When does a day begin and end? Some have said that society decides when a day begins and ends, so for the U.S. that would be midnight. Others like the Jews hold the Talmud’s position that a day begins and ends at sunset. Some have said that it really does not matter.
When considering the day that God raised Christ, many have wondered on what day the Romans crucified Christ, what day did God raise Him, and at what time of the day was Jesus resurrected. The day of assembly is the day of Christ’s resurrection. However. some infer that Saturday night is the beginning of the first day of the week reasoning that a day begins and ends at sunset. This infers that those assembling and partaking of the Lord’s Supper on Sunday evening are actually meeting on the second day of the week. Luke reported, “And upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and prolonged his speech until midnight” (Acts 20:7 ASV). Which evening is the first day of the week? This study will examine these inferences made upon Scripture.
The following Scriptures present that a day begins at sunrise:
- Matthew 28:1 reveals, “Now late on the sabbath day, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre” (ASV 1901, emp. added).
- Mark 16:1–2 depicts, “And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, they come to the tomb when the sun was risen.”
- How could it be “very early” if the day started at sunset or midnight?
Genesis 1 shows that the day consisting of day and night is one that starts at sunrise.
- Genesis 1:5 reports, “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day” (cf. Gen 1:8, 13, 19, 23, 31).
- The Hebrew word for morning is boqer, which means “sunrise,” “end of night,” “coming of daylight,” and “beginning of day.” Therefore, the order of the day consists of sunset and sunrise as the scripture says, “And there was evening (sunset) and there was morning (sunrise), one day.” Sunrise started a new day. Each day consisted of an evening and then a morning. The complete day does not end at sunset or midnight, but the day started at dawn in the beginning. That is the biblical day from Genesis.
These passages confirm the day starts before sunset when a day goes on through sunset into the evening:
- Matthew 26:17 notes, “Now on the first day of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Where will you that we make ready for you to eat the Passover?’” (cf. Mark 14:12).
- This is the first day of unleavened bread when Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare for the Passover although Israel roasted the Passover lamb at twilight and ate it in the night. As in the Old Testament, the first day of the Passover Feast included the day and the preceding evening as the disciples came to the guest room on the first day of Passover before twilight — that is before sunset.
- Mark 4:35 depicts, “And on that day, when evening was come, he said unto them, ‘Let us go over unto the other side.'”
- Again, the evening followed daylight of that day.
- John 20:19 tells, “When therefore it was evening [nightfall, Greek: opsios], on that day, the first day of the week, and when thedoorswere shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said unto them, ‘Peace be unto you.'”
- “On that day” is referring to the day when Christ rose on the morning of the first day of the week and now it is the same day called “evening.” According to this passage, the first day of the week was the day and then the night.
Did not Mary Magdalene come unto Jesus’s tomb on the first day of the week when it was dark according to John 20:1?
- John 20:1 states, “Now on the first day of the week comes Mary Magdalene early, while it was yet dark, unto the tomb, and sees the stone taken away from the tomb.”
- If it was dark without the sun raised, then John 20:1 would disprove or present another understanding that a day starts on another time other than sunrise in contradiction to the scriptures above. However, John 20:19 states, “When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said unto them, ‘Peace be unto you.'” How could it be evening on the first day of the week, the very day that Jesus rose, if a day started at sunset and the day would have changed? Furthermore, Luke 24:1 depicted that the women came at early dawn, so though it was dark though it was not night. In mountainous areas, the sun can dawn and there is still darkness in the vales where the elevations block the sun’s light in some places. This is especially true where people have carved a tomb from rock. Darkness after dawn is evidently possible, and reasonable to those of who go out early.
Did not all Jews at this time believe that day was from sunset to sunset?
- No. The idea that a day was sunset to sunset came from man’s tradition and thinking based upon Leviticus 23:32 where the Day of Atonement was held on the tenth day of the seventh month, but the Sabbath began on the ninth because the Sabbath was kept on this occasion from evening unto evening. Even in this passage from Leviticus, one can easily notice the reference to two different days, the ninth day and the tenth day of the month. Leviticus 23:32 speaks of the sunset of the ninth day being the time to start the Sabbath for the tenth day. Evidently, a day did not start at sunset and this was a special occasion of simply keeping the high sabbath for the Day of Atonement. The regular Mosaic day began with the rise of day through the setting of the evening (Gen 1: Exod 12:18; 18:13: Lev 6:20).
