Elle posted this in another thread:


Yes, I’m interested as I am into that study right now and it’s always nice to have someone to test findings with.



I'm a little confuse how to apply this with when we(SDAs) say that Jesus died in the spring of A.D 31. Do we really mean the 31AD according to our current calendar or according to some another calendar? Or do we mean 30AD??? Can you clarify what exactly is the date we(SDAs) say (with precise meaning according to our calendar) Jesus died?

Years that Nisan 14 falls on a Friday : Concerning on what day when Nissan 14 happened in 31AD, it was on a Tuesday March 27th . So 31AD is not possible to be the year of Jesus crucifixion. Nisan 14 fell upon a Friday on only two years:

• April 8 in 30 AD
• April 3 in 33 AD

Darkness over the earth according to Luke : Another astronomical sign that G-d gave is the suddenly imposed darkness upon the whole land described in Luke 23:44 “And it was, as it were, the sixth hour[noon], and darkness came over all the land till the ninth hour[3pm],

According to Kudlek and Mickler's book on solar and lunar eclipses before the Christian era, on April 3, 33 AD, Nissan 14 Friday, there was a star, El Nath that pass in front of the Sun from noon. Then another phenomena happened at 3:01pm a lunar eclipse started in Jerusalem and continued until after 5pm. Both these astronomical phenomena is a historical witness from G-d to mark the importance of that day. Not only to mark that day for His Son’s death but also this imposed darkness prevented the priest to kill the Passover lamb during light time as they were to kill the lamb anytime after noon and before sunset. This imposed darkness maid it unlawful to kill the Passover.

Then there’s many more historical and astronomical data to consider to conciliate with scriptures concerning the birth of Jesus and the start of his ministry that also points to a 33AD crucifixion. We could continue this in another topic.

Let's start with this: Did Christ die on a Nisan 14 or on a Nisan 15?

YLT Ex 12:4 '(And if the household be too few for a lamb, then hath he taken, he and his neighbour who is near unto his house, for the number of persons, each according to his eating ye do count for the lamb,) 5 a lamb, a perfect one, a male, a son of a year, let be to you; from the sheep or from the goats ye do take it. 6 'And it hath become a charge to you, until the fourteenth day of this month, and the whole assembly of the company of Israel have slaughtered it between the evenings;

Ex 12:6 specified to kill a lamb in the afternoon between noon and sundown "between the two evenings" (literal Hebrew text)on Nisan 14. The first evening was at noon, when the sun began to go down; the second was at sundown, when the sun actually set.

Alfred Edersheim says in his book the temple, page 211
"According to the Samaritans, the Karaite Jews, and many modern interpreters, this means between actual sunset and complete darkness (or, say, between six and seven p.m.); but from the contemporary testimony of Josephus, and from Talmudic authorities, there cannot be a doubt that, at the time of our Lord, it was regarded as the interval between the sun's commencing to decline and his actual disappearance. This allows a sufficient period for the numerous lambs which had to be killed, and agrees with the traditional account that on the eve of Passover the daily evening sacrifice was offered an hour, or if it fell on a Friday, two hours, before the usual time."

So, Did Christ die on a Nisan 14 or on a Nisan 15?

Nisan 14 as written in the Law of Moses.

If we believe that Jesus life and death fulfilled the Law, than Jesus would of died the way He has instructed in the law.

YLT Mt 5:17 Do not suppose that I came to throw down the law or the prophets--I did not come to throw down, but to fulfil;18. for, verily I say to you, till that the heaven and the earth may pass away, one iota or one tittle may not pass away from the law, till that all may come to pass.

For Jesus to be the antitype of the Passover lamb, it wasn't necessary for Him to die on the day the Passover lamb was sacrificed. He was also the antitype of the sacrifices offered at Pentecost, at the Day of Atonement, at Tabernacles - but He didn't have to die on the day they were killed.

If Jesus kept the law, could He have observed the Passover on the wrong day?

I love this! I had just read about that in the commentary a few days ago and so was wondering how Elle was handling it.

