Matthew 12:40

[james1523]

It was 31 AD when Christ was crucified not the 30 AD.

Unfortunately for the 31 AD crucifixion view, there was no 3 hour eclipse visible from Jerusalem around the time of crucifixion in 31 AD in order to give the 3 hours of darkness.
But science has calculated that a blood red lunar eclipse occurred on Friday April 3 33 AD and was visible from Jerusalem and many other places. So this lends credence to a 33 AD crucifixion.

 

[rstrats]

james1523,

re: " ...a blood red lunar eclipse occurred on Friday April 3 33 AD and was visible from Jerusalem and many other places. So this lends credence to a 33 AD crucifixion."


How does a lunar eclipse cause darkness on the earth during the daytime (specifically noon to 3pm)? What am I missing?

 

[judge not]

Just checking with others on what year they believe the crucifixion was. It seems like a toss up between 30 and 31 AD depending on whose computer software calendar programs you believe.
But a question was raised-it's not the year we need to be concerned with but rather the day. What year did the 15th fall on a Thursday which started in the evening before.since Jesus was buried before the High Sabbath. Then that would fit the prophecy Jesus gave us of 3 days and 3 nights. Then that scenario should be the right year..

Someone else said about the Good Friday - Easter Sunday understanding: If we say the last few hours of Friday was the 1st day, then all of Saturday was the 2nd day, and finally the first few hours of Sunday morning was the 3rd day-when you do the math, that still only works out to 3 days and 2 nights.
Either Jesus made a terrible mistake on the timing of His prophecy or the whole Good-Friday_Easter Sunday morning belief is not accurate. Go figure.

 

[DHC]

Just checking with others on what year they believe the crucifixion was. It seems like a toss up between 30 and 31 AD depending on whose computer software calendar programs you believe.
But a question was raised-it's not the year we need to be concerned with but rather the day. What year did the 15th fall on a Thursday which started in the evening before.since Jesus was buried before the High Sabbath. Then that would fit the prophecy Jesus gave us of 3 days and 3 nights. Then that scenario should be the right year..

Someone else said about the Good Friday - Easter Sunday understanding: If we say the last few hours of Friday was the 1st day, then all of Saturday was the 2nd day, and finally the first few hours of Sunday morning was the 3rd day-when you do the math, that still only works out to 3 days and 2 nights.
Either Jesus made a terrible mistake on the timing of His prophecy or the whole Good-Friday_Easter Sunday morning belief is not accurate. Go figure.

Hello again judge not.

I find it interesting how different translations render the same verse.
I think I know why this has occurred judge not. Have a gander at
the following three translations and notice how each translates the
Hebrew word strong's 7677, which means "rest". Where as the
Hebrew word for sabbath: strongs 7676, is not used in this verse.

Leviticus 23 (KJV)
39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land,
ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.

Leviticus 23 (NASB)
39 On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate
the feast of the Lord for seven days, with a rest on the first day and a rest on the eighth day.

Leviticus 23 (RSV)
39 On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall keep the feast
of the Lord seven days; on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest.

If you adhere to the stricter translation, a rest or a solemn rest would be preferable.
If this is correct, then the high sabbath is the sabbath that occurs on the saturday.

 

[judge not]

Hello again judge not.

I find it interesting how different translations render the same verse.
I think I know why this has occurred judge not. Have a gander at
the following three translations and notice how each translates the
Hebrew word strong's 7677, which means "rest". Where as the
Hebrew word for sabbath: strongs 7676, is not used in this verse.

Leviticus 23 (KJV)
39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land,
ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.

Leviticus 23 (NASB)
39 On exactly the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the crops of the land, you shall celebrate
the feast of the Lord for seven days, with a rest on the first day and a rest on the eighth day.

Leviticus 23 (RSV)
39 On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall keep the feast
of the Lord seven days; on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest.

If you adhere to the stricter translation, a rest or a solemn rest would be preferable.
If this is correct, then the high sabbath is the sabbath that occurs on the saturday.

