Three days and three nights

The masses unmoore the meaning of the gospel of the kingdom from the precepts of the righteousness of God and are forever learning and never coming to the knowledge of God. They are distracted with their "calendars" and counting of days so they do not understand the precept and purpose of the sabbath until through "covetous practices" they "curse children" with trillions in debt and they themselves become "merchandise". Swallowing a camel is done one bite at a time. Repent! And seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness and not the wages of unrighteousness."
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Three days and three nights

Some people make it important to know how long Jesus was in the grave as if that has anything to do with the Doctrines of Jesus given by him so that they might be saved. If he died on Friday as many say He did and resurrected on Sunday then that was not three days and three nights as Jesus says in Matthew 12:40.

The request for a sign came from an "evil and adulterous generation". We should not need such a sign so that statement concerning Jonas and the grave was not for us unless we have become an "evil and adulterous generation" too.

But if we have it is not likely we will believe the Biblical account of the sign of Jonas, the kingdom of God being at hand, His righteousness, nor even the Doctrines of Jesus.

Kingdom at hand

Jesus also said in Luke 22:16 he would not eat until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. and we do see him eat again in Luke 24

This eating after the crucifixion seems to be confirmation that the kingdom of God was at hand, they were in it, and it was fulfilled. This eating in the kingdom was repeated in John 21 where He further told Peter to feed his sheep.

The little flock of disciples who were called out of the world was appointed a "kingdom" and became known as His Church which was supposed to provide a daily ministration of pure Religion through faith, hope and charity so that no one had to go apply for the free bread of Rome from rulers who exercise authority one over the other or the Corban of the Pharisees which were all covetous practices that make the word of God to none effect, turned the people into human resources e.g. merchandise and curse children. The table of Caesar was a snare but the table of the Lord made men free. The table of rulers offers men the the wages of unrighteousness through a city of blood but the Corban of Christ is freely given to those who hear his teachings and do them. Christ said we should be attending to the "weightier matters" and the number of days in the earth does not seem to be among them.

Friday questions

The "three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

Was this statement idiomatic as any part of a 24-hour period, and not a statement that Jesus was 72 hours in the tomb?

Was the statement for believers who do not seek signs because they have true faith?

Does it matter?

It is unlikely that Christ died on Friday based on the context of the Gospel and certainly in the context of the History of those turbulent times. Examining some of the seeming contradictions we may see more of the historical context and with the aid of the Holy Spirit we may be able to arrive at a clearer vision of the Church "established by Jesus Christ, to receive, preserve, and propagate his doctrines and ordinances."

There can be lots of questions raised about timelines which can distract from the message of Christ. That is not the purpose of this examination nor is it to add to the doctrines of Christ that were given so that men might be saved.

Counting days

Before we look into this matter of days and nights we must ask is this attention to detail concerning days and nights less significant elements of the gospel? If they distract us from the weightier matters are they counter to the gospel?

Both John 2:19-21 and Mark 8:31 record three days in the phrases “in three days” and “after three days” as used by Jesus.

It is generally believed that Jesus resurrected on the first day of the week we know as Sunday. But there seems to be a question as to if the crucifixion was on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday?

If knowing the actual day is important to you there is a danger you are avoiding the precepts and Doctrines of Christ because He did not preach the religion of days and rituals but of righteousness that you "might be saved".

So, it would seem Mark 15:42 is telling us that Jesus was eating his Passover meal at least one or more days before someone else's day of preparation, or on some day before a Sabbath which begins in the evening.

Not only is the lamb killed and washed inside and out on the day of preparation but also the people must be clean and prepared and inside to begin the Sabbath at the setting of the sun.

There were 52 Sabbaths each year plus the 7 Days of Passover which were a Sabbath period. There was also Shavout, Feast of Weeks with Pentecost, the Feast of Trumpets, Feast of Tabernacles or tents/boothes, the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, and the more obscure Shimini Atzeret, the assembly of the 8th day. All together we could count 70 Sabbath days each year.

Mark 15 may be referring to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is one the seven Holy Days of Passover and "high Sabbath day on Nisan 15th according to Leviticus 23:6.

We know that there was a conversation concerning the coming of a preparation day and a high Sabbath in John 19:31 "Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away."

The issue of breaking bones of crucified people was mentioned because lambs for the Passover or any sacrifice was not to have a broken bone. And of course Jesus legs were not broken by a strange turn of events which also showed he did not die of suffocation but of the letting of blood.

