7.5.3.2. Three Life, Resurrection, Completeness, the Trinity

² Inanimate life such as grass and trees was created on the third day. The animated “living creatures” (שֶׁרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ [šereṣ nep̄eš] ) were not created until days five and six.

³ Mat. 27:63-64 which says: ‘We remember that impostor said, while He was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day.’ ”—Graham W. Scroggie, A Guide to the Gospels (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1995, 1948), 569-570. Mat. 16:21; Mark Mark 8:31; Luke Luke 9:22). . . . Jesus’ body was laid in the tomb on the evening of the day of preparation (Friday), the day before the Sabbath (Mtt. Mat. 27:62; Mat. 28:1; Mark Mark 15:42; Luke Luke 23:54, Luke 23:56; John John 19:31, John 19:42). The women returned home and rested on the Sabbath (Saturday, Luke Luke 23:56). Early on the first day of the week (Sunday), they went to the tomb (Mtt. Mat. 28:1; Mark Mark 16:1-2; Luke Luke 24:1; John John 20:1) which was empty. Furthermore, on the same day He arose from the grave, Jesus walked with two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke Luke 24:13), and they told Him that their Master was crucified and ‘now it is the third day since this occurred’ (Luke Luke 24:21). . . . The most frequent reference to Jesus’ resurrection is that it occurred on the third day (not the fourth day) (Mtt. Mat. 16:21; Mat. 17:23; Mat. 20:19; Mat. 27:64; Luke Luke 9:22; Luke 18:33; Luke 24:7, Luke 24:21, Luke 24:46; Acts Acts 10:40; 1Cor. 1Cor. 15:4). . . . There are four passages (Mtt. Mat. 27:63; Mark Mark 8:31; Mark 9:31; Mark 10:34) which speak of Christ’s resurrection as occurring ‘after three days,’ but this is speaking of the same time period as on ‘the third day’. . . The three Markan passages are paralleled by one or two of the other Synoptic Gospels, and in each case the other Synoptic does not use ‘after three days’ as Mark does but ‘on the third day’ (Mark Mark 8:31 = Mtt. Mat. 16:21 / Luke Luke 9:22; Mark Mark 9:31 = Mtt Mat. 17:23; Mark Mark 10:34 = Mtt. Mat. 20:19 / Luke Luke 18:33).”—Harold Hoehner, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1977), 71-72.

⁴ “The threes of the Bible represent triads of completeness.”—Walter L. Wilson, A Dictionary of Bible Types (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1999), 419.

⁵ “Three denotes divine perfection; Seven denotes spiritual perfection; Ten denotes ordinal perfection; and Twelve denotes governmental perfection.”—E. W. Bullinger, Number in Scripture: Its Supernatural Design and Spiritual Significance (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1967), 107.

⁶ “In the cry of the four living creatures (‘Holy, holy, holy,’ Rev. Rev. 4:8+) Hindson sees an indication of the Trinity (59) rather than an emphatic Semitic triplet. What kind of threefold existence would he find in triplets like ‘a ruin, a ruin, a ruin’ (Eze. Eze. 21:27) or ‘land, land, land’ (Jer. Jer. 22:29)?”—William D. Barrick, “Review of ‘The Book of Revelation’ by Hindson,” in Richard L. Mayhue, ed., The Master’s Seminary Journal, vol. 13 no. 2 (Sun Valley, CA: The Master’s Seminary, Fall 2002), 284.

⁷ Not every individual, but individuals from every nation, tongue, tribe, and region.