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The Truth About The Sabbath Day
Questions and Answers Format By J. Dean
Question: What day is the Sabbath Day? Exodus 20: 8-11
Question: Does the sabbath day begin on the morning of the seventh day? Mark 8:31
Question: Doesn't the Bible clearly say he rose on "the first day of the week, at dawn?"
Question: Didn't Messiah have to wait until the sabbath day was completely over, to rise from the dead, in honor of the sabbath day? The idea that Messiah would have been breaking the sabbath day if he rose on the sabbath is just silly. He rose right at SUNDOWN on Saturday, when the sabbath was ending and the first day of the week was beginning! He didn't "wait" until the sabbath was OVER to rise, he rose right when it was ENDING! The only reason he did this was because the PROPHECIES had to be fulfilled. Question: Didn't Messiah die on FRIDAY?
Matthew 12: 39-40 They want us to FORGET he said three nights. In fact, some newer translations of the Bible DROP the three nights and have him saying "three days." Perhaps they do this so they can justify their MAN MADE OBSERVANCES of GOOD FRIDAY, EASTER, (which is actually a PAGAN holiday spelled "Ishtar" and pronounced "Easter"), and SUNDAY WORSHIP.
Yet, if Messiah died Friday, and rose Sunday at dawn, it means his PROPHECY of THREE NIGHTS in death was WRONG! Some argue that Mary Magdelene would NOT have waited 4 days to go to the grave on Sunday at Dawn. They teach the UNSCRIPTURAL notion that Mary was going to the grave to "annoint the body for burial." Thus, they say, "why did the women wait FOUR WHOLE DAYS seeing that by then the body would be decaying. This teaching comes STRAIGHT from the CATHOLICS and when Protestants make this argument they reveal themselves as a believer in Catholic Dogma, because the scriptures NEVER say the women were going on Sunday to do a "burial annointing." This teaching first appeared in Catholic Dogma. Those who make the "burial annointing" argument reason that if Messiah died on Wednesday, the women would have done so on Thursday, or even Friday, before the sabbath day, and that they would NOT wait until four days because the body would begin to decay by then. What's truly comical about this teaching is that they forget the most OBVIOUS! If the women were going to do a "burial annointing," wouldn't they have done it BEFORE he was laid in the tomb? The record of the Gospels showed that Joseph of Arimathaea took the body down off the cross in PLENTY of time to prepare it for burial and entomb the body before the SABBATH began! It makes no sense that the women would show up on Sunday morning to do a BURIAL ANNOINTING on the body of Messiah, if he died on FRIDAY, like the world claims. Thus, their "burial annointing" theory doesn't hold ANY water at all!
Matthew 27: 62 The argument, "why would the women wait so long to go to the tomb to annoint the dead body of Messiah," is a "straw man," because the FACT is, Messiah had already been prepared for burial BEFORE he was placed in the tomb! Nowhere in SCRIPTURE does it say that the women were coming to "prepare the body for burial." Why would they "prepare" a body for burial AFTER the tomb has been sealed. This makes absolutely no sense. It's just ONE example of how people grasp at straws, and pick and choose which scriptures they will quote to prove their doctrines, and they do NOT take the ENTIRE SCRIPTURAL RECORD into ACCOUNT!
The women were doing something else BESIDES a burial annointing!
Consider this. In Mark 16 it is recorded that on the way to the grave that morning they reasoned among themselves ""who shall roll away the stone for us: for it was very great." Think about that for just a moment. Here's a group of women supposedly going to do a burial annointing on the Messiah, since for some UNKNOWN reason they didn't get to do it before he was buried, and they don't bring a team with them to roll away the stone?
This makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE either! Furthermore, this was a GUARDED TOMB, how did they expect to get past the guards? The women KNEW and BELIEVED Messiah would rise from the dead! They didn't bring anyone to roll away the stone because they expected him to be risen from the dead! They knew he would rise "on" or "after" the third (full) day, so there was NO POINT in going to the tomb until AFTER the SABBATH DAY was over. However, they couldn't go there at night. No decent Hebrew woman would venture out at night. Only prostitutes go out after the sun goes down! They therefore waited until early Sunday morning. The spices they brought weren't burial tools at all, but were possibly GIFTS to present to their RISEN KING. We already know that it was tradition in those days to present KINGS with SPICES, because the three wise men brought spices to present to Messiah when he was born. Those who say they were going to do a "burial rite," sell these women short. SCRIPTURE never says they were doing a burial rite! Don't just take MY word for it though. The angel who greeted them at the tomb KNEW they were coming to seek a RISEN MESSIAH! That's why he asked them "why do you seek the living among the dead?" (Luke 24: 5)He ACKNOWLEDGES OUTRIGHT that these women were SEEKING A LIVING MESSIAH when they came to the tomb. It's perhaps one of the greatest INJUSTICES of all time that evil men have WASHED OVER the fact that these women were SO FULL OF FAITH in the words of MESSIAH, that even when his OWN DISCIPLES were doubting his resurrection, here they came, after the third day, as early as they could reasonably get to the tomb AFTER the time he predicted he would rise, ready to GREET HIM WITH GIFTS OF SPICES! The only people that say this are those who then want to make an issue of them arriving so late on Sunday morning and want to say "if he died on Wednesday, why did the women wait until the fourth day to do a burial rite." This is deception at it's best, first CREATE a LIE that the women were going to do a burial annointing, then use that lie to PROVE that "they certainly wouldn't have waited four days to do a burial rite, because by then the body would be in decay." Thus, they are willing to even CREATE lies in order to prove their LIE that Messiah died on Friday afternoon!
In John 20: 9 it APPEARS to say the disciples didn't know that Messiah would rise from the dead!
John 20: 9 Yet it would be ODD if the DISCIPLES DIDN'T KNOW of Messiah's PREDICTIONS OF RISING FROM THE DEAD, especially since you consider at least FOUR OF THEM WROTE OF THESE PREDICTIONS IN THEIR GOSPELS! The PHARISEES KNEW MESSIAH CLAIMED HE WOULD RISE FROM THE DEAD, AFTER THE THIRD DAY, so much so they had Pilate post guards. Yet, the disciples, who followed Messiah, didn't KNOW THIS? Absurd!
What this verse in John is actually telling us is that the disciples didn't know the EXTENT of the SCRIPTURES' PREDICTIONS CONCERNING THE RESURRECTION, and it's letting us know that HAD THEY KNOWN and UNDERSTOOD the prophecies they wouldn't have been so doubtful of MESSIAH'S PREDICTIONS, and wouldn't have been so pessimistic when the event took place!
Consider this inconsistency. "In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week came Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary to see the supulchre." Nothing here is mentioned about them coming with oils to do a burial annointing! It says
they came to "see" the sepulchre! More interesting still is the wording "in the end of the sabbath,
as it began to dawn on the first day of the week." Any expert will tell you that the sabbath day
ended at sundown on Saturday and that the "dawn" or beginning of the first day is sundown
Saturday. In fact, ask any Jew when the sabbath day ends, they'll tell you the same. It's been this
way for millenniums.
Am I trying to say they came at sundown on saturday to the tomb? No, it merely tells us that
and earthquake had occurred at the "end of the sabbath, at the dawn of the first day" (which was
Saturday sundown. Remember, the translators get to put the chapter, verse and punctuation into these sentences. I believe the sentence ended at the word, "week," and a new sentence started at
"Mary." Like this:
"In the end of the sabbath day, when it began to dawn on the first day of
the week. Came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, to see the
sepulchre." I also believe that verse 2 belongs in the above sentence, like this:
"In the end of the sabbath day, when it began to dawn on the first day of
the week. Came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, to see the
sepulchre," and BEHELD there WAS (or HAD BEEN) a great
earthquake."
