Astronomy Dates Biblical Events
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Validity of Astronomical Dating
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The Year of Jubilee
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Evidence of The Resurrection
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Experiences With God
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Nostradamus
Astrology
Numerology
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Elephantine Papyri
...Solar Eclipse
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Beyond 2005
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Conclusions
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New Book: 2005
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"Spiritual Technology"
Day of the Crucifixion

According to the gospels, Jesus arose from the dead on Sunday, the third day after the crucifixion. All of Christendom accepts that Jesus resurrected on Sunday. Since Jesus died three days before Sunday, we must understand how biblical people counted three days at the time of Moses or Jesus.

In our culture, if I said "Let's meet in three days," we would count tomorrow as the first day. Contrary to our society, the biblical culture counts today as the first day. Consider how each day is counted in the following Scripture.

When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it [1st Day] or on the next day [2nd Day]; anything left over until the third day [3rd Day] must be burned up. If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted(Lev. 19:5-7).

How are the three days counted in this verse? Consider how the first day is counted by these two points:

  • Today, the day of the sacrifice, counts as the first day.
  • Today counts as a whole day, not part of a day.

We have found a 24 hour contrast between the way our culture counts three days versus the biblical culture. In the verse above, the only full 24 hour day is the second day. Finally, the third day, a partial day, counts as a whole day. We can map this method of counting as follows:

Applying this verse to Jesus' crucifixion, we realize that the day of Jesus' death, Friday, counted as the first day. The only full 24-hour day was Saturday. Jesus' Sunday resurrection, a partial day, counted as the third day.
 
Biblical References for Counting Three Days
  • Leviticus 23:15-16: Pentecost is 50 days, yet by modern counting methods there are only 49 days.
  • In 1 Cor. 15:3-6, Paul says that Christ was "raised on the third day according to the Scriptures," portraying that part of a day counts as a whole day. Moreover, this is "according to the Scriptures," meaning the verses in Leviticus 7:16-18 &19:5-7.

 

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