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Second, and probably more significant and important, is the question of which calendar the 7th
day Sabbath belongs on. Does it belong on Saturday as it has been kept since about the 4th
century AD, as indicated on the papal gregorian calendar? Or, does the 7th day Sabbath belong
on the biblical calendar of scripture as given at creation, and reinstituted by Moses at the time of
the Exodus, as given to Moses by YHWH (God) beginning in Exodus 12?
In this paper, we will deal with only one aspect and fundamental question of this complex
tapestry of chronology of God’s word. We will ask the question, Did Ellen G White, Prophet of
the Seventh Day Adventist Church, confirm the 7th day Sabbath on Saturday on the papal
gregorian calendar, or did she confirm the 7th day Sabbath on the biblical calendar dates of the
8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th days of each bibilical month?
In reference to Ellen White’s use of the words “Saturday” and “Saturday Sabbath,” it appears
that she may not have used this terminology for 20 plus years following the advent movement
(undetermined). Keep in mind that keeping of Saturday as Sabbath did not occur immediately,
for another year or two following the advent movement of 1844, and even then, it was kept
erroneously from 6PM to 6PM for about 10 years. It is acknowledged that she used the planetary
week name “Friday” interchangeably at times, with the word for the sixth day, which was
commonly known and used by the Israelites as “preparation.” She also used the planetary week
name “Saturday” on many occasions, at times in reference to Saturday as the Sabbath.. In the
context of the time the events of the exodus and crucifixion took place, the word “Friday” and
“Saturday” are misplaced and incorrect. In addition, the crucifixion was more likely on what
would have been a Wednesday on the Julian calendar, in use during the 1st century. The question
remains; given the apparent contradiction, do we follow Ellen White, or do we follow YHWH’s
holy scriptures? You decide.
Now let us look as some examples from the pen of Ellen White that confirms the bibilical 7th day
Sabbath days of the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th days of the biblical month. It is acknowledged here
1
that there may be no direct or indirect references to the 29th day of the month, but there are
references that point to the other 7th day Sabbaths of the month.
NOTE: In several places in the writings of Ellen White, she used the term “Jewish month,” or “Jewish year.” It should
be noted that this is an incorrect reference to the ownership of the lunarsolar calendar set forth in the scriptures. The
calendar of scripture is given by YHWH (God) to Moses and the Israelites, and it is His calendar, that was given to
the Jewish/Israelite people.
These types were fulfilled, not only as to the event, but as to the time. On the fourteenth day of
the first Jewish month, the very day and month on which, for fifteen long centuries, the
Passover lamb had been slain, Christ, having eaten the Passover with his disciples, instituted
that feast which was to commemorate his own death as “the Lamb of God, which taketh away
the sin of the world.” That same night he was taken by wicked hands, to be crucified and slain.
And as the antitype of the wave-sheaf, our Lord was raised from the dead on the third day, “the
first-fruits of them that slept,” [1 Corinthians 15:20.] a sample of all the resurrected just, whose
“vile body” shall be changed, and “fashioned like unto his glorious body.” [Philippians 3:21.]
{GC88 399.2}
That was a never-to-be-forgotten Sabbath to the sorrowing disciples, and also to the priests,
rulers, scribes, and people. At the setting of the sun on the evening of the preparation day the
trumpets sounded, signifying that the Sabbath had begun. The Passover was observed as it
had been for centuries, while He to whom it pointed had been slain by wicked hands, and lay in
Joseph's tomb. DA 775
When there shall be a "restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His
holy prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:21), the creation Sabbath, the
day on which Jesus lay at rest in Joseph's tomb, will still be a day of rest and rejoicing.
Heaven and earth will unite in praise, as "from one Sabbath to another" (Isaiah 66:23) the nations
of the saved shall bow in joyful worship to God and the Lamb. {DA 769.2-770}
2
6th Day Preparation; 7th day Sabbath
On the sixth day the people gathered two omers for every person. The rulers hastened to
acquaint Moses with what had been done. His answer was, "This is that which the Lord hath
296
said, Tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake
today, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept
until the morning." They did so, and found that it remained unchanged. "And Moses said, Eat
that today; for today is a Sabbath unto the Lord: today ye shall not find it in the field. Six
days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be
none." {PP 295.3}
God requires that His holy day be as sacredly observed now as in the time of Israel. The
command given to the Hebrews should be regarded by all Christians as an injunction from
Jehovah to them. The day before the Sabbath should be made a day of preparation, that
everything may be in readiness for its sacred hours. In no case should our own business be
allowed to encroach upon holy time. God has directed that the sick and suffering be cared for;
the labor required to make them comfortable is a work of mercy, and no violation of the Sabbath;
but all unnecessary work should be avoided. Many carelessly put off till the beginning of the
Sabbath little things that might have been done on the day of preparation. This should not be.
Work that is neglected until the beginning of the Sabbath should remain undone until it is past.
This course might help the memory of these thoughtless ones, and make them careful to do their
own work on the six working days. {PP 296.1}
NOTE: Twice a year in YHWH’s calendar, the first day of a 7 day feast, or appointed time, is a Sabbath. This is on the
15th day of the month in each case, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the 1 st month, and the first day
of the Feast of Tabernacles in the 7th month. This is typically thought of as a “high” day or Sabbath. It is the same as
the 7th day Sabbath, not separately a “feast” Sabbath, and should be regarded as such.
