You seem to be confusing history with parables. The Gospels and Acts are history. From your posts it seems you are not a Christian. All Christians understand 3 days and 3 nights in the tomb was the sign of Jonah. That is the proof of him being the Messiah. Jesus stated the only sign of him being the Messiah was as Jonah was in the belly of the big fish or 3 days and 3 nights so the son of man would be in the earth for 3 days and 3 nights. The Gospels record after 3 days and nights the guarded tomb was empty. The Romans would have been delighted to have a body to show people. No body!!! He had risen after 3 days and 3 nights just as he prophecied.
Three Days and Three Nights
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Note: The "1--" and "2--" items are what I considered the best.
Note: The "1--" and "2--" items are what I considered the best.
This convinced me:
Was Jesus in the grave for exactly three days and three nights? The ONLY sign Jesus ever gave the Jews to prove His Messiahship was that He would be dead three days and three nights. Does that mean Jesus died on a Friday and was resurrected on a Sunday? How does the Bible define “three days” and “three nights?”
Was Jesus in the grave for exactly three days and three nights?
“Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, ‘Master, we would see a sign from Thee.’ 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: For as Jonas was three days and three night in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.’” Matthew 12:38-40
Since Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, the Jews demanded a sign of Him to prove His claim. Jesus could give them no better proof that He was the Christ than the literal fulfillment of the well-known sign of Jonah, Luke 11:30. If this sign were not literally fulfilled, it would prove unto them that He was not the Messiah. This was the only sign Jesus ever gave them to prove His Messiahship. Hence the great need for Him to do exactly what He promised them to do.
Mark 8:31 tells us: “And He began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” Did Christ mean what He said? Did He really expect to be buried in the earth for three days and three nights? Jesus did not say, “After two nights and one day I will rise again.” He said, “After three days I will rise again.” He meant three days and three nights-- a full 72 hours!
The Jews remembered this sign when He was crucified. “Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, ‘Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while He was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.’” Matthew 27:62-64 They did all they could to prevent His resurrection. They got the watch, made the sepulchre sure, and sealed the stone. “After three days I will rise again” was necessary to fulfill the Jonah sign.
Modern interpreters of the Bible make Jesus Christ a liar. They say Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, buried about sundown the same day, and arose on the next Sunday about daybreak in contradiction to the Scriptures! Any schoolboy knows that this is only two nights and one day. If He were crucified on Good Friday and arose on Sunday morning as they say, then He did not literally fulfill the sign of Jonah. If He did not fulfill this sign as He promised the Jews, then He was an impostor and not the Messiah! In other words, Jesus Christ lied to the Jews about His burial and resurrection.
If the Good Friday theory is correct as some teach, then the Bible contains “highly figurative language” which requires a human interpreter to tell people what the verses really mean. By this same liberal method of interpreting the Scriptures you can destroy every basic doctrine in the Bible.
I do not care very much for what scholars say! But I am greatly concerned about not accusing my Lord of lying! Jesus Christ plainly said He would be in the grave “three days and three nights”. He emphatically declared He would rise again “after three days”. I believe He fulfilled the sign of Jonah and vindicated His Messiahship. In Matthew 28:6, we read this testimony of the angel at the tomb: “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.” He said He would be in the grave “three days and three nights” and “after three days” He would rise again. Jesus did fulfill the Jonah sign. But He was not crucified on Good Friday, nor did He rise on Sunday morning!
Three Days and Three Nights
by Milburn Cockrell, the deceased pastor of
Was Jesus in the grave for exactly three days and three nights? The ONLY sign Jesus ever gave the Jews to prove His Messiahship was that He would be dead three days and three nights. Does that mean Jesus died on a Friday and was resurrected on a Sunday? How does the Bible define “three days” and “three nights?”
Was Jesus in the grave for exactly three days and three nights?
“Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, ‘Master, we would see a sign from Thee.’ 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: For as Jonas was three days and three night in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.’” Matthew 12:38-40
Since Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, the Jews demanded a sign of Him to prove His claim. Jesus could give them no better proof that He was the Christ than the literal fulfillment of the well-known sign of Jonah, Luke 11:30. If this sign were not literally fulfilled, it would prove unto them that He was not the Messiah. This was the only sign Jesus ever gave them to prove His Messiahship. Hence the great need for Him to do exactly what He promised them to do.
Mark 8:31 tells us: “And He began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” Did Christ mean what He said? Did He really expect to be buried in the earth for three days and three nights? Jesus did not say, “After two nights and one day I will rise again.” He said, “After three days I will rise again.” He meant three days and three nights-- a full 72 hours!
The Jews remembered this sign when He was crucified. “Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, ‘Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while He was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.’” Matthew 27:62-64 They did all they could to prevent His resurrection. They got the watch, made the sepulchre sure, and sealed the stone. “After three days I will rise again” was necessary to fulfill the Jonah sign.
