Rose on Easter Sunday Morning or on the Third Day?
Published by Rob Skiba April 5, 2015 at 4:06 PM
Jesus said that He would rise from the dead ON the third day…
Matthew 17:
22 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: 23 And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.
Matthew 20:
17And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, 18 Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,19 And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
Luke 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
The Apostles confirmed this…
Acts 10:
37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: 40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; 41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
1 Corinthians 15:
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Over and over again, we see that He rose ON THE THIRD DAY. Now, consider what is said concerning His death, burial and resurrection…
John 19:31 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, and that they might be taken away.
What is a “High Sabbath” anyway? Well, it is different from a weekly Sabbath. It is a time whereing we are commanded to do no work, which is to rest, which is the meaning of Sabbath. There are numerous places in the Scriptures that say there is not just one Sabbath, but rather there are several.
Exodus 31:13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.
Leviticus 19:3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the Lordyour God.
Leviticus 19:30 Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.
One such example of a non-weekly Sabbath, is today, the first day of Unleavened Bread…
Exodus 12:
15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.
16 And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.
This first day of Unleavened Bread is a “holy convocation” in which we are to stop working. The same verbiage is used for the 7th day Sabbath:
Leviticus 23:
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.
3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.
The same is true for the first day of Unleavened Bread. As we saw in Exodus, it is repeated here as well…
Leviticus 23:
4 These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.
5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s passover.
6 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.
7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
Likewise, the seventh day of Unleavened Bread is yet another Sabbath…
Leviticus 23:8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
The days you do no work are considered to be a Sabbath. The days when it is something other than the weekly Sabbath, as in one associated with a Feast day, are often said to be “High Sabbaths.”
We know that Yeshua was killed on Passover. The next day is the first day of Unleavened Bread, hence a “High Sabbath.” That is why He and the thieves beside Him had to die before it began. It’s the reason the theive’s legs had to be broken. Yeshua was already dead by that time, so His bones remained unbroken according to the Scriptures. The “work” of taking the men down from the crosses and burying them needed to take place before sundown, which would have become the beginning of the High Sabbath of the first day of Unleavened Bread.
I could be wrong, but I believe we ended up with the “Good Friday” nonsense probably due to Gentile translators not understanding the Feasts, assuming that the approaching Sabbath was that of Saturday. Whatever the case may be, there simply is no way that He could have died on a Friday, been dead for “3 days and 3 nights” and rise on a Sunday. That’s seriously fuzzy math no matter how you look at it. As far as I can tell, the only way the math works is for Yeshua to have died on a Wednesday. This chart depicts it quite well…
Now keep in mind that Yeshua only gave ONE sign to prove Who He was…
Matthew 12:
38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
39 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:
40 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.
39 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 signof the prophet Jonas:
Matthew 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
Jonah was in the fish for 3 days and 3 nights. But what is the “heart of the earth”? I think the Scriptures are abundantly clear that Hades is IN the earth. Thus, I believe He is referring to the “underworld” that is in the center (heart) of the earth. In other words, it is saying He will be dead and placed into the earth for 3 days and 3 nights, which equals 72 hours. We also know that He did indeed go down into Hades…
1 Peter 3:
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
The “prison” being referred to there is Tartarus. Peter clearly understood this because he again refers to it in his second epistle:
2 Peter 2:4 For God did not spare angels when they had sinned, but hurling them down to Tartarus consigned them to caves of darkness, keeping them in readiness for judgement. (Weymouth New Testament translation)
OK. So, let’s do a quick recap:
A) We know that Yeshua said He would die and rise ON the third day.
B) We know that Yeshua and the thieves had to be taken down before a “High Sabbath,” which was the first day of Unleavened Bread that follows Passover, the day He was killed.
John 19:
31 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, and that they might be taken away.
32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.
33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:
34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.
36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.
37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.
38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.
39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.
