crucifixionresurrection

One understands the following passage, as above. There is one
important exception. There is a night on either side of the
<morrow>! Therefore, it is clear that morrow stands alone in the
sense that morrow is the daylight part of the day. Now the
question is, “Which night does this <morrow> go with? Does it go
with the night before or the night that followed it?” In a sunset
reckoning of the day one would understand the morrow as going
with the preceding night. In a sunrise reckoning of the day, one
would understand the morrow as going with the night that followed
it. The problem is that this passage does not tell us which night the
day (morrow) goes with! Therefore, one could make either
deduction because of a lack of information. However, nothing here
gives a sunrise reckoning any advantage over a sunset reckoning.
As we know that the sunset reckoning of the day is the biblical day
we can make a deduction from other scriptures with this one that
the first night and the following morrow made up the same sunset-
to-sunset day. The night that followed the morrow would go with
the morrow of the next day. In a sunset-to-sunset day of the
month, the <morrow> (daylight part of the day) always follows the
night.

Gen 19:33 And they made their father drink wine that night: and the
firstborn went in, and lay with her father; and he perceived not when she lay
down, nor when she arose.
34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the firstborn said unto the
younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father: let us make him drink
wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve
seed of our father.
35 And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger
arose, and lay with him; and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when
she arose.

The following verses are in the same category as above. Only if
one understands <morrow> to be a reference to the 24-hour day
does he become confused. The verses tell us that it was evening in
verse 11 and the next daylight period the Messiah left Bethany.
Here one might ask which evening does the scripture refer to.
There were two evenings in the New Testament just as there were
in the Old Testament. The definition for the Greek word #3798
can be either in the afternoon or after sunset.

It would seem that this was probably afternoon or “between the
two evenings” for they had some distance to walk before they
would reach Bethany and unless they wanted to be walking at night
they would have started their journey before sunset. In either
case, the <morrow> is a part of the previous evening of sunset and
not the following evening in a sunset-to-sunset day. One has to
begin with a sunrise-to-sunrise mentality to arrive at the conclusion
that <morrow> indicates a new day of the month.

*********************************************************
3798 oqiov opsios op'-see-os

from 3796; ;adj

AV-even 8, evening 4, in the evening+1096 1, eventide+5610 1, at
even+1096 1; 15

1) late
2) evening
2a) either from three to six o'clock p.m.
2b) from six o'clock p.m. to the beginning of night
*********************************************************

We have studied the four areas where Bacchiocchi believes there is
an indication for a sunrise reckoning of the day. There is no proof
for such an indication. The biblical day of the month is from sunset
to sunset. The biblical workday is from sunrise to sunset. All
scriptures fit into either the sunset to sunset (24-hour day) or the
sunrise to sunset (12-hour day) reckoning.

To Bacchiocchi’s credit, he admits that the indications for a sunset
reckoning of the day of the month are more abundant and explicit
than are the indications for a sunrise reckoning. We believe that
we have shown that the basis for those indications of a sunrise
reckoning of the 24-hour civil day is faulty deduction.

Many have read Bacchiocchi’s book and are now keeping the
Sabbath day based on this sunrise-to-sunrise theory. It is most
important that we do not jump to embrace an out of the ordinary
idea or to start some new trend before we do a good amount of
research. One needs to make sure before he leaps.

Sabbatarians should support both the sunset-to-sunset day of the
month reckoning and the <end of the Sabbath> resurrection. To
support any other idea tears at the very fabric of the Sabbath
structure of the bible.

It is important that those who understand the seventh day Sabbath
reinforce the understanding of a sunset-to-sunset day. The
resurrection took place just before sunset of the Sabbath. The
Messiah was in the heart of the earth three nights and three days,
just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three
nights!

The reason for this rebuttal to Bacchiocchi’s book began with our
reading of his post Pope’s Reason for Sunday Keeping. We wrote a
post to Bacchiocchi, which he never answered. We can understand
he would be very busy. Later a discussion concerning when the
resurrection occurred came up on a forum and Bacchiocchi
suggested his book about the timing of the resurrection. We got
the book to see if we had overlooked some important facts
concerning this subject and now as you can see, we have written
this rebuttal. It seemed intriguing that two scholars, Bacchiocchi
and Bullinger could disagree so completely. This was especially
true when one considers that Bullinger was a Protestant and
Bacchiocchi is a Sabbatarian. However, their conclusion would
seem contrary to their discipline of worship.

To come to a good conclusion, one needs to show not just that the
other person is wrong, but to prove his own point. The scriptures
show that there were indeed two Sabbaths after the crucifixion –
and before the first day of the week – in the year under
consideration. Moreover, one does not need to rely on the plural
form of the word <Sabbath> as suggested by Bacchiocchi!

In chapter 2, on page 32, Bacchiocchi has a heading, No Two
Sabbaths. Let us say that what he had to say there did not
convince us. We want to go into depth on that subject in this
chapter. The scriptures show clearly that there were two Sabbaths
and here is the proof we need to know that the Messiah was indeed
in the tomb 3 nights and 3 days as He said; and that He arose just
before sunset of the Sabbath, the third day in the tomb.

Bacchiocchi says, “nowhere do the Gospels suggest that two
Sabbaths intervened between the day of the Crucifixion and that of
the Resurrection”. One thing is for sure, there were two Sabbaths
that week, or the Passover Feast fell on the weekly Sabbath that
week.