Modern interpreters of the Bible make Jesus Christ a liar. They say Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, buried about sundown the same day, and arose on the next Sunday about daybreak in contradiction to the Scriptures! Any schoolboy knows that this is only two nights and one day. If He were crucified on Good Friday and arose on Sunday morning as they say, then He did not literally fulfill the sign of Jonah. If He did not fulfill this sign as He promised the Jews, then He was an impostor and not the Messiah! In other words, Jesus Christ lied to the Jews about His burial and resurrection.
If the Good Friday theory is correct as some teach, then the Bible contains “highly figurative language” which requires a human interpreter to tell people what the verses really mean. By this same liberal method of interpreting the Scriptures you can destroy every basic doctrine in the Bible.
I do not care very much for what scholars say! But I am greatly concerned about not accusing my Lord of lying! Jesus Christ plainly said He would be in the grave “three days and three nights”. He emphatically declared He would rise again “after three days”. I believe He fulfilled the sign of Jonah and vindicated His Messiahship. In Matthew 28:6, we read this testimony of the angel at the tomb: “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.” He said He would be in the grave “three days and three nights” and “after three days” He would rise again. Jesus did fulfill the Jonah sign. But He was not crucified on Good Friday, nor did He rise on Sunday morning!
The Part-of-a-Day Theory Wrong
Men, in order to get the Bible out of an embarrassing situation, allege that the Jews counted a part of a day as the whole day. Such passages as Genesis 42:17, 18; 1 Samuel 30:12, 13; Esther 4:15-17; 1 Kings 20:29; and 1 Chronicles 10:5 are cited to prove this theory. However, none of these passages prove “three days and three nights” means two nights and one day. Only one of them even contains the expression “three days and three nights”-- 1 Samuel 30:12. But there is absolutely no reason to give “three days and three nights” in 1 Samuel 30:12 any meaning except their literal meaning. Divine inspiration declares the young man “had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.” What authority has any man to contradict these plain words by affirming the time was not so long? The expression, “three days, night and day”, in Esther 4:15, is not the same wording as “three days and three nights” in Matthew 12:40. There is no mention of any nights at all in the other passages; therefore, they give no evidence as to the meaning of “three days and three nights”. There is no reason to take any of the passages cited in any sense except their literal sense, unless one has a theory to prove. The “three days and three nights” in Jonah 1:17 are to be taken in their literal sense.
Granting that some of the Jews did count a part of the day for a whole day, can it be proven that this is what Jesus meant? Can it be proven that the Jews counted a part of a day as a whole day and a whole night? Where is the proof in the inspired Word? Yet, proponents of the Good Friday tradition want us to believe that a part of a day meant a whole day and a whole night. Men who believe the Bible to be literally true dare not accept such reasoning.
The Meaning of Day in the Bible
The word “day” in the Bible in its primary sense means the interval between dawn and darkness.
“And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. . .” Genesis 1:5 (Compare Genesis 1:14-18; 8:22.) This is the first occurrence of the word “day” in the Bible, and the Lord God Himself gives its meaning. Jesus believed there were 12 hours in a day. He asked in John 11:9: “. . . Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.” Jesus made a day and night consist of 24 hours. Can there be any higher authorities than the Lord God and Jesus Christ? Do not such authorities settle the matter for all true believers?
In the Bible, a day is the interval of time comprising the period between two successive risings of the sun (Genesis 7:24; Job 3:16). The Hebrews reckoned it from evening to evening Exodus 12:18, “. . . from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath.” Leviticus 23:32 The 12-hour night began at sunset and ended at sunup. It was counted before the 12-hour day.
“And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Genesis 1:5 Hence a new day began at 6 o'clock in the evening and lasted until the same time the next evening--a period of 24 hours--a 12-hour night followed by a 12-hour day!
The Good Friday Hoax
The Bible nowhere says or implies that Jesus was crucified and died on Good Friday! It is said that Jesus was crucified on “the day before the Sabbath”-- Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:14, 31, & 42. As the Jewish weekly Sabbath came on Saturday, scholars have assumed Jesus was crucified on Good Friday. This is poor reasoning because the Bible bears abundant testimony that the Jews had other Sabbaths beside the weekly Sabbath which fell on Saturday.
The first day of the Passover week, no matter on what day of the week it came, was always an annual Sabbath. “And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.” Leviticus 23:6-7 On the seventh day of this feast, the 21st of Nisan, was another annual Sabbath: “. . . in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.” Leviticus 23:8
The day of Pentecost was an annual Sabbath Numbers 28:26. This is the reason we read about Sabbaths in the plural number in the Old Testament Leviticus 26:2, 34, 35, 43.
The Bible makes it plain, Jesus was crucified and buried on: “. . . the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath: “ Mark 15:42. John tells us: “And it was the preparation of the Passover.” John 19:14 It was the preparation day on which the Passover Supper was made ready [editor's note: actually it was the preparation for the Holy Day, the Night to Be Much Remembered], the 14th of Nisan John 13:1, 29; 18:28. It was the preparation to keep the Passover Sabbath-- the annual Sabbath which always came on the 15th day of the first ecclesiastical month. John 19:31 adds: “. . . (for that Sabbath day was an high day). . . .” Its greatness was due to the fact that it was the annual Sabbath of the Passover Festival.
