Passover Timeline for Jesus
On what day of which month was the Passover lamb sacrificed?
Numbers 28:16 "And in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, is Jehovah's passover."
The Passover lamb was sacrificed(killed) on the 14th day of the 1st month, according to these 10 texts => Exodus12:6,18; Leviticus23:5; Numbers9:3,5;28:16; Joshua5:10; 2Chronicles35:1; Ezra6:19; Ezekiel45:21 .
More about the Passover => http://sidnash.org/docs/Passover.html
Of what or who was the Passover lamb a symbol?
According to Paul, our Messiah is "our Passover". He "has been sacrificed in our place." ( 1Cor5:7 ).
From this, we know that Messiah was sacrificed(killed) on the 14th day of the 1st month.
How were/are days numbered?
1️⃣This is how our Messiah numbered days => Luke 13:32 ... Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today{1st day} and tomorrow{2nd day}, and the third day{3rd day} I complete my mission.
|
Today=1st day 1️⃣ |
Tomorrow=2nd day 1️⃣ |
Day after tomorrow=3rd day 1️⃣ |
The key here is to recognize that Messiah wasn't counting 24-hour days, but rather was numbering the days, similar to labeling. The day after tomorrow was labeled as the 3rd day which makes tomorrow the 2nd day and makes today the 1st day.
This is consistent with how we sometimes use the English language now. Here is an example => "Today{1st day}, I will leave for a trip and will return on the 3rd day, meaning I am also traveling on the 2nd day."
From this, we understand that since Messiah was killed on the 14th day, we can assign the 1st day of His death to the 14th day of the month(Nisan or Abib). 2️⃣
|
Today=1st day 1️⃣ Nisan 14 2️⃣ Messiah killed 2️⃣ |
Tomorrow=2nd day 1️⃣ |
Day after tomorrow=3rd day 1️⃣ |
Luke 24:1 Now upon the first day of the week{Sunday}... 20 ... the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. 21 ... to day{Sunday} is the third day since these things were done...
From this, we see that not only did Messiah die on the 14th{1st day}, but we also see Him alive on the 16th{3rd day} day of the month.
We also know that Messiah was killed and then raised on the 3rd day, according to these 12 texts => Mt16:21;17:23;20:19; Mk9:31;10:34; Lk9:22,18:23;24:7,20-21,46; Ac10:39-40; 1Cor15:4;
Here is one of those spoken by Jesus on Sunday, Nisan 16 => "He{Jesus} said to them, Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,"( Lk22:46 )
Since Messiah was raised on the 3rd day, we also know that Messiah was buried on the 1st day.( 1Cor15:3-4 ) 3️⃣
From all of this, we know that Messiah was not only alive on the 16th{3rd day}, but He was also raised on that same day{3rd day}, "the first day of the week"( Lk24:1 ), Sunday the 16th day of the month. 4️⃣
|
Today=1st day 1️⃣ Nisan 14 2️⃣ Messiah killed2️⃣ & buried3️⃣ |
Tomorrow=2nd day 1️⃣ Nisan 15 Messiah dead |
Day after tomorrow=3rd day 1️⃣ Nisan 16 Messiah raised on Sunday 4️⃣ |
What did Jesus mean by 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth?
Matthew 12:40 for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Compare this with Matthew 17:23 => "they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again".
Notice that all other texts speak in terms of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd days, each day meaning sunset-to-sunset. This infers 2 nights in the tomb. But, this text speaks of 3 nights "in the heart of the earth" What's with that?.
Let's consider that Jesus also talked about other things that would happen to Him on the same day, before they killed Him =>
- "they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him"( Mk10:34 ).
- "The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes"( Lk9:22 ).
- "The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men"( Lk24:7 ).
When and where did all these things happen? It all started when He was arrested sometime after sunset(during the dark hours of night early on the same day He was crucified - Nisan 14). While in the Garden of Gethsemane near Jerusalem, He was taken captive to "be delivered into the hands of sinful men" to "suffer many things" from the church leaders, then the Roman government. Most of this happened during the night - all night. He was then put on the cross(crucified) mid - morning( Mark15:24 )5️⃣. It was about 6 hours later when He died in the mid-afternoon( Matthew 27:46 )6️⃣, and then was buried before sunset( 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 ).
While we are still thinking about those three nights "in the heartGreek:kardía of the earthGreek:ghay", let's consider two Greek word definitions from Strong's Concordance:
-
G2588 "kardía"; the heart - figuratively, the thoughts or feelings of the mind; also, by analogy, the middle. Since the earth has no mind or thoughts, Jesus must have used the word "heart" as an analogy to refer to "the middle" of the earth. So, let's modify our phrase-in-question to "in the middle of the earthGreek:ghay".
-
G1093 "ghay"; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the earth (including the occupants). Considering this definition and what we know about what happened to Christ the night before His crucifixion, do you think Jesus may have been referring to the country of Israel as "a region" "of the earth", when He used the word "ghay"(translated "earth")? If so, let's make that substitution to our phrase-in-question => "in the middle of Israel".
Now, what do you think the Jews would have thought of as the middle(or center) of Israel? I'm pretty sure they would say "Jerusalem"! If you agree, then this could be the meaning of what Jesus said =>
Matthew 12:40 for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in Jerusalem under the control of "sinful men" ( Lk24:7 ) - the church leaders who used the "state"(Rome) to enforce the the dictates of the church - just like in Rev13.7️⃣
Now, the only change to our timeline to accommodate Mt12:40 is to recognize the night of Nisan 14 as one of the "three nights".
|
Today=1st day 1️⃣ Nisan 14 2️⃣ Messiah taken captive after sunset(the beginning of Nisan 14), charged with fake crimes against the Jews during the night, and tortured in the morning 7️⃣ Messiah put on the cross in mid-morning5️⃣ and died in the mid-afternoon 6️⃣2️⃣ Messiah was buried on the same day3️⃣, not long before sunset. |
Tomorrow=2nd day 1️⃣ Nisan 15 Messiah dead |
Day after tomorrow=3rd day 1️⃣ Nisan 16 Messiah raised on Sunday 4️⃣ |
Here is another plausible explanation, with the same conclusion => https://www.talkgenesis.org/heart-of-the-earth/ 7️⃣
Why does all this matter?
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Desiring to live by every word that comes from the mouth of Jehovah ( Deut8:3; Matt4:4 )
-Sid Nash: 12/24/2024. Latest version: http://sidnash.org/docs/PassoverTimeline.html