Google says there are over 60 English language translated versions of the Bible.
Generally KJV is considered word for word and is the most accurate at 98.33% pure.

Leviticus 23:39 is talking about the Feast of Tabernacles which is not a fixed date on our calendar, occurring around the fall harvest time.. This year, 2013, it falls on September 19-25, Thursday to the following Wednesday-7 days long.
The 26th is the eight day or as it is known now as the Last Great Day. Sept 19, the first day of the feast is a high day. A Sabbath of rest and Holy convocation.
The Eight day, the 26th, a Thursday, is also one of God's Holy days, the last one of the year. It is also a High Day Sabbath requiring rest and a Holy Convocation.
In 2014, the feasts run on different dates and so on with 2015, etc.but always on the same time frame as the Bible indicates using God's Sacred Calendar.

 

[james1523]

re: " ...a blood red lunar eclipse occurred on Friday April 3 33 AD and was visible from Jerusalem and many other places. So this lends credence to a 33 AD crucifixion."


How does a lunar eclipse cause darkness on the earth during the daytime (specifically noon to 3pm)? What am I missing?

Passover lambs were slain between 3 pm and 5 pm. Jesus was crucified at 3 pm (3rd hour). Darkness was from 6 pm to 9 pm (6-9th hour)...darkness fell on the earth. During this period was darkness due to lunar eclipse which could be seen over the whole hemisphere of the Earth.

It cannot be a solar eclipse because a solar eclipse only lasts a few minutes not 3 hours, and is more localized than a lunar eclipse.

 

[DHC]

Google says there are over 60 English language translated versions of the Bible.
Generally KJV is considered word for word and is the most accurate at 98.33% pure.

Hello judge not.

The KJV is not the most accurate translation at all, in it's three revisions there
were 100,000 corrections. It certainly is not the Bible used by scholars, the
best of the best is certainly the The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).
The NRSV is an extremely accurate translation, faithful to the earliest and best
manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the Greek New Testament.

It is fairly literal and is the translation most often quoted by a wide variety of biblical scholars
(Evangelicals, Catholics, Mainline Protestants, Jews, secular historians, etc.) in the top academic publications.

If you examine the best translations judge not, the sabbath is not mentioned. A rest from work,
is the correct rendering of the Hebrew strong's 7677. This is where you have been misled. I find
it most disturbing that your theology is based on an old translation. If you used an acceptable
translation the error evaporates. Please consult the Hebrew and do the translation yourself,
you will be surprised.

Out of curiosity judge not, is the KJV the bible of choice for sabbatarians and sdas?

 

[rstrats]

james1523,

re: "Jesus was crucified at 3 pm. Darkness was from 6 pm to 9 pm..."


Mark 15:25 says that it was the 3rd hour when the Messiah was crucified. What documentation do you have that says that the 1st hour began at noon?

 

[james1523]

james1523,

re: "Jesus was crucified at 3 pm. Darkness was from 6 pm to 9 pm..."


Mark 15:25 says that it was the 3rd hour when the Messiah was crucified. What documentation do you have that says that the 1st hour began at noon?

John 19:14 says Jesus was still before Pilat at the 6th hour (12 pm), or noon.. so a 9 am crucifixion doesn't add up.

Now obviously some time elapsed between talking to Pilat and Jesus actually being nailed to the cross...Jesus was crucified at the 3rd hour ( 3pm) after Pilat's judgement, which is also the time when the Passover lamb is slain (3 pm -6 pm) (very symbolic). So between 3 pm and 6 pm Jesus our "Passover lamb" was being slain, which means he was hanging on the cross, in the process of dying.

Jesus died at 6 pm which is when the period of darkness commenced and just before the start of the Sabbath.

Darkness fell from 6th to 9th hour after noon (6 pm - 9 pm). As scientific calculations show, a lunar eclipse occurred from 6 pm to 9 pm (middle eastern time) on Friday April 3rd , 33 AD, which was visible over the whole earth (well at least the majority of the ancient world in that area). This was a 'blood red' moon which is a sign God gives (Acts 2:20).

