The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  The

Created: 21-May-2015

Greatest Prophetic Event of history that

Last Update: 17-Oct-2022

occurred on a Wednesday at 3pm  
on 5-April-32 AD  
A A A  help

Sections:
 
Guiding Points Forward
1 of 16 Day Starts At Sundown
 2 of 16 Three Days in Tomb
 3 of 16 Sabbaths on Other Days besides Saturday
 4 of 16 The Lamb of God Slain on Passover
 5 of 16 Palm Sunday Before Crucifixion
 6 of 16 Crucifixion on a Week of Sabbaths
 7 of 16 14th Of Nissan Before Sundown, the Crucifixion
 8 of 16 Burial Before Sundown, Before Passover
 9 of 16 Jesus Christ in the Grave on the 15th of Nissan
 10 of 16 Resurrection Date and Time Period
 11 of 16 Feast of First Fruits, Risen
 12 of 16 Jesus Christ Dead for 3.5 Days
 13 of 16 Graphical Chart
 14 of 16 Why is there a Good Friday Tradition?
 15 of 16 Year of the Crucifixion
 16 of 16 Final Summary

Jesus Christ died on the Cross at 3pm on Wednesday, April 5th, 32 AD.  It is the greatest prophetic event in all of history.

Introduction

God Loves us beyond words, but cannot allow sinful mankind into His Presence in Eternity without removing our sins with a justification of payment, which is also restitution.  There are so many amazing and beautiful points that are guides for us to understand the parallels, patterns, specific Mosaic Laws, and examples of lives lived that point to Jesus Christ at the Crucifixion Event.  The Crucifixion Event shows:

John 1:28-29 28 All this happened at Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John (John the Baptist) was baptizing. Jesus the Lamb of God 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

If you have not asked Jesus Christ to be your Savior, do so right now by simply asking which you can use this link for an example prayer.

Forward

Is it important to know what day of the week Jesus Christ died?  The answer is no, and what is more important is the acceptance of the free gift of payment made for each and every single person's sins by Jesus Christ's death on the Cross.  After the acceptance, we all should have our deepest desire to know more and more about our God, which involves a relationship with Him that also relies upon time reading and understanding God's Word.

The tradition of dying on Friday and rising on Sunday before dawn, has a problem because it is less than three days in the grave.  There is no mention, in the Gospels, that Jesus Christ was crucified on Friday. 

As you read through this Topic, the information might appear a little complicated initially because of the Day Definition of the Bible.  The guiding points, in this topic, are set out as a step-by-step proof using the scriptures, with a graphical chart towards the end that will lead to the correct conclusion of the crucifixion being on Wednesday.

It is the hope and prayer of this author, that this Topic is an easy-to-follow logical reading which will increase your Faith in the accuracy of the Scriptures.  In fact, the accuracy, which was required with the patterns that you will read about dealing with:

  1. The Passover,
  2. Palm Sunday where Jesus Christ presents Himself as the Messiah as predicted in the Book of Daniel, and
  3. The Crucifixion

should alleviate any doubts that no one except God could have planned this out and had different writers of the scriptures harmonize perfectly with the future event's prediction of the crucifixion.

The question sometimes asked is why was Jesus Christ condemned to death.  God planned for Jesus Christ to become the Lamb of God to remove our sins through the Salvation Process, as written in all the prophecies of the Old Testament such as Isaiah 53, Psalm 22 and hundreds more under exact specifications.  God the Father, the Son of God and God the Holy Spirit planned all the events, before the foundation of the Earth (1 Peter 1:19-20), knowing people's choices in advance such as Judas Iscariot that would betray Jesus Christ.  All the events leading up to the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ was a marvelous and perfectly orchestrated achievement that everything required to happen did happen as prophesized.   This is possible because God exists outside of all Time Domains and Dimensions.

After Jesus Christ was arrested at the Garden of Gethsemane (John chapter 18), Caiaphas, the High Priest during illegal trials against Jesus Christ during the night, put Jesus Christ under oath to answer who He was ("adjure thee by the living God"), which Jesus Christ answered that He is God, which is a punishable offense unto death by the Mosaic Laws to blaspheme God or claim oneself as God (see Leviticus 24:16).  Jesus Christ before being putting under oath, answered nothing according to Isaiah 53:7 because Jesus Christ was standing in our place (where we all are sinners without anything to say in our defense) and until He was asked under oath of His identity could Jesus Christ speak.

