Three Days and Three Nights

[rstrats]

Taken,
re: "Portion of the crucifixion?"

No. What are you talking about?



re: "For the exact time of his death, perhaps FHll can tell you."

Why would I ask FHll to explain something that you said? I'm asking you to support your counting of the night time portion of the crucifixion day as one of the 3 night times of Matthew 12:40.

 

[rstrats]

Davy,
re: "No, the majority of people who believe a Friday crucifixion don't even count the timing, they just accept that old tradition as it has been passed on from generation to generation, asking no questions."

But as I said in post #399, some do. It is actually to them that this topic is directed.

 

[Taken]

Taken,

Please explain how the Messiah's "soul" could have been in the "heart of the earth" during any portion of the crucifixion day's night time?

Your words... "portion of the crucifixion".

I can not explain your words.

God Bless,
Taken

 

[Taken]

Taken,
re: "Portion of the crucifixion?"

No. What are you talking about?

Those were your words.

re: "For the exact time of his death, perhaps FHll can tell you."

Why would I ask FHll to explain something that you said?

I didn't speak of a time of Jesus' death.
But FHll did.

I'm asking you to support your counting of the night time portion of the crucifixion day as one of the 3 night times of Matthew 12:40.

I don't need to support a "portion" of darkness being night or a "portion" of light being day.

If it is light, it's day. If it darkness, it's night...according to God.

Gen 1:5
God called the light Day, and the darkness Night.

The sun begins setting, lowering in the sky, once lowered, sun unseen, that is the time called evening. As the light diminishes and all becomes darkness, that time is called Night.

Morning is the sun rising, and once risen, the light of day begins; that time is called Day.

God Bless,
Taken

 

[rstrats]

Taken,
re: "Your words... 'portion of the crucifixion'. I can not explain your words."

You didn't finish the phrase which is : "...portion of the crucifixion day's night time..." The phrase is referring to the night time of the calendar day on which the crucifixion took place.

So I ask again, please explain how the Messiah's "soul" could have been in the "heart of the earth" during any portion of the crucifixion day's night time when the night time had been over hours before the crucifixion?

 

[Davy]

Well I do not read your bottom line Wednesday and Saturday in Scripture.

You simply make a statement, and as I have already said; all facts and clues must be considered, and facts and clues leave people with different conclusions.
For me personally 3 days 3 nights are sufficient that His soul was in the heart of the earth.

You make no mention of the Sabbath days in your bottom line.
You leave out facts and clues that one would use to make a determination.

Wednesday to Saturday is four days.
Saturday was a Sabbath day.
Which means women were going to tend his body with spices ON the Sabbath, when Scripture says they were resting as was their custom.
There was also the Passover Sabbath that week.

If you are content with your bottom line; that's you. As with all the theories, surrounding that week of Jesus' bodily death and his soul being in the heart of earth;
It is not clear cut in Scripture.

God Bless,
Taken

Thursday to Saturday is 3 days, which Thursday (Wednesday sunset) is actually when the count started with Jesus' body in the tomb for 3 days and 3 nights.

The hours of the Hebrew day were specific. In John 11:9 Jesus showed there are 12 hours in a day (meaning daytime), thus there are also 12 hours in a night, and divided up into 3 night watches (4 watches when they adopted the Roman night watches).

 

[GodsGrace]

Easter Week Chronology
Paschal Week Chronology


6 days before Passover
Friday – Nisan 8 – late afternoon - Jesus arrives in Bethany from Jericho
Friday – Nisan 9 – sunset – Sabbath supper at home of Simon

5 days before Passover
Saturday – Nisan 9 – Sabbath - Jesus rests in Bethany; multitudes come from all over to see Jesus and Lazarus; chief priests and Pharisees plot to arrest both Jesus and Lazarus

4 days before Passover
Sunday – Nisan 10 – Palm Sunday, Jesus enters Jerusalem; lambs selected for Passover; Jesus cleanses Temple for the 2nd time