I believe this view is the only one which reconciles the record of John with Matt, Mark and Luke... makes sense prophetically and symbolically regarding the Passover lamb being slain between 3 pm and 6 pm.. and also agrees with scientific calculations of a 3 hour period of darkness existing in the middle east at the time due to a lunar eclipse.

 

[judge not]

Hello judge not.

The KJV is not the most accurate translation at all, in it's three revisions there
were 100,000 corrections. It certainly is not the Bible used by scholars, the
best of the best is certainly the The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).
The NRSV is an extremely accurate translation, faithful to the earliest and best
manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the Greek New Testament.

It is fairly literal and is the translation most often quoted by a wide variety of biblical scholars
(Evangelicals, Catholics, Mainline Protestants, Jews, secular historians, etc.) in the top academic publications.

If you examine the best translations judge not, the sabbath is not mentioned. A rest from work,
is the correct rendering of the Hebrew strong's 7677. This is where you have been misled. I find
it most disturbing that your theology is based on an old translation. If you used an acceptable
translation the error evaporates. Please consult the Hebrew and do the translation yourself,
you will be surprised.

Out of curiosity judge not, is the KJV the bible of choice for sabbatarians and sdas?

I use the KJV and the New KJV versions.
The purity of the KJV was established by comparing it to the manuscripts found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Other versions in the meaning to meaning class translates into more understandable wording that is clearer for most readers. Like the NIV.

Then there are the paraphrased Bibles that are better for story flow but not doctrine.

In Romans 3:2 - Paul said that the oracles of God were committed to the Jewish people and with God's help they preserved the sacred writings.
The Bible was divinely inspired as we understand.

But if the Sabbath question is a doctrinal issue how is it affected by various translations?

 

[judge not]

John 19:14 says Jesus was still before Pilat at the 6th hour (12 pm), or noon.. so a 9 am crucifixion doesn't add up.

Now obviously some time elapsed between talking to Pilat and Jesus actually being nailed to the cross...Jesus was crucified at the 3rd hour ( 3pm) after Pilat's judgement, which is also the time when the Passover lamb is slain (3 pm -6 pm) (very symbolic). So between 3 pm and 6 pm Jesus our "Passover lamb" was being slain, which means he was hanging on the cross, in the process of dying.

Jesus died at 6 pm which is when the period of darkness commenced and just before the start of the Sabbath.

Darkness fell from 6th to 9th hour after noon (6 pm - 9 pm). As scientific calculations show, a lunar eclipse occurred from 6 pm to 9 pm (middle eastern time) on Friday April 3rd , 33 AD, which was visible over the whole earth (well at least the majority of the ancient world in that area). This was a 'blood red' moon which is a sign God gives (Acts 2:20).

I believe this view is the only one which reconciles the record of John with Matt, Mark and Luke... makes sense prophetically and symbolically regarding the Passover lamb being slain between 3 pm and 6 pm.. and also agrees with scientific calculations of a 3 hour period of darkness existing in the middle east at the time due to a lunar eclipse.

But it still contradicts Jesus prophecy of the length of time He would be in the tomb for 3 days and 3 nights if you believe an early morning (still dark) Sunday resurrection occurred.

 

[DHC]

Time period for the crucifixion and resurrection of the messiah.

Three of the Gospels record the time of death at the ninth hour or 3-00pm.

This was the day of preparation for the high sabbath.

Here are the the three Gospel accounts indicating the exact time.

Matthew
27:45 From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.

Mark
15:33 When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.

Luke
23:44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,

The day of the death of the Messiah has been recorded in history.
This was the day before the sabbath day. Jesus clearly died at 3pm
on the preparation day. There is no room for debate on this the first
recorded day of His death. The time is established in three Gospels.
We have Day 1.

