Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Easter Sunday? - Timing of the Resurrection

Reader writes:

I just started reading the article Passover/Easter, and I found the part where it mentioned:

He went into the grave just before sunset. At sunset a High Shabbat began—the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Seventy two hours later, just before sunset on Shabbat night, He arose from the dead—72 hours later!

The above statement is incorrect. In the Holy Bible, the Scripture says:

Mat 28:1 Now after the Sabbath, toward dawn on the first day of the week,1 Miryam from Mag¯dala and the other Miryam came to see the tomb. Footnote:1See Explanatory notes - First Day of the Week. Also Luke 24:1 and John 20:1.

LDL.net reply:

Here is Yedidah's response to your note:

Before sunset on the first day of the week in Hebrew context, since His days begin at sunset from creation, is Saturday night. "Towards dawn" the women came. Because they would not have come at night to put the spices on the body, they came at dawn...the first chance they got. But, His resurrection was at sunset, because He was in the grave 72 hours -- to fulfill the prophecy of Jonah...3 days and 3 nights...from Wed. night to Saturday night.

I will provide a little more:

This is a common doctrine that is taught in mainstream christianity that tries to justify a Sunday morning observance of Christ's resurrection. First of all, there absolutely is significance in his resurrection, however, according to scripture, there is no hint of us being commanded to observe it. On the contrary, in Lev. 23, it is outlined all the days that we should observe.

Now to answer your direct point on the timing, you will see in scripture that the pharisees were adamant about having him buried before sunset, or the coming feast day, which was the first day of unleavened bread. They did not want to bury him on a Holy Day, Mark 16:9. It is believed that he was buried before sunset on a Wednesday evening before sunset, thus, if he is actually to be in the tomb 3 days and 3 nights proper, then he would have been resurrected before sunset on the Saturday evening. There are also beliefs that he died and was buried on the Thursday.

Also, your point you make regarding them going to the tomb to find him gone on Sunday morning provides no proof of when he had risen. He could have easily been gone the night before and the circumstances would still be the same the next morning.

If your point is to prove an Easter observance, the reasoning may be faulty. We seriously need to be lead by the scriptures alone without being influenced, or led astray by popular teaching.

Despite what day of the week it was, we do know that he died and was buried on the 14th day of the first month of the original calendar and the most important point remains is that we are not commanded to observe his resurrection, but to memorialize his death which covers our sins. Anything outside of that is man-made.

But believe when I say, I will stand corrected if proven otherwise.

Reader reply:

I forgot to make it clear that I don't observe Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving and such. My request for clarification on the subject was sincerily to find out more/ understand more. Though my email was short and seem 'harsh'? forgive me if it sounded 'hars'. English is not my mother tounge.

After I sent the email to you, I also looked for another explanation on the same subject with other online ministry, just to get more insight (and I always re-check against the Word of Yahweh).

I'm admit that I was merely misunderstood it. Your explanation is correct.

A little suggestion if I may, please add your explanation below to the article, so that other readers (whom happen to be like my self ) will not misunderstand it.
Thank you for your time to answer my question.

May the grace and peace of our Father and Savior Yahushua Ha Mashiach be with us all.

The Whole Law?

Reader writes:

I have been reading some of your articles and I will continue reading with the other articles.

I would like to ask you (so far, I could not find it in any of your articles, if you have written about this) since we are to obey commandment of our Father Yahweh (TORAH), there are some commandments which I want to know from your prayerful study in His Word, if it still apply for us today. If you have articles about what I'm going to ask you, please point it out to me. Otherwise help me please by answering the following:

1. For example, do not destroy the corner of the beard (for men) Lev 19:27
2. Also for women who gave birth, that they are unclean for certain length of time and should not touch anything set-apart Lev 12:2-8
3. Lepers were unclean and not to be touched. But Yahushua touched and healed a leper. Do you have any explanation about this one? whether the law of not touching leper is still apply for us today or that Yahushua done away with this law.
4. How about the Tassels?
5. Headcovering for women?

Thank you for your time. May Father Yahweh bless you and your work for His kingdom abundantly


LDL.net reply:

You ask some questions that seem to be on a lot of people's minds these days, especially those who are searching for truth and wanting to please our Creator. I want to first say that the articles that you're reading are what the Father has inspired a good friend of mine, Yedidah, to write. I host the website and have published the intent and purpose for it, but otherwise, I respond to inquiries as the Father directs me to do.

As for your questions, I will give more thought and detail at a later time, but wanted to say quickly that I feel that whole bible was written for our admonition and instruction. However, we must understand that Yashuah came and magnified the law. That is to say that he made it more plain for us to see and understand and how it applies to our lives.

It is believed by rabbinical thought that there are 613 laws in Torah. This number is man-made contrived. This is not to say that we don't adhere to the supposed 613. What I'm saying is that I believe we're to live by everything in scripture that could possibly apply to us. For instance, we know that, if you're a woman, the instruction of not destroying the corner of your beard could not possibly apply to you, and so on.

There are many aspects of the questions you ask that we all continue to seek answers to. What is most important is that we develop a strong relationship with our Creator and Savior, and what will follow is a longing for their will in our lives, thus being revealed to us what we must live by.

I hope to follow up some more thoughts on this subject. But wanted to get something to you soon so you are not waiting for a reply.


Yedidah's reply:

Here is what I learned from our Father about her questions. Out of the 613 commands of our Father, many are directed towards the priests and the High Priest, regarding different groups, such as men, women and children separately. Some are regarding marriage, some regarding sexual perimeters, and some of them do not apply to us at all. We do not have to take a shovel into the field to bury our feces. Aren't we glad for that. Women now have provision for their time of the month problems... and do not need to stay at home because they might drop something on the ground that is forbidden.

But, back in around 2002, I was in Texas teaching, and a man asked the same questions. I didn't have a total answer for him, but told him we did have
to keep the commandments that pertained to us, which we could keep--like Shabbat, the Festivals, the dietary laws, and laws of purity and set-apartness, how to love one's neighbor and how to love Elohim. About two years later, I was on a plane from Amsterdam to Memphis, and I was trying to sleep, but it wasn't working. All of a sudden that scene flashed before my eyes of sitting there at 2:00AM trying to answer that question. Father began showing me the answer. We all were raised to pray "the Lord's prayer"...at least in Christianity. "Our Father, Who art in heaven ... THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN". His will in heaven and earth is Torah. We do not have a Cohen ha Gadal in Person, nor a Temple now, but we do have a High Priest and a Temple in heaven. So, in asking for His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven...we are petitioning the High Priest to take action in our situation as He would do if He was on earth. This is the answer I want to pass on and others who do want to obey Him. We must obey what we can. If there is no chance of doing what we can at this time, then we turn it over to the High Priest Yahushua, and let Him do whatever He wants in our case. This answer from Him gave me peace.


If anyone has any input to these or any other topics or questions on laydownlife.net, please, don't hesitate to write. We realize we are not the final answer to any matter and don't want to pretend to be. All matters should be measured, judged and sought after from the Holy Spirit of our Creator.