Jesus Christ's death and resurrection hold critical significance, particularly in the timing that validates His identity as the Messiah. By His own testimony in Matthew 12:38-40, He declared that the only sign proving He is the Son of Man would be His time in the grave for three days and three nights, mirroring Jonah's time in the belly of the great fish. This timing of three days and three nights, totaling 72 hours, is essential to confirm His Messiahship, bearing no connection to establishing which day God set apart as holy. The commonly held belief that He died on a Friday afternoon and was resurrected on a Sunday morning fails to align with His prophecy of three days and three nights, as this timeframe cannot be reconciled between those days. Instead, deeper study reveals that He was crucified on the day of Passover, a Wednesday in the year of His crucifixion, and His body was placed in the grave late that afternoon before sunset, marking the start of a high-day Sabbath, the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, rather than the weekly Sabbath. He remained in the grave for three days and three nights, from Wednesday night through Saturday, and was resurrected on the Sabbath afternoon before sunset, fulfilling the exact duration He foretold. His resurrection on the Sabbath does not establish the day of worship, as the Sabbath was already set apart and holy by God. The timing of His resurrection serves solely to prove His identity as the Messiah, not to alter the day designated for worship.

The day after the Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread is the day of the Wavesheaf offering, which typifies the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. The Bible's accounts indicate that Jesus could not have risen with the sunrise on Sunday morning, as Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away, showing He had already been resurrected. Taking all the clues together, the Bible suggests a Wednesday crucifixion and a late Sabbath Saturday resurrection, fulfilling the sign of His Messiahship by remaining in the tomb a full three days and three nights, or 72 hours. Jesus Himself confirms His death and return to life, stating to the church at Smyrna that He was dead and came to life. His resurrection was unique, not a mere return to physical life, but a raising to everlasting life, as God the Father raised Him up, loosing the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. He now lives by the power of God, and as He declared to the apostle John, He is alive forevermore.

The timing of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection reveals significant discrepancies with commonly observed days. Jesus Himself stated that He would be in the heart of the earth for exactly 72 hours, defining this period as three days and three nights. Various statements from Him, such as "in three days," "the third day," and "after three days," confirm this precise duration, proving He is our Savior by fulfilling this sign. Assuming a Sunday morning resurrection, counting back 72 hours leads to Thursday at daybreak, which conflicts with the biblical account of His burial at sunset by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. A sunset burial requires a sunset resurrection to match the 72-hour period, indicating that by early Sunday morning, when the women and disciples found the tomb empty, He had already been gone for about twelve hours. The Seventy Weeks Prophecy in Daniel 9:27 further clarifies that His crucifixion occurred in the middle of the week, on a Wednesday. Buried late on Wednesday at sunset, He remained in the tomb for exactly 72 hours, rising at sundown as Saturday, the seventh-day Sabbath, concluded. This timeline aligns with the biblical record of His death and resurrection.

The timing of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection holds profound significance in the biblical narrative. The Feast of Firstfruits, also known as the wave sheaf offering, occurs on the first day of the week following the Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread, marking the beginning of the early grain harvest. This feast, detailed in Leviticus 23, symbolizes the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. He was raised from the dead in the waning moments of the Sabbath, mirroring the cutting of the barley sheaf at the end of the Sabbath, and ascended to the Father on the following morning, akin to the waving of the sheaf before God for acceptance. This sequence, occurring in 31 AD, fulfills the ritual of the wave sheaf offering, as He was resurrected after three days and three nights in the tomb and presented Himself before the Father on the first day of the week. The timing aligns with the scriptural account, emphasizing that His resurrection did not occur at dawn on Sunday but earlier, before the tomb was found empty while it was still dark, as noted in John 20. Through this precise timing, His role as the First of the firstfruits is established, opening the way for others to follow in resurrection to eternal life.

Brethren, as we count the fifty days to Pentecost, our attention often focuses on the lessons God imparts through this period. Yet, within this count, there lies another significant span of time: the forty days of Jesus Christ's ministerial work from His resurrection until His ascension. During these forty days, as recorded in John 20:30-31, Jesus performed many signs in the presence of His disciples, signs not fully detailed in Scripture, but written to foster belief that He is the Christ, the Son of God, and to grant life in His name. This period culminates in His ascension to be seated next to His Father, having completed a vital part of His work as our great and perfectly righteous High Priest. The timing of these events is precise. Jesus Christ's resurrection occurred just before sunset on the Sabbath, marking exactly three days and three nights in the grave, as He foretold. His presentation as the first of the firstfruits to His Father took place early on the first day of the week following the Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread. In the interim, significant moments unfolded, such as His appearance to Mary, who was instructed not to touch Him as He had not yet presented Himself to the Father, as noted in John 20:3-17. Additionally, eight days after His resurrection, He appeared to Thomas and the other disciples, affirming belief through sight and extending a special blessing to those who believe without seeing, as recorded in John 20:24-29. The gospel accounts also provide specific details surrounding His death and resurrection. At noon on Wednesday, Jesus was on the stake, enduring immense suffering and darkness over the land for three hours. During this time, He cried out in solitude, feeling separation from His Father, and ultimately entrusted His spirit to His Father's safekeeping before breathing His last. Post-resurrection, the positioning of the burial linens and the absence of the hundred pounds of myrrh and aloe in the tomb, as observed by Peter and John in John 20:6-7, suggest a purposeful preparation, possibly indicating a final act of righteousness before His ascension. These elements underscore the meticulous fulfillment of His role as High Priest and the perfect work He accomplished in alignment with His Father's will.

The timing of Jesus Christ's death, burial, and resurrection hinges on the precise meaning of three days and three nights as mentioned in Matthew 12:40, which indicates a complete 72-hour period, contrary to the common belief of parts of three days fitting between Friday sunset and Sunday dawn. The assertion in John 20:1, regarding Mary Magdalene coming to the tomb on the first day of the week while it was still dark and finding Jesus already gone, suggests the stone was rolled away earlier, challenging the notion of a Sunday morning resurrection. Additionally, the disciples' statement on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:21, that today is the third day since these things happened, can be understood in context as referring to the entire sequence of events during Crucifixion Week, including the setting of a guard on the tomb possibly on Thursday or early Friday, thus marking three days since the last related event. Alternatively, their comment may imply disappointment that the third day of Jesus' sign of being in the heart of the earth had already passed, suggesting the time for the expected sign was over. The phrase "in the heart of the earth" in Matthew 12:40 clearly refers to being dead and buried, paralleling the Hebrew idiom in Jonah 2:2-3 for the grave, and aligns with Jesus' sign in John 2:19-21 of raising the temple of His body after three days, confirming it as a metaphor for His death, burial, and resurrection, not merely His presence in Jerusalem.