First of all we want to establish the fact that there was a different time schedule that they had in bible days than what we have today. Our day starts at 12.01 AM and ends at 12.00 midnight making it a 24 hour day.  In bible days, the day began at sundown, which was approximately 6.00 PM our time and it ended the following day again at sundown. The time from sundown to sunrise was divided into four segments of time called watches. The time from sunrise to sundown was also divided into four segments of three hours each. Our 9.00AM was their 3rd hour, our12.00 AM was their sixth hour and our 3.00 PM was their ninth hour, and sunset was approximately our 6.00 PM.

      The church in general has been teaching and believing that Christ was crucified on Good Friday and arose on the first day of the week, which was Sunday. This creates a major problem as Jesus Himself said that as Jonah was in the belly of the whale, three days and three nights so must He also, be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matt. 12: 40) Three days and three nights adds up to 72 hrs.  He would be in the grave. If He was buried at sundown on Friday and arose Sunday morning, the very maximum number of hours that He was in the grave could be 36 hrs.

        If however He was crucified in the midst of the week, as is stated by the prophet Daniel, than a total of 72 hrs would have transpired, from burial to resurrection. Daniel 9:27 “And in the midst of the week He (Jesus) shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease.” (Because He was the ultimate sacrifice there was not to be any more animal sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins.)

        Now we know that Christ came to fulfill the law and feasts of the Jews. And in so doing they become spiritual appointments for us with Christ. The Passover Feast being one of the feasts that He fulfilled, by being crucified on the very eve that the Passover Lamb was to be slain. Leviticus 23:5 “In the 14th day of the first month at even is the Lord’s Passover.” The lamb was taken out of the fold on the 10th day and held for four days and on the eve of the 14th day it was killed for the whole house of Israel. Exodus 12: 3-6. The four days speak of the four thousand years, the time period from Adam’s fall to Christ’s death and resurrection on Easter Sunday morning.

       We know according to scripture that He was crucified on the 14th day (Ex. 12: 3-6). We also know that it was the middle of the week, therefore His crucifixion took place on Wed. the 14th as there are seven days in a week, and Wed. is the middle day and not on Friday as we have been made to believe. On the 10th day the lamb was taken out of the flock. This was probably the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, which would have been the Sabbath before His being captured in the garden. According to scripture the lamb was held for four days, and was slain on the eve of the fourth day, this would bring us to the 14th day of the first month. Lev. 23: 5

        If we follow the events of Jesus according to Mark chapters 11 to 15 we have Christ’s week of events portrayed.  After entering Jerusalem He went into the temple, looked around and it being evening He and the twelve went out onto Bethany for the night. (Mark 11:11).  In the morning (Sunday 11th) they left Bethany and He was hungry, and when they came to a fig tree and it had no figs, nothing but leaves, so He cursed it. (Mark. 11:14) They went back to Jerusalem to the temple and He cleansed it, and when evening had come He went out of the city. (Mark.11:19)  The next morning (Monday 12th) on there way back to Jerusalem they passed by the fig tree and they saw it was dried up. (Mark. 11:21) Jesus again entered the temple (V.27) and the priests and scribes tried to corner Him by various ways and means, without success. He was in the temple, teaching and exhorting, and as He went out of the temple, (Mark13:1) one of the disciples drew His attention to the stones in the structure of the buildings, and He went over to the mount of Olives which was over against the Temple (v. 3) and He foretold of the destruction of the temple and of the end times, warning them to be ready at all times lest He find them sleeping. (Mark 13:1-37). Jesus and the disciples probably spent the night on the mount of Olives as was their custom  After two days was the feast of Passover (Mark 14:1)and unleavened bread. It is now Tuesday the 13th day and in Mark 14: 3 we see that He has left the Mount of Olives and is back in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper eating a meal, and a woman with a box of precious ointment breaks the box and pours the ointment on Jesus head. This,  Jesus says she did it for my burial,  Matt. 26: 1  The scriptures do not tell us what time of day Jesus and His disciples were in Simon’s house, but it was probably earlier in the day. Later in the day the disciples asked Him “Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the Passover?” Mark 14:12. Jesus sends two disciples to go into the city and meet with this man with the pitcher of water, and they were to follow him, and where ever he went in they were to ask the good man of the house for the guest chamber. He showed them the large upper room furnished and prepared and they made ready for the Passover. “And in the evening He comes with the twelve.” (Mark 14:17)  We have to remember that Tuesday 13th ends at sun down and Wednesday 14th the Passover has begun, “And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say onto you, one of you which eateth with me shall betray me.” (Verse 18)

