The Resurrection Was Not on Sunday
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The Resurrection was not on Sunday !" !"#$"#%&'(&)#*+%#,-. ABOUT THE COVER This is Golgotha, the Place of the Skull, upon which Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, was crucified. The natural caves in this small hill outside the walls of Jerusalem give the appearance of eyes, and, below the rock wall recently built by the Arabs, another set of gaping holes representing the nose and mouth — hence the name of the hill. Immediately to the left is the Garden Tomb, which once belonged to Joseph of Arimathea, where Jesus was buried. Was Jesus three days and three nights in the grave, as He said in Matthew 12:40? Can you figure three days and This booklet is not to be sold. three nights between sunset It is a free educational service in the public interest, published by “Good Friday’’ and sunrise Eas- the Worldwide Church of God. ter Sunday? t is commonly supposed today that Jesus was crucified Printed in the U.S.A. on Friday, and that the resurrection occurred about I sunrise on Easter Sunday morning. 1952, 1971, 1972 edition Few professing Christians have ever thought to ques- tion or to prove this “Good-Friday-Easter” tradition. Yet The original copyright of this edition was claimed by the Worldwide Church of the Bible tells us to prove (test) all things. And you will be God. However, since Mr. Armstrong’s death in 1986, the Worldwide Church of God, which he founded to continue his evangelical efforts, has repudiated his literally astounded by this proof. writings and has sought to use copyright to prevent the publication of his writings, For proof there is but one dependable authority, a sole including this booklet. Therefore, this edition is being re-published exactly as the historical record — the Bible. original edition authorized by Mr. Armstrong by the Herbert W. Armstrong Library and Archives as a free educational service in the public interest as Mr. Armstrong intended from the beginning. Contrary to popular belief, copyright laws of the Tradition No Proof United States cannot be used to withhold information from the general public. There were no eye-witnesses to the resurrection. Even Therefore, this text is considered public domain. Anyone may re-print this edition as long as Mr. Armstrong’s byline is maintained and as long as none of the text so-called “apostolic fathers” had no source of information is altered, amended or modified in any way. For more information, please visit www.HerbertWArmstrong.org 4 The Resurrection Was Not on Sunday The Resurrection Was Not on Sunday 5 save that record which is today available to us — the ludicrous in the extreme. For explain this away they must, biblical revelation. Any tradition, then, which conflicts or their “Good-Friday-Easter” tradition collapses. with God’s revelation must be dismissed. One commentator says, “Of course we know that What are the recorded facts? Jesus was actually in the tomb only half as long as He The doubting Pharisees were asking Jesus for a sign — thought He would be!” Some expositors impose upon our supernatural evidence — in proof of His Messiahship. credulity to the extent of asking us to believe that “in the Jesus answered: “An evil and adulterous generation Greek language, in which the New Testament was written, seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, the expression ‘three days and three nights’ means three but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three periods, either of day or of night.” days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son Jesus, they say, was placed in the tomb shortly before of man be THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS in the heart of sunset Friday, and rose at sunrise Sunday morning — two the earth” (Matt. 12:39-40). nights and one day. Now consider, please, the tremendous import — the overwhelming significance — of Jesus’ statement. The Bible Definition He expressly declared that the only sign He would But the Bible definition of the duration of “nights and give to prove He was the Messiah was that He should be days” is simple. just three days and three nights in the rock-hewn sepul- Even these same higher critics admit that in the cher in “the heart of the earth.” Hebrew language, in which the book of Jonah was written, the expression “three days and three nights” means a The Significance of the Sign period of 72 hours — three twelvee-hour days and three These Christ-rejecting Pharisees demanded proof. twelve-hour nights. Jesus offered but one evidence. That evidence was not the Notice Jonah 1:17: “And Jonah was in the belly of the fact of the resurrection itself. It was the length of time He fish three days and three nights.” This, they admit, was a would repose in His grave, before being resurrected. period of 72 hours. And Jesus distinctly said that AS Jonah Think what this means! Jesus staked His claim to was three days and three nights in the great fish’s belly, so being your Saviour and mine upon remaining exactly He would be the same length of time in His grave. three days and three nights in the tomb. If He remained As Jonah was in the “grave” (see marginal reference, just three days and three nights inside the earth, He would Jonah 2:2) 72 hours, after which he was supernaturally prove Himself the Saviour — if He failed in this sign, He resurrected by God, by being vomited up, to become a must be rejected as an impostor! saviour to the people of Nineveh upon proclaiming the No wonder Satan has caused unbelievers to scoff at warning to them, so should Jesus be 72 hours in His grave, the story of Jonah and the “whale”! No wonder the devil thereupon being resurrected by God to become the saviour has set up a tradition that denies Jesus is the Messiah! of the world. Did Jesus know how much time was in a “day” and in The Dilemma of the Higher Critics a “night”? Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in This one and only supernatural PROOF ever given by a day ... but if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth” Jesus for His Messiahship has greatly bothered the com- (John 11:9-10). mentators and the higher critics. Their attempts to Notice the Bible definition of the expression, “the explain away this sole proof for Christ’s divinity (deity) are third day.” Text after text tells us that Jesus rose the 6 The Resurrection Was Not on Sunday The Resurrection Was Not on Sunday 7 third day. Notice how the Bible defines the time required had been killed on Friday, and then after one day He had to fulfill “the third day.” risen, the resurrection would have occurred on Saturday In Genesis 1:4 God “divided the light from darkness. evening. If after two days, it would have occurred Sunday And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called evening, and if after three days, it would have occurred Night. And the evening [darkness] and the morning [light] Monday evening! were the first day.... And the evening [darkness] and the Examine this text carefully. You cannot, by any pro- morning [light] were the second day.... And the evening cess of arithmetic, figure any less than a full 72 hours — [now three periods of darkness called night — three three days and three nights — in a resurrection which nights] and the morning [now three periods of light called occurred three days after the crucifixion. If Jesus was in day — three days] were the third day” (Gen. 1:4:4-13). the grave only from Friday sunset to Sunday sunrise, then Here we have the only Bible definition which explains this text too, must be torn out of your Bible or else you and counts up the amount of time involved in the must reject Jesus Christ as an impostor! If He rose after expression “the third day.” It includes three dark periods three days, it might have been more than 72 hours, but it called “night,” and three light periods called “day” — could not have been a second less. three days and three nights, and Jesus said they contained Notice now Mark 9:31. “... They shall kill him; and twelve hours for each period — a total of 72 hours. after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.” The That ought to be conclusive! Any seven-year-old, near duration expressed here must be between 48 and 72 hours. the end of the second grade, could figure it easily. It could not be one second past 72 hours, and Jesus still rise the third day. And it could not be Friday sunset to What Is Wrong? Sunday sunrise, because that it only 36 hours, carrying us What is wrong with these plain, simple words of into the middle of the second day, after He was killed. Jesus? How do these wise and prudent theologians know In Matthew 27:63 Jesus is quoted as saying, “After Jesus was crucified “Good Friday” and rose “Easter Sun- three days I will rise again.” This cannot possibly be day”? figured as less than 72 full hours. The simple answer is, they do not know it — for it is And in John 2:19-21, “Jesus answered and said unto not true! It is merely tradition, a tradition we have been them, Destroy this temple, and IN three days I will raise it taught from childhood and carelessly assumed! Jesus warns against “making the word of God of none effect up...