It took God 72 hours to save humanity. Following is the way it happened as I understand the Bible...
"Now, crucifying Him, they divide His garments, casting the lot... And they place above His head His charge written: "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." About the ninth hour Jesus exclaims with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi! Lema sabachthani?"...with a loud voice, lets out the spirit." (Matthew27:36-37, 46-50)
Jesus had told His followers what would happen to Him...
"He begins to teach them that the Son of Mankind must be suffering and be rejected by the elders, and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after AFTER THREE DAYS rise." (Mark 8:31)
“For even as Jonah was in the bowel of the sea monster three days and three nights; thus will the Son of Mankind be in the heart of the earth THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS.” (Matthew 12:40)
Jesus was in the tomb three days and three nights.
"The Jews, then, since it was the preparation, lest the bodies should be remaining on the cross on the sabbath (for it was the HIGH DAY, that sabbath), ask Pilate that they might fracture their legs, and they may be taken away." (John 19:31)
The "high day" or high sabbath was a name for those sabbath days which occur once a year during the Jewish festivals. Passover is the first "high day" of the seven days of the festival of Unleavened Bread. The day before Passover is called the "day of preparation". Jesus was crucified on the day of preparation.
"And lo! a man named Joseph...approaching Pilate, requests the body of Jesus. And taking it down, he folds it up in a linen wrapper, and he places Him in a rock-hewn tomb, where no one was lying as yet. And it was the DAY OF PREPARATION. Now following after, the women who were come together out of Galilee with Him, gaze at the tomb, and how His body was placed." (Luke 23:50, 52,54-56)
In the year Jesus was crucified the day of preparation for Passover was a Wednesday. The women came to the tomb three days and three nights later, at sunrise, and were told He had been resurrected...
"Now it is the evening of the sabbaths. At the lighting up into one of the sabbaths came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to behold the sepulcher...the messenger said to the women, "Fear you not! For I am aware that you are seeking Jesus, the Crucified." He is not here, for He was roused, according as He said. Hither! Perceive the place where the Lord lay." (Matthew 28:1-6)
Summary of the events of the death and resurrection of Jesus:
A Jewish day begins at sunset and ends the next day at sunset. On Tuesday Jesus ate the Passover meal with His disciples. Later that night Jesus was arrested and brought before the Jewish high priest and tried. On Wednesday morning He was delivered over to Pilot the Roman governor. After Pilot had talked with Jesus he ordered Him to be flogged and crucified around noon. Jesus died at three o'clock Wednesday afternoon. Just before sundown Jesus was placed in a tomb owned by a man named Joseph.
Wednesday night passes...Thursday passes...Thursday night passes...Friday passes...Friday night passes...Saturday passes - three full nights and three full days.
Then at sundown on Saturday, at the end of the third full day, Jesus comes back to life, the Firstfruit of all who will be resurrected from death never to die again.
So, it was 72 hours from His entombment that the salvation of humanity was secured when He rose from death!
The death, entombment and resurrection of Jesus is the good news (gospel/evangel). The details of those events which provided for the salvation of humanity is important to me, and is part of what Paul instructed Timothy to "Prescribe and teach".
"Now I am making known to you, brethren, the evangel which I bring to you, which also you accepted, in which also you stand, through which also you are saved...that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was entombed, and that He has been roused the third day according to the Scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
“Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all welcome, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, foremost of whom I am.” (1 Timothy 1:15)
"Faithful is the saying and worthy of all welcome (for for this we are toiling and being reproached), that we rely on the living God, Who is the Savior of ALL mankind, especially of believers. These things be CHARGING AND TEACHING.” (1 Timothy 4:9-11)