Matthew 26:63-64 63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. 64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

Days Starts at Sundown

Guiding Point 1 of 16

As referenced in the Books of Genesis, Leviticus and Exodus, God refers to the day as starting at Sundown not at midnight.  When the sun is gone in the sky, then it is the start of the next day and it does not end until the sun, which follows the night time, no longer shows any light.
 
An excerpt form the Day Starts at Sundown and Ends at the Next Sundown topic:

God defines the day as:

  • One moment after dusk ends,
  • a period of night-time,
  • a period of day-time, and
  • finally, the last moment of dusk.

In our modern world, the day is thought of as an approximate 24-hour period of time.  From science, we know that the day is not exactly a 24-hour period.  An article on UniverseToday.com, has the day is defined as 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.0916 seconds.

For simplicity, we can think of it is as a range such as 6pm to 6pm, which is an approximate 24-hour period.  Obviously, dawn and sunset are not exactly the same time each day, and additionally there are days with more sunshine but then the night is shorter so it still an approximate 24-hour period.     

Genesis 1:5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day
Leviticus 23:32 It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath.
Exodus 12:8 8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.  The eating is the next day because it is at nighttime after the end of the day which was when the sun was visible.

Three Days in Tomb

Guiding Point 2 of 16

The following scriptures let us know that Jesus Christ was going to spend three days in the Grave / Tomb.  This is three literal and approximate 24-hour periods, where we are even told that it is three full nights and three full day-time hours so that there should be no confusion.
 
Mathew 12:40  (Jesus is speaking.  Jesus said the period of time would be three days.)
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the huge fish's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  
John 2:19 (Jesus is speaking.  Jesus said that He would be raised in three days.)
Destroy this temple, [of His body] and in
three days I will raise it up.
 
Mark 9:31  (Jesus is speaking and states that he would rise again, after being killed, after three days.)
For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered up into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he shall rise again. 

There is three days in many scriptures in the entire Old and New Testament, many of which point to Jesus Christ.


Sabbaths on Other Days besides Saturday

Guiding Point 3 of 16

Many Christian traditions are to have a day of worship on Sunday, where Israel was instructed to have a day of rest to worship on the last day of the week, Saturday, which in Hebrew is Shabbat.  Shabbat has become synonymous with the term Sabbath that when hearing will trigger in the mind of a person most likely Saturday and even Sunday, depending upon religious beliefs / customs.

What is interesting when learning about Sabbaths is the Jewish Faith have additional Sabbaths besides Saturday, Shabbat.  There are an additional seven High Sabbaths that occur yearly and they do not necessarily fall on Saturday.  Notice from Numbers 28:16-17 that the Passover Event is a specific date each year followed by the Sabbath Day of Feast of Unleavened Bread, 

The scriptures are stating there are specific events that are to held on specific dates, which has nothing to do with the day of the week.  For example, God is telling Israel to have the Passover Event on a specific date which is 14th of Nissan and the High Sabbath Feast of Unleavened Bread is on the next day, the 15th.  The Passover Event occurs on the 14th and the Feast held on the 15th is the Passover Meal.

Numbers 28:16-17 16 On the fourteenth day of the first month the LORD's Passover is to be held.
17 On the fifteenth day of this month shall be a feast, unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days

The Lamb of God Slain on Passover

Guiding Point 4 of 16

Passover is the Special Day that celebrates an event that happened as part of Israel's exodus from Egyptian captivity and slavery.   When Israel was about to be let go from the Egyptian slavery, the Angel of Death visited the Egyptian Pharaoh's kingdom, and only those who had killed a Passover Lamb on the 14th and put the blood on their door post were protected from the death of their first born. 

This is a familiar event by pretty much everyone who is Jewish and Christian but there are details that are very important that point to the future Messiah Jesus Christ.  The event happened on the 14th of Nissan, while Israel was still in captivity to Egypt, the Angel of Death came to everyone in Egypt to kill the first-born of every family and the first born of every animal except for those who had their house door entrances splashed or covered with the blood of a lamb that was slain were protected.  This is explained in detail in Exodus 12:27

Every year after the Exodus, Israel was instructed to celebrate the event as stated in the previous section of this topic. 

Exodus 12:5-6 (This is before the start of the next day.  It is on the 14th but before dusk.)
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.
Exodus 12:8 (This is the 15th of Nissan.)
8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.  The eating is the next day because it is at nighttime after the end of the day which was when the sun was visible. 
Exodus 12:22-23 22 None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.  The people in the house that were marked by the blood of the lamb were protected.
Exodus 12:27 you shall say, 'It is a Passover sacrifice to the LORD who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians but spared our homes.'" And the people bowed low and worshiped.
Numbers 28:17 (This is the 15th of Nissan and it is a week-long feast.)
17 and on the fifteenth day of this month is a feast. Seven days shall unleavened bread be eaten.