Similar posts:
The Breath of God 
Do you expect me to answer your questions when you ignore mine, Scott?
I wish Jesus were here to ask the question you asked, but when I consider that the essence of the NT is based upon Spiritual and not physical principles I cannot help but think that the one baptism is Spirit Baptism.
Regarding baptism being a must, I would say that this baptism is baptism by the Spirit. It doesn’t make sense that a physical act would place one into a Spiritual Realm. Otherwise the person who is being baptized would have the change in consciousness (regeneration) only after rising from the water, and this just is not the case.
Why did Jesus establish water baptism in His name and in His resurrection if it is not the one baptism (Matt. 28:19, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, 10:47-48, Eph. 4:5)?
Roman 8:2, For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
The law of sin and death is basically the law of cause and effect. When one breaks the law they are subject to the effects that have been set previously for that offense. Under law the effects would be punishment. However under the law of the Spirit the effects of sin are grace. How cool is that? Am I prone to sin more because I have grace? Are you more likely to make a mistake driving you car when the law is on your bumper? Yes you are.
Sorry, when I read you writings, there are quite a few questions, so I thought you were asking rhetorical questions & answering them (I see now). First, the Law of Sin & Death is might seem to be a few things, & various texts have been used to support each view. Leviticus 18:5 is the first mention of the Law of Sin & Death, & is quoted Romans 10:5 & Galatians 3:12.
Before Jesus, this Law meant that 1 must “do” in order to “live”. Meaning, right-do-ing, or righteousness is the way to Live Eternally. Romans 10:3 covers 1’s “own righteousness”, & many texts mention all have sinned. So, once 1 sinned, being “under the Law”, the wages of sin is death. The Law of Sin & Death is all about trying to “do”, “live”, without God’s help.
Romans 8:3 makes is clear, that the problem is not with the Law, it’s people. Meaning, the Law has no weakness, in fact, the Law is still intact. Those who reject Jesus are still “under” that Law Romans 10:4. So, the whole idea is not about the list of what(s), but it’s all about who. Meaning, who is do-ing, right do-ing, or whose righteousness is empowering obedience. Without God, there’s no power, with God, there’s all power.
After Jesus, there is a another (and better) option. John 14:13 & Romans 8:11 prove that Jesus Himself did not do it without God’s help. Who helped Him? The Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus is described as being anointed by the Spirit, then moved by the Spirit immediately in both Matthew & John chapters 3 & 4. Meaning, Jesus patterned what His followers must “do” to “live”.
Jesus makes a believer just by faith, & only God knows how long He gives before 1 must begin to “live by the Spirit” (as you say). Jesus’ job was justification, which occurs in the instant a believer has faith that Christ Resurrected. Meaning, Jesus death couldn’t keep Him because He knew no sin. The Holy Spirit’s job is sanctification, meaning, to set aside for Sacred Holy purpose.
Again, only God knows how long He gives before “living by the Spirit” becomes a must. It’s possible to be considered just by faith in Jesus alone. But at some point, “living by the Spirit” becomes a must. At that point, the Baptism becomes a must along with the indwelling of the Spirit, walking in the newness of life etc., but does this make the Law of Sin & Death clear. Now for this list…the 10 Commandments never had to be re-instated in the N.T. which is a un-Biblical ploy of Satan.
If my kid’s job is to clean their room, & they return from college, my command doesn’t change. Consistency between the “greatest commandment in the law”, love God with all, love for your neighbor, the Royal Law, all refer to the 10 Commandments, & Revelation 22:14; 12:17; 14:12 too. Matthew 17:20 & James 2:8 go on to list them. Hebrews 4:9 clarifies “Sabbatismos” as a keeping of the Sabbath, & Isaiah 66:23 says Sabbath is kept in Heaven. The Law of Sin & Death should be clear, my list of Laws/Commands as well, but let me know.
The problem I see with your theory is that in your scenario the believer does not die to him/her self (as the NT strongly urges). It’s always the flesh that is carrying out the laws. Everything we do is either carried out be means of the flesh or the Spirit/spirit. The new covenant is one in which the Spirit that dwells in the believer becomes the master of the believers life, not the law. Do you agree with this or not?
