Mt.12:40 - Three days and three nights

[Your closest friendnt]

4 minutes ago, Justin Adams said:

Sorry but I do.

Kai go eime,  boro na roteso, did you served in the army? 

[Your closest friendnt]

1 hour ago, SONshine said:

Greetings. . .

The Lord was crucified on our Wednesday, was buried on that day before sunset, and remained "three days and three nights" in the tomb, as foretold by Him in Matt. 12:40; rising from the dead on "the third day,” "the first day of the week.”  Saturday, not Sunday.

We should be celebrating Christ's resurrection 3 days and 3 nights after the 15th of Nisan, wherever it falls each year.

 

I do not think so you believe that. 

You did not post any scriptures in support of your "frivolous" statement.

And I add "frivolous" in parenthesis because I do not think you have any witness that can give evidence to prove statement, to the contrary I have the most credible and reliable witness to prove otherwise.  

[DeighAnn]

57 minutes ago, SONshine said:

Okay, friendnt...  Here you are:

The "high day" of John 19:31 was the first day of the feast. {translated high day in King James version - special  Sabbath in New International Version, but definitely not Saturday or the weekly Sabbath}

2. The "first day of the feast" was on the 15th day of Nisan.

3. The 15th day of Nisan, commenced at sunset on what we call the 14th.

4. "Six days before the passover" (John 12:1) takes us back to the 9th day of Nisan.

5. "After two days is the passover" (Matt. 26:2, Mark 14:1) takes us to the 13th day of Nisan.

6. "The first day of the week", the day of the resurrection (Matt. 28:1, &c.) was from our Saturday sunset to our Sunday sunset.  This fixes the days of the week, just as the above fix the days of the month, for:

7.  Reckoning back from this, "three days and three nights" (Matt. 12:40), we arrive at the day of the burial, which must have been before sunset, on the 14th of Nisan; i.e before our Wednesday sunset.

8.  This makes the sixth day before the passover (the 9th Day of Nisan) to be our Thursday sunset to Friday sunset

Therefore Wednesday, Nisan 14th (commencing on Tuesday at sunset), was "the preparation day" , on which the crucifixion took place: for all four gospel definitely say that this was the day on which the Lord was buried (before our Wednesday sunset), "because it was the preparation [day]" the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day,  "for that sabbath day was a high day" and, therefore, not the ordinary seventh day, or weekly sabbath.  See John 19:31

IV. It follows, therefore, that the Lord being crucified on "the preparation day" could not have eaten of the Passover lamb, which was not slain until the evening of the 14th of Nisan (i.e. afternoon).  On that day the daily sacrifice was killed at the 6th hour (noon) and offered about the 7th hour (1 p.m.).  The killing of the Passover lambs began directly afterwards.  Thus it is clear, that if the killing of the Passover lambs did not commence until about four hours after our Lord had been hanging upon the Cross, and would not have been concluded at the ninthhour (3 p.m.) when "He gave up the ghost;" --no "Passover lamb" could have been eaten at the "last supper" on the previous evening.

V.  With these facts before us, we are now in a position to fill in the several days of the Lord's last week with the events recorded in the Gospels.  By noting that the Lord returned to Bethany (or to the Mount of Olives) each night of the week, we are able to determine both the several days and the events that took place in them.

THE SIXTH DAY BEFORE THE PASSOVER, THE 9TH DAY OF NISAN. 
(Our Thursday sunset to Friday sunset) 
Events: See Matthew 21:1-17 and Luke 19:1-28

THE FIFTH DAY BEFORE THE PASSOVER, THE 10TH DAY OF NISAN 
(Our Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) 
Events: See John 12:2-11

THE FOURTH DAY BEFORE THE PASSOVER, THE 11TH DAY OF NISAN 
(Our Saturday sunset to Sunday sunset), the Gentile "Palm Sunday" 
Events: See Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:29-44, and John 12:12-19

THE THIRD DAY BEFORE THE PASSOVER, THE 12TH DAY OF NISAN 
(Our Sunday sunset to Monday sunset) 
Events: See Matthew 21:18-22, Mark 11:12-19, Luke 19:45-48, and John 12:20-50

THE SECOND DAY BEFORE THE PASSOVER, THE 13TH DAY OF NISAN 
(Our Monday sunset to Tuesday sunset) 
Events: See Matthew 21:23 - 26:13,  Mark 11:20 - 14:9, and Luke 20:1 - 21:38

THE DAY BEFORE THE PASSOVER, THE 14TH DAY OF NISAN---"THE PREPARATION DAY"---THE DAY OF THE CRUCIFIXION. 
(Our Tuesday sunset to Wednesday sunset) 
Events: See Matthew 26:14 - 27:66, Mark 14:10 - 15:47*, Luke 22:1 - 23:56*, and John 13:1 - 19:42 
*The words in Mark 14:12 and Luke 22:7 refer to "the first day of unleavend bread", which was the 14th day of Nisan, and therefore "the preparation day". That is why the Lord goes on to tell the two disciples to go and make preparation for the Passover.

"THE FIRST DAY OF THE FEAST"---"THE HIGH DAY" (Yom tov)---THE 15TH DAY OF NISAN. 
(Our Wednesday sunset to Thursday sunset) 
THE FIRST NIGHT and FIRST DAY IN THE TOMB.

"THE SECOND DAY OF THE FEAST"---THE 16TH DAY OF NISAN. 
(Our Thursday sunset to Friday sunset) 
THE SECOND NIGHT and SECOND DAY IN THE TOMB.

"THE THIRD DAY OF THE FEAST"---"THE (WEEKLY) SABBATH"---THE 17TH DAY OF NISAN. 
(Our Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) 
THE THIRD NIGHT and THIRD DAY IN THE TOMB.

"THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK"---THE 18TH DAY OF NISAN. 
(Our Saturday sunset: "the third day" of Matt. 16:21, &c; not the third day of the Feast)

Thus, the Resurrection of the Lord took place at Saturday sunset, or thereabouts, on "the third day"; "after three days" (Matt.27:63, Mark 8:31) 
See Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-49 and John 20:1-23

It will be seen from the above that we have neither power nor authority to alter or shift any day or date; or to change the order or position of any of the events recorded in Holy Writ.

Each day is marked by a return to Bethany during the last week (up to the Preparation Day); and each day is filed with recorded events.

It follows therefore, that the Lord was crucified on our Wednesday; was buried on that day before sunset; and remained "three days and three nights" in the tomb, as foretold by Him in Matt. 12:40; rising from the dead on "the third day", "the first day of the week".

Love to see it laid out with Scripture to back it up.  Not sure if this can be disputed by anyone, yet I shall go check it out on my own.  Very very nice.  Thank you

[Your closest friendnt]

6 hours ago, DeighAnn said:

Love to see it laid out with Scripture to back it up.  Not sure if this can be disputed by anyone, yet I shall go check it out on my own.  Very very nice.  Thank you

Mark 15:42 explains that the "preparation day" is the day before the Sabbath. 

***Mark 15:42
And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath***

In John 19:31, the Jews went to Pilate and asked him to do something. 

They asked him to have the bodies taken down from their Cross. 

And the reason was that the next day which is the Sabath day it was a double holiday. 

As one of their High holidays fall on the Sabbath day. 

And their bodies could not remain on the Cross. 

Jesus was dead by that time.

John 19:31  (ISV)

31 Since it was the Preparation Day, the Jewish leaders did not want to leave the bodies on the crosses during the Sabbath, because that was a particularly important Sabbath. So they asked Pilate to have the men’s legs broken and the bodies removed. 

so this is the chronology of the events that took on the day before the Sabath day.

Jesus was  crucified on the night hour

(which is three in the afternoon in our culture)

they start counting time from six o clock in the morning.

(Twelve hours for the day and then twelve hours for the evening.)

note

Jesus Christ was crucified at noon (the sixth hour their time)

The Jewish day starts at six o'clock every evening. 

 

 

11Meanwhile, Jesus was made to stand in front of the governor. The governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” 12While Jesusg was being accused by the high priests and elders, he made no reply. 13Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear how many charges they’re bringing against you?” 14But Jesush did not reply at all, so that the governor was very surprised. Jesus is Sentenced to Death (Mark 15:6-15; Luke 23:13-25; John 18:39-19:16) 15At every festivali the governor had a custom of releasing to the crowd any prisoner whom they wanted. 16At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner named Barabbas.j 17So when the peoplek had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which man do you want me to release for you—Barabbas,l or Jesus who is called ‘the Messiah’?”m 18He did thisn because he knew that they had handed him over out of jealousy. 19While he was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him a messageo that said, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, because today I have suffered terribly due to a dream I had about him.” 20But the high priests and elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to demand that Jesus be put to death. 21So the governor asked them, “Which of the two men do you want me to release for you?” “Barabbas!” they replied. 22Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with Jesus, who is called the Messiah?”p They all said, “Let him be crucified!” 23He asked, “What has he done wrong?” But they kept shouting louder and louder, “Let him be crucified!” 24Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that a riot was about to break out instead. So he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’sq blood. Attend to that yourselves.” 25All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and our children!” 26Then he released Barabbas for them, but he had Jesus whipped and handed over to be crucified. The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus (Mark 15:16-20; John 19:2-3) 27Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the imperial headquartersr and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28They strippeds him and put a scarlet robe on him. 29Twisting some thorns into a victor’s crown, they placed it on his head and putt a stick in his right hand. They knelt down in front of him and began making fun of him, saying, “Long live the king of the Jews!” 30Then they spit on him and took the stick and hit him repeatedly on his head. 31When they had finished making fun of him, they stripped him of the robe, put his own clothes back on him, and led him away to crucify him. Jesus is Crucified (Mark 15:21-32; Luke 23:26-43; John 19:17-27) 32As they were leaving, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon, whom they forced to carry Jesus’u cross. 33When they came to a place called Golgotha (which means “Skull Place”), 34they offered him a drink of wine mixed with gall. But when he tasted it, he refused to drink it. 35After they had crucified him, they determined who would get his clothes by throwing dice for them.v 36Then they sat down there and continued guarding him. 37Above his head they placed the charge against him. It read, “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.” 38At that time two banditsw were crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his left. 39Those who passed by kept insultingx him, shaking their heads, 40and saying, “You who were going to destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days—save yourself! If you’re the Son of God, come down from the cross!” 41In the same way the high priests, along with the scribes and elders, were also making fun of him. They kept saying, 42“He saved others but can’t save himself! He is the king of Israel. Let himy come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. 43He trusts in God. Let Godz rescue him, if he wants to do so now. After all, he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44In a similar way, the banditsaa who were being crucified with him kept insulting him. Jesus was crucified at noon (the six hour on their time keeping) (Mark 15:33-41; Luke 23:44-49; John 19:28-30)  Mathew 27:  46About three o’clock, (the 9th hour Jewish time) Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eli, eli, lema sabachthani?”, which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 50Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice again and died. ***Jesus died three hour before before the end of the preparation day, or three hours before the beginning of the  Sabath day... Hope that may help.  God bless  Note Jesus was crucified at noon our time (and six o'clock Jewish day time)  Each day starts at six o'clock in the evening.  Twelve hours day time and twelve hours evening time.

