SOME Geologists say Jesus was most likely crucified on Friday, April 3, in the year 33.
The investigation, reported in International Geology Review, focused on earthquake activity at the Dead Sea, located 13 miles from Jerusalem. The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 27, mentions that an earthquake coincided with the crucifixion:
“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open.”
To analyze earthquake activity in the region, geologist Jefferson Williams of Supersonic Geophysical and colleagues Markus Schwab and Achim Brauer of the German Research Center for Geosciences studied three cores from the beach of the Ein Gedi Spa adjacent to the Dead Sea.
Varves, which are annual layers of deposition in the sediments, reveal that at least two major earthquakes affected the core: a widespread earthquake in 31 B.C. and a seismic event that happened sometime between the years 26 and 36.
The latter period occurred during “the years when Pontius Pilate was procurator of Judea and when the earthquake of the Gospel of Matthew is historically constrained,” Williams said.
“The day and date of the crucifixion (Good Friday) are known with a fair degree of precision,” he said. But the year has been in question.
In terms of textual clues to the date of the crucifixion, Williams quoted a Nature paper authored by Colin Humphreys and Graeme Waddington. Williams summarized their work as follows:
•All four gospels and Tacitus in Annals (XV, 44) agree that the crucifixion occurred when Pontius Pilate was procurator of Judea from A.D. 26 to 36.
•All four gospels say the crucifixion occurred on a Friday.
•All four gospels agree that Jesus died a few hours before the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath (nightfall on a Friday).
•The synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) indicate that Jesus died before nightfall on the 14th day of Nisan, right before the start of the Passover meal.
•John’s gospel differs from the synoptics, apparently indicating that Jesus died before nightfall on the 15th day of Nisan.
When data about the Jewish calendar and astronomical calculations are factored in, a handful of possible dates result, with Friday, April 3, 33, being the best match, according to the researchers.
Williams is studying yet another possible natural happening associated with the crucifixion — darkness.
Three of the four canonical gospels report darkness from noon to 3 p.m. after the crucifixion. Such darkness could have been caused by a duststorm, he believes.
Williams is investigating if there are dust storm deposits in the sediments coincident with the earthquake that took place in the Jerusalem region during the early first century.
Bryan Patterson's Faithworks 
Easter: unfinished business
I have to say that the worst unfinished things in my life have always been relational ones. Forgiveness not given, sorry not said, truth not declared, issues in life not properly addressed, needed help not sought. Of course, when it comes to having a relationship with God, it is unsaid prayers, God’s unread Word, insufficient trust to do His will and a failure to enjoy His friendship. For you it may even be an unwillingness to trust in Him at all – and that is the most dangerous unfinished work in your life.
It is one thing for us to have unfinished business with God, but for God to have unfinished business with us, that is quite another thing. When Jesus came into our world, He came to finish the work God the Father had given Him to do. It was a remarkable work, designed to rescue all humanity. That includes you.
It was on that first Good Friday, as Jesus hung crucified from the cross, that He said, “It is finished”. On that day, man and devil had done their worst while God displayed His best in a completed work. The wrath of God was spent as Jesus paid the wages of our sin, enduring the cross until all was sufficiently done to end hostility between God and man and offer a reconciling hand.
On that first Easter Friday, condemnation gave way to a gracious forgiveness.
At the end of that day, there was no unfinished business for God and by the end of that first Easter Sunday, Jesus’ resurrection ended hopelessness with the promise of a full and eternal life. In this world there’s always unfinished business, but for anyone who puts their trust in the finished work of Jesus there is no unfinished business with God.
Have you put your trust in Jesus Christ? That is the big Easter question.
If not, then you must understand that God still has unfinished business with you.
Have a great and safe Easter.
CHALLENGE, the Good News Paper—-April, 2015
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Reblogged this on memoirandremains.
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1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.
-Matthew Chapter 28
Approximately 36 hours after the first earthquake, Matthew reports another earthquake; what today might be called an aftershock.
The quote above from Matthew mentions a Rolling Stone being jarred open and revealing an empty tomb. The picture below shows a Rolling Stone from around the time of Jesus.
– See more at: http://www.deadseaquake.info/the-after-shock/#sthash.Z6mqTqDq.dpuf
http://www.deadseaquake.info/the-after-shock/
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The Holy Land is a region where earthquakes occur frequently. By one means or another, big earthquakes have been documented in the Holy Land for a period exceeding 4,000 years.1 Many are known from history and literature, especially the Bible. Holy Land earthquakes are also evidenced from archaeological excavations. No other region of the earth has such a long and well-documented chronology of big earthquakes.
Because correlation doesn’t prove causation, the more often something happens, the more chance there is for it to be coincidental.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/science-questions/10-correlations-that-are-not-causations.htm
But God works in mysterious ways, so who’s to say?
Here is a summary, though it;s from a site I haven’t much faith in! There is no mention of the hand of God being behind other world-wide horrific earthquakes. – http://www.icr.org/article/greatest-earthquakes-bible/
Quote “A review of the 17 earthquakes listed above shows that virtually the entire story of the Bible can be summarized by its association with earthquakes. Biblical events emphasized by earthquakes are creation, Noah’s Flood, separation of Abraham and Lot from judgment of the wicked cities, the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, authentication of the leadership of Moses, God’s provision in the conquest of Canaan, vindication of the messages of Hebrew prophets, the crucifixion of our Lord in Jerusalem, the resurrection of our Lord, the ministry of the apostles and the church, the modern “birth pangs” sign of the end times, the national conversion of Israel, and the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. History, archaeology, and geology appear to confirm independently many earthquakes mentioned in the Bible.
Earthquakes have been used distinctively by God to highlight some of the most important events of the Bible. The three main purposes for biblical earthquakes are judgment, deliverance, and communication. The lesson is obvious—God does not do anything really big without emphasizing it with an earthquake! In our fast-paced, man-centered, technology-based society of the twenty-first century, God would have us pause and consider His sovereign nature and the program He has been accomplishing in the world.” Unquote..
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