When we disagree.

Yet another thread for the purpose of finding fault with those that disagree.

 

When did Jesus die?

Two difficulties have been raised concerning the timing of the death of Jesus. First, since Jesus said he would be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights, and scripture indicates he arose on Sunday sometime before sun up, it appears He was crucified on Thursday, to yield Thursday day before 6 PM, Friday night starting around 6 PM. on our Thursday, Friday day, from around 6 AM to 6:00 P.M, then Saturday night (6 PM to 6 AM) then Saturday day (6 AM to 6 PM), then Sunday night (6 PM to 6 AM). Jews considered a day to start near sundown and run until the next dusk, so their Friday begins on our Thursday evening either at sundown, twilight or late afternoon, at the whim of whoever is making the call in an age before wristwatches. But the difficulty is that most people accept that Jesus was crucified on Friday, not Thursday.

The answer to Matthew 12:40 (three days and three nights) is to accept that Jesus was using a colloquialism, three days and three nights only referring to three days or part days rather than 72 literal hours. In 1 Samuel 30, verse 12, the account of a starving servant is recorded as follows: “…For he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.” But in verse thirteen, his problem had started three days ago. This passage therefore suggests, and I accept that “three days and three nights” is a figurative reference to days or parts of days and not to a literal 72 hours or a literal three daylight periods and three darkness periods because three days ago would only include two darkness periods. If you compare 2 Chronicles 10:5 (return to me in three days) with 2 Chronicles 10:12 (came to Rehoboam on the third day) you will see that three days and on the third day mean the same thing, indicating that both inclusive counting was used and parts of days were counted as days in the pre-scientific culture. Inclusive counting means that you count today as the first day when saying something happened three or any number of days ago or in the future. Therefore, “three days and three nights” is a figurative reference to three days ago, and three days ago is the day before yesterday or literally only two nights ago. The point of Matthew 12:40 was not to create conflict with the many scriptures that say “on the third day” but only to draw a parallel with Jonah by using the terminology of Jonah 1:17.

Similarly, the reference to “after three days” in Mark 8:31 refers to parts of days such that the hours between His death and sundown represents one day and the hours of darkness on Sunday until He arose before sunup represents the third day. Using this interpretation the idea that Jesus was crucified on Friday can be supported. Note that the parallel passages to Mark 8:31 in Matthew (16:21) and Luke (9:22) say “on the third day.”

The idea that “on the third day” refers to the day after tomorrow (Friday to Sunday) is supported by Luke 13:31 to 33. Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem (v. 22) and says in verse 32 that He will reach His goal (reach Jerusalem in my opinion) on the third day. Jesus then clarifies His itinerary in verse 33 by stating, “I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.” Therefore, in the idiom of the day, “on the third day” means the day after tomorrow or in our period of interest, from Friday to Sunday.

The second difficulty is with the Last Supper. Jesus and His disciples ate a Passover meal, the Last Supper, the night before the day of His crucifixion but John says the people testifying against him after sunup were planning on eating the Passover meal.

The answer is that more than one meal can be called the Passover meal. This Passover, Nisan 14, started at sundown on our Thursday. The Last Supper was eaten after sundown in the first hours of Nisan 14, the Jews Friday. Friday is also called preparation day because the Jews had to get ready for the Sabbath, a day when everything pretty much shuts down. Also note that Saturday, Nisan 15 is a high Sabbath because of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It was this feast, this Passover meal that the Pharisees were preparing to celebrate (John 18:28). Note that at the Last Supper, the disciples considered the need to buy things for the feast (John 13:29), clearly indicating two separate meals

Lets start with Mark 14:12 which says, “And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover was being sacrificed, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?” This verse is very difficult to understand in a way that does not create the difficulty. First, the phrase, “when the Passover was being sacrificed” indicates this is the day before the Passover meal where the lamb is eaten, rather than the day of the meal. This is because the lamb is killed in the afternoon, which is the end of the day. The meal is eaten in the first few hours of the next day, which begins at sundown. So this question was asked of Jesus on our Thursday right about sundown or the start of the day (Friday) when the Passover lamb is killed.

Now lets consider whether the lamb could be slaughtered after sundown in the first hours of Nisan 14 rather than in the afternoon. We must consider this because the term “evening” is used both for the last hours of their day (late afternoon) and the first hours of their day (after sundown). Exodus 29:38-39 indicates that on a “day” (about 12 hours of darkness followed by about 12 hours of daylight) one lamb shall be offered in the morning (after the 12 hours of darkness had passed) and one lamb shall be offered at twilight (prior to sundown and the start of the next day).

