After the Sabbath, Jesus Rose From the Dead.

THE SABBATH.

My object in this article is to show that Christ was crucified, and laid in Joseph's new tomb the day before the weekly Sabbath, and that, he rose from the dead the day after the Sabbath.

Jesus was nailed to the cross at the third hour of the day, which was nine o'clock A. M.—See Mark xv, 25. At the ninth hour of the day, or three o'clock P. M Jesus said "IT IS FINISHED," and bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. See John xix, 30 ; Mat. xxvii, 45-50 ; Mark xv, 33-37 : Luke xxiii, 44-46.

This gave three hours for Joseph to take the body of Jesus from the cross and lay it in the sepulcher; and for the women to return and prepare spices and ointments before the Sabbath commenced.  And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments ; and rested the Sabbath-day, according to the commandment,"—Luke xxiii, 56

EVEN and EVENING do not always mean the same thing. This I will show. Evening, according to the first division of time, was the night, or first half of the twenty-four-hour day.--See Gen. i, 5-31. Even was the last hours of the day, just before evening commenced. The paschal lamb was sacrificed at even, and no one will take the ground that all Israel killed their passover lamb in the night or evening. "And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month ; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it (margin) between the two evenings."—Ex. xii, 6.

"Joseph Frey, a converted. Jew, in his work on the Passover, says the afternoon or evening of the day was by them divided into two parts, the lesser or former evening, and the greater or latter evening. The dividing point between the two, was three in the afternoon, the ninth hour of the day."—See Advent Herald, Oct. 9, 1844, page 7

" But at the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name in, there thou shalt sacrifice the passover at even at the going down of the sun. Duet. Xvi:6.  See also Lev. xxiii, 5.  When the sun, passes the meridian, at noon it begins to go down, and at three o'clock, or at even, when all Israel killed their lamb, the sun was about half way down.

The crucifixion for ever, settles this point. On the, very day of the month, and hour of the day ,  that the passover lamb was killed, the Lamb of God, while on the cross cried, "It is finished," bowed his head and died.

Jesus, kept.the passover with his disciples one day before its appointed time. " Now before the feast of the passover," etc.—Read John xiii, 1,2. All may see that Jesus could not be the antitype of the slain lamb, and keep the passover at the same time.

Again Jesus was crucified on the day or the preparation for the passover feast. See John xix, 31, and 42. The preparation of the fourteenth day was to  put away leaven, kill the lamb, etc. so  that on the very hour that Jesus cried, "It is finished," all Israel killed their lamb. From that time, which was three o'clock P. M. until evening, or the commencement of the fifteenth day, was called even.

The tenth day atonement was celebrated from the even of the ninth day of the seventh month, to the even of the tenth day. —See Lev. xxiii, 27-32.

If even here means evening, then they commenced their day of atonement at the beginning of the ninth day, which would make it the ninth day atonement, and not the tenth. Begin it at even, at the close of the ninth day, and all is plain.

Again, the fifteenth day of the first month was the first day of the seven days feast of unleavened bread. This is positive and plain, from Lev. xxiii, 6, and Num, xxviii, 17.  The Jews were to celebrate the feast from the even of the fourteenth day, until the even of the one-and-twentieth day.— See Ex. xii, 18. Now if even means evening in this case, then the feast commenced at the beginning of the fourteenth day, twenty-one hours before the lamb was slain, and the fourteenth day was the first day of the feast, instead of the fifteenth, according to Leviticus xxiii, 6, and Nom, xxviii, 17.

The, preparation was a memorial which commemorated the slaying of that lamb in Egypt, whose blood was put on the two side-posts, and on the upper doer-post of the houses of Israel, that when the Lord passed through Egypt, to slay the first-born of the Egyptians, he might see the blood on the houses of Israel, and pass over them.—See Ex. xii, 7-13, and  21-27.

The feast of unleavened bread commemorated the hasty departure of Israel from Egypt, with " their dough before it was leavened " so that they had to bake " unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt," for their breakfast the next morning.--See Ex. xii, 31-39 ; xiii, 6-8 and 14.

Thus the time of the preparation and the beginning of the feast of unleavened bread are clearly shown. On the fourteenth day, at three o'clock P. M. the lamb was slain, and from that time to the beginning of the fifteenth day they were preparing the lamb, and putting away leaven out of their houses. This was the preparation  and the space of time that it occupied was called even.

The fifteenth day, which was the first feast day, commenced with the EVENING which immediately followed the preparation, or EVEN of the fourteenth day.

" In the fourteenth day of the first month T EVEN is the Lord's passover. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord, etc.—Lev. xxiii, 5, 6.

It was at even, the time of the preparation, and not evening, that Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Jesus from the cross, and laid it in his new tomb. The holy women, then had three hours to prepare spices and ointments, before the evening of the Holy Sabbath commenced; which they kept according to the fourth commandment.

