What is the International Date Line?
The International Date Line is an imaginary line that runs through the middle of the Pacific ocean. It was officially1 established in 1884 at the International Meridian Conference in Washington, D.C. for the sole purpose of differentiating between days on the Gregorian calendar.
The International Date Line functions as a "line of demarcation" separating two consecutive calendar dates. When you cross the date line, you become a time traveler of sorts! Cross to the west and it’s one day later; cross back and you’ve "gone back in time."2
For the most part, the Date Line follows the 180° meridian, which is opposite the Greenwich meridian (Prime Meridian) in London, England.3 This line is far from being straight, though, as there are several contrived deviations to accommodate the political and economic affiliations of nearby areas. The location selected for the International Date Line is arbitrary; its location is a matter of convenience and has no ties whatsoever to anything in nature.
180 degrees was chosen [for the International Date Line] because it runs mostly through open ocean in the central Pacific, zigging and zagging to keep nearby nations on their own day and date. So the choice of 180 degrees was arbitrary, but it established the IDL in use today.4
The International Date Line can be anywhere . . . But it is most convenient to be 180° away from the defining meridian that goes through Greenwich, England. It also is fortunate that this area is covered, mainly, by empty ocean. However, there have always been zigs and zags in it to allow for local circumstances.5
"The 180° meridian was selected as the International Date Line because it mostly runs through the sparsely populated Central Pacific Ocean. It was decided at the International Meridian Conference in 1884 in Washington, D.C. where 26 countries attended." (https://www.timeanddate.com/time/dateline.html, retrieved on May 20, 2017.)
International Date Line (IDL) Summary:
The IDL is imaginary.
The IDL was contrived by a committee of men in Washington, D.C. in 1884.
The location of the IDL is arbitrary and has no link to anything in nature.
Because the IDL is arbitrary, it is movable. (It has been moved several times for political/economic convenience. We will touch more on this later.)
What is the Luni-Solar Date Line?
The Luni-Solar Date Line is the line of demarcation established on earth by the sun and moon at the luni-solar conjunction.6 This phenomenon takes place at the beginning of each lunar cycle and is very predictable. Unlike the man-made Date Line, the Luni-Solar Date line is not arbitrary; rather, it is based upon the motions of the heavenly bodies, just as Yahuwah intended.
And Elohim said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons [worship times7], and for days, and years. (Genesis 1:14)
Notice that Genesis does not say...
"And Elohim said, Let a committee of men (about 6,000 years from now) create an imaginary line at their discretion to divide the day from the night; and let it be for signs, and for seasons [worship times], and for days, and years."
What makes the Luni-Solar Date Line so remarkable is that it allows us to differentiate between calendar days without man's inventions (i.e. the International Date Line).8 When reckoning New Moon Day as commencing at dawn after the luni-solar conjunction, the entire world is united in the observation of not only the feasts and Sabbaths, but every day. That is to say that everyone on earth begins their day within the same 24-hour period.
How the Luni-Solar Date Line Works
The first dawn after the luni-solar conjunction marks the beginning of the date line. Dawn then moves forward from that point bringing with it New Moon Day to the world. Subsequently, six work days follow and then the seventh-day Sabbath (Lunar Sabbath). Although Yahuwah's date line, which could also be called His "dawn line," changes geographically from one lunation to the next, commencing New Moon Day at dawn after the conjunction ensures that everyone on earth begins their day within the same 24-hour period. Consequently, there is no need whatsoever for man's counterfeit date line.
Had the Father's feast days never been forgotten and His calendar never forsaken, there would have been no reason to conjure up the man-made IDL.
How does the International Date Line compare to the Luni-Solar Date Line?
(1a) Is the International Date Line based on observable phenomenon?
No. The IDL is 100% imaginary and arbitrary.
(1b) Is the Luni-Solar Date Line based on observable phenomenon?
Yes. It is based on the motions of the heavenly bodies (in accordance with Gen. 1:14).
(2a) Can the International Date Line be moved by man?
Yes. Men have moved the IDL several times for political/economic convenience.
(2b) Can the Luni-Solar Date Line be moved by man?