Two Sabbaths that Week
Matthew makes it plain that two Sabbaths had passed since Jesus was crucified. The KJV has this rendering: “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 sepulcher." Matthew 28:1
On this verse nearly all translators have allowed tradition to control their translation. It is not "Sabbath" but "Sabbaths" in the Greek text (the genitive case and the plural number). The verse properly translated would read:
"In the end of the sabbaths . . . ."
This allows for an annual Sabbath on Thursday and a regular Sabbath on Saturday.
When Jesus was buried near sundown on the day of the Passover,
"Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary" watched the burial Matthew 27:58-61. Immediately after the burial, Luke says: "And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on" Luke 3:54.
This Sabbath was an annual Sabbath on Thursday. The day after the annual Sabbath the women bought spices, Mark 16:1. Luke tells us that the women, after preparing the spices on Friday,
“. . . rested the sabbath day according to the commandment" Luke 23:56.
The traditional interpretation makes Mark and Luke contradict each other. In Mark 16:1 we are informed that the Sabbath was past when the spices were purchased. "Had" is inserted without any authority from the Greek text.
"No reason can be given for the variation--bought sweet spices. Not had bought" (An American Commentary on the New Testament, Vol. 11, p. 251).
In Luke 23:56 we are told that the women prepared the spices and ointments, and rested the Sabbath day. If Jesus lay in the grave on Sabbath only, Mark and Luke contradict each other. But if He lay there two Sabbaths having a work day between them, then Mark and Luke harmonize to perfection.
Men, in order to get the Bible out of an embarrassing situation, allege that the Jews counted a part of a day as the whole day. Such passages as Genesis 42:17, 18; 1 Samuel 30:12, 13; Esther 4:15-17; 1 Kings 20:29; and 1 Chronicles 10:5 are cited to prove this theory. However, none of these passages prove “three days and three nights” means two nights and one day. Only one of them even contains the expression “three days and three nights”-- 1 Samuel 30:12. But there is absolutely no reason to give “three days and three nights” in 1 Samuel 30:12 any meaning except their literal meaning. Divine inspiration declares the young man “had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.” What authority has any man to contradict these plain words by affirming the time was not so long? The expression, “three days, night and day”, in Esther 4:15, is not the same wording as “three days and three nights” in Matthew 12:40. There is no mention of any nights at all in the other passages; therefore, they give no evidence as to the meaning of “three days and three nights”. There is no reason to take any of the passages cited in any sense except their literal sense, unless one has a theory to prove. The “three days and three nights” in Jonah 1:17 are to be taken in their literal sense.
Granting that some of the Jews did count a part of the day for a whole day, can it be proven that this is what Jesus meant? Can it be proven that the Jews counted a part of a day as a whole day and a whole night? Where is the proof in the inspired Word? Yet, proponents of the Good Friday tradition want us to believe that a part of a day meant a whole day and a whole night. Men who believe the Bible to be literally true dare not accept such reasoning.
The Meaning of Day in the Bible
The word “day” in the Bible in its primary sense means the interval between dawn and darkness.
“And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. . .” Genesis 1:5 (Compare Genesis 1:14-18; 8:22.) This is the first occurrence of the word “day” in the Bible, and the Lord God Himself gives its meaning. Jesus believed there were 12 hours in a day. He asked in John 11:9: “. . . Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.” Jesus made a day and night consist of 24 hours. Can there be any higher authorities than the Lord God and Jesus Christ? Do not such authorities settle the matter for all true believers?
In the Bible, a day is the interval of time comprising the period between two successive risings of the sun (Genesis 7:24; Job 3:16). The Hebrews reckoned it from evening to evening Exodus 12:18, “. . . from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath.” Leviticus 23:32 The 12-hour night began at sunset and ended at sunup. It was counted before the 12-hour day.
“And the evening and the morning were the first day.” Genesis 1:5 Hence a new day began at 6 o'clock in the evening and lasted until the same time the next evening--a period of 24 hours--a 12-hour night followed by a 12-hour day!
The Good Friday Hoax
The Bible nowhere says or implies that Jesus was crucified and died on Good Friday! It is said that Jesus was crucified on “the day before the Sabbath”-- Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:14, 31, & 42. As the Jewish weekly Sabbath came on Saturday, scholars have assumed Jesus was crucified on Good Friday. This is poor reasoning because the Bible bears abundant testimony that the Jews had other Sabbaths beside the weekly Sabbath which fell on Saturday.
The first day of the Passover week, no matter on what day of the week it came, was always an annual Sabbath. “And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.” Leviticus 23:6-7 On the seventh day of this feast, the 21st of Nisan, was another annual Sabbath: “. . . in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.” Leviticus 23:8
The day of Pentecost was an annual Sabbath Numbers 28:26. This is the reason we read about Sabbaths in the plural number in the Old Testament Leviticus 26:2, 34, 35, 43.
