ATHREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS@

Wednesday or Thursday or Friday: When did Christ die?

 

 

All references are from the New King James Version

unless otherwise indicated.

 

Matthew 12:38-40 AThen some of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, >Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.=  But he answered and said to them, >An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, no sign will be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah: For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish; so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth=@ (Luke 11:29-30, Jonah 1:17).

 

Most Christians believe that Christ died on Friday afternoon and rose from the dead after dawn on Sunday, the first day of the week.  This period of time does not encompass three days and three nights. It covers just over 36 hours.  How can this be consistent with Christ=s Asign of the prophet Jonah?@ 

 

A number of Christians hold the view that Christ died on Wednesday afternoon and was resurrected late on the afternoon of the Sabbath (Saturday).  Matthew 12:38-40 is quoted as  primary support for a Wednesday crucifixion.  I do not believe that the Scriptural evidence points to this scenario.

 

Still other Christians believe that Christ died on Thursday.  This is a strong possibility, but is not certain. 

 

In this study I will explain:

1.   According to prophecy, the body of Messiah would NOT decay between death and resurrection.

2.   AOn the third day@ vs Aafter three days@

3.   AThree days and three nights@ vs Aon the third day.@           Can both be true?

AThe heart of the earth@ - what does the phrase mean?

Inclusive reckoning - Hebrew time keeping.

4.   Punctuation problems.  Does Adawn@ mean late afternoon?

Parallel version table.

5.  When was the guard in place? 

Too late for spices?  When did the women come to the tomb? 

            Why did they not know about the Roman seal, and the guard?

Two miles from Bethany on the Sabbath, carrying spices, to return home in the dark?

6.   The prophetic holy days. How do they line up?

      The ancient commands.

Table of the final week. Final week detailed.

12 miles uphill from Jericho

No objections based on Sabbath violation for the triumphal entry.

The Passover lamb inspected from 10 Adar to 14 Adar

The Apreparation for the Passover@ vs Athe preparation day.@

      7.   The feast of the Afirstfruits.@

The ancient dispute as to the correct day.

8.   Table comparing Wednesday-Thursday-Friday death to resurrection scenarios.

                                                                                                                                                           

PART ONE

ANOR DID HIS FLESH SEE CORRUPTION@

 

The Psalm predicted and Luke agrees, that the flesh of Christ did NOT decay.

 

Acts 2:25-27, 30-31  "For David says concerning Him: 'I foresaw the LORD always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.  Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.@ (Psalm 16:10)  "Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades (the grave), nor did His flesh see corruption (decay).@

 

Note: Peter=s argument is that the body of Christ did not Asee corruption,@ because He was raised from the dead.  The argument is not for a miraculous preservation of flesh. Peter seeks to convince Jews that Messiah has come, and God has raised Him from the dead, in fulfillment of the Scriptures.        

 

Any coroner will tell you that after 24 hours (much less 72 hours) a body will be in a state of decay, unless it is kept in cold storage.  A cave in Jerusalem, in mid-April would be cooler than street level.  Rather than debate temperatures and rates of decay, I would turn to Scripture.  The meat of an animal offered as a peace offering, or freewill offering could be eaten on the day that it was killed and on the day following.  On the third day it was considered to be decaying. The Lord said that it was Aunclean on the third day, and it was Aan abomination@ to eat the meat (Lev. 7:16-18). 

 

The sacrifice was a symbol of Christ Athe Lamb of God.@  The remainder of the sacrifice was Aburned with fire@ before the end of third day, so that nothing remained - just as nothing of the flesh of Christ remained in the tomb, on the third day.  To partake of the sacrifice after the second day, was to spoil the symbolism of Christ=s death and resurrection.  This to me, is a strong argument against Christ=s body spending more than 48 hours in the tomb.

 

The manna also was a symbol of Christ (John 6:30-35).  A double portion of manna fell on Friday.  It did not spoil (see Acorruption) over the Sabbath when it was to be eaten up completely, just like the Passover lamb (Exodus 16:14-36).  If any Manna was kept until Sunday, it would spoil.   It is worth noting the AFriday-Sabbath-Sunday@ sequence of the manna, matches the  AFriday-Sabbath-Sunday@ of our Lord=s death.  On Friday, a Adouble portion@ of divine love was given to men, as all of heaven was poured out in one amazing gift. The Father gave His only begotten Son.  On Sabbath in the wilderness, there was no manna from heaven, just as during the Sabbath of Christ=s entombment, there was no ABread of Heaven@ alive on earth.  

 

 

PART TWO

REFERENCES TO THE THIRD DAY

 

 

Note: In this list of references I have omitted those of Christ=s enemies, who might have misquoted Him.

 

Athe first day of the week@ ... Atoday is the third day@

Luke 24:1,13,21

 

ANow upon the first day of the week (Sunday). . . And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. . . .  Jesus himself drew near ... But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.  And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, ... >our chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.=@

 

Christ is alive on Sunday, which is called Athe third day.@  I cannot get a Wednesday crucifixion from this text.  

 

 

ATHE THIRD DAY@ - OTHER PASSAGES

UNDERSTANDING HEBREW TIME EXPRESSIONS

 

Exodus 19:10-11 AAnd the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes, And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

 

Note: In the Scriptures,  the day after tomorrow is the third day. As He came down in the sight of the people on the third day, so the risen Christ appeared to men on the third day.  