No. Because the Luni-Solar Date Line is determined by the heavenly bodies, it is out of man's reach. The Luni-Solar Date Line is under the direct supervision of Father Yahuwah, who by wisdom founded the earth and by understanding established the heavens.(Proverbs 3:19)
(3a) Who created the International Date Line?
The IDL was contrived by a committee of men in Washington, D.C..
(3b) Who created the Luni-Solar Date Line?
The Luni-Solar Date Line was established by Yahuwah. It is determined at the beginning of each lunation by the motions of the heavenly bodies (in accordance with Gen. 1:14).
(4a) When was the International Date Line established?
The IDL was established in 1884.
(4b) When was the Luni-Solar Date Line established?
The Luni-Solar Date Line was established at Creation with the ordination of the sun and moon.
Which date line do you suppose Heaven endorses?
International Date Line
Luni-Solar Date Line
Imaginary & Arbitrary
Real; it is objectively established by observable phenomenon in the heavens.
Can be moved my men (The IDL has been moved several times for political/economic convenience.)
Cannot be moved by men (Because the Luni-Solar Date Line is determined by the heavenly bodies, it is out of man's reach. The Luni-Solar Date Line is under the direct supervision of Father Yahuwah.)
Contrived by a committee of men gathered in Washington, D.C.
Ordained by the Creator (The Luni-Solar Date Line is established at the beginning of each lunation by the motions of the heavenly bodies, in accordance with Gen. 1:14.)
Established in 1884
Established at Creation
Waking Up...
Many, today, are waking up to the half-truths and outright lies being promulgated within the institutionalized church and are returning to covenant torah. They are being enlightened to the perpetual nature of Yahuwah's feast days and are zealously promoting a return to set-apart living and the observance of all that Yahuwah has commanded. Often overlooked, though, is that the calendar being used to calculate the feast days is irreparably pagan. Not only that, but it is inexorably dependent upon the International Date Line. This is a huge problem for those who profess to adhere to Scripture alone. To zealously proclaim sola scriptura9 while making Yahuwah's feast days subservient to the man-made International Date Line is utterly inconsistent. Pause for a minute and think about this. How can the Sabbaths and the annual feasts be dependent upon a 130 year old man-made invention?
To zealously proclaim sola scriptura while making Yahuwah's feast days subservient to the man-made International Date Line is utterly inconsistent.
SDAs & the International Date Line: Cognitive Dissonance at its Best
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has been blessed with a wealth of Scriptural truth. One area, in particular, is their recognition of the tremendous importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy. Sadly, though, SDAs have adamantly rejected the fullness of the three angel's messages and the increasing light of Biblical calendation. Consequently, they continue to blindly cling to the lopsided theology of exalting the Papal Gregorian Saturday (as determined by the man-made IDL) while professing Scripture as the sole rule of faith and duty.
A Closer Look at SDA Theology
If you are an SDA, we humbly implore you to stop and think about this for a moment: If the final conflict is to be as simple as Saturday versus Sunday, how can it be that the only difference between these two days is an imaginary line contrived in 1884 by a committee of men in Washington D.C.?
Seventh-day Adventists ardently claim that Saturday is the Biblical Sabbath ("the seal of Yah") and that Sunday is the pagan day of worship (the "mark of the beast"), yet they ignore the fact that it is the man-made date line alone that separates the two days. They recognize the importance of keeping the Sabbath and the grave error of exalting the pagan sun-day, yet they have no problem allowing man to determine when the seventh day ends and the following day begins (via the International Date Line). This makes no sense. The only difference between the "Seal of Yah" and the "Mark of the Beast" in SDA theology is the man-made date line. If you are an SDA, we humbly implore you to stop and think about this for a moment: If the final conflict is to be as simple as Saturday versus Sunday, how can it be that the only difference between these two days is an imaginary line contrived by a committee of men in Washington D.C.? And if Saturday is the ancient Sabbath of Scripture, why is it governed exclusively by an 1884 invention?