Edited February 9, 2021 by Your closest friendnt

[Justin Adams]

8 hours ago, DeighAnn said:

Love to see it laid out with Scripture to back it up.  Not sure if this can be disputed by anyone, yet I shall go check it out on my own.  Very very nice.  Thank you

https://therefinersfire.org/resurrection1.htm

Many (if not most) believers seem to think that Yeshua (Jesus) was resurrected on a Sunday, and they attempt to use Luke 23:54-24:10 as proof and justification to change God's seventh day Sabbath to the first day. But is this a huge mistake! Where and when did God ever tell us that Sunday is now HIS Sabbath? The answer lies indisputably in the Bible which, when viewed from a "Hebrew perspective," tells us that Yeshua was most likely resurrected at the end of the Sabbath, almost exactly "3-days and 3-nights" after his entombment; and not early on a Sunday morning (the first day of the week).

Furthermore, most who have studied the timeline of the last week of the Messiah simply assume the crucifixion was on a Friday, so it is not surprising that their timeline matches that expectation. The vast majority of articles on the Internet assessing the timeline of the crucifixion do nothing but assume the crucifixion was on Friday!

The truth is, a major problem exists with a Friday crucifixion! No matter one's definition of "3 days and 3 nights", that particular time period is not possible with a Friday burial at sunset and a "Sunday" resurrection before sunrise! This article will show that He was in the grave just before sunset on Wednesday night.

Man has debated the time of Messiah's resurrection for the last two thousand years. Catholics and most Christians have based their Sunday worship on the mistaken assumption that "Jesus rose on a Sunday". Rather than to view the Bible from God's perspective and the clear Scriptures provided, most have used their limited, human mindsets to lead them down the wrong path and come up with the wrong conclusions - which means their view of the Gospels is skewed.

In order to back up this very serious allegation, we will use hermeneutics: allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture:

Matthew 12:39 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: (KJV).

Matthew 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall NO SIGN be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed. (KJV).

What was the "sign of Jonas"?

Matthew 12:40 For 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. 41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. (KJV).

The SIGN for which we are searching is "Three days and three nights" approximately 72 hours (a total of 3 nighttime periods and 3 daytime periods, not necessarily exactly 72 hours) from death/burial to resurrection of our Savior.

Matthew 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. (KJV).

Matthew 17:23 And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry. (KJV).

Matthew 20:19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again. (KJV).

(See also Matthew 27:64; Mark 9:31; Mark 10:34; Luke 9:22; Luke 13:32; Luke 18:33; Luke 24:7; Luke 24:46; Acts 10:40; and 1 Corinthians 15:4.)

A thorough study of the Bible reveals that Yeshua was in the grave three days (daylight periods) and three nights (periods of darkness), and it tells us that He died as the lambs died at the late afternoon of Passover which preceded the High Holy Day (15 Nisan [see Leviticus 23:5-6])*. This article will show that He was in the grave just before sunset on Wednesday night, according to scripture, "preparation day" for the High Holy Day (John 19:31); all day Thursday and Thursday night; all day Friday and Friday night, and all day Saturday (as Jonah was in the whale three days and three nights) until sometime just before sunset or at sunset on Saturday when He was resurrected. When the two Marys arrived at dawn the next morning, they found He had already risen. (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1-4; Luke 24:1-2; John 20:1).

(*Note: In John 18:28 we read that "they" led the Messiah to the governor and that "they" did not want to enter the building and so become defiled so "they" would not become unclean and unable to partake in the Passover meal. Who were "they"?

"They" were not the Roman guards who had the authority to arrest the Messiah! The Roman guards could not care less about what night it was; or whether it was the Passover! "They" were the entire Sanhedrin and Cohen HaGadol who were out to "get" Yeshua to have Him arrested! (Matthew 26:59; Mark 14:55; Luke 23:51; John 18:19). The point is, these men were the highest Jewish leadership and they, of all people, could not be defiled for the Passover which was to happen the next evening after this very night! If that happened, the entire Jewish leadership would be forced to observe Passover the next month! (Numbers 9:1-12). That clearly cannot happen! The entire Jewish leadership defiled? No. For this to be the case, the Passover cannot have yet happened which is why the leadership was concerned about becoming defiled.

This is significant proof that the arrest of the Messiah was after sunset the 13th of Nisan, when it was now the nighttime hours of the 14th, "Preparation Day" for that next afternoon's ritual observance of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread - the High Sabbath day. If this were the evening of Passover when the date would have then been the 15th of Nisan, not only are all the scriptures negated, but even a corrupt Sanhedrin would not have been "out" seeking blood after sunset the 14th when it was then the High Holy Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread!)

Scripture tells us that Yeshua died about 3 p.m. (the ninth hour - Matthew 27:46-50); that He was buried later that same late afternoon (John 19:31).

Matthew 27:45 And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken me? (MKJV). ** (See also Mark 15:33-34 and Luke 23:44)

**While the scripture from the MKJV states "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?", such interpretation has led to the false teaching that Yeshua was quoting Psalm 22:1 and that YHWH somehow abandoned Yeshua and left Him on His own. But where Matthew 27:46 in Greek is transliterated "Eli, Eli lama sabachthani", the Peshitta (Aramaic) reads: Eli, Eli lama azbatani - "My God! My God! Why have you spared me?" There is a very clear difference between "forsaken" and "spared" given the Messiah's situation - hanging from the stake, suffering, ready to die. He was not "deserted" or "forsaken"; rather, He was simply ready to conclude the ordeal and was only questioning why it could not end. Indeed, moments later, Yeshua's body died.

It was now just before the onset of the High Holy Day, almost time for the Passover meal and the Judeans wanted Him off the cross and in the grave before sundown so as not to desecrate the holy day which would begin at sunset. This meant He was entombed at approximately 5 p.m. shortly after His crucifixion - which means that "3 days and 3 nights" would also fall at approximately 5 p.m.! Here are the Scriptures to verify this understanding:

John 19:14 "Now it was the preparation day of the Passover, about the sixth hour."

John 19:31 It was preparation Day, and the Judeans did not want the bodies to remain on the stake on a Shabbat, since it was an especially important Shabbat. So they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed. (CJB)

Many people think this "preparation day" fell on Friday in advance of the weekly Sabbath. However, as we mentioned above, John 19:14 and 31 tells us it was not preparation day for a regular Shabbat; rather, it was for a High Holy Shabbat - the Passover followed by the 1st day of the Feast of Unleavended Bread. Therefore, the Judeans wanted the bodies of Yeshua and the thieves off the crosses before sundown.

(Of course, "preparation day" could have been a Friday if the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread that year fell on the weekly Shabbat! However, that possibility must be dismissed because when the women arrived Sunday morning to find the tomb empty only 1 day and 2 nights had passed and prophecy is not met. Even the loosest possible counting including a Friday burial, the empty tomb is found only after "3 days and 2 nights".)

John 19:41 In the vicinity of where he had been executed was a garden, and in the garden was a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. 42 So, because it was Preparation Day for the Judeans, and because the tomb was close by, that is where they buried Yeshua. (CJB).

The above Scripture supports that Yeshua was placed in the heart of the earth approximately 5:00 p.m., just about sunset on the day He died. "Three days and three nights" must end near the same time we started the count - also about 5:00 p.m., or near the end of the 3rd Hebrew day.

Even on the eve of His death, Messiah Yeshua kept and "fulfilled" the Passover: He became our blood substitution, our redemption, just as the lamb's blood was substituted for the people of Israel. Yeshua died on Wednesday the 14th of Nisan, and He rose some time before sunset on the following Sabbath exactly three days later, depending on when He was placed in the grave. The Sabbath is in commemoration of YHWH's rest at creation (Genesis 2:2), and Yeshua's rest after His redemption of mankind. The Sabbath is for a reminder of the sign (three days and three nights) of who Yeshua HaMashiyach (Jesus Christ) is: He the Lord of the Sabbath.

One more thing: There are those who argue that Yeshua must have resurrected in "FirstFruits" which they assume was on a Sunday as "the day after the Sabbath" (Leviticus 23:11). There are two problems with that belief as a condition on the events of the crucifixion and resurrection: First, the "sabbath" mentioned in Leviticus 23:11 was the High Holy Sabbath of the 1st day of the Feast of Unleavened Break, not the weekly sabbath. This is verified within the context of Leviticus 23 itself. Second, "firstfruits" is an event, not a day and firstfruits don't "rise", they are "presented." Yeshua was "presented" as the firstfruits, yes; but He did not have to "rise on [a day called] firstfruits!"

Now, exactly how do we know that He died on the 14th of Nisan and that, that particular 14th of Nisan fell on a Wednesday? Two reasons: First, we know the approximate time and day of the resurrection. Yeshua was already resurrected when the women arrived at the tomb on Sunday morning (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1-4; Luke 24:1; John 20:1). We know the burial was at or near sunset, so 3 days and 3 nights earlier from the resurrection establishes Wednesday as the day of the crucifixion. Since Passover begins the late afternoon of the 14th of Nisan (Exodus 12:6; Leviticus 23:5), the crucifixion had to be no later than that day.

