The Biblical Version Of The Death And Resurrection
We are not going to study Bible interpretation, but instead will study historical facts revealed in the pages of the Bible. It is clear that God used men to record an accurate account of the events surrounding the death and resurrection of our Savior.
Our perceptions of this event are ingrained so deeply they become dogma. Dogma is, according to Merriam-Webster dictionary: 1 – Something established as opinion. 2 – A doctrine or body of doctrines, concerning faith or morals formally stated authoritatively by a church.
These doctrines are so accepted that when confronted with the plain historical accounts of the bible, it becomes impossible to understand how the church could be so wrong. And if the church is “wrong” about this subject, what else could they be teaching inaccurately?
What appears to be “new revelation” is what the Bible has been teaching from the beginning. When discovering what the Bible says about a certain event it strengthens faith by painting a factual picture of what took place and not some fanciful picture of man’s imagination.
When it comes to Bible events, and how they are presently taught, it may be that they are not based on Bible scriptures, but are the result of misinterpretation or, in some cases, of outright lies. One of the major events of the Bible, the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, should be thoroughly investigated.
By teaching biblical truth who are we hurting by shedding light upon true biblical events? Past prophetic events that have been fulfilled bring understanding. Prophesy is all about revelation once fulfilled. Shouldn’t bringing out true understanding of past events hold the same excitement?
Having set the foundation, we need to tackle the Good Friday crucifixion/Sunday resurrection dogma we all live under. There have been others who have written about this teaching in the past, so this undertaking is nothing new. You can do your own research, but to give you two examples of people who disagree with each other through the following links: Wednesday crucifixion and Friday crucifixion. Both writings leave out pertinent information for different reasons. I am not looking to shout at these people “you are wrong!” as this is not how God wants believers to interact amongst ourselves.
4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them…..
Romans 12:4-6
We all know what we know, and until new light is shined upon it, we all hold onto what we think to be true. Members of the Body have been charged by the Father to shed light on His Words and in doing so, have opened doors of understanding for His purpose and not of our own.
Knowing this we need to start with some unarguable, biblically defined truths. And from there ask some very simple questions. The answers to these questions with new understanding of His Words will triumph over dogmatic teachings and settle the arguments of those who have previously written on the subject.
Biblical defined truth, Jesus Christ was crucified on Passover (14 Nisan).
Biblical defined truth, the Feast of Unleavened Bread is a recognized Sabbath.
Biblical defined truth, Jesus “said” He would be raised; “on the third day”: Matthew 17:23, 20:19 – Mark 9:31, 10:34 – Luke 9:22, 12:32, 18:33, 24:7,46.
Biblical defined truth, Jesus “said” He would be raised; “after three days”: Matthew 27:63.
Biblical defined truth, Jesus “said” He would be raised; “three days and three nights”: Matthew 12:40.
Biblical defined truth, Jesus “said” Jonah would be a sign; Matthew 16:4 – Luke 11:30.
Biblical defined truth, the resurrection would be (Jesus does not pronounce); “the third day”: Matthew 16:21.
Biblical defined truth, the resurrection would be (Jesus does not pronounce); “after three days”: Mark 8:31.
Paul also discusses the resurrection, but we will stick to the Gospels for this writing.
Because we all know the Bible is inerrant, if there is any disagreement it is because we (human) are wrong. Earlier I gave you links to two authors arguing for different days of the crucifixion. One says it was for sure on Friday while arguing “three days and three nights” against “after three days” as “inclusive reckoning.” The other says it was for sure on Wednesday, but the year didn’t matter because 14 Nisan (Passover) was on Wednesday in 30 AD and 31 AD. These people were doing the best they could with the information they had before them. I don’t know anything about either author, but from reading their interpretations I am convinced neither wrote with bad intentions, only lack of information.
Starting with these biblical truths and working to figure out what day Christ was crucified; the questions should be:
What is the year Christ was crucified?
In that year, what day was 14 Nisan?
Jesus said, with all due respect to the author who argued inclusive reckoning: “three days and three nights” – “after three days” and “the third day.”
And since we know God does not lie, nor does He contradict Himself, all must harmonize.
