Matthew 12:40 says Jesus would be in the grave for three days and three nights. So if you simply count back three nights from early Sunday morning, you arrive at the day he had to die. That would be: Saturday night, Friday night, Thursday night. Thus Jesus must have died on the following Thursday, Nisan 20th, at the ninth hour.
This is cleared up by the correct understanding of John 19:14 which gives the exact time of Jesus' trial. It says it was "[BUT] preparation of passover. The hour was sixth." That's right. If you check the actual Greek, the Greek conjunction de meaning "but" is used just before "preparation of passover." When used in conjunction with the time of day, however, de means "not yet" or "just before" that time period. So "but preparation" refers to the hours occurring immediately before the day of preparation was to begin, not preparation day itself. The Jewish ceremonial day began at either sunset for Sabbath days or at nightfall for the regular weekdays. Thus, the sixth hour before "preparation" day would begin (at nightfall) meant 12 o'clock Noon, on Wednesday, Nisan 19th. How so?
Because "preparation" means the day before a sabbath day. This term would usually mean a Friday. But the Passover Week (Nisan 14-21st) had two special sabbath days; one on the 15th and one on the 20th. As you noticed, John stipulated this preparation day to be "preparation of passover" or before one of the special Passover sabbath days. Since the 15th had already passed, this must refer to the 20th; that is, Noontime before the 20th (preparation) was to begin.
With this understanding, everything at once is cleared up. For instance, Mark says that Jesus was impaled at the "third hour," which is around 9:00. (Mark 15:25) This was thought to conflict with John's account who mentions the trial was just beginning at Noontime. In addition, Mark indicates that it got dark for three hours beginning at Noontime. So what goes?
When you move Jesus' trial appropriately to Nisan 19th at Noon, then it is clear that Mark is referring to the "third hour" that night (9:00 p.m.) when Jesus was finally impaled. Thus Jesus was impaled overnight until the next day at Noon when it got dark for three hours just before his death at around the ninth hour, or about 3:00 p.m. on the 20th, now Thursday. From that afternoon until Sunday we thus count "three days and three nights" to arrive at Sunday, Nisan 23rd, the actual day Jesus was resurrected.
The 1260, 1290, and 1335 days: To further support this, is the prophetic 1260, 1290 and 1335 days. (Daniel 12:11,12) The 1260 days represents a half week of years, that is, 42 months (42x30=1260). Jesus' ministry was to be cut off at mid- week so it was also a half week, or 3-1/2 years. This ordinarily would be 42 lunar months. But after three years an extra intercalary month is added to the Jewish calendar. Thus instead of being exactly 1260 days, or 42 months, Jesus' actual ministry was 30 days more, or 1290 days. Now the 1335 days is 45 days more than 1290 (1290+45=1335). Of course, if we count 45 days from Nisan 21st we arrive at Pentecost. Pentecost, of course, is the 50th day from Nisan 16th, five days earlier.
Thus we can see the prophetic pattern established by the special sabbath day of the 21st for the Festival of Booths and Passover weeks. Since the Festival of Booths is exactly six months away from Passover, it is clear that if Jesus officially began his ministry on the 21st of Tishri and ended it at his death on the 20th of Nisan, it would represent 1290 days (including one intercalary month); after which, 45 days would bring us to Pentecost. This, of course, would mean that holy spirit was granted just three days after Jesus' ascension into Heaven instead of 10 days afterwards had he risen on Nisan 16th. The main point noted here being that there is absolutely no conflict with Pentecost and Jesus' appearing for 40 days immediately after his resurrection.
The WT Society tries to distract from this reality by avoiding discussing either Mark 14:12 or Luke 22:7 in their reference materials; two scriptures which prove conclusively that it was Nisan 14th when Jesus sent his two disciples out to prepare for Passover, meaning it would have been Nisan 15th when Jesus ate that meal later that day after sunset. (By the way, sunset began the special sabbath day of the "first day of unfermented cakes" so the lamb was eaten, of course, with unleavened bread as mandated by the Passover instructions.)
Incidentally, you might have wondered why Jesus needed to send two disciples out to prepare for the meal? The lambs for Passover had to be sacrificed at the temple, something few persons actually consider. (Note: See special article on "Understanding Jewish Passover" for further details.) Thus one of those disciples had to get in that long line at the temple where thousands of lambs would have to be slaughtered.
According to Josephus (Antiquities), the lamb slaughtering for Passover began at the "ninth hour", the same time that Jesus died. This shows that Jesus still fulfilled being the "Passover Lamb,"(1 Cor. 5:7) by dying during Passover Week, though not specifically on Nisan 14th as is taught by the WTS. Had Jesus actually died on Nisan 14th, he would not have been able to institute the New Covenant during the actual Passover meal with his disciples which didn't begin until after sunset, Nisan 15th. Just one more false teaching of the WTS exposed.
For more information on other true and false teachings of Jehovah's witnesses, please see article: "Jehovah's Witnesses Beliefs."
Last Updated - 9/13/97
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