3 days before Passover
Monday – Nisan 11 – Jesus teaches the multitudes

2 days before Passover
Tuesday – Nisan 12 – Jesus’ denunciation of Jerusalem; Mt. Olivet discourse

1 day before Passover
Wednesday – Nisan 13 - no record in Gospels how Jesus spent the day; possibly in Bethany and last night spent there
Wednesday – Nisan 14 – at sunset Jews begin to search their homes with candles for leaven

Passover
Thursday – Nisan 14 – morning – no leaven eaten after 10:00 a.m.
Thursday – Nisan 14 –noon– leaven ceremonially destroyed by burning or by dispersing to the winds
Thursday – Nisan 14 – afternoon – lambs sacrificed from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Seder prepared

1st Day of Unleavened Bread
Thursday – Nisan 15 – evening – Seder eaten (roasted Passover lamb and 1st Passover Chagigah eaten {breast and shoulder of voluntary thank-offering}); the Lord's Supper instituted
Thursday – Nisan 15 – night – Jesus arrested, brought before priests and elders
Friday – Nisan 15 – morning – Jesus brought before Pilate
Friday – Nisan 15 – 9:00 in the morning – Jesus crucified
Friday – Nisan 15 – 12:00 noon– darkness
Friday – Nisan 15 – 3:00 in the afternoon – Jesus dies
Friday – Nisan 15 – late afternoon – Jesus' body placed in tomb
Friday - Nisan 15 - before sunset women purchase and prepare spices for Jesus' burial (festival sabbaths allowed certain work necessary for preparation for the feasts, shops were allowed to be open to provide pilgrims with necessary items to keep the feast); High Sabbath preparations made

Sabbath (a "High Day")
Friday – Nisan 16 – sunset – High Sabbath begins (2nd feast at which mandatory 2nd Passover Chagigah is eaten which Pharisees would have been excluded from eating had they become defiled that morning)
Friday – Nisan 16 – night – women rest
Saturday – Nisan 16 – Sabbath – women rest
Saturday - Nisan 17 - night - Rabbinic Law requires that work not be resumed during night following Shabbat

1st Day of the Week
Sunday – Nisan 17 – morning early – women come to tomb, Jesus is risen

Primary Sources: The Gospels, Talmudic Tractate "Pesachim," Josephus "Antiquities."Secondary Sources: The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Alfred Edersheim; The Temple and It's Services, Alfred Edersheim; Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus, Joachim Jeremias; Sketches of Jewish Social Life, Alfred Edersheim; Daily Life in Bible Times, Packer/Tenney/White; Manner and Customs of Bible Times, Ralph Gower and many more.

For Fri Nissan 9,,,
Do you mean Simon Peter?

I believe the apostles stayed at the home of Mary and Martha in Bethany the entire week.
And, had supper there.
Simon Peter's home was in Capernum, very far from Jerusalem.

 

[Taken]

Thursday to Saturday is 3 days, which Thursday (Wednesday sunset) is actually when the count started with Jesus' body in the tomb for 3 days and 3 nights.

The hours of the Hebrew day were specific. In John 11:9 Jesus showed there are 12 hours in a day (meaning daytime), thus there are also 12 hours in a night, and divided up into 3 night watches (4 watches when they adopted the Roman night watches).

Now you explain more, what an other poster could not, and was trying to make his attitude be his justification for his claim.

Is there not also TWO sabbaths to consider during that timeframe?

Was the sabbath, a tradition to attend Temple for the men, then rest, and rest for the family?

Would Sabbath be a day, women would lug spices to care for a dead body?

And would that Sabbath day, have been Saturday? The day, as being explained Jesus rose?

And did Jesus go to Temple, or the disciples, or the men that Were walking about with Jesus on the day He arose?