Therefore, to begin with we have a 50-50 chance that there were
two Sabbaths that week! We have checked the 40-year period
from 1980 to 2020 and found the Passover Feast (Nisan 15th) fell
11 times out of the 40 on a weekly Sabbath. This looks like about
27.5% of the time that the Passover Feast falls on the Sabbath.
Therefore, just by chance one could expect that 72.5% of the time
one would anticipate two Sabbaths between the 14th of Nisan and
the Sunday that follows it. Of course, there would sometimes be
more than 3 days between the two Sabbaths. So, we checked to
see how many times Nisan 15th fell on a Thursday during that same
40 year period. Nisan 15th fell on Thursday exactly 11 times
during the same 40 year period. Just between these two
possibilities, there was a 50-50 chance that there were two
Sabbaths that year between the crucifixion and Sunday.

This is too high a chance to dismiss without a real search. We have
two theories here, #1) A Sunday resurrection and #2) A Saturday
resurrection. The first theory requires that there be only one
Sabbath between the crucifixion and the resurrection that week.
The second theory requires that there be two Sabbaths that week.

If the Passover Feast (Nisan 15th) never fell on a weekly Sabbath,
we would have our answer at once. However, the facts are that
about 27.5% of the time the Passover Feast does fall on a weekly
Sabbath. Therefore, we have to see if the Scriptures give proof for
two separate Sabbaths that week. Let us see what we can find.

Bacchiocchi considers only one argument for the two-Sabbath
view. He may be correct that the Greek often uses the plural form
when it refers to a single Sabbath. However, Matthew 12:5 does
not prove that point in the English! The addition of the word
<days> would not require that the word <Sabbath> also be in the
plural. Proper translation would seem to require that one translate
the word Sabbath into English in the plural if the context showed
that it referred to two or more Sabbaths by the one word. Young’s
Literal Translation uses the plurality of the Sabbath for Matthew
28:1.

Matthew 28:1 In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the
first [day] of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the
sepulchre.

YLT:
Matthew 28:1 And on the eve of the Sabbaths, at the dawn, toward the first
of (first day following) the Sabbaths, came Mary the Magdalene, and the
other Mary, to see the sepulchre,

Matthew 12:5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the Sabbath days
the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?

It is unfortunate that Bacchiocchi dismissed this particular
argument just because one finds the word Sabbath in the plural for
the singular and visa versa. For one should also consider the
context of the subject matter to see what the situation requires.

Mark says that when the Sabbath was past the two Marys
purchased spices so they could take them and anoint Christ’s body.
The Darby translation shows that the word <had> is not in the
original language. Several translations leave the word <had> out
of this verse. Fenton also leaves out the <had> in this verse and
uses simply the word “bought”. Fenton also indicates there were
two Sabbaths that week, for he uses the phrase, “following the
Sabbaths”. Here again we have two scholars disagreeing. Even
the New KJV leaves out the word <had>.

Mark 16:1 And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the
mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might
come and anoint him.
2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the
sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

DBY:
Mark 16:1 And the Sabbath being now past, Mary of Magdala, and Mary
the mother of James, and Salome, bought aromatic spices that they might
come and embalm him.

FENTON:
Mark 16:1-2, "Now when the Sabbath was over, Mary the Magdalene, and
Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought aromatic spices, so that they
might embalm him. And at very early dawn, following the Sabbaths, they
came to the tomb as the sun was rising."

NKJV:
Mark 16:1 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary [the
mother] of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and
anoint Him.

One question we need to ask is, If there was only one Sabbath that
week, this would have made it necessary for the two Marys to have
gone out after the sunset ending the Sabbath to make their
purchases. Would that be likely – not very! It would have quickly
become dark, and they would have had to stay up late into the
night to prepare the spices for an early start the next day.

However, notice a detail given in Luke 23:56! The women
returned and prepared spices and ointments and rested the
Sabbath day according to the commandment. This is vital
information. In Mark 16:1, we saw that the Sabbath was <past>
when the women bought the spices. In Luke, we see that the
women prepared the spices before the Sabbath! Now wait just a
minute! How could they buy the spices <after> the Sabbath and
prepare them <before> the Sabbath unless there were two
Sabbaths that week?

Luke 23:53 And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a
sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.
54 And that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on.
55 And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after,
and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.
56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the
Sabbath day according to the commandment.

With a 50-50 chance of this particular year having the Passover
Feast on a Thursday, as opposed to a Saturday, and the fact that
the women purchased their spices after the Sabbath and prepared
them before the Sabbath, we have our answer! There were two
Sabbaths during that 3-day period!

The soldiers crucified the Messiah on Wednesday afternoon; and
Joseph placed Him in the tomb just before sunset of the 14th
Nisan. At the point of sunset, the annual Holyday on the 15th of
Nisan began. The women kept this Annual Sabbath, and the next
day, which would have been a Friday for us, the women purchased
and prepared their spices. Then they kept the Sabbath according
to the commandment (the 4th) – the seventh day Sabbath. In other
words, they rested on this weekly Sabbath after having prepared
the spices following the annual Sabbath. Then at the beginning of
the dawn of the first day of the week they started their journey to
the tomb just as the light began to affect the darkness. When they
arrived, the Messiah was gone! He had arisen as He said – 3 days
and 3 nights after Joseph placed His body in the tomb – on the 3rd
day. Therefore, He fulfilled the 3 days and 3 nights, as 3 nights and
3 days. It was on the 3rd day according to the 24-hour sunset-to-
sunset reckoning and on the 3rd 12-hour day when He arose from
the tomb.

There is enough information after all to prove when the Messiah
arose from the dead. In this writing, we have seen all of the
“proofs” that the Messiah was raised on the first day of the week
collapse. Not one of them is true. The Messiah was clearly correct
in all that He said; therefore, He arose from the tomb in the end of
the two Sabbaths on the 3rd day as He said, after 72 hours in the
tomb.

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