockmuehl and Hagner, eds, The Written Gospel, (Cambridge University Press, 2005), page 225.
At the time of Constantine in A.D. 324, the Babylonian seven-day continuous weekly cycle was permanently integrated into Rome’s new calendar by law. Then, just over thirty years later, in A.D. 358, the Jewish Sanhedrin, under the leadership of Hillel II, appears to have adopted this same continuous weekly cycle that originated in Babylon. But the question is, might they also have adopted, at the same time, Babylon’s dark conjunction as their New Moon? The prophet Daniel declared that the beast power was at work and would “think to change times and laws.” Daniel 7:25. This agenda was designed to utterly destroy any resemblance to the Creator’s original lunar time system. Click on the Calendar Comparison chart below to enlarge it.
Roman Emperor Julius Caesar had eliminated the moon from time-keeping for his empire as early as 45 B.C. It was this single elimination of the New Moon Day that caused the weeks to cycle without end. The evidence reveals that when in Roman captivity and under Sanhedrin leadership, the Jews abandoned all the Scriptural time-keeping ordinances that had kept them in harmony with the former temple services and, thus, with the Creator’s Calendar and the New Jerusalem itself. Therefore, it only makes sense that they would have also chosen to abandon their historic full New Moon and adopt Babylon’s dark occulted lunar phase as the start of their new style of lunar month, causing them to resort to calculating their calendars rather than relying on visual sightings.
As mentioned earlier, an article by William Vanderkam, “Calendrical Texts and the Origins of the Dead Sea Scroll Community,” reveals that the Qumran community followed a Jewish calendar, which differs from the calendar used by Jews today. More crucial to the paradox, he explains that the Qumran community taught that the full moon commenced the month, which would mean that Passover, which occurs mid-month, would have occurred when the moon was dark. Only then would Passover occur on the dark of the moon, rather than at the full moon, making it possible for a total solar eclipse to occur midday on Passover and the Crucifixion of Yahusha.
Note: Hillel II, the last president of the Sanhedrin, established the modern Jewish calendar, approximately 350 years after [Yahusha] Jesus. Other arguments have been made as to why the Jewish calendar may have been corrupted as well.” Christianity Shrouded by Solar Eclipse, Examiner.com, William Doehring, May 19, 2012.
I recommend the following book as it relates to the full moon: Calendars in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Measuring Time, James C. Vanderkam
The testimony of the Dead Sea Scrolls declares that the original and ordained New Moon (the first day of each lunar month) in the Qumran community was the full moon, which may have undergone its modification by the last Sanhedrin High Priest, Hillel II, in A.D. 358. This may have all been a proactive plan to rid themselves of the incriminating evidence that was displayed by the prophetic solar eclipse event, which occurred in A.D. 31, testifying that Yahusha, whom they had killed, was indeed the promised Messiah.
Is the Biblical Record Mistaken or Did the Jews Shift the Calendar?
Here is an illustration of the three days and three nights that the Messiah lay in the tomb. It highlights the lunar phases as they would have occurred during those days.
Take a moment to thoughtfully consider the lunar phases shown in the graphic above, which so beautifully confirm the testimony preserved in Scripture. Notice how it was the dark moon that occurred on the 14th of Aviv, revealing that the original New Moon (the first day of the lunar month) has always been the full moon from the beginning. At first glance, this may seem difficult to accept, especially since it stands in direct opposition, 180 degrees removed, from the calendar followed by the Jewish people for the last two thousand years. This naturally invites us to ask: Was the Bible mistaken in its timekeeping, or were it the Jewish leaders, during their Roman captivity, who shifted the calendar? Please watch this one-minute video, which focuses on this question: VIDEO.
Upon closer examination, the weight of evidence confirms that the Scriptural record is faithful and true, and supported even by non-Jewish historians of that era. And when we consider the circumstances, a motive for such a calendar change emerges with startling clarity. After the Jewish leadership’s role in the crucifixion of Yahusha the Messiah on Passover, the 14th day of the lunar month, they had every reason to alter the record. By shifting the New Moon to the dark conjunction, they could blur the very signs in the heavens that testified against them: the three hours of supernatural darkness from noon to 3:00 p.m., perfectly fulfilling the ancient prophecy of Amos 8:9-11. This adjustment would help shield them from the ongoing, day-by-day witness of the Temple ceremonies that had pointed directly to Yahusha as the promised Messiah. In this way, they could claim innocence before future generations, hiding the very evidence that the heavens and the Scriptures had so clearly declared on that most sacred day…“Behold the Lamb of Yah, who takes away the sins of the world.”
The Sacrifice Schedule is the Master Key of Time
The detailed sacrificial prescriptions recorded in Leviticus 23 and Numbers 28–29 function as what might be termed our Creator’s “Rules of Engagement.” In this light, the sacrificial calendar is established as the MASTER KEY of TIME and PROPHECY. As the Master Key, it unlocks both the measure of sacred time and the unfolding of prophecy by revealing the precise pattern of years, months, weeks, and days within the lunar‑appointed system upon which the Plan of Salvation is fulfilled.