The lamb slain on the Passover Event is a foreshadowing, a model of the future time when Jesus Christ's death would save the world for those who would believe in Him because of His voluntary sacrificial death.  Just like the Passover Lamb, where Israel had to put the blood of the lamb on their doorposts, we still have a responsibility to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior.

Notice the pattern of Passover as compared to Jesus Christ's first mission as the Messiah that takes away the sins of the world for those who would accept Him:

  1. In Exodus 12:6 "You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, ... "   This was the selection of the lamb.
  2. It is killed at twilight which is right at dusk which is before the next day that starts when there is no light from the sun left.  Exodus 12:6 "It is then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight."  This is right before the Sun no longer gives it light. 
  3. Notice also the Scripture tells us that the Sun grew dark when Jesus was on the Cross before His Death according to Matthew 27:45-50 which is listed below in Guiding Point 7.  This is parallel to Exodus 12:6 reference of "to kill it at twilight".   At twilight is almost completely dark.  Yes, there is the significance of Jesus on the Cross being without light because of the magnitude of Jesus taking on the sins of mankind but it is more than that.  This author believes that God was using the twilight of the Lamb of Passover as an additional pointer for Israel to recognize their Messiah.
    Matthew 27:45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 
    Note: God used an eclipse for the Matthew 27:45 event, but eclipses do not last that long where this eclipse lasted 3 hours, so God might have used a celestial object passing between the Earth and the Sun that was large enough to cause darkness around the Crucifixion area, but not large enough to cause a gravitational disturbance on Earth.  This of course is a miracle as God had the timing arranged.  In the Long Day Of Joshua Event, this is also the method God most likely used to extend the day for an additional 24-hours.
  4. It is to be eaten at night time, Exodus 12:8, "They shall eat the flesh that night..."  This is the start of the next day because night has started after the twilight.
  5. Notice also that Exodus 12:5, "Your lamb shall be an unblemished male ...".  This should obviously point us to the parallelism of the future complete sacrifice of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life and was slain for all. 
  6. A final observation that this author has not seen in any Biblical Commentaries, it is very interesting that the first born of Egypt was killed.  Jesus Christ is the First Born

In summary of this section:

Palm Sunday Before the Crucifixion

Guiding Point 5 of 16

Palm Sunday is widely known in the Christian community as a celebration day that is honoring the day that Jesus Christ presents Himself, riding a colt into Jerusalem before the crucifixion that occurred later that week.  This was part of many prophecies of the Old Testament.  This is also known as the Triumphal Entry, where the people in Jerusalem were anticipating Jesus Christ to be the Messiah who would conquer their enemies and bring many wonderful blessings.  They did not recognize Jesus Christ as about to fulfill the mission of Isaiah 53 and other scriptures.  The next mission of Jesus Christ will be to come back as the ruling Messiah as described in the Millennial Kingdom topic.

On the Sunday that Jesus Christ made His entrance was the 11th of Nissan.  The 11th of Nissan was the starting date that required each family in Israel to keep a sheep for four days before it would be killed on the 14th of Nissan and eaten in the evening (after dusk) which was the start of the next day, the 15th of Nissan. 

Jesus Christ's purpose on Palm Sunday was to present Himself to Israel, and the world, as the Lamb of God that would be the payment (restitution) for sins and be our Savior.  This would be a permanent replacement for the Exodus lamb and a fulfillment of the Old Testament LawsThis required Jesus Christ to also have four days, after His presentation in Jerusalem, before the crucifixion event.

The historical background of the Exodus Event is when Israel came out of Egyptian captivity where the Death Angel passed over all houses marked with blood of the Passover Lamb, and all other houses then had their first-born of human-beings and animals killed by the Death Angel.  After the Exodus, every year there was a required celebration that was commemorating the Exodus form Egypt, with a Passover lamb slain.  This was described in Exodus 12:1-6 by Moses, which had explicit instructions for all of Israel to follow dealing with the preparation for the Passover Event and subsequent Passover Meal. 

As part of the preparation, as instructed in the scriptures, on the 10th day of Nissan a male lamb without blemish, are chosen per Exodus 12:3-6.  This has a fulfillment with Jesus Christ.  Jesus is at a dinner with Lazarus and is anointed (an idiom pointer / selection for us to recognize) done by Mary (John 12:1-3) on the 10th of Nissan.  The next day, the 11th of Nissan, Jesus Christ made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem as a presentation of Himself, that would be the Lamb, which Christians celebrate as Palm Sunday.  See Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, John 12 where Jesus Christ is riding on a donkey / colt.  

