The Resurrection of Jesus was on a Sabbath Morning
God has never left people in confusion or uninformed of the day of the week on which Jesus died and on which he rose from the dead. Nor is it evident from the New Testament (NT) that this question was ever unclear or even an issue in the first Christian church. There are seven clear biblical references to the exact time of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The answer to this question is too simple for most people to come up with. In the following text we are not talking about the „7 suppositions“, but about the 7 biblical facts or the 7 scientific proofs. In the basic Greek text of the NT (see Interlinear), the Bible never speaks of the resurrection of Jesus „on a Sunday“, but it literally says „on a Sabbath“ or „on one of the Sabbaths" (μια των σαββατων), because there are always 3 Sabbaths within only 7 days at the „Feast of Unleavened Bread“ (Passover Feast). It was actually „early on the first Sabbath“ (πρωι πρωτη σαββατου; Mk 16:9), that is, on the „first Sabbath“ of the total of 7 weekly Sabbaths that are counted every year until Pentecost and seen in every Hebrew calendar. Every small child in the first Christian church understood this. This is also confirmed by a great many old Catholic Bibles, which speak of „a Sabbath“ or even of „a Saturday morning“, on which the women came to the tomb. For many centuries it was not possible to find a Bible that spoke of Sunday because they all mentioned either Sabbath or Saturday morning (see Chapter 7, Old Bibles). No one can ignore these historical facts. Jesus died in the middle of the week (on a Wednesday) and was resurrected „after 3 days and 3 nights“, as he promised the whole world. There has never been a turbo resurrection at an earlier point in time.
Jesus has fulfilled the sign of the Messiah:
Since there is not only one Sabbath each year at the Passover celebration, but even 3 Sabbaths, namely the two high (or great) Sabbaths on the 15th and 21st Nisan with the one ordinary weekly Sabbath in between, there are consequently also 3 days of preparation. The weekly Sabbath is always the 7th day of the week, but the two high Sabbaths fall on different weekdays from year to year. In the year Jesus was crucified, the 14th Nisan fell on a Wednesday, the 15th Nisan on a Thursday and the 17th Nisan on a weekly Sabbath, the „first Sabbath“ until Pentecost. This sequence of days is very common according to the biblical calendar and statistically occurs about every third year. Example: Between the years 2000 and 2030, according to the Jewish calendar, there are 10 times (see table below) exactly the same sequence of weekdays on the Passover feast as in the year in which Jesus was crucified:
Jesus was crucified on the 14th Nisan at the 3rd Hebrew hour (9 am). He hung on the cross for 6 hours and died at the 9th hour (3 pm). This was exactly the same time that the Passover lambs were slaughtered in Jerusalem. Between the 6th and the 9th hour (12-15 o'clock) there was an unexpected and uncanny darkness over Israel. Jesus was laid in the rock tomb on the 14th of Nisan and after „3 days and 3 nights“ he rose „early on the first Sabbath“. This is the literal translation of Mark 16:9, but as many theologians did not know the calendar of God described in detail in the Bible, they made the assumption that with this expression supposedly the „first day of the week“ (Sunday) could be meant. Therefore, some theologians did not translate the Bible literally, so that they could defend their beloved Sunday worship service. God did not make a mistake, he did not mean Sunday once in the whole Bible. However, in the resurrection chapter of the NT, God called this resurrection day "Sabbath" seven times (Mt 28:1a,1b; Mk 16:2,9; Lk 24:1; Jn 20:1,20):
In 2020, according to the Jewish calendar, everyone could experience the same sequence of days as in the time of Jesus. The 14th Nisan fell on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. The „first Sabbath“ fell on April 11, 2020 (see picture below). In 2023, the 14th of Nisan also fell on a Wednesday, and since the biblical calendar and the Jewish calendar again fell on the same days of the week, the „first Sabbath“ in both calendars can be named with the exact date: April 8, 2023.
