On the Third Day

The number 3 represents divine perfection in the Bible. It is associated with the Godhead, for there are 3 persons in God: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The first mention of the number 3 is in Genesis 1 and describes the 3rd day of creation. “ Then God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:9-10). On the 3rd day of creation, the earth was caused to rise up out of the water, symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 3 is the number of resurrection, for it was on the 3rd day (after the crucifixion) that Jesus rose again from the dead (Luke 24:7). Also on the 3rd day of creation, God caused the earth “to bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day” (Genesis1:12-13). The seed is buried in the earth, dies, and is then resurrected to new life; which is symbolic of Christ, the firstfruits of the dead, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming (Rapture). God declared the 3rd day of creation ‘good’ twice. ABRAHAM’S FAITH CONFIRMED AT MOUNT MORIAH In Genesis 22, God decided to test Abraham’s faith and told him to take his only son (by Sarah), Isaac, and offer him as a burnt offering to the Lord. Abraham was instructed to go to Mount Moriah to offer the sacrifice, so he cut the wood and loaded it on his donkey and set out for the place God had told him about. On the 3rd day, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He placed the wood on his young son Isaac, and together they made it to the designated place on Mount Moriah. It was later in the day (3rd day) that Abraham built an altar there, laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. “As Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son, the angel of the Lord (the pre-incarnate Jesus, the Son) called unto him out of heaven and said, Abraham, Abraham! And He said, Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me” (Genesis 22:15-18). Abraham looked around and saw a ram caught in a thicket by his horns, so he took it and offered it up in place of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jirah, which means “in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen” (King James Version). The N.K.J. version says “in the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” “The angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, By Myself, I have sworn, says the Lord, for because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son - that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore, and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies, and your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed because you have obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:15-18). The author of Hebrews mentions the faith of Abraham regarding this event. “By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, In Isaac your seed shall be called, concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense” (Hebrews 11:17-19). This event foreshadowed the death of Christ in many ways and is called typology. This term has been defined as “a method of biblical interpretation by which a person, event, or type in the Old Testament corresponds to another one (antitype) in the New Testament within the framework of salvation history.” In this case, Abraham represents God the Father who is sacrificing his only begotten son. 3 times in Genesis 22, Abraham responded to the calling of his name with “here I am.” This is a typology of a future event when God said to Moses, “I AM Who I AM. Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). God told Moses His name 3 times in this one verse – I AM. Abraham, in this typology, represents God, the great I AM. Isaac represents the Son of God, Jesus, who is willing to die for his Father. Isaac carries the wood to the altar. The wood represents the cross that Jesus had to carry for his own crucifixion. Both Isaac and Jesus’ birth were genuinely miraculous, albeit in different ways. God supplied the sacrifice for Abraham, which was a ram. He also supplied the sacrifice for all of mankind, which was the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. ISRAEL AT MOUNT SINAI AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS The next Biblical 3rd-day event is found in Exodus 19. The Children of Israel arrived at Mount Sinai on the first day of the 3rd month of Sivan, according to Exodus 19:1-2. The first thing Moses did was to go up the mountain and talk with God. Moses brought back the words of the Lord to the people and the people agreed to obey Him. The Lord told Moses to be ready for the 3rd day. “For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people” (Exodus 19:11). Here is how Moses described that day: “Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud so that all the people who were in the camp trembled” (Exodus 19:16,18-19). On this 3rd day of the 3rd month of Sivan, God spoke to Moses (who drew near the thick darkness where God was) and the people (who stood afar off) and gave them the 10 Commandments verbally (Exodus 20). God would later write down the 10 Commandments on two tablets of stone, which the Hebrew people would later keep in the ark of the covenant. Some Torah scholars believe the 10 Commandments were given on Sivan 6, but this cannot be proven by scripture. They also try to declare the 6th day of Sivan as the official day of Pentecost, but this can’t be accurate for Pentecost comes 49 days after the Feast of Firstfruits, which is the Sunday after Passover. So Pentecost comes on different days of the months, but always comes on the same day of the week, Sunday. Moses returned with the stone tablets of the covenant law (inscribed by the finger of God) at the end of the 40 day period and fast he spent on the mountain (Exodus 31:18). Many Bible students believe the Rapture could occur on the day of Pentecost, for various reasons. On a side note to this article, I recently received an email from Sharon G. who wrote regarding Rabbi Yarov Rambsel’s work on “equidistant letter sequencing” and their decoding through the Hebrew language of the Tanakh. She writes: “In Modern Hebrew the word for ‘rapture’ is ‘shilhuv’ and hasn’t been used until recent times. Obviously, YHVH who is all-knowing would prepare His secrets for any eventually. So we see in Exodus 19:16,17, that reads: And it came to pass on the third day in the morning…. In the Hebrew text on the third day in the morning…is written b’yom hashlishi bihiot haboker. Every other letter in the Hebrew from left to right spells be’shilhuv which is the ordinary term for “in the rapture” written in Modern Hebrew. Is this a picture of the Rapture? It fits the context! A trumpet, Moshe a type of Yahshua bringing the people to meet YHVH on His mount or throne.” I have always been fascinated with the concept of “equidistant letter sequencing “in the Tanakh. For more information on this teaching, go to https://www.rabdavis.org/a-brief-examination-of-the-rapture/ HOSEA AND HIS END TIMES PROPHECY In Hosea 5, Hosea gave the children of Israel a prophecy from God regarding impending judgment on Israel and Judah. Then in Hosea 5:15, the Lord gives Hosea a glimpse into the future and talks about the coming Jewish Messiah: ”I will return again to My place until they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; In their affliction, they will earnestly seek Me.” Hosea told the people when they repented of their unbelief, the Lord would return to them. “Come, and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, the latter and former rain to the earth” (Hosea 6:1-3).