Jesus is dead during the entire next sabbath day, this covers both versions.
This is the second day, the sabbath, the second recorded day of his death.
This is Day 2.

In the distance the sun has set on the sabbath day, a new day has begun.
The beginning of the third day by any reckoning. For some, this day is
the next preparation day, Friday.
Day 3.

Once again the sun is setting on Friday, it is now Saturday and it is a Sabbath day.
Day 4.

Now if Jesus died on Wednesday at 3pm, then logically, Jesus would
need to stay in the tomb over an interval of four days to rise at say 5-00pm
on the following Saturday.

Jesus is dead on the days of wednesday, thursday, friday and saturday. Behold a
fourth day resurrection as the counting indicates, according to sda literature.
In fact, very close to a fifth day resurrection.

 

[judge not]

Time period for the crucifixion and resurrection of the messiah.

Three of the Gospels record the time of death at the ninth hour or 3-00pm.

This was the day of preparation for the high sabbath.

Here are the the three Gospel accounts indicating the exact time.

Matthew
27:45 From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.

Mark
15:33 When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.

Luke
23:44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,

The day of the death of the Messiah has been recorded in history.
This was the day before the sabbath day. Jesus clearly died at 3pm
on the preparation day. There is no room for debate on this the first
recorded day of His death. The time is established in three Gospels.
We have Day 1.

Jesus is dead during the entire next sabbath day, this covers both versions.
This is the second day, the sabbath, the second recorded day of his death.
This is Day 2.

In the distance the sun has set on the sabbath day, a new day has begun.
The beginning of the third day by any reckoning. For some, this day is
the next preparation day, Friday.
Day 3.

Once again the sun is setting on Friday, it is now Saturday and it is a Sabbath day.
Day 4.

Now if Jesus died on Wednesday at 3pm, then logically, Jesus would
need to stay in the tomb over an interval of four days to rise at say 5-00pm
on the following Saturday.

Jesus is dead on the days of wednesday, thursday, friday and saturday. Behold a
fourth day resurrection as the counting indicates, according to sda literature.
In fact, very close to a fifth day resurrection.

The problem here is the counting begins when Jesus is entombed not when He died. Matt 12:40

In Mark 16:42-47 We see that it was evening just before sunset on that preparation day when Jesus was taken and laid to rest in the earth. At the end of Wednesday..

Regardless of SDA literature or any other interpretation, Jesus would be the sole authority on His counting, and as described by Him a 24 hour period makes up a complete day-that's the way a day was counted in Jesus' time -from sunset to sunset.. Jesus way of counting adds up to 72 hours-3-12 hour periods of light and 3-12 hour periods of darkness.. And that takes us to Saturday around the evening 6 or 7pm. Think about it logically.

 

[DHC]

The problem here is the counting begins when Jesus is entombed not when He died. Matt 12:40

In Mark 16:42-47 We see that it was evening just before sunset on that preparation day when Jesus was taken and laid to rest in the earth. At the end of Wednesday..

Regardless of SDA literature or any other interpretation, Jesus would be the sole authority on His counting, and as described by Him a 24 hour period makes up a complete day-that's the way a day was counted in Jesus' time -from sunset to sunset.. Jesus way of counting adds up to 72 hours-3-12 hour periods of light and 3-12 hour periods of darkness.. And that takes us to Saturday around the evening 6 or 7pm. Think about it logically.

Hello judge not.

Jesus was in the tomb on the preparation day.

Luke 23
53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid.
54 It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.
55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid.
56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

Luke 24
24 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.
2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,
3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

Luke 24
44 Then he said to them, These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
46 and said to them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,

Jesus was in the tomb on the preparation day. I can prove this
point if you wish judge not. You will notice that the women mentioned
saw the tomb and how his body was laid. This was most certainly
the preparation day, as they prepared spices and ointments. They were
not resting at this stage of the preparation day. Then they rested on the
sabbath day which the text states. On the first day, Sunday they went to the
tomb and the rest is history.