Second, the series of events which took place just prior to the crucifixion fit the calendar that year with the 14th of Nisan at the middle of the week. In both cases, we have only to "work backward" from the "anchor point" (the crucifixion/burial) to see that the two accounts match:

6 days before Passover. We know Yeshua was in Beit-Anyah (Bethany) six days before Passover that year, (John 12:1). He was given a dinner in His honor.

5 days before Passover. After sunset, it became 5 days before Passover. The dinner in Yeshua's honor with El'azar was held, (John 12: 2). A large crowd of Judeans had gathered to see El'azar, the man Yeshua had raised from the dead, (John 12:9).

4 days before Passover. Scripture says it was the next day, a large crowd gathered in Yerushalim to await the arrival of Yeshua, (John 12:12). It is now four days before His arrest and crucifixion.

Yeshua, the Passover Lamb, fulfilled Zechariah 9:9 when, He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, as the people waved palm branches: 9 Rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Tziyon! Shout out loud, daughter of Yerushalayim! Look! Your king is coming to you. He is righteous, and he is victorious. Yet he is humble - he's riding on a donkey, yes, on a lowly donkey's colt. (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-38; John 12:12-18).

(The Bible tells us that Yeshua had been staying at Beit-Anyah by the Mt. of Olives (Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:11-12; John 11:1). This is not Beit-Anyah, the town of the same name, which we know was about 1.5 miles from Jerusalem, (John 11:18). But it is a "Sabbath day's journey" from the area of the Mt. of Olives to Yerushalayim, (Acts 1:12; Mark 11:1). A Sabbath day's journey is the distance permitted by Torah for travel on the Sabbath, about 2/3 of a mile. This "Beit-Anyah" was a tract of land and properties at the edge of the Mt. of Olives where many lived, (Mark 14:3, John 11:1).

After arrival in Yerushalayim, Yeshua went to the Temple, but then returned to Beit-Anyah (Mark 11:11).

3 days before Passover. The next day, (Mark 11:12), now 3 days days before His arrest and crucifixion, He returned to Yerushalayim and cleansed the Temple (Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15, Luke 19:45). Then He left Yerushalayim, (Mark 11:19). The Gospel of John, skips identifying the next 2 days.

2 days before Passover. The next day, now 2 days before His arrest and crucifixion, He returned to Yerushalayim (Matthew 26:2; Mark 11:27; Mark 14:1), passed the withered fig tree (Mark 11:20) and was confronted by the Torah-teachers, (Mark 11:27).

1 day before Passover. The next day, now 1 day before His arrest and crucifixion, Yeshua spent the day teaching, then had His talmidim go prepare a place for Passover, (Matthew 26:17; Mark 14:12;Luke 22:7-8). [Note: All the Gospels state it is the "first day of Matzah" or "the day of Matzah" and this throws many. Matzah is required at the Passover meal which begins in the late afternoon of the 14th of Nisan (Exodus 12:18) so the "1st day of Matzah" is understood as the evening of the 13, and after sunset the 13th, as matzah will be needed by the next late afternoon. This means that when the Gospels say it was the "1st day of matzah", there is no discrepancy that this is the late afternoon of the 13th.]

Day of Passover. Now just after sunset the 13th, beginning the 14th of Nisan, the day of His arrest and crucifixion, Yeshua ate His last meal with His Talmidim, (Matthew 26:17-21; Mark 14:12-18), telling them that He "had wished to have Passover with them", (Luke 22:15, but His talmidim did not understand that Yeshua would be dead the next evening and could not celebrate the Passover with them).

As promised in Exodus 12:25-28 there was to be a perpetual explanation of the Passover service. This Messianic fulfillment took place when Yeshua showed His disciples how to celebrate the Passover Seder the evening before His death. During this time He explained how HE IS the fulfillment of the Passover seder (Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Just as He delivered the Israelites with a mighty hand from the bondage of Egypt, so is He delivering us from the bondage of sin with His mighty right hand! It was here that He explained the meaning of His person in the Passover elements. Afterwards, He and His disciples went to Gethsemene, where they spent part of the night.

During the night Yeshua was arrested (Luke 22:47-54) and we are told that His trial continued until some time between 9 a.m. and noon, when He was crucified, (Mark 15:25; John 19:14-16).

At 3:00 p.m. (the 9th hour) on 14 Nisan, just before sunset, Yeshua died, (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34-37). It was preparation day, (Matthew 27:57; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:31;) By sunset, He was removed from the stake, (John 19:31; 19:41).

Day after the Passover, 15 Nisan. This is the High Holy Day, the Sabbath, (Leviticus 23:6). The cohanim went to Pilate to ask that the tomb be sealed and guarded. (Matthew 27:62). The 15th was the 1st night and day of the entombment.

2nd day after the Passover, 16 Nisan. This was the 2nd night and day of the entombment. This is FirstFruits, (Leviticus 23:11) when the first omer of the new crop is brought to the Temple.

3rd day after the Passover, 17 Nisan. It is now the weekly Sabbath, and the women are resting, (Luke 23:56).

Resurrection discovered, 18 Nisan. It is now after the weekly Sabbath, and the women are up early, before sunrise to head to the tomb where it is found empty, (Matthew 28:1-2; Mark 16:1-4; Luke 24:1-2; John 20:1).

So we know the Messiah's death on the stake was on the late afternoon of the 14th of Nisan, by the timeline of last week given by the Gospels, He was buried and was already resurrected when women arrived at the tomb before sunrise the 1st day of the week. Now let's work this backward to see what day-of-the-week the Passover had to be that year:

Early Sunday morning, the 18th of Nisan, the 1st day of the week, the women arrive to find the resurrection had already happened.

The 7th day of the week, 17 Nisan, the women stayed home and rested.

The 6th day of the week, 16 Nisan, was FirstFruits.

The 5th day of the week, 15 Nisan, the High Holy Sabbath of the 1st day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

The 4th day of the week, 14 Nisan, Passover. Yeshua was removed from the stake and buried just at or before sunset.

The 4th day of the week, 14 Nisan, Passover. Yeshua was arrested and crucified.

The 4th day of the week, 14 Nisan, was Passover. As the day began, after sunset the 13th, Yeshua and His talmidim ate.

The 3rd day of the week, 13 Nisan, was the day Yeshua was confronted by the Torah teachers at the Temple. Yeshua had His talmidim prepare for Passover.

The 2nd day of the week, 12 Nisan, was the day Yeshua cleansed the Temple.

The 1st day of the week, 11 Nisan, was the day Yeshua rode into Yerushalayim on a donkey colt.

The 7th day of the week, 10 Nisan, was the weekly Sabbath. Yeshua spent the beginning of that Sabbath in a dinner in His honor, for his resurrection of El'azar.

The 6th day of the week, 9 Nisan, Yeshua was in Beit-Anyah and was invited to the home of El'azar, the man whom Yeshua had resurrected.

Thus we see that by looking at the timeline, both by considering the prophecy "3 days and 3 nights" alone and examining the events of the week presented in the Gospels, not skewed by assuming the crucifixion was on a Friday, we find that the crucifixion was on the 4th day of the week - Wednesday!

The astute reader will note something most amazing and significant in the timeline just presented! While most assessments the timeline argue that the 10th of Nisan, the day that the perfect lambs were selected by Israeli families at the original exodus, (Exodus 12:3-5), means that the Messiah's entrance into Yerushalayim was on that day. Thus those assessments erroneously "glorify" the Messiah as He was "hailed" upon riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. But we find no scripture "glorifying" the lamb chosen to be slain on the behalf of the Israelis! Nowhere in scripture do you find the chosen lambs "put on display" for all to see and admire as some argue. Instead, we find that on the 10th of Nisan, Yeshua was having a quiet meal in His honor with El'azar, the man whom Yeshua raised from the dead! A quiet ceremony, the family of El'azar chose Yeshua, in exactly the same manner as the Passover lamb would have been chosen! No pomp and circumstance! No glory imposed on the lamb! Yeshua rode into Jerusalem on the 11th of Nisan, quite unknown to the Israelis as their chosen lamb! Do you see the significance here? El'azar had been given life from the Messiah! Just four days later, the Messiah would give His life for all the rest of us!

How do we know He was resurrected BEFORE the weekly Sabbath (Saturday) ENDED?

Matthew 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 see the sepulchre.

(Some versions read: "After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week.... But this does not mean that Yeshua rose on a Sunday, because in "Old Testament" times (and according to the Hebrew calendar), a new day began at sundown - yet "daytime" began at sunrise. Therefore we can't fully take what is expressed in English to imply exact times. The bottom line is that, by the time the two women arrived at Yeshua's tomb just after sunset Saturday, or just after sunrise Sunday, Yeshua was already nowhere to be found!)

As shown above, the Scriptures - read in context - are abundantly clear as to when our Savior died; when He was buried; and that His resurrection would have been 3 days and 3 nights later. He did not rise on Sunday, and He never said to change His Sabbath to the first day of the week. Therefore, there is no reason for the mainstream Christian church to adhere to the Sunday Sabbath tradition.

While many argue the exact meaning of "3 days and 3 nights" in an attempt to show that Friday-Sunday meets "3 days and 3 nights" or that the day of the crucifixion counts as the "1st day", or that "any part of a Hebrew day counts as a day", there is a curious fact very often overlooked. Yeshua said, in response to being asked for a miraculous sign to prove who he was, "A wicked and adulterous generation is asking for a sign? It will certainly not be given a sign except the sign of Yonah! 'With that he left them and went off' ", (Matthew 12:39; Matthew 16:4; Luke 11:29). Three days and 3 night is the only sign! How can we diminish its meaning and impact by arguing over this only YHWH-given sign? It seems to be the only measure by which to assess the full meaning of the Messiah's relationship to us, as our Passover blood substitution.

Edited February 9, 2021 by Justin Adams

[Frits]

1 hour ago, Justin Adams said:

https://therefinersfire.org/resurrection1.htm

Many (if not most) believers seem to think that Yeshua (Jesus) was resurrected on a Sunday, and they attempt to use Luke 23:54-24:10 as proof and justification to change God's seventh day Sabbath to the first day. But is this a huge mistake! Where and when did God ever tell us that Sunday is now HIS Sabbath? The answer lies indisputably in the Bible which, when viewed from a "Hebrew perspective," tells us that Yeshua was most likely resurrected at the end of the Sabbath, almost exactly "3-days and 3-nights" after his entombment; and not early on a Sunday morning (the first day of the week).

