The Course of Day by John Nevins Andrews

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 9, 1871

The Course of Day.

By John Nevins Andrews

WHAT do we mean by this expression? Simply this: that each day of the week makes a definite circuit of the globe. But does not each day begin and end to each individual just where he is? Assuredly it does. Then what more is there, or can there be, to the subject? To those who have given the matter no special thought, this is all there is to it. The day begins and ends in each place to its inhabitants, and the most of them regard this as all that pertains to any day of the week. Why are they not right? Simply because there are, east and west, other people, and other places, in the world. But how does this have any bearing upon the subject? Strange to say many apparently thoughtful persons fail to see that it has any bearing at all. They know when any given day begins and ends with them, and they never look beyond that single fact. Indeed such persons can with difficulty be induced to give any thought to the subject. They are indifferent, simply because they think they understand it well enough already, and that there is no important idea concerning it which they do not already grasp.

Yet there is something more which they need to learn. The proof is found in one very palpable fact of which few persons are ignorant. A day is added to the reckoning of those who circumnavigate the globe in an easterly direction, and a day is lost from the reckoning of those who circumnavigate it in a westerly direction. To the seventh-day man, this is a matter of importance, as it furnishes the most plausible argument against the observance of the definite seventh day. To the first-day man, it is even of greater interest, for this change of reckoning in circumnavigating the globe furnishes his principal proof that the fourth commandment calls for the sabbatical observance of the seventh part of our time, and not for that of the definite seventh day. It is of special interest also to those who do not regard any day as sacred, for no person who has any love for truth can feel indifferent at the supposed confusion and indefiniteness of dates which seems to be by this fact established.

Why is it that this apparent gain or loss of a day occurs? This brings us to consider the nature of the course of day, for it is involved in this very thing. Because every individual does have a definite day of twenty-four hours for each of the seven days of the week, he must not therefore conclude that the day begins and ends its course with him.

The measurement of time as established by the Creator is very worthy of our admiration. It gives to each place definite days of twenty-four hours, and it gives to our globe the circuit of day which must be carefully distinguished from the simple existence of definite twenty-four-hour days in any one locality. Does any one feel disposed to call this distinction a foolish and unlearned question? Before they do this, let them answer this inquiry: Does each day of the week commence all round the world at once? If it does, then indeed there is no circuit of day to our globe; for it begins everywhere at the same instant, and ends everywhere at the same identical moment. But in that case, whereas it is sunset, afternoon, noon, forenoon, morning, midnight, and evening, at the very same instant in different and successive points in the compass of our globe, it follows of necessity that each day, if it begins at the same instant all over the globe, begins at every hour and even minute of the entire twenty-four hours of day and night. Any one can see that such an idea would make the observance of the Sabbath practically an impossibility. For in addition to the fact that some point on the world's surface must be selected for the place at which day should begin at sunset, there must also be an exact measurement from that precise meridian to that of each individual the world over. And as this would involve the beginning of day at some point of the globe during each moment of day and night, and as there is nothing in nature to mark all the moments or even hours of the twenty-four, it would follow that the whole thing after being determined by an exact computation of each man's meridian to fix the time of day or night at which he should commence the day (provided it could be agreed where is the exact meridian that should have the day begin with sunset), there would be only one thing that could be depended upon to govern the beginning of the days of the week, and that is—clocks! A very unfortunate state of the case to those who happen to have none, and are not able to buy; and equally such to those who have clocks that will not keep good time!

But if this were the proper way to reckon days, viz., by having them each begin at the same instant the world over, the difficulty by no means pertains to the Sabbath-keeper only. For all the natural divisions of time would have to be disregarded by nearly all the people on the globe; for the days of the week would commence in different parts of the world at every moment of day and night. Such would be the case were it true that the days of the week begin at the same instant the world over. Happily no such reckoning of time was ever ordained by the Lawgiver, for he is not the author of confusion, but all his ways are perfect. Indeed not one particle of evidence exists to show that each day of the week commences all over the world at the same instant. We copy the following forcible argument of Eld. Waggoner in reply to one who contended that the Sabbath begins at the same instant to all the inhabitants of the world. Bro. W. speaks thus:— “But where is the difficulty? The question recognizes the fact that the day commences at sunset, and sunset does not occur at all places at the same time; therefore, the day does not commence in all places at the same time. The Bible plainly teaches that the day commences with the evening; and as all days commence at that time, what is said in Lev. 23:32, will apply to all Sabbaths at all times, and in all places. But the writer of the foregoing letters urges that we should begin to keep the seventh day at the same time they would begin to keep the same day in Asia! Let us see how this will work.