God Bless,
Taken

 

[FHII]

I am pretty sure the Wednesday crucifixion time line has been posted before. I myself have posted a link to it several times in the last month. Because this thread spans 5+ years and 448 posts, I will post it here. I pick it up on Tuesday:

Tuesday

In the morning Jesus curses the fig tree (mat 21:18-20).
That afternoon he eats the passover meal and Judas goes to betray him. (Luke 22)
After 6 PM on Tuesday (wednesday by Jewish time)
Jesus goes to pray and is arrested.

Wednesday

6 AM. Trial begins. (John 18:27-28, 19:14)
9 AM Jesus is crucified. Mark 15:25 reports it was the 3rd hour (daytime by Hebrew time starts at 6 AM.)
12 PM darkness across the land (Matt 27:45)
3 PM Jesus dies (Mark 15:34).
3-6 PM Jesus is buried.

It had to have happened before 6 PM because the High Sabbath (not the weekly Sabbath - which was Saturday) begins at sundown. This is shown in John 19:31.

During that time Joseph and Nicodemus sought the body and did a quick but incomplete preparation of the body. (John 19:38-42). I say incomplete because later Mary and the women would come with spices to finish the annointing.

Wednesday after 6 PM.
The high Sabbath begins and by Israeli time its what we would call Thursday. Nothing could happen on this day because it was against the Law of Moses.

6 PM Thursday

The Hebrew day and High Passover ends.
The chief priests and Pharisees ask that the tomb be guarded. Mat 27:62-66.

Between 6 PM Thursday and 6 PM Friday
This is "Friday" by Hebrew time.
The soldiers guard the tomb.

Thursday night (Roman time) the women buy the spices to annoint the body. Mark 16:1. This may have been Friday morning... The Bible doesn't say. What is important is that it was done after the Sabbath.

Now sometime later Friday afternoon they prepared the spices after viewing the seputure. THEN they rested the Sabbath (Luke 23:56).

This is an important point: the Bible says they bought spices after the sabbath and prepared them before the sabbath. How is it possible to do so? The answer is that the writers were talking about separate Sabbaths. Mark is saying they bought the spices after the high sabbath. Luke is saying they prepared them before the weekly sabbath. They were on nonconsecutive days because they wouldn't have time to do so between the 2 sabbaths.... There wouldn't have been any time at all.

6 PM Friday

Sabbath begins. The soldiers leave their guarding and everyone rests the weekly sabbath.

We should discuss the soldiers' guard. They wouldn't have had to guard it during the Sabbath. The reason is the Hebrews followed the law strictly. The pharisees were worried about theft of the body. It would not be the time to do so. Later I will prove that as early as 6 PM on Saturday the soldiers were not at the tomb.

The soldiers weren't guarding tomb during the sabbath. So if he died on Friday, when did they?

Saturday

Between 6 PM Friday and 3 PM Saturday nothing happens. The soldiers age gone and the Hebrews are resting the weekly sabbath.

3-6 PM Saturday
Sometime during these 3 hours Jesus raises from the dead. If being in the heart of the earth 3 days and 3 nights begins when he died, he rose around 3 PM. If it means when he was placed in the tomb... 3:30 to 5:45. This is by the account of Matthew.

There were no soldiers around. The stone (which by the way was not only placed and heavy, but also sealed) was rolled away. Certainly if the soldiers were around they would've reacted.

I realize all 4 gospels have different accounts as to when the women came. Matt says it was around 6 PM saturday. It is equally problematic for those who say he rose Sunday. But instead of looking at the differences, look at the similarities. All 4 say when they got there he was already gone.

Matthew gives the most details, the earliest ressurection and it fits the entire timeline perfectly. The discrepencies are not about when he rose, but when it was discovered he was gone.

So now I have to mention 3 days and 3 nights. This model allows for a full 72 hours. There is a belief that 3 days and three nights is an idiom. That is false. No where in the Bible is that demonstrated (not even in Ruth). Furthermore, I have a testimony from a rabbi that is false. Even furthermore, i have found nothing that suggests its true. Martin Luther and John Calvin both suggest its an idiom, but these two (who otherwise are painfully complete in referencing their work) simply say, "its common knowledge".