In the Sacrifice schedule below, note that every single day of the year, there was the Daily Sacrifice of two lambs – one in the morning and one in the evening. On the Sabbath, there were two male lambs sacrificed, plus the morning and evening sacrifices. Then, on the New Moon Day, there were two bulls, one ram, seven lambs, and one goat sacrificed, plus the morning and evening sacrifice.
Lack of Evidence for a Dark or Crescent New Moon
Strikingly, you will never find any Scriptural evidence for the avowed Rabbinical Jewish (Pharisee) belief that the dark conjunction or first visible crescent is the Scriptural New Moon (first day of the lunar month). Instead, it is only by manipulating Psalms 81:3 that the full moon can appear to be located in the middle of the month, on the “chag” feasts. However, the true meaning of the term “chag” can be demonstrated to include any or all of the Feast Days, and not just the ones that are specifically designated to commence on the 15th day of their respective months. Consequently, Psalms 81:3 cannot be used to determine either a crescent or a dark conjunction as the New Moon (the first day of the lunar month).
Does a Cover-up Continue Today?
Is there a sustained cover-up by both the Rabbinical (Pharisees) and Karaite Jews today that mandates NASA’s records to be skewed regarding solar eclipses around the time of the crucifixion? I cannot say, but it is certainly possible. All the other astronomical organizations would have to be involved. Scriptural evidence and eyewitness accounts are generally considered reliable. However, the current astronomical data does not appear to match the Scriptural record.
While NASA claims accuracy up to the minute, I can show that two areas on their website conflict by nearly three hours of time difference for all of their lunar and solar eclipses.
A little-known fact is that “NASA,” while an English acronym, is also a word of Hebrew origin (nasa נָשָׂא #5375- bring forth; lift up, take away). Might the term “nasa” have been selected explicitly, as it defines both a bringing forth of knowledge, while at the same time obscuring or taking something away?
Amos’s Prophecy of a Solar Eclipse on the Day of the Messiah’s Death
If evidence could be produced that illustrates a continued attempt by modern translators to conceal the Tanakh’s (O.T.) prophecy in this regard, might it be a wake-up call? The prophet Amos declared what the sign of the true Messiah’s identity would be. He revealed to us that on the very day of the true Messiah’s death, “the sun would be darkened at noon,” turning that Feast Day into mourning. Is there evidence that this occurred? Yes! Refer to the article/study “Amos Prophesied a Solar Eclipse.”
So, does a time-centric cover-up continue today among the Rabbinical and Karaite Jews to hide the identity of the true Messiah and the actual date of His death? Is it possible that the method for this colossal cover-up is concealed within a modern yet fraudulent crescent or dark New Moon ideology? For the prophetic word study in Amos 8:9-11, click on this link: Amos Prophesied a Solar Eclipse.
Conclusion
According to this Scriptural evidence, at the time our Messiah walked the earth, the New Moon (the first day of the lunar month) was the full moon. Might a thorough review of all the evidence in both the Old and New Testaments reveal to us that this was true at creation and still true to this day?
Whether or not a matter is popular among the Rabbinical Jews, Karaite Jews, or Christian churches today, Scripture must be our guide, and it must bear two or three witnesses in its defense. Refer to the new study on the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis 15:12, 17, entitled “The Night was Dark 430 Years Prior to the Exodus, to the Very Day.“
In this essential subject of the darkened sun event, the Most High Father has provided us, not with just two or three, but with five testimonies, whose names are recorded in Scripture as witnesses to the fact that a monumental solar eclipse event did occur on the day of the crucifixion of Yahusha, the Messiah. These witnesses include Amos, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Dionysius, the Areopagite of Acts 17:34, a Greek astronomer and Gentile, whose writings remained unaffected by the Roman Censors or the need for Jews and Romans to alter the course of time with their new calendar.
If you currently follow the crescent or the dark occulted lunar phase for the New Moon, or you have been part of a Christian church whose calendar is wholly divorced from the Scriptural New Moon model, take this to Yahuah in prayer. Ask Him to help you be obedient to the new light being poured out, as the latter rain, from His very throne. The very fact that this revelation has reached your ears is by Divine design, as our Eternal Father wants you to arise and come out of Babylon. He wants you to dwell with Him for all eternity, from one full New Moon to another. Isaiah 66:23. That is what I did, as truth is much more precious than gold or being in one accord with the popular views crafted by rebellious mankind.
“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”
by Kerrie L. French
TheCreatorsCalendar.com
Amos Prophesied a Solar Eclipse Would Occur at the Messiah’s Death 800 Years Previously.
Treasury of Evidence: The Full Moon Announces Lunar Months
Three Months in a Row – Part 1 The Exodus