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OBSERVING DAYS, MONTHS, TIMES AND YEARS There's nothing wrong with a bit of study and speculation about the timing of the second coming, or the birth of Christ, or which day of the week might have been the day of the crucifixion, but there's no good reason to be fussy and dogmatic about such matters. We can offer up our views for consideration, but to argue fiercely about things of which God's word is not emphatically clear is unwise. Take the day of the crucifixion, for instance. You might argue dogmatically that it had to be on a Wednesday because one cannot find three days and three nights between Friday and Sunday (Mat. 12:40), but what if the phrase "heart of the earth" doesn't mean what you think it means? What if it does mean what you think it means, but the way of counting days and nights differed then from how we count them now? Most of the arguments look pretty good until you consider what they failed to mention, including scripture that they either overlooked or ignored. Then things no longer seem so cut and dry. The fussy, dogmatic opinions are usually the ones that offer the least substance, so the argumentative spirit is used to help the claims appear authoritative. I decided years ago to not argue over such matters, because it appears to me that God might be deliberately hiding such truths from us so that we'll make the most of Jesus EVERY day instead of creating special holidays (HOLY-days). I believe that Jesus was likely born in the spring, but I cannot prove it conclusively. I believe he will return in the fall, but I cannot prove that conclusively. I believe the church age to be 2,000 years in length, but I cannot prove that conclusively. I believe the "Good Friday" tradition has its problems, but so do the other views, which is why you don't see me posting abbreviated charts every Easter. When all scripture is taken into account, most of the charts are "found wanting" (to quote from Daniel), so I leave the matter alone. I think God knows that if we could thoroughly prove and convince everyone that Christ was crucified on Wednesday and resurrected sometime before sunrise on Sunday, then we would have more religious holidays, which is exactly what God does NOT want. So the matter remains unresolved, as it should. Christ died and rose again so that EVERY day can be a resurrection day in which the world can see Christ in us; therefore, religious holidays are counter-productive and should be celebrated only by the weak and ignorant masses, not by strong, informed believers. If you disagree and choose to argue with me, I'll endure your weakness, as the scripture commands (Rom. 14:1, 5, 6; 15:1), but I will not argue and promote division over what I believe to be an insoluble issue.