Let that sink in... I have read them both and time and time again they will bore you to tears with several pages of scripural referenced about a single verse! but on this..."oh, well ... Its common knowledge".

Three days? The third day? Well those are idioms. They can mean more or less. But when days and nights are mentioned it ceases to be and idiom. And that is NOT my believe or words! This is what the Rabbi I mentioned says!

http://m.tzion.org/site/articles/threedays.html

So. In conclusion, if you believe in a friday crucifixion:

1. When were the soldiers guarding and why weren't they there Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning?
2. How do you get 3 days and 3 nights when it isn't an idiom?
3. How can the women buy spices after the sabbath and prepare them before the sabbath?
4. When did the priests and pharisees ask for a guard?

 

[Harvest 1874]

I suppose I should enter the fray and put in my two-cents as this seems to be a troubling point for some here..

From the evidence of both the Old and New Testaments, we find it was Jewish idiom to equate “three days,” “on the third day,” and “after three days” Apparently, this custom was derived from the practice of counting a part of a day as a whole day-and-night. This practice IS indeed corroborated by the Rabbinic literature.

Today, in the U.S.A., if we say an event happened “on the third day,” we mean it occurred sometime during the third day. If we state it took place “after three days” we mean after three days have passed (i.e. the fourth day). And, if we say “three days and three nights,” we mean three literal 24 hour periods or 72 hours. Yet Christ and the Apostles used all these expressions in reference to the same period of time.”

The very fact that our Lord stated: “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” (Matt 12:40) proves that it was indeed a Jewish idiom of that day. The very facts as presented in the historical account are conclusive, our Lord rose the third day, the day following the Sabbath. Now unless one is prepared to call the Lord a liar and a deceiver when he said “three days and three nights” but the facts to the contrary attest that it was only three nights, two days and a part of a day then we must concede that it was indeed a Jewish idiom when he stated matters as such.

Let’s take another look at it from another perspective.

“Satan is the god of this world, the head of its prevailing multitudes, who constitute the children of the wicked one: "The whole world lies in the wicked one" (1 John 5:19). Into the hands of these the Son of man was to be for a time delivered. This is what we understand he meant by declaring that he should be "in the heart of the earth," that is, under the full control of wicked men and devils so that they could accomplish the evil desires of their hearts concerning him.

In nine different places in the New Testament where it is declared that he will rise on the third day, the betrayal, trial, and crucifixion are included in the events to occur during the three days, and from the first of these, NOT FROM THE BURIAL, the period should therefore be reckoned (Matt 16:21; 17:22,23; 20:18,29; Mark 9:31; 10:33,34; Luke 18:32,33; 24:7,20,21,46). During all this time he was "in the heart of the earth," that is, under the dominion of the sinful inhabitants of the earth. The idea corresponds much better with the case of Jonah. Jonah was in the stomach of the fish, under the control of a living monster which carried him whithersoever it would. So Christ was under the dominion of living men and devils.

When Christ in Gethsemane said to the chief priests and captains of the temple who had come to take him, "This is your hour and the power of darkness" (Luke 22:52, 53), he set apart a particular period in his experiences during which he was to be "in the hands of men." This is the time, therefore, when we understand he was "in the heart of the earth."

It began with his betrayal Thursday night and ended Sunday morning.

From about 10 o'clock Thursday night to Friday morning………… 8 hours

Friday morning to Saturday morning………………………………........24 hours

Saturday morning to early Sunday morning……………………………24+ hours

TOTAL…………………………………………………………………………………56+ hours

This is three full nights, two full days and a portion of the third day. This is in full harmony with the Jewish manner of reckoning as already cited, and Christ's repeated declaration that on the third day after his betrayal into the hands of men, followed by his suffering and death, he would rise again.

Others may differ, and that's their choice, as for myself I chose to accept it as it is presented.

