Herbert Armstrong: Three days and Three nights - Matthew chapter 12

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Does Matthew chapter 12 concerning Jesus’s resurrection and the “sign” of Jonah have to mean exactly 72 hours?

Please note in a separate Post I have addressed the Wednesday crucifixion theory.

This Armstrong doctrine is used to criticize the 'world's churches' for celebrating the Friday crucifixion. 

I found there are no strong grounds for Wednesday and set out the reasons. 

This particular blog focusses on Matthew 12,

 ‘’For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth”

These words are the basis of a theory which holds that Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday, and resurrected exactly 72 hours later on the sabbath towards sunset.

Whether it was a historical fact that Jonah did spend exactly seventy two hours inside a large fish we of course do not know.

Jesus referred to this event, but He does not state explicitly that His citation affirms the historical character of the fact alluded to. Jesus used the ordinary language of the time.

What becomes illuminating, or perhaps confusing, is that there is no indication of Jesus having said these words when we read of the event in Luke chapter 19.

Please see my Post in Quora here.

Please find also, in this Blog, my Post concerning the Wednesday crucifixion theory. 

Hello. My name is Bill. I live in Canberra, Australia. I retired from work some 5 years ago, I believe in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour by whom we are justified and sanctified by the miraculous workings of God. I don't attend a particular church but may go from time to time. I like to study the scriptures and I read quite widely generally. I had an experience over four decades ago with a church founded by Armstrong which claimed to be the one true church of this time. My wife (who passed away five years ago) and I left it a long time ago and one is grateful such bonds were broken.

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