Jesus Christ's promise was fulfilled exactly as He said, a fact that is made clear when we study and compare the Gospel accounts. In other words, the three days and three nights in the grave that Jesus said would be the sign that He was indeed sent from God were transformed into a period of two days and two nights, or a total of no more than 48 hours. Jesus' death fulfilled the symbolism of the sacrificial Passover lamb (Matthew 26:17-28 Matthew 26:17-28 [17] Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to him, Where will you that we prepare for you to eat the passover? The Chronology of Christ's Crucifixion and Resurrection, God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind. even so will I do likewise. How do the biblical three days and three nights after Jesus Christ's crucifixion fit between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning? Clearly, the Good Friday-Easter Sunday explanation and tradition is without scriptural foundation. 2, "Easter"). Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, John 12:9-19) It is likely that you … Privacy Policy Terms of Use. A correct harmonization of all the facts demonstrates that Jesus died near 3 p.m. that Wednesday afternoon, was entombed near sunset and was resurrected near sunset on Saturday, exactly three days and three nights later—just as He had stated. [24] And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. The fact that two Sabbaths are involved is confirmed by Matthew 28:1 Matthew 28:1In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher.American King James Version×, where the women went to the tomb "after the Sabbath." The following is the Catholic Church's explanation. It is the anniversaries of these dates that are observed as part of the Easter celebration. Even today the blessing of the new fire is part of the Vigil of Easter. He was not crucified on Friday afternoon, nor was He resurrected on a Sunday morning. "From the earliest times the Christians kept every Friday as a feast day; and the obvious reasons for those usages explain why Easter is the Sunday par excellence, and why the Friday which marks the anniversary of Christ's death came to be called . These practices are so much an ingrained tradition in the church calendar that many would consider it heretical to question them. [7] In the first day you shall have an holy convocation: you shall do no servile work therein. Week Before Easter, ... mean you were not allowed to walk to the gravesite to properly prepare the body for burial and must wait until the next day, Sunday. Help for Today, Hope for Tomorrow | Learn more... With a UCG.org account you will be able to save items to read and study later! In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. [28] But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. In some places around the globe, the last workday of the week before Easter is prefixed with words such as Holy , Great, Black , Long and Silent. The names of the other days are first, second, third and so on.