I know the issue of fitting Matthew 12:40 into a Friday/Sunday period has been discussed before, but does anyone have any historical documentation that shows that the phrase; “ 3 days AND 3 nightsâ€, was a unique first century idiom of Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek which could mean something different than what the phrase means in English?
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Three Days and Three Nights
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Why would there need to be any trumped up "historical documentation" to understand Christ was literally raised from the dead after 3 days and 3 nights per God's Word?
John 19:14
14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
(KJV)
John 19:31
31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
(KJV)
The 3 days and 3 nights Jesus' body was in the tomb before The Father raised Him from the dead is figured per the Hebrew reckoning. Per Hebrew reckoning, the day ended at sunset. Jesus was crucified to the hour of the Passover sacrifice on a Wednesday, and His body rushed to be buried before the end of the day, which ended at sunset. It was rushed to get done just prior to Thursday beginning at sunset.
1st night - Wednesday sunset to Thursday sunrise
1st day - Thursday sunrise to Thursday sunset
2nd night - Thursday sunset to Friday sunrise
2nd day - Friday sunrise to Friday sunset
3rd night - Friday sunset to Saturday sunrise
3rd day - Saturday sunrise to Saturday sunset
Sometime between Saturday sunset but before Sunday sunrise, God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. As dawn began on the first day of the week (Sunday), Mary went to the sepulchre per Matthew 28 and an earthquake rolled back the stone. (Sunday had already begun the evening before at sunset per the Hebrew reckoning).
Thus the 3 days and 3 nights prophecy Lord Jesus said His body would be in the tomb before being raised by The Father was no first century idiom. It was literally fulfilled as written.
John 19:14
14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
(KJV)
John 19:31
31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
(KJV)
The 3 days and 3 nights Jesus' body was in the tomb before The Father raised Him from the dead is figured per the Hebrew reckoning. Per Hebrew reckoning, the day ended at sunset. Jesus was crucified to the hour of the Passover sacrifice on a Wednesday, and His body rushed to be buried before the end of the day, which ended at sunset. It was rushed to get done just prior to Thursday beginning at sunset.
1st night - Wednesday sunset to Thursday sunrise
1st day - Thursday sunrise to Thursday sunset
2nd night - Thursday sunset to Friday sunrise
2nd day - Friday sunrise to Friday sunset
3rd night - Friday sunset to Saturday sunrise
3rd day - Saturday sunrise to Saturday sunset
Sometime between Saturday sunset but before Sunday sunrise, God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. As dawn began on the first day of the week (Sunday), Mary went to the sepulchre per Matthew 28 and an earthquake rolled back the stone. (Sunday had already begun the evening before at sunset per the Hebrew reckoning).
Thus the 3 days and 3 nights prophecy Lord Jesus said His body would be in the tomb before being raised by The Father was no first century idiom. It was literally fulfilled as written.
ProphetMark
Member
I'm still unsure about all this.
Where does the bible say that he was raised at Saturday sunset rather than Sunday sunrise? (ie where does it confirm that the prophecy was fulfilled and it wasn't actually 3 days and 4 nights?)
And where does it specify which sabbath it was?
Where does the bible say that he was raised at Saturday sunset rather than Sunday sunrise? (ie where does it confirm that the prophecy was fulfilled and it wasn't actually 3 days and 4 nights?)
And where does it specify which sabbath it was?
archangel_300
Member
Here's how I see it.
Christ's atonement for sin began Thursday night in the garden of Gethsemane when the wrath of God was being poured out on hiim in full force. We see this when Christ was sweating and when he prayed three times to God that the Father might take the cup he was drinking from him. This cup was the cup of God's wrath for the sins of mankind.
Christ's atonement for sin began Thursday night in the garden of Gethsemane when the wrath of God was being poured out on hiim in full force. We see this when Christ was sweating and when he prayed three times to God that the Father might take the cup he was drinking from him. This cup was the cup of God's wrath for the sins of mankind.
Eccl12and13
Member
veteran said:
Who can argue sound doctrine?
Besides what is posted above, Jesus tells us Himself how He reckoned a day to be in the following verse;
John 11
[9] Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.
SInce there are still 24hours in a day, according to Jesus, there remains another 12 hours for night.
To put His statement another way;
For as Jonas was three days x (12hrs) and three nights x (12hrs) in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
According to logic and the fact that Jesus Himself gave us the timeframe He considers a day to be, He had to be in the grave for 72 hrs.
Just as veteran posted the ONLY day Jesus could have been put in the grave was a Wednesday evening. Seventy-two hours later would have been Saturday at evening. Any other day would make the scriptures incorrect.
As I said before.....Who can argue sound doctrine?
Thanks Veteran for the post!
archangel_300
Member
Eccl12and13 said:
Sound doctrine ehh?
I don't doubt this theory yet.... but right now the puzzle pieces don't fit properly for me and others. Perhaps you or veteran can explain more because you both missed the 4th night.
