This is a big issue in the messianic movement which has been unresolved - I started a discussion on this in the True Name network which you might like to read at:

http://nazareneisraelitetruenamenetwork.ning.com/forum/topic/show?i...

The basic problem is this: where did the first day begin at creation? And the answer is, where the observer who wrote Genesis was standing. And since he witnessed the creation of the Garden of Eden and the creation of man, then the first day would have begun where the Garden of Eden is located, making that the "International Date Line" of the world.

Two problems:

1. Where was the Garden of Eden? We don't actually know though there are two main theories (unless you are a Mormon and think it was in the USA):

(a) Roughly where lake Van is in Turkey because this is where the headwaters of the Euphrates and the other two main Mesopotamian rivers are located - the trouble with that theory is we don't know how much the flood changed geography;

(b) Where Jerusalem is, this being the 'centre of the world'. This is what I have now been persuaded to believe. However, this creates another problem because clearly Israel was not split into two time zones, with one east of Jerusalem to the eastern border and one west of the Jerusalem to the Meditterranian Sea. So was the time zone the River Jordan (or even as far east as the Euphrates) or west at the River of Egypt (or as far west as the Nile)? If it is the western border, that means the Sabbath for Europeans and Americans is Thursday sunset to Friday sunset (the Muslim sabbath). If it is the Jordan it is as it is now (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) as far east as the Jordan, after which it is Saturday sunset to Sunday sunset up to the manmade IDL (which is only 200 years old).

Most messianics are putting their head in the sand like the proverbial ostrich and pretending the problem doesn't exist. However, if we are serious about honouring the Sabbath we need to know where it begins and ends at any one location on the earth.

This would be a good discussion to continue here as no one in the other group has taken it any further. We could cut and paste it in here too if you like.