The seven proofs that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on a Sabbath:
Important: This website does NOT address the issue of whether or not Christians should keep the Sabbath. Please do not contact us about this. This is only about the topic "resurrection day". The basic Greek text of the Bible is clear: Jesus rose on His day (Sabbath) and not on the pagan worship day (Sunday) of the sun god. Jesus was resurrected on the only day of rest (Sabbath) ever blessed and sanctified by God and not on an unblessed ordinary working day (Sunday). This can be proved easily and quickly:
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
The Basics:
Definition: Day, Evening, „between the evenings“, Sabbath, High Sabbath, Pre-Sabbath, Week, First Fruits
The opinions of the churches about the day of the resurrection of Jesus
The seven scientific proofs that Jesus rose from the dead on a Sabbath morning:
1. The basic Greek text never mentions the Sunday or the week
2. The resurrection day is named 7 times with the name "Sabbath"
3. The preparation day was not a Friday but a Wednesday
4. There was at least one day (Intermediate day) between the two Sabbaths (15th and 17th Nisan)
5. The sign of the Messias: Jesus was „3 days and 3 nights“ in the heart of the earth
6. The manipulations and contradictions of theologians prove the correctness of the Bible
Introduction: The cause of mistranslations
The greatest translation mistake in the history of mankind: „μια των σαββατων“ (mia ton sabbaton)
6.1 The word "Sabbath" was replaced by the words "week" and "Sunday"
6.2 The plural "σαββατων" (Sabbaths) has been reinterpreted as "week" or "Sunday" (singular)
6.3 „On the one“ was replaced by "on the first“
6.4 „On a Sabbath“ has been replaced by „AFTER a Sabbath“
6.5 The "Day of the Sabbaths" was replaced by the "Day of the Sun" (Sunday), the new Lord's Day
6.6 "Evening" and "into" were replaced by "AFTER"
6.7 Sunday was made the „Lord's Day“
7. Many old Bibles proclaim the resurrection of Jesus on a Sabbath or Saturday morning
7.1 Greek Bibles show the Sabbath resurrection
7.2 Latin Bibles show the Sabbath resurrection
7.3 Gothic Bibles show the Sabbath resurrection
7.4.1 German Bible manuscripts show the Sabbath resurrection
7.4.2 German Bible prints 1 (before Luther) show the Sabbath resurrection
7.4.3 German Bible prints 2 (since Luther) show the Sabbath resurrection
7.4.4 German Bible prints 3 (from 1600 to 1899) show the Sabbath resurrection
7.4.5. German Bible prints 4 (since 1900) show the Sabbath resurrection
7.5.1 English Bible manuscripts show the Sabbath resurrection
7.5.2 English Bible prints 1 (from 1526 to 1799) show the Sabbath resurrection
7.5.3 English Bible prints 2 (from 1800 to 1945) show the Sabbath resurrection
7.5.4 English Bible prints 3 (from 1946 to 2002) show the Sabbath resurrection
7.5.5 English Bible prints 4 (since 2003) show the Sabbath resurrection
7.6 Spanish Bibles show the Sabbath resurrection
7.7 French Bibles show the Sabbath resurrection
7.8 Swedish Bibles show the Sabbath resurrection
7.9 Czech Bibles show the Sabbath resurrection
7.10 Italian Bibles show the Sabbath resurrection
7.11 Dutch Bibles show the Sabbath resurrection
7.12 Slovenian Bibles show the Sabbath resurrection
Study and translation of the Bible verses that mention the Sabbath:
„μια των σαββατων“ (mia ton sabbaton) - The worst translation error in the history of mankind
List of abbreviaions of the cited Bible translations
Annex:
The official resurrection of Jesus „on a Sabbath morning“ in 7 languages
The Great Sabbath (Shabbat ha-Gadol) on Nisan 10
The Palm Sunday is in reality a Palm Sabbath
The Slaughter of the Passover Lambs on the Sabbath, Nisan 14
First Fruits is not a High Sabbath
Amir Tsarfati and his "First Fruits Resurrection Sunday"
Quotes from the Catholic Church on the Day of the Crucifixion and Resurrection
Summary: Summary - The facts about the resurrection of Jesus on a Sabbath morning
Jesus has fulfilled the sign of the Messiah
Contrary to the opinion of many theologians and pastors, Jesus did not rise from the dead after 1.5 days (Friday evening to Sunday morning), but after "3 days and 3 nights", as He himself said (Mt 12:38-40). In Israel, a day that has begun (the 14th Nisan) is counted as the first day, even if an event would occur only a few minutes before sunset. For comparison: If a child is born only a few seconds before the change to another calendar day, this day still counts as the first day. So the 3 hours after Jesus' death are counted as the first day or even just the time Jesus was in the grave. This was followed by the High Sabbath (15th Nisan) and finally the weekly Sabbath on which Jesus rose from the dead shortly before sunrise. Jesus fulfilled the sign of the Messiah because he was resurrected after "3 days and 3 nights" like he promised. With this, Jesus proved to the whole world that he is the promised Messiah (Yeshua Ha Mashiach) of whom the prophets spoke and who was to come to earth twice. First, He came to die for our sins and deliver us from the death penalty; the second time, He will appear to save Israel and the whole world from destruction.
