JEWISH RECKONING TWILIGHT TO TWILIGHT FOR EACH DAY
THE CRUCIFIXION WAS NOT ON A WEDNESDAY OR FRIDAY
BUT ON A THURSDAY !!
By Richard Merrell, PO Box 107 Wentworth Falls NSW Australia
It is this writer's contention that the Feasts of the Lord, reveal to us the proper day of the crucifixion of YESHUA/Jesus; our beloved Lord and Saviour. A proper understanding of these feasts will allow us to see the deep things of God that have been prepared according to the DIVINE Will before the casting down of the world, see the difference between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. The Lamb of God was slain from the foundation ( casting down ) of the world. Rev.13:8
IN THE SCRIPTURE, a day is calculated from EVENING to EVENING, the period of darkness coming first, followed by the period of daylight.
"And God called the light Day and the darkness he called Night, and the evening and the morning were the first day." Genesis 1:5
The day ended and the new day began at EVENING/TWILIGHT, at the appearance of the evening star.
Jesus asked, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?" John 11:9
Peter said, "These are not drunk as you suppose, for it is but the third hour of the day." Acts 2:15
"And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Yeshua cried with a loud voice, saying, E-lo-i, E-lo-i, la-ma sa-bach-thani? which is, being interpreted, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? (however in the ARAMAIC it means) 'My God, My God, to this was I destined' And Yeshua cried with a loud voice and gave up the ghost (spirit)." Mark 15:33,34,37.
Hours of the day
The third hour of the day = 9 A.M.
The sixth hour of the day = Noon
The ninth hour of the day = 3.00 P.M.
The twelfth hour of the day = 6 P.M. Twilight
The third hour of the night = 9 P.M.
The sixth hour of the night = Midnight
The ninth hour of the night = 3 A.M.
The twelfth hour of the night = 6 A.M. Dawning
The body of Yeshua was taken down at evening, and laid in a tomb, a new tomb, Mark 15:42-46. The first day had ended, the first night now begins, Yeshua will be in the "heart of the earth", three days and three nights.
Therefore the first of the three days began at the ninth hour or 3 P.M. when Jesus died.
Note here the heart of the earth is a designation for hades, the abode of the dead, and not the tomb. Matthew 12:40. It is also to be noted the the Jewish idiom for day can mean a whole day or part thereof. Yeshua was buried prior to the beginning of Nisan 15th. The first day is a part day.
CALCULATION OF THOSE THREE DAYS AND NIGHTS FROM JEWISH DAY FIRST OF THE WEEK
Remember that the first day of the week is the day called Sunday, the Sabbath or the day called Saturday being the seventh day.
NOTE: The day begins at Sunset, evening, and NOT midnight, it is important to keep this in mind ! night comes FIRST.
DAY FIRST= Sunday = Abib or Nisan 10th 'hosanna in the highest' the Lord entering Jerusalem on an ass (the notion of Palm Sunday is based on this event,) can only work for the year Yeshua was slain or when Nisan 10th occurs on the DAY FIRST of the week
DAY two = Monday = Abib or Nisan 11th
Day three = Tuesday = Abib or Nisan 12th
Day four = Wednesday = Abib or Nisan 13th
Day five = Thursday = Abib or Nisan 14th (crucifixion day) 1st period of day, 3 PM to approx 6 PM
Day six = Friday = Abib or Nisan 15th (the High Sabbath) 1st period of night and second period of day
Day seven = Saturday = Abib or Nisan 16th (the weekly sabbath) 2nd period of night and third period of day
Day first = Sunday = Abib or Nisan 17th third period of night, resurrection at night
thus the THREE PERIODS OF DAY AND NIGHT ARE COMPLETED.
Jewish Nisan 14th, the date of the crucifixion, the 'day of Preparation' which occurred on the 5th day of the week, a Thursday, and not on a Friday. Easter has nothing to do with the crucifixion, it was the Passover. God does not do things for no reason, the 14th day has this significance, that the adding of 1 and 4 equals 5 and reveals on what day of the week the Lord died. it's really all very simple. The 15th equaled the 6th day, the 16th equaled the 7th day and the 17th equaled the 8th day, the 1st day of the week , the resurrection and all things now new in the risen Lord Yeshua.
Yeshua the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the Passover lamb to be slain on the 14th day of the month Nisan, at sunset and eaten that night with unleavened bread, that night would be Nisan 15th, the 1st day of Unleavened Bread. Exodus 12:6,8; Exodus 12:18; Lev.23:6
PASSOVER 33 A.D. JULIAN, JEWISH MONTH NISAN 14TH the 5TH DAY OF WEEK GENTILE THURSDAY APRIL 2ND
MONTH OF NISAN DATES
NISAN 13th Wednesday * Paschal Moon:
14th THURSDAY Crucified at 3rd hour or 9AM. (death at 9th hour or 3PM.)
15th Friday SABBATH, THE HIGH DAY 1st day of Unleavened Bread
16th Saturday WEEKLY SABBATH 2nd day of Unleavened Bread
17th Sunday RESURRECTION (3 a.m.?) A GREAT WHILE BEFORE DAY
3rd day of Unleavened Bread, Yeshua rose the 3rd day Luke 24:41,46.
