[Luke 6:1] And it came to pass, on the second-first sabbath, as he is going through the corn fields, that his disciples were plucking the ears, and were eating, rubbing with the hands,"Young's Literal Translation"
The reason I posted this scripture is to show the distinction of the "Count of the Omer" by numbering the Sabbaths during the count. To a first century Jew this phrase simply means "The Second Weekly Sabbath" during the count of fifty days to Pentecost from the second day of Unleavened. Thus there was also a "First" first Sabbath and it would have been the first one after Passover....in any year. The year of the crucifixion(30 A.D.)it happened to be Nisan/Abib 17. 30 A.D. Israel
The "First" of the Sabbaths is mentioned by all the Gospel accounts [Matthew 28:1][Mark 16:2][Luke 24:1][John 20:1,19] and it refers to the first Saturday after Passover. Any reference to the " first day of the week" in any translation is from tradition as it simply does not say that in the Greek. It is also the same Greek term used in [Acts 20:7]....but that's another story.
The women rested the First Day of Unleavened(the 15th) [Leviticus 23:7][Mark 16:1] and then went out and purchased spices (the 16th), prepared them and rested again for the weekly Sabbath (the 17th)[Luke 23:56] according to the commandment.
[Luke 23:50-55] And lo, a man, by name Joseph, being a counsellor, a man good and righteous, he was not consenting to their counsel and deed -- from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who also himself was expecting the reign of God, he, having gone near to Pilate, asked the body of Jesus, and having taken it down, he wrapped it in fine linen, and placed it in a tomb hewn out, where no one was yet laid. And the day was a preparation, and sabbath was approaching. And the women also who have come with him out of Galilee having followed after, beheld the tomb, and how his body was placed. The body was in the tomb prior to sundown.
The only sign Our Saviour agreed to give "A wicked an adulterous generation" was [Matthew 12:40]....three days and three nights. This did not mean 2 1/2 days, 36 hours or any other such nonsense. It meant 72 hours in the heart of the Earth....the tomb!
Now...getting back to the numbering of the Sabbaths during the fifty day count. [Matthew 28:1] And on the eve of the sabbaths, at the dawn, toward the first of the sabbaths, came Mary the Magdalene, and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre.....(verse 6) He is not here, for He rose, as He said; come, see the place where the Lord was lying. He was not there.....He had risen!
The Greek word "Epiphosko" translated here as dawn....means to "Begin" and the only other place in scripture where this Greek word "Epiphosko" is noted is in [Luke 23:54] and another day was soon to begin...the First Sabbath of Unleavened Bread. The Hebrew days, of course....began at sundown. The "Eve of the Sabbaths are referring to the plurality of both the First Sabbath in the count to Pentecost and the weekly Sabbath. "The Eve of the Sabbaths", the Evening of these Sabbaths would be between 3:00 P.M. and sunset.
We have thus shown from scripture that Our Lord resurrected on the weekly Sabbath, the 17th of Nisan/Abib shortly before sundown and the women arrived a few minutes later.....and he had already risen. The day of resurrection was not a Sunday!
No --- "Epiphosko" means "to begin to grow light".
The Greek word "epiphosko" #2020 of Strongs Concordance means: "to begin to grow light, to begin to dawn, to draw on". It comes from "epiphauo" which means "to illuminate, give light".
It doesn't mean that the day is ahead, it means that it has already started and is progressing toward morning. So when it is used in Luke 23:54, it means that the sabbath had already begun at sunset and was now several hours old into the early morning hours.
So Luke 23:50-56 actually means that he was laid in the tomb by Joseph of Arimathaea and that day was the preparation, but his burial was not completed yet, because the women who came from Galilee went out and returned with spices and ointments and prepared his body, and they did not finish until early morning of the 15th, as "the sabbath began to grow light [dawn, epiphosko]" [Luke 23:54].
Now 72 hours later on Sunday morning, Matthew 28:1 says this:
"In the end of the sabbaths [meaning after that Thursday sabbath and that Saturday sabbath], as it began to dawn [grow light, epiphosko] toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre, and behold there was a great earthquake."
As you can see, the Scripture is clear. His burial was completed at dawn [epiphosko] on Thursday morning the 15th, and He was resurrected at dawn [epiphosko] on Sunday the 18th, 72 hours later.
Thank you for your help on putting this issue to rest. I hope to see you there at sunrise service Sunday morning :-).