On the Move
The International Date Line has been relocated for convenience several times since its inception. Not only that, but even the unofficial10makeshift line that preceded the IDL was moved on at least two occasions:
The course of the makeshift date line after the Alaska adjustment of 1867, but neglecting the Philippine adjustment of 1844/45, as published in the 4th edition (1885-90) of Meyers Konversationslexikons (longitudes are reckoned from the meridians of Ferro and Paris) Source: https://www.staff.science.uu.nl/~gent0113/idl/idl_philippines.htm
The Philippines: In 1844, the Philippines (along with the Mariana Islands, Guam, and the Caroline Islands) removed Tuesday, December 31 from its calendar, shifting the make-believe date line to the east. Consequently, what had previously been recognized as Friday, became Saturday, and what had previously been recognized as Saturday, became Sunday. SDAs in the Philippines disregard this conundrum entirely, though, by worshipping on the new Saturday and boasting, "Our Sabbath is the New Testament Sabbath."11 By default, SDA theology demands that those who exalt what had previously been Saturday (the new Sunday) are in danger of receiving the "mark of the beast." This is both illogical and inconsistent. How can an honest truth seeker continue to cling to the erroneous doctrine of a continuous weekly cycle in the face of such clear evidence to the contrary?
Alaska: When the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, the makeshift line was moved to the west. Consequently, Alaska observed two Fridays in a row.
At the instigation of U.S. Secretary of State William Seward, the United States Senate approved the purchase of Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000 on April 9, 1867, and the United States flag was raised on October 18 of that same year (now called Alaska Day). Coincident with the ownership change, the de facto International Date Line was moved westward, and Alaska changed from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. Therefore, for residents, Friday, October 6, 1867 was followed by Friday, October 18, 1867; two Fridays in a row because of the date line shift.12
This means that what had previously been recognized as Saturday, became Friday, and what had previously been recognized as Sunday, became Saturday. Think about it; Saturday Sabbatarians in Alaska today worship on what was Sunday only 150 years ago. Again, the ramifications for the SDA Church are huge because their theology insists that those who persist in Sunday observance will ultimately bear the mark of the beast. How can this be, when only 150 years ago, their day of worship (Saturday) was Sunday? Integrity demands that Yahuwah's faithful acknowledge the egregious fallacy of making Heaven's holy days subordinate to a man-made date line.
Samoan Islands and Tokelau: In 1892, the IDL was moved to the west of the Samoan Islands. This was achieved by observing Monday, July 4 for two consecutive days in the islands. 119 years later, in 2011, Samoa shifted the IDL back to the east by removing Friday, December 30 from its calendar. Tokelau, a nearby island belonging to New Zealand, made the transition as well. Today, the IDL passes between the islands of Samoa and American Samoa.
The majority of SDAs in Samoa now worship on the new Sunday because, they say, the continuous weekly cycle is what matters. Yet, they ignore the fact that the 2011 adjustment was only returning Samoa to the calendar week it was observing prior to 1892. This is utterly nonsensical and again makes clear the fallacy of claiming that the modern week has cycled continuously and without interruption since Creation.
According to SDA theology, the seal of Yah (seventh-day Sabbath observance) and the mark of the beast (Sunday observance) must be one and the same in Samoa. This, alone, should be enough to make any honest SDA re-evaluate their paradigm. (Suggested Reading: International Date Line Change: The Sabbath Unchanged?)
Kwajalein Atoll: In 1993, Kwajalein (one of the Marshall Islands) removed Saturday, August 21 from its calendar, causing the IDL to be moved to the east. This brought Kwajalein into harmony with the other islands which, up to that point, had been on a different day.
Eastern Kiribati: In 1995, Kiribati moved the IDL to the east for "administrative convenience."13 (Prior to this, the Republic of Kiribati was divided by the date line.)
Modern "Jews" Admit a Problem
Within modern Judaism, there are four major opinions14 regarding where the date line should be:
90° East of Jerusalem
180° East of Jerusalem
Mid-Pacific: Closely Resembling the International Date Line
There is No Specific Date Line (observe when the locals do)
While no genuine truth seeker should be looking to the Ashkenazi "Jews" for anything, the fact that there is any debate at all among the self-styled rabbis is indicative of a larger problem.
The Patriarchs & Prophets
The Patriarchs & Prophets
So, how did the Patriarchs and Prophets manage time? Are we to believe that the antediluvian men of Yah and the post-flood patriarchs/prophets used a zigzagging imaginary date line in the middle of what is now the Pacific ocean to determine when the Sabbaths and feast days arrived? This is truly absurd. Again, the modern date line was created in 1884 by mere men for the purpose of worldly commerce.
