G) FRIDAY NIGHT AND IN THE HEART OF THE EARTH

 

 

Some Bible commentators believe that when Jesus sweat blood (see Luke 22:44), on Friday night, that this was when our Lord took our sins upon Himself, and became, as it were, dead, as our Lord Himself mentions that very night in (discussed later) Matthew 26:38 and Mark 14:34.  Therefore, if this is the case, AND IT WOULD APPEAR THAT IT IS, then this would explain and fulfill the saying of our Lord, making Friday, Sabbath, and Sunday nights equaling the “three” nights in fulfillment of the Matthew 12:40 statement.  However, we must remember also that any portion of a day is included as a full day (night and day – 24-hours), and as such, this explanation is not needed.

 

In Fact, Jesus Himself states, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death,” Matthew 26:38.  Plus, to “sweat was as it were great drops of blood,” Luke 22:44, if you ask any medical doctor, this is a prelude to “death” from which one cannot recover.  This is why “an angel {was sent} unto Him from Heaven, strengthening Him,” Luke 22:43, or else Jesus would have died then.  “Christ was suffering the death that was pronounced upon the transgressors of God's Law.”  BTS, September 1, 1915 paragraph 5.

 

The main phrase that we must take note of in this passage is, “in the heart of the earth.”  The Greek word for “heart” is “kardia,” which means literally, “the heart of the mind.”  In other words, “The seat of the desires, feelings, affections, passions, impulses; i.e., pure in heart; The center of life.”  According to “Albert Barnes Notes on the Bible,” we have this jewel:  “The Jews used the word ‘heart’ to denote the ‘interior’ of a thing, or to speak of being in a thing.  It means, here [in the Garden of Gethsemane], to be in the grave or sepulchre.”

 

IGNORING ANY PORTION OF A DAY:  A multitude of Scriptures support Christ as being “physically in the grave” for only two nights (Matthew 16:4,21; 17:23; 20:19; 26:61; 27:40,63; Mark 8:31; 10:34; 14:58; 15:29; Luke 9:22; 13:32; 18:33; 24:7; John 2:19-20, see also Second Kings 18:9-10 & Luke 13:32-33).  I must admit that for Christ to be “physically in the grave” for only TWO NIGHTS does present traditional Christendom with a problem in regard to the Matthew 12:40 text.  The problem is the focal point of the verse under consideration.  They focus upon the problem of “three nights” and NOT upon the solution of “in the heart of the earth.”  This is the KEY to understanding the “three nights” correctly.

 

In order for Jesus to be resurrected on Sunday morning, as MOST Bible scholars affirm, Jesus would have to have been “in the heart of the earth,” Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.  But what does “in the heart of the earth” really encompass?  Since the “Feasts of the Lord,” and the Sacrificial system -- in particular the “Passover” -- should point to, line up with, and collimate in the crucifixion of Christ, an important event to understand is:  WHEN EXACTLY WERE THE SINS OF THE WORLD PLACED UPON THE “LAMB OF GOD?”

 

The Levitical lamb was slain on the 14th day of the month of Abib.  That would be Friday night.  And then eaten “that night,” meaning Sabbath night; beginning on the 15th day   This (the 14th day of Abib) can be found and studied in Exodus 12:6; Leviticus 23:5; Numbers 9:2-5; 26:16; Deuteronomy 16:1-6; Ezekiel 45:21-22.  Just as the priest laid the sins of the congregation (Israel) upon the “unblemished” and “spotless” (sinless) lamb before it was to be sacrificed, so Christ, the “Lamb of God,” took upon Himself “the sins of the whole world,” First John 2:2, BEFORE He went to the cross.  That would be Friday night.  Common sense tells us that to take our sins upon Himself anytime during or after the cross is to fail to have us forgiven of sins not placed upon Him before-time.

 

In a side note, that needs to be discussed here.  In John 12:1 is stated, “Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany. . .” (from Jericho).  It is argued that the Friday crucifixion view would make six days earlier, the weekly Holy Sabbath Day.  Thus, on this Day, the Sabbath Day, such a journey was legally out of the question for a devout Jew (Pharisaical law; not God’s Law).  However, since the “Passover Meal” was eaten on Friday evening, after sundown (which would be/making it Saturday), six days earlier would be what westerners consider to be Saturday night (or the end of the weekly Sabbath -- meaning the beginning of Sunday, i.e., Sunday night), when Jesus began His journey to Jericho.  If you stop using the Roman consideration of when a day begins, i.e., at midnight, this will no longer confuse you.  So back to our question -- Exactly when were the sins of the world placed upon Christ?