           That same night after eating the Passover, they went out into the Mount of Olives, “And they came to a place called Gethsemane; and He said to his disciples, sit ye here, while I pray. After praying to God the Father to take this cup away from Him, several times and each time He found the disciples asleep when he returned to them, He said,” Rise up, let us go; lo he that betrays me is at hand. (Verse 42)  He was than taken to the high priest and from there early in the morning they bound Jesus and carried  Him to Pilate, where He was condemned and was led away to be crucified . “And it was about the sixth hour” Luke 23: 44 (or noon) on the 14th day of the first month. (And the Lamb of God was slain). It was at exactly at this same hour that the lamb was being sacrificed in the temple area while Jesus was hanging on the cross.        “And that day was the preparation day and the Sabbath drew on.”

Luke 23:54.     

          We have believed that the Sabbath referred to here was the seventh day of the week, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Some of their feasts and holidays were referred to as Sabbath, which is the case here. We can probably understand it more clearly if we look at John19:31“The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath, (for that Sabbath day was a high day.)  (John 19:31)  It was not a regular Sabbath but a part of the feast that was a special day; it was to be observed as strictly as any other Sabbath day. So they took Him off the cross and put Him in the grave probably, before sundown.  He died and was buried on the eve of the 14th day to fulfill the Pass over feast to the latter. Now the feast did not last for the one or two days only, but they had to eat the unleavened bread for seven days from the 15th day which was an holy convocation and on to the full seven days. Lev. 23:5 - 7                                           

             Therefore Jesus was crucified and buried at the close of the 14thday (Wednesday). Wed. to Thur. was his first night in the earth, this was the 15th and it was a holy convocation or a Sabbath (For that Sabbath was a high day, John 19:31)   not the regular Sabbath. This was his first day in the grave; Thur. to Fri. morning was his second night  in the grave; Fri 16th was His second day in the grave; Fri. to Sat. morning was His third night  in the grave; Sat. 17th was the regular Sabbath day and it was His third day in the grave; Matt. 28 :1 “ 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 the sepulchre, and behold there was a great earthquake for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven; and came and rolled back the stone and sat upon it,” ver. 6 “ He is not here: for He is risen, as He said - - - “.   This was Sunday 18th the first day of the week. The stone was not rolled away to release Jesus from the grave, but for the women and His disciples to see the empty tomb. The scriptures do not give us the exact time of His resurrection, but it was probably on the 18th before the night began. One thing we can be certain of and that is that Jesus did not stay in the grave more than three days and three nights. Sunday being the day after the Sabbath, the priest, shall wave the sheaf before the Lord. (Lev. 23: 11) This is symbolic of Christ the first fruit and as believers we now celebrate Sunday to worship Jesus Christ on His resurrection day just as his disciples started doing by breaking bread on the first day of the week.                                                                                      

 Wed.(D) --(N)--Thurs.(D) –(N)--  Fri.(D) -- (N)----Sat.(D)-----------------Sun.

        14th -------------15th----------------16th---------------17th----------------- 18th

Crucified Wed.  1st night 1stday 2nd night 2nd day 3rd night 3rd day He arose sometime after sun down, but before night set in and was seen by Mary  while still dark and before the sunrise.  John: 20:1

Matt. 28: 1-3 Says that there was a great earthquake, and an angel of the Lord came down from heaven to

Roll away the stone and sat on it. This rolling away of the stone was not for the purpose of setting Christ free. Because Christ was not staying in the grave any longer than what His own prediction was, namely three days and three nights, but it was to let Mary and the other disciples see that the grave was empty. 

 

  Triune Last Days Ministry -- Dave Loewen 403 945 1806 E-mail – triune@shaw.ca