Noah's Descendants
Noah's Descendants
Think about this for a moment: When Noah's family began to grow and replenish the earth after the flood, some would have travelled east and some would have travelled west. Eventually the two groups would have met each other on the other side of the world.15 Now consider this: If Noah's descendants were observing a continuous weekly cycle, they would have been one calendar day apart when they met on the other side (e.g. one group would be observing the sixth day, while the other group was observing the seventh day). The reason for this is that those who travelled east were travelling towards the rising sun (beginning their days earlier with each eastward movement), while those who travelled west were travelling towards the setting sun (beginning their days later with each westward movement). Consequently, when the two groups met on the other side of the world, those who had been travelling east would be one day ahead of those who were travelling west. So, who would be right? Who's calendar would have been correct? The answer: If they had been observing a continuous weekly cycle, they would both be correct, which is not possible. This again demonstrates the fallacy of a continuous weekly cycle.
Question: If these ancient men and women of Yahuwah were not using the modern counterfeit date line to measure time, what were they using?
And Elohim said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years. (Genesis 1:14)
Answer: They were using the Luni-Solar Date Line, which is established each lunation by the "lights in the firmament of heaven." If erring men had not abandoned Heaven's calendar and neglected Yahuwah's feast days, the counterfeit date line would never have been necessary. The man-made IDL is the result of open rebellion against Heaven.
Challenge for all Saturday Sabbatarians (teachers and pastors included):
Question: How can you consistently observe a Saturday Sabbath without using the man-made International Date Line?Answer: You can't. It is irrefutably impossible to use the Roman Papal Gregorian Calendar without also using the man-made date line - for it is this very line that tells you when to transition from one day to the next; it is this very line that tells you which days to reckon as holy, and which days to reckon as common. This perhaps makes no difference to the institutionalized Sunday-keeping churches that teach lawlessness, but to those who are zealous for the things of Yahuwah and who recognize the eternal value of His Sabbaths and feast days, this makes all this difference in the world!
If we are to serve the Father without compromise, we must allow His word alone to distinguish for us that which is holy from that which is common. That is to say we must use Heaven's calendar and Heaven's date line to determine when the Sabbaths and feast days arrive, not man's counterfeit date line that's been zigzagging its way throughout the Pacific ocean for the last 130 years.
Ask Questions
If you are a Saturday Sabbatarian, ask your pastor, "How can we consistently observe a Saturday Sabbath without using the 130 year old man-made International Date Line?" If he is honest, he will have to concede that it is impossible. The world simply cannot be united in observing a Gregorian day/date without using the International Date Line. The question that logically follows then is, "How can Saturday be Heaven's ordained seventh-day Sabbath?" There is simply no way around it; if the day matters, then the method used to calculate the day matters, too. You cannot have it both ways, i.e. you cannot say that the seventh-day Sabbath is of the upmost importance to our Father in Heaven, while also saying it is acceptable to let worldly men determine when the seventh-day Sabbath begins and ends (via the International Date Line).
Embrace Truth
Now that your eyes have been opened to the deceit of the modern calendar, what will you do? Will you obey at once and begin studying/observing Heaven's calendar? or will you obstinately plug your ears, cover your eyes, and turn your back to the light? Will you pick up your cross and follow the Lamb wherever He goes? or will you shrink from the invitation and return to the complacency and darkness from whence you were called? It is our prayer that you will shake off the spirit of Laodicea and flee Babylon while there is yet time.
Please do not make the mistake of believing that there is safety in numbers. Your pastor might choose to remain in darkness. Your church family might prefer the comfort of a pew over the discomfort of bearing the cross. Everyone you know might reject the latter rainand the increasing light of the Father's calendar. This, however, does not excuse you from your responsibility to embrace the truth. Yahuwah has made it known to you. Incomprehensible blessings await those who trust and obey.
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. (Proverbs 4:18)
Related Content:
Sabbath (Content Directory)
Annual Feasts (Content Directory)
The Creator's Calendar (Content Directory)
International Date Line Change: The Sabbath Unchanged?
