21 Comments
  1. Hello Dr. Brown I like your show, I listen to it via internet. I have a question, I have looking for a good answer on the internet but none has convinced me, is really a tough question I think. In Mathew 12:38 Jesus said he was going to be in a thumb like Jonas in the whale for 3 days and 3 nights. But, his crucifixion was Friday, Saturday and resurrected on Sunday in the mid day. He stayed only 2 nights.. This prophecy was not accurate; ….”so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40)

  2. Dr. Brown,

    Have you heard of the doctrine of Kingdom Exclusion taught by Zane Hodges, Joseph Dillow, J.D. Faust, and others? I haven’t researched this position in detail, but I feel like it’s worthy of consideration on account that it supports the doctrine of assurance while maintaining a position of accountability for the believer with regard to consequences for a lifestyle of disobedience (e.g. exclusion from millennial reign). Hence, it may be a possible solution for the seemingly competing passages which (appear) to suggest both assurance, and loss of, of salvation.

    For instance, the parable of the 10 “virgins,” or the “friend” that made it to the wedding feast without the proper garments, or 1 Corinthians 3:15…

    Any thoughts?

    Blessings,
    Greg

  3. Dear Eric, I realize you were asking Dr. Brown, but if I may just throw in my opinion – I think you should check the Jewish calendar and see how the days, and nights work. It’s very different than our calendar, for example Sabbath is from Friday evening to Saturday evening. Because on the Hebrew calender the day ends when the sun goes down and a new day beings, and that ends when the sun goes down again, not a 12am to 12am day, but it is actually relying fully on the sun. This is a good chart to look at, http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/holidays.html

    If you scroll down to, “The Jewish Day”, you will see what I meant. Now that doesn’t speak about the 3 days and 3 nights, however it does show you how the Jewish day works. Hope this could be of some help, it’s just my opinion though, there could be another answer, more accurate, I am curious to see Dr. Brown’s answer too! God bless

    -Eric

  4. Eric O. and Greg,

    I’m unable to respond to lots of individual questions in this forum, but if I address them on the air, we’ll let you know.

    Thanks for listening to the program!

  5. Dr Michael L Brown…you promised to put up a link concerning the book on God’s love. Where is the link because I would like to order the book.

  6. Eric Ortiz…3 days and 3 nights was simply a Jewish idiom of saying 3 days, and part of a day was counted as a day. So in Jewish idiom Firday to Sunday was counted as 3 days and 3 nights or said another way 3 days. That is why in other places it just say 3 days only, and part of a day was counted as a day. So Firday to Sunday was three days irrespective of which part of the days you count. The New International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties by Gleason Leonard Archer, address this issue you can get it from amazon.com , also Josh D. McDowell, has address this matter in his works as well.

  7. Thank you for the link Dr Michael L Brown.

    Eric Ortiz…3days and 3nights are not to be taken literally as 3 twenty four hour periods with 3 literal nights and 3 literal days, in Jewish idiom it is to be taken figuratively. 3 parts of 3 days each with a part of a day each can properly fulfill the figurative idiomatic expression. So part of Friday, Saturday, and part of Sunday is more than enough to fulfill that Jewish figurative idiomatic expression.

  8. Dear Eric and Gregory,

    In order to understand the timing of the crucifixion it is essential to first establish that Jesus meant a literal three days and three nights. Instead of taking what we perceive to be the sequence of days and adjusting what Jesus said to fit our interpretation, we must first address whether Jesus meant a literal 3 days and 3 nights. I remember the saying, “Jesus said it. I believe it. That settles it.” Since Jesus used the experience of Jonah to provide the timing of His own death and burial, let’s consider the Biblical accounts.

    Jonah 1:17 Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

    And Jesus said:

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

    I see specifics here, not simply an application of a potential idiom. Jesus repeats the statement twice, therefore, providing emphasis to the number of days and nights involved. The idiom argument might work if the specific mention of nights was not included, but each account clearly makes the nights part of the dynamic. How then are we to understand this given the Biblical record?

    Part of our confusion rests in our lack of understanding of the Feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread and First Fruits. Once we study these carefully and sort out the events on the days preceding and including the death and burial of Jesus, a timeline emerges that beautifully shows us how Jesus is the manifest fulfillment of each of the feasts.

    It is to be noted that John gives a wonderful clarification to the Sabbath that draws nigh when he states in John 19:31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) John’s note lets us know that the day is a special sabbath, specifically it is the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a day on which no work was to be done. Therefore, this is not a weekly sabbath and the prior day is a preparation day for this most important feast.

    Leviticus 23:6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD; seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread.
    Leviticus 23:7 In the first day ye shall have a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of servile work.

    In line with this we can now see that Jesus was crucified on Passover and buried as Unleavened Bread was commencing and was resurrected during the Feast of First Fruits.

