From Good Friday to Easter Sunday, is it three days and three nights?

Church has been teaching that Jesus was crucified on the cross on Friday. This is how it is called Good Friday in today's world. Then on the third day, which was Sunday, Jesus rose from the dead. This is what it's been known as Easter Sunday.

"How could Jesus have been in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights if He died on a Friday afternoon and rose before sunrise on a Sunday?" Most Christians duck the question, since at most they can only come up with one day and two nights (Friday nighttime, Saturday daytime, and Saturday nighttime in our measure of days). If they add in the Friday daytime they get two periods of daytime, even though Yahushua would have died in the late afternoon on a Friday.

But what did Yahushua (Jesus real Name in Hebrew) actually said when the scribes and the Parisees asked a sign from Him? He said that there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:39-40). Here, Yahushua was talking about the length of time He would be buried.

Shouldn't this raise a question, "Would I continue to believe the Church's teaching on this matter even though it is not consistent with what it is written in the Bible? Or should I search the answer directly from the Bible and discuss this with the Pastor?"

My own spiritual walk experience, I found out that a lot of teaching from most Churches don't pass the test from the Bible. You see, it is not the Bible that has error, for the Bible is the Word of God and God does not lie. Please remember that salvation does not come from being a church member or attending church every Sunday. Your sins are not forgiven after you confess it to your Priest. So don't be afraid of questioning what the church is teaching if it does not align with God's Word. If the church is still walking in err, remove yourself from it. Pray to the LORD to teach you His way, and to bring your heart to fear His Name with holy fear, which will want you to please Him because you love Him, and because you love Him you keep His commandment, instead of keeping man-made commandment (because of the wrong kind of fear; fear of man). You will find the truth in His Word for His Word is truth. Shalom.

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth John 17:17 

Orang Kristen tapi tidak merayakan Natal? Orang Yahudi, kali?

Pada saat orang yang tahu bahwa saya orang Kristen, tetapi pada saat Natal atau Easter, saya tidak merayakan, mereka lantas bingung. Lalu saya terangkan bahwa saya merayakan Passover (Paskah), Feast of Unleavened Bread (hari raya Roti Tak Beragi) dan lima hari raya lainnya yang memang diajarkan didalam Alkitab. Orang tersebut biasanya langsung berucap, "Kamu orang Yahudi kalau begitu dong". Mari aku coba terangkan sedikit:

Ada perbedaan antara AGAMA Yahudi (Judaism) dan BANGSA Yahudi (Jews/ Hebrew/ Israelites). Agama adalah buatan manusia dan Tuhan tidak pernah membuat agama. Orang yang beragama Yahudi (Judaism), belum mengakui bahwa Yesus sebagai Sang Juruselamat. Barang siapa yang beragama Yahudi dan telah mengakui bahwa Yahushua (Nama Yesus dalam bahasa asli Ibrani) adalah Sang Juruselamat, menamakan diri mereka sebagai Messianic Jews atau Messianic Judaism.

Lalu apa arti bangsa? bangsa adalah kumpulan orang-orang yang dipersatukan oleh keturunan, sejarah, budaya, dan menghuni suatu negara tertentu atau wilayah. Yesus Kristus sendiri adalah keturunan bangsa Yahudi. Dia mengajarkan Torah, menjaganya dan memenuhinya. Dia tidak pernah membatalkan ajaran Torah. Karena Yahushua (nama asli Yesus dalam bahasa Ibrani) sendiri adalah Firman yang hidup (the living Word) seperti tertulis:  

1. Pada mulanya adalah Firman; Firman itu bersama-sama dengan Tuhan dan Firman itu adalah Tuhan. 2. Ia pada mulanya bersama-sama dengan Tuhan. 3. Segala sesuatu dijadikan oleh Dia dan tanpa Dia tidak ada suatupun yang telah jadi dari segala yang telah dijadikan.  (Yohanes 1:1-3) 

Dan Yahushua berkata, " Kamu menyembah apa yang tidak kamu kenal, kami menyembah apa yang kami kenal, sebab keselamatan datang dari bangsa Yahudi. (Yohanes 4:22) 

Semoga penjelasan singkat ini memberkati yang membacanya. Shabbat shalom!