Easter Sunday was a fun day when I was a child.
Who doesn't like a treasure hunt?
We decorated eggs, wrote names on them, and hid
them from one another.
Then we set out to find those with our names on them.
Sometimes we would go to larger treasure hunts
where dozens of children ran about looking for
any egg to add to their basket.
It all seemed like harmless fun.
Who could possibly be against it?
But, we never stopped to ask,
Why are we doing this?
What does it have to do with the resurrection of Christ?
How do eggs and rabbits fit into the picture?
Where does the name Easter come from?
And are any of these questions even relevant?
What difference does any of this make?
Sadly, too many adults never ask these questions.
It almost seems sacrilegious to question
such longstanding traditions.
But is it?
On today's Tomorrow's World program,
I'll answer these questions.
I'll also show you from the Bible what was the
only sign Jesus said He would give, that He was
the One He claimed to be-- the Son of God--
and how Easter traditions contradict that sign.
I'll also be offering you an informative resource
that answers the questions: On what day was Jesus
crucified and on what day was He resurrected?
If you think the crucifixion was on Friday and the
resurrection on Sunday morning, you could not be more wrong,
and I'll prove it to you from the pages of the Bible.
As we so often say, "Don't believe us just
because we say it.
Believe it because you can prove it for yourself from
the pages of your own Bible."
So, dust off your Bible and have writing material
available to jot down the scriptures, and also to
order our free resource, Easter: the Untold Story.
♪
A warm welcome to all of you from all of us here
at Tomorrow's World.
On today's program, I'm asking and answering
questions about the holiday known as Easter.
I'll also show you from the pages of your own Bible
that Jesus was not crucified on Friday,
nor was He resurrected on Sunday morning.
Now I know that is a shock to many, but you can prove
it for yourself, and you need to, because that
tradition contradicts Jesus' own words about
the one sign He said He would give, that
would show that He is the Messiah.
But before we get to that, let's notice some other
traditions that ought to make any thinking person
sit up and ask some serious questions.
Why, for example, is the holiday that supposedly
celebrates the resurrection of Christ, named after
a pagan goddess?
Think about that.
Why?
Here's some documented history that you can read
in our free resource, Easter: The Untold Story:
The New World Encyclopedia suggests a connection
between Eostre and Easter with the very popular and
ancient goddess Ishtar: "Scholars likewise
speculate that Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of
Spring whose name later gave rise to the modern
English 'Easter,' may be etymologically connected
to Ishtar."
Interestingly, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church
admits this about the origin of the name Easter,
but gives a slightly different spelling from
that of Ishtar: "The word 'Easter' comes from Old
English and refers to the Norse Goddess of
Fertility, 'Istra'--who was symbolized by a rabbit."
Thus the connection between Easter and rabbits,
but why was Istra symbolized by a rabbit?
Historians confirm that this goddess, spelled
variously as Ishtar and Istra, was known as the
goddess of fertility, and the rabbit is a well-known
fertility symbol.
The rabbit is not the only fertility symbol passed
down from antiquity.
The Oxford Companion to World Mythology explains
this about Easter:
"The holiday comes in the early Spring and is clearly
related to ancient fertility myths of reborn heroes.
For many, Easter is synonymous with fertility symbols such as
the Easter Rabbit, Easter eggs, and the Easter lily...."
Now that's from our resource, Easter: the Untold Story,
which can be yours free for the asking.
In addition to blending pagan customs and
traditions into the worship of the true God,
contrary to God's command, we find that even the part
of Easter that supposedly comes from the Bible
is terribly flawed.
Most people believe that Jesus was crucified on a
Friday, put in the tomb in the late afternoon of that
day, and then He rose early Sunday morning.
But is this what the Bible tells us?
After all, it is the Bible that is the only
source that can properly answer this question;
so what does it actually say?
Let's begin in Matthew 12:38...
"Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered,
saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."
But He answered and said to them, "An evil and
adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign
will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
For 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."
Consider.
Jesus said that no sign will be given to that
generation except for the sign of Jonah: Jesus would
be in the grave the exact same length of time as
Jonah was in the belly of a great fish.
And what was that time?
Three days and three nights.
Now try as you might, you cannot come up with
three days and three nights between Friday afternoon
and Sunday morning.