    1Co 15:20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

    Once we can see that the time of burial is not as the weekly Sabbath begins, but an earlier day, we can establish a timeline that fits the actual words of Jesus. Understanding the accurate record bears witness to the veracity of the Scriptures and profoundly paints for us a rich and dynamic portrait of the redemptive work of Jesus given to us through the Feasts of the LORD.

  9. Gail,

    Why do you think so many biblical exegetes, historians, and commentators have missed what seems so obvious to you? I’m not talking about the prophetic significance of the feasts and holy days, which, of course, I teach as well, but the chronology of the crucifixion?

  10. Dear Dr. Brown,

    I believe that the approach has too often not taken into account the very ordering of days according to Jewish reckoning, therefore key points have been overlooked or misunderstood. The reasons that I gave for my analysis, I believe are clear. It was the very question first asked by Eric in this post that propelled me many years ago to do much research on the timing of the crucifixion. God is perfect in all His ways and applying the specific chronology that God gives to His people in carrying out the Feasts becomes the underlying framework for understanding the details of the events that Jesus so precisely fulfills. I am humbled and awed discovering that no detail is too minute; He fulfills all that He has established.

  11. Gail,

    Thanks for your response, although all the scholars who I have consulted on this are quite aware of the Jewish reckoning of the calendar and yet have come to different conclusions than you have.

    BTW, I appreciate you responding to the question that was asked, but we won’t be having a continued discussion about it in this thread, since it’s off topic and we do our best to keep our discussions here on topic for the day.

    Again, thanks!

  12. Eric O.,
    Gregory,
    Gail,
    Dr. Brown,
    Everyone else,:)

    Why did so many Biblical scholars, for 1500 years, miss the point of salvation by grace instead of by sacrament?

    Why Did Daniel say that in the last days knowledge shall increase?

    Why have many scholars come to the conclusion that it was on Thursday or Wednesday instead of Friday that He died?

    Matthew 28:1 Reads as follows:
    1 ¶ And on the eve of the sabbaths, at the dawn, toward the first of the sabbaths, came Mary the Magdalene, and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre,
    (YLT)

    Was there more than one sabbath that passed? The first day of unleavened bread sabbath and the regular sabbath? Matthew seems to say so. Did these plural sabbaths happen on the same day(sat), back to back(fri, sat), or was there a day in between(thu, sat)?

    Mark 16:1 Reads as follows:
    1 ¶ And the sabbath having past, Mary the Magdalene, and Mary of James, and Salome, bought spices, that having come, they may anoint him,
    (YLT)

    So they bought spices after a sabbath. The regular sabbath ends at twilight on what we call Saturday. Were the merchants open then? If they bought the spices after the feast day sabbath and that sabbath was on what we call Thursday, then I suppose that the stores would be open.

    Luke 23:56 Reads as follows:
    56 and having turned back, they made ready spices and ointments, and on the sabbath, indeed, they rested, according to the command.
    (YLT)

    So they made ready the spices then rested a sabbath. This sabbath was the regular sabbath. So we get exactly 3 days and 3 nights this way.

    Summary:
    He dies on Wednesday.
    Thursday is the first day of unleavened bread sabbath. (No buying on sabbaths) Women rest.
    Friday is a preparation day. Women buy(Mark 16:1) and prepare spices(Luke 23:56).
    Saturday is the regular sabbath. Women rest.
    Women find tomb empty early Sunday.

    No need for a supposed idiom, no need for suposed Hebrew partial days, no need to explain a supposed contradiction. Simply 3 days and 3 nights.

  13. Dr. Brown,

    If an off-topic is brought up and no one seems to be posting on an on-topic wouldn’t it be ok, say after a week of minimal activity, to allow the off-topic that was of interest to be discussed?

    Just wondering.

  14. To Eric Ortiz and Gregory:

    The three days and three nights are VALID since Yeshua Himself said that this would be the only sign of Him being the Messiah.
    So if there are no three days and three nights between Yeshua’s crucifiction and resurrection, He cannot be the Messiah.

    So since we know that He indeed IS the Messiah, we should stop following the pagan holidays like good Friday and Easter and start looking for the REAL thing.

    Here is a great tool for getting into it:
    http://www.michaelroodministries.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=ARA&Product_Code=D141&Category_Code=Video

    Shalom!

  15. Folks — just a reminder to stay on the topic of the shows in the posts here and not on the topic of other questions raised here — just to help those folks who try to join in at other times.

    Thanks!

  16. Dr. Brown,

    If an off-topic is brought up and no one seems to be posting on an on-topic wouldn’t it be ok, say after a week of minimal activity, to allow the off-topic that was of interest to be discussed?

    Just wondering.

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