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promulgate! Although we may never know for sure, the explanation for the apparent contradiction
in Mark 16 and Luke 23 can be quite simple. Let's view these verses --

That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. And the women who had come
with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was
laid. Then they returned and PREPARED SPICES and fragrant oils. And they RESTED
ON THE SABBATH according to the commandment (Luke 23:54-56).

Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus, and
Salome BOUGHT SPICES, that they might come and anoint Him (Mark 16:1).

Obviously, in Luke 23, the women already had some spices on hand so they were able to
start preparing them BEFORE the weekly Sabbath began at sunset. However, they realized they
didn't have enough spices on hand to complete the preparation, so "when the Sabbath was past"
they went out and purchased some more to complete the job. Nice and straight-forward -- no need
to twist and distort the passages to mean something they clearly do not!

Now let's tackle the question of the "two Sabbaths" which, in principle, Armstrong has
right! While it is true that the Sabbath in Matthew 28:1 is in the PLURAL, the proponents of the
"3-day and 3-night" theory totally overlook the fact that the apostle John reveals that there were
TWO SABBATHS ON ONE DAY -- the weekly Sabbath AND the first high day of the Feast of
Unleavened Bread!

That the day after Christ's death was a weekly Sabbath can be clearly demonstrated by
Luke 23:56, which reads: "On SHABBAT the women rested, IN OBEDIENCE TO THE COM-
MANDMENT." What "commandment" is this? The FOURTH COMMANDMENT of course! In
reference to this verse the Jewish New Testament Commentary makes this clarifying statement: "It
is sometimes claimed that the New Testament says nothing about keeping the fourth commandment.
This verse contradicts that claim, so it is important for a Jewish understanding of the New Testa-
ment. ON SHABBAT THE WOMEN RESTED, IN OBEDIENCE TO THE FOURTH COM-
MANDMENT (Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy 5:12-15; also Exodus 16). Of course they did! They
observed Shabbat EVERY WEEK" (David H. Stern, p. 150). Obviously the WEEKLY SABBATH
is the focus of verses 54 and 56.

Now, having established the weekly Sabbath is the focus of these verses, let's go to John
19:31 in the Jewish New Testament and read what the apostle John has to say: "It was the
Preparation Day, and the Judeans did not want the bodies to remain on the stake on SHABBAT,
since it was an especially important Shabbat." The New King James version makes it clearer:
"Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on
the [weekly] Sabbath (FOR THAT [WEEKLY] SABBATH WAS A HIGH DAY)." What "high
day" was this? My Bible references it to Exodus 12:16 -- the first day of the Feast of Unleavened
Bread! Now consider this -- if that day had been a regular week day, John would have said "FOR
THAT DAY WAS A HIGH DAY." But he says "for that SABBATH was a high day"!

The fact that the weekly Sabbath day here mentioned was also the first high holy day of the
Feast of Unleavened Bread, is understood by numerous researchers. Writes Samuele Bacchiocchi,

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