Jesus has fulfilled the Passover Lamb sacrifice in a perfect way. He was cast out on the 10th of Nisan and died on the exact same day (14th of Nisan) and hour (3:00 p.m.) that the first Passover lamb was slaughtered in the time of Moses. The people of Israel were freed from the slavery of Egypt on the 15th of Nisan and went out into freedom on a full moon (FM) night. The 17th Nisan was the first weekly Sabbath of the seven Sabbaths until Pentecost.
The women saw Jesus being laid in the tomb. Then they went home. That was still on the 14th Nisan, so they could attend the Passover Feast. After the High Sabbath (15th Nisan) they prepared the ointments, rested on the weekly Sabbath (17th Nisan) and came to the tomb "early on the first Sabbath" (Mk 16:9):
The following table shows the first month of Nisan from the 10th to the 21st Nisan. Exactly the same sequence of days as at the time of Israel's exodus from Egypt and at the time of Jesus' last Passover is very common. Statistically, about every third year. According to the opinion of numerous scholars and churches, Jesus was crucified in the years between 30 and at the latest 34 AD. Thereby the 14th Nisan fell on a Wednesday in the years 30, 31 and 34 A.D. The following dates correspond to the Julian calendar, which was replaced by the Gregorian calendar from 1582:
The Jewish calendar can be found on many websites and shows the date according to the current Gregorian (Catholic) calendar. It shows that about every third year there is the same sequence of days as in the years when Israel came out of Egypt and in the year when Jesus was crucified. Example years: 2000 to 2030:
According to the Jewish calendar, in the year 2020 there was exactly the same sequence of days in the 7-day Passover Feast as in the year Jesus was crucified. This means concretely: The 14th Nisan fell on Wednesday, April 8, 2020, the 15th Nisan on Thursday, April 9, and the 17th Nisan (the "first Sabbath", from Friday evening to Saturday evening) fell on April 11, 2020. The Omer counting of the 49+1 days until Pentecost (with the 7-weekly Sabbaths) always begins on the day after the first High Sabbath of the year:
A message that nobody wants to hear?
The purpose of this website is not to encourage Christians to keep the Sabbath and all biblical feasts like the Jews, because we are saved by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ. But it is about bringing original knowledge back to the surface. Why do so few Christians know that Jesus rose from the dead "on a Sabbath morning"? The answer is simple: because they do not want to hear it and because the churches want Sunday. So they are forced to reinterpret the extremely easy to understand statements of the evangelists in the NT (Interlinear). He who truly loves God accepts His word as it is. It takes a long theological study to explain to Christians that biblically "on a Sabbath" is supposed to mean "after a Sabbath" or "on the first day of the week" or "on a Sunday". The facts are frightening: Sunday was not mentioned once in the entire original Greek Bible. Nevertheless, some theologians and pastors would like to persuade us that the "Sabbath" mentioned exactly 70 times in the New Testament (NT) (see Interlinear) can allegedly be interpreted as Sunday only in the verses that report the resurrection of Jesus. They want Sunday with all their might, because they want to separate themselves as far as possible from the biblical feast days. They want to abolish the day of God (the Sabbath) and at the same time to spread and sanctify the Roman holidays (e.g. Sunday) of all things, of those who killed Jesus and many Christians. This raises the legitimate question: Why should God make it so complicated at all and speak literally of "a Sabbath morning" in the Bible, when he should mean "NOT on a Sabbath", but "on a Sunday morning"? God could have simply said "on Sunday", "on the first day of the week" or "after the Sabbath" in ancient Greek, and all discussions would have come to an end (examples). But instead, the Bible says not only once, but literally 7 times that Jesus rose from the dead "on a Sabbath" or "on one of the Sabbaths". It was "early on the first Sabbath", namely the first of the 7 Sabbaths, which are counted every year until the feast of Pentecost until today. Every Christian can see this for himself in just a few minutes by looking at the basic Greek text (see Interlinear) and the many good Bible translations (chapter 7). Even children can understand that. The three clearly defined Greek words „μια των σαββατων“ can only mean one day of the week and not two, where everyone can choose one that they would like to have.