The Bible makes it plain, Jesus was crucified and buried on: “. . . the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath: “ Mark 15:42. John tells us: “And it was the preparation of the Passover.” John 19:14 It was the preparation day on which the Passover Supper was made ready [editor's note: actually it was the preparation for the Holy Day, the Night to Be Much Remembered], the 14th of Nisan John 13:1, 29; 18:28. It was the preparation to keep the Passover Sabbath-- the annual Sabbath which always came on the 15th day of the first ecclesiastical month. John 19:31 adds: “. . . (for that Sabbath day was an high day). . . .” Its greatness was due to the fact that it was the annual Sabbath of the Passover Festival.
Two Sabbaths that Week
Matthew makes it plain that two Sabbaths had passed since Jesus was crucified. The KJV has this rendering: “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 sepulcher." Matthew 28:1
On this verse nearly all translators have allowed tradition to control their translation. It is not "Sabbath" but "Sabbaths" in the Greek text (the genitive case and the plural number). The verse properly translated would read:
"In the end of the sabbaths . . . ."
This allows for an annual Sabbath on Thursday and a regular Sabbath on Saturday.
When Jesus was buried near sundown on the day of the Passover,
"Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary" watched the burial Matthew 27:58-61. Immediately after the burial, Luke says: "And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on" Luke 3:54.
This Sabbath was an annual Sabbath on Thursday. The day after the annual Sabbath the women bought spices, Mark 16:1. Luke tells us that the women, after preparing the spices on Friday,
“. . . rested the sabbath day according to the commandment" Luke 23:56.
The traditional interpretation makes Mark and Luke contradict each other. In Mark 16:1 we are informed that the Sabbath was past when the spices were purchased. "Had" is inserted without any authority from the Greek text.
"No reason can be given for the variation--bought sweet spices. Not had bought" (An American Commentary on the New Testament, Vol. 11, p. 251).
In Luke 23:56 we are told that the women prepared the spices and ointments, and rested the Sabbath day. If Jesus lay in the grave on Sabbath only, Mark and Luke contradict each other. But if He lay there two Sabbaths having a work day between them, then Mark and Luke harmonize to perfection.
The Resurrection Late Saturday Evening
When does the Bible say that Jesus rose from the dead? The two Mary's came to the tomb:
"in the end of the sabbath" Matthew 28:1.
The Sabbath always ended at sunset:
"From even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath" Leviticus 23:32.
Then they went to the tomb before sunset on Saturday. Jesus had risen from the dead before their arrival Matthew 28:1-8. According to the Bible, Jesus Christ arose before sunset on Saturday. Christ did not rise on Sunday morning, for the two Mary saw Him, heard Him speak, and held His feet just as the Sabbath ended and the first day of the week began.
"In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week . . ." (Matthew 28:1).
Mark 16:9 tells us Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene early the first day of the week, which was Saturday after sundown. The nearer after sunset this happened, the earlier in the first of the week it was. Mark does not say that she was alone at the time she first saw Jesus, and Matthew tells us that:
"the other Mary was with her" (Matthew 28:1).
The Date of the Crucifixion
Having shown from Matthew 28:1 that Jesus rose from the grave as the Sabbath ended at sunset and the first day of the week began, this would put the crucifixion on Wednesday at sunset just as the preparation day ended and the annual Sabbath commenced. According to the Gospel writers, Jesus died at the ninth hour (3:00 p.m. our time) and was buried about sunset that same day, Luke 23:44, 45, 50-54; Mark 15:33-38, 42-47.
If Jesus were buried at sunset on Wednesday and arose at sunset on Saturday, He fulfilled the sign of Jonah. He would have been in the grave Wednesday night, Thursday night, and Friday night--a full "three days". All together a full "three days and three nights." Thus we have a literal fulfillment of the words of Christ in Matthew 12:40. hence there is no need to follow Roman Catholic tradition which makes Jesus Christ a liar. Truly,
". . . He rose again the third day according to the scriptures" I Corinthians 15:4, not the second day according to Roman Catholic tradition!
The Third Day
Some Scriptures speak of His resurrection
"after three days" (Mark 8:31; 9:31 R. V.; 10:34 R. V.; Matthew 27:63).
Other verses say
"three days" (Matthew 26:60, 61; 27:39, 40; Mark 14:58; 15:29, 30; John 2:19, 20).
Still others speak of
"the third day" (Matthew 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 27:64; Luke 9:22; 18;33; 24:6, 7, 21, 46; Acts 10:40; I Corinthians 16:4).
Some make much over "the third day" in Luke 24:21, and they affirm that if the crucifixion took place on Wednesday, Sunday would be the fourth day since these things were done. But the answer is simple. These things were done just as Thursday was beginning at sunset on Wednesday. They were therefore completed on Thursday, and the first day since Thursday would be Friday, the second day since Thursday would be Saturday, and "the third day since" Thursday would be Sunday, the first day of the week.
