Most Christians believe that Jesus died on Good Friday and was raised on Easter Sunday. However, notice the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:38-40.
“Then certain of the Scribes and of the Pharisees answered saying, Master we would see a sign from thee. But He answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas (Jonah): For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whales belly; so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the Earth.”
Many would be quick to respond that Jesus was using an idiom, and that part of a day counts as a whole day. This argument would be acceptable except for the fact that when the expression “three nights” is included, it precludes that interpretation. In other words, Jesus meant what he said. The problem arises when you try to explain Jesus’ statement in light of church tradition. All scriptural evidence shows that when they went to the tomb of the first day of the week, Christ was gone. The Gospel of John tells us that Mary went to the tomb “While it was yet dark” (John 20:1), and Christ had already risen from the grave! It would be more accurately stated the disciples discovered that he had been resurrected on the first day of the week, not that the resurrection actually occurred on that day.
What is wrong with the plain words of Jesus? From his own words, he states he would spend a total of 72 hours in the sleep of death, no more or less. Traditional Christianity only allows Christ 36 hours in the grave, half the time he, himself, predicted.In order for Christ to have spent 72 hours in the grave, he had to be resurrected at the same time of day that his body was buried in the tomb. Jesus cried on the cross soon after “the ninth hour” or three o’clock in the afternoon, (Matthew 27:46-50; Mark 15:34-37; Luke 23:44-46). Yet Jesus was buried on the same day before sunset (Matthew 23:32). The burial of Jesus was between 3 p.m. and sundown as the scriptures prove.
And since the resurrection had to occur at the same time of the day, three days later, the resurrection of Christ took place not at sunrise, but in the late afternoon, near sunset. As shocking as this may be, this is the truth of your Bible! This would mean that the resurrection took place on Sabbath (Saturday), not Sunday.
It is not difficult to determine the day on which he was crucified, if we count back three days from Saturday, Christ died on Wednesday, the middle of the week. Christ was truly in the grave three days and three nights! Having died on Wednesday and being raised on Saturday.
If you would like more information regarding the actual timing of the resurrection, the true origins of Easter, and the awesome plan God has made known through the keeping of His Holy days, please contact the Church of God, Sabbath Day, at 910-379-0158 or visit their website: www.getbibletruth.org.
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