First things, first. We must determine the year Christ was crucified. Without knowing the actual year, any argument is futile to start. It is impossible to state a day without knowing the year. Here is the beginning of all issues when we are discussing anything related to biblical timelines. ‘Religion” has been using faulty calendars to fit God’s narrative, His timeline and His calendar since the dogmas have been set in stone.
Fortunately, God has revealed His calendar through different men over the years and finally the last pieces of His puzzle have been put together and can be found at the website: www.biblicalcalendarproof.com. God has revealed the missing pieces, giving clarity to the entire Bible and every date written having complete harmony.
Is there scriptural evidence that 30 AD was the crucifixion year? Surprisingly, we easily read over scriptures that were placed in the Bible by Christ, oblivious to their importance. Most are well aware of His statement in John 2:19 – 19 “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’” What everyone fails to grasp is the importance of the following verse. “Then the Jews said, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you will raise it up in three days?’” This statement is an undisputed fact as it is the inspired word of God.
Herod the Great began to rebuild the second temple in 19 BC. This is an historic fact. When subtracting the 19 BC years from 46 it equals 27 AD years, making the year under discussion 27 AD. As verse 13 of John 2 states, it was the beginning of the year. The Passover occurs in the first month of the Hebrew year. This is a proof scripture, which defines the passage of three years and brings it to the Passover of 30 AD, the crucifixion year.
With this information we can answer the first question about what year Jesus was crucified. This is the year 30 AD which is in fact one of the suspected years of many scholars. If we look to see when 14 Nisan was in that year, we will find it was on Wednesday, April 10 in our current Gregorian calendar. This completely shows us on its own that Friday was not the day of crucifixion and in itself should be simple enough to end the debate. But we have deep dogma in us. Pastors, Ministers, Priests and the like have all taught a Friday crucifixion, so changing their minds will be difficult. So, we will continue with the simple argument that 30 AD might not be the correct year. Thus, let’s look at what day of the week 14 Nisan is the two years previous and two years after to see if Friday would work.
- 14 Nisan 28 AD is Monday, April 3
- 14 Nisan 29 AD is Saturday, April 21
- 14 Nisan 30 AD is Wednesday, April 10
- 14 Nisan 31 AD is Monday, March 31
- 14 Nisan 32 AD is Saturday, April 17.
Clearly, Friday will not work in any form, but again this is not enough. Knowing the Bible clearly states that Christ was crucified on Passover and learning that 14 Nisan Passover was not on a Friday shown in a five-year span makes this day impossible. We will still have believers in a Good Friday crucifixion. Plus, we still need to harmonize all of Jesus’s statements: “three days and three nights” – “after three days” and “the third day.”
Let’s start with Friday and the above statements by Jesus, Himself.
Three days and three nights: Friday to Saturday is one day, Saturday to Sunday is two days and Sunday to Monday would be three days. If we are to “believe” Jesus rose on Sunday as we are taught, this is already non-biblical for Friday crucifixion.
After three days: after Friday comes Saturday for one day, after Saturday comes the second day and after Sunday comes Monday and the third day, which bring us to…..
The third day argument: Friday is day one, Saturday is day two and Sunday is day three. See, this works for Friday, let’s move along! But we can’t – God does not lie, and they all must harmonize. And they do if you take things biblically and not dogmatically.
First, we must understand when a biblical day begins in Christ’s time. A day begins at sunset, making Tuesday night about 6:00 PM the Biblical start of Wednesday. Their time was kept in two 12-hour periods. The first one began at 6 PM and ran until 6 AM the following morning. The second period started at 6 AM and ran until sunset approximately at 6 PM.
25 Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.
Mark 15:25 (NKJV)
This was the third hour in the second period. Jesus was crucified at 9:00am on Wednesday morning.
44 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
Luke 23:44 (NKJV)
The sixth hour, which is noon, the entire earth turned dark until He took His last breath. Jesus gave up His Spirit on (14 Nisan) Wednesday, April 10 at 3:00pm. Now knowing this we need to harmonize all three statements Jesus said about his upcoming resurrection. Will they all fit together?
Three days and three nights: 3:00pm Wednesday to 3:00pm Thursday is one day, 3:00pm Thursday to 3:00pm Friday is two days and 3:00pm Friday to 3:00pm Saturday is 3 days. – This works.