So the supposed objection in reality supports the Wednesday crucifixion. But if the crucifixion took place on Friday, by no manner of reckoning could Sunday be made "the third day since" these things were done.
Unless we believe the Bible contains errors, we know that all passages must harmonize. Therefore, "after three days" must mean the same as "the third day" Matthew 16:21.
There is nothing in the Bible to favor the Good Friday crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Biblical record harmonizes with a Wednesday crucifixion and Saturday evening resurrection--a full 72 hours. This view allows for a literal interpretation of "three days and three nights." It allows for the word "after three days" to mean just that. It proves that Jesus Christ fulfilled the sign of Jonah and thus proved His Messiahship to the Jews.
Milburn Richard Cockrell was born on a cotton farm in Itawamba County near Mantachie, Miss., Jan. 24, 1941, to Ershel and Onita Cockrell. He was converted in a spring revival at the First Baptist Church, Mantachie, in 1956, while Elder Ralph Brand was preaching a meeting and when Elder Arthur Smith was pastor. Some days later he asked for membership in the New Hope Baptist Church, Dorsey, Miss. The church received him, and Elder G. S. Rayburn baptized him on Sunday afternoon in a farm pool.
Later he moved his membership to the First Baptist Church of Mantachie. He made known his call to preach in a revival meeting at the Bethel Baptist Church, Dorsey, Miss., while Elder Carl Seal was preaching and Elder Alfred Jones was pastor. He was licensed to preach by his home church at the ageof 16, and he preached his first sermon on March 22, 1957. The First Baptist Church of Mantachie ordained him on Feb. 27, 1960, the year he graduated from Mantachie High School.
During his first pastorate at the Big Oak Baptist Church, Dorsey, Miss., he married Bettie Sheron Burcham on June 7, 1960. This union was blessed with four children, Gayle, Marsha, Christopher, and Derek.
Elder Cockrell has pastored churches in Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Kentucky, and Ohio. He has preached for 40 years on various radio broadcasts. He presently is the speaker on The Berea Baptist Broadcast heard on nine stations in the U.S. and two in the Philippines. From his pen has come many articles in Baptist papers. He is presently the founder and the editor of The Berea Baptist Banner, a paper with an international circulation.
He has authored many tracts and eighteen books. He has assisted in printing three different editions of The Berea Baptist Hymnal.
For the last several years Elder Cockrell lived near Mantachie, Miss., and pastored the Berea Baptist Church of this town.
Pastor Milburn Cockrell departed this life on September 14, 2002 at around 10:15 p.m. from a massive heart attack. "And the king said unto his servants, Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?" (2 Samuel 3:38)
When does the Bible say that Jesus rose from the dead? The two Mary's came to the tomb:
"in the end of the sabbath" Matthew 28:1.
The Sabbath always ended at sunset:
"From even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath" Leviticus 23:32.
Then they went to the tomb before sunset on Saturday. Jesus had risen from the dead before their arrival Matthew 28:1-8. According to the Bible, Jesus Christ arose before sunset on Saturday. Christ did not rise on Sunday morning, for the two Mary saw Him, heard Him speak, and held His feet just as the Sabbath ended and the first day of the week began.
"In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week . . ." (Matthew 28:1).
Mark 16:9 tells us Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene early the first day of the week, which was Saturday after sundown. The nearer after sunset this happened, the earlier in the first of the week it was. Mark does not say that she was alone at the time she first saw Jesus, and Matthew tells us that:
"the other Mary was with her" (Matthew 28:1).
The Date of the Crucifixion
Having shown from Matthew 28:1 that Jesus rose from the grave as the Sabbath ended at sunset and the first day of the week began, this would put the crucifixion on Wednesday at sunset just as the preparation day ended and the annual Sabbath commenced. According to the Gospel writers, Jesus died at the ninth hour (3:00 p.m. our time) and was buried about sunset that same day, Luke 23:44, 45, 50-54; Mark 15:33-38, 42-47.
If Jesus were buried at sunset on Wednesday and arose at sunset on Saturday, He fulfilled the sign of Jonah. He would have been in the grave Wednesday night, Thursday night, and Friday night--a full "three days". All together a full "three days and three nights." Thus we have a literal fulfillment of the words of Christ in Matthew 12:40. hence there is no need to follow Roman Catholic tradition which makes Jesus Christ a liar. Truly,
". . . He rose again the third day according to the scriptures" I Corinthians 15:4, not the second day according to Roman Catholic tradition!
The Third Day
Some Scriptures speak of His resurrection
"after three days" (Mark 8:31; 9:31 R. V.; 10:34 R. V.; Matthew 27:63).
Other verses say
"three days" (Matthew 26:60, 61; 27:39, 40; Mark 14:58; 15:29, 30; John 2:19, 20).
Still others speak of
"the third day" (Matthew 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 27:64; Luke 9:22; 18;33; 24:6, 7, 21, 46; Acts 10:40; I Corinthians 16:4).