Amen. “Baptism becomes a must along with the indwelling of the Spirit, walking in the newness of life etc., but does this make the Law of Sin & Death clear.” Amen. Let us continue to agree.
Phil, I respect your right to choose, but I disagree for the following reasons. Living by the Spirit means God’s Law is in one’s heart – Hebrews 8:10 & 2 Corinthians 3:3. God’s Law is the same as the Royal Law of James 2:8, & verse 11 lists the exact point of reference. In Heaven, in the end, God’s people keep the Commandments of God – Revelation 22:14; 12:17; 14:12
I’d like to know what you think the Law of Sin & Death is…what verse(s) do you use to locate the Law of Sin & Death?
Alden,
I’ve been kind enough to answer your question but you have not answered mine. Scott has not answered any of my questions either. Interesting.
here are my questions…
What are the laws and commands to be obeyed in the NT? Would you list them?
What does the NT mean when it advises to live by the Spirit?
Thanks
Phil, it feels dismissive to give a whole entire chapter as your answer. If you meant that you live by some “spiritual law”, you’d be fair if you say what you meant by it because most of us read the same Scripture & view it differently. So, specifically, what Commandments do you keep?
Alden,
If your looking for a checklist of commands that I live by I’m not going there because it then becomes a system of living by the book and not by the heart. I think that your question is invalid because it makes the Spirit just another letter of law to which we are to adhere. Those who live by commands are admitting that Christ is not formed in them, because when Christ is formed in the consciousness of the believer then the laws become intrinsic to the believer. It would be like asking a cat what law do they follow that makes them meow, hiss, chase mice, etc. They are just naturally responding to the essence and the natural law of their being.
It’s not dismissive to use Romans 8 as the answer to a question like I was asked. There many verses and passages the refer to the Spirit as being the guide within the consciousness of the Transformed believer. Would you like me to list them all? I will if you want. Maybe you don’t believe in living by the Spirit. Do you?
As I said earlier, the Galatians were Christians but were not living by the Spirit and Paul was very terse with them. Christ had not yet been formed in them, yet they were Christians. Somehow the questions you are asking me are what I would expect from those at Galatia.
Your question is invalid. Maybe you can list some commands that guide your actions and behavior that you see as necessary under the new covenant. Don’t forget that laws do not change your consciousness, only outer behavior. You can follow laws outwardly without an ounce of faith, so what good is it to be technically obedient to laws while remaining spiritually asleep. It happens all of the time. I used to be that way.
It is obvious that the author of this blog is deceived simply because the title is about when days divide, then somehow we end up dropping commandments….then lawless.
I am sorry to change the theme of this article. It happens too often on these discussions.
So being that you believe the letter of the law no longer applies, which laws do you believe we should adhere to?
I think Romans 8 answers your question. We are to live by the Spirit and not the written law. Written law addresses behavior. Spiritual law addresses consciousness. Under the new covenant we are to be transformed of mind (consciousness) not transformed of outer behavior, as written law would attempt to do. When out inner consciousness is transformed then our behavior follows, not the other way around. We can certainly use self discipline to try to obey written laws but we are contaminated by the flesh and all of our human effort takes on the opposing forces of that mind, which is divided. The Spirit is single minded and does not have the opposing influence of the flesh to contaminate the process. You cannot live by written law without the opposing forces becoming a factor. It is the nature of written law, it cannot be otherwise.
Lionel,
Please, consider these scriptures.
“But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet” (Rom. 7:6-7, KJV).
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2, KJV). I follow the Law of Christ.
I believe that we agree that we are to, “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13:8-10).
Law cannot invoke love. You cannot force yourself to love another from the level of law. Love is the result of letting go of what is standing in the way of keeping love from expressing itself. You cannot will yourself to love something or someone whom you don’t like. However you can see (living from the Spirit/spirit) that everyone deserves love, compassion, etc., everything that is mentioned in Romans 8. So instead of using will power to create love from a commandment you instead make a decision to drop what is preventing yourself from being loving. That is the passive way of the Spirit/spirit and not the pro-active way of using will power, as law would suggest. It’s very subtle but very important to understand the mechanics of law and the difference between personally using law to perform obedience and allowing the spirit to perform it’s love with you as the dwelling place in which it happens.
Phil, Christ invokes love. Therefore, we love and obey Him (1 John 5:2-3). Let’s turn to what the Spirit teaches through His Apostles and prophets (Eph. 3:3-5).
“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness” (Rom. 6:16-18).
I would disagree and say that Spiritual law is intrinsic to the transformed mind of the believer. One who is transformed inwardly does not need written law to know not to kill or do other sinful acts. They know it by the Spirit that lives in them and which has been awakened in them by the new creation they have assumed. To the non-transformed mind…yes they need written laws to guide their behavior. Romans 8 addresses this issue perfectly. Hebrews 8:10 further drives this point home.
10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
A transformed mind would never use grace as an excuse to sin. A transformed mind lives by the Spirit when that person is relationship with that Spirit. However, we do live in a world that will take away from the Spirit and this is where grace is needed and is applied according to my understanding.
You said, “And one CANNOT keep the Spirit of the Law without keeping the letter first.” I completely disagree with this statement. The following illustration is a scenario in which the letter of law is discarded in favor of the spirit of law.
I strongly believe that the NT teaches that according to the new covenant we are under the spirit of law. The new covenant is a spiritual covenant by definition. Here’s an example: You are on an outing with your child who gets seriously injured in an accident. In order for them to be saved you’ll have to break the speed limit to get them to the hospital. The law prohibits you from driving beyond the speed limit. What will you do? Will you observe the speed law and allow your child to die or will you observe the spirit of law and get that person the help they need to live b y going beyond the speed limit.
The problem I have with your theory is that we can’t keep the letter of law perfectly and James 2:10 states what happens when we break law. “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”
If you understand the effects of grace and how the Spirit works in us then you cannot extoll the virtues of written commandments. So I don’t think the NT teaches we are under the obligation to observe any written laws….as long as we have been transformed of mind. The Galatians were Christians yet had not become transformed inwardly, else Paul would not have said this: Galatians 4:19
“My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you…”
So, there are two levels of Christianity, one in which the mind has not become transformed (The Galatians) and one in which the mind has beeb transformed. Christians who are still living from their own non-transformed mind are probably still under written laws because they have yet to experience the effects of intrinsic inner law like to which Paul was trying to help the Galatians understand.
So what is the purpose of written law? It is to control our behavior until Christ is formed in us.
Galatians 3:19
Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come.
So, what spiritual law(s) are on your heart Phil?
NT law is spiritual law. Spiritual law is that which is in our consciousness. God does not make a checklist of laws under the new covenant. Spiritual law is not defined by a written set of rules and regs to be obeyed by the flesh. Do you perform obedience because of the written law or is your obedience a natural expression of God’s Spirit living in your consciousness?
My question to you would be, “what written laws are to be obeyed under the new covenant? Is there a list of commands to which we are bound? If so, what are they? And what would be your understanding of Hebrews 8:10 when the Lord stated that His laws would be written on our hearts and minds?
What spiritual law(s) are on your heart Phil? …you have not named 1 yet.
I don’t live by law as a NT Christian. I pointed to Romans 8 as to what the effects of living in the Spirit are. Do you see any laws in Romans 8? I think you’ve totally missed the point of living from the Spirit.
You are not who I was talking about.
Good article. I put together a presentation that touches on this subject. Click on the link below to check it out and if you dont mind, send me a response and let me know what you think. Peace to you.
Link to presentation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zZCLfu7Rd8&list=PL6180C347C8E854F8&feature=view_all
You are absolutely right that creation was during the day followed by evening and then morning started the next day.
Also note that there are some who recognize midnight to midnight days.
I must also note find that Christ fulfilled the Law and prophets, and that the Law of Moses on stones is obsolete and done away with (2 Cor. 3, Heb. 8:13). Therefore, I do not keep circumcision according to the Law (Gal. 5:1-4). I do not keep the feasts of the Law of Moses given to Israel as a tutor and a guard to being us to Christ (Gal. 3:23ff).
“You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain” (Gal. 4:10-11).
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” (Gal. 5:6-7).
“Yet the law is not of faith, but ‘the man who does them shall live by them.’ Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’),” (Gal. 3:12-13).
“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” (Gal. 3:1-2).
“You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace” (Gal. 5:4).
“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself'” (Gal. 5:14).
“For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God” (Gal. 2:19). “But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter” (Rom. 7:6).
May God bless you in your studies. For those seek will find.
Thank you for watching the video. However, in terms of your understanding of the annulling of the Law of Moses, do you believe that believers of the Scriptures should still live by the Ten Commandments?l
I find 9 of the 10 commands reestablished in the New Testament to a great degree. I find the 10 commandments ideal for civil government like Israel. Jesus added to these commands (Matt. 5:21ff). “You shall not murder”, and Jesus added that we are not to call others “fool”. “You shall not commit adultery”, and Jesus added that we are not to look to lust to commit adultery in the heart. Love is the fulfillment of “the Law” of which Christ’s Spirit speaks of the 10 commandments (Rom. 13:8-10).
“But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?” (2 Cor. 3:7-8).
Oh ok. Just to be clear, you state that the New Testament reestablished 9 of the 10 commandments that came from The Father?
Yes.
What is the one commandment that the New Testament does not reestablish?
Are we still obligated to live by commandments? What is the difference between commandment and law? As NT Christians we are no longer under the law but are under grace. Our transformed mind is to become that which naturally expresses the virtuous qualities of law by the Spirit that lives in us. Am I missing something here?
I’m not saying it’s not virtuous to obey commands but the using the mind of flesh to obey commands is hard to understand when it is this same mind that creates sin. How can the cause of war be the cause of peace? Obedience from God’s Spirit within us is the key, and this is a totally different method of obedience, one in which the laws that are written on our hearts and minds become the source of obedience instead of written commands.
“Are we still obligated to live by commandments?” Scripture says yes. If you believe it is still wrong to kill (mentally, verbally, spiritually, or physically), then you have answered your own question. The Scriptures teach that where there is no law, there is no sin. And if we say that sin still exists in this world, then by default we are acknowledging that there is a law that is against that sin. Scriptures also teach that obedience towards The Father involves obedience to His commandments, the two are inseparable. How can one say they obey The Father but yet disregard what He wants? And one CANNOT keep the Spirit of the Law without keeping the letter first. If I murder a man and take his life but tell the judge that it wasn’t in my heart to do so, he/she and the entire court room would think I was a nut case because if I did it, then it was in my heart (or spirit) to do it. So we cannot say that we keep the Spirit of the Law when letter is thrown away. And because Paul says we are no longer under law but under grace, does that mean we have a green light when it comes to sin? Or did he mean that we are no longer under the penalty that the law brings but we are under grace (or forgiveness) from the penalty?
ok lets get down to the true facts to the world today, Sins alot of people today do not repent for there sins because they feel they did not commit one, and thats where they fall short to righteousness, Sin can also be commited by mind, the evil thoughts we think. we must repent for are thoughts as well, you think about killing somone in ur mind but because you dont do it doesnt mean you didnt sin, you commited murder in ur mind. Remember we are sinning everyday of every second and not even realizing it. Are thoughts are a powerful thing. repent when you think evil..
And about idols, anything can be a idol and anything can be turned into a idol and people not even realize it. A simple act of talking to a statue, a statue of anything even of Jesus himself, the moment you look at a statue and say even just a little something, asking for something, closeing there eyes and praying, “Everyone” has done it, Shows how weak there faith is in Jesus, they turn to statues and crucifixes.. Jesus is all around us and in us, hes not in a statue or crucifix nothing man made.. Try telling Jesus any excuse you have for useing a statue or a crucifix to feel closer to him.
And lastly about staying and liveing on Gods words. OK lets look at how easy it is to get to heaven, and how easy it is to get to hell. The bible says “Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it”. Every little thing we do EVERYTHING thats not on Jesus word is evil and the works of Satin, its that easy to know we are all heading through the wide gates and blindly not know it, the way Satin likes it, The world gave us many things to distract us and trust me it working, Jesus knows us as does Satin knows us he knows what makes us tick and how to tempt us and to keep us blind from true and knowledge till Jesus returns.. for many its drinking, tv shows, video games, sex porn, eatting alot, partying, the list is endless, How wide is hells gate WIDE. Endless possibilitys to get to hell.. Cant live double lives, Cant serve two people, Cant serve Good and Evil.. Do i really need to say how to make it to heaven, Ok here it goes 1 way and one way only, many wont find heavens gate they wont know what to look for, there going to see a wide gate witch leads to distruction hell.. because u lived a distructed life..