52) NOW NOTE THIS AWESOME RESURRECTION MIRACLE....and THE GRAVES were opened all over the area and MANY (note that. Note that he wrote MANY, not a few but MANY), MANY BODIES of the SAINTS (probably those who had recently died. Remember Lazarus? Lazarus was in the grave for 4 days and Jesus said, Lazarus Come Forth. Lazarus spirit that had left that body, reentered that body and Lazarus body came back alive and boy did he have much to tell his family, friends, and the world. What a best selling book that could have been written. God quickened that body. God revived it's every cell with all their massive complexities and a new and incredible resurrection miracle testimony had now been freshly born on the earth).
Well here we have in verse 52 of Matthew chapter 27 a resurrection glory fact story even more awing than what went on in Lazarus' resurrection. We read in verse 52 that on the glorious resurrection day that God raised Jesus back up from the dead into paradise above. We read in verse 52 & 53 that AFTER Jesus was raised first from the dead, God also raised MANY BODIES OF THE SAINTS from the dead. Many people in the area near Christ tomb and body where God's resurrection power and glory was poured out, great measures of the resurrection glory of God hit those dead bodies WITH GREAT PURPOSE in the surrounding area and God raised those saints from the dead. It says GOD RAISED "MANY" OF THEM UP. This means NOW on resurrection day, we have MANY LAZARUS types walking around Jerusalem. God is doing something. Keep reading.
Now as if that in itself was not awesome enough, God did not stop there. After God reunited those saints spirits with their bodies (temporarily) by His Mighty Life Giving Resurrection Glory and Power ON PURPOSE (James 2:26), it says that these people that God raised from the dead, they went into the city of Jerusalem and visited MANY people. They went, I believe, sent by God being that God on purpose resurrected them, and I believe God did that resurrection miracle and sent them to visit and talk about their experiences beyond the grave to the people in Jerusalem to fill the whole atmosphere of the city of Jerusalem with RESURRECTION SERMONS and RESURRECTION TALK and RESURRECTION TESTIMONIES for many days. After all (note this), THE DAY OF PENTECOST WAS JUST AROUND THE CORNER. Hello????
I mean many God raised from the dead to live out several more days on the earth among their family members, friends and in front of those who were not family, or friends, but they had only known them from a distance. BUT, ALL THESE PEOPLE, ALL OF THEM, WHETHER THEY WERE FAMILY, OR FRIENDS, OR JUST SOMEONE YOU BUMPED INTO NOW AND THEN, ALL OF THEM KNEW THAT NOT TO LONG AGO THESE PEOPLE HAD REALLY DIED and they knew it. MANY OF THEM WENT TO THEIR FUNERALS AND SAW THEM BURIED IN THE GRAVES. But now standing and preaching right in front of them about God, and about the things concerning Jesus Christ the Son of God, and about life after death, and things beyond the grave, here they stood fully alive, fully raised from the dead testifying to them in RESURRECTION REALITY........Mom, a child cries... Granpa's back. He's here in the living room. Just imagine what all went on with this mighty resurrection MIRACLE, that few have preached so little of.
So with the mighty visible testimony of these many saints that God raised from the dead and sent unto many in the city of Jerusalem, all of Jerusalem was FILLED with notable and indisputable evidence that dead people can come back to life again after being dead and in the graves for many days by the power of God. They saw them. They talked with them. They touched and handled them. Many of them even lived out more days, weeks, months and maybe even years together with some of these RISEN RESURRECTED PEOPLE. Why not then the Son of God but on a MORE GRANDER EVERLASTING SCALE?
God raised these saints from the dead temporarily to live on the earth to testify to His resurrection power and glory for a few more days, months, or maybe even years, but these would, after a while, their bodies would die again and they would be placed back into the tombs. But not Jesus and His Body. The body that God had prepared His Son (Hebrews 10:5) for the Cross of our redemption that was slung on the cross by a blind world, His body after God raised him from the dead was slung back up so to speak into heaven itself unto God the Father in an endless resurrection and glorious ascension, and God sat His Son back down in His Throne at His own right hand (Ephesians 1:16-20). He made Christ risen Body untouchable by death ever again. As it is written, Revelations 1:17-18) Fear not John, I am the first and the last. 18) I am He that lives and was dead, and behold, I AM ALIVE FOREVER MORE. AMEN.
So we conclude that with all these bodies of all those saints that God raised from the dead after He raised Christ up first, as the citizens of Jerusalem beheld these risen resurrected people for days, weeks, months and maybe even for years, in amazement, shock, and awe and heard them testify to life after death, and of the reality of the spirit world, and of God, and of the Angels, and of heaven and of hells realities (Read Luke 16:19-31), Note this which is about to be said and revealed,...... when Peter and the disciples on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-42) were filled with the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised a few days and weeks after the Lords resurrection, and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ blood, death, and resurrection, God had already (WITH THOSE SAINTS RISEN BODIES), and with their testimonies and with all that RESURRECTION TALK that had been going on thru out Jerusalem for days and weeks with clear visible evidence by the sight of those saints that God raised from the dead, God had prepped the hearts of many in the city of Jerusalem for the resurrection GLORY AND GOSPEL REDEEMING STORY OF HIS SON JESUS CHRIST.....scroll down. There's more.
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