The lamb chosen by Moses' instructions, required the lamb to have no blemishes or faults.  Also per Exodus 12:6, the lamb is taken care of for four days which are the explicitly assigned days of the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th, before the slaughter of the lamb.  Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God without any sin and led a perfect life, where He is the perfect Lamb offering.  On day of Crucifixion, even the Roman Procurator Pontius Pilate told the Priests and Crowds there was no fault in Him in Luke 23:4.  Jesus Christ had to fulfill the four days like the lamb in Moses instructions, before His life was given at the Crucifixion.

There is an amazing prophecy in the Book of Daniel which Gabriel had given the exact day to Daniel that the "Messiah be cut off" (Daniel 9:26), which means to be executed.  This amazing prophecy that is described in the Daniel 9, is explained further in the 69 Weeks to the Messiah's Execution topic.   All of Israel should have known and recognized the events from the Book of Daniel and also from reading Isaiah 53.  (Note that Isaiah 53 has amazing encryptions in the text).

In scriptural passage of John 12:1-12, we are given the chorological events:

Besides all of these important details that had to be explicitly done by Jesus Christ, the other paramount point is taking the four days from 11th of Nissan, which is a Sunday, means that the Crucifixion had to occur on Wednesday, the 14th of Nissan

Exodus 12:1-6 1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight(The month in reference is Nissan.  The lamb slaughtered is a pointer to Jesus Christ, where Jesus Christ experienced on the Cross had the sky darkened for 3 hours until his death.  This had more involved than an eclipse of the sun as eclipses only last for a very short time.)
Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
Mark 11:7 (Jesus is approaching Jerusalem and his disciples get a colt / donkey for Him.)  7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it.
Daniel 9:26 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. (Messiah be cut off means executed.  There is an interval here in the weeks. The key part of the verse is underlined. For further explanation, see the 70 Weeks of Daniel. This is a Messianic verse as pointed out from many Rabbinical Confirmation such as Yalkut, Volume II, 32b and page 79 Nazir Edition and also Midrash Berishit on page 243 Warsaw Edit.  The remaining part of the verse is dealing with the end times.)
Luke 19:38 Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord;
Mark 11:9-11 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven! 11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.  
John 12:1-12 1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor? 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the money bag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me. 9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. 12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel! 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, 15 Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!
Luke 23:4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, I find no guilt in this man.
(Roman Procurator Pontius Pilate is speaking about Jesus Christ before the Crucifixion.)



The following chart shows the mandatory four days before Passover Lamb was sacrificed.  As stated in this topic, Jesus Christ had present Himself with four days in Jerusalem, before the crucifixion event, where a Friday crucifixion is more than four days so it violates God's Passover strict guidlines!

Crucifixion on a Week of Sabbaths

Guiding Point 6 of 16

The scriptures point out that the Crucifixion occurred on a week with more than one Sabbath.  Because there were multiple Sabbath days on the Crucifixion week, this has caused confusion when thinking about the day of the week the Crucifixion occurred.  Read carefully these five points, which also will explain the events happening.: 

The verse in Mark 14:12 translation it can possibly convey an incorrect meaning for some readers regarding the time periods occurring.  To help, it should read something to the effect of "The first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread is approaching, when it is customary to sacrifice the Passover Lamb, Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and make preparations for your to eat the Passover?"  Removing the "On" and adding "is approaching" makes an easier read. 

As already stated, a very important point is the four Gospels do not inform us that Jesus was eating the Passover Meal at what Christians call the Last Supper.  Furthermore, that would not make sense and would break the purpose of the Passover Lamb model of the Exodus' High Sabbath. 

Confusions clarified, which is harmonized with the parallel accounts in the four gospels:

