Three Days and Three Nights

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Jun2u

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Mt 12:40 reads:

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”.

Note how precise and clear scripture speaks of Jonah as being three days and three nights in the whale's belly and not in the ocean or sea, in contrast, the second part of the text reads so shall the Son of man be three days and threes nights in the heart of the earth and not in the grave, correct?

We know Jesus was not in the grave three days and three nights because He told the good thief 'today thou shalt be with me in Paradise', by speaking these words to the thief, Jesus also confirmed the scripture text 'to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord' (2Co 5:8) to be true.

How then can we reconcile the three days and nights in the heart of the earth? Please note that I deliberately said “in the heart of the earth” to emphasize the beginning of the first night of the three days and three nights.

Luke 22:41-44 reads:

41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Mt 26:39

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Mr 14:35

And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.

The scripture texts described above already tells us the agony Jesus was enduring to the point that the Father intensified Jesus' suffering and pain that Jesus' sweat turned to drops of blood. Words cannot describe the sufferings Jesus endured on the cross as He cried 'my God, my God why has thou forsaken me'?

I believe the events that took place at the Garden of Gethsemane and so intensified by the Father was the first night of the three nights and three days. We therefore can say Thursday night, Friday night, and Saturday night as the three nights. And, Friday day, Saturday day and partial Sunday as the three days.

I would like to think that the three days and three nights are not as important as compared to the sufferings Jesus endured from Thursday nigh up until Sunday morning for our sins!

To God Be The Glory
 

rstrats

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Jun2u,

Since you're not a 6th day of the week crucifixion advocate, you probably won't know of any writing.



BTW- you said that there is scripture that says: "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord". I'm not aware of any scripture that says that. What do you have in mind?
 

Jun2u

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Rstrats,

Please elaborate on the first sentence you wrote above.

I've inserted the Scripture 2Co 5:8 to prove that Jesus and the thief went to heaven to be with the Father and not in the grave someplace. It is also to reinforce that the souls of the true believers go to be with the Lord after death, for there are those who do not believe in this teaching.

Are you one of the above since you've admitted to not being aware of 2Co 5:8?

You might be surprised at what I know regarding the crucifixion but I'll give you A+ for suggesting I'm not a sixth day week crucifixion advocate or know of any such writing. I do not adhere to man's writings if that is what you mean and no matter how holy he might seem to be his best work is still tainted by sin. I only adhere to Scripture!

Tell me, was the atonement in AD 33 the only demonstration Jesus performed?

To God Be The Glory
 

Webers_Home

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Jun2u said:
I believe the events that took place at the Garden of Gethsemane and so
intensified by the Father was the first night of the three nights and three
days.
That won't work because Christ predicted that the three nights would pass
while he was in the heart of the earth rather than up on its surface. (Matt
12:40)

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rstrats

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Jun2u,

re: "Please elaborate on the first sentence you wrote above."

Since you are a 5th day of the week crucifixion believer, I didn't think you would have a reason to know of any writing as requested in the OP.



re: "Are you one of the above since you've admitted to not being aware of 2Co 5:8?"

I didn't say I wasn't aware of 2 Corinthians 5:8. I said I wasn't aware of an scripture that had your quote: "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord".



re: "I've inserted the Scripture 2Co 5:8 to prove that Jesus and the thief went to heaven to be with the Father and not in the grave someplace."

That couldn't have been the case because John 20:17 says that He hadn't "yet ascended to [His] Father".



re: "Tell me, was the atonement in AD 33 the only demonstration Jesus performed?"

No. Why do you ask?
 

Jun2u

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Webers_Home,

I was not aware there is a physical place called, “in the heart of the earth”.

The biblical rule is to compare scripture with scripture, and spiritual things with spiritual when attempting to search the Bible for particular words or phrases, and on how they are used elsewhere in Scripture. God gave us this methodology in 2Ti 3:16 and 1Co 2:14.

It is IMPOSSIBLE to understand the deeper meanings of difficult passages by just reading and critiquing the Bible like it is an ordinary book, because the Bible, although is historical is also a spiritual book as well.

The term “in the heart of the earth” is not found anywhere in Scripture and therefore must be treated as a metaphorical language.

God spoke in parables and without a parable did He not speak, Mr 4:34. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning therefore, makes the whole Bible a parable for it is God's story book to mankind.

We cannot count out Thursday night as it is a part of that same week where Jesus is already suffering and enduring in paying for our sins as we read of His sweat turning into drops of blood!


Rstrats,

I apologize for not reading your OP in the first place.

Jo 11:9

Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day”?…

If there are 12 hours in a day does not it follow that there 12 hours at night also?

The three days and three nights are perfectly aligned this way

Thurs night…..12 hrs
Friday day……12 hrs
Friday night…..12 hrs
Saturday day…12 hrs
Saturday night..12 hrs
Sunday day…..12 hrs
Total 72 hrs

Is not 72 hours equal 3 days and 3 nights?

