Between Two Sabbaths: The Hidden Key to Christ's Resurrection Timeline

For generations, Christians have wrestled with a puzzling timeline: How could Jesus fulfill His prophecy of spending "three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" when tradition places His crucifixion on Friday and resurrection early Sunday morning? This seeming contradiction dissolves when we uncover a critical detail.

The key lies in understanding the Jewish festival calendar. During Passover week, there were actually TWO Sabbaths – the annual "high day" Sabbath that marked the beginning of Unleavened Bread, and the regular weekly Sabbath. Scripture specifically notes that Jesus was crucified on "the day of preparation" before a Sabbath that was "a high day" (John 19:31). This wasn't Friday preparing for the weekly Sabbath, but Wednesday preparing for Thursday's special feast Sabbath.

This revelation completely transforms our understanding of Holy Week's timeline. Jesus shared the Passover meal Tuesday evening (which in Jewish reckoning began Wednesday), was betrayed, tried, and crucified all within that same day, then buried before the Feast of Unleaven Bread Sabbath approached. The tomb held His body through Thursday (the special Sabbath), Friday (a normal workday when the women purchased spices), and Saturday (the weekly Sabbath). When the women arrived before dawn on Sunday, the resurrection had already occurred – perfectly fulfilling the "three days and three nights" prophecy of Jonah.

Beyond this fascinating timeline mystery, the podcast reminds us of the incredible promises awaiting believers – authority over nations, new names, white garments, and even sharing Christ's throne. Whatever challenges we face now pale in comparison to the glory awaiting those who remain faithful to Him.

Transcript

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Speaker Names

Speaker 1

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00:00

Welcome everyone. This is Russ Scalzo. Chronicles of the End Times. Thank you for being with me today. 

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00:17

Today is podcast 217, and I want to give a special shout out to folks who have been supporting the show, appreciate it so much. It means a lot to me and it helps out really in so many ways. I'd like to thank a couple of our new supporters, lauri and Judy. Thanks so much for supporting the show. It means a lot to me, and it goes a long way in this ministry. 

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00:43

Today we're going to look into the prophecy that Jesus spoke in Matthew, chapter 12, about his three days and three nights in the earth. Let's pick it up in verse 38. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him saying Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you. But he answered them. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. So we're going to look into how that is possible. According to Christian tradition, we celebrate that Jesus was crucified on Good Friday and then, before the sun came up Sunday morning, he was resurrected and the grave was empty. It's a very common question and discussion that happens over this scheduling. How could this possibly be? And there are so many different explanations that have been given through the years that you may have heard I know that I have Today. We're going to look at the timing of it and we're going to also look at the Sabbaths, because many of us may not know that there's an annual Sabbath and then there's a weekly Sabbath. 

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02:02

Now, the annual Sabbaths are described in Leviticus, chapter 23, verses 4 through 8. Let's take a look at that. These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them In the first month. On the 14th day of the month, at twilight is the Lord's Passover, and on the 15th day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread to the Lord. For seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, but you shall present a food offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. So there are special Sabbaths and these Sabbaths are tied to the feasts. So we have Passover and the seven days of unleavened bread. They're tied together. 

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03:00

So now we kind of start seeing, well, okay, so there's two Sabbaths here. Because in our minds we're thinking well, there's one Sabbath. Jesus was crucified on Friday. They wanted to take him down off the cross before the Sabbath because they didn't want to defile the Sabbath. And that was Saturday, the very next day. But we're going to see that that's not so that they were two Sabbaths in that week. 

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03:23

So let's take a look at it. It's a very interesting study and it's also a very debated thing. But you can look into this and it's kind of like going down a rabbit hole. But I hope to save you some time because I've been down the rabbit hole for you. But there's nothing stopping you from doing the same. We should always look into things and test them and prove them. Today we're going to let the scripture testify to itself. That's always the safest way of interpretation. So we're not going to twist anything or turn anything. We're just going to let the scripture talk and then we'll see what the outcome is. That's a good formula to prevent confusion. 