Then a new sentence:
"For the angel of the Lord had descended from heaven, and came and
rolled back the stone from the door and was sitting upon it, (when they
arrived)." The author, or the translators got mixed up in the chronology, that's all that happened. The
way it's written now, we have a Gospel, supposedly written by a Jew, that appears to say the
sabbath day ends at dawn on the first day of the week. I tell you now, this is impossible.
Something may have been done to this verse, and if so, it would have had to have been done by
someone who recons the beginning and the end of the day at dawn, someone with Roman or
western reconning. Jews, especially Jews of Messiah's day, did not recon days in this fashion!
Jews of today's modern world have been largely westernized, and therefore, they do recon days
from dawn til dawn, but not the Sabbath day. Obedient, practicing Jews still end their sabbath at
Saturday Sundown, not dawn on Sunday. Matthew 28 APPEARS to say that the women were present at the tomb when the stone was rolled away, yet all the other Gospels say they FOUND the stone already rolled away!
Consider THIS contradiction. In John 20: 16-17 Mary sees the Messiah outside the tomb and she's told not to touch him because he hasn't yet ascended to the father, then in verse 27 of that same chapter Thomas is encouraged to thrust his finger into his wounds! When did he ascend, between verses 17 and 27 OR later, as per Acts 1:9 ? John 20: 17 Could he have ascended to the Father sometime after he spoke with Mary, but sometime BEFORE he spoke with Thomas. This is the only thing that would explain this contradiction, yet, popular teaching is that he only ascended to the Father once, in the beginning of the book of Acts! Thus, most just shrug their shoulders at the contradiction, and say "oh well, maybe women couldn't touch him but men could." They have no SCRIPTURE to back up this theory, but they use it anyway. As you can see, if we believe the popular teachings concerning the death and resurrection of Messiah, which are usually based on one account, and not based on the ENTIRE record, these teachings create TERRIBLE INCONSISTENCIES that can NEVER BE RECONCILED. The fact is, if we believe almost any popular teaching about the resurrection without question, then the accounts of the Messiah are so GARBLED and INCONGRUENT that it becomes almost impossible to piece together exactly what happened that day, much less on which day it happened. This is why we say that it is irrelevant and not important to know on which day Messiah died, and which day he rose, and we sure aren't going to do what some have done, such as going so far as to hire astronomers to prove a certain day! The entire argument becomes ridiculous in the extreme! It's enough for us to know that Messiah died and was raised again "on" or "after" three days! Yet, it is amazing that the world IGNORES the three days AND three nights prophecy of Messiah and teach he was only in the tomb for TWO NIGHTS! Yet, what is TRULY astounding is that they CONTINUALLY IGNORE the fact that the sabbath day ENDS at SATURDAY SUNDOWN, not DAWN on Sunday. Every account in EVERY gospel states that the women showed up at the tomb "AFTER THE SABBATH DAY." Every account says that they found the TOMB EMPTY! Yet, they want to say that DAWN is the end of the SABBATH DAY, and that's when the RESURRECTION occured. Yet, in NO account do the women find a risen Messiah inside the tomb or even exiting the tomb! Furthermore, in all the accounts angels tell the women "he's not here, he has already risen!" The women DID show up at dawn, that is clear. However, Yahshua Messiah could have risen "at the end of the Sabbath Day," 12 hours earlier and was NOT in the tomb when the women arrived! If he had risen at DAWN like they say, they may have seen the Messiah being resurrrected, and stepping out of the tomb when they arrived at dawn! BUT . . . the tomb was already empty at dawn! Yet, they quote the scriptures that say the tomb was empty, and use them to try and prove that Messiah rose at dawn. That is what is the MOST incredible of all! If he rose at dawn and they arrived at dawn, why wasn't he there before them? Why was the tomb empty, and why did the angels say, "why are you looking for him here, he's not here, he's already risen?" When some scriptures say he rose "on" the third day," and others say "after" three days, it's only because he arose RIGHT AT THE END OF THE THIRD DAY, when the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK WAS BEGINNING, which, any obedient Jew will tell you is at SUNDOWN on SATURDAY! It then becomes a matter of understanding that while he rose"on the third day," since it was at the END of the day, then it was also, "after the third day." Many have made an issue of this, and we have to wonder why? Should it really matter on which day he was crucified, or on which day he rose, as long as we believe he died and rose again? NO, it doesn't matter at all! So why do they make such an issue of it? Could it be so that they can say that Messiah DID AWAY WITH THE SEVENTH DAY SABBATH? Could it be just to defend the "Lord's Day," doctrine?