Even if you count parts of days you still come up
short, but let's try.
Scripture tells us Jesus was put in the tomb right
at sunset, but some count a few minutes on Friday
before sunset as day one.
Friday night would be one night; the daylight
portion of Saturday would be the second day and
Saturday night would make the second night.
Now if Jesus rose Sunday morning after sunrise we
might count that as day three, but where is the
third night?
It just isn't there.
So, we must conclude one of three possibilities
regarding the Good Friday/ Easter Sunday tradition:
1. Jesus was wrong and He is not our Savior
2. The Good Friday/Easter Sunday tradition is wrong
Or, 3. We have not properly understood the sign Jesus gave
It has to be one of these three, so which is it?
I'll answer that question in a moment, but first I want
to show you how you can order our free resource--
Easter: The Untold Story.
Jesus was in constant conflict with the
religious leaders of His day who placed tradition
over the Word of God.
Is it any different today?
Why is it dear friends, that modern Christianity
rejects clear statements of Scripture, to perpetuate
pagan traditions?
Easter: The Untold Story documents the sources for
many of these traditions, but more importantly
proves from the Bible that Jesus did fulfill the one
sign that He said He would give, proving that He truly
is the Son of God.
As with all our resources, Easter: The Untold Story
can be yours free of charge.
No one will ask you for money as it has already
been paid for by members of Living Church of God
and our co-workers.
I'll be back in a minute to explain why the
Good Friday/Easter Sunday tradition does not square
with the Bible, but how the sign that Jesus said
He would give does square with the Bible.
So don't go away.
♪
For today's free offer call...
Or go to...
This clear and straight-forward resource
will help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
If you're calling for the first time, you will also
receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's
World magazine.
Six inspiring issues discussing news, science,
and modern culture will help you make sense of
your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow's World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
Call now!
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♪
Welcome back.
Prior to the break I pointed out that the Good
Friday crucifixion and Easter Sunday resurrection
does not fit the scriptural record.
Jesus said He would be in the tomb three days
and three nights.
And try as you might, you cannot come up
with three days and three nights between
Friday afternoon and Sunday morning.
So, we must conclude one of three possibilities
regarding the Good Friday/ Easter Sunday tradition:
1. Jesus was wrong and He is not our Savior
2. The Good Friday/Easter Sunday tradition is wrong
Or, 3. We have not properly understood the sign Jesus gave
So, which of these three is correct?
If Jesus was wrong, we have a serious problem.
But that is exactly what one source claims.
Have we properly understood the sign?
So let's read from Matthew the twelfth chapter, and
see what it says once again.
"An evil and adulterous generation seeks after
a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign
of the prophet Jonah.
For 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."
Did Jesus literally mean three days and three nights?
As shocking as this may be, The Abingdon Bible
Commentary bluntly tells us Jesus was mistaken:
The statement made is inaccurate, for Jesus was
in the grave only from Friday evening to Sunday dawn.
However, most commentators do not accept the
statement to be literal.
Why?
It's primarily because they do not want to give up
tradition and they need to find a way to make
the scriptures fit their tradition.
Instead they allege that a day and night combined
simply means a single 24 hour day and any part of
a day is sufficient.
However, we must remember that Jesus' words were
recorded in the Greek language, and it may be
true that the Greek expression used in this verse means
parts of three days, although as I've just read,
The Abingdon Bible Commentary rejects that idea.
But, there is a greater problem here.
Matthew 12:40 is not dependent on one language alone.
More importantly, we must remember what Jesus said
in Matthew 12:40...
"For 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 how long was Jonah in the belly of the fish?
We learn from Jonah 1:17 the following:
"And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days
and three nights."
The book of Jonah was written in the Hebrew language,
and we must look to that language and its common
usage to understand this expression.
Appendix 144 in The Companion Bible explores
the meaning of three days and three nights in Hebrew usage.
After giving a technical explanation, it sums
it up this way:
Hence, when it says that "Jonah was in the belly of
the fish three days and three nights" (Jonah 1:17)
it means exactly what it says, and that this can be the
only meaning of the expression in Matt. 12:40....
Now this is the first reason that we know that Jesus'
claim means a full three days and three nights.
So Proof #1 is: The meaning of Matthew 12:40 is not
dependent on one language alone.