 

[Taken]

Christ was under the dominion of living men and devils.

Not sure what you mean by this.
Could you expound.
Are you speaking of his body or his soul or both?
Do you believe his body and soul were in the same place?

Thanks.

Others may differ, and that's their choice, as for myself I chose to accept it as it is presented.

Thanks for sharing.

I am pretty sure the Wednesday crucifixion time line has been posted before. I myself have posted a link to it several times in the last month. Because this thread spans 5+ years and 448 posts, I will post it here.

Asked you earlier. You could have simply referenced a link. It seems you presumed everyone has already read past posts.
Not necessarily the case.

I say incomplete because later Mary and the women would come with spices to finish the annointing.

This seems a bit off.
Water was customary for washing the body.
Oil was customary for annointing the body.
Spices were customary for the stench of a dead body.

Jesus said (a woman of the city, known for her sins, was annointing his body in preparation for his burial, while he was at Simon, the lepers house, eating.
Matt 26: 7 - 12

And Jesus said She should be remembered for this act of anointing him.
Matt 26: 13

Customary was to wrap a body in a shroud, leaving the face exposed.
The shroud would have been secured with strips of linen tied around the shroud covering the body.
Spices would have been tucked inside all of the strips. Pounds of spices would be required. Presuming that they did not have any or enough, would likely be the reason the woman bought and returned to apply the spices under the strips.

Leaving the face uncovered from the shroud, would have allowed his face to be anointed with oil.

The face was customarily covered with a Napkin (otherwise a smaller piece of linen).
As was found in his empty tomb.
John 20:7

(Tid-bit) A napkin, folded lying aside, indicated, He would be back.
It is the same premise used in dining etiquette, that if one leaves the table, and yet food is on his plate, if the Napkin is folded, setting to the side. Do not remove his plate, he intends to return..
If the napkin is lying ON the plate, or the fork in on the plate, with tines facing down on the plate, the person not there is indicating, he is finished eating, and does not intend to return to his seat to continue eating.

And two questions for either or both.

What precisely do you believe was in the heart of the earth?

Jesus' living soul?
Jesus' dead body?
Both?

What do you consider the heart of the earth?

The cave tomb his body was buried in?
Hell?
The comfort side of Hell?
The torment side of Hell?

Thank you,
Taken

 

[rstrats]

Harvest 1874,

This topic doesn't really apply to those who don't think that the "heart of the earth" is referring exclusively to the tomb.

 

[Taken]

Taken,
re: "Your words... 'portion of the crucifixion'. I can not explain your words."

You didn't finish the phrase which is : "...portion of the crucifixion day's night time..." The phrase is referring to the night time of the calendar day on which the crucifixion took place.

So I ask again, please explain how the Messiah's "soul" could have been in the "heart of the earth" during any portion of the crucifixion day's night time when the night time had been over hours before the crucifixion?

Jesus' living soul departed his body the body was expelling "it's" last breath.

Jesus' living soul, went to the heart of the earth.

Jesus' dead body hung on the cross, was asked for it to be taken down, permission was asked and receive from Pilate. Then His body was removed from the cross, carried to a tomb belonging to a Priest and secret follower of Jesus, being, Joseph of Arimathaca, who took the Body of Jesus, to His own tomb.

There Jesus' Dead body lay, while His Living soul was in the heart of the earth.

If you are counting in your words;
"part of the crucifixion", as ANY PART of the time Jesus' body was ON THE CROSS...

It is the TIME of Jesus' body's last breath, the living soul departs the body.

So yes, while Jesus' body was ON the cross..
Alive....His living soul was in His body.
Dead Body...His living soul was out of His body.

God Bless,
Taken

 

[Harvest 1874]

Not sure what you mean by this.
Could you expound.
Are you speaking of his body or his soul or both?
Do you believe his body and soul were in the same place?

Thanks.

