Keep the Sabbath, Saturday or Sunday & Rest in Christ

[sheep wrecked]

This is a response to Truth Seeker's post broken into parts.

PART 1

Quote:pastor: Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday: John 20:1

truthseeker: This dogma has not been proven. The empty tomb was discovered early Sunday morning (Mt 28:1; Mk 16:1, 2; Lk 24:1). Yeshua was crucified in the afternoon and laid to rest just before sunset. He was to spend three days and three nights in the tomb, not three days and two nights or three days and four nights or one and a half days or whatever. Leave off with which day He was crucified on for now and stick with the problem at hand. Three days; three nights. Sunset to sunset-one day. Sunset to sunset - one day. Sunset to sunset - one day. Three days and three nights. And then the tomb was found empty the first thing the next morning. Good! Now we're being "Berean."

Actually, it is clear from Scripture that Jesus was raised/arose on the first day of the week. The calendar day name for that day is Sunday as we know it.

Here are the Scripts:

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 sepulcher.
Mat 28:2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.
Mat 28:3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
Mat 28:4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
Mat 28:5 And the angel answered and said to the women, Fear not you: for I know that you seek Jesus, which was crucified.
Mat 28:6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.


Note that the text says "as it began to DAWN toward the first day of the week". "Dawn" in the Greek is G2020 epipho¯sko¯ which means "to grow light, to dawn" - from G2017 epiphauo¯ which means "to shine upon". This clearly means early morning, not early evening. Also; the word for "first day of the week" is G4521 sabbaton which means "a single sabbath, sabbath day or seven days, a week" - the "first day" means the first day of the week, which according our calendar is named Sunday.

Then, in verse 2 it says that the women had come to see the sepulcher and at the moment, was the earthquake; the angel of the Lord rolled back the stone and stated that Christ is risen.

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.
Mar 16:2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came to the sepulcher at the rising of the sun.
Mar 16:3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?
Mar 16:4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
Mar 16:5 And entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
Mar 16:6 And he said to them, Be not affrighted: You seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.

Note that Mark states when the sabbath was PAST and the women came "early in the morning the first day of the week" and "came to the sepulcher at the rising of the sun". Again, on Sunday/first day of the week.

I am curious how you arrive at the fact that Jesus arose during the night or after sunset because it is clear especially in Matthew 28, that the earthquake and the stone were rolled away at dawn. It tells us in Ephesians 2 that Jesus was raised with resurrection power. Are we to assume that you think Jesus arose from the dead on Saturday night and then several hours later there was an earthquake so strong that it threw the soldiers on the ground like dead men and a huge stone was rolled away? Are you saying that the power of God was delayed until long after the resurrection??? I think that has to be the weirdest thing I have ever heard

One other quick question. Why didn't the women, who were anxious to prepare Jesus' body, come at dusk instead of dawn the next day. The Sabbath was over, at least according to tradition - there was nothing stopping them

Quote:truthseeker:
He was to spend three days and three nights in the tomb, not three days and two nights or three days and four nights or one and a half days or whatever. Leave off with which day He was crucified on for now and stick with the problem at hand. Three days; three nights. Sunset to sunset-one day. Sunset to sunset - one day. Sunset to sunset - one day. Three days and three nights. And then the tomb was found empty the first thing the next morning. Good! Now we're being "Berean."

The Scripture never states that Jesus will be in the tomb for three days and three nights. This is what Jesus actually said:

Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The heart of the earth is not necessarily the tomb/grave. When Jesus stated that He would suffer, it is likely that this can be considered part of being in the heart of the earth, not just His burial. He was betrayed, beaten, and judged, scorned and mocked, then He bore our sin and was separated from God the Father, BEFORE His death and burial. His betrayal was the privotal point - the thing that put in motion the events of His death. It's interesting to note that the NT often refers to the "night He was betrayed", incidicating the horror of His suffering and death.

Jesus prophesied on every other occasion in the Gospels, that He would rise ON the third day. Also, according to Scripture, a part of a day can equal a full day as we see in the OT. Please note as well, that the length of the day changed with the difference in rising and setting of the sun - which can vary several hours dependent on the season of the year.

Mat 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to show to his disciples, how that he must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

This phrase - raised again the third day - appears 13 times in the Gospels. And also in Acts and in 1 Corinthians:

Act 10:40 Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly;

1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day
according to the scriptures: