Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 7
August 18, 1955
NUMBER 15, PAGE 10-11a

Answering D. B. Noble

C. D. Plum, Columbus, Ohio

Mr. D. B. Noble, Pomeroy, Ohio.

Dear Inquiring Friend:

In your letter to me you designate me as a "Reverend." This you should not do since this title belongs to God. "Holy and reverend is his name." (Ps. 111:9.)

Then here is something else from your letter which causes me wonder. If you are a Methodist, as you say you are, why are you teaching the doctrine of the Church of God (so-called) Seventh Day, which says Christ was raised from the dead on Saturday? The Methodists do not believe this. At least the kind I know do not believe such.

But just to set you straight about the "true" church of Christ, of which I am a member, let me say this: "We attach no more religious significance to Easter Sunday than we do to any other first day of the week." (There are some "so-called" churches of Christ, that used to be called by the term Christian churches, that use instrumental music in their worship, and societies in their work, that do make ado over Easter and Christmas as public worship.) We do not. And so far as I am personally concerned I do not make ado over these days privately.

Your letter to me that was supposed to prove so plainly that Jesus was crucified on "Wednesday," and raised on "Saturday," was a total flop. Let me state first what you have not proved.

Assertions You Did Not Prove

  1. You have not and CANNOT prove by the scriptures that Jesus was raised on Saturday.
  2. You have not and CANNOT prove by the scriptures that Jesus was in the grave three "full" days and nights; a period of "72" hours, which you assert.
  3. You have not and CANNOT prove by the scriptures that Jesus was crucified on Wednesday.

Now I wish to call your attention to some truths that are plainly taught in the scriptures, which truths contradict your assertions.

Truths Plainly Taught

  1. Jesus arose on the first day of the week. Mark 16:1 says, "The Sabbath was past." After this Sabbath was passed, then what happened? Mark 16:9 tells us, "Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week." My friend, when you said Jesus arose on Saturday, you contradicted the scriptures. The scriptures teach that Jesus arose "early in the morning on the first day of the week." He arose between the time the Sabbath "was passed" of Mark 16:1, and the "early in the morning of the first day of the week" of Mark 16:2. (Away then with your false assertion that Jesus was raised between "3 P.M." and "sunset" on Saturday.)
  2. "AFTER THREE DAYS" of Mark 8:81; and "RAISED THE THIRD DAY" of Matthew 16:21; Mark 10:34; and Luke 8:22 mean the same thing. If Mark 8:31 means after "three full days of 72 hours he arose," that would raise him on the fourth day, whereas the scriptures say he was raised the "third" day. You cannot complete three full days of "72" hours, and then do something, without it being done on the fourth day. Think, friend, THINK!
  3. "THE THIRD" was "THE FIRST DAY." Note these scriptures:
    1. Luke 24:1 mentions "the first day of the week."
    2. Luke 24:13 mentions it is still "THE SAME DAY." (First day.)
    3. Luke 24:20-21 mentions "TODAY IS THE THIRD DAY" since Jesus was crucified. The expression: "Today is the third day" means "today" is "the first day of the week," mentioned in verses 1 and 13.
    4. Luke 24:46 mentions that Jesus was to "rise the third day," which means Jesus was to "arise on the first day of the week" even as Mark 16:9 says he did. (Away, then, with your Saturday resurrection assertion.)
  4. The WEDNESDAY CRUCIFIXION DAY and SATURDAY RESURRECTION DAY theory contradicts the scriptures.

You didn't forget to give the scriptures which say that the "three days and nights concerning Jonah and Jesus" mean "three full days and nights of '72 hours." No, you didn't forget such scriptures. YOU JUST DID NOT HAVE SUCH SCRIPTURES TO GIVE. And you know it too! And I know there are no such scriptures to give. If any such scriptures existed they would contradict other scriptures.

Now let me show you how your Wednesday crucifixion theory contradicts the scriptures.

  1. If, as you say, Jesus was crucified on Wednesday, and raised on Saturday, that would make Jesus being raised on the fourth day, whereas the scriptures say he was raised "on the third day." (Luke 24:46.) Count it: Wednesday, the first day; Thursday, the second day; Friday, the third day; Saturday the FOURTH day. (Away, then, with your Wednesday crucifixion day, and Saturday resurrection day.) Oh, you don't like the way I counted this! All right, let us count it another way to get your "three full days and nights of 72 hours," which you claim.
  2. SUNSET, Wednesday - Thursday, the first day; SUNSET, Thursday - Friday, the second day; SUNSET, Friday - Saturday, the third day. (Now your claim is that Jesus was three full days and nights in the grave, a full "72" hours.) Now if this be true, as you teach, if Jesus must be in the grave three full days and nights, or 72 hours, how can you deny that when he is raised it will be fourth day, and that on Sunday, by your own count. If Jesus were raised the next second after the full 72 hours it would have to be on another day, the fourth day, on Sunday. This you don't believe, but that is what your theory proves. No doubt you saw this weakness, so you tried to overcome it by saying, "Jesus was raised sometime between 3 p.m. and sundown." But this won't work, and here is why There can be only 72 full hours in three days and nights. By the 3 o'clock count you have your 72 hours but you are still in the third day of your Wednesday count and the day isn't up till sunset. How many extra seconds, minutes, and hours do you think you can crowd into Wednesday crucifixion day, and Saturday resurrection day theory above the normal 72 without us catching on? Friend, you better abandon this false theory of yours.

I am not concerned as to the exact time Jesus was crucified. I don't worry over this. But I do need to believe, and you, too, need to believe it that, since Mark 16:9, and Luke 24:1, 13, 20, 21 and 46 teach us that Jesus was "raised on the first day of the week" it is so.

Better cast aside your false and contradicting theories.

Sincerely, C. D. Plum