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Questions
On Conflicting Dates
Question 1. When Jesus
died on the cross at Calvary, the Bible says He was taken down from the cross and put in
the tomb before the Sabbath began. If He died on Friday, and the Sabbath started on Friday
night, how can we account for the fact that it is only 1 1/2 days till Sunday, the 1st day
of the week, when He rose? Could He have, instead, died on an annual Sabbath, namely
Passover, which
doesn't always fall on the same day year
after year? I have tried to calculate this
over and over, and Friday afternoon to Sunday just isn't three days!
Answer Yes, on the
surface, it does seem as if this is a contradiction. However, when we look more closely,
we will find that there is no contradiction concerning the amount of time Jesus was in the
tomb, but it has to do with the way days were counted in that time. An example below will
show that they counted the part of a day as a day, rather than counting absolute 24-hour
periods as days.
The example we can examine is found in Acts 10:1-35. I will not reprint it all here, but
please look in your bible and follow along with the points we will attempt to make.
On the first day, Acts 10:1-8, a man named Cornelius, a Gentile centurion, has a Divine
vision showing him that he should send for a man named Peter who will tell him how he can
be saved. On that day, he sends his servants to bring Peter to him.
On day two, Acts 10:9-23, Peter, while staying in the city of Joppa, has a vision about
"unclean" animals in a sheet being lowered from heaven. Peter is commanded to
eat, but refuses because of what he has been taught from the Law of Moses. However, God
says that Peter should not call anything unclean that He has called clean.
At this point, Corneilus' servants come looking for Peter and Peter is told to go with
them. But, before doing so, they are given lodging for the night.
On the third day, Acts 10:23, they journey toward Caesarea, the home of Cornelius.
Then on the fourth day, Acts 10:24-35, they arrive at the house of Cornelius. Peter tells
Cornelius why he has come and then Cornelius tells Peter why He sent for him. But notice,
the main point here. Cornelius begins his response by saying his vision happened
"four days ago". However, if we counted days in absolute 24-hour periods, it
would not have been four days, but in fact, three days. If you calculate these things, you
will see that is the case.
Therefore, it is the same with Jesus and the events of His death, burial and resurrection.
He died on the Friday and was buried before the Sabbath. Then, all that day, He was in the
tomb. Finally, early on the first day of the week, He was raised from the dead. Luke
describes this day as the "third" day.
LUKE 24:21 "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed,
besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened.
LUKE 24:22 "But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early
in the morning,
LUKE 24:23 and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision
of angels, who said that He was alive.
LUKE 24:24 "And some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just
exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see." Contact Gary
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