3 Days
&
3 Nights
For just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
~ Matthew 12:40
(6:00 P.M. ends and starts the Jewish day)
The prophesy of Matthew 12:40 can only be understood as a literal 72 hour period. Jesus makes His words very clear—“three days and three nights.” Many people today believe that Jesus was crucified on Friday and then resurrected from the dead on Sunday morning. A careful examination of the scriptures shows us that this could not be true. Jesus was crucified on the Passover and entombed just prior to the start of the High Sabbath (not weekend Sabbath) that followed Passover. He then resurrected at the close of the weekend Sabbath. Since the weekend Sabbath ended at 6:00 p.m. Saturday, if we go back 72 hours we end up on Wednesday. The truth is that Jesus was crucified on Wednesday (Passover), was then entombed just prior to the start of Thursday (High Sabbath, first day of Unleavened Bread), and then resurrected just prior to the end of Saturday (weekend Sabbath). The time period of Wednesday to Saturday fulfills Jesus’ words, “three days and three nights.”
Nisan 10th Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt; the father of each household is to select an unblemished, one year old male sheep, or goat, and keep it for four days to be slain on the Passover. ~ Ex . 12:3-13; Jn. 12:12-16
Nisan 14th 6:00 P.M. Wednesday begins, it is the day of preparation and the Passover. Jesus eats His last meal with His disciples. ~ Lk 22:8-16
Wednesday evening, Jesus goes to pray; He is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. ~ Mk. 14:32
Jesus is taken to Annas’ house (the high priest’s father-in- law). ~ Jn. 18:13
Annas sends Jesus to Caiaphas, the high priest, to be questioned illegally. ~ Lk. 22:53
Jesus is sentenced to death by the council; Peter denies Him. ~ Lk. 22:61-71
The Elders bind Jesus and take Him to Pilate, the governor. ~ Mt. 27:2
Pilate finds Him innocent and sends Him to Herod. ~ Lk. 23:6-15
Herod finds Him innocent and sends Him back to Pilate. ~ Lk. 23:6
Pilate declares three times the innocence of Jesus. ~ Jn. 18:4, 6, 19, 38
The crowds shout out, “Crucify Him, His blood shall be on us and on our children!” ~ Mt. 27:23-25
At the third hour, 9:00 A.M., Jesus is crucified. ~ Mk. 15:25
At the ninth hour (twilight), 3:00 P.M., Jesus dies. ~ Mk. 15:34-37; Ex. 12:6
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus entomb the body of Jesus before the start of the High Sabbath. ~ Jn. 19: 31, 38-42
Jesus was the world’s Passover Lamb, slain for sins, to save us from the death angel and the eternal flames we deserve. ~ Ex. 12:6; 1 Co. 5:7
Nisan 15th Thursday is the High Sabbath, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread ~ Lev. 23:6. As the day closes Jesus has been in the heart of the earth (Hades) one full day and night.
Nisan 16th Friday is the second day of the feast. As the day closes Jesus has been in the heart of the earth (Hades) two full days and nights.
Nisan 17th Saturday, sometime between 3:00 – 6:00 P.M., Jesus resurrects, having been in the heart of the earth (Hades) for three full days and nights, fulfilling the prophecy of Matt. 12:40: “…so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
It was Jesus’ suffering on the cross and three days and three nights in the flames of Hades (Acts 2:24-31) before He resurrected, that paid the eternal punishment you and I deserve for our sins. It should have been you and I on the cross and in hell, but our Creator became a man (Jn. 1:1, 14) and took our place, He was our substitute, to save us from the hell we deserve. This is how much He loves us; He has provided, by His gracious mercy, the free gift of eternal life which can never cease, be lost, given back, or sinned away for any reason, to all those who believe this. He will not save any man based on righteous deeds which he has done, for none of us meet God’s standard (Rom. 3:23; Titus 3:5). We are saved only by His great mercy offered us through His sufferings.
“I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.” ~ Gal. 2:16