On the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from Egypt,
the children of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin; and there "the whole
congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron. . . . And the
children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in
the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh-pots, and when we did eat bread to the full;
3
for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with
hunger. {RH, August 30, 1898 par. 3}
"Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and
the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them,
whether they will walk in my law, or no. And it shall come to pass, that on the
sixth day they shall prepare that which they bring in; and it shall be twice as
much as they gather daily. And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel,
At even, then ye shall know that the Lord hath brought you out from the land of Egypt:
and in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord; for that he heareth your
murmurings against the Lord: and what are we, that ye murmur against us? And
Moses said, This shall be, when the Lord shall give you in the evening flesh
to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the Lord heareth your
murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not
against us, but against the Lord." {RH, August 30, 1898 par. 4}
"And in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew that lay
was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as
small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw it, they said
one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them,
This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. This is the thing which the Lord
hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every
man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in
his tents. . . . {RH, August 30, 1898 par. 5}
"And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much
bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told
Moses. And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, Tomorrow
is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord; bake that which ye will bake today,
and seethe that ye will seethe: and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept
until the morning. And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not
stink, neither was there any worm therein. And Moses said, Eat that today; for today is a
Sabbath unto the Lord: today ye shall not find it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it;
but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none. {RH, August 30,
1898 par. 6}
NOTE: Notice the specific day that the Israelites murmured; it was the 15th day of the second month, the self-same
day they came out of Egypt. In the instructions, YHWH says He will give them quail after sundown, then the next
day, in the morning, the 16th day, He would give them manna for 6 days; 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st. The next
day is the 7th day Sabbath, and is the 22nd day of the month. If the 22nd day of the month is the 7th day sabbath,
then the 15th is also the 7th day Sabbath, and likewise, the 8th and the 29th.
According to the observance of the Biblical Calendar every 7th Day-Sabbath falls on the
following days of the month: 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th. Let's look to our Master Yahshua, as to what He
did:
John 12:1 Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which
had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. John 12:2 There they made him a supper; and
Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. John 12:3 Then took
Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his
feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. John 12:4 Then saith
one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, John 12:5 Why was
4
not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? John 12:6 This he said, not
that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put
therein. John 12:7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept
this.John 12:8 For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.
SIX DAYS BEFORE THE PASSOVER:
PASSOVER = 14th OF THE MONTH OF NISAN
From the 14th we subtract 6 days:
14 - 6 = 8th OF THE MONTH (A SEVENTH-DAY SABBATH)
So according to the gospel of John, Yahshua went to Mary and Martha on the 8th day of the
month - A SABBATH DAY, according to the Biblical calendar.
Proof:
The Saviour had reached Bethany only six days before the Passover, and according to His
custom had sought rest at the home of Lazarus. The crowds of travelers who passed on to the city
spread the tidings that He was on His way to Jerusalem, and that He would rest over the
Sabbath at Bethany. Among the people there was great enthusiasm. Many flocked to Bethany,
some out of sympathy with Jesus, and others from curiosity to see one who had been raised from
the dead. {DA 557.3}
Yahshua visited them on the weekly Sabbath!
More proof?
John 12:12 On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that
Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, John 12:13 Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet
him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. John
12:14 And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, John 12:15 Fear
not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass' colt.
What does Sister Ellen White tell us about this occasion?
It was on the first day of the week that Christ made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Multitudes who had flocked to see Him at Bethany now accompanied Him, eager to witness His
reception. Many people were on their way to the city to keep the Passover, and these joined the
multitude attending Jesus. All nature seemed to rejoice. The trees were clothed with verdure, and
their blossoms shed a delicate fragrance on the air. A new life and joy animated the people. The
hope of the new kingdom was again springing up. {DA 569.3}
Note: the first day of this week would have been the 9th day of the biblical month, the day just prior to the day when
the Passover Lamb would have been selected (10th day), and the Jews would have conspired to kill Yahushua.
When there shall be a "restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His
holy prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:21), the creation Sabbath, the
5
day on which Jesus lay at rest in Joseph's tomb, will still be a day of rest and rejoicing.
Heaven and earth will unite in praise, as "from one Sabbath to another" (Isaiah 66:23) the nations
of the saved shall bow in joyful worship to God and the Lamb. {DA 769.2-770}
Note: Passover was always celebrated on the 14th day of the 1st biblical month, which was the 6th day of the week.
The day that Yahushua lay in the tomb, the creation Sabbath, is the 15th day of the biblical month, always a 7th day
Sabbath in scripture.
It is not God that blinds the eyes of men or hardens their hearts. He sends them light to
correct their errors, and to lead them in safe paths; IT IS BY THE REJECTION OF
THIS LIGHT THAT THE EYES ARE BLINDED AND THE HEART HARDENED. Often the
process is gradual, and almost imperceptible. Light comes to the soul through God's word,
through His servants, or by the direct agency of His Spirit; but when ONE RAY OF LIGHT is
disregarded, there is a partial benumbing of the spiritual perceptions, and the second
revealing of light is less clearly discerned. So the darkness increases, until it is night in the
soul." DA 32
You seem to be surprised that I look at matters in the light that I do. You speak of the
resolution that you thought ought to have passed at the General Conference. What did that
resolution comprehend? It virtually said that nothing should be taught in the college but
that which had been taught during the past year. . . . {13MR 334.1}
I stated that I was a stockholder and I could not let the resolution pass, that there was
to be special light for God's people as they neared the closing scenes of this
earth's history. Another angel was to come from heaven with a message, and the
whole earth was to be lightened with his glory. It would be impossible for us to
state just how this additional light would come. It might come in a very
unexpected manner, in a way that would not agree with the ideas that many have
conceived. It is not at all unlikely, or contrary to the ways and works of God, to
send light to His people in unexpected ways. Would it be right that every avenue
should be closed in our school so that the students could not have the benefit of this light?
The resolution was not called for.--Letter 22, 1889.