Some make much over "the third day" in Luke 24:21, and they affirm that if the crucifixion took place on Wednesday, Sunday would be the fourth day since these things were done. But the answer is simple. These things were done just as Thursday was beginning at sunset on Wednesday. They were therefore completed on Thursday, and the first day since Thursday would be Friday, the second day since Thursday would be Saturday, and "the third day since" Thursday would be Sunday, the first day of the week.
So the supposed objection in reality supports the Wednesday crucifixion. But if the crucifixion took place on Friday, by no manner of reckoning could Sunday be made "the third day since" these things were done.
Unless we believe the Bible contains errors, we know that all passages must harmonize. Therefore, "after three days" must mean the same as "the third day" Matthew 16:21.
There is nothing in the Bible to favor the Good Friday crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Biblical record harmonizes with a Wednesday crucifixion and Saturday evening resurrection--a full 72 hours. This view allows for a literal interpretation of "three days and three nights." It allows for the word "after three days" to mean just that. It proves that Jesus Christ fulfilled the sign of Jonah and thus proved His Messiahship to the Jews.
Milburn Richard Cockrell was born on a cotton farm in Itawamba County near Mantachie, Miss., Jan. 24, 1941, to Ershel and Onita Cockrell. He was converted in a spring revival at the First Baptist Church, Mantachie, in 1956, while Elder Ralph Brand was preaching a meeting and when Elder Arthur Smith was pastor. Some days later he asked for membership in the New Hope Baptist Church, Dorsey, Miss. The church received him, and Elder G. S. Rayburn baptized him on Sunday afternoon in a farm pool.
Later he moved his membership to the First Baptist Church of Mantachie. He made known his call to preach in a revival meeting at the Bethel Baptist Church, Dorsey, Miss., while Elder Carl Seal was preaching and Elder Alfred Jones was pastor. He was licensed to preach by his home church at the ageof 16, and he preached his first sermon on March 22, 1957. The First Baptist Church of Mantachie ordained him on Feb. 27, 1960, the year he graduated from Mantachie High School.
During his first pastorate at the Big Oak Baptist Church, Dorsey, Miss., he married Bettie Sheron Burcham on June 7, 1960. This union was blessed with four children, Gayle, Marsha, Christopher, and Derek.
Elder Cockrell has pastored churches in Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Kentucky, and Ohio. He has preached for 40 years on various radio broadcasts. He presently is the speaker on The Berea Baptist Broadcast heard on nine stations in the U.S. and two in the Philippines. From his pen has come many articles in Baptist papers. He is presently the founder and the editor of The Berea Baptist Banner, a paper with an international circulation.
He has authored many tracts and eighteen books. He has assisted in printing three different editions of The Berea Baptist Hymnal.
For the last several years Elder Cockrell lived near Mantachie, Miss., and pastored the Berea Baptist Church of this town.
Pastor Milburn Cockrell departed this life on September 14, 2002 at around 10:15 p.m. from a massive heart attack. "And the king said unto his servants, Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?" (2 Samuel 3:38)
For those who question the 3 days and 3 nights they are not reading the accounts of Crucifixion very well.
First item is there are weekly Sabbaths and yearly Sabbaths. Jesus was crucified during the Passover week. It begins and ends with an annual Sabbath. Look it up on the internet. The Sabbath he was crucified before was the second yearly Sabbath of Passover. Counting backwards from the empty tomb on Sunday he rose the afternoon of the weekly Sabbath. So in the tomb Saturday, Friday, and Thursday means he was placed in the tomb Wednesday afternoon before sunset. That means Thursday was the second Sabbath of Passover. Too many people ignore the yearly Sabbaths.
First item is there are weekly Sabbaths and yearly Sabbaths. Jesus was crucified during the Passover week. It begins and ends with an annual Sabbath. Look it up on the internet. The Sabbath he was crucified before was the second yearly Sabbath of Passover. Counting backwards from the empty tomb on Sunday he rose the afternoon of the weekly Sabbath. So in the tomb Saturday, Friday, and Thursday means he was placed in the tomb Wednesday afternoon before sunset. That means Thursday was the second Sabbath of Passover. Too many people ignore the yearly Sabbaths.
Free good information:
about the Sabbath-- https://www.box.com/s/76fdd30db8b26be34185
Passion Week-- https://app.box.com/s/f3bcb04b37dc6d06282e
Note: The "1--" and "2--" items are what I considered the best.
0-- Proof of Three Days and Three Nights in ETRALF -- https://app.box.com/s/bz18qafd4mpne6b2g536p1ofzwbirld1
1-- the real meaning of Passion Week https://app.box.com/s/1j2z1rp4bdoku9elb2pxhx0nvj5pq4vb
0-- The Passion Week to the Ascension of Jesus Christ (62 pgs.)-- https://app.box.com/s/vfmyy61z95lhh0etwyzwdk2bckahwtm5
1-- Proof that Jesus is the Messiah https://app.box.com/s/0pv2owduz7dkq0yh5ida
about the Sabbath-- https://www.box.com/s/76fdd30db8b26be34185
Passion Week-- https://app.box.com/s/f3bcb04b37dc6d06282e
Note: The "1--" and "2--" items are what I considered the best.