SHEAF of FIRSTFRUIT wave offering Lev.29:11-15
YESHUA is the FIRSTFRUIT from among the dead.
18th Monday
19th Tuesday
20th Wednesday
21st Thursday = SABBATH, THE HIGH DAY, the 7th day of Unleavened Bread
See Exodus 12:15-18; Lev.23:6-8.
NOTE: There are 8 days all together, this includes the day of preparation which is NISAN 14th, the day upon which all leaven was removed from the homes.
NOTE: God does not seem to deal with days of the week (except with the 7th day) but rather with 'days of the month' In the Gospels and epistles we see day of the week mentioned, namely the 'first day of the week' In the scriptures we see the mentioned term 'day of the month' but never day of the week, whilst in the NT we see the mentioned term 'day of the week' but never day of the month, the 14th day of the month Abib/Nisan for example is mentionend as the 'Day of preparation' and the 15th day if Abib/Nisan as 'an High day' (one of God's sabbaths) for God commanded that the 15th Day of Abib/Nisan be 'a' sabbath day.
1. Yeshua was crucified on the fifth day of the week, Thursday the 14th Nisan 33 AD; he died at the ninth hour or 3.00pm. He was buried sometime around the twelfth hour or sunset.
The Scripture tells us that Yeshua, "rose the third day", this was the third day after his crucifixion. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb before daylight on the morning of the 1st day of the week (Sunday) and found the tomb empty. Mark 16:2; John 20:1. Yeshua rose during the night of the 1st day of the week sometime around 3 A.M. perhaps, remember the day starts at evening, and the evening always comes first. That he rose at night is confirmed at Matt. 28:13
It is to be noted that those folk who like to teach that Wednesday was the day of Calvary, always skip over LUKE 24:21; why is this ? I believe the reason is that LUKE 24:21 reveals them to be wrong.
2. The Jews had wanted a sign from Yeshua regarding his death and resurrection he told them that, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah: for as Jonah 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." Matthew 12:39,40. Note: (the "heart of the earth" designates hades, the abode of the dead, his body though was in the tomb.)
3. Now let's look at another passage to confirm the words of our Lord. "Now the Lord had prepared a great fish (whale ?) to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." Jonah 1:17 Jesus was put to death on the day of preparation (of the Passover meal) being Nisan 14th, and all leaven was to be removed from the homes.
Leaven is typical of sin, Yeshua was made sin who knew no sin, this leaven was nailed to the Cross. That evening the Passover lamb was eaten, it is to be noted that Yeshua ate of the Passover the evening of his betrayal, Yeshua established a New Testament Passover meal, in His body and blood, Paul the Apostle says, 'Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed the Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us..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.'
1 Corinthians 5:7,8.
4. The church teaches Friday to be the day of crucifixion, but this is error, for three days and three nights are not obtained from Friday to the morning of Sunday; the above study according to Scripture shows this. Others teach Wednesday to be the day of crucifixion, this too is ERROR, for Luke 24:21 refutes both Wednesday and Friday as the day of Calvary, Thursday alone is reckoned backwards from Sunday.
It is also taught that the angel rolled the stone away from the tomb and that Yeshua came forth, this teaching too is error.
A study of the passages concerned, being Matthew 28:1-6 and Mark 16:3,4; will show the angel did indeed roll the stone away from the tomb, not to let Yeshua out but to allow the women entry to the tomb. This fact is confirmed in the statement of the angel in Matthew 28:6. "for I know that you seek Yeshua, which was crucified. He is NOT here: for he is risen. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." Yeshua had no need to have the stone rolled away to allow him exit from the tomb, for he could enter or leave without using doors, see Luke 24:30-39; John 20:19-26.
Paul the Apostle told Timothy to, "study to show yourself approved of God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15. This study is based upon Scripture and NOT upon church tradition.
Footnote
Listen to me brethren, what does it mean also the term 'three days and three nights' ? Simply this, that in the course of three thousand years of day and night God will set up the eighth eternal day. Yeshua died on the fifth day which shows to us the beginning of the fifth millennium; Yeshua rose on the eighth day which shows to us the time of everlasting, the New Jerusalem. So the second coming year it will be at the Feast of Shofars/Trumpets, Sept/Oct. Yeshua completed Passover and Pentecost the next feast is Trumpets followed closely by the Day of Atonement and the feast of Booths ie. Tabernacles.
The writer recommends the following books for those interested in the study of church history, so as to be able sift out the nonsense taught in the church even to this day. That these words of King David might be yours also,
" SHOW ME THY WAYS,O LORD, TEACH ME THY PATHS. LEAD ME IN THY TRUTH, AND TEACH ME: FOR THOU ART THE GOD OF MY SALVATION; ON THEE DO I WAIT ALL THE DAY." PSALM 25:4,5
The Books
A New Eusebius
The Two Babylons
Both these books are easily obtained from Christian Literature Crusade Bookshops.
Richard Merrell 1985
PLEASE SEE THE CHART