Jesus has fulfilled the sign of the Messiah. It is frustrating, how can Christians in the year 2020, just before the Rapture, still talk about the alleged "resurrection Sunday" and ignore all the many facts? In these last days the Holy Spirit reveals so much to the bride of Christ (Daniel 12:4), but she does not want to hear it. Isn't that sad?
The resurrection of Jesus on a Sabbath morning is not a new teaching
Over the centuries, many Christians knew that Jesus rose from the dead "on a Sabbath morning" or "on a Saturday morning". This has always been stated in many Catholic and Protestant Bible translations. The evidence is detailed in chapter 7. So this is not a new doctrine, not new findings and not new revelations, but ancient Christian basic knowledge.
Once again in all clarity: What you read here are not "new teachings that have only recently appeared," as some false teachers claim, but this is ancient basic knowledge that has been spread throughout Christianity for about 2,000 years. The evangelists (not us) were the first to mention the resurrection of Jesus "early on the first Sabbath" (Mk 16:9) or "on the one/first of the Sabbaths" (Mk 16:2; Lk 24:1, Jn 20:1). This has always meant the first Sabbath of a series of 7 Sabbaths to be counted between Passover (Nisan 15) and Pentecost for 3,500 years. This is understood by every child who knows God's calendar. The ancient Greek basic text is the key to understanding the Bible and only it brings certainty about the day of Jesus' resurrection.
Very many old handwritten Bible translations proclaim the resurrection of Jesus on a Saturday morning (not Sunday morning; examples). Even the world's first printed Bible in a national language (Mentelin 1466) speaks of SATURDAY (not Sunday). So Bible printing began with the proclamation of the Sabbath resurrection of Jesus. This is a historical fact for all eternity.
The original Luther translation, which has been reprinted to this day for over 500 years, also has the same statement. Luther made it clear for all Christians that Jesus appeared to the disciples "on the evening of the same Sabbath" (not Sunday; John 20:19). And even the Catholic counter-Bibles to Luther have exactly the same statement. But since most Christians have no knowledge of the ancient translations of the Bible and the basic Greek text, this is all new to them, which is in fact very old.
Only after the Bible printing was widely spread and everybody could buy a Bible, only then the Sunday was increasingly introduced into the Bibles, so that the Christians do not come across this contradiction and nicely well-behaved keep the pagan holiday of the sun god, which is named after him (Sunday) and not after Jesus until today. So we are not spreading any new doctrines here, but we are finally bringing back the ancient basic Christian knowledge. And so far no one has succeeded in refuting us on even a single point.
God speaks 7 times of the Sabbath and 0 times of Sunday in the resurrection chapter of the NT. And when Jesus says "3 days and 3 nights" as the only sign of the Messiah for the world, He does not mean "only 1.5 days". But many pastors would rather make Jesus a liar than admit their own mistakes, because following Jesus and His teachings means suffering and persecution. But they would rather live in safety for a short time and compromise with the Word of God, thus upgrading the pagan teachings of those who killed our Lord Jesus Christ.
