THE CRUCIFIXION AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST:

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS

I) INTRODUCTION:

The key to understanding the chronology of the events leading up to and including Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection is that there were two Sabbaths in that week, with a day of preparation between them. Note that the word for Sabbath in Mt 28:1 is plural. This makes all of the Gospel accounts fall into place. The fulfillment of Christ's words become clear. A correct harmonization of all the facts will bear this out.

A) [Mt 28:1]:

"After the Sabbaths, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb."

"opse ..de .......sabbatOn .....tE ........epiphOskousE eis .............mian

"After but the Sabbaths [pl] at [the] dawning ..........toward the first

.......sabbatOn [pl] ...Elthen mariam hE magdalEnE..."

day of the week ........came ...Mary ....the Magdalene..."

There are two occurrences of "sabbaton" in this verse. The first use of "sabbaton" is in the genitive plural and occurs in the phrase "after the sabbaths" which refers to a point in time "after the sabbaths" - referring to more than one sabbath. This phrase is then followed by and paralleled with "toward the first day of the week" where 'week' = 'sabbaton', genitive plural.

Considering the word rendered "first" which modifies the second "sabbaton", genitive plural; we must conclude that this second 'sabbaton' refers to a "week", or period of seven days.

on Sabbaths

This proves that there was more than one "Sabbath" during the week Jesus was crucified. The first day of the feast of unleavened bread was past. Sabbath number one beginning on Wednesday Evening. And the second sabbath which was past was the weekly Saturday sabbath. The point in time after the sabbaths is stipulated as on the first day of the week = "sabbaton" when the first trip to the empty tomb is recorded = Sunday dawn.

II) OUR LORD WAS CRUCIFIED IN 32 AD

A) PROPHECY IN GOD'S WORD PINPOINTS 32 AD AS THE YEAR IN WHICH OUR LORD WAS CRUCIFIED

Prophecy in God's Word pinpoints 32 AD as the year in which our Lord was crucified. Daniel 9:25-27 stipulates a period of 483 years from the time of the decree of Artxerxes in 445 BC to Nehemiah to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem to the time when our Lord was crucified in 32 AD:

1) [Dan 9:25-26]:

(v. 25) " 'Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the Ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens'. It [Jerusalem] will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.

(v. 26) After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One [Jesus Christ] will be cut off [i.e., excecuted as a criminal] but not for Himself. [Then] The people of the ruler [the Antichrist] who will come will destroy the city [of Jerusalem] and the sanctuary [of the temple]. The end [of human history as we know it] will come like a flood. War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed."

2) [Nehemiah 2:1-8]:

(v. 1) In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before;

(v. 2) so the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart." I was very much afraid,

(v. 3) but I said to the king, "May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?"

(v. 4) The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of heaven,

(v. 5) and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."

(v. 6) Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.

(v. 7) I also said to him, "If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah?

(v. 8) And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king's forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.'''

a) ARTAXERXES LONGIMANUS, KING OF BABYLON, ISSUED A DECREE IN 445 B.C. TO REBUILD JERUSALAM

"From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem", (Dan 9:25) =

Artxerxes Longimanus, king of Babylon, issued a decree [Heb = "dabar" = command, decree, (cf. Est 1:19)] to permit Nehemiah to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. King Artaxerses did this on the Jewish calendar month and day of Nisan 1, 445 B.C., (Mar 14); (cp Nehemiah 2:1-8). Full Details

b) THE TIMESPAN FROM ARTAXERSES' DECREE TO THE FIRST 'PALM SUNDAY' IN AD 32 IS PROPHESIED BY DANIEL AS 483 YEARS OR 173,880 DAYS

c) THE BEGINNING OF ARTAXERSES' REIGN IN VIEW IN NEHEMIAH 2:1=8 & THE DECREE TO REBUILD THE JERUSALEM WALL IN DAN 9:26 IS 445 BC

Artaxerses' 20th year of reign was 445 BC. It was in the month of Nisan that Nehemiah received his commission to rebuild the wall which translates to Nisan 1.