But there's a second proof.
Proof #2: 72 hours is the only time that can satisfy
all the statements that Jesus made on how long He
would be in the grave.
Jesus spoke of His body figuratively as "this temple."
Notice it beginning in John 2:19:
"Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
Then the Jews said, "It has taken forty-six years
to build this temple, and will You raise it up
in three days?"
But He was speaking of the temple of His body."
In three days means that it has to be within
three days, but on other occasions it is recorded
that He would be resurrected to life "after three days."
Notice it in Mark 8:31...
"And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must
suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and
chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after
three days rise again."
Now following His resurrection, He explained to His disciples
what had happened and why.
We read this in Luke 24:46...
Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and
thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and
to rise from the dead the third day...."
So here we have three different expressions that
help us understand how long He was in the tomb:
"In three days"
"After three days"
"The third day"
When we put these expressions together
with The Companion Bible's explanation about the meaning
of three days and three nights, there can be only
one time that fits all four expressions--exactly 72 hours;
not a minute before or a minute after.
The time is exact.
But there's a third proof that He would be in the
tomb a full three days and three nights, and that is:
#3: The biblical chronology of events.
And this dear friends is what I consider the most
exciting and definitive statement on the subject.
You can't get around it; yet, it's something few
people understand.
And one reason for that is because most professing
Christians have rejected the Festivals and Holy Days
that are found in the Bible and have substituted
pagan traditions.
I'll explain exactly what I mean after a short
15 second break to let you know how you can
order your free copy of Easter: The Untold Story.
All you have to do is call the toll free number
that will be shown on your screen, or go to
TWTV.ORG/Easter.
You need this eye-opening resource that gives the
true story of the crucifixion and resurrection, so take
down the toll free number to order your free copy of
Easter: The Untold Story.
And when I come back in 15 seconds, I'll take you
through the scriptures that prove conclusively
the chronology of the crucifixion
and resurrection of our Savior.
♪
This clear and straight-forward resource
will help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
Call now!
Or go to...
♪
Why is it that most assume that Jesus was crucified
on Friday?
The truth is that many have no idea, other than
that is what they have been taught, but for those
who know a little more about the Bible, they're
familiar with the fact that He was crucified
on the day leading up to a Sabbath.
For example, we have Luke's statement in
chapter 23, beginning verse 52 where it
describes how Joseph of Arimathea buried Jesus:
"This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and
laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock,
where no one had ever lain before.
That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near."
As all students of the Bible know, the biblical
Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday and ends at
sunset on Saturday.
And so it would appear therefore that Jesus was
crucified on Friday morning and put in the grave very late
Friday afternoon, but are we missing something?
Many errors that we make are the result of a
carelessly assumed false assumption and this is the
case on this subject.
There's no doubt that Jesus was crucified on
the Preparation day for a Sabbath, but the
carelessly assumed assumption is that it
was the weekly Sabbath.
But was it?
What many call the Lord's supper, or the last supper,
was in fact the Passover.
There can be no doubt about this, although
some scholars try to say otherwise.
But Matthew, Mark, and Luke all call Jesus'
final supper with His disciples, the Passover.
Let's just take a look at one of them, take a look at Luke's
account, beginning in chapter 22 and verse 7:
"Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread,
when the Passover must be killed.
And He sent Peter and John, saying,
"Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."
So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"
And He said to them, "Behold, when you have
entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher
of water; follow him into the house which he enters.
Then you shall say to the master of the house,
'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room
where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"'
So they went and found it just as He had said
to them, and they prepared the Passover.
When the hour had come, He sat down, and the
twelve apostles with Him.
Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have
desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer."
Can there be any doubt that the last supper was
indeed the Passover?
The Passover was a very special day, but it was
not a Sabbath day.
However, the day that follows the Passover is a Sabbath day.
Notice this from Leviticus 23:
"On the fourteenth day of the first month at
twilight is the LORD's Passover.
And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the
Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD.
On the first day you shall have a holy convocation;
you shall do no customary work on it."
We know from this that the day following the Passover
was a high day, an annual Sabbath day where
customary work was not to be done.
Remember that God counts time from sunset to sunset.
Jesus kept the Passover with His disciples at the
beginning of the Passover day [shortly after sunset],
He was then put in the grave at the end of Passover day,
just before sunset.
