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).
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The Breath of God 
Alden,
I observe the old command from the beginning, which is love (1 John 3:11) and not the obsolete sabbath.
Leviticus 23:16 says to count fifty days to the day after the Sabbath.
I do not keep the obsolete law, the law of Moses and the 10 commands (Exo. 34:28, Deut. 4:13, 9:9, 11, Heb. 8:13). I’m not trying to disprove the Sabbath, but observing all that Jesus commanded.
If you could show that the 10 commands were still in place then no one could resist keeping the Sabbath. This is the critical point of the matter. Those who try to keep the 10 and forsake the sabbath are not consistent.
I wasn’t always a Sabbath keeper, & I thought similar thoughts as I actually researched to disprove the Sabbath is still valid. There is a difference between what Matthew wrote, & what Jesus IS. If Matthew is right, then Jesus does not fulfill the 3 span of Passover, Unleavens, and 1st Fruits. But Jesus IS our Passover, He IS our 1st Fruits, & Unleavens is rooted in the origin & fulfillment of these and other sabbaths because of who Jesus IS.
Now, Leviticus 23:7 does not say the 1st day…”of the week”. Meaning, the 1st day of the Feast of Unleavens could fall on any day of the week. The Passover is the 14th, followed by the 1st day of the Feast of Unleavens. The feast is 7 days long. See Leviticus 23 again, but read verses 6-8.
Again, Passover is the 14th day of the Jewish 1st month, Unleavens starts on the 15th, & 1st Fruits is the 16th. So, the King James version, of Matthew’s report, years after Jesus ascended, was intended give give us an ideas of what Jesus did, & if you follow WWJD…And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him.
He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.
Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. 1 John 2:3-7.
Mthobisi Mwandla,
I appreciate your efforts in resolving this and bringing other including me to an understanding.
Without the assumptions that you have presented above, I am convinced by Christ’s words that He would be three nights in the tomb (Matthew 12:40). The only way that this does not contradict Scripture is that this was a day of preparation for a sabbath is because there was another sabbath (John 19:31). It is the Gospel of John that calls this additional Sabbath, “a high day”, and it is not man nor tradition. The preparation of the high day is also called as you noted “the preparation day of the Passover”, so this is a specific preparation for the Passove sabbath. This makes sense since Leviticus 23:7 states that “On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.” This is clearly the Passover Sabbath.
This is the whole of my conviction on this matter. This is what must be examined being concise and easy to understand. Also, I do not believe this to be a critical belief to fellowship with the Church or God.
God bless.
A HIGH DAY
(This is to clear up the air on what day the crucifixion took place.
I believe that one of the reasons that people support this view, is because of their understanding of the phrase :
“for that sabbath day was an high day” John 19:31 )
The following is a extracted from :
http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/books/crucifixion/2.html
The second reason given for interpreting “the day of Preparation” as referring to Wednesday rather than Friday is based on John’s definition of the Sabbath day which followed the Preparation day of Christ’s Crucifixion. John explains: “that sabbath was a high day” (John 19:31). It is argued that since “the weekly Sabbath (as designated in the Ten Commandments) was never called or referred to as a ‘high day,’”11 then the latter must have been not the regular weekly Sabbath but the annual ceremonial Passover Sabbath (Lev 23:5-7).
In support of this conclusion, a third reason is given, namely, that John 19:14 “tells us exactly which occasion this preparation day preceded. He says: ‘And it was the preparation of the passover.’”12 Thus the “high day” Sabbath of John 19:31 is interpreted as being the “Passover” day of John 19:14, and by the same token “the day of Preparation” of verse 31 is interpreted as being the Passover day of verse 14. Since in the year of Christ’s Crucifixion, Passover day supposedly fell on a Thursday, the day of preparation for the latter would obviously be a Wednesday.
A Ceremonial Sabbath.
The reasons given in support of this conclusion rest on three major mistaken assumptions. First, it is assumed that since certain annual feasts such as the Day of Atonement are designated as “sabbath” (Lev 23:24, 32, 39), then all the references to the Sabbath found in the Passion narratives must refer not to the weekly Sabbath but to the annual ceremonial Passover Sabbath.
This assumption is discredited by the fact that the day of atonement is designated by the compound expression shabbath shabbathon, meaning “a sabbath of solemn rest” (Lev 23:32; 16:31). But this phrase is rendered in the Septuagint by the compound Greek expression “sabbata sabbaton,” which is different from the simple “sabbaton” used in the Passion narratives. It is therefore linguistically impossible to interpret the latter as a reference to the day of the Passover or to any other annual feast day, since these are never designated simply as “sabbaton.”
High Day: Passover or Sabbath?
The second mistaken assumption is that the term “high day-megale hemera,” used in John 19:31, is employed in the Scripture to designate the annual Passover feast (a ceremonial Sabbath), rather than a special weekly Sabbath. Unfortunately, no Biblical or extra-Biblical examples are cited to support this assumption—the reason being simply that no such examples exist .
Israel Abrahams, a noted Jewish scholar, finds no instance before John 19:31 of the use of the term “high day” or “Great Sabbath” in Rabbinical literature. His opinion is that the later Rabbinic use of the term “Great Sabbath” to designate the Sabbath of the Passover season was borrowed from the church.13 While the latter is difficult to prove, it is a well-known fact that the church coined the terms “Good Friday” and “Holy Saturday” as designations for the special days of Christ’s Crucifixion and burial. It is noteworthy that Georgius Codinus (15th century) gives the official term for “Good Friday” as “he megale paraskeue—the great Preparation.”14 This suggests the possibility that even the Sabbath of the Passion week came early to be known by Christians as a “high day” or a “Great Sabbath.”