The Sabbath that followed the crucifixion was called " an high day "—John xix. 31 ; because the first feast day came on the Holy Sabbath, that year. It was as likely to come on the seventh day, as on any day of the week. This view plainly proves that the crucifixion was on the sixth day of the week; therefore the next day was the Sabbath of the Lord our God.

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. Luke xxiv, 1.

The three last hours of the sixth day of the week, was not sufficient time for the women to prepare, and use the spices and ointment; so after they had bought and prepared them they put them aside, and rested on the Sabbath ; and then early in the morning they came to the sepulchre to apply them to the body of Jesus; but he was not there, he had arisen. The modern view, which has blinded and ensnared some, that Monday is the first day of the week, when compared with Scripture testimony, teaches that twenty-seven hours from Friday at three P. M. to Saturday at six P. M. was not time enough to prepare, and apply the spices and ointment; therefore the women had to wait until Monday morning. This view is perfectly unnatural, blind and inconsistent, while the one which I have here presented, is natural and plain.

Jesus-rose from the dead on the third day. This he preached to the two disciples, as they walked in company to Emmaus.

"Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day."—Luke xxiv, 45, 46

Jesus' sufferings on the cross were from nine o'clock A. M. to three o'clock P. M. Friday; the day that Jesus did " suffer" on the cross, was the first day, the Holy Sabbath was the second day, and the first day of the week was the THIRD DAY ; and Jesus rose from the dead.—See Cor. xv, 3, 4 ; Matt. xvi, 21; xx, 19; Mark ix, 31; x, 34; Luke ix, 22 ; xviii, 33

Some have concluded that Christ rose on the Sabbath, from the following Scripture. " In. the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary to the sepulchre."--Matt. xxviii, 1.

Here, I will give Whiting's translation. "After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning," etc. Campbell translates it as follows : " Sabbath being over, and the first day of the week beginning to dawn," etc. This makes it all clear.

That I have shown that the crucifixion was the day before the Holy Sabbath, and, that the resurrection was the day following it, I hope is plain to all who may read this article.

There is, however, one lone text that is brought to prove that the position I have here taken is incorrect—

"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."—Matt. xii, 40.

The text must be explained so as to harmonize with the multitude 'of texts that positively declare the resurrection of Jesus on the third day. If Jesus lay in the tomb three days and three nights, then he arose on the fourth day, and not on the third, according to the Scriptures. Scripture must, explain Scripture—then a harmony may be seen throughout the whole.

Jesus never was in the heart of this globe, called earth ; heart being the centre, or at least in the earth, beneath its surface. He was laid in Joseph's new tomb, or as Campbell has it, MONUMENT, "hewn out in the rock." Jonas was in the -bowels of the whale. In like manner, Jesus never was in the heart of this globe.

Then earth in, this case must mean the powers of earth; or the power and control of wicked men, and the Devil. For proof that earth does not always mean this literal globe, see the following Scriptures

"O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord."--Jer. xxii, 29. Here the people are addressed, and not this globe.-See also Deut. xxxii, 1; Isa. i, 2; and many other texts. On that ever memorable night, that the Lord's supper, and washing the saints' feet were instituted, our Lord and Master was betrayed into the hands of sinners. He, knowing that the time had come for the powers of earth and hell to triumph over him, a short season, passed over the brook Cedron, where he was taken and bound. As they came to take Jesus, he said to them—" When I was daily with you in the temple ye stretched forth no hands against me; but this is YOUR HOUR, and the POWER OF DARKNESS."—Luke xxiii, 53.

Thus, Jesus was in the heart of the earth, or controlled and held by the powers of earth and hell, from the time that he was betrayed into the hands of sinners, until he arose from the dead, in-triumph and victory. Jesus was as much in the heart of the earth when before Pilate, and on the cross, as he was while in Joseph's tomb. With this view, all the Scripture testimony will harmonize.

To some this may look like spiritualism; but let such give us a better view; that will harmonize all the Scripture testimony, and we will take it.

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THE PRESENT TRUTH.

PUBLISHED, SEMI-MONTHLY, BY JAMES WHITE.

Vol. 1 OSWEGO, N. Y. DECEMBER, 1849 . NO. 5.

We are now studying - 'The Present Truth' papers published in the middle 1800's. These are called the 'Present Truth' because it WAS Present Truth for that time. So why study them now? Because TRUTH at any time is worth studying, and we KNOW that often ORIGINAL truth presented before Satan has had an opportunity to corrupt it, can be very enlightening. At the very least we will see, by the grace of God, through the Holy Spirit, what truth then is still uncorrupted today and still very relevant for us living in these dark, dark times. Our world today compared to a hundred and seventy years ago is so much worse than it was, with so much evil being called good, and good being called evil.  May God bless us as we seek HIS truth for us in our present, bringing us only closer to Him and prayerfully the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!