Furthermore, most who have studied the timeline of the last week of the Messiah simply assume the crucifixion was on a Friday, so it is not surprising that their timeline matches that expectation. The vast majority of articles on the Internet assessing the timeline of the crucifixion do nothing but assume the crucifixion was on Friday!

The truth is, a major problem exists with a Friday crucifixion! No matter one's definition of "3 days and 3 nights", that particular time period is not possible with a Friday burial at sunset and a "Sunday" resurrection before sunrise! This article will show that He was in the grave just before sunset on Wednesday night.

Man has debated the time of Messiah's resurrection for the last two thousand years. Catholics and most Christians have based their Sunday worship on the mistaken assumption that "Jesus rose on a Sunday". Rather than to view the Bible from God's perspective and the clear Scriptures provided, most have used their limited, human mindsets to lead them down the wrong path and come up with the wrong conclusions - which means their view of the Gospels is skewed.

In order to back up this very serious allegation, we will use hermeneutics: allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture:

Matthew 12:39 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: (KJV).

Matthew 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall NO SIGN be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed. (KJV).

What was the "sign of Jonas"?

Matthew 12:40 For 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. 41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. (KJV).

The SIGN for which we are searching is "Three days and three nights" approximately 72 hours (a total of 3 nighttime periods and 3 daytime periods, not necessarily exactly 72 hours) from death/burial to resurrection of our Savior.

Matthew 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. (KJV).

Matthew 17:23 And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry. (KJV).

Matthew 20:19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again. (KJV).

(See also Matthew 27:64; Mark 9:31; Mark 10:34; Luke 9:22; Luke 13:32; Luke 18:33; Luke 24:7; Luke 24:46; Acts 10:40; and 1 Corinthians 15:4.)

A thorough study of the Bible reveals that Yeshua was in the grave three days (daylight periods) and three nights (periods of darkness), and it tells us that He died as the lambs died at the late afternoon of Passover which preceded the High Holy Day (15 Nisan [see Leviticus 23:5-6])*. This article will show that He was in the grave just before sunset on Wednesday night, according to scripture, "preparation day" for the High Holy Day (John 19:31); all day Thursday and Thursday night; all day Friday and Friday night, and all day Saturday (as Jonah was in the whale three days and three nights) until sometime just before sunset or at sunset on Saturday when He was resurrected. When the two Marys arrived at dawn the next morning, they found He had already risen. (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1-4; Luke 24:1-2; John 20:1).

(*Note: In John 18:28 we read that "they" led the Messiah to the governor and that "they" did not want to enter the building and so become defiled so "they" would not become unclean and unable to partake in the Passover meal. Who were "they"?

"They" were not the Roman guards who had the authority to arrest the Messiah! The Roman guards could not care less about what night it was; or whether it was the Passover! "They" were the entire Sanhedrin and Cohen HaGadol who were out to "get" Yeshua to have Him arrested! (Matthew 26:59; Mark 14:55; Luke 23:51; John 18:19). The point is, these men were the highest Jewish leadership and they, of all people, could not be defiled for the Passover which was to happen the next evening after this very night! If that happened, the entire Jewish leadership would be forced to observe Passover the next month! (Numbers 9:1-12). That clearly cannot happen! The entire Jewish leadership defiled? No. For this to be the case, the Passover cannot have yet happened which is why the leadership was concerned about becoming defiled.

This is significant proof that the arrest of the Messiah was after sunset the 13th of Nisan, when it was now the nighttime hours of the 14th, "Preparation Day" for that next afternoon's ritual observance of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread - the High Sabbath day. If this were the evening of Passover when the date would have then been the 15th of Nisan, not only are all the scriptures negated, but even a corrupt Sanhedrin would not have been "out" seeking blood after sunset the 14th when it was then the High Holy Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread!)

Scripture tells us that Yeshua died about 3 p.m. (the ninth hour - Matthew 27:46-50); that He was buried later that same late afternoon (John 19:31).

Matthew 27:45 And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken me? (MKJV). ** (See also Mark 15:33-34 and Luke 23:44)

**While the scripture from the MKJV states "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?", such interpretation has led to the false teaching that Yeshua was quoting Psalm 22:1 and that YHWH somehow abandoned Yeshua and left Him on His own. But where Matthew 27:46 in Greek is transliterated "Eli, Eli lama sabachthani", the Peshitta (Aramaic) reads: Eli, Eli lama azbatani - "My God! My God! Why have you spared me?" There is a very clear difference between "forsaken" and "spared" given the Messiah's situation - hanging from the stake, suffering, ready to die. He was not "deserted" or "forsaken"; rather, He was simply ready to conclude the ordeal and was only questioning why it could not end. Indeed, moments later, Yeshua's body died.

It was now just before the onset of the High Holy Day, almost time for the Passover meal and the Judeans wanted Him off the cross and in the grave before sundown so as not to desecrate the holy day which would begin at sunset. This meant He was entombed at approximately 5 p.m. shortly after His crucifixion - which means that "3 days and 3 nights" would also fall at approximately 5 p.m.! Here are the Scriptures to verify this understanding:

John 19:14 "Now it was the preparation day of the Passover, about the sixth hour."

John 19:31 It was preparation Day, and the Judeans did not want the bodies to remain on the stake on a Shabbat, since it was an especially important Shabbat. So they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed. (CJB)

Many people think this "preparation day" fell on Friday in advance of the weekly Sabbath. However, as we mentioned above, John 19:14 and 31 tells us it was not preparation day for a regular Shabbat; rather, it was for a High Holy Shabbat - the Passover followed by the 1st day of the Feast of Unleavended Bread. Therefore, the Judeans wanted the bodies of Yeshua and the thieves off the crosses before sundown.

(Of course, "preparation day" could have been a Friday if the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread that year fell on the weekly Shabbat! However, that possibility must be dismissed because when the women arrived Sunday morning to find the tomb empty only 1 day and 2 nights had passed and prophecy is not met. Even the loosest possible counting including a Friday burial, the empty tomb is found only after "3 days and 2 nights".)

John 19:41 In the vicinity of where he had been executed was a garden, and in the garden was a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. 42 So, because it was Preparation Day for the Judeans, and because the tomb was close by, that is where they buried Yeshua. (CJB).

The above Scripture supports that Yeshua was placed in the heart of the earth approximately 5:00 p.m., just about sunset on the day He died. "Three days and three nights" must end near the same time we started the count - also about 5:00 p.m., or near the end of the 3rd Hebrew day.

Even on the eve of His death, Messiah Yeshua kept and "fulfilled" the Passover: He became our blood substitution, our redemption, just as the lamb's blood was substituted for the people of Israel. Yeshua died on Wednesday the 14th of Nisan, and He rose some time before sunset on the following Sabbath exactly three days later, depending on when He was placed in the grave. The Sabbath is in commemoration of YHWH's rest at creation (Genesis 2:2), and Yeshua's rest after His redemption of mankind. The Sabbath is for a reminder of the sign (three days and three nights) of who Yeshua HaMashiyach (Jesus Christ) is: He the Lord of the Sabbath.

One more thing: There are those who argue that Yeshua must have resurrected in "FirstFruits" which they assume was on a Sunday as "the day after the Sabbath" (Leviticus 23:11). There are two problems with that belief as a condition on the events of the crucifixion and resurrection: First, the "sabbath" mentioned in Leviticus 23:11 was the High Holy Sabbath of the 1st day of the Feast of Unleavened Break, not the weekly sabbath. This is verified within the context of Leviticus 23 itself. Second, "firstfruits" is an event, not a day and firstfruits don't "rise", they are "presented." Yeshua was "presented" as the firstfruits, yes; but He did not have to "rise on [a day called] firstfruits!"

Now, exactly how do we know that He died on the 14th of Nisan and that, that particular 14th of Nisan fell on a Wednesday? Two reasons: First, we know the approximate time and day of the resurrection. Yeshua was already resurrected when the women arrived at the tomb on Sunday morning (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1-4; Luke 24:1; John 20:1). We know the burial was at or near sunset, so 3 days and 3 nights earlier from the resurrection establishes Wednesday as the day of the crucifixion. Since Passover begins the late afternoon of the 14th of Nisan (Exodus 12:6; Leviticus 23:5), the crucifixion had to be no later than that day.

Second, the series of events which took place just prior to the crucifixion fit the calendar that year with the 14th of Nisan at the middle of the week. In both cases, we have only to "work backward" from the "anchor point" (the crucifixion/burial) to see that the two accounts match:

6 days before Passover. We know Yeshua was in Beit-Anyah (Bethany) six days before Passover that year, (John 12:1). He was given a dinner in His honor.

5 days before Passover. After sunset, it became 5 days before Passover. The dinner in Yeshua's honor with El'azar was held, (John 12: 2). A large crowd of Judeans had gathered to see El'azar, the man Yeshua had raised from the dead, (John 12:9).

4 days before Passover. Scripture says it was the next day, a large crowd gathered in Yerushalim to await the arrival of Yeshua, (John 12:12). It is now four days before His arrest and crucifixion.

Yeshua, the Passover Lamb, fulfilled Zechariah 9:9 when, He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, as the people waved palm branches: 9 Rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Tziyon! Shout out loud, daughter of Yerushalayim! Look! Your king is coming to you. He is righteous, and he is victorious. Yet he is humble - he's riding on a donkey, yes, on a lowly donkey's colt. (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-38; John 12:12-18).

(The Bible tells us that Yeshua had been staying at Beit-Anyah by the Mt. of Olives (Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:11-12; John 11:1). This is not Beit-Anyah, the town of the same name, which we know was about 1.5 miles from Jerusalem, (John 11:18). But it is a "Sabbath day's journey" from the area of the Mt. of Olives to Yerushalayim, (Acts 1:12; Mark 11:1). A Sabbath day's journey is the distance permitted by Torah for travel on the Sabbath, about 2/3 of a mile. This "Beit-Anyah" was a tract of land and properties at the edge of the Mt. of Olives where many lived, (Mark 14:3, John 11:1).