  1. For most of us Christians, when we think of day, we think of midnight to midnight.  The writers of the Gospels wrote the history with the knowledge of the Jewish mind that knew the timing of the events were based on God's definition of a day period.  Recall from Guiding Point 1 above that the approximate 24-hour day starts right after sunset when the sun is no longer giving any light and ends at the moment before the sun is giving its last light.  Think of it as something like 6pm to 6pm or as sunset to sunset.
  2. Notice in Mark 14:1-2 it is two days away from the Passover event, which means it is the 13th of Nissan.
  3. Jesus Christ sends two of the Disciples to prepare a place for the future Passover meal, knowing it will never happen with Jesus Christ being there.  This is on the 13th of Nissan during the day hours where the 13th is almost over.  In Mark 14:12, the translation is a little bit confusing "On the first day ...", which in today's English would read "As customary for the first day of..."
  4. The two Disciples find a location for the future Passover meal, which is then used on the start of the 14th of Nissan, for the Last Supper.  It is evening which is at the start of the approximate 24-hour period of the 14th of Nissan.   
  5. Jesus Christ had the two Disciples go because Jesus Christ needed a place to have the dinner to force Judas Iscariot to speed up the time table of the Betrayal, which then could then make Jesus Christ the Lamb Slain the sins of the World (The Passover Lamb.).
  6. After Jesus Christ dies on the Cross, on the 14th of Nissan, it is the Jewish law to have the body taken down from an execution pole (Deuteronomy 21:22 - 23 which is discussed below), so the scriptures point out that Jesus Christ's body is taken down at it was still the "Day of Preparation" for the High Sabbath first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.  This was occurring as read in the Gospel accounts such as John 19:31 and Mark 15:37-43.  This was the end of day hours of the 14th of Nissan and before Feast of Unleavened Bread. 
  7. Many early Christian leaders only thought that Saturday, Shabbat, was the Holy day that required Jesus Christ's body to be removed and this is the primary confusion on a Friday tradition of the crucifixion.
  8. Jesus Christ's death on the 14th (Passover Event) is exactly like the Lamb slain on the 14th for the Passover meal in the evening's Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover Meal).  The evening is the start of the day and is the 15th of Nissan, when the Passover Meal is held.
Mark 14:1-2 1 Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 But not during the festival, they said, or the people may riot.
Mark 14:12-13 12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus disciples asked him, Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover? 13 And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.  (Jesus is telling two of the disciples to go and find a place for the Passover Meal, which becomes the location of the Last Supper.)
Mark 14:16-17 16 The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. 17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me one who is eating with me.    (Note (a) that the dinner was on the start of the 14th of Nissan.  In Roman day timing, it would have been the evening on the Tuesday.  Jesus was about to be betrayed, taken into custody by the Sanhedrin, put into mock and false trials throughout the night hours.  The night hours were the 14th of Nissan.  The trials were done through the night because the Sanhedrin were trying to have Jesus Christ killed in the next morning before the Feast of Unleavened Bread starts on the 15th.  The Sanhedrin only had the remaining part of the 14th to get it done as they all would be gone for the next seven days on the Passover meal (Feast of Unleavened Bread) and feast days according to the law of Exodus 12:22-23 and others.
(b
) the disciples prepared for the Passover but there is no mention of a lamb for the hours of the day when the lamb would be killed to be eaten on the 15th.  In other words, the Last Supper has no mention of eating a Lamb, where Jesus Christ would have said something to commemorate the Exodus Event if the meal was about the Passover.)
(c) THE 100% PROOF is John 19:31, which shows that Jesus Christ was killed before the Passover meal.
John 13:27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, What you are going to do, do quickly.   Jesus is telling Judas, who now was totally possessed by Lucifer, to go and do what you had planned.  Jesus is taking authority over the previous plans against Him.  He is forcing the plans to happen which by other scripture references meant to have Jesus arrested after the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
John 19:31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down.
Mark 15:37-42 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.   38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, Surely this man was the Son of God! 40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome. 41 In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
(The Burial of Jesus)
42 It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached,

14th of Nissan before Sundown, the Crucifixion

Guiding Point 7 of 16

In Mark 15:25, the crucifixion takes place at the third hour (9 a.m.) and Jesus' death at the ninth hour (3 p.m.) according to Matthew 27:45-50.  Remember that Jewish time is from Sundown to Sunset and Roman time is from Midnight to Midnight.  In some Scriptures, the time was recorded in two ways and the 3rd hour meant 3 hours of light since dawn, hence 9am.  (Note: the scriptural references of 3rd hour and 9am is another confirmation of a 6pm to 6pm day definition.)

Mark 15:25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him.
Matthew 27:45-50 45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani? (which means My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? ). 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, He s calling Elijah. 48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, Now leave him alone. Let s see if Elijah comes to save him. 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His spirit.
Luke 23:44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,

As additional amazing point is notice "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?", where God is mentioned twice.  Jesus Christ is speaking to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. 

Also notice in Luke 23:44, the darkness reference as God giving everyone there another pointer to the divinity of Jesus Christ taking the role of the Lamb Slain for the world.  Most Christians think the darkness was because it was a horrible event, which indeed it was, but the darkness had the role pointer to the Passover lamb event required being sacrificed right during dusk, therefore the dusk was occurring all day as Jesus Christ was on the Cross.