The edict given by Artxerses needs to be pinpointed in history in order to test the accuracy of Daniel's prophecy. Artxerses Longimanus, historians have established, began his first year of rule in 464 B.C.. His 20th year of reign then being 445 B.C. Objectors point away from Artxerses Longimanus to other rulers of Medo-Persia in order to avoid the astonishingly miraculous accuracy of Daniel's prophecy. Many objectors point to another Medo-Persian ruler, Cyrus, who issued an edict to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem. But notice that the edict was only to rebuild the temple, not the whole city:

i) [Ezra 1:2]:

"This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: 'The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and He has appointed me to build a temple for Him at Jerusalem in Judah."

Still other objectors to setting the commencement date of this prophecy in Dan 9 as 445 B.C. point to another date, 457 B.C. when Artaxerxes, king of Persia issued a decree to Ezra authorizing him to reinstitute the Temple services, appoint judges and magistrates, and teach the Law. But notice that a rebuilding of Jerusalem was not specifically stipulated:

ii) [Ezra 7:11-26]:

(v. 11) "This is a copy of the letter King Artaxerxes had given to Ezra the priest and teacher, a man learned in matters concerning the commands and decrees of the LORD for Israel:

(v. 12) Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings.

(v. 13) Now I decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including priests and Levites, who wish to go to Jerusalem with you, may go.

(v. 14) You are sent by the king and his seven advisers to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God, which is in your hand.

(v. 15) Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his advisers have freely given to the God of Israel, whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,

(v. 16) together with all the silver and gold you may obtain from the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests for the temple of their God in Jerusalem.

(v. 17) With this money be sure to buy bulls, rams and male lambs, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and sacrifice them on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem.

(v. 18) You and your brother Jews may then do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, in accordance with the will of your God.

(v. 19) Deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles entrusted to you for worship in the temple of your God.

(v. 20) And anything else needed for the temple of your God that you may have occasion to supply, you may provide from the royal treasury.

(v. 21) Now I, King Artaxerxes, order all the treasurers of Trans-Euphrates to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, a teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of you--

(v. 22) up to a hundred talents of silver, a hundred cors of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, a hundred baths of olive oil, and salt without limit.

(v. 23) Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and of his sons?

(v. 24) You are also to know that you have no authority to impose taxes, tribute or duty on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants or other workers at this house of God.

(v. 25) And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates--all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach any who do not know them.

(v. 26) Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment."

Furthermore, when carefully considered, the 445 B.C. propecy date works out perfectly to that first Palm Sunday when our Lord first presented Himself as Messiah/King to Israel riding on a foal of a donkey; after which, as the prophecy goes, He was indeed rejected thereupon after that "cut-off", i.e., crucified. The date of that Sunday was Nissan 10 [Apr 6] A.D. 32.

[Sir Robert Anderson states, The Coming Prince, 10th ed. (repr., Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1984, pp. 121-122 ]:

"The date of Artaxerses' reign can be definitely ascertained...by the united voice of secular historians and chronologers. .....The Persian edict which restored the autonomy of Judah was issued in the Jewish month of Nisan. It may in fact have been dated the 1st of Nisan, but no other day being named, the prophetic period must be reckoned according to a practice common with the Jews, from the Jewish New Year's Day:

'On the 1st of Nisan is a new year for the computation of the reign of kings and for festivals' - Mishna, treatise. Rosh Hash.

So when an event is dated as it was in Nehemiah 2:1, without a particular day of the month stated, then the first of the month was intended. The final proof of this is established when the precise number of days prophesied in Daniel points back to Nisan 1."

In accordance with the Jewish custom, the Lord went up to Jerusalem upon the 8th Nisan, 'six days before the Passover'. But as the 14th of Nisan, on which the Paschal Supper was eaten, fell that year [32 A.D.] upon a Thursday, the 8th was the preceding Friday. He must have spent the Sabbath, therefore, at nearby Bethany.

a) [Jn 11:55; 12:1]:

(v. 11:55) "When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover.

(v. 12:1) Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead."

On the evening of the 9th, after the Sabbath had ended the Supper took place in Martha's [Lazarus'] house. Upon the following day, the 10th Nisan, He entered Jerusalem as recorded in the Gospels - the first Palm Sunday. The Julian date of that 10th Nisan was Sunday the 6th April, A.D. 32. Four days later, was the Annual Passover Sabbath.

