Les Feldick justifies the timeline by resting on the biblical formula that Christ was buried three days and three nights and rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures.
In the clips, Les anchors the crucifixion to the sixth-hour (noon) placement on the cross and the darkness lasting until the ninth hour (3 p.m.), after which Christ died. He repeatedly emphasizes that Christ was dead three days and three nights in the tomb to prove His death was real, and that He arose the third day. In his broader teaching, Les counts any portion of a day as a whole day, so Friday afternoon through Sunday morning fulfills the three days and three nights.
1 Corinthians 15:4 — This verse directly states the gospel formula Les uses: Christ was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
The Bible records that at the crucifixion, from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour (Matthew 27:45). Matthew also records that two thieves were crucified with Him, one on the right hand and another on the left (Matthew 27:38). After His death, He was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:4). The Scriptures do not give a detailed hour-by-hour calendar for the burial, but they plainly testify that Christ was buried and that His resurrection happened on the third day.
Les teaches that Christ was placed on the cross toward noon, darkness covered the land from the sixth hour to the ninth hour (noon to 3 p.m.), and Christ then gave up the ghost. He insists this was a real death, not a swoon, and that being in the grave three days and three nights proved the death was complete. He grounds the resurrection in Paul's gospel statement that Christ was buried and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and he sees the three-day burial as essential—without the death, burial, and three days and three nights in the tomb, there is no gospel. In his fuller explanation, Les applies the scriptural counting principle that any portion of a day counts as a full day, so the time from Friday evening to Sunday morning fulfills the three days and three nights.
Les notes that Jesus was placed on the cross somewheres toward noon, that the sixth hour was noon, and that darkness covered the land from noon until the ninth hour, which was 3 p.m. During those three hours no words from Jesus are recorded; after that He speaks His final statements and gives up the ghost.
Les explains that the three days and three nights were necessary to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus was really dead. He did not go into a swoon or an unconscious state; He died, was buried, and that completeness of death is why the resurrection is on the third day, according to the Scriptures.
Les shows that the gospel itself is that Christ died, was in the grave three days and three nights, and rose from the dead. Just as Israel needed a three-day separation from Egypt for deliverance, the believer is separated from the old life of sin by Christ's three days in the tomb. If that is ignored, there is no gospel.
Les holds that Scripture counts any portion of a day as a whole day. He places Christ's burial before six o'clock on the first day, the entire second day in the grave, and the portion of the third day after midnight as the third day—fulfilling the three days and three nights. In these clips, however, his emphasis is the affirmation of the three-day duration and the third-day resurrection rather than a detailed hourly calendar.
Les teaches that from noon to 3 p.m. the earth was enveloped in darkness and there was absolute silence from the cross. He believes that in that period, in His deity, Christ suffered the hell and judgment that every human being deserved, and then came back to speak His final words and give up the ghost.
When Will the Tribulation Begin? The 70th Week of Daniel
but I can see what the prophetic Word says, and I can see that certain things have to happen. And then you see—now, we're not teaching Revelation, but the next horse in Revelation chapter 6 is the pale horse, remember? And that pale horse depicts famine and pestilence.
Crucifixion Time Markers
Les reads Matthew 27:45 as placing Christ on the cross toward noon, with darkness from the sixth hour (noon) to the ninth hour (3 p.m.).
Three Hours of Atonement
Les teaches that in the three hours of darkness Christ suffered the judgment every human being deserved, and notes that the work was not completed until the resurrection.
Silence and Darkness Before Death
Les describes the three hours of absolute silence and darkness between noon and 3 p.m., after which Christ speaks His final statements and gives up the ghost.
Real Death and Three Days in the Tomb
Les states plainly that Jesus was dead three days and three nights in the tomb and then arose the third day, emphasizing that this proves He was truly dead.
Gospel Necessity of the Three Days
Les connects the three days and three nights in the tomb to the gospel itself—without that three-day separation from sin there is no gospel—and sees the Exodus three-day journey as a picture of the resurrection.
According to the Scriptures
Les ties Paul's gospel statement (1 Corinthians 15:3–4) to the Old Testament Scriptures, stressing that the three days in the grave proved the death was real and that the resurrection was on the third day.
Three Hours of Divine Suffering
Les repeats the noon-to-3 p.m. darkness detail and explains that during that time Christ, in His deity, suffered the punishment for all human beings before speaking again and dying.
Matthew 27:45: Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
This verse records the three-hour darkness that Les uses as a time marker for the crucifixion.
Matthew 27:38: Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.
This verse appears in the same context of the crucifixion narrative that Les refers to in his teaching.
1 Corinthians 15:4: And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
This is Paul's gospel summary that Les uses to ground the burial and third-day resurrection in Scripture.
Yes. Les says Jesus did not go into a swoon and did not enter an unconscious state; He died. The three days and three nights in the grave were there to prove that His death was complete, and then He arose on the third day.
Les teaches that the gospel includes Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Just as Israel could not be set free from Egypt without a three-day separation, believers are separated from the old life of sin by Christ being three days and three nights in the tomb. Without that, there is no gospel.
Les follows Paul's statement that Christ rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. He applies the scriptural principle that any portion of a day counts as a whole day, so a Friday afternoon burial and a Sunday morning resurrection fulfill the three days and three nights.
Watch the Teaching: When Will the Tribulation Begin? The 70th Week of Daniel