1st night - Wednesday sunset to Thursday sunrise
1st day - Thursday sunrise to Thursday sunset
2nd night - Thursday sunset to Friday sunrise
2nd day - Friday sunrise to Friday sunset
3rd night - Friday sunset to Saturday sunrise
3rd day - Saturday sunrise to Saturday sunset
4th night - Saturday sunset to Sunday sunrise
archangel_300
Member
Ok... I think things are getting a little clearer.
I've always thought Christ was risen on Sunday morning.
But looking at the scriptures I don't think it states he was risen on Sunday morning. Sunday morning is the time that Mary and the rest found the tomb was open and Christ was already risen. Then it could be possible then that Christ was resurrected Saturday evening before Sunday.
Hmm... will do more thinking about this.
I've always thought Christ was risen on Sunday morning.
But looking at the scriptures I don't think it states he was risen on Sunday morning. Sunday morning is the time that Mary and the rest found the tomb was open and Christ was already risen. Then it could be possible then that Christ was resurrected Saturday evening before Sunday.
Hmm... will do more thinking about this.
archangel_300
Member
Veteran or someone else perhaps you can explain this in more detail to me.
Christ was crucified the day before the Sabbath day is that correct?
If that was Wednesday... how come the scriptures state that they found him risen on the first day of the week? Wouldn't this mean He arose on Friday? Please explain... thanks.
Also...
Mark 16:9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.
Please clarify my confusion. Thank you.
Christ was crucified the day before the Sabbath day is that correct?
If that was Wednesday... how come the scriptures state that they found him risen on the first day of the week? Wouldn't this mean He arose on Friday? Please explain... thanks.
Also...
Mark 16:9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.
Please clarify my confusion. Thank you.
watchman F
Member
Actually that is an easy one. According to scripture evening came first and then morning, and that was the first day, and then evening and morning and that was the 2nd day ect.... seeing as Friday evening and then Saturday morning is the 7th day the 1st day would start at Sundown Saturday. So Jesus did not rise at sunrise He rose at sundown, and wasn't discovered alive until sunrise. He had been risen all night.archangel_300 said:
watchman F
Member
Yes Archangel you've got it. I post my response to your question, before I saw that you answered your own question.archangel_300 said:
watchman F
Member
Yes I can explain. The first day of the week is not Friday it is Sunday starting the evening before Saturday evening through Sunday, Sunday at sundown would be the start of the second day. So Jesus rose Saturday night after sundown, and was discovered until Sunday morning. Now as far as the Sabbaths go there are 59 Sabbaths 52 weekly Sabbaths which start Friday at sundown and end Saturday at sundown. There are 7 that are on particular date, one of these is the day after the Passover. Jesus Died on Passover so no matter what day Passover fell on whether a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday the day after would have been a sabbath, but not one of the 52 weekly sabbath, one of the 7 annual Sabbaths. So Jesus died on a Wednesday as already shown to fit the days and nights in, that evening through Thursday s until sunset was the annual sabbath that followed Passover, then come Friday evening was there weekly sabbath, the at sunset on Saturday night began the first day of the week. Jesus rose, and was discovered alive at dawn.archangel_300 said:Veteran or someone else perhaps you can explain this in more detail to me.
Christ was crucified the day before the Sabbath day is that correct?
If that was Wednesday... how come the scriptures state that they found him risen on the first day of the week? Wouldn't this mean He arose on Friday? Please explain... thanks.
Also...
Mark 16:9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.
Please clarify my confusion. Thank you.
archangel_300 said:Veteran or someone else perhaps you can explain this in more detail to me.
Christ was crucified the day before the Sabbath day is that correct?
If that was Wednesday... how come the scriptures state that they found him risen on the first day of the week? Wouldn't this mean He arose on Friday? Please explain... thanks.
Also...
Mark 16:9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.
Please clarify my confusion. Thank you.
One MUST use the Hebrew calendar reckoning, which is God's calendar of The Bible. Per the Hebrew calendar, a day is reckoned from sunset to sunset; not midnight to midnight like our Gregorian calendar which is newer.
Per Exodus 12, the Passover sacrifice was to occur at evening, at the going down of the sun (Deut.16:6). That's the "preparation day" of John 19:31-42.
The first day of Passover was to be a "holy convocation" per Exodus 12:16. No work was to be done. That means a high sabbath, the "high day" mentioned in John 19:31. The Passover high sabbath was to be held regardless of what day of the week it fell upon. So the sabbath that was coming after our Lord Jesus was crucified was that "high day" of the Passover timing, not the regular weekly sabbath day.
Our Lord Jesus was crucified on the "preparation day", at the time of the evening at the going down of the sun, the time God gave for the Passover sacrifice. At SUNSET began the high sabbath Passover. At sunset is when the 3 days and 3 nights timing starts.
Mary visited our Lord's sepulchre Sunday, some time before dawn while it was still dark (John 20; Matt.28). That means we cannot count that night, because she found the stone rolled away while still dark in the nightime, prior to dawn. So start back from Saturday sunset to count backwards.