[G. B. Airy, Royal Observatory, Greenwich, England stipulated what date the new moon was in 444 Astronomical Year, i.e., 445 BC Julian Calendar Year]:

'''June 26th, 1877. "SIR, — I have had the moon’s place calculated from Largeteau’s Tables in Additions to the Connaisance des Tems 1846, by one of my assistants, and have no doubt of its correctness. The place being calculated for — 444 [Astronomical Year, i.e., 445 Julian Calendar year], March 12d. 20h., French reckoning, or March 12d. 8h. P. M., it appears that the said time was short of New Moon by about 8h. 47m., and therefore the New Moon occurred at 4h. 47m. A. M., March 13th, Paris time. "I am, etc., " (Signed,) G. B. AIRY.'''

[Anderson goes on to say]:

"...In B.C. 445 the new moon by which the Passover was regulated [was] on the 13th of March at 7h. 9m. A.M....courtesy of the Astronmer Royal... Royal Observatory, Greenwich. [England] June 26th, 1877.... And accordingly the 1st Nisan may be assigned to the 14th March."

3) THE TIMESPAN FIGURED IN MODERN HISTORY YEARS IS 173,880 DAYS

Since the Hebrew calendar has a 360 day year, the 483 years in Daniel 9's prophecy must be translated into 476 Julian calendar years with adjustments as follows:

The intervening period therefore was 476 Julian Calendar years and 24 days (the days being reckoned inclusively, as required by the language of the prophecy, and in accordance with the Jewish practice).

476 Julian years x 365 = 173,740 da calendar yrs

Add days fm Mar 14 [1st day of new moon] thru Apr 6 [when the prophecy pinpoints our Lord's presentation of Himself as Messiah] = 24

Add for leap years [see below*] 116

[*A total of 476 years divided by four (a leap year every four years) gives 119 additional days. But three days must be subtracted from 119 because centennial years are not leap years, though every 400th year is a leap year]

Total days 'til Christ crucified = 173,880da

Compare to Daniel's prophecy: 69 weeks of years x 7yrs/wk = 483 Jewish cal yrs 483 x 360da/Jewish yr = 173,880da

B) OUR LORD'S PUBLIC MINISTRY BEGAN IN THE 15TH YEAR OF TIBERIUS CAESAR POINTING TO AD 32 AS THE YEAR OF THE CRUCIFIXION

1) [Lk 3:1]:

"In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar--when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene -"

2) [Jn 2:11-13]:

(v. 11) "This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and his disciples put their faith in Him.

[Notice that we are in the time frame of our Lord's first year of His incarnate ministry]

(v. 12) After this He went down to Capernaum with His mother and brothers and His disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

(v. 13) When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem."

According to Lk 3:1, our Lord's public ministry began in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar. And according to Jn 2:11-13, it began shortly before the Passover. The date of it can thus be fixed as between August A.D. 28 and April A.D. 29. The Passover of the crucifixion therefore was 3 yrs later according to the Gospels in A.D. 32 when Christ was betrayed before the Passover, and put to death when the Sacrificial Lamb was to be slaughtered in preparation for the Passover Meal.

III) SUNDAY DAY NISAN 10 AND SUNDAY EVENING NISAN 11

A) AT THE END OF 483 YEARS THE MESSIAH WILL PRESENT HIMSELF TO ISRAEL AND THEN HE WILL BE EXECUTED AS A CRIMINAL [CRUCIFIED] BUT NOT FOR HIMSELF, I.E., NOT FOR WHAT HE HIMSELF DID

1) [Dan 9:26]:

"After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One [Jesus Christ] will be cut off [i.e., excecuted as a criminal] but not for Himself. [Then] The people of the ruler [the Antichrist] who will come will destroy the city [of Jerusalem] and the sanctuary [of the temple]. The end [of human history as we know it] will come like a flood. War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed."

"After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One [Jesus Christ] will be cut off but not for Himself." =

"karat" = cut off, executed as a criminal.