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04:02

Let's turn to Luke, chapter 22. He said to them Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters and tell the master of the house. The teacher says to you when is the guest room and where may I eat the Passover with my disciples? And he will show you a large upper room furnished. Prepare it there. And they went and found it, just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover. There are other scriptures we could look up. I encourage you to do so, confirm that, yes, Jesus did have a Passover dinner with his disciples and it was there that he was betrayed and also there that he instituted communion and the new covenant of his blood. Okay, let's march on. 

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04:48

Let's pick it up in verse 26. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives and Jesus said to them you will all fall away, for it is written I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered, but after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee. And Peter said to him even though they all fall away, I will not. Jesus said to him truly, I tell you this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times. But he said emphatically if I must die with you, I will not deny you. And they all said the same thing. Jesus went off to pray and we know that he came back three different times to try to wake them up, but they were tired, exhausted, I'm sure from the stress as well, and they slept. Finally, he comes back to them and he says are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough, the hour has come. The Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand. 

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05:51

Then we move on to Mark, chapter 15, in verse 1. And as soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and the scribes and the whole council, and they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him Are you the king of the Jews? And he answered him you have said so. So where are we now in the timeline? On Tuesday of that week, they prepared for the Passover, and the Passover would begin after the sun went down and that would be considered Wednesday. So at this point on the timeline it's Wednesday. All this is happening. At night they have the Passover dinner. 

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06:27

Jesus is betrayed by Judas. He goes off to pray on the Mount of Olives. The high priests and their soldiers come out to get him. He's betrayed by Judas with a kiss and he is taken to the Sanhedrin where they spit on him and mock him and try to come up with a reason to kill him that he is the Messiah, the Lord, god Almighty. So now they bring him to Pilate, and this is all still going on. Dawn is just coming on this Wednesday and he's now before Pilate. And this is the timeline. This is where it all starts to happen. After Pilate, he's turned over to them and then the crucifixion scene begins, with him coming up the Via Della Rosa carrying his cross to Calvary. 

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07:19

Let's take a look at Mark 15, verse 33. And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me and some of the bystanders hearing it said behold, he is calling Elijah. And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down. And you imagine the arrogance, it's really unbelievable Baiting him, baiting him, and if he wasn't who he was, fire would have come down from earth and licked them off the ground. But God is a merciful God and Jesus had a mission and he was going to complete it for you and for me. 

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08:09

Let's turn to John, chapter 19, beginning with verse 31. Since it was the day of preparation and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath for the Sabbath was a high day and the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead. They did not break his legs, but one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness. His testimony is true and he knows that he is telling the truth that you also may believe. That's the words of John, another prophecy fulfilled, because during Passover, the Passover lamb, those bones cannot be broken. Let's keep going in Mark. After these things, joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with spices, as in the burial custom of the Jews. Now, 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. So, because of the Jewish day of preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there. 

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09:44

When we read in verse 31, that, since it was the day of preparation and so the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath, for the Sabbath was a high day, and what does that mean? That was an appointed day, that was an annual day. So this is a different Sabbath. This is not a Saturday Sabbath. This is the beginning of the seven days of unleavened bread. So this is where a lot of confusion happens. So John calls this a high day, which means it's an annual one, it's a special Sabbath, but the other Sabbath was still to come, the weekly Sabbath. So where are we now? So Jesus had his Passover dinner, his betrayal and his trial and his execution all on the same day Because, remember, the day starts with the evening. So this now would be Wednesday. Tuesday evening came, turned into Wednesday and now Jesus is taken down from the cross and buried because the next day is the Sabbath. It's a high day, it's a special Sabbath, so they couldn't leave him up there. So now we skip Thursday being the high day, the Sabbath day, and we move to Friday. 

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10:53

Let's pick it up in Luke's gospel, chapter 23, verse 50. He gives a similar account, just a little more information Now. There was a man named Joseph from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man who had not consented to their decision and action, and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone where no one had ever been laid. It was the day of preparation and the Sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared the spices and ointments On the. So here we see that Luke gives us a little more information and he tells us that the women followed. Joseph of Arimathea saw where Jesus was laid, how he was laid. Arimathea saw where Jesus was laid, how he was laid, and then they went and they bought what they needed before the Sabbath came, because they could not buy anything on the Sabbath, nor could they create or prepare the spices anointments on the Sabbath. So the last line in Luke, chapter 23, says on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. So now we're at the weekly Sabbath, now we're on Saturday. 