“Two men, one in Asia and one in America, wish to keep the Sabbath according to the Bible. They read in the Bible that (1.) the seventh day is the Sabbath. Ex. 20:9. (2.) The evening is the first part of the day. Gen. 1. (3.) That the evening begins at the setting of the sun. Josh. 8:29; 10:26, 27; Mark 1:32. And (4, therefore,) The Sabbath must be observed from even to even, that is, from sunset to sunset. Lev. 23:32. Now if they both keep the Sabbath according to the Bible, they will both keep it according to these particulars. As time rolls on, the sun rises the sixth time in the week on the American—it is sixth-day morning with him. Thinking of the circumstances of his Asiatic brother, he soliloquizes thus:

“‘The sun is now setting in Asia, and my brother there now commences to keep the Sabbath. It is said that God is a God of order, and uniformity is desirable, so I must now begin to keep the Sabbath, in order to keep it with my brother. But the Bible is my rule, and I will see if I can begin the Sabbath here at the same time my brother in Asia begins it, and obey the rule. The rule says I must keep the seventh day; if I begin now, I shall keep part of the sixth day and part of the seventh day. The rule says I must keep it from evening to evening; if I begin now, I shall keep it from morning to morning. I must not violate the rule; therefore I must not yet commence my rest of the Sabbath. Neither will it do for my brother to wait till the sun sets here, in order to begin with me, for the sun has already set there, and the seventh day has there commenced. The rule requires him to begin now. And if he waits to begin with me, the Sabbath will be half gone there when he begins; so he will then keep half of the seventh day and half of the first day. Therefore, if we begin at the same time, we must violate the rule, or else get the sun to set in Asia and America at the same time! But the former, we must not do, and the latter, we cannot do; therefore, he must begin now, and I must wait till the sun sets here, and the Sabbath begins with me.’”

“Who can say he has not arrived at a safe conclusion? It is, in fact, the only conclusion at which he could possibly arrive without doing violence to the sacred rule.

“Suppose a law should be passed at Washington that a certain document should be placed on record in Washington, and in the capital of every State of the Union, on the fourth of July, exactly at noon. Would the Secretary in Sacramento fulfill the law, if he made the record at the same time that it was made in Washington? Surely not; for the law requires it to be made at noon, in every place, but noon does not come at Sacramento some three or four hours before the sun reaches the meridian. There is not a person in the land so wild as to suppose, nor so reckless as to urge, that the record must be made at the same time, absolutely, in each State of the Union. But ‘noon’ is no more definite than ‘evening’ or ‘the setting of the sun;’ what will apply to one, in this respect, will apply to the other. Why, then, will people argue so absurdly in respect to the commencement of the Sabbath?”—Advent Review, July 15, 1869.

It is certain, therefore, that day does not begin at the same instant to all mankind. It does begin with sunset as has been clearly shown, and sunset makes the circuit of the globe westward. This being true, it follows that there is such a thing as a circuit to day, as well as definite days of just twenty-four hours each. Here is an important truth:

Each day makes the circuit of the globe in forty-eight hours, and each day occupies twenty-four hours in passing any one point in its course around the world.

If the reader will have patience, the statement shall be proved, and its importance made manifest. That each day of the week occupies twenty-four hours in passing any point in its course round the world, is manifest. For every one knows that wherever he may be, each day of the week comes to him and continues with him for twenty-four hours. He may also understand that as each day does begin earlier to those who live to the east of himself than it does to him, and that it does not begin to those who live west of himself so early as it does with him, that it follows of necessity that the course of day is more than twenty-four hours long. But how can it be shown that the course or circuit of day around our world is just forty-eight hours?

This can be done without difficulty. For as the days of the week begin with sunset, so also is it true that sunset makes the circuit of the globe. It requires twenty-four hours for sunset to go round the world. And therefore when it has accomplished the circuit of the globe the day is ended where the circuit began, but is only commenced at the place where that circuit closes. And as day is thus ended on one side of the day line, and just begun on the other side of that line, it will take the end of day just as long to make the circuit of the globe as it required for the beginning

of day to make the same circuit. In other words, it will require twenty-four hours for the end of day to go round the world. There is certainly a point where each day first begins upon our globe, and from thence the beginning of day makes the circuit of the globe requiring for that the space of twenty-four hours. There is also a place where each day of the week first ends upon our globe, and from thence the end of day passes round the world. And the point where any day first ends upon the earth is the very point where it first begins to our earth. The end of day requires just as much time to go round our world as is required by the beginning of day to make the same circuit. And as it sets out twenty-four hours behind the commencement of day, it follows that when the commencement of day has reached the end of its circuit, it will require twenty-four hours for the end of day to fill out the same circuit and to close the day where it last commences.

I have important facts to present bearing upon this subject. The study of the subject will repay the labor which it may cost.

J. N. ANDREWS.