After three days: 3:00pm Wednesday to 3:00pm Thursday is one day, 3:00pm Thursday to 3:00pm Friday is two days and 3:00pm Friday to 3:00pm Saturday is 3 days. – This works.
The third day: 3:00pm Wednesday to 3:00pm Thursday is one day, 3:00pm Thursday to 3:00pm Friday is two days and 3:00pm Friday to 3:00pm Saturday is the third day! Jesus rose sometime after 3:00pm on Saturday and before 6:00pm that night being the beginning of Sunday, which would take it into the 4th day.
All three harmonize, making a Wednesday crucifixion the only day biblically it could be. Still, it will be argued this is not possible because He rose on Sunday! Unfortunately, for those who wish to make this argument there is not one verse that claims this, only dogma claiming to fit the Friday to Sunday timeline. Here is what is told;
1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
Luke 24:1-3 (NKJV)
The first day of the week is Sunday and they went early in the morning seeing the stone rolled away. Jesus had been gone for about fifteen hours already. There is nothing that says He rose right before they arrived on Sunday, only He was not there on Sunday. This is a big difference and needs to be understood. And now after proving this beyond a doubt, there will still be those who will hang onto a Sunday resurrection because they believe the Bible tell us this is when He rose. Thus, we will cover this fallacy.
All four gospels cover the resurrection in clear detail. We must read and understand what the authors (and thus God) are telling us regarding the event without adding our own words to the narrative, thus changing the narrative. We also must understand the traditions (and culture) of the Jewish people when interpreting scripture. For those who want a clearer understanding of this and want to dig even deeper on this subject read this article which will cover some things discussed in this reading and dive into more biblical study on this subject. Finishing up our study here, we will cover the gospel writings of He is Risen.
1 Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.
2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.
5 Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”
Matthew 28:1-7 (NLT)
2 Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. 3 On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” 4 But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside.
5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, 6 but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth,who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. 7 Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”
Mark 16:2-7 (NLT)
1 But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3 So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.
5 The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”
Luke 24:1:7 (NLT)
1 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.
John 20:1 (NLT)
These scriptures clearly DO NOT say, Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday. We (man) have added this dogma into our faith system when it is clearly not backed up by scripture, traditions, or culture. We take our own secular understandings and try to fit them into scripture. We need to look at the world through the lens of the Bible and not look at the Bible through the lens of the world.
The Mary’s came to the tomb early Sunday morning. Jesus Christ was risen, Hallelujah! He did not rise right before they arrived but was risen as we have scripturally proven about fifteen hours previous to their seeing an empty tomb. Praise Jesus!
One last verse needs to be covered even though most will not know of its inclusion into the story (let there be no doubt). After Jesus was risen, two men were walking on the road to Emmaus when Jesus appeared to them. These two did not know they were talking to our risen Lord and said;
21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.
Luke 24:21 (NKJV) (emphasis mine)
Today being the third day will still be argued by some as Friday, Saturday, Sunday (third day) to reference the Friday crucifixion, Sunday resurrection dogma. Again, we must understand their times, traditions and culture and not force our personal understandings to “win” an argument. There is no error in His WORD, only error in our understandings. This can make this scripture a little confusing until you understand how it is being presented.
“And besides all of this, today is the third day since these things were done. (KJV)
“These things,” include all the events pertaining to the resurrection as applied to the priesthood.The seizing of Jesus, delivering Him to be tried, the actual crucifixion, and finally the setting of the seal and the watch over the tomb the following day – Thursday. (Study Luke verses 18-20. They tell of “these things,” and Matthew 27:62-66.) “These things” were not completed until the “watch” was set, which was Thursday. The text says that Sunday was the third day since “these things” were done. Sunday truly was the third days since Thursday (Thursday to Friday, Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday). But it was not the third day since Friday. Therefore, this text disproves a Friday crucifixion as does every text written.
Man has a tendency to follow the leader, not wanting to be a leader themselves. It is not in our nature to put ourselves out front where the stones are thrown. We don’t want to question authoritative figures, especially our “religious” leaders. We are told these people have biblical knowledge that we don’t possess. And, in most cases this is correct. This is only because we haven’t taken it upon ourselves to Unlock the Bible. For if you Unlock your Bible, you will Unlock your Faith and in doing so, you will Unlock your Spirit!