Revelation of Jesus - I Am The Resurrection

[Albert Finch]

(Read Leviticus 23; Mark 15:33-47; Luke 23:44-56 & John 20:1-17)

Matthew 12:38-40 38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; 40for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

(The traditional view of a Friday afternoon crucifixion and entombment with a Sunday morning resurrection does not reconcile with Jesus’ statement “three days and three nights in the heart of the earth”.)

Luke 23:46-54 46And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last. 47Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent.” 48And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, beating their breasts. 49And all His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.50And a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man 51(he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God; 52this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain. 54It was the preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

 

 (The scripture points to the fact of His hasty burial because of the oncoming Sabbath.)

 

Leviticus 23:32 32“It is to be a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls; on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your sabbath.”

Genesis 1:5,8,13 5God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.8God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. 13There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

 

(The regular weekly Sabbath which was the seventh day of the week falls on Saturday but actually begins at sunset on Friday evening.)

 

John 19:31 31Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

Leviticus 23:6-7 6‘Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7‘On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.

Exodus 12:16-17 16‘On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten by every person, that alone may be prepared by you. 17‘You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent ordinance.

 (Leviticus chapter 23 speaks of seven annual holy days i.e. Sabbaths that could and usually did fall on the days of the week. John says that this approaching Sabbath was a ‘high day’. According to the biblical calendar, in that year, this high day Sabbath fell on a Thursday meaning that it began at sunset Wednesday night.)

 

Time line for burial and resurrection of Jesus:

 

Luke 23:44 44It was now about £the sixth hour, and darkness fell over £the whole land until the ninth hour.
John 19:39-41 39Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. 40So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.

 (Jesus died on the cross at three o’clock in the afternoon, Wednesday.)

Luke 23:53-54 53And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain. 54It was the preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

 (The day Jesus died on the cross was the day before the Sabbath, which began at sunset.)

John 19:31 31Then the Jews, because it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

Exodus 12:16-17 16‘On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten by every person, that alone may be prepared by you. 17‘You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent ordinance.

Leviticus 23:6-7 6‘Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7‘On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.

(The Sabbath, Thursday (the day after the crucifixion) was a ‘high Sabbath’ the first day of unleavened bread – one of God’s annual holy days which according to the biblical calendar fell on a Thursday (meaning it began on Wednesday night at sunset).

 

Mark 16:1-2 1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. 2Very early on the first day of the week, they came* to the tomb when the sun had risen.

(Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary (the mother of James) went a bought spices the day after the Sabbath (Friday) – since it would have been a Sabbath violation to buy on the Sabbath (Thursday).

Luke 23:55-56 55Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid. 56Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. (They returned and prepared spices and perfumes (Friday) and rested on the weekly Sabbath (Saturday). They would not have done such work on a Sabbath day, weekly or annual, since it would have been considered a Sabbath violation.)

Matthew 12:38-40 38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; 40for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

(Night 1 – Wednesday; Day 1 – Thursday; Night 2 – Thursday; Day 2 – Friday; Night 3 – Friday; Day 3 - Saturday.)

John 20:1-2 1Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came* early to the tomb, while it was* still dark, and saw* the stone already taken away from the tomb. 2So she ran* and came* to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said* to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”

(Jesus rose at or shortly after sunset Saturday evening. When Mary Magdalene came to the sepulcher before sunrise on Sunday (the first day of the week) Jesus had already risen!)

 

What happened on Sunday?

 

John 20:17 17Jesus said* to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” Matthew 28:9 9And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. (From between the time Jesus saw Mary

 (Sunday morning) until later that same day when the disciples held Him by the feet, Jesus had ascended to the Father to present His sacrifice.)

Leviticus 23:10-11 10“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land which I am going to give to you and reap its harvest, then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. 11‘He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.

 (The particular ‘day after the Sabbath’ referred to the Sunday that fell during the days of the unleavened bread. The particular ‘on your behalf’ in regards to the wave sheaf offering represented Jesus Christ offered up on our behalf.)

2 Corinthians 6:17-18 “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. 18 “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.

(As our resurrected High Priest He ascended to the Father to present Himself on our behalf – the perfect and unblemished sacrifice for our sins. At that time He was accepted by the Father as the Son of all the future sons and daughters of God.)

 

Hebrews 2:10 10For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.

 (This official acceptance of Jesus Christ as the first sheaf of the harvest, as the Captain and Author of our salvation was necessary before the rest of the spiritual harvest could begin.)

Leviticus 23:15-16 15‘You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. 16‘You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD.

(The Sunday on which the wave sheaf offering was made is also the day on which a count of seven full weeks began.)

Acts 2:1 1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. (This count of fifty days brings us to the feast of Pentacost.

(Greek – fiftieth or the feast of weeks.)

Galatians 1:4 4who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
Romans 8:23 23And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

(The spring harvest period is symbolic of all those who are being called and prepared for entering the Kingdom of God i.e. additional ‘first fruits’ that God is calling to salvation at this time by giving them His Holy Spirit.)