 

Leviticus 7:16-18 ABut if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten: But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire.  And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity.@ (See also Lev. 19:5-7)        

 

Note: Why?  Because it would spoil the symbol of Christ - our sacrifice.

 

Hosea 6:1-3 ACome, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.  After two days he will revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.  Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.@

Note: The disciples were Atorn,@ and Asmitten@ with grief.  And on the third day their grief was turned to joy.   

 

 

AACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES:@ THE RESURRECTION FORETOLD

 

Luke 24:45-46 (On the road to Emmaus) Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,  And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

 

1Corinthians 15:4 AHe rose again the third day according to the scriptures:@

 

Where do the Scriptures prophecy that the Christ would suffer and be raised from the dead on the third day?  The commands concerning the sacrifices - especially that of  the Passover lamb, and the  offering of the Afirstfruits@ typified the death and resurrection of Christ.  The commands concerning what might remain of any sacrifice, on the third day, and the prophecy of Hosea.  The command to gather a double portion of manna on Friday, which would keep until Sunday.  - Everything pointed to Christ=s resurrection ON THE THIRD DAY.

PART THREE

ATHREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS  IN THE HEART OF THE EARTH@

How do we reconcile this prophecy with resurrection Aon the third day?@

Can both be true????  Yes!!

 

Matthew 12:40-41 AFor as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.@

 

Either Christ contradicted Himself, or this prophetic statement must be reconciled with all of His other predictions, which specified Athe third day,@ with the written prophecies of the Old Testament, and with the prophetic imagery of the festivals appointed by God.

 

Jesus taught the people with parables and with obscure sayings (Matthew 13:34-35; Psalm 78:2).  The phrase Ain the heart of the earth@ is not defined in the text.  There are no parallel passages - only Matthew quotes Christ in this instance.  The phrase has been understood by most to mean Ain the grave, but the expression was not a Hebrew idiom for the grave.  Jesus did NOT SAY that He would be Ain the grave@ for 3 days and 3 nights.  He would be Ain the heart of the earth.@ 

 

AIN THE HEART OF THE EARTH@ - What does it mean?

 

John 14:10  ADo you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?@

 

John 14:11 ABelieve me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: ...@

 

Note: Jesus had lived from the moment of His birth, Ain the Father.@  He lived in the presence of His Father.  AHe that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone,@ He said (John 8:28).  Now He would experience something vastly different.  Now He would be Athree days and three nights in the heart of the earth.@  What does this phrase mean?

 

Genesis 6:5 AAnd God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.@ And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?@ (Matthew 9:4).

 

Note: The heart (mind or thoughts) of the earth (mankind) was evil.

 

The heart of Jerusalem, the heart of the appointed leadership of God=s people, was evil. Jerusalem was regarded as the center (or heart) of the earth.  Jews were to travel from every part of the earth to Jerusalem, for worship on the Festival Days.  (John 4:20; Acts 2:5-11, 8:27; Deut. 16:16).  AFor God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth@ (Psalms 74:12; Ezek 38:12).  AThis is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her@ (Ezek 5:5).   

THE HEART OF THE EARTH

 

As Jonah was thrown overboard into the sea, so Christ was Abetrayed, @ - Adelivered into the hands of sinful men@ (Luke 24:7), Adelivered unto the Gentiles@ (Lk 18:32),  rejected, abandoned, forsaken of God  (Luke 17:20; Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34; Matt. 26:56; Mark 14:50).  As Jonah was swallowed by the great fish, so Christ was swallowed by the evil which surrounded Him.  He was left to battle with Satan with all the demons of Hell, and with men under the control of demons.

Psalm 18:4-5:  AThe sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.  The    sorrows of hell compassed me about,: the snares of death prevented me.@

 

Psalm 88:4,6:  I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength.  Thou   hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.@

 

Compare the above passages written by David speaking prophetically as the suffering Messiah, with the following words by Jonah.  Both  speak of waters, deep, corruption, rejection, darkness, from which there is no escape.

 

Jonah 2:6:  AI went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.@  

 

Verses which specify Athe third day@ include those things which Christ must suffer, not simply his death.  The whole process of humiliation was included in this Abelly of the whale@ experience.  (Matt. 16:21, Mk. 8:31, Mk. 9:12, Lk. 9:22, Lk. 17:25)

 

To the mob near the garden, Jesus said, AThis is your hour, and the power of darkness@

(Luke 22:53).  ABehold the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners@ (Matthew 26:46.)  AThe hour@ begins with the kiss of Judas.

 

The angels at the tomb said to the women: AHe is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, >The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again@ (Luke 24:6-7).         

 

From the kiss of Judas in the garden, to the glorious resurrection, Athree days and three nights@ - left without His Father - Ain the heart of the earth.@

 

 

                                                                BOTH ARE TRUE.

We have two prophetic periods. 

1.) The time from death to resurrection B 2 nights & 3 days 

2.) The time from betrayal with Asuffering@ to resurrection B 3 nights & 3 days

 

Because we Aback up@ to the garden betrayal, Christ could indeed spend Athree days and three nights  in the heart of the earth@ AND be raised from the dead on the third day.

 

MARK 8:31   vs    MARK 9:31

 

Mark 8:31 AAnd he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and AFTER three days rise again.@

 

Mark 9:31