At what time must we start the Sabbath Day? Reviewed 09/26/2022

If a biblical day starts from 'an evening to a morning', starting the Sabbath day or any day at sunset is wrong because a day is not from 'sunset to a sunset' nor from 'sunrise to sunset'.

The book of Genesis does not say 'There was a sunset or nightfall and there was a morning'. Evening is not darkness or night, even though we greet each other in darkness (night) 'Good evening'. Evening time is broad daylight (Matthew 20:8). Sunset ends the evening time slot and does not mark the beginning of a day but the arrival of night.


A biblical day falls between two evenings, that is, in the case of the Sabbath Day, it covers two days: Friday evening (not sunset which begins night time or darkness) through Saturday evening (not sunset which begins night time or darkness).

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. Genesis 1:5 ASV

In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, is Jehovah's Passover. Leviticus 23:5 ASV

Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If a man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.  John 11:9 ASV

There are 12 hours in a day, said Jesus around the time of Passover (John 11:9).

We may not increase or decrease the division of the day to accommodate our geographic location or latitude or different times for sunsets. According to Jesus, the day is a fixed 12 hours long, regardless of sunrise and sunset times or latitude or geographical location. We must follow the keeping of the division of Jewish or biblical time in the day according to the declaration of Jesus in John 11:9 and the unit day of Genesis (Deuteronomy 27:10, Daniel 7:25), keeping in mind that nobody may add or subtract from the Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 4:2, 5:32). 

We, the holy ones of God (Leviticus 9:2, 20:26, 1 Peter 1:16), must pledge and must follow the divine time of the book of Genesis. A day starts in broad daylight of the evening at a fixed time to account for the 12 hours length and not at the fall of darkness of sunset which varies with seasons.

In Roman Gregorian time, our time, a day starts at midnight and ends at midnight, from darkness to darkness or from night to night. As such, a Roman sabbath day would start in darkness at midnight and ends in darkness at midnight while the Genesis sabbath day starts and ends at 4 PM (5 PM DST) in broad daylight. Why 4 PM? 

At what clock time does the Sabbath day start?

In Israel, it is from evening to evening beginning at around 4 PM on Friday and ending at the same time on Saturday, according to the records of the New Testament.

Why 4 PM? How do we know that Sabbath day starts at 4 PM?

The time 4 PM is derived from the declarations about the timing of events during the Crucifixion day, from the synchronization of the clock times reported in the writings of the Gospels of Mark and John.

A tabulation of the time given by Apostle John is compared to the timing declarations of Apostle Mark.

Accordingly, the tabulation of the '6th hour' Roman time of John 19:14 at the Court of Pontius Pilate and the '3rd hour' Jewish time of the other Gospels reveals the reckoning of time in Israel (See the corresponding table below). It cannot be that the Apostles were with Jesus at the 'about the sixth hour' of John and that they reported that Jesus was crucified at the third hour. The 'about sixth hour' and the 'third hour' must be the same time. For Pontius Pilate it was 'about the 6th hour' and for the Jews it was 'the third hour'.

Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If a man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. John 11:9 ASV

And it was the Preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, Behold, your King! John 19:14 LITV

And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him. Mark 15:25 LITV

In ancient Israel, Josephus left us testimony on the time when the Jews started preparing for the Sabbath: 'AFTER THE 9TH HOUR'.

Therefore, according to Josephus, the Jews started preparing the Sabbath day on the 10th hour, that is, at 1 PM local time, before the 12th hour or for 3 hours (John 11:9). Here is the passage from Josephus, a quote that is dated around 8 BC, as referenced by the name of the Consul.

"Caesar Augustus, high priest and tribune of the people, ordains thus: Since the nation of the Jews hath been found grateful to the Roman people, not only at this time, but in time past also, and chiefly Hyrcanus the high priest, under my father Caesar the emperor, it seemed good to me and my counselors, according to the sentence and oath of the people of Rome, that the Jews have liberty to make use of their own customs, according to the law of their forefathers, as they made use of them under Hyrcanus the high priest of the Almighty God; and that their sacred money be not touched, but be sent to Jerusalem, and that it be committed to the care of the receivers at Jerusalem; and that they be not obliged to go before any judge on the sabbath day, nor on the day of the preparation to it, after the ninth hour. But if any one be caught stealing their holy books, or their sacred money, whether it be out of the synagogue or public school, he shall be deemed a sacrilegious person, and his goods shall be brought into the public treasury of the Romans. And I give order that the testimonial which they have given me, on account of my regard to that piety which I exercise toward all mankind, and out of regard to Caius Marcus Censorinus, together with the present decree, be proposed in that most eminent place which hath been consecrated to me by the community of Asia at Ancyra. And if any one transgress any part of what is above decreed, he shall be severely punished."
(Retrieved from http://www.ccel.org/ccel/josephus/complete.ii.xvii.vi.html)

John indicated the day Passion of Jesus took place and the Roman time when Pontius Pilate spoke to the crowd: the day was the day of the Passover (John 19:14) which was not a Friday.

