Three Days in the Bible

Created Date: 1-Jun-2017
A Messianic Purpose

Last updated: 11-Jun-2024
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Sections

1 Why Three Days?
2 Crucifixion and Three Days
3 The Scriptures with Three Days

Why Three Days?

There are numerous places in the Old and New Testament scriptures that reference three days that are prevalent with significance in pointing to the future Messiah Jesus Christ.  After the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, when Jesus Christ's Earthly body was placed in the burial tomb, then Jesus Christ spent three days accomplishing many things while His body stayed in a state of death which would be resurrected after the third day.

Some Biblical Scholars mention that there is more for us to discover from the time that Jesus Christ spent in lower Sheol, the prison reference of 1 Peter 3:19, that we will learn at the Great White Thrown of Judgment on what Jesus Christ said to the Fallen Angels.  This author agrees and would speculate the theory that Jesus Christ show cased His Victory over the specific actions of the Fallen Angels that were in prison there.  The imprisoned Fallen Angels would not have known what occurred at the Crucifixion Event.  See the topic on the Nephilim for learning on why these specific Fallen Angels were in prison in lower Sheol. 

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:

Crucifixion and Three Days

The Holy Spirit is the true author that was guiding authors of all the scriptures.  The Holy Spirit's use of Three Days in the scriptures show expositional consistency in the sixty six books written by over forty authors.  The expositional consistency is how forgeries of any writings in history were always easily eliminated. 

When we read the scriptures, there are patterns, idioms, numerical pattern use, and words that are always used in giving the reader a clearer understanding and more importantly the proof that the scriptures have their origination from God as the true author of the scriptures.  There is also amazing encryptions in the scriptures that are also undeniable proof of God's authorship.

Jesus Christ died on a Wednesday afternoon before sundown as sundown was the start of the next day when the Passover Meal was held.  Jesus Christ is the model that was the pattern and purpose of the Passover Lamb, that had no blemish (faults), that took away the sins in the Old Testament where Jesus Christ was the fulfillment to God's Glory!

The following is an excerpt from the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ topic:

  • The Noah's Ark rests on the Mountains of Ararat on the 17th of Nissan.  The seventh month in Genesis 8:4 is the Month of Nissan.  The flood water from this point forward is dissipating.  This date is the marker that Great Flood has been completed where Noah, Noah's family and all the animals are waiting for the time that God will instruct them to exit the Ark. 
    (a) They do not leave the Ark on the date, but the Flood is marked as over because of the resting on the Mountains of Ararat, where the next day is a new day of beginnings for Noah and his family as they now know the Great Flood was completed. 
    (b) Jesus Christ completed the three days in the Tomb on this same day where the next day is the day of new beginning as celebrated in the Feast of First Fruits.  Jesus Christ is the First Fruit of the Resurrection. 
    Genesis 8:4 and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
  • The Crucifixion Event occurred in the same location that Abraham performed his sacrifice.

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.

The Scriptures with Three Days

The scriptures below are just some of the many references to three days in the Bible which points the consistency of three days and the significance of it to God for the Crucifixion Event.  The Crucifixion Event is the Greatest Prophetic Event of History.  
 

 

 

Old Testament

Messianic?

1

Genesis 1:9-13

9 And God said, Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear. And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground land, and the gathered waters he called seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds. And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning the third day.   

This is known as the day of double blessing.  God blessed each day except for the 2nd day, which was Monday.  Not that there was anything wrong with Monday, it was just not blessed as good .  The on the third day, God says it is good twice.  Many Jewish weddings are held on Tuesday in the hopes of a double blessing. 

Yes

3

Genesis 22:4

It took 3 days for Abraham to reach the destination to offer Isaac up a burnt offering.  

It shows that Abraham trusted God to bring Isaac back from the dead, figuratively speaking.  At the moment that God told Abraham he was to sacrifice Isaac, then Isaac was dead in Abraham's eyes.  When God stopped Abraham hands after the third day of the initial pronouncement, it models the same as Christ being resurrected from the dead.

Yes

3

Genesis 42:17

Joseph was in the pit for most likely 3 days, in Genesis 37:24, before being sold by his brothers.  He was considered dead by his brothers during that period.  We can infer the three days by how Joseph handles his brothers during the testing of their visit to Egypt to buy food.  

And he put them all in custody for three days.

Yes
(in the model sense)

4

 Genesis 42:18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:  

 5

Exodus 19:11

and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 

There are four references to 3 days in this chapter.

  

 6

Joshua 1:11

Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, 'Prepare provisions for yourselves, for with three days you are to cross the Jordan, to go into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, to possess it.'

  

 7

Joshua 2:16

She said to them, "Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way."

  

8

Jonah 1:17

And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah.  And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.  

From Jonah 2:2, Jonah is praying from depth of Sheol which is the grave.  In other words, it appears that Jonah had died in the belly of the fish and God resurrected him.

Yes

 

 

New Testament

  

9

Matthew 12:40

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.

Yes

10

Mark 9:31

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.

Yes

11

Luke 2:46

After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

 

12

John 2:1-11

1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus mother said to him, They have no more wine. 4 Woman, why do you involve me? Jesus replied. My hour has not yet come. 5 His mother said to the servants, Do whatever he tells you. 6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, Fill the jars with water ; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet. They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now. 11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.  

Notice that we do not know why it was the third day but it is significant as the Holy Spirit mentioned it.  Also notice that this water is the water of purification for the high priest that Jesus used to turn into wine.

  

13

John 2:19

Destroy this temple, [of His body] and in three days I will raise it up.

Yes
14 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Yes
15 Luke 9:22 saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.

Yes
16 Luke 24:7 The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.

Yes
17 Luke 24:21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.  
18 Luke 24:46 The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,

Yes

19

Revelation 11:9

And they (Two Witnesses) of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 

Notice the 3.5 days, which is the same amount of time that Jesus was dead before being resurrected.

  

What to read next?

(a) Jesus Christ was crucified on Wednesday and then resurrected after three days (b) the Daughters of Zelophehad was required for the Royal Blood Line of Jesus Christ, (c) The Tenth Man, Blotted out and the Blood Curse of Jeconiah,, (d) Adam's Lineage carries the message of the Gospel

Some other areas: what is Salvation?  Is it is 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?