What surprises me is that I have found Seventh Day Adventist sites that DEFEND the Friday crucifixion doctrine, and using the SAME arguments that the Catholic Church has used for centuries! One has to WONDER why? The answer is simple. They are LEGALISTS, and they want to say that the third day COULD NOT BE the sabbath day, because, that would mean Messiah rose on the sabbath day, just as it was coming to an end, and in their mind, that means he BROKE the sabbath! Ridiculous! Furthermore, they do not want to let go of the PAGAN holiday of EASTER. They are a part of the PAGAN ROMAN CHURCH, despite their claiming to worship on the Sabbath day!
By propogating this teaching, that DAWN SUNDAY was the end of the Sabbath, the Seven Day Adventists DISHONOR the BEGINNING of the sabbath, "friday sundown to Saturday dawn." Why, then, do they end the sabbath at Saturday sundown, if they REALLY believe that Messiah rose at dawn, and they believe this was "the end of the sabbath day?" They have one foot on the the fourth commandment and the other on the foundation of Pagan Rome!
I went to one Seventh Day Adventist site where they go so far as to ask "astronomers" to prove that Messiah died on Friday and rose on Sunday at dawn!
PROVING THAT MESSIAH DIED ON WEDNESDAY AND ROSE ON SATURDAY
If messiah rose on Sunday, at dawn, and died Friday afternoon, there exists, in scripture, glaring contradictions that can never be rectified! Here's what the scriptures SAY about Messiah's crucifixion and resurrection:
Fact 1. He died during daylight hours. This fact is undisputed by all and is verified by all 4 written accounts which state that the sun was darkened at the moment of his death. Fact 2. He would be dead for three whole days and three whole nights. This fact is highly disputed, by MANY. Those who contest this view maintain that Messiah's words are "not to be taken literally." In other words when messiah said "for three days and three nights," he didn't MEAN three days and three nights, he only meant "three days." One question looms in our minds when confronted with this strange belief. If he didn't MEAN 3 days AND 3 nights, THEN why did he SAY three days AND three nights? Why did he compare his death to Jonah in the belly of the whale? Why not just say "for three days," and stop there? To those who teach he didn't mean 3 days AND 3 nights, we ask, why does Messiah NOT say what he means? Is he trying to confuse us? Messiah makes a specific point of saying 3 days AND 3 nights, and he calls it a "sign," or in other words, a demonstration, to prove that he is a prophet! It occurs to us that a sign (or prediction) is only good if it comes to pass EXACTLY as it was predicted! In light of God's reputation in the scriptures of fulfilling EVERY UTTERANCE of His prophets, to the LETTER, and in light of the accuracy of all the OTHER predictions ever uttered by the prophets, it seems highly unlikely that Messiah's prediction of 3 days AND 3 nights would not be fulfilled EXACTLY as he said! In fact, it's LUDICROUS to think so! Therefore, based on these truths, we conclude that the 3 days AND 3 nights death of Messiah is an INDISPUTABLE fact. All who say otherwise are, well, they're just liars! If Messiah was only dead 2 nights, as they claim, then the Messiah was contradicting himself, and who then can trust his words at all? Seeing that they are faulty? Fact 3. The gospel accounts say that at dawn on the first day of the week his tomb was found empty. This fact is also UNDISPUTED by most. All 4 Gospel accounts say the same thing. Where the arguments arise is when people try to say he ROSE at dawn! Most who do this quote Matthew 28: 1-4.