 

Jesus Himself gives us this timing as being on Friday evening in His statements referring to “the hour.”  Matthew 26:45:  “Then cometh He to His disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest:  behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.”  Mark 14:41:  “And He cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest:  it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.”  Luke 22:14:  “And when the hour was come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.”  John 16:32:  “Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave Me alone:  and yet I Am not alone, because the Father is with Me.”  John 17:1:  “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to Heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee.”

 

It now becomes clear that Jesus began to fulfill the requirements of being the Sacrificial Lamb by taking upon Himself “the sins of the world” upon FRIDAY night.  And as the Sacrificial Lamb, He begins His journey “in the heart of the earth” for “three days and three nights.”  Remember, Christ’s “hour” had been planned since the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8; see also Matthew 25:34; First Corinthians 2:7; Ephesians 1:4; Hebrews 4:3; 9:26; First Peter 1:20).  He had anticipated His “hour” throughout His life on the earth (Isaiah 53:10-11).  To Him, “the hour” of His death would be “the hour” He would bear the sins of the world.  Note also that Christ’s “hour” of death, would also be His “hour” of glory, for He would “glorify” His Father just as His Father would “glorify” Him.  We find this in Christ’s prayer just before entering into the Garden of Gethsemane (John 17:1; see also John 13:32).

 

NO ONE SHOULD ARGUE THAT CHRIST DID NOT FULFILL THE CONDITIONS REQUIRED FOR BEING THE SACRIFICIAL LAMB.  He was sinless.  And it would be at this point that He took sin upon Himself.  That He, in essence, was condemned to die is Biblically clear.  Just as we are condemned to die because, “the wages of sin is death,” Romans 6:23.

 

Thus, it was Friday night that was “the hour” when the sins were placed upon Christ, commencing the sacrificial service (Passover) on the “14th day of the month Abib,” and the fulfillment of the “three days and three nights.”  Known today as the “Seder,” it is interesting to note that Christ was not going to be celebrating the “Passover Meal,” it being the 14th day of the month (Friday night), instead of the 15th, because He knew He would be in the tomb on the 15th.  EVEN THOUGH CHRIST SPECIFICALLY STATES THAT HE DID EAT THE PASSOVER MEAL in Luke 22:8 & 13 & 15 (see also Matthew 26:19; Mark 14:12 & 16).  “It had been both commemorative and typical.  The type had reached the antitype when Christ, the Lamb of God without blemish, died upon the cross.”  ST, March 25, 1880 paragraph 5; 1SP:201; 3SG:225.  In other words, since Christ could not possibly have eaten the true Passover meal, since that Lamb would be slain the day before, He in “type” celebrates that meal the day before.

 

The clarification verse that CLEARLY concludes that this was NOT the Biblically Commanded “Passover Meal,” is John 18:28, where Caiaphas and his hordes state:  “lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the Passover.”  Thus, meaning that it was to be eaten that night (Sabbath Night) and not the night before as Christ and His disciples had done (in “type” remember?).  Even Pilot acknowledges this FACT in John 18:39:  “But ye have a custom, that I should release unto you one at the Passover.”  Also, John 19:14:  “And it was the preparation [NOTE:  “preparation”] of the Passover, about the sixth hour:  and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!”

 

According to Exodus 12:8, the “Feast of Unleavened Bread” was to be eaten along with the “Passover Lamb” on the 15th of Nisan.  This Feast lasted 7 days (15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st).  Let’s read First Corinthians 5:8: “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”  Therefore, the meal eaten on Friday night with the apostles was not the Biblically Commanded Passover meal.  This is affirmed by the fact that at the trial of Jesus (Friday during the day; KEY POINT, the meal with His disciples being Friday night), the High Priest Caiaphas himself affirms in John 18:28, that he had not yet eaten the Passover meal, for it was to be eaten that night (Saturday/Sabbath night).  John 19:14 affirms the same thing.

 

Back again to when the “sins of the world” where placed upon our Lord.  All of this becomes clear in Luke’s statement in Luke 22:44:  “And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly:  and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood [there it is; Jesus takes the sins of the world upon Himself; His “blood” being the symbol of that] falling down to the ground [which is also significant, in that His blood needed to touch the earth to be a true sacrifice].”  This is Friday night.