"but not for Himself" = but not for what he did himself =

The Messiah, the anointed one, was executed [= "karat"] as a criminal, but not executed for something He did Himself [='but not for Himself"]. The Messiah Jesus Christ, (Christ = "Anointed One"), died for the sins of the whole world, paying that penalty for all mankind who will ever live, (1 Jn 2:2); and not for anything He did Himself. At the end of the stipulated period of 483 years which began when Nehemiah received the decree from Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem on Nissan 1, 445 B.C; our Lord presented Himself as Messiah exactly 173,880 days later when He rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey - Sunday, April 6, 32 A.D., [Nisan 10] (Mt 21:1-11). Shortly thereafter, the text says: "After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off..." So after this presentation of Himself as Ruler on Palm Sunday April 6, 32 A.D., [Nisan 10] the Lord Jesus Christ, the "Anointed One" was crucified as a criminal "but not for Himself" as the prophecy in Daniel predicted.

2) OUR LORD'S TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM TO PRESENT HIMSELF AS THE MESSIAH, SON OF DAVID;LATER HE WEEPS OVER JERUSALEM, LOOKS AROUND AND THAT EVENING RETURNS TO BETHANY WITH HIS DISCIPLES

IV) MONDAY DAY NISAN 11 and MONDAY EVENING NISAN 12

A) JESUS CURSES THE FIG TREE, CLEANSES THE TEMPLE, VISITS WITH SOME GREEKS, RESPONDS TO UNBELIEF OF THE CROWD AND THAT EVENING RETURNS TO BETHANY

V) TUESDAY DAY NISAN 12 AD 32

A) JESUS AND THE DISCIPLES CAME INTO JERUSALEM TO CELEBRATE THE PASSOVER. JOHN AND PETER WERE SENT AHEAD TO LOCATE A PLACE AND MAKE PREPARATIONS

1) [Lk 22:7-13 (cref. Mt 26:18-19; Mk 14:12-18)]:

(v. 7) '''Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.

(v. 8) Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover."

(v. 9) "Where do you want us to prepare for it?" they asked.

(v. 10) He replied, "As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters,

(v. 11) and say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?'

(v. 12) He will show you a large upper room, all furnished. Make preparations there."

(v. 13) They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.'''

VI) TUESDAY EVENING NISAN 13 AD 32

A) STIPULATIONS OF THE PASSOVER MEAL

1) [Lev 23:5-8]:
(v. 5) "The LORD's Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month.

[Note that the Passover meal is stipulated here to be observed on the 14th of Nisan every year. Thereafter on the 15th day of Nisan is a Sabbath day that begins a Sabbath Week - the Feast of Unleavened Bread, wherein every day for seven days thereafter is a Sabbath Day]:

(v. 6) On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD's Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast.

[Notice that the next day, (Gregorian calendar days: Saturday Eve/Sunday Day) begins 7 days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a Sabbath Week wherein every day for seven days thereafter is a Sabbath Day where no work is to be done, ending on the regular weekly Sabbath, (Gregorian calendar days: Friday Eve/Saturday Day)]

(v. 7) On the first day [of the Feast of Unleavened Bread = Gregorian calendar days: Saturday Eve/Sunday Day] hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.

(v. 8) For seven days present an offering made to the LORD by fire. And on the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work."

[Note that the seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread would be a regular weekly Sabbath, (Gregorian calendar days: Friday Eve/Saturday Day). So we have overall eight days' time in view from the Passover Sabbath Day through the next seven days of the celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread]

So the Passover Sabbath is to be observed in a specific way]:

2) [Compare Ex 12:1-6-11]:
(v. 1) '''The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt,

(v. 2) "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.

(v. 3) Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.

(v. 4) If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat.

(v. 5) The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.

(v. 6) Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.

[Notice that the Passover Lamb was to be slaughtered at twilight on Nissan 14]

(v. 7) Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.

(v. 8) That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.

(v. 9) Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire--head, legs and inner parts.

(v. 10) Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it.

(v. 11) This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover.

(v. 12) On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn--both men and animals--and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.

(v. 13) The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

(v. 14) "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD--a lasting ordinance.