After arrival in Yerushalayim, Yeshua went to the Temple, but then returned to Beit-Anyah (Mark 11:11).

3 days before Passover. The next day, (Mark 11:12), now 3 days days before His arrest and crucifixion, He returned to Yerushalayim and cleansed the Temple (Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15, Luke 19:45). Then He left Yerushalayim, (Mark 11:19). The Gospel of John, skips identifying the next 2 days.

2 days before Passover. The next day, now 2 days before His arrest and crucifixion, He returned to Yerushalayim (Matthew 26:2; Mark 11:27; Mark 14:1), passed the withered fig tree (Mark 11:20) and was confronted by the Torah-teachers, (Mark 11:27).

1 day before Passover. The next day, now 1 day before His arrest and crucifixion, Yeshua spent the day teaching, then had His talmidim go prepare a place for Passover, (Matthew 26:17; Mark 14:12;Luke 22:7-8). [Note: All the Gospels state it is the "first day of Matzah" or "the day of Matzah" and this throws many. Matzah is required at the Passover meal which begins in the late afternoon of the 14th of Nisan (Exodus 12:18) so the "1st day of Matzah" is understood as the evening of the 13, and after sunset the 13th, as matzah will be needed by the next late afternoon. This means that when the Gospels say it was the "1st day of matzah", there is no discrepancy that this is the late afternoon of the 13th.]

Day of Passover. Now just after sunset the 13th, beginning the 14th of Nisan, the day of His arrest and crucifixion, Yeshua ate His last meal with His Talmidim, (Matthew 26:17-21; Mark 14:12-18), telling them that He "had wished to have Passover with them", (Luke 22:15, but His talmidim did not understand that Yeshua would be dead the next evening and could not celebrate the Passover with them).

As promised in Exodus 12:25-28 there was to be a perpetual explanation of the Passover service. This Messianic fulfillment took place when Yeshua showed His disciples how to celebrate the Passover Seder the evening before His death. During this time He explained how HE IS the fulfillment of the Passover seder (Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Just as He delivered the Israelites with a mighty hand from the bondage of Egypt, so is He delivering us from the bondage of sin with His mighty right hand! It was here that He explained the meaning of His person in the Passover elements. Afterwards, He and His disciples went to Gethsemene, where they spent part of the night.

During the night Yeshua was arrested (Luke 22:47-54) and we are told that His trial continued until some time between 9 a.m. and noon, when He was crucified, (Mark 15:25; John 19:14-16).

At 3:00 p.m. (the 9th hour) on 14 Nisan, just before sunset, Yeshua died, (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34-37). It was preparation day, (Matthew 27:57; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:31;) By sunset, He was removed from the stake, (John 19:31; 19:41).

Day after the Passover, 15 Nisan. This is the High Holy Day, the Sabbath, (Leviticus 23:6). The cohanim went to Pilate to ask that the tomb be sealed and guarded. (Matthew 27:62). The 15th was the 1st night and day of the entombment.

2nd day after the Passover, 16 Nisan. This was the 2nd night and day of the entombment. This is FirstFruits, (Leviticus 23:11) when the first omer of the new crop is brought to the Temple.

3rd day after the Passover, 17 Nisan. It is now the weekly Sabbath, and the women are resting, (Luke 23:56).

Resurrection discovered, 18 Nisan. It is now after the weekly Sabbath, and the women are up early, before sunrise to head to the tomb where it is found empty, (Matthew 28:1-2; Mark 16:1-4; Luke 24:1-2; John 20:1).

So we know the Messiah's death on the stake was on the late afternoon of the 14th of Nisan, by the timeline of last week given by the Gospels, He was buried and was already resurrected when women arrived at the tomb before sunrise the 1st day of the week. Now let's work this backward to see what day-of-the-week the Passover had to be that year:

Early Sunday morning, the 18th of Nisan, the 1st day of the week, the women arrive to find the resurrection had already happened.

The 7th day of the week, 17 Nisan, the women stayed home and rested.

The 6th day of the week, 16 Nisan, was FirstFruits.

The 5th day of the week, 15 Nisan, the High Holy Sabbath of the 1st day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

The 4th day of the week, 14 Nisan, Passover. Yeshua was removed from the stake and buried just at or before sunset.

The 4th day of the week, 14 Nisan, Passover. Yeshua was arrested and crucified.

The 4th day of the week, 14 Nisan, was Passover. As the day began, after sunset the 13th, Yeshua and His talmidim ate.

The 3rd day of the week, 13 Nisan, was the day Yeshua was confronted by the Torah teachers at the Temple. Yeshua had His talmidim prepare for Passover.

The 2nd day of the week, 12 Nisan, was the day Yeshua cleansed the Temple.

The 1st day of the week, 11 Nisan, was the day Yeshua rode into Yerushalayim on a donkey colt.

The 7th day of the week, 10 Nisan, was the weekly Sabbath. Yeshua spent the beginning of that Sabbath in a dinner in His honor, for his resurrection of El'azar.

The 6th day of the week, 9 Nisan, Yeshua was in Beit-Anyah and was invited to the home of El'azar, the man whom Yeshua had resurrected.

Thus we see that by looking at the timeline, both by considering the prophecy "3 days and 3 nights" alone and examining the events of the week presented in the Gospels, not skewed by assuming the crucifixion was on a Friday, we find that the crucifixion was on the 4th day of the week - Wednesday!

The astute reader will note something most amazing and significant in the timeline just presented! While most assessments the timeline argue that the 10th of Nisan, the day that the perfect lambs were selected by Israeli families at the original exodus, (Exodus 12:3-5), means that the Messiah's entrance into Yerushalayim was on that day. Thus those assessments erroneously "glorify" the Messiah as He was "hailed" upon riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. But we find no scripture "glorifying" the lamb chosen to be slain on the behalf of the Israelis! Nowhere in scripture do you find the chosen lambs "put on display" for all to see and admire as some argue. Instead, we find that on the 10th of Nisan, Yeshua was having a quiet meal in His honor with El'azar, the man whom Yeshua raised from the dead! A quiet ceremony, the family of El'azar chose Yeshua, in exactly the same manner as the Passover lamb would have been chosen! No pomp and circumstance! No glory imposed on the lamb! Yeshua rode into Jerusalem on the 11th of Nisan, quite unknown to the Israelis as their chosen lamb! Do you see the significance here? El'azar had been given life from the Messiah! Just four days later, the Messiah would give His life for all the rest of us!

How do we know He was resurrected BEFORE the weekly Sabbath (Saturday) ENDED?

Matthew 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 see the sepulchre.

(Some versions read: "After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week.... But this does not mean that Yeshua rose on a Sunday, because in "Old Testament" times (and according to the Hebrew calendar), a new day began at sundown - yet "daytime" began at sunrise. Therefore we can't fully take what is expressed in English to imply exact times. The bottom line is that, by the time the two women arrived at Yeshua's tomb just after sunset Saturday, or just after sunrise Sunday, Yeshua was already nowhere to be found!)

As shown above, the Scriptures - read in context - are abundantly clear as to when our Savior died; when He was buried; and that His resurrection would have been 3 days and 3 nights later. He did not rise on Sunday, and He never said to change His Sabbath to the first day of the week. Therefore, there is no reason for the mainstream Christian church to adhere to the Sunday Sabbath tradition.

While many argue the exact meaning of "3 days and 3 nights" in an attempt to show that Friday-Sunday meets "3 days and 3 nights" or that the day of the crucifixion counts as the "1st day", or that "any part of a Hebrew day counts as a day", there is a curious fact very often overlooked. Yeshua said, in response to being asked for a miraculous sign to prove who he was, "A wicked and adulterous generation is asking for a sign? It will certainly not be given a sign except the sign of Yonah! 'With that he left them and went off' ", (Matthew 12:39; Matthew 16:4; Luke 11:29). Three days and 3 night is the only sign! How can we diminish its meaning and impact by arguing over this only YHWH-given sign? It seems to be the only measure by which to assess the full meaning of the Messiah's relationship to us, as our Passover blood substitution.

Ever since I received my first Bible from an elder, I have read and heard that the Lord Jesus died on the cross of Calvary on Friday.
Aside from the evidence in my Bible for Friday, you might be wondering what makes a difference whether the Lord Jesus died on Wednesday or Friday.
If He died on Friday - and that's what I think - the three nights don't add up.

But there is a little mystery here, and that may be why some have a keen interest in denying the crucifixion on Friday, and trying to reschedule it to Wednesday!

I am thinking of the following:

The Lord Jesus did not enter death on Friday, but already on Thursday!
On Thursday after the Last Supper, the Lord walks with His disciples over the brook Cedron to the Garden of Gethsemane, at the foot of the Mount of Olive.

There the protection of the Holy Spirit is going to leave Him. The Lord Jesus had never experienced that before! (Ps.91:11-12)
There He comes into the sphere of death: He is terrified to death and sweats blood!  (Lk.22:44)
That same evening He is captured, mocked and badly mistreated on Thursday night!
The Hebrews write of these gruesome hours when the Lord Jesus endured the pain:

Heb 5:7 KJV Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared.

In Gethsemane He entered death, and prayed all the more to God His Father.

Then on Friday He is crucified and dies about the ninth hour.
That's when He was killed according to the flesh.
Everyone, including His disciples, are witnesses and see that it's now over, now He is dead!

But that is exactly the moment the Lord Jesus is 'made alive' by God's Spirit.  (1Pt.3:18)

Luk 23:46 KJV  'Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.'

Made alive and connected with the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus enters Hades.  He now is not only in death, but also enters Hell!  Death and Hell are seperately named in Rev.20:13-14.

From Thursday to Friday abandoned by God, one night tortured into death.
From Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday, two nights united with the Holy Spirit in Hell.

If it is denied that the Lord Jesus entered death on Thursday evening - while He still on earth(!), It is also denied that the Lord Jesus said:

Joh 5:25 KJV 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and NOW is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.' (Jh.5:25)

People who reject the Lord Jesus do not want to admit that they are forsaken from God and already in death!
This was the case for most Jews during the preaching of the Lord Jesus.

Their sins had separated them from God.  They did not serve God and were not associated with Him, as is the case with all unbelieving people! (Isa.59:2)

Before we accepted the Lord Jesus as God and Savior from our sins, we too were dead.
We were dead in trespasses and crimes, and were raised to life by the Lord Jesus.  Hallelujah!

Efe 2:1 KJV And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.

Not a complicated long explanation, but even a child can understand.

'He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.'

God bless.

[Justin Adams]

The Chronology of Yeshua’s Death & Resurrection

Exodus 12 really stands out amongst the many chapters of Exodus as it is here where we find the first laws pertaining to the Passover meal and the festival of unleavened bread.

Given this, when looking for a topic to discuss with regard to Exodus 12, the topic easiest to choose is simply ‘Yeshua in the Passover’ (it’s understandably popular). We shall certainly discuss elements of this, however this week I found myself studying a topic that I’ve never truly considered in any depth. I found myself studying the time line of Messiah’s death, burial and resurrection, however I particularly studied the last supper, and considered the question as to whether or not the last supper was really a Passover Seder?

The issue I have always had with the gospel account lies within an observation I have noticed for some time. If one were to say Yeshua was our Passover and he died at the same time the Passover lamb was sacrificed, I would be in agreement; yet, if one also said Yeshua kept the Torah and kept the Passover Seder before his death, I would also be in agreement.

The issue is that both statements cannot be true, because, if he kept the Passover at the correct time, then he could not have died as the Passover Lamb and alternatively, if he did die as the Passover Lamb, then he could not have had the Passover Sedar at the correct time.

I’ve seen many person teach and read many a study that glosses over this truth. Some say He just kept Passover early however this is a breach of Torah and is unsupported by the text. Some suggest that the Jews kept the wrong day and that Messiah kept the right day for Passover, but this would also be wrong and the Talmud and Jewish writings attest that the Jews kept the correct timing for the Passover seder (in line with the Temple’s operation as we do today). Some say Yeshua kept the Sadducee’s calendar, however this is wrong and further unsupported by the fact that the Sadducees were the Hellenised Jews and Roman sympathisers; a people Yeshua did not align with ever.

So what is it then?

Well, let’s review the text and see what we learn. I will be upfront however and inform you that this study will fall on the side of Yeshua’s last supper as not being a Passover Seder.

To begin, let’s review the Passover;

Leviticus 23:5–8 (The Scriptures)

5 ‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, between the evenings, is the Passover to יהוה‎.

6 ‘And on the fifteenth day of this month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread to יהוה—seven days you eat unleavened bread.

7 ‘On the first day you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work.

8 ‘And you shall bring an offering made by fire to יהוה for seven days. On the seventh day is a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work.’ ”

We can also read in Numbers of Israel performing the Passover in the wilderness;

Numbers 9:2–3 (The Scriptures)

2 “Now, let the children of Yisra’ěl perform the Passover at its appointed time.

3 “On the fourteenth day of this month, between the evenings, perform it at its appointed time. According to all its laws and right-rulings you perform it.”

Between The Evenings

Understanding the timing of Passover in the Old Testament is vital to understanding the Gospel accounts.

The first question we encounter is what exactly is ‘between the evenings’? This is the time when the lamb that was chosen for the sacrifice was to be killed. History tells us that ‘between the evenings’ was the 9th hour which by our reckoning of time is about 3 PM. There’s a few views as to why this may be the case, one being that the first evening was considered to be when the sun started to begin making its descent at noon, with the second evening being later at about 6 PM when it started getting dark, 3pm therefore being between the two evenings.

Regardless of how we come to this conclusion there’s just about universal agreement that between the evenings was about 3 PM.

14th of Nisan

The killing of the Passover we know occurred on the 14th day of the month, at 3 PM.

Exodus 12:6 (The Scriptures)

6 ‘And you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then all the assembly of the congregation of Yisra’ěl shall kill it between the evenings.

The Passover that was killed in the evening was to be eating that night;

Exodus 12:8 (The Scriptures)

8 ‘And they shall eat the flesh on that night, roasted in fire—with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.

15th of Nisan

Herein is where we start to see some complications. Following the killing of the Passover lamb, which occurred on the fourteenth, is the festival of unleavened bread.

We know however that the Passover meal was to be eaten with unleavened bread, which we are to eat from the 15th.

Leviticus 23:6 (The Scriptures)

6 ‘And on the fifteenth day of this month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread to יהוה—seven days you eat unleavened bread.

This is complicated slightly because Exodus 12:18 states;

Exodus 12:18 (The Scriptures)

18 ‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month in the evening.

How this is reconciled is that the Passover is killed on the 14th at about 3 PM, and then eaten that night with unleavened bread, as the verse above states. How this works and doesn’t equate to a mistake is in the fact that Biblical reckoning of a day begins in darkness, and is then followed by light. Thus, what we would consider to be the night of the 14th is really the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th. The Passover was then killed on the 14th, eaten a few hours later at the beginning of the 15th, the start of the festival of unleavened bread.

I understand this may be confusing, but if you believe that eating the lamb should occur the evening before, which would technically be the 14th by Biblical standards, you would then have to kill the lamb on the 13th which is a breach of the Passover laws.

Not only is this understanding ours, but through the volumes of Jewish writings we know that the Temple calendar with which Yeshua was in sync with followed this understanding. The lamb was killed the day of the 14th and eaten that evening, which was the beginning of the 15th, with unleavened bread as per the beginning of that festival.

First Fruits

Understanding the process for the 14th and 15th is vital, but so is knowing that there’s a third festival which occurred in conjunction with Passover and Unleavened Bread.

This is the festival of First Fruits which was observed the day after the weekly Shabbat.

Leviticus 23:9–11 (The Scriptures)

9 And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

10 “Speak to the children of Yisra’ěl, and you shall say to them, ‘When you come into the land which I give you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest to the priest.

11 ‘And he shall wave the sheaf before יהוה, for your acceptance. On the morrow after the Sabbath the priest waves it.

I’m aware there’s a controversy with when First Fruits is, but for our purposes we shall go with the accepted view that it occurs the day after the weekly Sabbath after Passover.

So, when we come to the week of Yeshua’s death, it looks like this.

The 14th is when the Passover was sacrificed, eaten that evening which would be the start of the 15th.

The 15th starts the Festival of Unleavened Bread and is a High Sabbath.

The 17th of that week is the weekly Sabbath, and the 18th of that week is the Festival of First Fruits.

In our thinking the Passover sacrifice occurred on Wednesday, Thursday is the first day of Unleavened Bread, Saturday is the weekly Sabbath and Sunday is the Festival of First Fruits.

The Spices

Understanding that there are multiple Sabbaths in the week of Yeshua’s death is key in understanding the gospel narrative. Knowing of the multiple Sabbaths helps us to reconcile the problem as to when Mary brought the spices to Yeshua’s tomb.

The timing of this is complicated due to the differing descriptions given in the gospel.

In Mark 16:1 Mary brought the spices after the Sabbath.

Mark 16:1 (The Scriptures)

And when the Sabbath was past, Miryam from Maḡdala, and Miryam the mother of Ya‘aqoḇ, and Shelomah bought spices, to go and anoint Him.

Luke 23:54-56 says that Mary brought the spices before the Sabbath.

Luke 23:54–56 (The Scriptures)

54 And it was Preparation day, and the Sabbath was approaching.

55 And the women who had come with Him from Galili followed after, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid.

56 And having returned, they prepared spices and perfumes. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the command.

Looking at the Passover week that year, it was in fact the 16th when Mary bought the spices for Yeshua’s body. He was dead on the 14th, 15th is a High Sabbath, the 17th is a Sabbath (both prohibiting purchases) and by the 18th Yeshua had resurrected. Therefore the 16th is the only day when the spices would be bought, and it was before and after the Sabbath.

The Resurrection

As mentioned, Yeshua’s resurrection occurred on the 18th which was the Festival of First Fruits. It is beyond the scope of our discussion now but this festival has long been associated with the resurrection of the dead in Hebraic thinking;

1 Corinthians 15:20 (The Scriptures)

20 But now Messiah has been raised from the dead, and has become the first-fruit of those having fallen asleep.

Let us try though to be a little bit more specific with the timing.

We are all familiar with the sign of Jonah equating to the resurrection of the Messiah;

Matthew 12:40 (The Scriptures)

40 “For as Yonah was three days and three nights in the stomach of the great fish, so shall the Son of Aḏam be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Yeshua also discusses his resurrection in Mark 8:31;

Mark 8:31 (The Scriptures)

31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Aḏam has to suffer much, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days to rise again.

What is fascinating about this is that the verse says He would rise ‘after’ three days, not necessarily on the third day.

So, if you think about Yeshua dying on the afternoon/evening of the 14th it means that the 15th, 16th and 17th are the full periods of daylight for the three days, and it means that the darkness at the beginning of the 15th (14th by our Roman reckoning), 16th and 17th, is the three nights as part of the resurrection sign.

This means that Yeshua resurrected on Saturday night, as the 17th was ending, and on the 18th the festival of first fruits was beginning. Therefore, the death occurred evening of the 14th and the resurrection occurred in what we would say is the evening of the 17th, the start of the 18th, Wednesday evening to Saturday evening.

To summarise, as I think I might even be confusing myself;

15th: Is the first night and day; is also a Sabbath

16th: Is the second night and second day. Is also the day after the first of unleavened bread which is a Sabbath and is a day before the weekly Sabbath. This is the day Mary brought the spices.

17th: Is the third night and the third day of the resurrection and is the weekly Sabbath.

Yeshua resurrected ‘after’ the third day which equates to Saturday night in our reckoning and is the beginning of the Festival of Firstfruits.

Complication With ‘After’ The Third Day

There are some complications in our understanding of the resurrection occurring ‘after’ the third day which can be explained. One example I’m aware of is Luke 24:18-21;

Luke 24:18–21 (NKJV)

18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”

19 And He said to them, “What things?”

So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

This verse seems to suggest that it was the third day, not ‘after’, i.e. the evening of the resurrection as we’ve concluded above, but really, the translation of ‘it is the third day’ can be rendered ‘one is passing this day as the third’. This therefore can mean that they weren’t saying it was the third day, which would indicate resurrection earlier than we thought, but rather indicates that the third day had already passed.