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12:16

So what happens? On Sunday morning, on the first day of the week? At early dawn they went to the tomb taking the spices they had prepared and they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. But when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold two men stood by them in dazzling apparel and, as they were frightened and bowed down their faces to the ground, the men said to them why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but he has risen. Remember how he told you while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day, rise. So here we are, the ladies. They get there even before the sun comes up. So Jesus has fulfilled the prophecy that he told the scribes and the Pharisees. The only sign you're going to get is that the Son of man is going to go into the earth for three days and three nights, just like Jonah was in the great fish an entire three days and an entire three nights. 

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13:27

For me, this explains a lot. It answers the question about the three days and three nights. We don't have to manipulate them in some way to try to make it work in the space between Friday and before dawn on Sunday, because that's pretty much impossible. And we know that Jesus, what he says is true, and we know that he's fulfilling exactly the prophecy that he gave them. So having this other Sabbath, this annual Sabbath, this special Sabbath that was connected to the feasts, to me explains a lot on the timing of how all this works, and I believe the scripture speaks to it. So I hope this is a blessing to you and helps you understand. I'm one who likes to dig in the word and let the word talk to me. I hope you are too. 

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14:16

Now, as far as the Jewish calendar goes, this scenario that we just talked about fits perfectly into AD 31. You can study this. I've studied this for 50 years and there are a lot of good theologians who stand on different sides of the fence as to when Jesus was born, as to when Jesus died, and they all hover around AD 30 to AD 33. There are different opinions on that. As you look into it, you'll find there are many who disagree with each other as to exactly what year that was, but it seems to me that the New Testament is pretty clear how things went and the only possible match for that is AD 31. 

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15:01

I believe the scriptures we read today are really clear on exactly what took place. The bottom line is Jesus died for you and me and he loves us so much. That's the bottom line. When it happened to me, it's kind of cool to try to figure out and how things work and try to understand the scriptures, because I love doing that. But I know in my heart, no matter what, that I am saved because Jesus Christ decided to die for me, someone who does not deserve that type of grace. He's been merciful to me, kind to me, way over what I deserve. That is the truth, but that's the grace and the mercy of God. I hope this has been a blessing to you. I like kind of figuring these things out. There's a lot of good references on YouTube about it. Check it out, see what you think, but I do believe this is a good explanation of how Jesus could have been in the ground for three days and three nights. 

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15:58

I'd like to end with this Know this no matter what you're going through today, god has something for you that is going to blow your mind. Jesus Christ, the Father and the Holy Spirit, has got things coming that are beyond our imagination. And how do I know that? Let's look at the promises that Jesus made to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. I'm only going to read the blessing part, because that is what I want you to think about today, when we think about Holy Week and we think about the cross of Jesus Christ and his resurrection, which really we should be thinking about every day. 

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16:33

He says he who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God. That's one awesome promise. The next one he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death, that's, the death of the soul. Next to the one who conquers, I will give some of the hidden manna and I will give him a white stone with a new name written on it that no one knows except the one who receives it. This is how personal the Father is. We are not just a crowd of people, we are individuals. 

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17:13

And again he says to the one who conquers, who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself had received authority from my Father and I will give him the morning star. And he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. We are going to rule and reign with Jesus Christ. As hard as that is to believe, it is true. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Jesus, the Lord of all, confessing your name before the Father in heaven. Then again he says the one who conquers. I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered, and sat down with my father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. It doesn't get any better than that Ruling and reigning over the nations, with Jesus Christ. Jesus, sharing his throne with you. 

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18:27

If you're anything like me, I can't imagine In this flesh. I can't imagine. I know who I am. I know what God has delivered me from, even these 50 years of serving him. I am surely not worthy of any of that, but yet he promises it to us, and his promises are true. So, whatever you're going through today, you are a child of God. Continue to walk in him, continue to declare his name and continue to stand up for who he is and honor him with your life, because our reward is beyond our wildest dreams. This is Russ Scalzo for Chronicles of the End Times. Keep looking up. The King is coming. 

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