(v. 15) For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.

(v. 16) On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat--that is all you may do.

(v. 17) Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.

(v. 18) In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day.

(v. 19) For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And whoever eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel, whether he is an alien or native-born.

(v. 20) Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread."

B) JESUS ATE AN EARLY EVENING MEAL WITH HIS DISCIPLES. IT DID NOT PROVIDE THE READER WITH KEY STIPULATIONS OF THE PASSOVER MEAL YET IT FULFILLED SCRIPTURE IN THAT THE PASSOVER MEAL SYMBOLIZED OUR LORD AS THE PASSOVER LAMB OF GOD WHO WAS TO BE SACRIFICED FOR THE PASSOVER TO TAKE AWAY THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD

1) [Lk 22:14-20]:

(v. 14) '''When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table.

(v. 15) And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

(v. 16) For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God."

(v. 17) After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you.

(v. 18) For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."

(v. 19) And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

(v. 20) In the same way, after the supper He took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.'''

2) [Compare Ex 12:1-6, 14-20]:
(v. 1) '''The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt,

(v. 2) "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.

(v. 3) Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.

(v. 4) If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat.

(v. 5) The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.

(v. 6) Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.

[Notice that the Passover Lamb was to be slaughtered at twilight on Nissan 14]

(v. 14) This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD--a lasting ordinance.

(v. 15) For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.

(v. 16) On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat--that is all you may do.

(v. 17) Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.

(v. 18) In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day.

(v. 19) For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And whoever eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel, whether he is an alien or native-born.

(v. 20) Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread."

3) [Mk 14:12, 17-18, 20]:

(v. 12) "On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus' disciples asked Him, 'Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?

[The phrase 'the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread' commonly referred to the day of the preparation and slaughter of the Passover lamb which preperation was for and preceded the 7 day Feast of Unleavened Bread. According to Exodus 12:1-20 the Passover lamb was strictly to be sacrificed on Nisan 14 often moments preceding the Feast of Unleavened Bread beginning on Nisan 15]

The Bible Knowledge Commentary, NT, Walvoord and Zuck, Eds, Victor Books, USA, 1988, pp. 176, 174:

"The time designation, on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, would be Nisan 15 [Thursday Eve/Friday Day] strictly speaking. However, the qualifying clause... referring to the day Passover lambs were slaughtered indicates that Nisan 14 (Wednesday Eve/Thursday Day) was meant."

BKC, op. cit., p. 174:

"Preparations for the Passover meal.. - the highlight of the festival - included the slaughter of the Passover lamb which took place near the close of Nisan 14, by Jewish reckoning, Thursday afternoon. The Passover meal was eaten at the beginning of Nisan 15, that is, between sunset and midnight Thursday evening. This was immediately followed by the festival of Unleavened Bread celebrated from Nisan 15-21 inclusive, to commemorate the Jews' exodus from Egypt (cf. 12:15-20).

These two Jewish festivals were closely related and in popular usage were often destignated as the "Jewish Passover Feast' (an eight-day festival, Nisan 14-21 inclusive; cf. Mark 14:2; John 2:13, 23, 6:4; 11:55). So Nisan 14, the day of preparation, was commonly called 'the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread' (cf. Mark 14:12; Josephus The Antiquities of the Jews 2. 15. 1)."

(v. 17) When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve.

(v. 18) While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me--one who is eating with me.

(v. 20) 'It is one of the Twelve,' He replied, 'one who dips bread into the bowl with Me.' " '''

[Notice that unleavened bread is not in view, nor is eating a roasted lamb]

4) [Compare Jn 13:1-5]:

(v. 1) "It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.

(v. 2) The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.

(v. 3) Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;

(v. 4) so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.

(v. 5) After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him."

For the following reasons this meal did not have in view key stipulations which are part of the Passover Meal:

a) Not held on Nissan 14

b) Participants were not wearing their cloaks tucked into their belts and sandals on their feet

c) Unleavened bread not in view

d) Roasted lamb not in view

e) Nobody was in haste.