Taken

Christ being under the dominion of living men and devils refers to his being under Satan's control and that of his human cohorts (i.e. the chief priests and all those aligned with them), as he stated when they came for him, "This is your hour AND the power of darkness" (Luke 22:52, 53) Satan is the power of darkness of evil, death and he would vanquish the light (the truth) by any means if he could.

“That through death, he [Jesus] might destroy him that had the power of death; that is, the devil.” (Heb 2:14)

This is what we understand he meant by declaring that he should be "in the heart of the earth," that is he would be under the full control of wicked men and devils so that they could accomplish the evil desires of their hearts concerning him.

 

[Taken]

Christ being under the dominion of living men and devils refers to his being under Satan's control and that of his human cohorts (i.e. the chief priests and all those aligned with them), as he stated when they came for him, "This is your hour AND the power of darkness" (Luke 22:52, 53) Satan is the power of darkness of evil, death and he would vanquish the light (the truth) by any means if he could.

I do not agree with your wording, that Satan had dominion over Jesus Christ.

None have power, lest it BE from Christ, who IS the Power of God.

Jesus came to Take upon His body, all sin.
Jesus came to Give that body of Flesh unto death.

Everything Jesus did, was controlled by the Will / Power of God.

“That through death, he [Jesus] might destroy him that had the power of death; that is, the devil.” (Heb 2:14)

Yes. Satan had great powers when He was cast to earth, and used those powers for evil intent.
Yes. The MIGHT, is a mans option, to submit to God, or continue on a path toward death, by following after the devil.

This is what we understand he meant by declaring that he should be "in the heart of the earth," that is he would be under the full control of wicked men and devils so that they could accomplish the evil desires of their hearts concerning him.

Oh, I see, what you mean.
I disagree.

In the heart of the earth, center of the earth, deep below the surface of the earth;

WAS, saved living souls, of physical bodily dead men.
WAS, unsaved living souls, of physical bodily dead men.
WAS, fallen angels who mated with earthly women.

After Jesus' living soul departed, to the heart of the earth, TO Preach, it returned to His dead body, and then His Body was raise up back to a living state; and observed by men.

NOW, saved living souls, of physical bodily dead men; go directly to heaven, to wait for their bodies to be raised and glorified.
...now, because Jesus soul, was first to Leave,
...so also can their living, no longer need to
...wait in the heart of the earth, for their
...bodies to be raised and glorified.
NOW, unsaved living souls, of physical bodily dead men, continue to go to the heart of the earth and wait in torment, for their dead bodies to be raise, (NOT glorified) sent to the heart of the earth, imparted with their living soul, and stand before the Lord on Judgement Day.
NOW, the fallen angels who mated with earthly woman are still in the heart of the earth, awaiting their Judgement.

God Bless,
Taken

 

[Davy]

I suppose I should enter the fray and put in my two-cents as this seems to be a troubling point for some here..

From the evidence of both the Old and New Testaments, we find it was Jewish idiom to equate “three days,” “on the third day,” and “after three days” Apparently, this custom was derived from the practice of counting a part of a day as a whole day-and-night. This practice IS indeed corroborated by the Rabbinic literature.

Today, in the U.S.A., if we say an event happened “on the third day,” we mean it occurred sometime during the third day. If we state it took place “after three days” we mean after three days have passed (i.e. the fourth day). And, if we say “three days and three nights,” we mean three literal 24 hour periods or 72 hours. Yet Christ and the Apostles used all these expressions in reference to the same period of time.”

The very fact that our Lord stated: “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” (Matt 12:40) proves that it was indeed a Jewish idiom of that day. The very facts as presented in the historical account are conclusive, our Lord rose the third day, the day following the Sabbath. Now unless one is prepared to call the Lord a liar and a deceiver when he said “three days and three nights” but the facts to the contrary attest that it was only three nights, two days and a part of a day then we must concede that it was indeed a Jewish idiom when he stated matters as such.

Let’s take another look at it from another perspective.