The illogical thinking of many Christians
The fact is: The Sabbath is the first holy day in the history of the earth and mankind. It was invented by God and is the only day of the week that has ever been blessed and sanctified by God. There has never been a desacralization or postponement of the blessing to another day of the week in the Bible. On the other hand, Sunday is an invention of mankind and served long before the birth of Jesus for the worship of the demonic sun god of the Gentiles. The sun god (the so-called "Light Bringer" or "Sol Invictus", the invincible God, the illuminated one) was the most important person of worship among the Babylonians, Egyptians, Mayans, Greeks and the Romans and after him (not after Jesus) the first and most important day of the pagan week was named. Therefore, to this day it bears his name Sun-Day and not the name of Jesus.
Who can understand the logic of many theologians who try with all their might to postpone the biblical day of Jesus' resurrection? Sunday was not mentioned once in the Hebrew (OT) and Greek (NT) Bible and this is supposed to be a biblical holy day? Why of all things should Jesus rise on the greatest holiday of His murderers and thus revalue the ancient pagan Sunday, but at the same time devalue or even abolish his own holy day (Sabbath)? Once again: Why should Jesus of all things revalue and sanctify the weekly holiday of those who beat Him, tortured Him and killed Him on the cross? What kind of logic is this? Why should Jesus abolish the "day of rest" (Shabbath) of God (of His Father) and instead declare the pagan holiday of His murderers a new "day of rest"? This is not only illogical, but also stupid and seductive. There are two reasons why some theologians go to so much trouble to reinterpret the biblical word in the resurrection chapter of the Bible:
[1.] the pagan Sunday should be accepted by Christians and adopted as the NEW "Christian day of rest".
[2.] The sign of the Messiah for the world (the resurrection after "3 days and 3 nights") should be denied.
The theory of the Sunday resurrection of Jesus was introduced so that Christians and Gentiles could all hold the same feast days together. This is the main reason. But, although the Church taught the Sunday orally, for centuries their own Bibles have written about the resurrection of Jesus "on a Sabbath" or "on a Saturday morning". This is a fact that can be proved easily and quickly by means of many old Catholic Bibles (see chapter 7).
The dramatic facts are: Because people have no interest in the Word of God (the Bible), the Sabbath was simply abolished by the rulers and theologians and turned into a preparation day for the pagan Sunday. Since they could not destroy Christianity, the godless nations at least wanted Christians to compromise, to separate from the feast days of God and adopt the worldly feasts of another calendar where all days begin at midnight (instead of sunset). All people should rest together, however, not on the feast days of God, but on the feast days of the Gentiles. Therefore, it was decades after Jesus' death that they made the adventurous claim that Jesus supposedly rose from the dead "on a Sunday", since otherwise there would be nothing to suggest that Sunday should be observed. Many theologians have played along by misinterpreting the Bible orally to the people, even though the Latin Bible translation Vulgate (since 382 A.D.) has always stated that Jesus' resurrection was "on a Sabbath morning" (una sabbati). It was not until the 15th century, when evangelization out of Germany and worldwide mass production of Bibles in many languages began, that some theologians in many countries incorrectly translated the text of the NT in some places. This was intended to ensure that Christians would continue to keep the Sunday that had long been established by then, and would not find out on which day of the week Jesus actually rose from the dead. King James (1611) had no interest that Christians should gather on a Sabbath of all things, so he simply inserted "the first day of the week" in some Bible passages, and he had already achieved his goal, together with the Catholic Church, of uniting the whole world against the Sabbath.
Jesus did not devalue the Sabbath by his resurrection, but on the contrary, he made it even more valuable. This is no wonder, for why should God abolish his own day (the Sabbath) and make it a new working day, and in return revalue the pagan day (Sunday) and raise it up to a new holy day? Is that logical? But now, just before the Rapture, the time has come to uncover (Dan 12:4) this deception of theologians. This is quite simple, for we have not only the basic Greek text of the Bible (see Interlinear), but also a great many old Catholic and Protestant Bibles, which have been correctly translated. Besides the Latin Vulgate, the German Bibles in particular were very accurate. They speak of the fact that the women came to the tomb "on a Sabbath" or "on a Saturday morning".. The word "Sunday" was only increasingly introduced in modern Bibles after 1900.