Saturday dawn to Saturday sunset - 1st day
Friday sunset to Saturday dawn - 1st night
Friday dawn to Friday sunset - 2nd day
Thursday sunset to Friday dawn - 2nd night
Thursday dawn to Thursday sunset - 3rd day
Wednesday sunset to Thursday dawn - 3rd night
That means our Lord Jesus had to have been crucified on a Wednesday, buried at sunset Wednesday, and His body in the sepulchre all the way to Saturday sunset, making literally 3 days and 3 nights. Sunday began at our Saturday sunset after dark per Hebrew reckoning. He had to have risen on Sunday the first day of the week, sometime during that night. And sometime before Sunday dawn, Mary found the stone rolled away.
Eccl12and13
Member
archangel_300 said:Veteran or someone else perhaps you can explain this in more detail to me.
Christ was crucified the day before the Sabbath day is that correct?
If that was Wednesday... how come the scriptures state that they found him risen on the first day of the week? Wouldn't this mean He arose on Friday? Please explain... thanks.
Also...
Mark 16:9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.
Please clarify my confusion. Thank you.
"...It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." Luke 4:4
Let's not only read every word, but also UNDERSTAND every word we read. Let's go and re-read the following scripture;
John 19
[31] The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
Notice the sabbath spoken of was a "high day"! Besides the weekly 7th day Sabbath God also gave us additional sabbath days, which were called "high days". These "high days" or sabbaths were to be observed in the same way the 7th day sabbath was. Let's look at a few of them;
First let's find God's weekly 7th day sabbath;
Exd.20
[8] Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
[9] Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
[10] But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Lev.23
[3] Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.
Notice not only are we to rest, but we are also to have an holy convocation and no work is to be performed. This let's us know that it is a sabbath day of the Lord.
Now on to some of God's 'high day' sabbaths;
Lev.23
[5] In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD's passover.
[6] And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
[7] In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
[8] But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
In the 7th and 8th verse above God tells us of (2) sabbath days; the day after the passover is called the first day of the feast of unleavened bread and it is a sabbath day. The 7th day is also a sabbath day. Since these are not the normal 7th day sabbath the nation of Israel called these days 'high days' or 'high sabbaths'. These feast days are not fixed days. God uses the moon to start and end the months so these days did not always fall on the same day every year.
Because of this it is possible to have MORE than one Sabbath in a seven day period. This was the case when Jesus was crucified.
In the week that Jesus died Passover started on the evening of what we now call Tuesday. Tuesday evening Jesus ate the passover meal with His disciples. Late that night our saviour was captured and sentenced to death. All that night He was beaten and tortured. That morning, our Wednesday, still being the passover He was put on the cross. Around the 9th hour He died, just as the passover lamb was supposed to do; be killed on the passover. Just before the sun went down, around the 12th hour our saviour was laid to rest. Since the next day, which started at sunset after Jesus was buried, was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened bread, a 'high sabbath', Mary and the other Mary prepared spices and rested seeing it was a sabbath. Remember now, sundown starts the next day. So that means the first day of the Feast of Unleavened bread started on what we call Wednesday evening. Wed. to Thurs. evening Christ was in the grave for 24hrs. Thur. evening to Fri. evening Christ was in the grave for another 24hrs. And from Fri. evening to Sat. evening He was in the grave for another 24hrs. At which time, 3 days and 3 nights, exactly 72hrs, he was raised by the Father.
Matt.26
[2] Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.
[17] Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?
Mark 14
[1] After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.
[12] And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?
Luke 22
[1] Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.
[7] Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed.
[8] And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.
[11] And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?
Jesus ate the passover meal with His disciples and that same day was killed. It was the only day He could die. For Jesus was our passover, and just like the passover lamb had to die the day of the passover, so did our Lord.
Hope this helps!
.
archangel_300
Member
Awesome!!!
Thanks everyone for these explanations it makes perfect sense now!
So it appears, so far at least, that there is no historical documentation that shows that the phrase; “ 3 days AND 3 nightsâ€, was a unique first century idiom of Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek which could mean something different than what the phrase means in English? But the topic is still young.
Eccl12and13
Member
archangel_300 said:
Awesome!!!
Thanks everyone for these explanations it makes perfect sense now!
Brother, more than anytihng, it just thrills my heart that you took the word of God and sat down and read it with an open mind. Although you have been told, for years i'm sure, that Jesus was raised from the grave on a Sunday morning, God has shown you, through His holy word, that just is not what happened. Take hold of this and do not let ANYBODY tell you otherwise....and there will be many to come to try to change your mind.
"[4] And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
[5] For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
[11] And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." Matt.24
"[5] And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:
[6] For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." Mark 13
"And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ..." Luke 21
"[6] Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience." Eph.5
"[13] But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
[14] But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;" 2 Tim.3
You have truly been blessed!
Praise God!
.
archangel_300
Member
Eccl12and13 said:
It is true that I've been taught Christ rose on Sunday morning but I never really looked into the matter for myself. Whenever it comes to the Word of God I can always be instructed to the appropriate path and change my direction should the Word of God prove any doctrine or teaching I hold wrong.
I'm actually very surprised churches teach Friday crucifixion, it seems very clear that Christ wasn't. I think the main confusion is thinking the saturday sabbath is the same as the high sabbath which it isn't.
ProphetMark
Member
Matthew 28 says they found the empty tomb at dawn, Sunday morning. Where does the bible say that Jesus had risen 12 hours earlier?