Yet, even if the women DID see the stone rolled away by an angel, and experienced an earthquake, it doesn't mean they witnessed the resurrection at dawn. The angel they found sitting on the stone told them "the Messiah isn't here, he's already gone." (PAST TENSE) Matthew 28: 5-6
It's interesting to note that those who quote Matthew 28: 1-4 to support the notion that Messiah rose at dawn, RARELY quote Matthew 28: 5- 6, because the angel tells them that Messiah isn't there, that he already rose before they arrived! That, my friends, is DELIBERATE DECEPTION on their part!
In no court of law could the testimony of these women be used to PROVE Messiah rose when they arrived at the tomb, at dawn! All their testimony proves is that he was already risen by the time they got there, and that his tomb was empty! Yet, they INSIST on using this verse as "proof" that he rose at dawn! Incredible!
The questions still remain. If he rose at dawn, at the time the stone rolled away, why didn't they see him walk out of the tomb? Why did Messiah, who said you could have faith to move mountains, need an angel to roll the stone away for him? Finally, if the women were present at the moment of the resurrection, why was the tomb empty, and why were they told, "he isn't here?"
Fact 4. The scriptures say Messiah rose "on" the third day. This fact somewhat in dispute, but only because most don't understand the sabbath ends on sundown Saturday. Yes, most verses say "on" the third day. The only thing that is being disputed is which was the "third" day? Was it Sunday, a they maintain, or was it some other day? Yet, other verses say "after" the third day. If Messiah rose at DAWN on SUNDAY, it's hard to fathom how there could be ANY CONTRADICTION like this in scripture. For if dawn was the time, and Sunday was the third day, then he DEFINATELY ROSE ON THE THIRD DAY! The only thing that explains such a seeming contradiction is if he rose at a point in time when there was a GREY AREA as to whether it was the third day, or the day after. This special time is indisputable and ONLY OCCURS at SUNDOWN SATURDAY! Therefore, we submit, the fact that some verses say "on" the third day, and others say "after" the third day is the GREATEST EVIDENCE OF ALL that Messiah rose at SUNDOWN SATURDAY, when the sabbath day was ending, and the first day of the week was beginning.
Have you ever walked up to someone at midnight and asked them what day it is? If it's a saturday night at midnight and you ask most people, they'll say it's "saturday," yet, technically, it's "Sunday." Yet, both would be right, it all depends on how you look at it! In this same way, at sundown on Saturday, using the Hebrew reconning, it's a matter of VIEW whether it's the seventh day, or the first day of the week. That's why Hebrews wait until DARK, for fear of profaning the sabbath day !
So, when one Apostle records "on" the third day, and another records "after" the third day, they really aren't contradicting each other at all, IF Messiah indeed rose at Sundown on Saturday. The same can't be said if Messiah rose at DAWN on Sunday. In that case, SOMEONE IS WRONG! Either the Righteous Seeking Apostles, or those uninspired hellinized (pagan by choice) Jews who translated the Bible! Easy choice! Fact 5. Messiah died on the preparation day for the High Sabbath. This fact is not in dispute either! The scriptures clearly record that it was in fact the preparation day for a high sabbath when Messiah died. What is in dispute is, many try to say that a high sabbath is ALWAYS friday. This is NOT so! The High Sabbath Days ARE the SEVEN "annual sabbaths, NOT the seventh day sabbath that occurs once a week." Those who say a High Sabbath is when an annual sabbath coincides with a weekly sabbath just don't know what they are talking about! A High Sabbath is and has always been an Annual SABBATH! This is a historical FACT and is easily proved, both scripturally, and by talking to any Rabbi. The fact that some teachers try to say otherwise just shows what terrible liars they really are! It also shows to what lengths they will go to defend their lying doctrines!