Note should be taken also of the fact that, according to examples given by Strack and Billerbeck, in later Rabbinic literature the seventh-day Sabbath is regarded as a “high day” if it fell on Nisan 15, since that was the first day of the Passover festival, or if it fell on Nisan 16, because on that day the omer or first sheaf of barley was offered according to Pharisaic tradition.15
This information is important because it disproves the claim that “the weekly Sabbath was never called or referred to as a “high day.” Rabbinical sources seem to indicate that the weekly Sabbath was called a “high day” when it coincided with Passover, because, as well stated by Charles C. Torrey, “its inherent solemnity was greatly heightened by the celebration of the foremost feast of the year.”16
There is much more information on :
http://amazingdiscoveries.org/AD-Articles-BibleInsight-WhyTheBible-WhatDayDidJesusDie.html
God Bless.
Scott,
What makes you think that something troubles me? You may have addressed the evening morning topic on this post, but you did not respond to my explanation of Genesis 1. I, like anyone would want to know if the explanation helped. As far as me not mentioning something that troubles me, I think I’ve been crystal clear that it troubles me that you don’t respond to the explanations that I give.
Should I feel polarized from your, “I understand that this may be upsetting to those who follow traditions of men” comment? Now, the 10 Commandments are written in black & white, which alone polarizes your faith. Now, I didn’t always keep the Sabbath. I was like a stiff-necked Jew who was cut to the heart with rage at first…but I listened…& I learned. So, Scott, if you really want to learn, it will be evident in the questions you ask, & the tone with which you ask them, but don’t ask me to explain something that you really don’t want to hear…especially as you try to disgrace it for all to see on this post.
Now, what has you thinking you don’t observe the “New Nine Commandments”? Maybe we’ll just focus on that, since you won’t tell me if you understand that the Passover, Unleavens, & First Fruits are 3 days in a row. And you won’t admit that a new day starts at evening in Genesis, as if that somehow connects to your view in a Sabbath discussion.
Now, should I’d be thrilled to explain –
…when a Biblical day divides? …what day Jesus died & rose? …or why the Sabbath is still the 7th day? …& why 1st day is not the Sabbath? For example, John 20:19, gives the reason for this “sun-day assembly” when the Bible says, “… the disciples assembled for fear of the Jews”. So…why were they assembled class? Answer – For fear of the Jews…that’s it & that’s all.
So, the fact that you give that text to support sun-day worship means that you have been reading it wrong. Well, brother, I can help if you let me…if…and only if.
Alden,
Everything in your comment has been addressed. You presented that Genesis consists of evening and morning. The new day follows the morning. This is understood. What is your point? What are you not mentioning that troubles you?
I don’t keep the New 9 commandments either. There is no need for you to polarize my faith.
Scott,
You asked me to explain a host of things, but after I explain them, you ignore what I explained. Again, let’s deal with 1 topic at a time. I’m not going anywhere, so did you receive my explanation of the topic heading found in Genesis? I’m starting to think that you just want to hear yourself speak the errors that have you observing “The New Nine Commandments”. So, before we go all over the place (which is no way to learn), did my May 5, 2009 at 2:43 pm post make sense?
Alden,
There is no new Sabbath besides that of the Sabbath rest with God (Heb. 4).
Your missing some points already made. John affirms a high day that is a high Sabbath before the 7th day Sabbath of the week (John 19:31). There were two sabbaths in a row (John 19:31). The preparation day was for the high day (John 19:31). This allows for all 3 nights that Jesus said He would be buried. People’s Commentary says, “31. Because it was the preparation. For the passover. See verse 14. That sabbath was a high day. A double Sabbath, both the weekly Sabbath and a passover Sabbath. It was usual Roman custom to leave crucified bodies on the cross, but out of deference to their wishes Pilate consents that the legs of the victims should be broken in order to hasten death, so that the bodies might be taken down and buried. The legs were crushed with a hammer like a sledge and the shock would bring speedy death. ” This is not worth any contentious debate.
Mark 15:42 does not shed light on the Scriptures that show that a day starts at sunrise, but it is another passage that shows that a day did not begin at sunset since in the evening it was still the day of preparation.
Yes, there is a Sabbath day, which is the 7th day. No one denies that. The observance of this day started in the Old Testament and it is a past of the 10 commandments that have been done away. I have the faith of Abraham and there is no observance of the Sabbath with Abraham or any before the Law of Moses. There are no commands to keep the Sabbath in the New Testament. This all of my point, so the Lord’s Day is the 1st day of the week as the Scriptures describe.
Whoa, now I’ve shown you the answer to the topic question. Are you going to acknowledge that? Then I proved that Jesus died Friday afternoon/evening, followed by Sabbath, then Sunday, but if none of this is getting through then why do you keep firing off questions when you ignore the answers?
Alden,
Why keep the Sabbath? Christ did not command it nor does His apostles and prophets. The Old Testament is obsolete and so are in the 10 commandments including the Sabbath. The only Sabbath we have is our rest with God (Heb. 4). The Scriptures in the comments above show all this.
Why do you neglect the Lord’s Day, the Day of Resurrection and Assembly on the 1st day of the week?