When did Jesus die? When did he get up? He said he would be in the grave 3 days and 3 nights, but Man says he died Friday afternoon and got up early Sunday morning. How do you get 3 days and 3 nights from late Friday afternoon to early Sunday morning?

Who Cares?

THE RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ from the dead is the cornerstone of the Christian faith.
THE RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ is what sets Christianity apart from all religions.

Jesus was doing things that made people think he might be "the son of David" [..Matthew 12:23..], "the Messiah" [..John 7:40-42..], the one they had been waiting for [..John 4:25-26..]. And in the heat of a discussion, the Scribes and Pharisees told Jesus they needed to see a sign as proof that he was the Messiah. Jesus said there will be no sign given, except this. As Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so shall the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth [..Matthew 12:39-40..].

In other words, Jesus was telling them to "Listen up, because THIS is the ONLY sign that will prove I am the Messiah." Jesus just raised the bar! ALL his eggs are now in the "Matthew 12:40 basket"! The importance of this sign has now been elevated to the highest level possible! EVERYTHING is riding on the fulfillment of this one sign! Therefore, there can be no doubt about it. There can be no gray areas – no "maybe this or maybe that". It must be as clear as...NIGHT AND DAY. Why? Because our everlasting life depends on us believing in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

If you have doubts, if you are on the fence, if you are still not sure whether or not God raised Jesus from the dead well, that's understandable. Why? Because this topic has been a "black eye" in the face of Christianity, and a thorn in its side because of the lack of a clear and precise explanation of Matthew 12:40 – three days and three nights.

Perhaps no other topic in the Bible has shipwrecked more people's faith, or caused them to doubt the reliability of God's Word as their source for truth, or worse, pushed them away from Christianity altogether. And how sad is that? We need to do better.

My goal is that after seeing all the evidence, you will be totally convinced that Jesus was in the grave 3 days and 3 nights (to the hour), and that God raised him from the dead on the 3rd day. And as a result, your FAITH and confidence in God, and in His Word, will be elevated so high that you will be able to say from the very depths of your soul "YES, I BELIEVE IN MY HEART THAT GOD RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD."

Therefore, we will be approaching this study like it's a crime scene – which it was. We will follow the trail wherever the facts lead us. And all the evidence must fit together, like a round peg in a round hole.

God makes 3 very bold claims about his Word.

1. GOD'S WORD IS TRUTH.
John 17:17 KJV
"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."

2. GOD CANNOT LIE.
Titus 1:2 KJV
"In hope of eternal life, which GOD, THAT CANNOT LIE, promised before the world began;"

3. GOD CANNOT CONTRADICT HIMSELF.
James 3:17 KJV
"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and WITHOUT HYPOCRISY."

This will be our litmus test for truth. All three of these claims must hold true or our conclusions will be wrong. If even one of these claims does not hold up against our conclusions, then we will not have TRUTH.

Romans 5:6 [NIV]
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

So, when did Jesus die? Wednesday, Thursday, or Good Friday? When did he get up? What does the Bible say?