You will also need to heed the following;

Jesus said "and on the third day rise from the dead".

Not after three days judge not, that is a fourth day resurrection, this is not permissable.

 

[james1523]

Three of the Gospels record the time of death at the ninth hour or 3-00pm.

This was the day of preparation for the high sabbath.

Here are the the three Gospel accounts indicating the exact time.

Matthew
27:45 From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.

Mark
15:33 When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.

Luke
23:44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon,

The day of the death of the Messiah has been recorded in history.
This was the day before the sabbath day. Jesus clearly died at 3pm
on the preparation day. There is no room for debate on this the first
recorded day of His death. The time is established in three Gospels.
We have Day 1.

3 out of 4 gospels is not what I'd call absolute proof. This contradicts John 19:14. All gospels must agree as they speak of the one event. We must find a viewpoint where all the gospels can agree.. and which science also proves.

The noon to 3 pm view places darkness before Jesus died. But darkness would not have occurred until Jesus died. The darkness symbolizes his death, the light of the world being taken out of the world.

John 19:14 gives the correct time.. and the three gospels have been misinterpreted as times of day by most modern bible versions (as the verses you quoted) .. when actually they are 3 hour time periods relative to the absolute time of noon given in John 19:14. Since the orbits of the planets are known, it is precise to calculate the exact time when a solar eclipse or lunar eclipse would have occurred. This conveniently rules out 30 AD, 31 AD, and the best year is 33 AD, on Friday 3rd April. Earthquake is also found to occur at this time, so we have a match between earth quake, darkness, and the scriptures.

 

[james1523]

But it still contradicts Jesus prophecy of the length of time He would be in the tomb for 3 days and 3 nights if you believe an early morning (still dark) Sunday resurrection occurred.

We need to understand that the bible is not a scientific book. It is a book full of types and symbols. Numbers are used in the bible for symbolism. So it could be 4 days, it could be 2 days in our time system.. but 3 is the closest symbolic number. Days are approximate, and so are years. If we try to reconcile the years of history with the prophetic years of Daniel, they won't match up. Similarly with the number of days. It's common to round to the nearest whole symbolic number, as we also do today sometimes.

For example suppose you are meeting a friend in 12 days time, or 17 days time.. you will say "see you in a fortnight, or see you in two weeks". Did you mean "see you in two literal 7 day weeks i.e. 14 days? Similarly Christ could have been in the grave 2 days or 4 days, but he will say 3 days because that is the most meaningful number. The number 3 signifies something which is certain, something solid, and can also be interpreted as 'a short period of time'. 3 days and 3 nights is symbolic and approximate with Jonah.. and it is also symbolic and approximate with Christ.

I should add that the Pharisees were very knowledgeable of scripture, they knew it inside out, and they calculated the exact time and place the Messiah should be born and come. But their strictness and human thinking led them to conclude that Jesus was not the Messiah because his coming did not fit exactly with their thinking and calculations. They used the human mind to understand the scriptures rather than the Holy Spirit. We have to be careful we don't make the same mistake by holding too rigidly to a scientific and precise interpretation of the bible rather than a spiritual and symbolic interpretation.

We also need to understand "spiritual traffic jams". This means evil forces delaying or hindering God's will to be accomplished. In Daniel 10:13 the enemy caused a 21 day delay in the arch angel's mission. Delaying tactics of the enemy is frequently a cause of prophetic time periods not matching actual time periods exactly. And the main cause of delay is the churches lack of prayer to remove the spiritual obstacles. This is why Jesus asked us to pray that God's will be done on Earth as it is always in Heaven. If we don't pray this, then God's will is delayed.

 

[DHC]

3 out of 4 gospels is not what I'd call absolute proof. This contradicts John 19:14. All gospels must agree as they speak of the one event. We must find a viewpoint where all the gospels can agree.. and which science also proves.

The noon to 3 pm view places darkness before Jesus died. But darkness would not have occurred until Jesus died. The darkness symbolizes his death, the light of the world being taken out of the world.