 

Please let me explain why I believe the latter is to be the true meaning of our Lord.  After the sinner brought his offering of a lamb without blemish to the Sanctuary, he was to place his hands upon the head of the lamb (this substitute) and confess his sins, thus transferring his sins to the spotless lamb (Son of God).  This would comply with our Greek word “kardia,” in that our Lord took upon Himself yours, mine, and all the confessed (only) sins of the world at this point.

 

Surely we believe, as our Lord stated in His “three days and three nights” statement, that Jonah was truly in the belly of the whale that long.  And we do consider it as prophecy, in that our Lord would be “three days and three nights” in the “[“belly,” or] “heart of the earth.”  Thus, “prophecy” correlates the whale’s “belly” to the “grave,” or “heart of the earth.”

 

Therefore, it was that Jesus, our spotless Lamb of God, after He had finished the work His Father had given Him to do (by living a sinless and perfect life; see John 17:1 again), that He then went into the Garden of Gethsemane to present Himself to His Father, as a Living Sacrifice.  We can know this, for He prayed three times (see Matthew 26:44) to His Father that this “cup” might be taken from Him.  And just what was this “cup” which Messiah drank in the garden?  The prophet Isaiah declares just what it was in Isaiah 53:6:  “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; [therefore, here is what the Father did for us] and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

 

This is when the sins (our sins) where laid upon the True Sacrificial Lamb; in the Garden of Gethsemane, that night; Friday Night.  Thus, we can clearly see that Jesus became our (substitute) Savior by entering into the Garden of Gethsemane on Friday night, voluntarily to bear the guilt of a sinful world.  In addition, it was there that the confessed sins of the world were transferred and confessed upon Him.  It was there that the Father “made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin,” Second Corinthians 5:21.  It was there in the Garden that our Lord drank the “cup” alone with none to assist or sympathize with Him (the disciples were asleep, remember?).

 

The above is supported by one of my favorite Bible Commentators upon this subject in this statement:  “He will become the propitiation of a race that has willed to sin.  His prayer now breathes only submission {When was “His prayer?”  That night in Gethsemane of course}:  ‘If this cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, Thy Will be done.’  Having made the decision, He fell dying to the ground {“dying” there in the garden, that night} from which He had partially risen.”  DA:693.

 

Jesus bore the weight of the sins of a guilty world alone, with the iniquity of us all upon Him.  Here is Isaiah 63:3-5:  “(3) I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with Me:  for I will tread them in Mine anger, and trample them in My fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will stain all My raiment. (4) For the day of vengeance is in Mine heart, and the year of My redeemed is come. (5) And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold:  therefore, Mine Own arm brought salvation unto Me; and My fury, it upheld Me.”

 

Therefore, it is that we see, after the sinner confessed his sin upon the head of the sacrificial lamb, with his own hand he takes the knife and kills the offering (see Leviticus 4:4 & 15 & 24 & 29).  Moreover, from the Garden of Gethsemane, our true Lamb of God went directly to the cruel hands to be put to death at Calvary.  “Therefore doth My Father Love Me, because I lay down My life [freely],” John 10:17.

 

 

H) THE FEAST DAYS CHARTED OUT

 

 

To quote Josephus, in his work, “War,” 6:423-424:  “Accordingly, on the occasion of the feast called Passover, at which they sacrifice from the ninth hour [=3 P.M.] to the eleventh hour [=5 P.M.], and a little fraternity, as it were, gathers around each sacrifice, of not fewer than ten persons.”

 

Here is Matthew 27:45-46 (see also Mark 15:33 & Luke 23:44): “(45) Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. (46) And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”

 

If we go to Exodus 12:6 & 15-20 (see also Leviticus 23:5-8; Numbers 9:2-5; 28:16; Deuteronomy 16:1-2; Ezekiel 45:21), these verses describe how the “Passover Feast” was to be kept.  While Exodus 12:18 specifically states that the “unleavened bread” was to be eaten that evening along with the Passover Lamb, i.e., what would be the beginning of the Sabbath, the 15th of Nisan.  Jesus is crucified on the 14th of Nisan, then put in the tomb, before the Seventh Day Sabbath commenced (that evening; still the 14th of Nisan; Friday) Mark 15:42.  Thus, the “preparation” day before the weekly Sabbath and also the “preparation of the Passover,” John 19:14, the “preparation” of the killing of the Sacrificial Lamb equaling Friday (during the day).