On the other hand, in view of the circumstances of our Lord's imminent departure from mortal life, the meal our Lord celebrated according to Lk 22:14-20 was indeed intended as a Passover celebration which crescendoed to the cross at Calvary with our Lord the true Passover Lamb to be sacrificed for the sins of the whole world.

Note that Jesus could not have been the Passover Lamb if the Passover Sabbath had occurred before He died.

[Blunt's Dictionary of Doctrinal and Historical Theology Article, Paschal Controversy Page 543]:

Various difficulties have surrounded the reckoning of Easter from the first origin of the Christian Church. The three synoptic Gospels are unanimous [Matthew 26:17-19, Mark 14:12-16, Luke 22:7-9] in their statement that our Lord instituted the Holy Eucharist at his last Paschal Supper. St. John is equally precise in saying that the Jews would not enter the judgment hall 'lest they should be defiled' through blood pollution, and be precluded from eating the Passover in the evening [John 18:28]. How came it then that our Lord should have celebrated the Passover on one evening and that the Jews should have deferred the memorial feast till the corresponding period of the next day? This is a real difficulty, but the following is probably the solution:

Since the appearing of the new moon determined the Jewish calendar, an assembly was held in the Temple, on the closing day of each month, to receive intelligence respecting the first [sighting] of the new moon. If nothing was announced, a day was intercalated; yet if the appearance of the moon was afterwards authenticated the intercalation was cancelled. This naturally caused much confusion, especially in the critical month of Nisan. Hence (Talmud, Rosh Hashanah Gem. 1) it was permitted that in doubtful cases the Passover might be observed on two consecutive days. For the intercalation of a day at Jerusalem could hardly be known in Galilee; and according to Maimonodies, in these more distant parts of Judaea, the Passover was in some years kept one day, at Jerusalem on another. Our Lord coming in from the country followed the letter of the Law, but the main body of the Jews observing the 'tradition of the elders', sacrificed the Passover on the following day, in consequence of the intercalation of a day in the preceding month. Thus our Lord ate the Passover on the evening of the 14th Nisan, and was upon the same day the 'very Paschal Lamb' by the death of the cross.

John Henry Blunt [not the 'coincidence' man]. Published 1892 'New Edition' published by Longmans Green & Co.

"Passover" was often applied to the entire Festival of Unleavened Bread, not just Passover day, so Jesus' eating of a "Passover meal" could have occurred at any time during the festival season.

C) AFTER THE EVENING MEAL, JESUS GOES OUT TO THE MOUNT OF OLIVES WITH HIS DISCIPLES AND PREDICTS PETER'S DENIAL

AFTER THIS CAME OUR LORD'S AGONY IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE

ON THE SAME NIGHT JESUS IS BETRAYED BY JUDAS ISCARIOT, ARRESTED, BEATEN AND TRIED IN THE SANHEDRIN ENDING AT DAYBREAK WHILE PETER DENIED OUR LORD THREE TIMES

VII) WEDNESDAY DAY NISAN 14 AD 32 THE DAY BEFORE THE ANNUAL PASSOVER

A) THE SANDHEDRIN HANDED JESUS OVER TO PILATE, CROWNED HIM WITH THORNS, CRUCIFIED HIM ON THE THIRD HOUR (9 AM), HE DIED ABOUT THE NINTH HOUR (3 PM), AND WAS BURIED BEFORE THE EVENING AND BEFORE THE PASSOVER SABBATH BEGAN (Mk 15:1-47)

1) [Compare Jn 18:28]:

"Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover."

[Notice that at this time the Passover meal was not yet in view]

2) [Compare Jn 19:12-18]:

(v. 12) From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, "If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar."

(v. 13) When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge's seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha).

(v. 14) It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. "Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews.

(v. 15) But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" "Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered.

(v. 16) Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus.

(v. 17) Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).

(v. 18) Here they crucified him, and with him two others--one on each side and Jesus in the middle."

3) [Compare Mk 15:42-43 ]:

(v. 42) "It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath). So as evening approached,

(v. 43) Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body."