0-- Proof of Three Days and Three Nights in ETRALF -- https://app.box.com/s/bz18qafd4mpne6b2g536p1ofzwbirld1
1-- the real meaning of Passion Week https://app.box.com/s/1j2z1rp4bdoku9elb2pxhx0nvj5pq4vb
0-- The Passion Week to the Ascension of Jesus Christ (62 pgs.)-- https://app.box.com/s/vfmyy61z95lhh0etwyzwdk2bckahwtm5
1-- Proof that Jesus is the Messiah https://app.box.com/s/0pv2owduz7dkq0yh5ida
Long winded documents when the facts do not need long winded statements.
First, there are weekly Sabbaths and yearly Sabbaths.
Second, Passover Week starts and ends with an annual Sabbath.
Third Jesus was crucified during Passover Week.
Thus the Sabbath he was crucified before was the second Sabbath of the Passover week.
He rose on the weekly Sabbath afternoon with the tomb empty Sunday morning. Going backwards, Saturday, Friday, and Thursday he was put in the grave Wednesday afternoon. Thursday then was the annual Sabbath.
KISS Keep It Simple Stupid. A byword in electronics and software.
First, there are weekly Sabbaths and yearly Sabbaths.
Second, Passover Week starts and ends with an annual Sabbath.
Third Jesus was crucified during Passover Week.
Thus the Sabbath he was crucified before was the second Sabbath of the Passover week.
He rose on the weekly Sabbath afternoon with the tomb empty Sunday morning. Going backwards, Saturday, Friday, and Thursday he was put in the grave Wednesday afternoon. Thursday then was the annual Sabbath.
KISS Keep It Simple Stupid. A byword in electronics and software.
ROTFLMAO
Trying to avoid the facts as presented in the Gospels!!
For me facts in the Bible trumps peoples wishful thinking on Biblical topics therefore being right on topic. You can't change what the Bible states. I defined what the Bible says about the 3 days and 3 nights as the thread title refers to. So tell me where I am wrong or accept what I stated is what the Gospels state.
Methinks your responce is trying to change what the Bible states. Why is that.
Trying to avoid the facts as presented in the Gospels!!
For me facts in the Bible trumps peoples wishful thinking on Biblical topics therefore being right on topic. You can't change what the Bible states. I defined what the Bible says about the 3 days and 3 nights as the thread title refers to. So tell me where I am wrong or accept what I stated is what the Gospels state.
Methinks your responce is trying to change what the Bible states. Why is that.
Endoscopy,
re: "Trying to avoid the facts as presented in the Gospels!!"
Why would you want to do that?
re: I defined what the Bible says about the 3 days and 3 nights as the thread title refers to."
I previously explained to you that the topic title and OP were poorly conceived with regard to the intent of the topic. Unfortunately they couldn't be edited once I realized that they needed to be. However, they were clarified in subsequent posts:
1. The Messiah said that He would be three days and three nights in the "heart of the earth"
2. There are those who think that the crucifixion took place on the 6th day of the week with the resurrection taking place on the 1st day of the week.
3. Of those, there are some who think that the "heart of the earth" is referring to the tomb.
4. A 6th day of the week crucifixion/1st day of the week resurrection allows for only 2 nights to be involved.
5. To account for the lack of a 3rd night, there may be some of those mentioned above who say that the Messiah was employing common figure of speech/colloquial language.
6. I wonder if anyone who falls in that group of believers could provide examples to support that belief; i.e., instances where a daytime or a night time was forecast or said to be involved with an event when no part of a daytime and/or no part of a night time could have occurred.
So again, the topic request for examples is with regard to the commonality of forecasting a daytime or a night time when no part of a daytime or no part of a night time could occur.
re: "Methinks your responce is trying to change what the Bible states."
Please quote my words that make you think that.
re: "Trying to avoid the facts as presented in the Gospels!!"
Why would you want to do that?
re: I defined what the Bible says about the 3 days and 3 nights as the thread title refers to."
I previously explained to you that the topic title and OP were poorly conceived with regard to the intent of the topic. Unfortunately they couldn't be edited once I realized that they needed to be. However, they were clarified in subsequent posts:
1. The Messiah said that He would be three days and three nights in the "heart of the earth"
2. There are those who think that the crucifixion took place on the 6th day of the week with the resurrection taking place on the 1st day of the week.
3. Of those, there are some who think that the "heart of the earth" is referring to the tomb.
4. A 6th day of the week crucifixion/1st day of the week resurrection allows for only 2 nights to be involved.
5. To account for the lack of a 3rd night, there may be some of those mentioned above who say that the Messiah was employing common figure of speech/colloquial language.
