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If, however, Yeshua died on the day before the Passover/weekly Sabbath (which may or
may not have been a Friday in our Gregorian calendar of today), and the guard was posted on the
Sabbath at sundown -- at "the end of the Sabbath" -- the disciples were not likely to have received
word of it. No one would go to the tomb on the Passover/Sabbath day because the law forbade
walking more than the distance to the Temple. Not only that, to anoint a body on the Passover
would render one ceremonially "unclean" -- an unthinkable thing to a Jew (see Lev. 11:39; 12:2;
13:45 and 15:19).

People did not venture out at night to visit the tombs in those days before public lighting,
for fear of robbers and accidental defilement. (Tombs were "whitewashed" to identify areas con-
sidered unclean). The women set out for Yeshua's tomb as soon as there was enough light on the
morning of the first day of the week -- and THEY WERE NOT AWARE THAT THE TOMB HAD
BEEN SEALED!

"In the Heart of the Earth"

In Matthew 12:40-41 Yeshua said: "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:"

Either Yeshua contradicted himself, or this statement must be reconciled with all of his
other predictions which specified "the third day," with the written prophecies of the Old Testa-
ment, and with the prophetic imagery of the sacrifices and festivals appointed by YEHOVAH.

Yeshua taught the people with parables and with obscure sayings (Matthew 13:34-35;
Psalm 78:2). The phrase "in the heart of the earth" is not defined in the text. There simply are no
parallel passages -- only Matthew quotes Yeshua in this instance. The phrase has been understood
by most to mean "in the grave; but there is much more to it than this.

Since his birth, Yeshua had lived in intimate contact with his Father YEHOVAH: "He that
sent me is WITH ME: the Father HATH NOT LEFT ME ALONE" (John 8:28). Now he would ex-
perience something vastly different. Now he would be "three days and three nights in the heart of
the earth." WHAT does this phrase mean?

In Genesis 6:5 we read that "God saw that the wickedness of man was great IN THE
EARTH, and that EVERY IMAGINATION OF THE THOUGHTS OF HIS HEART WAS ONLY
EVIL CONTINUALLY." "And Jesus, knowing their thoughts [in his day] said, Wherefore think ye
EVIL in your HEARTS?" (Matthew 9:4). The HEART OF THE EARTH (MANKIND) was evil.

When David swore that YEHOVAH would help him to take the head of the giant Goliath,
he said, "that all the EARTH [ALL MANKIND] MAY KNOW that there is a God in Israel."

The HEART of Jerusalem ["THE HEART OF THE EARTH"], the HEART of the ap-
pointed leadership of YEHOVAH's people, was evil. Jerusalem was regarded as the CENTER (or
HEART) of the earth. Jews were to travel from every part of the earth to Jerusalem, for worship
on the Festival Days -- John 4:20; Acts 2:5-11; 8:27; Deut. 16:16. "For God is my King of old,

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