 

Luke 23:56 states that the women, “prepared spices and ointments [on Friday before sunset]; and rested the Sabbath Day according to the Commandment.”  Then He is in the tomb during the Sabbath Day (the 15th; Night Two; FridayNight being Night One; because this is when our sins were placed upon Jesus, remember?).  Jesus is in the tomb that night and all that day (the Biblical Sabbath Day; the 15th of Nisan).  Then comes Sunday night (Night Three & Day Three; the 16th of Nisan).  Then Christ is Resurrected on the 16th of Nisan (Sunday; Day Three), “early in the morning,” Mark 16:2; Luke 21:38, on the Biblical Feast Day of the “Wave Sheaf / First Fruits” (Exodus 23:16; 34:22; Leviticus 23:7 & 10-14; Numbers 28:26-31).

 

THERE YOU HAVE IT.  Our Lord is “in the heart of the earth [grave],” on Friday night (ONE), Then comes Friday (Day ONE); Christ is Crucified; Then comes Saturday night (Sabbath) (night TWO); Then the Sabbath Day (Day TWO); Then Sunday night (night THREE), fulfilling the “three nights;” Then comes “the first day of the week,” Matthew 28:1 (Day THREE); the fulfilling of “three days.”  

 

Thus we have:  

The Preparation Day = The 14th of Nisan.

The Passover Feast & The Feast of Unleavened Bread = The 15th of Nisan.

The Wave-Sheaf or First Fruits Offering (Resurrection) = The 16th of Nisan.

 

So, to be clear, according to Exodus 12:8, the “Passover Meal” was to be eaten that night (Friday night), before Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:32) in “the mount of Olives,” Luke 22:39; which is why we can see that Jesus was “in the heart of the earth [died]” that night (Friday night; see above).  A lamb could be eaten any other day (such as the 14th of Nisan; which can be a “High Sabbath,” which it could have been, see John 19:31, ONLY if it falls upon the weekly Sabbath Day).  Otherwise, it is just a “Holy Sabbath Day.”  Thus, only a “Lamb” with “no broken bones” could be eaten “that night.”  See Leviticus 23:5-6 if this is still not clear.

 

But on the 15th of Nisan, according to Exodus 12:18 & Leviticus 23:6, this is when the “unleavened bread” is to be eaten.  Thus, the Sabbath (Saturday) that our Lord was crucified upon was the day before the “High Sabbath” (see “High Sabbath” above).  This is the only Biblical explanation that correlates with the Feasts breakdown as in Leviticus,Chapter 23.

 

Note:  This makes Friday (the 14th of Nisan) a “Holy Sabbath Day.”  But to be a “High Sabbath,” the 14th of Nisanwould have to have fallen upon the weekly Sabbath Day, which in this case, it did not.  For remember, the women “rested [on Saturday] according to the Commandment,” Luke 23:56.  That would be, they “rested” for what?  Well, they ate the Passover meal that night (15th of Nisan; Sabbath) and rested on the “feast of unleavened bread,” the 15th of Nisan.  So why are they resting now (the 15th) instead of preparing the “spices,” Luke 24:1?  The only explanation is that it is the weekly Sabbath Day; and a High Sabbath Day according to John 19:31, the 15th falling upon the weekly Sabbath Day.

 

14th of Nisan = Passover Lamb to be sacrificed = Christ Crucified.

15th of Nisan = Passover/Unleavened Bread eaten = Christ in the tomb.

16th of Nisan = Wave-Sheaf Offering/First Fruits = Resurrection of Christ.

 

IN AN INTERESTING NOTE:  It was at this time, “early in the morning,” that the burning of the “First Fruits” for the “Feast of Tabernacles” was being burnt.  The smoke rising from the Temple at this hour was a fitting symbol of the resurrection of our Lord, which was taking place at this time (the 16th of Nisan).

 

 

I) A VERY IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION

 

 

Consider this also.  Why did Jesus choose the bread and wine instead of the flesh and blood of a lamb as the emblems of the new Passover?  Jesus knew His followers would no longer need to sacrifice a lamb at Passover and that their Passover Lamb “had been sacrificed,” First Corinthians 5:7.  The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, which began Fridaynight, brought to an end “The Sacrificial System,” including that of the Passover lamb.  Had Christ chosen flesh and blood from a lamb to represent His Atoning Sacrifice, He would have perpetuated “The Sacrificial System,” which was designed to come to an end with His death on the Cross (Matthew 27:51).

 

By choosing instead the bread and wine (non-sacrificial elements of the Passover meal) as the emblems of His atoning death, Jesus detached the new Passover from “The Sacrificial System” and transformed it into a fitting memorial of His redemption (what we now call “Communion”).  This radical transformation can be seen also, for example, in the cup of blessing of the paschal meal which becomes the cup of salvation:  “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?  The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?”  First Corinthians 10:16. 