John 19:14 gives the correct time.. and the three gospels have been misinterpreted as times of day by most modern bible versions (as the verses you quoted) .. when actually they are 3 hour time periods relative to the absolute time of noon given in John 19:14. Since the orbits of the planets are known, it is precise to calculate the exact time when a solar eclipse or lunar eclipse would have occurred. This conveniently rules out 30 AD, 31 AD, and the best year is 33 AD, on Friday 3rd April. Earthquake is also found to occur at this time, so we have a match between earth quake, darkness, and the scriptures.

Hello James.

It is unclear to me what the contradiction is with John 19:14.

Preparation for the passover or the sabbath?

You have not stated your viewpoint.

Thanks.

 

[judge not]

There is not much more I can repeat on this-sorry, I have to move on

 

[DHC]

Hello all.

Here is an example of the way people in Israel viewed time periods, which is
quite different to the way we modern folk view time periods.

2 Chronicles 10 (NASB)
5 He said to them, return to me again in three days. So the people departed...
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had
directed, saying, “Return to me on the third day.”

In "three days" means after three days to us, but not to the people of Israel
in the time of Christ. Verse twelve clearly draws attention to this.

Here is another example from Esther of the same approach to time periods.
Entirely different to the way we view time periods in relation to a day.

Esther 4:16
16 Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink
for three days, night or day...

Esther 5:1
5 Now it came about on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes...

Or this example in Luke.

Luke 1:59
59 And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they
were going to call him Zacharias, after his father.

Luke 2:21
21 And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called
Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

To the Jewish mind in the time of Christ, a part of a day was equal to the whole day.
Hence, Jesus could rise on the third day and this meant three days. Jesus was entombed
after 3pm on the preparation day, this is counted as a whole day in the Jewish understanding.

 

[james1523]

Hello James.

It is unclear to me what the contradiction is with John 19:14.

Preparation for the passover or the sabbath?

You have not stated your viewpoint.

Thanks.

The contradiction is that John 19:14 says Jesus is still before Pilate at noon (the 6th hour).
Yet Mark 15:25 says that Jesus was crucified at the 3rd hour (9 am) and died at 3pm. I believe Mark says this because the passover lamb was bound to the altar at 9 am, and killed at 3pm and uses these same times to show that Jesus was the passover lamb. In other words, the hours in Mark 15:25 are symbolic, but the time given in John 19:14 is actual time. It was common to approximate times to the nearest 3 hour period, and this is what Mark does in this case, but not for the sake of approximation, but to show symbolically that Jesus is the passover lamb (1 Cor 5:7).


Jesus was put on the cross some time after noon, between noon and 3 pm. However long it takes to be hung on those crosses, and walk the distance, 30 mins? 1 hour? Who knows.
Jesus died somewhere between 3 pm and 6 pm, coinciding (approximately) with when the passover lamb was killed.

Darkness fell somewhere between 6 pm and 9 pm (coinciding (approximately) with Christ's death).
Why should darkness fall when Christ was not dead yet? The temple was not torn whilst Jesus was alive, neither should there be darkness.
A lunar eclipse occurred on Friday 3 April 33 AD between 6 pm and 9 pm in middle eastern local time. Again, 6 and 9 pm are approximate.

Here are a few considerations:
God does not give supernatural signs without the natural elements He created, but uses the elements that he created for signs (planets, stars, rainbows etc) (Gen 1:14, Luke 21:25, Matt 16:1-4).
In other words, God would not cause darkness miraculously without a scientific explanation.
Darkness cannot occur during daylight except with a solar eclipse or dust storm.
A solar eclipse lasts for a few minutes and not for 3 hours.
God could not have caused a 3 hour solar eclipse, upsetting the planetary orbits, without catastrophic consequences for life on Earth.
Why should darkness fall while Jesus is still on the cross before he died, and wouldn't it make it difficult for people to see Him and Him to see them?