VIII) WEDNESDAY NIGHT THE ANNUAL SABBATH BEGINS AT SUNSET NISAN 15 AD 32 Annual Sabbath begins at sunset. Sunset at this time of year in Jerusalem, is about 6:30 to 7:00 PM. The 15th of Nisan is the first Holy Day, high-day, or annual Sabbath of the 7-day festival of Unleavened Bread. It began at sunset on the 14th just after our Lord was removed from the cross - 'the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world'. A) [Mt 27:62]: (v. 62) "The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. (v. 63) "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' (v. 64) So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first." (v. 65) "Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." (v. 66) So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard."	N I G H T O N E
IX) THURSDAY DAY ANNUAL PASSOVER SABBATH NISAN 15 AD 32	D A Y O N E
X) THURSDAY NIGHT NISAN 16 AD 32 The annual Sabbath ends at sunset Thursday when Nisan 15 begins	N I G H T T W O
XI) FRIDAY DAY NISAN 16 AD 32 With the annual Passover Sabbath now over, the women bought and prepared spices for anointing Jesus' body. A) [Mk 16:1]: "And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary (the mother of James and Salome), bought sweet spices that they might come and anoint Him." B) [Lk 23:56]: [The women] "prepared the spices and ointments" and then they "rested on the Sabbath day according to the commandment." Thus, according to these two accounts, they bought the spices and prepared them after the Sabbath and yet before the Sabbath. There had to be two Sabbaths involved here with a day of preparation between them.	D A Y T W O
XII) FRIDAY NIGHT NISAN 17 AD 32 The weekly Sabbath begins at sunset Friday night. No work is to be done as commanded in the fourth commandment.	N I G H T T H R E E
XIII) SATURDAY DAY NISAN 17 WEEKLY SABBATH The women rested on the weekly Sabbath	D A Y T H R E E
XIV) SATURDAY NIGHT NISAN 18 RESURRECTION Jesus rose around sunset, exactly three days and three nights (72 hours) after burial, to fulfill the sign of Jonah and authenticate Jesus' messiahship. Jesus' promise was fulfilled exactly as he said it would. He said that, like the prophet Jonah, He would be entombed three days and three nights and that then He would be raised up from the dead after three nights and three days after His death and burial. A) [Mt 12:39-40]: (v. 39) '''He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. (v. 40) For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.''' B) [Mt 17:23; cp 20:19]: "They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life." And the disciples were filled with grief." C) [Mt 27:63]: "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' " D) [Mk 8:31]: "He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again." Note the all important word "after" indicating three days and three nights and nothing less.
The weekly Sabbath ends at sunset Saturday night.
XV) SUNDAY DAY NISAN 18 RESURRECTION DAY A) [Mk 16:1-8, cref. Mt 28:1-15; Lk 24:1-49; Jn 20:1-23]: (v. 1) When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. [Note that Mt 28:1 has the word "sabbatOn" = Sabbaths, plural indicating both the annual and weekly Sabbaths as having transpired] (v. 2) Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb [Notice that it was on Sunday, just after sunrise that Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome made their way to Jesus' tomb] (v. 3) and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" (v. 4) But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. (v. 5) As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. (v. 6) "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. [Notice that our Lord had already risen before sunrise Sunday day] (v. 7) But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' " (v. 8) Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.''' The women brought the prepared spices early in the morning while it was still dark. When they arrived they found that Jesus had already arisen. Jesus' resurrection had already taken place by the time Mary Magdalene arrived at dawn Sunday morning. (John 20:1-2) In Matthew's account he states that "In the end of [or after] the Sabbath(s), as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week" they came to see the sepulchre (Mt. 28:1) The original Greek word used here for Sabbath is actually plural and should be translated "Sabbaths." EVENT Matthew Mark Luke John After the annual and weekly Sabbaths Mt 28:1 Mk 16:1 Lk 24:1 Jn 20:1 Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome went to the tomb. An angel told them He has risen and will meet the disciples in Galilee Mt 28:1-7 Mk 16:1-8 Lk 24:1-8  Jn 20:1 The women ran to tell the disciples. They told the disciples. The disciples did not believe and went to the tomb to verify. Jesus appears a number of times to many and ascends to heaven Mt 28:8ff Not in the most reliable manuscripts Lk 24:8ff Jn 20:2ff