The prophecy concerning the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ points to a period of three days and three nights. According to this understanding, Jesus died on a Wednesday afternoon and was buried before sunset, which marked the beginning of Thursday in the Jewish calendar. This timeline is believed to perfectly fulfill the prophecy of “three days and three nights” before His resurrection.
Because of this, some believers argue that the traditional teaching that Jesus died on Friday does not completely align with the biblical account. They also believe that certain religious practices connected with Holy Week are based more on tradition than on Scripture.
In Matthew 28:1-6, the Bible explains that when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to the tomb at the end of the Sabbath, Jesus was no longer there because He had already risen. The angel told them, “He is not here, for He is risen.” This suggests that Christ resurrected before the dawn of the first day of the week.
Based on this explanation, Jesus would have died around three o’clock on Wednesday afternoon and was buried quickly before sunset by Joseph of Arimathea because the Sabbath was approaching. Since the Jews observed special Sabbaths during feast periods, not every Sabbath necessarily fell on a Saturday. That particular year reportedly had two Sabbaths, which helps explain the timeline surrounding His burial and resurrection.
Therefore, the resurrection is believed to have taken place before Sunday morning, completing the full three days and three nights exactly as foretold in Scripture. The central message remains that Jesus Christ conquered death and rose again, fulfilling God’s promise.
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