6. I wonder if anyone who falls in that group of believers could provide examples to support that belief; i.e., instances where a daytime or a night time was forecast or said to be involved with an event when no part of a daytime and/or no part of a night time could have occurred.
So again, the topic request for examples is with regard to the commonality of forecasting a daytime or a night time when no part of a daytime or no part of a night time could occur.
re: "Methinks your responce is trying to change what the Bible states."
Please quote my words that make you think that.
The truth is that there is more than one perfectly plausible theories as to the 3 days and 3 nights. The factors to consider are:
1) whether it is correct to assume that any portion of a day would be considered a day a
a night
2) whether the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was a day where no labor was
allowed
3) and finally, whether the Resurrection occurred between sundown Saturday and midnight
Saturday or midnight Saturday until dawn Sunday.
IMO the best fit is undoubtedly Thursday crucifixion death at 3pm (Nisan 14).
Friday first day of Feast of UB a day of no work (Nisan 15)
Saturday regular Sabbath (Nisan 16)
Resurrection after midnight Jewish Sunday and Roman Sunday.
It certainly is possible that the Resurrection could occur BEFORE midnight as it is still the "first day of the week", as the gentile calendar is meaningless. But I will assume that the Resurrection occurred after midnight on the Roman Sunday proper.
This way you have a portion of a day, a portion of a night, and two full days and nights.
No problemo......
1) whether it is correct to assume that any portion of a day would be considered a day a
a night
2) whether the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was a day where no labor was
allowed
3) and finally, whether the Resurrection occurred between sundown Saturday and midnight
Saturday or midnight Saturday until dawn Sunday.
IMO the best fit is undoubtedly Thursday crucifixion death at 3pm (Nisan 14).
Friday first day of Feast of UB a day of no work (Nisan 15)
Saturday regular Sabbath (Nisan 16)
Resurrection after midnight Jewish Sunday and Roman Sunday.
It certainly is possible that the Resurrection could occur BEFORE midnight as it is still the "first day of the week", as the gentile calendar is meaningless. But I will assume that the Resurrection occurred after midnight on the Roman Sunday proper.
This way you have a portion of a day, a portion of a night, and two full days and nights.
No problemo......
All of the prophecies about Jesus were fulfilled literally until the one about His death? Prophecies fulfilled by Jesus Christ-- https://app.box.com/s/0pv2owduz7dkq0yh5ida
(23) Again Tells of Death and Resurrection
Matthew 17:22-23
22 When they were going about here and there in Galilee, Jesus said to them,
“The Son of Man is going to be turned over into the hands of men.
23 And they will kill Him,
and He will be raised [to life] again on the third day.”
And they were deeply and exceedingly grieved and distressed.
Mark 9:30-32
30 From there they went out and began to go through Galilee,
and He did not want anyone to know about it.
31 For He was teaching His Disciples and telling them,
“The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men,
and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed,
He will rise three days later.”
32 But they did not understand this statement,
and they were afraid to ask Him.
Matthew 20:17-19
17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
He took the twelve Disciples aside along the way and said to them,
18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and The Son Of Man will be handed over to the Chief Priests and Scribes;
and they will sentence Him to death
19 And deliver Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and whipped and crucified,
and He will be raised [to life] on the third day.”
Mark 10:32-34
32 They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them;
and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful.
And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him,
33 saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and The Son Of Man will be delivered to the Chief Priests and the Scribes;
and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles.
34 They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him,
and three days later He will rise again.”
(23) Again Tells of Death and Resurrection
Matthew 17:22-23
22 When they were going about here and there in Galilee, Jesus said to them,
“The Son of Man is going to be turned over into the hands of men.
23 And they will kill Him,
and He will be raised [to life] again on the third day.”
And they were deeply and exceedingly grieved and distressed.
Mark 9:30-32
30 From there they went out and began to go through Galilee,
and He did not want anyone to know about it.
31 For He was teaching His Disciples and telling them,
“The Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men,
and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed,
He will rise three days later.”
32 But they did not understand this statement,
and they were afraid to ask Him.
Matthew 20:17-19
17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,
He took the twelve Disciples aside along the way and said to them,
18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and The Son Of Man will be handed over to the Chief Priests and Scribes;
and they will sentence Him to death
19 And deliver Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and whipped and crucified,
and He will be raised [to life] on the third day.”
Mark 10:32-34
32 They were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them;
and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful.
And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him,
33 saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and The Son Of Man will be delivered to the Chief Priests and the Scribes;
and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles.
34 They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him,
and three days later He will rise again.”
cv5,
re: "The truth is that there is more than one perfectly plausible theories as to the 3 days and 3 nights. "
But the only one applicable to this topic is one which says that it was common to say that a daytime or a night time would be involved with an event when no part of a daytime or no part of a night time could occur.
re: "The truth is that there is more than one perfectly plausible theories as to the 3 days and 3 nights. "
But the only one applicable to this topic is one which says that it was common to say that a daytime or a night time would be involved with an event when no part of a daytime or no part of a night time could occur.