When certain of the scribes and Pharisees sought to have a sign, Jesus said, “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 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.” Matthew 12:40
There is undeniable proof from Scripture that Jesus was crucified on Thursday and rose from the tomb on the Sabbath as outlined in my study called “The Narration of the Easter Story”
It has been widely accepted that Jesus being in the “heart of the earth” refers to Him simply being buried in the grave or tomb before His resurrection on the third day. However, that creates major contradictions because the third day is not three days and three nights. There are those who try to twist and turn Bible passages to suggest half days can somehow equate to 72 hours by some type of Jewish idiom or culture to suggest three days and three nights simply meant a span that touched parts of three days and not exactly 72 hours. It’s the wrong thing to do.
The real problem begins by not understanding what Jesus meant by the “heart of the earth.” Automatically assuming that Jesus is referring to the tomb as the “heart of the earth” has been a major stumbling block for many. Nevertheless, the solution to the mystery is realizing that Jesus’ resurrection from the “heart of the earth” and Him arising from the tomb are two separate events. We can see how the two separate events were prophesied and fulfilled by closely examining key details in scripture. Let’s start with the “Heart of the Earth.”
His resurrection from the “heart of the earth” occurred on the cross (Soul and Spirit)
In order for Jesus to fulfill prophecy for the Passover as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), He had to suffer and die. His sacrifice was the prophecy that correlated with the feast days of unleavened bread that started Nisan 14 until Nisan 21. Nisan 14 was the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover lamb. (Mark 14:12). The Jew’s practice was to slaughter the passover lambs between early afternoon and sunset, with 3 p.m being the primary time for slaughter. Understand this was not the day Jesus died on the cross, however, it was the day Jesus entered the “heart of the earth” (not the tomb) directly coinciding with the time the Passover lambs were being slaughtered.
We have the account that while in Bethany, a woman poured precious ointment upon Jesus’ head. This is when Jesus spoke of what she had done: “For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did [it] for my burial. (Matthew 26:12). I believe this was the moment Jesus entered the “heart of the earth” as prophesied to coincide with lambs being slaughtered for the Passover supper.
At the moment Jesus entered the “heart of the earth” (not the tomb), he went through some type of spiritual conversion (metaphysical) in his soul to become laden with the sins of those he came to save. “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5.
Jonah’s Prayer
His soul in agony and hell after being immersed in our sins was foreshadowed through Jonah as he prayed in the belly of the whale:
“I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me, out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou hardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul; the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God. (Jona 2:1-5)
Now in the “heart of the earth” (not the tomb), Jesus was still very much alive that Monday evening on Nisan 14 when he ate the last supper with his disciples. This supper was called the “Lord’s Passover” (Leviticus 23:5).
After supper, He was still in the “heart of the earth” (not the tomb) when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane and “began to be sorrowful and very heavy” and said to his disciples, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.” (Matthew 26:37-38; Mark 14:34)“
“And being in agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:44).
He was still in the “heart of the earth” and not the tomb when he stood before the Jewish council and endured suffering at the hands of the Jews. He was still in the “heart of the earth” when Pilate had him scourged and the soldiers mocked him and when the people rejected him and cried, “Crucifiy! Crucify!”
But he was willing to suffer and die for his people.
Jesus was in “heart of the earth” on Thursday at 9 am when they nailed him to the cross. He was in the “heart of the earth” until his death at 3 pm when His resurrection occurred on the cross!
According to Matthew, when Jesus yielded up the Ghost, ”the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” (Matthew 27:50-53)
Jesus’ resurrection from the “heart of the earth” (not the tomb) had to do with Jesus’ soul not being left in hell. (Acts 2:30-31). The Greek word, egersin for “resurrection” only occurs in this one instance in the whole Bible which suggests that it is a word unique to Christ’s resurrection upon the cross. I won’t speculate how the saints arose and appeared to many, but it has a deep spiritual significance for us to contemplate.
For three days and three nights (72 hours) from Monday, Nisan 14 (3 pm) to Thursday, Nisan 17 (3 pm), His body had yet to be placed in the tomb.
The Temple of God (spiritual) was also destroyed and rebuilt
Him being in “the heart of the earth” (not the tomb) was how he came to destroy the temple of his body so that it could be rebuilt in three days. Before he died on the cross, Jesus said, “It is Finished.” To understand what was “finished”, we have another occasion when the scribes and religious leaders wanted to see a sign.
The passage is where Jesus drove out the money changers in the sanctuary (John 2:13-21). Here, He stated that He would “destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” And there it is. The three days and three nights also has to do with the 72 hours Jesus would destroy and rebuild the spiritual temple of God.
This is what Jesus was referring to when he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. He had destroyed the spiritual temple so that it could be rebuilt.
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins, would live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon hijm; and with his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. (Romans 6:6)
Jesus arose from the tomb the third day (His Body)
Upon death, Jesus’ soul left his body and went into Paradise. This serves to underscore how it was just as he told the thief on the cross, “Today, shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43) This meant while his body lay in the tomb, his soul remained in Paradise until his resurrected spirit and soul again entered his body to arise from the grave on the third day.
Another mystery is what day Jesus arose from the tomb? Again correction is needed. Based on key details, Scripture does not support the Good Friday crucifixion or Sunday morning resurrection that most Christians around the world have accepted. The evidence shows that Jesus was crucified on Thursday and was risen on the Sabbath! In my study, called the “Narration of the Easter Story,” I provide the timeline of Scripture that are clues to reveal how the events unfolded during the feast of unleavened bread pointed to Jesus being crucified on Thursday, his resurrection from the “heart of the earth” on the cross and then his body was arisen from the tomb on the Sabbath.
CONCLUSION:
Making the assertion that Jesus’ death and resurrection on the cross (after three days and three nights) and him arising from the tomb (on the third day) are two separate events may seem contrary to Scripture. However, when we begin to understand how to interpret the “heart of the earth,” we can see how this prophecy concerning Jesus’ sacrifice was fulfilled. The first resurrection had to do with his soul dying and suffering for our sins and afterwards his body being risen from the tomb was Christ’s victory for our redemption.
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