What is special about the act of resurrection? This is Matthew 27: 49-55.


49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.
50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
55 And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:


So upon Jesus's dead, many saints arose from the dead and went into the city where they were seen by many.

The question is; What became of these saints?

1) Did they also rise into heaven, like Jesus is supposed to have ascended into heaven?

2) Did they die a second time and are now buried somewhere in Israel/Palestine?

3) What sort of body do risen saints possess - flesh and blood like you and me?

4) Did they lead a "normal" life - got married, had children and talked to one and all about their experience of the "other" world?

Christ's resurrection is the eternal kind...He resurrected into a glorified body. People such as Lazarus and others were "merely" resurrected in their temporal bodies. They were temporal resurrections. They died again. There is a huge difference here.

In the First resurrection, souls that had been separated from bodies for thousands of years will be given new glorifies bodies....hardly the work of a temporal nature. They will live eternally as these new bodies do not undergo corruption.

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John

I've read that many years ago, and I believe it has to do with the prophecy of Isaiah. Doubt if I could find the prophecy today without a lot of research. At first I thought 'OH this is the first resurrection, but it's not because these people where not given eternal LIFE>Amen

Eternal Life is not given until Christ returns and resurrects ALL THE DEAD. We have to be careful and bring the rest of what the bible says into this and not sway ourself with building a false doctrine with it....

Your friend in Christ who is coming soon to gather us up!

a NT SAINT who dies today..........his soul/spirit is immediately "with the Lord Jesus " in heaven

but, his body lies in the grave, waiting for the RESURRECTION/RAPTURE..........when the Saints (dead and living) will rise, and the soul/spirit/body will be re-united, and the body is changed to a "resurrection body", which can never die/sicken.

where is Enoch's body now?..........is it a corruptible body,,,,,or an incorruptible (resurrection) body?
i don't know...........i doubt that God would want a corruptible body (with it's carnal nature) in heaven.

Jonah died in the big fish,,,,,,,,,and he was resurrected,,,,,,,,,but he died again (i assume).

elijah/elisha resurrected dead people,,,,,,,,,but they died again (i assume)

the moment that Jesus died............that was the purchase of our salvation from sin...........the wages of sin is death..............the OT Saints rose from the grave and walked around in jeruslaem ***AFTER*** jesus died..............there's a message in that.................
1jesus died,
2saints resurrected,
3in that order.........cause and effect

Hebrew11v1: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2: For by it the elders obtained a good report.
3: Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
4: By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
5: By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
6: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
7: By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
8: By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9: By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
11: Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.
12: Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
13: These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

37: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
38: (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
39: And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

because

Rv 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Zech14v1: Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2: For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3: Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
4: And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
5: And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

all the saints


what body did many appear?
1Cor 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

and

Before Jesus ascended to the Father he appeared in another form.

Mark16v9: Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
10: And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
11: And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
12: After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country

did they go to heaven?

Jn 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

and

1Cor 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

1Thes 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

1Jn 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.



they went back to there graves.

look at lazarus.
Jn 11:11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead
.23: Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
24: Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

43: And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth

Matt. 27:52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
27:53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

This is a good question.

Before this time, as far as we know, only Elijah and Enoch, who where translated without ever seeing death, and Moses, who was resurrected by Michael, where the only three persons from this earth who had already received eternal life and where in Heaven with God.

Of course people like Lazarus and some other people where brought back from the dead, and they probably died again.

But I believe those raised with Christ are special. I believe they where taken to heaven as Moses was. In fact some have speculated they could be the same as the 24 elders:

Rev. 4:4 And round about the throne [were] four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

4:10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Rev. 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four [and] twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

It says they where redeemed, so they come from the earth, right? Maybe these where the saints that where raised with Christ in Matthew 27.

I can't see the Lord raising them in a strange time and allowing them to live another life on earth with strange people.

The little girl and the young man and Lazarus and others who had not been dead for but minutes to days, had not lived their full life, but where cut off in their youth. So we assume they where raised and allowed to finish their life on earth with their family and friends.

Paul said when he saw the Lord it was one borne out of due time


1Cor 15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

the appointed time for the resurrection is when the Lord comes

Matt. 27:52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
27:53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

what happened above in Matthew is exactly what is written they appeared to many.

what happened to them after

Eccl 9:3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

they are not in heaven the Lord already made that statement

Jn 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

they can't be in heaven
they are not on earth
so what is the next logical place

the grave.

the Lord said

Jn 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

Jn 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Jn 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

even Martha knew Lazarus would be raised at the last day

Jn 11:24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

it's funny this man of today can't except the words of God.