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three nights between Friday evening and Sunday morning by any process of reckoning.
The expressions "after three days" which occurs five times (see above occurrences), and
"three days and three nights" cannot be explained by this Jewish custom.
We must also remember that the Jewish days are reckoned from sunset to sunset,
6p.m. to 6p.m., not midnight to midnight as ours are. Taking the above facts into
consideration we arrive at the following:
Wednesday,
Nisan (April) 14th,
the crucifixion.
Thursday,
Nisan 15th,
the Passover Sabbath.
(???)
Friday,
Nisan 16th,
the embalmment.
Saturday,
Nisan 17th,
the weekly Sabbath.
Sunday,
Nisan 18th,
the Resurrection.
This gives "three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matt. 12: 40).
14th Nisan
15th Nisan
16th Nisan
17th Nisan
Preparation Day.
Passover and
Weekly Sabbath.
A High Day.
Preparation.
A Sabbath.
The Lord crucified.
No servile work.
The spices bought and
The women rested on
prepared when the
this Sabbath day and
Body hastily buried.
"The Sabbath past"
Sabbath was past.
went to the sepulcher
(Mark 16: 1).
soon after it had passed.
1st
1st
2nd
2nd
3rd
3rd
4th(???)
Hebrew
night
day
night
day
night
day
night
day
Every Sabbath had its Preparation Day, so we must be prepared for two Preparation
Days. One refers to the "high day", the Sabbath immediately following the Passover, the
other referring to the regular weekly Sabbath.
There are other facts to be considered. If it is true that Christ died on Friday at 3p.m.
and was buried before 6p.m. because the weekly Sabbath began at 6p.m. on Friday and
lasted until 6p.m. on Saturday--then, within those three hours the following twenty
events must have taken place:
(1)
The deputation of the Jews to Pilate (John 19: 31).
(2)
Pilate heard their request and must have verified it.
(3)
Soldiers came and brake the legs of the two thieves and pierced the side of Christ
(John 19: 32, 34).
(4)
After this Joseph of Arimathaea went to Pilate and asked for the Lord's body
(John 19: 38; Mark 15: 43).
(5)
Pilate called a centurion and asked if Christ had been dead any while (Mark 15: 44).
(6)
The centurion made enquiries, reported to Pilate who then gave a permit to remove
the body (Mark 15: 44, 45).
(7)
Joseph went to the market and bought fine linen, which could not be done with
speed (Mark xv, 46).