In Matthew 27:50, "He gave up His Sprit", which is the death.  There are some Biblical Scholars that state that Jesus Christ died of a broken heart, which this author would agree because when the roman soldier thrust the sprier into Jesus Christ's side, there came out blood and water.  The water is medically known as pericardial effusion, and would only happen in the case of a cardiac rupture, inflammation, cancer, or pericarditis.  We can easily assume and know Jesus Christ did not die from inflammation, cancer or pericarditis which indicates the death was because of a Heart Attack.  The stress and pain that Jesus Christ was experiencing was the weight of all of the sins of every human being which He was taking the full penalties for us on the cross that we would know by the expression a broken heart.

There is many idioms of the heart meaning the deceit of human beings, and also the heart of God should be our goal where Jesus Christ had taken our place in the penalties of our sinful hearts.  Also, Jesus Christ is the living water idiom.
 
John 19:34 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. 35 The one who saw it has testified to this, and his testimony is true. He knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.


Burial Before Sundown, Before Passover

Guiding Point 8 of 16

Jesus Christ had to be buried before night because of scriptural laws set in Deuteronomy 21:22 - 23.  Recall, from Guiding Point 1, that once the night begins it is the start of the next day.  Therefore, Jesus Christ's Burial had to be before Sundown, on the 14th, and burial before the Passover Sabbath Day's Meal at the start of the 15th, which was night.

Deuteronomy 21:22 - 23 22 If someone guilty of a capital offense is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole, 23 you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance

We know that Joseph went before Pilate to get Jesus' body before the Sabbath, Luke 23:50 - 56.  

Luke 23:50-54 50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus body. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

Note: "Preparation Day, the Sabbath was about to begin" means it was approaching and about to happen.  The eating of the Lamb Slain (Passover meal) as part of Feast of Unleavened Bread, was going to start after Sundown.

The parallel accounts in the other Gospels, let us know the same chronological events occurred.

Nicodemus also helped Joseph of Arimathea.

John 19:38 38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body.
John 19:42 42 Therefore because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

When Nicodemus came, it was night so that he would not be seen by Sanhedrin for fear of his life.  Nicodemus placed a mixture of myrrh and aloes on Jesus' Body.  The value of the Myrrh was very, very expensive which shows that Nicodemus recognized Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

John 19:39 39 Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight.

Jesus Christ in the Grave on the 15th of Nissan

Guiding Point 9 of 16

After Jesus Christ died on the Cross, which had to occur on the 14th, then Jesus Christ's body was in the grave before the start of the 15th of Nissan.  This is parallel to the beauty of the Passover Lamb that was slain to protect Israel from the Angel of Death in their exodus of the captivity in Egypt.  This is Guiding Point 4 above.  Jesus was put to death on the 14th of Nissan, just like the Lamb in Exodus. 

At nighttime, Israel ate the Passover Event's meal which was the lamb that was slain.  This is the next day which is the 15th of Nissan.

Resurrection Date and Time

Guiding Point 10 of 16

The Resurrection date and time period is easily determined based on the two women named Mary, who were arriving before dawn, which is the middle of the first day of the week, Sunday. 

John 20:1 Now on the first day of the week (Sunday) cometh Mary Magdalene early, while it was yet dark, unto the tomb, and seeth the stone taken away from the tomb."   (This shows that it was Sunday and the sun had not risen.  Also note that Mary Magdalene was on her way and not yet joined by the other Mary and Salome.)
Mark 16:1-2 1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb

Author's note: No contradiction here as two of the Apostles are giving the account with different vantage points and perspectives.  Furthermore, John doesn't mention the three women because he is saying Mary Magdalene noticed the stone rolled away.  In John's account, the story jumps farther ahead in verse 2.   See the topic on two women named Mary, who were arriving before dawn.

Feast of First Fruits, Risen

Guiding Point 11 of 16

Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the Sabbath Day of Fest of first Fruits.  The day before was the last day in the Tomb, which is the same day that Noah Ark rests on dry land, on top of the Mountains of Ararat.

In a summary of the events:

  1. Jesus is crucified and dies on the cross in the afternoon before the Passover Meal and Unleavened Bread celebration began on that night. 
  2. He is put in the tomb right before the start of Unleavened Bread meal, which starts on the 15th which is the night time. 
  3. Now look at the time periods: 
    (a) First there a few hours, possibly almost 3 hours, where Jesus is dead on the Cross on the 14th. 
    (b) Second, there are three days in the tomb: 15th, 16th & 17th. 
    (c) Third, Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, at some point during the first 12-hours on 18th of Nissan, before the women discover He is gone from the Tomb. 