42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
Verse 42 indicates a rushed sequence. The tomb was close by. They needed to get Him into it before sundown. Sundown would have been roughly around 6:30pm-ish. Yeshua died at 3pm. Some time shortly after His death, Joseph of Arimathaea went to Pilate to ask for the body. It can be reasonably assumed that this didn’t just happen immediately. I mean, seriously, what bureaucracy works that fast? It likely took a little bit of time from the moment of death for Joseph to make his decision too. Regardless, some time afterYeshua’s 3pm death, Joseph then had to walk to Pilate’s place. He had to ask permission for an audience with the man. He then had to convince the man. He then had to receive approval in written form to present to the soldiers at Golgatha proving he had the authority to do what he intended to do. During this time, he also had to gather what was needed and recruit help. He and those with him had to go to the cross and take Yeshua down, which may have been a bit of a project in and of itself considering how Crucifixion is done. Where did they get the tools to pry the nails loose? Did the Romans help them? They then had to transport the body quickly to the site, prepare it and seal the tomb before sundown. All things considered, it had to have been quite the project, accomplished in record time, especially when you consider the fact that no one had cars, and everything would have been done on foot. Therefore, my best guess would be that He was laid in the tomb between 5:30 and 6:30pm (assuming a 6:30pm sunset).
As soon as sunset arrived, no one was working. It was the first day of Unleavened Bread; a “High Sabbath.” So, then we see…
Matthew 27:
62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.
64 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.
65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.
66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
So we see the Pharisees and chief priests were very concerned about this third day prophecy! Since Thursday was a High Sabbath, and they came the next day after that, we know that the gaurds were sent to the tomb on Friday. By sunset on Friday, all of the Jews were resting for the weekly Sabbath. Then…
Matthew 28:
1 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 sepulchre.
2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
Angels came just after the conclusion of the Sabbath to open the tomb, revealing it was ALREADY empty. The timing of this is important. The guards, who were posted on Friday, saw to it that no man came and took Yeshua out ON the third day, which was Saturday. They did their job. But then as soon as the third day was over, angels came and rolled away the stone, and what do you know? Poof! Yeshua was NOT IN THERE!
However, the translation of Matthew’s account makes it sound like Mary arrived first, then the angels came, then the stone was rolled away. But that’s not the order of events we see in John’s Gospel:
John 20:
1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
She came “while it was yet dark” because she came just after sunset. When she got there, John records that she saw that the stone HAD BEEN rolled away. We see the same thing in both Mark’s and Luke’s accounts. The women were on their way to tomb, wondering what they were going to do about the heavy stone. Then…
Mark 16:4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
Luke 24:2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
It is interesting that John records the details slightly differently from Matthew, Mark and Luke concerning the angels. Not sure what to make of that. Whatever the case may be, it is clear that Mary came shortly (probably IMMEDIATELY) after sundown on Saturday. The stone, having previously been rolled away, revealed to all that Yeshua was ALREADY gone. Thus, the evidence seems to clearly suggest He rose ON the third day, just as He said, which was a Saturday, not Sunday.
For the sake of easy math, considering what we’ve learned so far, let’s say He was laid in the tomb at 6pm on Wednesday:
Wed. 6pm to Thurs. 6pm = 24 hour Day 1
Thurs. 6pm to Fri. 6pm = 24 hour Day 2
Fri. 6pm to Sat. 6pm = 24 hour Day 3
The math works out perfectly in the 72 hours of the “3 days and 3 nights” scenario. And when it comes to the issue of “the Lord’s day” ALL through the Scriptures we see that the Sabbath is the Lord’s. He set it aside, sanctified and made it Holy and repeatedly refers to that day as being “His” – i.e. possessive as in the day that is the Lord’s – hence “the Lord’s day.” NOWHERE does Scripture refer to Sunday as being “the Lord’s day.” We have Constantine to thank for that, not Holy Spirit inspired Scripture.
The fact is, Yeshua rose ON the 3rd day, which was, is and always will be His day: the 7th day Sabbath – which is not, never was and never will be Sunday. Easter Sunday even when defined instead by “Resurrection Day” is a lie. He didn’t rise on the 4th day!
– Rob Skiba
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