Mark says that there was darkness in Jerusalem from the 6th to the 9th hour (Mark 15:33) and that Jesus was crucified on the 3rd hour (Mark 15:25).

Darkness started 3 hours after the crucifixion. John could not have had Pilate handing Jesus over to be killed while he was already on the crucifixion apparatus, according to the other Apostles, when it became dark (not night time) from the 6th to the 9th hour Roman time.

Notice the time when the Jews started preparing for the Sabbath, according to Josephus. It was after the 9th hour, Jewish time. Jesus finally died at the 9th hour when the Jews started preparing the Sabbath day, so that His burial process could have started just like the preparation. 

Ioseph (Joseph after the letter J was introduced in the 16th century) went to ask for the body of Iesus (Jesus) when evening (4 PM) came, 3 hours later after Jesus died at 12 PM or 9th hour (Matthew 27:57-60, John 19:31-42), 3 hours before the end of the Passover Preparation Day, as reported by John.

Jesus was buried before the start of the Passover Sabbath (John 19:31-42) between the evenings as the Lamb was to be eaten between the evenings (Exodus 12:6, Numbers 9:3). He is our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7). Passover is on the 14th day, between the evenings of the 13th and of the 14th (Leviticus 23:5). Jesus ate the Passover (Luke 22).

Remember, the Jewish day is divided into 12-hour day (John 11:9). After the 9th hour, the day is ending in 3 hours (10th-11th, 11th-12th, 12th-1st). Therefore, per Josephus, the Jews took 3 hours to prepare for the arrival of the Sabbath, at the first evening (NOT NIGHT) daylight hour when the new biblical day starts.

I have extrapolated and calculated the Roman time, our time, when the day starts during the Passover time in Jerusalem, based on the Jewish time mentioned in the Gospels of Apostles John  and Mark (3rd hour).

Understand that when we read in the New Testament about the 'preparation day' in the Gospel of John, we know that the preparation started after the ninth hour, Jerusalem time, from the testimony of the Historian Josephus.

Again, Jewish time and Roman time are two different times, as we can infer from Mark 15:25-34 and John 19:14, because the Jewish day starts in the evening (broad daylight not at sunset) with daylight, unlike Roman time which starts at midnight.

Keep in mind also that the expression 'at the going down of the sun' does not mean 'sunset' because from our perspective on earth, the sun reaches a maximum height in the sky and from there it starts going doing until it disappears in our respective horizon. Does it make sense to you?

(Mark 15:25 LITV)
And it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.

(Mark 15:33 LITV)
And it being the sixth hour, darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour.

John 19:14 LITV
And it was the Preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, Behold, your King!

Mark 15:34 LITV
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? (Which being translated is, "My God, My God, why did You forsake Me?") Psa. 22:1

Again, the 'third hour' Crucifixion time in Mark 15 corresponds to 'about the sixth hour' Roman time in John 19:14 because at the sixth hour the Gospel of John still has Jesus being interrogated by Pilate and because his account in John 18:28 states that Jesus was led to Pilate very early in the morning.

"They lead Jesus therefore from Caiaphas into the Praetorium: and it was early; and they themselves entered not into the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover." Joh 18:28

Remember, at the sixth hour of John, Jesus was already on the cross (tree) according to the narrative of Mark 15:25, 33-34.

Another point of view concerning the timing of Mark

Mark timed the events in the third, sixth, and ninth hour.  Apostle John also timed the judgement of Jesus around the 9th hour. Those hours that are mentioned in the New Testament cannot be 3 AM nor 3 PM, neither 6 AM nor 6 PM, neither 9 AM nor 9 PM, if Jesus would have died at 4 PM in our Roman time as it is believed today in certain religious circles. Jesus would have died either at 9 AM from 3 AM crucifixion Roman time or 9 PM according to Mark 15:33.