Thursday crucifixion

Does a Thursday crucifixion provide three days and three nights?

Is this about His body being in the rock tomb or the separation of spirit or His heavenly soul from the Father that departed His body at death?

Thursday at 3pm until just before dawn on Sunday is not three full days if that is important and we know that Mary at least left for the tomb when it was still dark.

Thursday night was part of the Jewish Friday(Shishi) since Thursday was over at sunset which makes that night the first night in the tomb{1st night}. Friday morning until evening was the first day{1st day} in the tomb and Friday night{2nd night} was a part of Jewish Saturday(Shabbat) and Saturday morning was the beginning of the second day{2nd day}. That would make Saturday night which was a part of Sunday(Rishon) until morning the third night{3rd night}. But since we know he had risen before the morning of Sunday we cannot count that day as a third day. We are a day short if we are going to count the statement of Christ literal rather than an idiom.

Calendar issues

Some think conflicting "calendars" seems unlikely but Israel and Egypt had always used at least three different calendars. There was a Lunar calendar for feasts, Solar calendar for seasons and an celestial calendar for navigation and variations of all three used by different people at different times in history. There were many cultures that used lunisolar calendar but also were aware of the sidereal year. The Samaritans, Essenes, and Pharisees all had vastly different interpretations of the Torah including calendars.

The liturgical calendar of the Essenes at Qumran was a pentecontad calendar, marked by festivals on the last day of each fifty-day period such as the Feast of New Wine, the Feast of Oil, and the Feast of New Wheat.

John the Baptist was believed to be an Essene and his father, Zacharias, who appears to have been murdered in a coup of the Sanhedrin, was a Zadok Priest and an Essene. Certainly there are those who deny that but if we examine the concept of a Nazarite in relation to the Messiah more and more pieces of the puzzle may come to light.

In A.D. 30 did the Essene Passover Eve fall at least 1 day before the Jewish Passover Eve?

In all other years near that time the Essene Passover Eve fell in a different week as much as 20 days earlier or fell after. We know there were Essenes in Jerusalem and their calendar was a 364 day solar calendar which was not the same as the Sanhedrin.

According to the Essenes’ calendar, the Passover began on Wednesday which could mean this Last Supper was on a Tuesday(Shlishi). The Didache, suggests that the early Church moved the fast days (Monday and Thursday) to Wednesday and Friday “because on Wednesday Jesus was taken prisoner”. This was because of what was written in Mark 2 which we also see in Matthew 9 and again in Luke 5

If we try to assume anything then we go out of the province of proof.

Passover type meal

The "Last Supper" was at least a Passover type meal and may be based on a Nazarene calendar but more important the wishes of Jesus Christ. It appears to be prepared by the master of an Essene man carrying water. For anyone other than an Essene household only the women would carry water and Jesus was from a Nazarite community.

The words "The Master saith" are "Ὁ Διδάσκαλος λέγει" which are "'The Teacher says,". There are Essene writings that refer to "The Teacher" as a prophet and leader, even the messiah.

Jesus had already eaten a "Passover supper" hours before.

Now during the Passover no one is to leave but Judas seems to have left that night before the meal was even concluded.

Hymn at the end

Matthew 26:30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

Mark 14:26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

Jewish tradition reveals that the Passover meal was concluded by singing the last portion of the Hallel. The Hallel is comprised of Psalms 113 through 118. At that point all the lamb has been consumed or burnt up.

But more important is they all left to go to Gethsemane. Did they leave that night or some time in the morning?

Since, no one is to go out during the Passover meal there is little reason to believe the trip to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray was the same night of the Passover meal or a Passover type meal requested by Jesus for his own reasons since he knew he had an appointment with His sacrifice and the coming three days and three nights in the tomb.

Points of view

The Essene communities, who read the same Torah as the Pharisees and Zealots, but saw many things differently. They believed the Pharisees approach to animal sacrifice was all wrong and their use of altars had unmoored the ritual from its sacred purpose. Their Corban instituted under Herod was an abomination. They did not participate in animal sacrifice but did practice the ritual meal of the Passover but not only one day a year. Like the Sabbath they understood its purpose of fellowship and social bonds.

Caiaphas had not had Passover when Jesus was brought before him after a late night arrest in the garden. Then Jesus was moved to the Praetorium early in the mourning.

