Tantum ergo:
Please tell me where in the Bible that it says that Christ was NOT crucified on a Friday and resurrected on Sunday. I believe that the Bible says that, after Jesus died at 3 p.m. (which is before sundown) he was buried immediately because the next day was the SABBATH. The Sabbath is a Saturday, is it not? Then obviously Jesus was crucified on a Friday.
And since Jews count their days from sundown to sundown, the Friday that Jesus died was day 1. The Saturday He lay in the tomb was day 2. The Sunday that he arose (the scripture states, “very early on the morning AFTER the Sabbath–which is Sunday”) is day 3.
Perfectly Biblical. What’s the problem?
The Sabbath being spoken of was not the 7th day Sabbath. John 19:31 tells us that the Preparation Day being spoken of was for a HIGH DAY Sabbath. The weekly Sabbath is not the only Sabbath commanded by God to be observed by His people.
Leviticus 23 lists 7 Annual Holy Days. Each of these Days is considered a Sabbath. All annual Sabbaths or “High Days” except Pentecost fall on particular “set dates” rather than “set days” of the week.
We know Christ obeyed God and kept the Passover(14 Abib or Nisan on God’s calendar) with His disciples the night before His death, Luke 22:15. He died on the cross the next afternoon which was still the Passover AND the Preparation Day for what?
The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread 15 Nisan, an ANNUAL SABBATH, Leviticus 23:6.
So the fact is they were rushing to get Christ in the tomb before sunset so as to not violate the commanded annual Sabbath of Unleavened Bread.
After the Sabbath(Unleavened Bread) Mary Magdalene and her companions bought spices with which to annoint Christ’s body, Mark 16:1. Before the Sabbath they prepared the spices, Luke 23:56. Contradiction? No, just more proof of two Sabbaths being referred to.
The Sabbath that they prepared the spices before would have been the weekly 7th day Sabbath. This means they bought and prepared them on our Friday(the Preparation Day of the weekly
Sabbath). By this time Christ had been dead for 2 days.
After preparing the spices they rested on the weekly Sabbath, Luke 23:56. Mark 16:2 does not include this fact but that doesn’t mean it didn’t occur. Christ just didn’t inspire him to write it as He did Luke.
So on the first day of the week while it was still dark they went to annoint Christ but found that He was already risen, John 20:1. Mark 16:2 states they came as the sun was rising. Don’t be fooled. He didn’t say it was light. Certainly noone can argue that the sun is not rising prior to dawn while it is still dark.
The reason Christ was already gone is because he had fullfilled THE ONLY SIGN that He was the true Messiah. That sign as told by Christ Himself was that He would be in the grave for 3 days and 3 nights, Matthew 12:39-40. Christ Himself said that there are 12 hours in “the day” not in “a day”, John 11:9-10. 12 hours of light, 12 hours of darkness, roughly. This makes 3 days and 3 nights equal 72 hours.
By Christ’s own words we see that 3 days and 3 nights cannot be crammed into a Friday afternoon to Sunday morning timeline.
Since we know Christ was put into the tomb just before sunset He would have to have been resurrected just before sunset 3 days and 3 nights later. The Bible says he wasn’t there the first day of the week. He was clearly resurrected on the 7th day Sabbath just before it ended.
How does this translate into man’s calendar?
Passover meal 31 AD would have been Tuesday evening. By Wednesday morning He had been turned over to Pilate and was being crucified. He died Wednesday afternoon and was put in the
tomb before sunset. Wednesday night, Thursday night, Friday night…Thursday day, Friday day, Saturday day. Christ’s prophecy of 3 days and 3 nights is fullfilled.
Why all the confusion? Satan is deceiving all but the very elect. You can read about it in the pages of your Bible.
God bless.