 

 

J) ASTRONOMICALLY ESTABLISHED

 

 

At this point someone might ask, “Why don’t we just go back into history astronomically and find out which day did the 14th of the month of Abib fall upon?”  THREE REASONS:

 

1) Not all Christians agree upon the exact year that Christ was crucified, even though the prophetic prophecies of Daniel, specifically Chapter Nine, clearly specify which year it was (31 A.D.; see my Bible Study:  “2300 DAYS.”).

 

2) Most Bible commentators agree that we cannot be certain which calendar was in use at that time in History.  Astronomers are divided as to 30 A.D. or 31 A.D. for the 14th of Abib (Nisan) falling on a Thursday or Friday of either year.  The question arises as to whether the Jews (or which Jews) were using the Roman Calendar, Armenian Calendar, or even if the Jewish Calendar was still being used.  Eclipses have not been able to be traced clearly enough to determine the days of 31 A.D. either (which Biblically is the correct year).

 

3) Arguments range from 29 to 34 A.D. for the crucifixion.  Tremendous mis-understandings of Daniel 9:24-27, cause errors in determining the correct 31 A.D. date.  Including separating the 69th week from the 70th week, which is rediculoous, since all the way through:  One follows Two, Two follows Three, etcetera.  But 70 does not follow 69.  Go figure.  Rapture Theory theologians are the problem here.

 

 

K) FINAL ARGUMENT

 

 

Some argue that the Greek word for “beside,” should be translated as “besides.”  For some reason, the plurality of this word makes the 14th day of Abib able to fall on any other day than the Biblically Commanded Sabbath Day, thus making that whatever day a “High Sabbath,” day.  And as such, the crucifixion took place on whatever day they need and want.

 

The Greek word is “sun,” which, please look it up for yourself, is “A primary preposition denoting union; with or together (but much closer than “Strong;s Concordance,” “G3326” or “G3844.”  That is, “by association, companionship, process, resemblance, possession, instrumentality, addition, etc.: -- beside, with.  In compounds it has similar applications, including completeness.”  Thus, being a “primary,” and being “complete” in itself, to pluralize the word is to fabricate its meaning in order to promote a doctrine which is un-Biblical.  Don’t buy into presumptions going around the internet; look it up for yourself.

 

The Matthew (28:1) account clearly establishes the fact that the weekly Sabbath, not just the “Passover Sabbath,” is clearly established Biblically.  It is the regular weekly Commanded Sabbath Day, that is meant; and that Day (Saturday) was over at “early in the morning of the first day of the week.”

 

Now let us take a closer look at Luke 23:56.  First, in verse 54, we are given the FACT that this “preparation day” occurs before the Biblically Commanded “Sabbath Day.”  Now this “preparation day” was “that [very] day” in which the women then “returned and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath Day according to the Commandment.”  These are two days in succession in-and-of themselves.  To deny this is to deny that this “preparation day” took place before any other supposed Sabbath.  Therefore, when we continue on with the narrative, we must not lose sight of the women’s objective; which was to apply the “spices and ointments,” before the Biblically Commanded Sabbath Day.  DON’T MISS THIS KEY POINT.

 

Thus, Friday becomes the “preparation” day [see again Luke 23:54 for proof of this FACT], because God’s Commanded Rest Day is the Seventh-Day “Sabbath Day according to the Commandment [Luke 23:56, DON’T MISS THIS POINT EITHER],” because “Now upon the first day of the week [which is none other than Sunday, because], very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared.”

 

THERE IT IS!  The spices were NOT administered because the Biblically Commanded Seventh-Day, i.e., “Sabbath day,” Nisan 15, had transpired before the women could have the spices readied.  But when the Bible Sabbath (our Saturday) was over, “very early” on Sunday [Luke 24:1: “the first day of the week”] they came to perform their service.

 

Some have argued that the women needed more time than just Fridays few hours to go get the “spices” from the marketplace.  In other words, their argument is that they needed more days to prepare.  However, that ignores the Biblical account and assumes that these women did not keep such things in their homes anyway (being always prepared as women are).  If you want to call women stupid, I will remove myself from you.

 

The Luke 24:1 passage is confirmed by comparing it with Mark 16:1-2.  “And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Him [MEANING, the women were well prepared].  And very early in the morning the first day of the week [Sunday], they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.”   Continuing on, even the angles point out the fact that Sunday, and not Saturday, is “the third day” when Jesus would “rise again,” Luke 24:7:  “Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise.”