The Bible mentions the Sabbath 7 times and never Sunday
Although there are some years when Nisan 14th falls before a double Sabbath (when the annual Sabbath falls on the weekly Sabbath), Jesus could not possibly have risen on a Sunday morning. For even with a generous calculation and the assumption of an alleged resurrection of Jesus in the bright phase of Sunday, a full night would still be missing to fulfill the sign ot the Messiah. Moreover, the Bible does not mention "Sunday", the "first day of the week" or "after the Sabbath" in the basic Greek text. Instead, it speaks of "one" or the "first Sabbath". In order to prevent differences of opinion between Jews and Christians from arising in the first place, the day of the resurrection was named "Sabbath" seven times. Sunday, on the other hand, is a completely unknown day in the entire Bible, as it follows the pagan calendar. In other words: So far no theologian or pastor has ever succeeded in finding the corresponding Greek words for "week", "Sunday" or "after the Sabbath" in the resurrection chapter of the New Testament. However, the whole world can see the "Sabbath" seven times here. The women prepared the ointments after the High Sabbath, rested on the weekly Sabbath, and came "early on the first Sabbath" (Mark 16:9) to the tomb "while it was still dark". Whoever knows the calendar of God and renounces interpretations has no problems at all in understanding the statements of the evangelists. At the time the NT was written, Greek was the world language with clearly defined words for the Day of Resurrection. There are no discrepancies. The inconsistencies only create theologians when they try to erase the Sabbath and put Sunday in the Bible instead:
All this is not difficult, but extremely simple to understand and many historical Catholic Bibles speak of the women coming to the tomb on a SATURDAY or on a SABBATH morning. Why does this appear in the old Catholic Bibles? Simply because it is written that way in the basic Greek text and in the Latin translation Vulgate. It is not possible to express it better in Latin that Jesus rose on a Sabbath than with the words "una sabbati"; there is no other possibility. But this is supposed to mean at the same time three completely different versions:
1. on a Sunday
2. after the Sabbath
3. on the first day of the week
No, the Bible is easy to understand if the biblical calendar of God is known. For about 1,400 years, it was almost impossible to find a Bible that spoke of Sunday, because all of them mentioned only the resurrection of Jesus on a Sabbath or on a Saturday. Moreover, it is quite easy to stop the discussion and disputes about the resurrection Sabbath. Jesus often answered with questions and we simply say: How would you say in ancient Greek "early of the first Sabbath" (Mark 16:9) in singular genitive and in Latin "on a Sabbath"? And already everyone is afraid to answer and leave, because otherwise they would have to use the words found in the Greek NT and in the Latin Vulgate, namely "proi prote sabbatou" and "una sabbati". It is that easy to make all the theologians mute, namely, not to discuss and argue much, but simply to ask a question, as Jesus did. Some pastors, recognizing this, have come up with a pious excuse and simply claim "yes, the Bible literally speaks of the resurrection Sabbath, but it doesn't matter what day Jesus was resurrected, all that matters is that He was resurrected and we can celebrate his resurrection on Sunday as well." This is quite wrong, because it was extremely important for God to emphasize that the resurrection of our Lord took place on His day, the Sabbath, and not on the holiday of the pagan and Babylonian sun god that the world celebrates to this day (Sunday). That is why God mentioned the Sabbath 7 times in the resurrection chapter and 70 times in the whole NT (see Interlinear Bible); they are the numbers of perfection. On the other hand, who can find Sunday (see No Sunday) in the basic Greek text and in the Latin translation (Vulgate)? No one! We will soon all stand before God and then it will be seen who has stood by Jesus and His Word and His sign of the Messiah and who has not. The day of the Rapture will also make this difference clear to the whole world.
We are living in a time when the prophecy of Daniel 12:4 is fulfilled. The increase in knowledge also concerns the wisdom of the true day of Jesus' resurrection, the Sabbath day. It is the responsibility of every Christian to check everything in the original Greek text of the Bible (see Interlinear) to preserve what is good and uncover what is evil.
"But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end.
Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."
(Daniel 12:4)
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil"
(1Thessalonians 5:21-22)
"Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them"
(Epheser 5:11)