3 Days and 3 Nights: Was the Messiah's 'Heart of the Earth' a Figure of Speech?

[rstrats]

There are some folks who think that the crucifixion took place on the 6th day of the week with the resurrection taking place on the 1st day of the week. The Messiah said that He would be in the "heart of the earth" for 3 days and 3 nights (Matthew 12:40).   Of those who think that the crucifixion took place on the 6th day of the week, there are some who think that the "heart of the earth" mentioned in the verse is referring to the tomb.  However, a 6th day of the week crucifixion/1st day of the week resurrection allows for only 2 nights to be involved with the Messiah's time in the tomb.   To account for the lack of a 3rd night, there may be some of those mentioned above who try to explain the lack of a 3rd night by saying that the Messiah was using common figure of speech/colloquial language. And that is the only issue of this topic, i.e., the commonality of saying that a daytime or a night time was forecast or said to be involved with an event when no part of a daytime or no part of a night time could have occurred. I wonder if anyone who may fall in the above group of believers  might provide actual examples/instances to support the belief of commonality.         

Edited February 20 by Greg
Fixed poor thread title

[French Patriot]

All miracles and supernatural notions are unsupportable and illogical.

As to the whole messiah notion, it is fully immoral to ask to be one or to ask others to accept you as one. 

Ask any Christian to discuss the morals of this issue and see how they run to hide their immoral double moral standards.

Knowingly punishing the innocent is always wrong and immoral.

Right?

Or will you run away?