When the sun set that evening, it was the first
day of Unleavened Bread, an annual High Day Sabbath;
and this is exactly what the Apostle John reveals
in John 19:31:
"Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day,
that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the
Sabbath [and note this] (for that Sabbath was a high day),
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken,
and that they might be taken away."
Why is this not generally known?
Why is it that you have likely never heard this in today's
professing Christianity?
Some try to equate the "high day" as meaning that
the weekly Sabbath was a double Sabbath--
both the weekly Sabbath and the annual Sabbath
beginning the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
However, there's a huge problem with this, and
I'll explain what that is in the last portion
of today's program.
But first I want to mention one more time today's offer:
Easter: The Untold Story.
This free resource goes into everything I'm
explaining here today --and much more.
It gives you the chance to look up every
Scripture necessary to understand this topic.
So if you're serious about knowing what the Bible
really says about the crucifixion and
resurrection, about the only sign Jesus gave to
prove He is Savior of the world, you need our
well-documented booklet-- Easter: The Untold Story.
So order today, and after this short break
I'll show you from the Bible, that the
crucifixion/resurrection account includes two
Sabbaths that week.
♪
For today's free offer call...
Or go to...
This clear and straight-forward resource
will help you understand this vital truth--
straight from the pages of the Bible.
If you're calling for the first time, you will also
receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's
World magazine.
Six inspiring issues discussing news, science,
and modern culture will help you make sense of
your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow's World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
Call now!
Or go to...
♪
Before the break I said that I would show you from
the Bible itself that the crucifixion/resurrection
account includes two Sabbaths that week.
But let me review John 19:31 once again as it is
critical to understanding:
"Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day,
that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the
Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews
asked Pilate that their legs might be broken,
and that they might be taken away."
And as explained, the high day was an annual Sabbath,
not the weekly Sabbath.
Now let's notice Mark 16:1.
"Now when the Sabbath was past, [notice that it was
after the Sabbath] Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother
of James, and Salome bought spices, that they
might come and anoint Him."
But Luke 23:54-56 tells us they prepared the spices
and then rested on the Sabbath.
"That day was the Preparation, and the
Sabbath drew near.
And the women who had come with Him from Galilee
followed after, and they observed the tomb and how
His body was laid.
Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils.
And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment."
Now think about it, dear friends.
You cannot prepare the spices before you possess them.
Mark tells us that the Sabbath (in this case
the annual Sabbath) was almost there.
Therefore, they had to wait until after that
Sabbath to buy the spices.
But then Luke tells us they prepared them and rested on
the Sabbath [in this case, it was the weekly Sabbath].
These two passages give infallible proof that
there were two Sabbaths that week with an ordinary
day in between.
This is the only way to understand these verses.
Either there were two Sabbaths, with an ordinary
day in between, or the Bible contradicts itself.
Now let me diagram this for you.
Jesus kept the Passover with His disciples after
sunset on Tuesday evening.
He was taken into custody later that night and
crucified on Wednesday.
He was put in the tomb right before sunset,
late Wednesday afternoon.
Now let's count three days and three nights.
Wednesday at sunset began the annual high day
Sabbath and Wednesday night was the first night.
The daylight portion of Thursday was still the
annual High Day Sabbath and was the first day.
The Sabbath ended at sunset.
And it was on this day between the two Sabbaths
that the women bought and prepared the spices.
Thursday night is our second night and the daylight
portion of Friday is our second day, an ordinary day.
When the sun set Friday afternoon the weekly
Sabbath began.
Friday night is our third night and Saturday is our third day.
And Jesus was raised from the grave late Saturday
afternoon (right before sunset), but the women
did not come until early the next morning (what is
commonly called Sunday) and when they arrived,
He was already gone.
Our booklet--Easter: The Untold Story--explains
all of this in detail and gives you the scriptures
so you can look them up in your own Bible, so be sure
to order your free copy today.
And be sure to join us again next week when
Richard Ames, Wallace Smith, Rod McNair and I
will continue to show you the plain truth from the
pages of your Bible.
See you next week.
♪
For today's free offer call...
Or go to...
Call today and join millions around the world
who are turning to Tomorrow's World for
truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times.
♪
The preceding program is produced by the
Living Church of God.
♪