Bringing the Spices

We’ve established that the resurrection occurred on the 18th which is First Fruits. The 18th, being the day after the weekly Sabbath, is also the first day of the week (Sunday). This is when Mary brought the spices to the tomb and discovered it was empty. It appears she arrived in the morning, but that Yeshua had resurrected the night before, which in Hebraic reckoning is the start of the 18th.

Luke 24:1–2 (The Scriptures)

And on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared,

2 and they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

This is also attested to in Mark 16, John 20 and Matthew 28.

Mark 16:1–2 (The Scriptures)

And when the Sabbath was past, Miryam from Maḡdala, and Miryam the mother of Ya‘aqoḇ, and Shelomah bought spices, to go and anoint Him.

2 And very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

The Last Supper

If Yeshua’s death then corresponds perfectly to the timeline for the Passover, how then is it that he ate the Passover?

The Issues

John 13

To begin looking at the last supper itself, we will begin with the John account as it is the one that most clearly indicates that Yeshua did not eat the Passover.

It supports this view quite clearly in John 13;

John 13:1–2 (The Scriptures)

And before the Festival of the Passover, Yeshua knowing that His hour had come that He should move out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

2 And supper taking place, the devil having already put it into the heart of Yehuḏah from Qerioth, son of Shim‘on, to deliver Him up,

It indicates that it was ‘before’ the Passover, and that they had already had their ‘supper’ which is in fact describing the same events as the other gospels (the last supper).

John 19

John 19 describes the day when Yeshua was judged and crucified;

John 19:14–18 (The Scriptures)

14 And it was the Preparation Day of the Passover week, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Yehuḏim, “See your Sovereign!”

15 But they shouted, “Away, away, impale Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I impale your Sovereign?” The chief priests answered, “We have no sovereign except Caesar!”

16 At that time, then, he delivered Him to them to be impaled. And they took Yeshua and led Him away.

17 And bearing His stake, He went out to the so-called Place of a Skull, which is called in Heḇrew, Golgotha,

18 where they impaled Him, and two others with Him, one on this side and one on that side, and Yeshua in the middle.

Note that the day of the crucifixion is described as ‘preparation day’. Preparation day is the 14th of Nisan, the day when that afternoon the lambs would be slaughtered.

You might have also noted a slight contradiction between John and the other gospels with regard to the timing. John here says that Yeshua was before Pilate at the 6th hour, whereas the other gospels identify Yeshua has being already on the cross by the 6th hour.

Matthew 27:45–46 (The Scriptures)

45 And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land, until the ninth hour.

46 And about the ninth hour Yeshua cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Ěli, Ěli, lemah sheḇaqtani?” that is, “My Ěl, My Ěl, why have You forsaken Me?”

The gospels are describing the same day but have just identified a different time of the day. How this is resolved is in the widespread acknowledgement that the gospel of John identifies hours of the day by the Roman reckoning. So the 6th hour John is speaking of here is in fact the 6th hour as we know it, 6 AM. This means that it is the morning after Yeshua’s apprehension in the garden of Gethsemane where he was taken to Pilate to be judged.

John 19:31 again identifies the death of Yeshua with the 14th of Nisan;

John 19:31 (The Scriptures)

31 Therefore, since it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the stake on the Sabbath—for that Sabbath was a high one—the Yehuḏim asked Pilate to have their legs broken, and that they be taken away.

Remember the 15th day is a High Sabbath as discussed above and as is identified in the text here.

John 19:42 identifies Yeshua’s burial, again, with the 14th day;

John 19:41–42 (The Scriptures)

41 And at the place where He was impaled there was a garden, and in the garden a fresh tomb in which no one had yet been laid.

42 There, then, because of the Preparation Day of the Yehuḏim, they laid Yeshua, because the tomb was near.

The Departure of Judas

Returning to John 13 other issues can be identified.

During the last supper it describes Judas’ departure from the meal. Note what it says when he leaves;

John 13:27–30 (The Scriptures)

27 And after the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Yeshua, therefore, said to him, “What you do, do quickly.”

28 But no one at the table knew why He said this to him,

29 for some were supposing, because Yehuḏah had the bag, that Yeshua was saying to him, “Buy what we need for the festival,” or that he should give somewhat to the poor.

30 So, having received the piece of bread, he then went out straightaway, and it was night.

The issues with these verses are that during the last supper that Judas left, everyone thought he was going to buy what was required for Passover. How could he do this if it was already Passover? Furthermore, he could not purchase items if it was Passover as it was a High Sabbath and shopping is prohibited.

The Bread

Famously, Yeshua breaks bread and gives a blessing.

The bread in itself is a source of contention so I will summarise briefly and remind you all that leavened bread is prohibited to be eaten with the Passover.

In the Greek there are 2 words for bread, ‘artos’ which is used for bread in general and ‘azumas’ which is used elsewhere in Scripture for unleavened bread.

The complication is that the word used here is ‘artos’ which would indicate that the blessing given was in fact done with leavened bread. This is a breach of Torah if this is indeed a Passover Seder.

Now the bread issue goes far deeper and there are other complications in the text regarding the wording of bread. For example, Yeshua discusses the showbread at one point in the gospel and he actually describes the showbread with the word ‘artos’ which is used for ‘leavened bread’. The debate that then ensues heads into the book of Leviticus which indicates that no unleavened bread is to be offered on the altar, suggesting that artos can be used for unleavened bread too. This is an issue though because the showbread isn’t actually offered on the altar and therefore it’s not exactly a requirement for the showbread to be unleavened. The debate then focuses on whether or not the showbread in the temple was leavened or unleavened and that implication on the current text. It gets a little complicated but for simplicity sake, artos is generally used to describe leavened bread, perhaps with one exception which people debate about every year the Passover comes.

Why Not Passover?

Before moving on let’s summarise why the last supper may not be a Passover;

Yeshua could not eat the Passover and be the Passover

1. John states that the Messiah died the day before unleavened bread, meaning He would be in the tomb when the Passover was to be eaten

2. Judas left during the last supper to buy things for the Passover (or so the apostles assumed) which cannot be because if it was the Passover then it was a High Sabbath (trading prohibited)

3. The bread used was likely leavened and in breach of the Passover laws

Additionally, there’s also no mention of the lamb or bitter herbs etc.

Why Believe it’s Passover?

Mark 14:12

The belief as to why the last supper is a Passover Seder is quite easy to identify. There are a number of key verses as to why.

Let’s start with Mark 14:12;

Mark 14:12 (The Scriptures)

12 And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they were slaughtering the Passover lamb, His taught ones said to Him, “Where do You wish us to go and prepare, for You to eat the Passover?”

Quite clear isn’t it?

The only issue is that if they were actually slaughtering the Passover lamb on the 15th day, which is the first day of the festival of unleavened bread, then they were doing so on the wrong day, a day to late. Remember the Passover was to be sacrificed on the 14th.

Like all scripture though, it all does actually fall into alignment and one of the common issues we in the Hebraic understanding encounter are translation issues.

Understanding the translation issue here helps address the issue with other gospels which describe this day in the same way.

The issue is the start of the verse, ‘the first day of Unleavened Bread’. The word for ‘first’ is ‘protos’ and is the equivalent to ‘rishon’ in the Hebrew. ‘Rishon’ in the Hebrew we know is actually not the number one but literally means ‘head’, as in the ‘head’ of something. This quite often is reasonably translates as ‘first’ or ‘one’ but it doesn’t actually mean that as a word.

It is similar with ‘protos’. Upon inspection we quickly learn that ‘protos’ can be translated as ‘before’, something that came ‘before’.

Understanding this shows us that the verse, including in the other gospels, can be rendered as;

‘Before the day of Unleavened Bread’

Not only am I suggesting this because it supports my position but most importantly you no longer have a contradiction with the laws pertaining to the Torah, which is our blueprint for the Passover. If they sacrificed on the 15th they were in breach of the law.

Mark 14:14-16

The complications continue in Mark 14 where Yeshua says;

Mark 14:14–16 (The Scriptures)

14 “And wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I am to eat the Passover with My taught ones?” ’

15 “And he shall show you a large upper room, furnished, ready. Prepare for us there.”

16 And His taught ones went out and came into the city, and found it as He said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

Luke 22 also says;

Luke 22:8–13 (The Scriptures)

8 And He sent Kěpha and Yoḥanan, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us to eat.”

9 And they said to Him, “Where do You wish us to prepare?”

10 And He said to them, “See, as you enter into the city, a man shall meet you carrying a jar of water. Follow him into the house he enters.

11 “And you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I might eat the Passover with My taught ones?” ’

12 “And he shall show you a large, furnished upper room. Prepare it there.”

13 And going they found it as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

Taken in context I would suggest that these verses are not a slam dunk, especially when one considers the possible breaches of Torah and the issues with the timeline of Yeshua’s death and resurrection.

What I would point out here is that the verses say they ‘prepared’ the Passover but does not explicitly say that they ate the Passover.

One can speculate as to why Yeshua said ‘where is the guestroom where I might eat the Passover…’ etc. but it would be mere speculation. Perhaps Yeshua did not wish to fully state his plans for the coming days at that time. Regardless, taking these soundbites from the Bible does not resolve the issue.

When you actually get to ‘the hour’ please note Yeshua’s words;

Luke 22:14–20 (The Scriptures)

14 And when the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve emissaries with Him.

15 And He said to them, “With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering,

16 for I say to you, I shall certainly not eat of it again until it is filled in the reign of Elohim.”

17 And taking the cup, giving thanks, He said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves,

18 for I say to you, I shall certainly not drink of the fruit of the vine until the reign of Elohim comes.”

19 And taking bread, giving thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you, do this in remembrance of Me.”

20 Likewise the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the renewed covenant in My blood which is shed for you.

I’ve seen these verses argued both ways, however it does indicate, and it can depend on the wording of your translation, that Yeshua does not actually eat with them. Note that it says they hadn’t eaten yet and that Yeshua says ‘I shall not eat of it again’.