The 18 of Nissan is the "Feast of First Fruits". 

The western man's view of prophecy is prediction and fulfillment.  God has shown that He uses a pattern to teach us and reveal to us. For example:

(a) The end of the Flood of Noah, in terms of Noah because the Ark rested and the Earth was signified as cleaned from many things including the Nephilim, was on the 17th day of the 7th month, Nisan.  The next day, the 18th, is the new beginning on the Earth.   
(b) Israel crossed over the Red Sea the Feast of First Fruits, Leviticus 23:10 "Speak to the sons of Israel, and say to them, `When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest.

Jesus Christ Dead for 3.5 Days
(This Author's Theory, not seen anywhere else)

Guiding Point 12 of 16

Jesus Christ from the time of the death on the Cross at 3pm, and until the time He Rose, appears to be approximately 3.5 days.  The following is a theory based on adding up the days and time in the tomb, which this author has not seen or heard in any Biblical Commentaries.

God always uses patterns of prophecies along with models to teach us.  As an example of a possible pattern concerning the period of time that Jesus Christ was dead may match the Two Witnesses, whom are dead in the Streets of Jerusalem for 3.5 days.  (Note: There are many other 3.5 occurrences such as Elijah prayed to have no rain for 3.5 years, and the Great Tribulation Period is 3.5 years as part of the 7 year period of the 70th Week of Daniel.)

This idea of Jesus Christ dead for 3.5 days, in this author's mind, fits the model of the Crucifixion death which occurred around 3pm in the afternoon of the Wednesday 14th of Nisan and then Jesus Christ exiting the tomb during the night portion of the 18th of Nisan before the two Mary and other women arrive before dawn.   This author has not found this theory in any Biblical Commentaries so it might be incorrect, but the evidence speaks for itself as highly probable.

There is also the correlation that the enemies of Jesus Christ, at the crucifixion rejoiced at Jesus Christ's death.  This is also done at the death of the Two Witnesses as read in Revelation 11:7-12.  The other interesting part of the same scriptural passage is the comparison with the sins of Sodom and Egypt, (pride, haughtiness, and oppression) with the location of the murder of the Two Witnesses.  Notice the connection, verse 8, given with the crucifixion "where their Lord was also crucified" that is the Holy Spirit drawing attention for us to read and correlate the pattern.

Revelation 11:7-12 7 When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them. 8 Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city figuratively called Sodom and Egypt where their Lord was also crucified. 9 For three and a half days all peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will view their bodies and will not permit them to be laid in a tomb. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will gloat over them, and will celebrate and send one another gifts, because these two prophets had tormented them.

11 But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered the two witnesses, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell upon those who saw them. 12 And the witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Come up here. And they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched them.

The death period before the Resurrection is shown below in the table.   Note:

Time
Period
Hours Christ's
Body is dead
Notes - Hour references with days
 
3pm to 6pm 3-hours (or more) 14th of Nisan, 3pm death, taken down from cross, prepared for burial in tomb and taken to tomb before sundown on Wednesday
6pm to 6pm 24-hours in the Ground 15th of Nisan - 6pm on Wednesday to 6pm on Thursday  (First of three days in the Tomb in the earth.)
6pm to 6pm 24-hours in the Ground 16th of Nisan - 6pm on Thursday to 6pm on Friday  (Second of three days in the Tomb in the earth.)
6pm to 6pm 24-hours in the Ground 17th of Nisan - 6pm on Friday to 6pm on Saturday  (Third of three days in the Tomb in the earth.)
before 6am Less than 12-hours
 (possibly 9 hours)
18th of Nissan - after 6pm on Saturday but before 6am (dawn) on Sunday
 
    Two Mary(s) get there at dawn and Jesus Christ is gone so He is Risen during the night.  The guards at the tomb would have reported Jesus Christ's body gone if it had happened the previous day during the daylight hours.
  3.5 days An approximation

As just noted, from the section above "Jesus to spend three days in the grave" means 72 hours but that does not include the time Jesus Christ was dead on the cross before taken down and any time before leaving the tomb on the 18th's Feast of First FruitsAs stated, this is just a theory of this author.

Another Parallel to how God uses patterns, is the Crucifixion occurred at the same location as Abraham was instructed to sacrifice Isaac, but was stopped.