“Satan is the god of this world, the head of its prevailing multitudes, who constitute the children of the wicked one: "The whole world lies in the wicked one" (1 John 5:19). Into the hands of these the Son of man was to be for a time delivered. This is what we understand he meant by declaring that he should be "in the heart of the earth," that is, under the full control of wicked men and devils so that they could accomplish the evil desires of their hearts concerning him.

In nine different places in the New Testament where it is declared that he will rise on the third day, the betrayal, trial, and crucifixion are included in the events to occur during the three days, and from the first of these, NOT FROM THE BURIAL, the period should therefore be reckoned (Matt 16:21; 17:22,23; 20:18,29; Mark 9:31; 10:33,34; Luke 18:32,33; 24:7,20,21,46). During all this time he was "in the heart of the earth," that is, under the dominion of the sinful inhabitants of the earth. The idea corresponds much better with the case of Jonah. Jonah was in the stomach of the fish, under the control of a living monster which carried him whithersoever it would. So Christ was under the dominion of living men and devils.

When Christ in Gethsemane said to the chief priests and captains of the temple who had come to take him, "This is your hour and the power of darkness" (Luke 22:52, 53), he set apart a particular period in his experiences during which he was to be "in the hands of men." This is the time, therefore, when we understand he was "in the heart of the earth."

It began with his betrayal Thursday night and ended Sunday morning.

From about 10 o'clock Thursday night to Friday morning………… 8 hours

Friday morning to Saturday morning………………………………........24 hours

Saturday morning to early Sunday morning……………………………24+ hours

TOTAL…………………………………………………………………………………56+ hours

This is three full nights, two full days and a portion of the third day. This is in full harmony with the Jewish manner of reckoning as already cited, and Christ's repeated declaration that on the third day after his betrayal into the hands of men, followed by his suffering and death, he would rise again.

Others may differ, and that's their choice, as for myself I chose to accept it as it is presented.

There's no way to get around the 3 days AND 3 nights being three 24 hour periods. Because Jesus was specific in John 11 that there are 12 hours in a day, it means He would be just as specific if He had defined a night as 12 hours also. And the fact that He specifically gave 3 days and... 3 nights means 72 hours, not 56+.

FHII has the correct explanation, because the NT Scripture shows the two Mary's brought spices after a sabbath and prepared the spices before a sabbath, and then went to the tomb after that sabbath. That proves there were 2 separate sabbath periods in that week, and it's because the first day of the feast per Lev.23 was to be a sabbath, what John 19 called a "high day".

So the count of the 3 days and 3 nights must be counted from Sunday morning after the weekly sabbath back, and the only valid timing is that Nisan 14th, the preparation day, was a Wednesday, and the day that Jesus and His Apostles ate the passover, and when Jesus was delivered up that night of Wednesday Nisan 14th, and then crucified in the day of Wednesday Nisan 14th, and was buried just before sunset. So the count must begin at sunset Wednesday Nisan 14, which at sunset began Thursday Nisan 15, the "high day" of the first day of the feast, a high sabbath.

 

[Harvest 1874]

“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.” (Matt 12:40)

It is clear from the Scriptures that Jesus rose on the first day of the week (Mark 16:2), and also that this was "the third day" after his death (Luke 24:21, 46; 1 Cor. 15:4; also Lev. 23:11). It follows that he must have been crucified on a Friday.

Some object to this that Jesus in saying that he would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, contradicted the statement by the Apostle Paul that he rose on the third day. Those who reason in this way have failed to note that the phrase used by Jesus was purely idiomatic, and implied that he would be in the heart of the earth "till the third day." (Matt. 16:21; 20:19)

While the language of the New Testament is Greek, the human agents employed by God through the Holy Spirit were mostly Hebrew. Hence, though the thoughts were of divine origin, the words spoken and written came from minds conditioned to Hebrew expression, Hebrew idiom. In a living language there is a continuous growth and decay of phrases, constructions, and expressions that are contrary to the usual patterns of the language and have a meaning different from the literal one. These are called idioms, and are usually particular phrases which we learn as separate items-easily in our own language, with difficulty in another. For example, consider the literal meaning of these common expressions in our culture:

To talk turkey

To put through the mill

To catch his eye

To take the bull by the horns

To get your ducks in a row

To be taken in

It is clear we must be careful about idiomatic phrases when interpreting the Bible. If we insist at all times on the absolutely literal, it can be a fruitful source of error.