Why 'again', not because they had just shared a Passover Seder, or where about to, but because Yeshua had kept the Passover every year of his life up until now since His birth.

Verse 20 also states ‘after supper’; not ‘after Passover’.

Luke 22:7

Another complication from Luke 22 arises from verse 7;

Luke 22:7 (The Scriptures)

7 And the Day of Unleavened Bread came when the Passover had to be slaughtered.

We know from Torah that the day of unleavened bread was the day after the Passover was killed, not on the same day. This actually contradicts with John but what Luke is likely doing is lumping the 14th day of Nisan, which is the day of the Passover Sacrifice, into the festival of unleavened bread.

The coming day then would be the 14th, making it the 13th of Nisan, the day before the Passover was to be sacrificed. This would actually place the last supper in sync with John and the Torah as being on the 13th. This means that Yeshua then had his last supper, was apprehended in Gethsemane, and then on the 14th morning put to Pilate, and then in the 14th afternoon, at the same time the Passover lambs were been sacrificed, Yeshua was on the cross.

Matthew 27:62-64

This timeline, where Yeshua’s last supper occurred on what we say is the 13th, corresponds also to the book of Matthew which says in Matthew 27:62 -64 (keeping in mind Yeshua is buried at this point);

Matthew 27:62–64 (The Scriptures)

62 On the next day, which was after the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate,

63 saying, “Master, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am raised.’

64 “Command, then, that the tomb be safeguarded until the third day, lest His taught ones come by night and steal Him away, and should say to the people, ‘He was raised from the dead.’ And the last deception shall be worse than the first.”

The day after the preparation day, which is the 14th, is then the 15th, meaning that these verses further corroborate that Yeshua did indeed die on the 14th at the same time of the Passover lamb, and that the last supper, which occurred the day before, could not have been a Passover Seder as we know it.

Summary of Events

To summarise my suggested time frame;

13: In the evening of the 13th (start of the 14th) is the last supper

• Yeshua goes to the garden that night (start of the 14th) and seized that night

14: Yeshua presented to Pilate in the morning; crucified in the afternoon as per the Passover lamb, and buried that evening when the first day of unleavened bread was beginning and when the Passover would be eaten

16: Spices purchased by Mary

17: Normal Sabbath

• That night, which heralds also the beginning of the 18th, the first day of the week and beginning of the feast of First Fruits, Yeshua is resurrected

18: At dawn, the tomb is discovered empty

Fast of the Firstborn

What then, was the last supper?

From hereon I can simply speculate but I would like to offer a suggestion as to what the last supper may have been and I would suggest that this is how it can be viewed through Jewish eyes.

My suggestion is a tradition, and while many believers have only negative things to say about traditions, ultimately, a lot of that talk is uninformed and at times negligent to the Jewish context of Scripture. The fact is, Yeshua keeping the Passover Seder was Yeshua keeping a Jewish tradition.

In Jewish custom however, the night of the 13th is when Jewish first-born males break what is called the ‘fast of the firstborn’ with a celebratory meal.

In the Torah the firstborn males had to be redeemed by a price paid to the Temple, as a remembrance of the firstborn of Egypt, whose deaths the fast commemorates. The fast is remembering the atonement they experienced in Egypt and is an expression of gratitude that they, the first born, were spared at the time of the Exodus.

That Yeshua is the first born about to die for the atonement and salvation of Israel does make it quite fitting that the last supper corresponds to the feast held in commemoration for the Egyptian first born.

The Hallel

Following the last supper the scripture records that they ‘sung a song’ before going to the Mt of Olives where Yeshua would then be apprehended.

Mark 14:25–26 (The Scriptures)

25 “Truly, I say to you, I shall certainly no more drink of the fruit of the vine till that day when I drink it anew in the reign of Elohim.”

26 And having sung a song, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

We know that the song that was sung would have been from the Hallel, the songs of praise traditionally sung at the time of the Passover (Psalms 113 – 118). Whilst this was not the Passover, the Hallel are sung to commemorate divine deliverance in Jewish thinking; the kind of divine deliverance we saw in the Exodus with the plague of the first born and the kind of divine deliverance we were about to see through Messiah.

The Hallel were sung at the same time the Passover lamb was sacrificed. That Yeshua sings them now on the 13th alludes to His coming death and the coming deliverance of Israel.

Tradition I know receives much criticism, but it teaches us so much about what happened in the time of Messiah. Knowing these things gives us an accurate picture of what occurred at Yeshua’s death.

Imagine, Messiah on the cross dying, yet the whole of Jerusalem filled with the songs of praise (the Hallel) for the God of Israel; at that same moment. In fact, the sages record that so many people brought lambs to be sacrificed for Passover that the Kidron valley ran with their blood, at the same time Messiah was on the cross and at the same time the songs of praise were been sung by Israel.

Suggesting that the last supper is not a Passover seder takes nothing away from its symbolism which, though it requires re-examination, still has power. At the last supper Yeshua speaks of what was about to happen, teaches us that the reign of God on earth would be renewed, that His body would be broken, and that His blood would be spilled for the salvation of the world.

I find the image of Messiah singing the songs that were to be sung the following day as he suffered to be quite powerful. Knowing that the Hallel were sung as He hung on the cross astonishes me all the more.

As he called out;

Matthew 27:46 (The Scriptures)

46 … “My Ěl, My Ěl, why have You forsaken Me?”

The sons of Israel sang in return;

Psalm 116:1–9 (The Scriptures)

I love יהוה, because He has heard my voice, my pleas.

2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,

And I shall call throughout my days.

3 The cords of death were around me,

And the pains of the grave came upon me;

I found distress and sorrow.

4 Then I called upon the Name of יהוה‎,

“O יהוה, I pray to You, deliver my being!”

5 יהוה shows favour and is righteous;

And our Elohim is compassionate.

6 יהוה guards the simple;I was brought low, but He saved me.

7 Return to your rest, O my soul,

For יהוה has treated you well.

8 For You have delivered my being from death,

My eyes from tears,

My feet from falling.

9 I shall walk before יהוה in the land of the living.

Verse 13 of this song of praise continues to say;

Psalm 116:13 (The Scriptures)

13 I lift up the cup of deliverance,

And call upon the Name of יהוה‎.

‘Deliverance’, or ‘salvation’ being the word Yeshuot, from the word ‘Yeshua’.

Notably, when this Psalm is recited in the Haggadah which is the order for the Passover Seder, the sages render it in the singular, meaning then;

‘I lift up the cup of Yeshua, and call upon the name of the LORD’.

Of that cup, which Messiah spoke of during the last supper, the sages tell us a story which proves to be quite prophetic. They teach that in the world to come that God would hold a banquet for the righteous, and that after the meal that a cup of wine would be given by God to be drank . The cup is first given to Abraham who says, ‘I am not worthy’ of the cup; the cup is then given to Isaac who says, ‘I am not worthy’, and the cup continues to be given until it is given to the Messiah who drinks and says;

‘The cup of salvation, I will call up on the name of the Lord’.

And He drinks.

This is the cup that Messiah spoke of in the last supper; the one He would not drink of until ‘that day when I drink it anew in the reign of Elohim.”

Only Messiah is worthy to drink that cup, as only He is the one who can truly bring our salvation; regardless of how you view the chronology of the Passover that year.

https://www.hebrewrootsmelbourne.com/post/2019/02/08/the-chronology-of-yeshua-s-death-resurrection

[Bro.Tan]

On 2/8/2021 at 8:50 AM, Frits said:

Mat 12:40 KJV For 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.

 

But if we then look at the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, we see that He died on the (Friday) evening before Shabbat.
Then the night comes to Saturday, and then the night from Saturday to Sunday.
These are 2 nights and not 3.

Where is the third night?

 

Jesus was always being inquired of by the Jews for a sign. He gave them one in reference to His death and resurrection. He told them that just like Jonas, He would be in the earth 3 days and 3 nights. In the Gospel of John Jesus again gave the Jews a sign by telling them if this temple was destroyed He would raise it up in 3 days. Jesus was referring to His body. 

(Matthew 12:38) Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 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: 40 For 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. 

3 Days And 3 Nights 

 

The scriptures explain how Jesus was in the earth 3 days and 3 nights just as He had foretold. 

How It Really Happened 

 

3 Days And 3 Nights

                                                  SU  M  T  W  TH  F  S 

                                        Days                           1   1  1 

                                       Nights                   1     1   1

 

 

In looking at the previous scriptures one should now have a better understanding, as to what took place. Remember Mary did not come to the Grave site until the first day of the week which is Sunday. (John 20:1) "The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher", And it was early in the morning and it was still dark. But Jesus had already risen. That's because Jesus went into His grave right before the end of the Passover or Wed. evening. The passing of the Passover brought in the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. So Jesus would Have been in the Grave Wednesday night, Thursday daytime and Thursday night, Friday daytime, Friday night, Saturday daytime and Jesus rose right before the sun went down on Saturday. Hence one has the 3 days and 3 nights which Jesus prophesied. 

His death Wednesday night is consistent with the comment of the prophet Daniel, stating the Messiah would be cut off (killed) in the midst of the week. 

Daniel 9:26-27 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week (Wednesday is the middle of the week) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, (Remember, Jesus is the sacrificial Passover Lamb).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Your closest friendnt]

Did you say Jesus Christ died at the ninth hour, on the preparation day? 

Do you count this as one day?

[Frits]

3 hours ago, Your closest friendnt said:

Did you say Jesus Christ died at the ninth hour, on the preparation day? 

Do you count this as one day?

Bro Ycf,

I think the Lord Jezus entered dead at Thursday evening, because at that time the Holy Ghost left Him.
The counting starts there.

Incidentally, it was necessary that the Holy Spirit had to leave the Lord Jesus, because He was made sin!  (2Cor.5: 21)

God the Holy Father cannot have fellowship with man who is guilty of sin.

THE LORD JESUS WAS LOADED WITH THE SIN GUILT OF ALL HUMANITY!

(No shouting, this is the bottom line.)

Hence, the Lord Jesus prayed on the cross:

Mat 27:46 KJV
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

 

Edited February 10, 2021 by Frits