This is a subject that I confess I hadn't studied in any great depth before, as much as more so-called 'important' topics in God's Book, beginning (as none would dispute!) with salvation. It is enough to know (and believe!) that "He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures." 1 Corinthians 15:4; be these partial or full days. There are biblical arguments for "both sides of the fence" as it were, but as for me, I am now fully persuaded that our Lord and Saviour spent a full literal three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, as Matthew 12:40 avers.
If you would refer to my last post on this subject, I copied this from a book I purchased (for the miserly sum of 10p!) last month from a charity shop on the Western Isles where I live. I read it once, then twice, then thrice, checked out all the Bible verses quoted therein, and copied it letter and word by my fingertips on this ere blog to make sure I had fully understood its import before posting it. I hand sketched the crude diagram on my last post so to graphically understand it, not just for my own benefit, but for any whom God would send to this blog of mine.
Notwithstanding the above, regarding "The Lord's Day" (the first day of the week, or now the eighth or Resurrection Day), the Christian Sabbath is now on the day we call by the (pagan) name Sunday. There are many who would have us falsely believe that it was Constantine in AD 321 who instituted the Sunday Sabbath, when all this man did (for his own ends...) was institute what was plainly written in the Scriptures. The written word plainly declares that:
Upon the first day of the week (pagan Sunday!) when the disciples came together to break bread... Acts 20:7.
Upon the first day of the week (pagan Sunday!) let every one of you lay by him in store...1 Corinthians 16:2.
Did these Christian Jews dishonour the Jewish Sabbath day? Or Is the resurrected Lord; the Son of man Lord of the sabbath day or no? And He said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath. Mark 2:27-28. Today, the unbelieving (religious) Jews continue to observe the seventh (non resurrection-day) Saturday sabbath, confused Messianic Jews do the same; so what day is the Christian sabbath?
John wrote I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, Revelation 1:10. What day? His resurrection day.
Mark wrote Now when Jesus was risen early the first day (Sunday) of the week.. Mark 16:9.
The so-called long ending in Mark's Gospel (16:9-20) in the Authorized Version (Textus Receptus, the Received Text) has been removed (or bracketed with variations) from many modern Bible versions. Although missing in the Vatican and Sinai manuscripts, it is found in almost every Greek manuscript which contains Mark's Gospel. In addition it is quoted by Church Fathers including Irenaeus and Hippolytus in the second and third centuries (thus predating the two 'old' manuscripts, Vatican and Sinai).
Gentile Christians have long honoured the first day of the week as the Christian sabbath, traditionally, and rightly so.
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