patrick jane forums

I don't think you theory that a full day had to unfold before it is part of prophecy. The two witnesses are in the grave for 3 1/2 days and nights. A Hebrew day starts at 6PM so night is the first part of the cycle, at 6AM it changes to day and 12 hours later a new day begins. The 3 1/2 days would be counted from the minute they were killed and their resurrection would be 84 hours layer (3 1/2 days)

On the day of the cross Jesus was arrested at 6PM and tortured until 12AM when He was on the erected cross, at 3PM He died and by 6PM (and the start of Passover) He had been in the grave (preaching to the OT Saints that were resurrected the same morning He was. God counts that as a 'full day'. The part about Him being in the grave by 6PM had to happen or his dead body would have stayed on the cross for Passover and the weekly Sabbath that followed Passover. 
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem it was on the 1st day of the week so a weekly Sabbath had just passed. It might be possible to track their movement during that visit to see that a Sabbath did not happen before the cross. 30AD is a year when Passover was the day before the weekly Sabbath. Thursday from 6AM to 6PM is the 1st day in the grave. Saturday from 6PM until Sunday at 6AM is the 3rd night.
The people Jesus sends to the grave end up being awake as well, they do not have Jesus there to preach to them. They have Satan in chains so they spend that whole time in hell mocking Satan and the fallen angels from the 'safety' of a locked cage.
1Pe:4:6:
For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead,
that they might be judged according to men in the flesh,
but live according to God in the spirit.

ok...Wayne, lets think about this a bit.

Jesus rode into Jerusalem on that donkey the the exact day Gabriel had told Daniel He would. That day was Sunday, April 6, 32 AD. Four days later (Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed) Jesus was crucified.

Jesus Dies on Wednesday at 3pm.  At 6pm. Thursday Feast of Unleaven Bread begins.
The first day Jesus is in the grave is Thursday. Yes, He is dead an extra 3 hours on Wednesday but his body was not in the grave. Where His spirit is during this three hours we are not told but he spends time in Paradise (beside Hell)the next three days..

Wednesday    | Thursday  | Friday    | Saturday   | Sunday
6:01PM.     6  | 01PM     6 | 01pm  6 |01 PM     6 |01PM

Crucifixion      | 1st Day    | 2nd Day | 3rd Day    | Resurrection

As you can see, His body was in the grave three days and three nights according to Jewish custom..  For sometime after 6:01Pm on Sunday night and 6 pm Sunday morning, Jesus arose. We are not told the exact time for this either.

You said:" The two witnesses are in the grave ". The two witnesses are not in the grave They lay on the ground where they died for 3.5days.

If you are saying the soul of the body is in the grave, that is not biblical. We are told that if we are in Jesus Christ, and out of our Fleshly body, we are with Him...

We are also told in the Story of the Rich man and Lazarus that when one dies if they are not believers and have been justified, their soul lands in Hell (KJV) until Judgement day (White Throne Judgement).

Our souls upon our death is either in Heaven or Hell...Not the Lake of Fire but Hades, (Hell) as in a holding pen.

Hope this helps.

Blade