Mark 15: 42-43" And now when the even (evening is not dawn) was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
It could not have been Friday when Messiah died. We know that he was to remain dead for 3 days and 3 nights. If we count Friday as the first day (using inclusive reconning like they do) and we count forward we get:
Friday Dawn to Friday Sundown- Day 1
If they are right, and he died Friday, and he was to be dead for 3 days AND 3 nights, the earliest he could have risen was MONDAY AT DAWN. Yet, we know his tomb was empty by Sunday at Dawn! Unless you want to believe that Messiah was WRONG when he said 3 days AND 3 nights. Well, then he could have risen Sunday, but he'd have only been dead 3 days and TWO nights!
If Messiah died on Wednesday near the end of the day (when the passover lamb was being prepared), and we count Wednesday as day 1, (using inclusive reconning again), then Messiah would have risen sometime Saturday Morning, in which case the guards would not have had any reason to still be there come Sunday at Dawn, but would have awakened by then and gone to tell Pilate what happened! Here's how it looks on paper. Wednesday Dawn to Wednesday Sundown- Day 1
So you see "inclusive reconning" doesn't work in ANY of the possible scenarios. It just doesn't fit ANY SCRIPTURE. It only fits in the MINDS of those who use it!
Now, what if he died when we are saying, at Wednesday Sundown, and you DON'T COUNT WEDNESDAY because it's not a whole day, you have him rising at the very end of the sabbath day:
Tuesday at Sundown to Wednesday Sundown- (Last supper, trial and crucifixion, Messiah dies)
So you see, using this reconning ALL of the scriptures concerning the death and resurrection can be true, with NO contradictions, and the three days and three nights prophecy was fulfilled EXACTLY! Messiah died on Wednesday, just as the day was ending and the PASSOVER LAMB was prepared, and he arose on Saturday (the third day) just as it was ending and just as the first day of the week was beginning. (Thus he rose "on" the third day, yet at the very end, "after" the third day was spent).
The Catholics and Protestants want to DENY this truth because it DESTROYS their "Lord's Day" doctrine and their worshipping on SUNDAY rather than the rightful sabbath. The Seventh Day adventists want to DENY this truth because they legalistically want to say Messiah can NOT have risen "on" the Sabbath Day. I had one vocal Adventist at a large web site tell me I was "trashing" the Sabbath day, and he threatened me and my family in a very ugly letter! Yet, the truth is the truth! NO amounts of threatening or slandering, or ugly words can change the truth!
All we really have to do is count BACKWARDS from Sunday Dawn, when they say Messiah rose, and take into account ALL the scriptures and we see, like the Bereans, that "these things" CANNOT "be so."
They say Messiah rose at DAWN on SUNDAY and that constitutes the "third day." Sunday Dawn- -Day 3
So, as you can see, in order for Messiah to have risen at Dawn on Sunday, and for that to have been the third day and third night since crucifixion, he'd have had to die sometime after sundown on Thursday and BEFORE Dawn on Friday, and that would have been the first night. Yet, that would contradict the ONLY SCRIPTURES that are currently UNDISPUTED and do not contradict themselves at all. Namely that Messiah died during daylight hours. That's the ONE thing the Gospels agree on without dispute, and it's threatened by their DOCTRINES!
One argument is made by some on this subject that BEGS to be answered!