For proof note the following,

“And he put them all together into ward three days. And Joseph said unto them the third day, this do, and live; for I fear God” (Gen 42:17, 18)

And he said unto them, come again unto me after three days. And the people departed…So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king bade, saying, come again to me on the third day.” (2 Chron 10:5, 12)

“Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”

“Now it came to pass ON the third day that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.” (Esther 4:16; 5:1)

In this last set of scriptures it is evident that when, ‘three days’ are stated this would include the conjoining ‘three nights’ that go with them.

In Matt 27:63, 64 - it is recorded that the Pharisees told Pilate how Jesus had predicted that, “after three days I will rise again”. Now generally if we say something took place “after three days” we are implying that it took place on the fourth day. However in Verse 64 the Pharisees asked that the tomb “be made sure until the third day.”

Thus the expression “after three days” was equivalent to “the third day” in the idiom of Israel in Jesus' day.

We likewise recognize the custom of the times of reckoning a portion of a day or a year as though it were a complete one. For instance, throughout all the records of the chronicles of the kings we find that a portion of a year is counted for a year; that if a king reigned three years and three months it would be counted a reign of four years, or if he reigned two years and three months it would be counted three years, since he did reign for a portion of the third year. So in the statement of our Lord's period in the tomb it is properly enough spoken of as three days and three nights, and shown thus:

Jewish Reckoning

4 to 6 p.m. Friday = 2 hours

6 p.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Saturday = 24 hours

6 p.m. Saturday to 4 or 5 a.m. Sunday = 10 or 11 hours...

Thus reckoned, it fulfills Peter's words, 'He rose again the third day.’

If anyone differs in view on this subject, we will not contend with him: it is a trifling matter, of no importance whatever. Nothing was dependent upon the length of time our Lord would be dead. The important items were that he should actually die, that he should be dead long enough for it to be positively known that he was dead, and that he should rise from the dead.

 

[FHII]

What precisely do you believe was in the heart of the earth?

Mat 12:40 says "the son of of man shall be in the heart of the earth". Son of man is Jesus's earthly identity. Thus this indicates to me he was talking about his earthen body. It was dead for 3 days and three nights.

 

[FHII]

Once again, for those considering "3 days/3 nights" being an idiom:

From Rabbi David Markel Hall:

"The misunderstanding comes from lack of knowledge of G-d's Holy Days (Notice I did not say "Jewish holidays"), and proper use of Jewish idioms. Several things need to be noted before we can proceed....

"It is claimed that the reference in Matthew 12:40 is an idiom in attempt to explain away the three days and nights. However, phrases which include the words "and night(s)" are not considered to be idioms. (see "The Companion Bible", App. note #s 144 & 156 on Matthew 12:40) Therefore using the phrase, "days and nights" removes the phrase from the realm of idioms and causes the understanding to become three literal twenty four hour periods of time."

Here is a Rabbi 100% disagreeing with this notion 3 day/3nights is an idiom.

He indirectly notes "3 days " or "the third day" are idioms. But when 3 nights is included, its no longer an idiom.

 

[Taken]

Mat 12:40 says "the son of of man shall be in the heart of the earth". Son of man is Jesus's earthly identity. Thus this indicates to me he was talking about his earthen body. It was dead for 3 days and three nights.

Ok Thanks.

I disagree.
Dead bodies do not move about.
Living souls depart dead bodies.
Jesus' dead body was buried in a tomb.
Jesus' living soul went to the heart of the earth.

God Bless,
Taken