Jesus went before Pontius Pilate who washed his hands of the case because he lacked jurisdiction because Jesus' kingdom was not of the "world" of Rome. He was sent to appear before Herod Antipas, mocked scourged and presented to a crowd and now they mention the day of preparation and a coming high day Sabbath which would mean it is one of the seven annual biblical festivals.

If the crucifixion was on a special High Sabbath of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, with its commencement on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nisan and was preceded with a passover meal on the 14th of Nisan. Some have calculated that in 30 or 31 A.D that could make the day of crucifixion on a Wednesday.

Matthew 28:1 translation states "In the end of the sabbath" but the Greek text reads "Ὀψὲ δὲ σαββάτων" which is literally, "After then (the) Sabbaths", plural as if two sabbaths have taken place. And while it was "τῇ ἐπιφωσκούσῃ εἰς μίαν σαββάτων" i.e. "it being dawn toward (the) first (day) of (the) week" that only refers to Mary Magdalene and not the resurrection.

So, did two sabbaths take place between the crucifixion and the resurrection, a high Sabbath and the weekly Sabbath?

If there were two Sabbaths there could be two different days of preparation for some and two nights where a Passover type meal took place for some.

At the death

Normally legs were broken before soldiers left for the night so that the person crucified would suffocate.

A literalist might maintain that Jesus died 3 PM Wednesday and rose 3 PM Saturday but at the moment of death he did not enter the tomb. The end of the day and beginning of the next day is at sundown, not 3pm. Sunday begins as it gets dark Saturday night.

After he was dead they had to get permission to take the body down and get him to the tomb.

The tomb was closed and guards were put on duty.

Rose

Some time between Saturday sunset and sunrise Sunday Jesus rose. Likely it was just dark or still dark when the soldiers were blinded by the countenance... like lightning.

Mary actually left for the tomb when it was still dark.

When they came to the tomb the stone was rolled back and the guards were nowhere in sight.

Wednesday crucifixion

Wednesday Crucifixion supposedly produces too many Days and Nights. But does it?

If the weekly Sabbath ends at sundown Saturday Jesus could have risen as soon as it was dark on Saturday night which was the beginning of the Jewish Sunday, Yom rishon, first day.

If Jesus died in the third hour it would be very difficult to get his body down and in the tomb before the sun was down. They would have barely made it by dusk and return to their own abode if at all.

John 20 suggests it was certainly dark when Mary Magdalene left to go unto the tomb and it may have still been dark when she arrived.

If Jesus was crucified on Wednesday(Revi’i) then Wednesday night (which is a part of the Jewish Thursday (Chamishi)) could have been the beginning of the first night in the earth {1st night}. Thursday from sunup until sundown would be the first day time period {1st day}. Thursday night (which is a part of the Jewish Friday(Shishi)) would be the second night{2nd night}. Friday(Shishi) morning was the second the beginning of the second day {2nd day}. Friday night(which is a part of the Jewish Saturday(Shabbat) was the third night{3rd night}. That would make Saturday(Shabbat) the third day{3rd day}. That would mean that the resurrection took place anytime during Saturday night before Sunday morning(which is a part of the Jewish Sunday(Rishon)).

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What do you know

We appear to know there were more calendars used than many teaching the Bible even know about much less understand. There were numerous Factions at the altar at the time of Christ and many of them were seeking power and control of the people and what they were taught. There was a vast difference between what men believed the Torah was saying because many "sat in darkness". Because of those opinions they rejected what Jesus told the people to do and stop doing. So, are you now closer to the kingdom of God or the righteousness of God because you have explored the days and nights in the tomb?

Is the reason scripture is not 100% clear because it is not that important to know the answer to every question we may conjure? Jesus did not answer every question asked of Him. But we should know that doing the will of the Father and becoming a follower of Christ includes "manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,". Christ told us many things that were directives concerning what to do and not do and those decrees of Christ should be paramount in our quest for the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

If you knew the absolute truth of this matter of day and night would that keep you from being workers of iniquity?

Could you know the answer and still covet your neighbors' goods through men who call themselves benefactors but exercise authority one over the other contrary to the decree of Christ?

Would desiring and applying for the wages of unrighteousness still be covetous practices that make the word of God to none effect like the Corban of the Pharisees who were not seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Will you be any less the merchandise Peter predicted?

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