I have written several articles regarding this prophecy and how it relates to the end times. I believe Hosea is talking about Jesus Christ’s return (2nd Coming) at the end of two days (2000 years). At this time the Lord will resurrect (raise up) the Old Testament and Tribulation saints and will establish His Kingdom which will last for 1000 years. On the third day, eternity will begin in which God will create the New Earth and Heavens. Another interesting decoding of scripture involving “equidistant letter sequencing involving the Rapture is found in Hosea 6:2 of the Tanakh (see rabdavis website above). The phrase (in Hebrew) “in the third day…or b’ yom hashlishi... Taking every other letter from left to right starting with the letter shin to the far left in this phrase spells the letter ‘shilhuv’ which in Modern Hebrew spells ‘rapture.’ Starting with the word hashlishi of the same phrase and counting every 132nd letter from right to left spells ‘natzai’ which is the ancient Hebrew word for “snatched up, rescued or saved.” DAVID AT MOUNT MORIAH Abraham’s sacrifice on Mount Moriah wasn’t the only important Biblical event that transpired on this mountain site. About 800 years later, King David bought a threshing floor (and the land) from Araunah the Jebusite on this same location. He then built an altar to the Lord there, so that a plague God had sent upon the people (for David’s sin) would be stopped, according to 2 Samuel 24:21. David built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings; so the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel on the 3rd day. (2 Samuel:24-25), after 70,000 men of the people had died. SOLOMON AND THE FIRST TEMPLE Several decades later Solomon built the First Temple on Mount Moriah at the same location that Abraham and David had built altars to the Lord. When it was finished, after 7 years of construction the priests brought the ark of the covenant into the inner sanctuary of the temple to the Most Holy Place. “When the priests came out of the holy place, a bright cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord” 1 Kings 8:10-11). Abraham’s name for this same location, Jehovah-jirah, was aptly named, perhaps prophetically, “in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen” (K.J. version). According to my calculations (see: Chronology of Mankind: 6,000 Years of History Pt 1 :: By Randy Nettles - Rapture Ready), the construction of the 1st Temple of Jerusalem was finished in the year 3000 A.M. (anno mundi – the year dating from the year of creation). If a day of the Lord is as a thousand years for man, and a thousand years as one day (according to Psalm 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8), then the construction of the 1st Temple of the Lord was finished on the 3rd day of the Lord. The 2nd Temple was also built on this same location. Ironically (but probably not), the 2nd Temple was finished on the 3rd day of the month of Adar according to Ezra 6:15. However, the glory of the Lord never filled this house of worship and sacrifice. ESTHER AND THE FEAST OF PURIM The next important Biblical event that occurred on a third day is found in the book of Esther. The events of this book take place in Persia in approximately 479 to 473 BC when Ahasuerus (Xerxes) was king of Persia. Esther’s family had been taken from Jerusalem when Nebuchadnezzar brought the Jews into exile. After Babylon was defeated by the Persians, the Jews were distributed throughout the kingdom. Esther had been adopted by her older cousin Mordecai. Through some unusual circumstances (Esther 1,2) Esther eventually became the wife of King Xerxes and thus the Queen of Persia. Haman was the prime minister to Xerxes and was an evil man who hated Mordecai and the Jews. He invented a plot to gain permission from the king to exterminate the Jews from the kingdom. Mordecai persuaded Queen Esther to risk her life by going before (unannounced) the king and asking him to spare the Jewish people. Esther told Mordecai to gather all the Jews in Shushan and fast (for her plan) for 3 days and nights. It was on the 3rd day of the fast that Queen Esther went before the king and set her plan in motion to rescue the Jews from certain death. Eventually, Haman’s plot was uncovered and King Xerxes issued a decree that allowed the Jews to defend themselves from attack. Haman was hanged on the gardens that he built for Mordecai, and Mordecai replaced Haman as prime minister of all Persia. The feast of Purim celebrated Esther and Mordecai’s prevention of the plot to exterminate the Jewish