Why does the Sabbath occupy more than one day on the Gregorian Calendar?
Other websites teach that the lunar Sabbath should be calculated from Jerusalem. Why doesn’t WLC?
How can a single Sabbath fall on different days of the week within the same general area?
1 "The International Date Line was not established officially until the 1880s, but the need for such a line on Earth to adjust the day was inadvertently discovered by Magellan's crew who, from 1519 to 1521, were the first to circumnavigate the world." (Peterson, James F., Sack, Dorthy., Gabler, Robert E.. “Physical Geography.” 11th ed. Cengage Learning, Feb. 4, 2016. Education. 672 pp. p. 34. http://tinyurl.com/kps2efn, retrieved on May 11, 2017.)
2 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/international-date-line.html, retrieved on April 29, 2017.
3 The Greenwich meridian (Prime Meridian) was established in 1851 by Sir George Biddell Airy, an English mathematician and astronomer. It is the Greenwich meridian that today establishes Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Selecting Greenwich as the anchor point for measuring time "was arbitrary. It was based more on national pride and convenience." (http://www.livescience.com/44292-international-date-line-explained.html, retrieved on April 29, 2017.)
4 http://www.livescience.com/44292-international-date-line-explained.html, retrieved on April 29, 2017.
5 Astronomical Applications Department of the U.S. Naval Observatory, http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/international_date.php, retrieved on May 8, 2017.
6 The sun, because of its slightly faster motion, pulls ahead of the moon by about 12.2° each day. Consequently, it gets so far ahead of the moon that it circles around behind it and overtakes it again after about 29.5 days (12.2° x 29.5 = 360° = a full circle). The luni-solar conjunction is the precise moment in time when the sun is again in line with the moon (the same celestial longitude) before it once again moves ahead of the moon at the beginning of the next lunar cycle. The time of conjunction is often referred to as the astronomical "new moon."
7 The word translated as "seasons" in Genesis 1:14 is mo'ed. "Mo'ed is used in a broad sense for all religious assemblies. It was closely associated with the tabernacle itself. . . . [Yahuwah] met Israel there at specific times for the purpose of revealing His will. It is a common term for the worshiping assembly of . . . [Yahuwah's] people." ("Lexical Aids to the Old Testament," Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, p. 1626.)
8 While we do utilize modern technologies to determine precisely when the conjunction will occur, we do not use the man-made date line; rather, we use the heavenly bodies alone to reckon time, just as we are instructed in Genesis 1:14. The ancients were much smarter and in tune with the heavens than we are today. This is evidenced by the countless ancient structures around the world that can accurately predict eclipses, equinoxes, solstices, etc. Consequently, they were able to accurately forecast heavenly phenomenon without the use of modern amenities.
9 Sola Scriptura was the rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation. It is a Latin phrase, meaning "Scripture alone."
10 "The necessity of a calendar date line was popularized by 13th century geographers who marveled how a circumnavigator would 'paradoxically' gain or lose a date depending on his travel direction. . . . Various popes and empires subsequently declared calendar date lines in accordance with their needs." (The Jerusalem Post [emphasis suppied], http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Judaism/Ask-the-Rabbi-A-matter-of-time-167236, retrieved on May 18, 2017.)
11 http://adventist.ph/philippines-profile, retrieved on May 8, 2017.
12 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Alaska, retrieved on May 12, 2017.
13 BBC News quoting Michael Walsh, the Kiribati Honorary Consul to the UK, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-13334229, retrieved on May 13, 2017.
14 http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1736567/jewish/The-Sabbath-the-International-Date-Line-and-Jewish-Law.htm, retrieved on May 18, 2017.
15 The noted illustration is not specific to a globe. If both groups start at the same point and move in opposite directions on the flat earth, they will be one day apart when they meet on the other side of the flat earth. "The reason for this is that those who travelled east were travelling towards the rising sun (beginning their days earlier with each eastward movement), while those who travelled west were travelling towards the setting sun (beginning their days later with each westward movement)." Related Content/Illustration: https://www.worldslastchance.com/flat-earth/countless-explorers-have-circumnavigated-the-globe.html
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