Remember that the consensus to take or walk Jesus to Pilate was made in the morning which must have been at least before the 'third hour' Jewish crucifixion time (not Roman time) of Mark, as it is mentioned in the narrative, a '3rd hour' time which, again, cannot correspond to 3 AM Roman time nor 3 PM because we also read that there was darkness from the 6th hour (6 AM? 6PM? Roman) until the 9th hour (9 AM? 9 PM? Roman) according to Mark 15:33.

Mark's 3rd hour of crucifixion time cannot be Roman 3 AM or 3 PM.

Mark's 6th hour of darkness after the 3rd hour crucifixion until the 9th hour cannot be Roman 6 AM to 9 AM or 6 PM to 9 PM.

Mark's 9th hour for the death of Jesus cannot be Roman 9 AM or 9 PM

because it is believed in the modern religious circles that Jesus died at 4 PM.

The 9th hour of the death of Jesus in Mark cannot correspond to our 4 PM Roman time. That would imply that the Jews would have started preparing the Sabbath at 5 PM after the 9th hour (according to Josephus) and that the Jewish day would have started at 8 PM (4-5 PM (9th hour), 5-6 PM (10th hour), 6-7 PM (11th hour), 7-8 PM (12th hour), 8-9 PM (1st hour). In March, April, and May, evening or sunset is not at 8 PM Standard Time to start the biblical or Jewish day!

Read 2 Timothy 4:1-5 for the reason why we do not care about accuracy in the Christian religions.

Also, John's 'ABOUT 6th hour' for the questioning time by Pilate cannot be Roman 6 AM or 6 PM since we have Jesus to have died at 4 PM in our modern time and because Mark's 6th hour cannot be Roman 6 AM or 6 PM for the same reason.

John's '6th hour' cannot be corrected to Mark's '3rd hour' in the translations as many would want to or synchronized to the other mentioned '6th hours' in the Gospels.

However, John's 6th hour can be synchronized with Mark's 3rd hour to allow for the tabulation of Jewish Time versus Roman Time. Because it is logical or because it makes sense or because Jewish day and time is not the same as Roman day and time

And from the sixth hour occurred darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. Matthew 27:45 KJ3


And it being the sixth hour, darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour. Mark 15:33 KJ3


And it was about the sixth hour, and darkness came to be over all the land until the ninth hour. Luke 23:44 KJ3


And it was the Preparation of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he says to the Jews, Behold, your King! John 19:14 KJ3

REPETITION: If the time of death mentioned in the Gospel were Roman time (Mark 15:34, 37), Jesus would have died either at 9 AM or 9 PM according to our Roman time and that cannot be.

Consequently, the times recorded in the gospels cannot be the same as Roman Time or our Time (except for the Pilate or Roman time of the interrogation of Jesus by Pilate by John).

Yet, we can derive the correct time from John 19:14.

Mark 15:1 KJV
(1) And straightway in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him to Pilate.

Luke 22:66 KJV
(66) And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying,

Matthew 27:1-2 KJV
(1) When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
(2) And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor."

Again, we found John at the Crucifixion scene where Jesus gave him charge of His mother (John 19:25-27), right before He expired, at the ninth hour, Jewish time. Hence, there is no way that John could have mixed up the timing of that moment in his narrative.

"John 19:25-27 KJV
(25) Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.
(26) When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!
(27) Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home."

Again, the narrative implies that there is a three-hour difference in time reckoning between the Jews and the Romans. The Jews are three hours behind in telling their time, as mentioned earlier, because the Jews started their day in the evening while it is still daylight. Tabulating the time mentioned in Mark and John shows that the Jewish day started at around 4 AM Roman time.

Therefore, the Sabbath day starts and ends at around 4 o'clock (or 5 o'clock for daylight savings time) our Roman time or 1st hour Biblical Time, according to John 19:14.

The Jews should take note also of the records in the New Testament if they do not start preparing the Sabbath after the 9th hour of Josephus (or 10th hour), which is 1 PM or 2 PM DST.

IF JESUS DIED AT 4 PM ROMAN OR GREGORIAN TIME OR 9TH HOUR JEWISH TIME, THE JEWISH DAY WOULD HAVE STARTED AT 8 PM ROMAN TIME. BUT NO JEWISH DAY STARTS AT 8 PM GREGORIAN OR ROMAN TIME (2 Timothy 4:1-5).