I will quote from Joe Crews, a once popular radio minister who was extremely vocal about the Friday crucifixion. Quote: "Please think for a moment! When Jesus walked with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus on Sunday afternoon, after the resurrection, Cleopas said, "Today is the third day since these things were done." Luke 24:21. No one denies that this was on Sunday. But listen, if Christ had been crucified on Wednesday afternoon, Cleopas would have had to say "Today is the fifth day since these things were done." Count it for yourself - Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and most of Sunday! Later the same day - the first day of the week - Christ made this statement: "Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day." Luke 24:46. Crews borrows from the Catholics in this argument. It's not a new argument but has been put forth by NUMEROUS Bishops over the ages. Yet his first obvious error is in counting FIVE days. This he does, again, because he does NOT understand that a day ends at SUNDOWN! At the very most Cleopas only added ONE day in his statement! Let me explain. If Messiah died, as we contend on Wednesday, and If Cleopas was, indeed talking to Messiah on the FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK (the day he rose from the dead) and IF he was referring to the number of days since crucifixion, then he should indeed have said "today is the fourth day since these things were done." However, when Cleopas was talking to Messiah in this passage it was no longer the first day of the week, several days had already passed from when they found the tomb empty when this conversation takes place. All you have to do is READ the entire TEXT of the conversation to figure this out. This is just yet another example of how badly they twist scripture and take things out of context to prove their DOCTRINES. Notice Crews does NOT quote the entire text of this conversation but only one verse. Let's look, then, at the entire TEXT.
Luke 24: 13- 21 The second error in their logic is they ASSUME when he says "this is the third day since all these things took place," that he's saying "it's now three days since he was crucified." He's actually saying "this is the third day since the tomb was found empty! Cleopas says it was the third day since "all these things took place" and he doesn't just talk here about Messiah's crucifixion, he also mentions his MINISTRY, in verse 19.
"Yahshua of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people."
Cleopas also mentions the betrayal and the trial of Yahshua.
"And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemed to death, and have crucified him."
So when Cleopas says "today is the third day since ALL these things were done," he's talking about ALL of the events that occured even MONTHS before the crucifixion! Then he mentions the resurrection!
It is OBVIOUS to the NON-BIAS READER that Cleopas is saying that three days had passed since EVERYTHING in his story took place, including the RESURRECTION. People, this conversation took place THREE DAYS into their journey, day one being the day they found his tomb empty. They had been walking for three days, on their journey to Emmaus, which was three score furlongs from Jerusalem! He was simply saying to the someone that appeared to be a stranger to him, but dressed like someone from Jerusalem, "where have you been buddy? Three days ago the word went out that Messiah's tomb was found empty."
The three days in this passage has NOTHING AT ALL TO DO WITH the number of days Messiah was DEAD! Talk about grasping at straws. You might as well go through the Bible and everywhere the term "three days" appears, try to make it into a reference to the death and resurrection of Messiah!
It becomes clear, once you study what is taught by them concerning the Messiah, that they are DESPERATE to hang onto their misguided notion that Messiah died on Friday and rose on Sunday. This teaching is PINNACLE to their entire RELIGIOUS STRUCTURE. One of their most sacred of holidays (the pagan EASTER) would be adversely affected if the truth came out. Not to mention Good Friday. Not to mention their worshipping on Sunday rather than the sabbath, (or in the case of the Seventh Day Adventists) their worshipping from Saturday Dawn to Sunday Dawn and calling it the "sabbath."
Those who think the Seventh Day Adventists are advocating the sabbath of the Lord couldn't be more wrong. They have created a NEW SABBATH DAY, one that starts at DAWN SATURDAY and ends at DAWN ON SUNDAY, and they use the SAME LIES that are used by the Organized Religion to justify this CHANGE in GOD'S LAWS! It is a last ditch counterfeit, created on the part of the Ecumenical Movement to sucker in all those who might begin to see the truth concerning the sabbath day!
What an eye opener that is!
If you want to read a BETTER and more SKILLED proof of the Wednesday crucifixion I recommend Dan J. Love's article. Here is a link to that article.
http://www.sabbatarian.com/Resurrection.html FINALLY I leave you with this thought!
Brethren, be not deceived.
J. Dean Click The |