I will come later with scriptures, but first I wanted to give everyone else a chance to say something and hoping that someone would talk according "to the Law and to the Testimony"(the manner of the Law). Is 8:20

Elle,

I've been super busy lately, but have some interest in this topic as it seems to have cropped up here and there lately. I'm researching this one right now to have more precise answers, but so far, here are some Biblical facts to start with. I'll put this into a table, because I like to visualize things that way.

Bible Facts in Brief	Fact Details	Supporting Scriptures
Start of Jesus' Ministry: AD 27	John began baptizing in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar, at which time Jesus also came to be baptized of John.	Luke 3:1-4
3 days prior to crucifixion, Jerusalem's siege predicted	Jesus spoke of the events surrounding the destruction of the temple two days before the Passover.	Mark 13; Mark 14:1-2, 12
Siege would be for that generation	Jesus predicted in multiple accounts that the siege would come before that generation had passed.	Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32
One generation = 40 years	The Bible uses a generation to represent a period of 40 years.	Numbers 32:13; Psalms 95:10
Jesus was to die mid-week of His ministry	Daniel prophesied some very specific timelines relative to the coming of the Messiah. Messiah was to be "cut-off" (killed) in the midst of the week. Jesus had not made Himself known to be the Messiah until it was revealed at His baptism, which then started that "week."	Daniel 9:26-27
Daniel predicts the events of that week	Daniel gives the major events of the week of Christ's ministry in reverse order, starting with the last and working up to the first, in reference to how the full 70-week prophecy should culminate. Here are the events: Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and [stoning of Stephen] to make an end of sins, and [the greatest of all sins in crucifying Christ] to make reconciliation for iniquity, and [Christ's atonement] to bring in everlasting righteousness, and [Christ's perfect life] to seal up the vision and prophecy, and [Christ fulfilled the prophecy] to anoint the most Holy. [Jesus' baptism]	Daniel 9:24
One day = one year	According to the Bible, a prophetic day represents one year, so one week would be seven years, and one half-week would be 3.5 years. If Jesus is to be cut off in the midst of a week, that allows 3.5 years for Him to minister prior to His death.	Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6; Daniel 9:24-27

From the above table, there are three pathways, which may converge, to locating the year of Christ's death.

1) We know it must take place AFTER the baptism.
2) We know it must take place about 40 years before Jerusalem is destroyed.
3) We know He has but 3.5 years of ministry before He is to die.

If we look at the prophecy of Daniel more closely, we have additional facts to use relating to the start of the seventy weeks. For now, I am concentrating on these events which are nearest to the actual time of Christ.

According to online sources, Tiberius Caesar's reign can be pinpointed to a start date of September 17, 14 AD. The ascension year is always counted as one, even if only a day before the next calendar year began. Apparently, Luke was using the Syro-Macedonian calendar, in which that particular year would have begun in October. So whether Tiberius' reign had begun in August of that year, when Augustus Caesar died, or in September, when the Roman senate convened to officially inaugurate Tiberius, is immaterial to the start of the year. He would have reigned but a few weeks when his "second" year began.

So, if AD 14 corresponds to the start of Tiberius' second year, as Luke would have reckoned, then his 15th year would start in AD 27. This lines up perfectly with other facts, including the dates stamped on coins in the time of Jesus.



The "Guematria" of the above, shown HERE, reveals that LIS = Year 16, LIZ = Year 17, and LIH = Year 18. The above quote was using the Roman calendar, not the Syro-Macedonian that Luke used, so the ascension year included almost a full year, from September 17 until August 29/30--the start of the year in the Roman calendar of that time. So the count is one year behind that of Luke's reckoning. In other words, the years would have been 17 through 19 according to Luke. Again, this points to AD 27 as the 15th year given in Luke 3:1.

Adding 3.5 years to AD 27, we land somewhere between AD 30 and AD 31. I have come to the conclusion that the AD 30/31 notation is on account of calendar differences that cause those years to overlap. I have yet to find a good website explaining the slash notation, but such notation is nonetheless quite common. In any case, when we look carefully at the years which fit the Passover landing on Friday, it comes down to AD 30 according to the calendar of our times. AD 31 would be the end of that year (considering the overlapping calendars), and it would be possible to use AD 31 for the year of Jesus' death as well.

(I hope all this was clear, as I sure put some time into it.)

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.