Now lets consider Mark 14:17, which says, “And when it was evening He came with the twelve.” This verse appears to indicate that the meal was prepared before evening (on their Thursday) but such an understanding is not necessary. All it might indicate is that Jesus joined the twelve after sundown, because some of them (perhaps including Peter and John) had gone to the house and prepared the Passover, which did not include lamb. Viewed in this light, the Last Supper could have been prepared “on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover was being sacrificed....” Thus, and consistent with Exodus 12:18, the first meal that occurs on the Lord’s Passover, Nisan 14, is comprised of unleavened bread but not the Passover lamb which is killed in the afternoon of Nisan 14 and eaten on Nisan 15. Hence the Last supper occurred on our Thursday night, in the evening (after sundown), which is the Jew’s Nisan 14, a Friday and a preparation day for the high Sabbath where the roasted Passover Lamb is eaten. It should be noted that about the time the Jews were killing their unblemished lambs, about the ninth hour, our Jesus died on the cross. Behold the Lamb of God.

 

The full article on '

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  • THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS

' is at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church an independent sovereign grace church - Three Days and Three Nights.

The point that will bring an agreement
on THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS, per the O.P.: to

,

is to contemplate and comprehend:


The 'issue', below in blue, which is
"Since the Jewish weekly Sabbath came on Saturday,
scholars have assumed Jesus was crucified on Friday.

"But the Bible tells us that
the Jews had other Sabbaths besides the weekly Sabbath
which fell on Saturday."

There was an ANNUAL SABBATH that fell into the narrative,
by which we are to make the calculations, not the weekly Sabbath.

from: Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church an independent sovereign grace church
- Three Days and Three Nights.

"I care not of what the religiously educated liberal scholars say!
They find it impossible to come to the knowledge of the real truth because their preconceived notions get in the way of it. People must be concerned not to accuse Jesus of misrepresenting the facts, i.e. that is lying! As TV’s Sargent Joe Friday on Dragnet used to say, "all we want are the facts."

"Jesus Christ plainly said He would be in the grave "three days and three nights". He emphatically declared He would rise again "after three days". Folks, how many hours in three days? 72 that’s right. I believe that’s how He fulfilled the sign of Jonah and vindicated His Messiahship. In Matthew 28:6, we read this testimony of the angel at the tomb: "He is not here: for he is risen, as he said."

"Jesus said He would be in the grave "three days and three nights" and "after three days" He would rise again. If Jesus fulfilled the Jonah sign, He could not have been crucified on Good Friday, nor rise on Sunday morning!

"Some came up with the Part-of-a-Day Theory being counted as if it were a whole 24-hour period. This cannot be right. Men, in order to help the Bible out of what seems an embarrassing contradiction, allege that the Jews counted a part of a day as the whole day. Where is the proof in the Bible for such an idea? There is no biblical passage that proves "three days and three nights" means anything less than 72 hours. Those who believe the Bible is literally true do not accept such ideas. The "three days and three nights" in Jonah 1:17 must be taken in their literal sense and so what Jesus said must be literal; otherwise, it is nonsense!

"The meaning of day in the Bible in its primary sense means the interval from sunrise to sunrise or sunset to sunset. Genesis 1:5 "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." (Total 24 hours)

"This is the first occurrence of the word "day" in the Bible, and God gives its meaning. Jesus believed there were 12 hours in a day (that is daylight hours). He asked in John 11:9: " . . . Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the (day) light of this world."

"Jesus made a day and night consist of 24 hours.. Can there be any higher authority than that? In the Bible, a day is the interval of time comprising the period between two successive risings of the sun. The 12-hour night began at sunset and ended at sunup. The nighttime hours were counted before the 12 daylight hours. "And the evening and the morning were the first day" Genesis 1:5.

"A new day began at 6 o'clock in the evening and lasted until the same time the next evening--a period of 24 hours--a 12-hour night followed by a 12-hour day!

"The Bible nowhere says or implies that Jesus was crucified and died on a Good Friday! It is said that Jesus was crucified on "the day before the Sabbath," Mark 15:42. (Luke 23:54; John 19:14, 31, 42.)

"Since the Jewish weekly Sabbath came on Saturday,
scholars have assumed Jesus was crucified on Friday.

"But the Bible tells us that the Jews had other Sabbaths
besides the weekly Sabbath which fell on Saturday.

