Can you explain the resurrection of old testament saints?

Question

Matthews 37: 50-53:
50. And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His Spirit. 51. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53. They came out of the tombs and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people...............



Seems like they resurrected at the crucification, but entered the holy city (heaven) only after the resurrection of Christ. Will you agree that the door to heaven was opened by the resurrected Christ to allow the resurrected believers to enter for the first time?

Answer 1

Interesting question.... Thank you

First off; Jesus is not resurrected in 50-53.
This stanza refers to the moment of his 'passing'.
Yet 53 asserts that 'after his rising' the "Saints marched into town". Sorry about the 'Saint' thing, could not resist.......

Translation follows;
Matthew 27; 50-53 (King James Version)
"Holy City" refers to Jerusalem not 'Heaven'.
The bodies of the "Holy Saints" rose up and were seen.
These were already 'Saints' and were already buried. There is no mention of 'Jesus believers', just of Holy Saints. So it follows that the 'saints' were dead already, and not 'Christ's followers'

Matthew 27; 50-53 (Young's Literal Translation)
"Holy City" still refers to Jerusalem not 'Heaven'
Saints are ASLEEP, not dead, but asleep in their tombs.

Answer 2

What the scripture is saying here In Matthew 27: 50-53 is this.
Let me summarize a little so maybe help you understand. As you may already know is that Christ came to be the Sacrificial lamb for our sins, once for all humanity. That no more animal sacrifices would need be made, for Christ paid it in full on the cross. Under the law no man was able to enter into the holy place, save the priest. When Christ came, he became our high priest making a way for us to enter into the holy place, thus was the veil in the temple rent in two. ( Hebrews 10, sheds more light on this)

Concerning the Resurrection of the saints. When Christ rose so did all those (believers) who had died up until this point. They all being in Abraham's Bosom- the abiding place of those who had died under the law, for there had yet not been made a way to enter into glory, which Christ made upon His death on the Cross. These resurrected saints did go into the holy city (Jerusalem) and did appear unto may. They then as Christ did enter in to the gates of Heaven, yes for the first time.

Answer 3

ROFLMAO!

Wouldn't this have made the ending of Passion of the Christ a bit more fun too? I suppose Mr. Gibson just missed these verses when he was researching the movie. How about:

Passion of the Zombies
I can envision lots of good scenes here. The camera panning over the lifeless body of crucified Christ to rest on a tomb being opened from the inside by a skeletal hand... Holy zombies fresh from the grave feasting on the brains of Mary and Peter as they try to take down the body of Jesus from the cross. Zombie Moses lurching through the panicked crowd shouting "Le ma pipuw GOooooo!" while munching on a cranial confection... Maybe a scene in the Temple of Solomon with the Pharasees bashing in the brains of a Roman Centurian zombie with the lid of The Ark of the Covenant. A final scene of zombie saints being driven back into their ossuary's by an angry mob of Hebrews perhaps?

Hmmm, I wonder if George Romero would be interested in a script...


-SD-

Answer 4

Jesus Christ was the first to be resurrected 3 days later. The people who burst out of their tombs just returned to a normal, mortal life - While Jesus with His resurrected life became imortal - never to die, or get sick again.

Answer 5

Don't laugh. I went through several resurrections myself. They are not fun and very taxing on the soul. I even fought archangel Michael and whooped his angelic a s s. I am one bad princess let me tell you.

Aaaaayyyyeeeeeyyyyeeeeeee!!!!!

Answer 6

not able to do that i'm sorry