Are the 12 hours day or night constitute a Jewish idiom?

To God Be The GloryHammer
 

rstrats

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Jun2u,
re: "If there are 12 hours in a day does not it follow that there 12 hours at night also?"

That would certainly seem to be the case.


re: "The three days and three nights are perfectly aligned this way Thurs night…..12 hrs Friday day……12 hrs..."

Where is Thursday day?
 

Webers_Home

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Jun2u said:
The three days and three nights are perfectly aligned this way

Thurs night…..12 hrs
Friday day……12 hrs
Friday night…..12 hrs
Saturday day…12 hrs
Saturday night..12 hrs
Sunday day…..12 hrs
Total 72 hrs
The preponderance of evidence indicates that Christ's crucified body revived
in less than 72 hours; viz: sometime during the third day rather than after the
third day was completely over.

†. Matt 17:22-23 . . And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus
said to them: The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of
men; and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.

†. Mark 9:31 . . For he taught his disciples, and said unto them: The Son of
man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after
that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.

†. Luke 9:22 . . And he said: The Son of Man must suffer many things and
be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must
be killed and on the third day be roused.

†. Luke 24:12-24 . . Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending
over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away,
wondering to himself what had happened. Now that same day two of them
were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.
They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As
they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came
up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.

. . . He asked them: What are you discussing together as you walk along?
They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked
him: Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that
have happened there in these days? What things? he asked.

. . . About Jesus of Nazareth; they replied. He was a prophet, powerful in
word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our
rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him;
but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And
what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.

†. Luke 24:41-46 . . And while they still could not believe it for joy and were
marveling, he said to them : Have you anything here to eat? And they gave
him a piece of a broiled fish; and he took it and ate it before them.

. . . Now he said to them : These are my words which I spoke to you while I
was still with you, that all things which are written about me in the Law of
Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then he opened
their minds to understand the Scriptures, and he said to them : Thus it is
written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third
day

†. Acts 10:39-41 . . And we are witnesses of all the things He did both in the
land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And they also put him to death by
hanging him on a cross. God raised him up on the third day

†. 1Cor 15:4 . . He rose again the third day

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JimParker

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Alright i spent hour/s getting all the info from the 4 gospels (i'm not sure if any more info from elsewhere in bible other than the calendar festivals i already posted).

"break down this temple and in 3 days i%2



Why make it so complicated? That is an open door to endless speculation and error.

What do the scriptures say?

Jesus died on a Friday, the day before the Sabbath.

Luke 23:52-54 This man (Joseph of Arimathe'a) went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud, and laid him in a rock-hewn tomb, where no one had ever yet been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.

John 19:30-31 When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished"; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from remaining 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.


Jesus rose on Sunday, the day after the Sabbath, the first day of the week.

Mark 16:9 Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.

And another good scripture that applies to those who want to change what the church has always taught based on their "superior" understanding of scripture is what Paul said at Titus 3:10: "Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them."
 

Jun2u

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Webers_Home,

Below, is a short guideline to what I believe occurred during the timing of the Atonement.

1 Thursday night

a) As Jesus began to pray at the Garden of Gethsemane already He was enduring and suffering the punishment the Father put upon Him as the sweat turned into drops of blood.

b) Jesus was arrested.

2 Friday

a) Jesus diesAnd if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;)”...etc., De 21:22-23

The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken (to hasten death), and that they might be taken away.
But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. Jo 19:31,33,36

The scripture texts above prove Jesus died on Friday the Jewish Preparation Festival.

3 Saturday Sabbath

a) Even at death God rested on the last Sabbath day.

4 Sunday

a) Jesus arose early on Sunday morning which can be collaborated by scripture texts.


To God Be The Glory
 

rstrats

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JimParker,
re: "It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning."


How can you absolutely, positively, no question about it, rule out that the Sabbath being referred to wasn't the annual Sabbath which could fall on any day of the week?
 

Webers_Home

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Jun2u said:
The scripture texts above prove Jesus died on Friday
A Friday crucifixion fails to account for the three nights Christ predicted at
Matt 12:40.

The trickiest part of figuring out the chronology of crucifixion week is where
to locate the special sabbath required by Ex 12:16. John called it an high
day (John 19:31) and he's the only gospel writer that mentions it so it's easy
to overlook; especially by people unfamiliar with the law governing the feast
of unleavened bread-- a feast that commences with the Passover dinner.

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Jun2u

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Webers_Home,

Thank you! Thank you! For nudging me to act like the Bereans who searched the scriptures if whether those things be true.

There are no tricky parts in figuring out where to locate the special sabbath that was called the High Sabbath. There are no incidentals or accidentals in the Bible. I believe the timing of the high holy day to fall on the week of the crucifixion was God's plan all along to show us the correlation between the Passover Lamb and the ultimate Sacrificial Lamb which is the Lord Jesus.

I would not have seen this comparison had I not re-read Exodus Chapter 12. Thank you, again.

