18/07/2026
DANIEL 9:26–27 AND THE WEDNESDAY CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST
CHRIST OUR PASSOVER, NOT EASTER
The prophecy of Daniel provides one of the clearest Old Testament predictions of the death of the Messiah.
Daniel 9:26–27 declares:
"And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself... Then He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering." (Daniel 9:26–27)
The expression "Messiah shall be cut off" is a prophecy of the death of Jesus Christ. He was not cut off for His own sins, but for the sins of the world (Isaiah 53:5–6; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Many students of Scripture understand the phrase "in the middle of the week" to point to Christ's crucifixion. Since the middle of a seven-day week is the fourth day, they conclude that Jesus was crucified on Wednesday, not Friday. By His sacrificial death, He fulfilled the Passover and brought the Old Testament sacrificial system to its intended fulfillment, bringing an end to the need for animal sacrifices.
This understanding also harmonizes with Jesus' own prophecy:
"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matthew 12:40)
According to this view, the chronology is:
Wednesday (Passover): Jesus is crucified and buried before sunset.
Wednesday night: First night.
Thursday: First day.
Thursday night: Second night.
Friday: Second day.
Friday night: Third night.
Saturday: Third day.
Jesus then rose near the close of the weekly Sabbath, before sunrise on the first day of the week, when the women found the tomb already empty.
This chronology also recognizes that the Sabbath following Christ's crucifixion was an annual High Sabbath—the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:5–7)—not necessarily the regular weekly Sabbath mentioned in the traditional Good Friday interpretation.
The Apostle Paul confirms the significance of Christ's death by writing:
"For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us." (1 Corinthians 5:7)
Christ died as the true Passover Lamb, fulfilling the symbolism established in the Law of Moses.
Furthermore, the word "Easter" appears only once in the King James Version (Acts 12:4), where the Greek word is Pascha, meaning Passover. Virtually all modern Bible translations correctly translate it as Passover.
The central truth of the gospel remains unchanged: Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and rose again in victory over death. His resurrection is the foundation of the Christian faith, and He will return in glory just as He promised.
"For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us." — 1 Corinthians 5:7