Graphical Chart

Guiding Point 13 of 16

The following chart pieces together the timeline that the crucifixion occurred on the 14th of Nissan, Wednesday, where the death occurred at 3pm.  In three more hours, it would be 6pm and the start of 15th of Nissan, Thursday, the Passover Meal.  Jesus Christ became the Passover Event Lamb. 

As detailed above, the Jewish day starts after sundown and ends at the next sundown, which can be thought of as 6pm to 6pm.  The world has adopted the midnight to midnight as a standard.  When looking at the chart, look at the Jewish day at the top of the chart:

Note that when Jesus Christ's body was in the tomb, He went to proclaim victory (1 Peter 3:18-20) over the Fallen Angels who created the Nephilim and take captivity of the Old Testament Saints waiting in the Bosom of Abraham (Upper Sheol) with Him to Heaven.  A great other topic is Revelation 1:7, where we will see Him on the Cross.

1 Peter 3:18-20 18 Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison, 20 that aforetime were disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water:

Why is there a Good Friday Tradition?

Guiding Point 14 of 16

Many Christians ask the question on why there is the tradition of celebrating the Crucifixion on Friday?  This, as noted above, the Good Friday comes from the misunderstanding of John 19:42 "Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.".  The "day of preparation" lead to the belief that it was before the Sabbath day of Saturday. 

Year of the Crucifixion

Guiding Point 15 of 16

Using the amazing prophecy given to Daniel, by the Angel Gabriel in the 69 Weeks of Daniel Chapter 9 scriptures, the calculations give us a date of 5-Apr-0032 AD, when using the start date of 14-Mar-445 BC.  Different Biblical Scholars have disagreements on the year, while all agree on the number of 173,880 days that transpired from start date to date revealed is correct, the following points are debated:

To aid in verifying the vicinity of the year, we can look at "The Annals, Book XV", where Tacitus states that

"Cristus, from whom the name ['Christian'] had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of the procurators, Potntius Pilatus..."  

Pilate was the Roman procurator of Judea from 0026 AD through 0036 AD.  

From the scriptures, we know:

Working from all these points of information, it can be determined that Jesus Christ was crucified in his early 30s. 

Note that according to most Biblical Scholars, the birth of Jesus Christ was before 0001 AD and there is no 0 AD.   Some Biblical scholars point to Jesus' birth to be in the year of 4 BC.   The month Nisan is one of the months on the Jewish Calendar.

Final Summary

Guiding Point 16 of 16

Putting a day of the week of the Crucifixion was straight forward, but a challenging task to lay out all of the proofs because the majority of Christian like to hold on to a "Good Friday" tradition.  Putting a year on the calendar for the Crucifixion is problematic but actually very important. 

Sir Robert Anderson's book, The Coming Prince, places the Crucifixion Year as 0032 AD and the Crucifixion as Thursday on page 54 based on his calculation on Daniel Chapter 9.  The year, proposed in this author's topic vs. The Coming Prince, might be revised later.

This author respectfully disagrees with Sir Robertson Anderson's day of week choice, while believing his book is an awesome analysis and proof, because the problem is:

  1. Three days in the "heart of the earth", Matthew 12:40 and others, are required as the Scriptures detail.  When thinking about a Thursday afternoon death on the cross, it does not add up to three 24-hour days in the earth, so it has to be Wednesday so that Jesus Christ's resurrection can happen on Sunday before dawn.
  2. Additionally, there seems to be the parallel with 3.5 days that match the Two Witnesses period of death as God uses patterns and models throughout His entire Scriptures. 

Regarding the year analysis, the author believes the calendar estimates for a specific Jewish day mapped to a specific Gregorian calendar day are not always accurate and are difficult because of the lack of good records in history regarding a date to a day of the week, even with computer modeling.   

No matter what mankind has on calendars of ancient times, God's precision is perfect and newer scholarship research will always yield to the proof of the scriptures.  Even with our different theories of day of week mapped to a calendar day, the prediction of the Messiah in the Book of Daniel's 69 Weeks  points to Jesus Christ and to no one else in history.    

What to read next?

The Crucifixion Psalm, Abraham's Location with Isaac,  Risen - 4 Gospels and is there a discrepancy on Easter? and Noah's Ark rests the day before Christ's Resurrection.  What is Salvation?  Is it possible to lose Salvation?  We have eternal life Evolution is not real.  When a Christian suffers is there benefits from it.  Rewards in heaven.  Do we Tithe?  What does the 3rd Commandment tell us?  What is Grace and Mercy?  Is there an Age of Accountability?  Is there a place of unending punishment and exile form God?