people. The first Purim was celebrated in 473 BC. THE TWO WITNESSES Before Jesus began his ministry, John the Baptist was preaching in the wilderness about the coming of the Lord. John and his disciples were baptizing those who would believe in this message, when one day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). John bore witness of the Holy Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and remaining on Jesus. The Holy Spirit was the One who told John to baptize with water and told him, Upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and testified that this is the son of God” (John 1:32-34). John the Baptist and the Holy Spirit were the two witnesses to Jesus’ ministry and true identity. JESUS’ MINISTRY BEGINS Jesus’ ministry began on a day when John stood with two of his disciples and looking at Jesus, he said again, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples followed Jesus and remained with him that day. One of the two disciples was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. Andrew brought Simon to Jesus and Jesus told him, You shall be called Cephas (which is translated, a stone). The next day (the 2nd day of Jesus’ ministry), Jesus added Philip and Nathanael to his growing number of disciples. On the third day, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples also attended the wedding. At some point during the wedding, they ran out of wine. Jesus’ mother, Mary, told Jesus about this dilemma and Jesus told her that “his ‘hour’ had not yet come.” Jesus reluctantly agreed to help out, however, and translated six waterpots (containing 20 or 30 gallons apiece) of water into wine. This was Jesus’ first miracle during his 3-year ministry. “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:11). This wedding probably occurred on the 3rd day of the week, Tuesday. It was a tradition from ancient times that Tuesday was the best day to get married. The reason for this belief is that Tuesday was the 3rd day of creation and the only day in the creation account in which God pronounced a double blessing (Genesis 1:10, 1:12). Therefore Tuesday is known as the day of double blessing. This makes it a great day to get married. Perhaps that is the day when the bridegroom, Jesus, marries the bride, the Church, in heaven. JESUS’ RESURRECTION ON THE THIRD DAY Jesus was crucified near Mount Moriah or at its summit in the year AD 33 or in the year 3989 A.M. (anno mundi) approximately 11 years shy of the 4th day of the Lord. Paul’s out-of-body experience where he was “caught up” to heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2-4) occurred a decade later in AD 43 (as I wrote about in my previous article). This event happened on almost the exact 4th day of the Lord, 4000 A.M. The one event that surpassed (in importance) Jesus’ birth and death was his resurrection. “But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming” (1 Corinthians 15:20,23). Jesus was resurrected from the dead three days after his crucifixion (which occurred on Passover, Nisan 14, AD 33) on the Feast of Firstfruits, Nisan 17, AD 33. Before his death, Jesus predicted his resurrection several times to his disciples. There are 9 recordings of Jesus predicting his resurrection on the 3rd day to his disciples; 3 times in Matthew (Matthew 16:21, 17:23, 20:19), 2 times in Mark (Mark 9:31, 10:34), and 4 times in Luke (Luke 9:22, 13:32, 18:33, and 24:7). On the 3rd day after his crucifixion, Jesus proved He was who he said he was, the Son of God (Luke 22:70; John 5:24-26; John 9:35-36; John 10:30, etc.), for His Father raised him from the dead and He now sits at the right hand of God. There are, however, a couple of predictions from Jesus regarding his resurrection in a sort of parable. The Scribes and Pharisees asked for a sign from Jesus to prove he was the Christ. Jesus answered them and said, “ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40). Another time, after Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple (the first time), the Jews asked Jesus, “What sign do you show to us, since you do these things?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in 3 days I will raise it up” (John 2:18-19). As I have mentioned many times, 3 is a very important number signifying divine perfection. There is nothing more divine and perfect than Jesus’ resurrection. “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again (on the 3rd day), even so, God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:14,17). Amen, even so, come Lord Jesus! Randy Nettles nettlesr@suddenlink.net