Note the language of Ex 12:5-6:

Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

Isn't it amazing how the Passover lamb was “killed in the evening on the thirteenth day” just as we see the parallel meaning of Jesus already began to suffer on Thursday night?

The only way to understand the three days and three nights that ended on an early Sunday morning resurrection is to begin at the Garden of Gethsemane.

Unless we acknowledge that the Bible is a historical parable as well as a spiritual book, we will not see the deeper meaning in the more difficult passages of Scripture. That is, a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly/spiritual meaning

Jesus spoke in parables and without a parable He did not speak Mark 4:34.

To God Be The Glory
 

Webers_Home

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Jun2u said:
The only way to understand the three days and three nights that ended on
an early Sunday morning resurrection is to begin at the Garden of
Gethsemane.
Christ didn't die in Gethsemane; he survived.

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zeke25

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Jun2u said:
Webers_Home,

Thank you! Thank you! For nudging me to act like the Bereans who searched the scriptures if whether those things be true.

There are no tricky parts in figuring out where to locate the special sabbath that was called the High Sabbath. There are no incidentals or accidentals in the Bible. I believe the timing of the high holy day to fall on the week of the crucifixion was God's plan all along to show us the correlation between the Passover Lamb and the ultimate Sacrificial Lamb which is the Lord Jesus.

I would not have seen this comparison had I not re-read Exodus Chapter 12. Thank you, again.

Note the language of Ex 12:5-6:

Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.

Isn't it amazing how the Passover lamb was “killed in the evening on the thirteenth day” just as we see the parallel meaning of Jesus already began to suffer on Thursday night?

The only way to understand the three days and three nights that ended on an early Sunday morning resurrection is to begin at the Garden of Gethsemane.

Unless we acknowledge that the Bible is a historical parable as well as a spiritual book, we will not see the deeper meaning in the more difficult passages of Scripture. That is, a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly/spiritual meaning

Jesus spoke in parables and without a parable He did not speak Mark 4:34.

To God Be The Glory
Jun2u,

In post #211 you said: "a) Jesus arose early on Sunday morning which can be collaborated by scripture texts." John 20:1 says that it was dark and Yahoshua had already left His tomb. So, He was risen on Saturday night. How do you reconcile this with your statement?

Here in post #214 you quote Exodus 12: "And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening." Then you followed that up with another statement: "Isn't it amazing how the Passover lamb was “killed in the evening on the thirteenth day” ". The Scripture just got through telling you that the lamb was killed during the evening of the 14th. How does that suddenly equate to the evening of the 13th? Me thinks him counts funny.

Zeke25
 

zeke25

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Jun2u said:
There are no tricky parts in figuring out where to locate the special sabbath that was called the High Sabbath. There are no incidentals or accidentals in the Bible. I believe the timing of the high holy day to fall on the week of the crucifixion was God's plan all along to show us the correlation between the Passover Lamb and the ultimate Sacrificial Lamb which is the Lord Jesus.
Jun2u,

There is no mystery about what the high sabbath is from John 19:31.

What is the first sabbath ever mentioned in Scripture? It is Passover.

What is the sabbath that delivered the Hebrews from death? It is Passover.

It is the only day that qualifies as a high sabbath.

zeke25
 

JimParker

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rstrats said:
JimParker,
re: "It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning."


How can you absolutely, positively, no question about it, rule out that the Sabbath being referred to wasn't the annual Sabbath which could fall on any day of the week?
Because the testimony of those who were contemporaries of the apostles (Ignatius, Justin Martyr) confirm the Friday/Saturday?Sunday sequence.

Also scripture specifically states that the women went to the tomb early on the first day of the week when they were told by the angel that He had risen. That's Sunday.

There is no rational cause to choose speculation over the testimony of scripture and the disciples of the apostles or to reject the testimony of the Church for 2000 years.
 

rstrats

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Jim Parker,
re: "There is no rational cause to choose speculation over the testimony of scripture..."



Agreed. And the testimony of scripture says that 3 nights would be involved during the Messiah's time in the "heart of the earth". This conflicts with a 6th day of the week crucifixion/first day of the week resurrection.

However, there are those who say that Matthew 12:40 is using common Jewish idiomatic language. For the purpose of this topic I am only interested in being shown writing from the first century or before where a daytime or a night time was counted as a daytime or where a night time was counted as a night time when no part of the daytime or no part of the night time could have occurred.
 

zeke25

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JimParker said:
Because the testimony of those who were contemporaries of the apostles (Ignatius, Justin Martyr) confirm the Friday/Saturday?Sunday sequence.

Also scripture specifically states that the women went to the tomb early on the first day of the week when they were told by the angel that He had risen. That's Sunday.

There is no rational cause to choose speculation over the testimony of scripture and the disciples of the apostles or to reject the testimony of the Church for 2000 years.
Scripture does not teach a Sunday resurrection. Read all four gospels. What about they arrived while it was still dark. Early in the morning, does not mean that the sun has risen. Sunday doesn't start until the sun has risen.
zeke25