"The first day of the Passover week,
no matter what day of the week it came,
was always an annual Sabbath.

"And on the 15th day of the same month (April)
is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD:

seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.

In the first day, ye shall have an holy convocation:
ye shall do no servile work therein" (a Sabbath). Lev 23:6, 7.

"On the seventh day of this feast, the 21st of Nisan (April),
was another annual Sabbath:
" . . in the seventh day is an holy convocation:
ye shall do no servile work therein" Lev 23:8.

"The day of Pentecost was an annual Sabbath Num 28:26.
This is the reason we read about Sabbaths in the plural number
in the Old Testament. (Lev 26:2, 34, 35, 43.)

"The Bible makes it plain, Jesus was crucified and buried on:
". . the preparation (day), that is, the day before the sabbath" Mark 15:42.

John tells us: "And it was the preparation (day) of the Passover" John 19:14.

"This was the preparation day on which the Passover Supper
was made ready the 14th of Nisan (April), (John 13:1, 29; 18:28.)

It was the preparation to keep the Passover Sabbath-
-the annual Sabbath which always came
on the 15th day of the first ecclesiastical month. Jn 19:31 adds:
("for that sabbath day was an high day.)"

This proves it wasn’t the usual Sat. Sabbath.

"Its greatness was due to the fact that
it was the annual Sabbath of the Passover Festival.

So there were two Sabbaths that Week.
Matthew makes it plain that two Sabbaths
had passed since Jesus was crucified.
The KJV has this rendering:

"In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn
toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene
and the other Mary to see the sepulchre" Matthew 28:1.

"On this verse, nearly all translators
have allowed tradition to control their translation.

It is not singular, "Sabbath" but plural, "Sabbaths" in the Greek text
(the genitive case and the plural number).

The verse properly translated would read:
"In the end of the sabbaths . . . ."

This allows for the annual Passover Sabbath on Thursday
and a regular weekly Sabbath on Saturday.

The Scofield Bible margin supports this.

"Young’s Literal Trans so renders it.:
Mt 28:1 "And on the eve(ning) of the sabbaths, at the dawn,
toward the first (day of the week) of the (two) sabbaths,
came Mary the Magdalene, and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre."

"Probably 95% or more of Christians do not know these facts. They have blindly accepted what they’ve always heard. There is no other understanding of the time in which Jesus was in the grave which is better than this one, 72 hours. All else falls short of a literal understanding of what Jesus promised.

"To study this in greater detail would take longer than I have this morning, and perhaps deeper than you all have the desire to go without a handout to illustrate everything.

"If you are like me, the text is enough to prove a 72-hour period in the grave before His resurrection. That requires a Wednesday crucifixion and burial before 6 pm which was the start of the Thursday Passover sabbath at 6:00 pm sharp.

So what was Friday of Passover week? It was the day of preparation for the Saturday Sabbath. What is it for us? It is just our 6th day of the week. Neither good nor bad, just Friday. Nothing significant occurred on that day of Passover week.

"Conc.: In the grand scheme of things, it is not all that important to know the exact day of the week Christ was crucified. If it were extremely important, then the Bible would have more clearly communicated the day instead of leaving it for us to study to figure it out.

"What is important is that JESUS did die and that He physically, and bodily rose from the dead after 3 days. Proofs abound for those facts. What is profoundly important is the reason why He died—to take away the punishment due to our multitude of sins. 1 Co 15:3-4 "....Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"

"Rom 5:6 "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." Ro 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

"Eph 1:13 "In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise."

"Have each one of you trusted Him in this way?"

 

The fact seems to be that most people take a wrong turn
at the THE ASSUMPTION of The WEEKLY SABBATH.

A large percentage of folks
seem to be trying to calculate the "Three Days and Three Nights",
using THE WEELY SABBATH.

"The 'issue', below in blue, is
"Since the Jewish weekly Sabbath came on Saturday,
scholars have assumed Jesus was crucified on Friday.

"But the Bible tells us that
the Jews had other Sabbaths besides the weekly Sabbath
which fell on Saturday."

"There was an ANNUAL SABBATH that falls into the narrative,
by which we are to make the calculations, not the weekly Sabbath."

from: Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church
an independent sovereign grace church
- Three Days and Three Nights.

(a sister church across town from ours).

 

The quoted scripture in this post contains nothing which contradicts " This Passover, Nisan 14, started at sundown on our Thursday. The Last Supper was eaten after sundown in the first hours of Nisan 14, the Jews Friday.

 

So what? Did I say otherwise? Nope