Difficult Passages

The Graves Were Opened - Matthew 27:50-53

Matthew 24:28 and Luke 17:37 – "Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together"

The Graves Were Opened - Matthew 27:50-53

TGP Newsletter – March 4, 2024

The following was given as an exhortation. A video recording can be watched below, or you may read it either by downloading the PDF above or scrolling down on this page.

I’d like to focus our attention on an interesting passage that’s often considered a difficult set of verses relating to the events surrounding Christ’s death:

Matthew 27:50-53 – Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the spirit. (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.

Many extraordinary things occurred here, and this passage is often taken to mean that when Christ died, the earth shook and opened up the graves, and people who had been dead were resurrected and appeared to many of the onlookers in Jerusalem.

This is actually an important passage and relates to many first principles of the truth. What we’re going to do is consider the popular view and the logical and Scriptural ramifications of it, and then we’ll see what conclusion the Scriptures lead us to. In examining this, we’ll find that it’s necessary to review a number of important first principles relating to the condemnation of man and God’s means of justification from it.

Troubles with the Popular Interpretation

If we take the popular view at face value, what questions and difficulties do we find?

1. Who was resurrected?

I believe all would agree that not every single person who had died in covenant was resurrected at this time, and this begs the question of which people were raised and how many of them?

Many reason that figures such as Abraham, Moses, and David, were the subjects of this resurrection because of the impact that it would have on the people. Yet if we think about it, not a single person alive would know what any of these men would look like. Not only is there no mention of this sort of thing, but we’re told that David and all of the others had died in faith of the resurrection and awaited Christ’s return (Hebrews 11:13). And if we move forward in time just slightly, we have the testimony of Peter after Pentecost that “the patriarch David… is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day” (Acts 2:29).

This begs the second question:

2. In what form were they resurrected, and what happened afterwards?

Were these people raised to a mortal state or an immortal state?

If mortal, we’re forced to conclude that they were either given the opportunity to live out more of their lives (which carries many problems with it) or they were simply raised for a short period and then condemned to die again. Did they go back in the graves? If so, when?

If it’s contended that they were raised immortal, we not only run into countless first principle issues regarding judgment, but we must also wonder whether they’re still among us today. If they are, where are they and what purpose are they serving? It would do not good to say that they exist in an invisible form, because we’re told that “they appeared unto many.” Central to the popular view is that the people were visible in order to stun the masses. So we must conclude that they either were forced to die again, or they exist somewhere in an immortal state.

Yet, could this simply be a vision like the transfiguration was, when Moses and Elijah appeared “in glory” (Luke 9:30-31)? I don’t believe so. We’re told by Christ that the transfiguration was a vision (Matthew 17:9), but our passage doesn’t tell us that it was a vision.

Thirdly, (and this gets to its bearing on first principles),

3. How were these people resurrected, and on what basis?

It’s critical to understand that Christ is “the first begotten of the dead” (Revelation 1:5). This important title of his is explained in

1 Corinthians 15:20, 22-23 – But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept… (22) For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (23) But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

Now, if it be contended that these saints were raised to their former mortal state, we run into less issues as many people were raised to their former state in Christ’s day. They were simply resuscitated. However, all of these passages specify that the people had died recently, not hundreds or thousands of years prior.

But if it be held that they were raised to immortality, we know it could not be so as the forerunner had not attained it yet. Then, we must also consider that they would have to be judged first, and according to the popular view, this happened right after Christ died, so that would not be possible.

4. For what purpose were they resurrected?

The passage says that they “appeared unto many”, and it’s therefore assumed that their appearance was to testify to Christ’s identity and convince people that he was indeed the Messiah. Yet if this was the goal, it seems that it either failed or had minimal effect, for there’s no record of it having any success. The Jews were still in blindness.

It is worth noting that verse 54 says, “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.” Some might conclude that this resurrection is clearly included in “those things that were done”, but as we shall see shortly, it cannot be.

The last, and perhaps most puzzling, difficulty we’ll mention, is

5. There is no mention or even reference of this event taking place anywhere else in either the Gospel accounts or the New Testament.

We would imagine that such a great event would be worthy of mention in at least one other place, not only for the miraculous nature of it, but particularly in relation to the work of the Apostles after Pentecost. Their duty was to “preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15), and they were continually debating and trying to persuade the Jews that Christ was their Messiah. If the Jews had seen such a resurrection, we would imagine that the Apostles would frequently remind them of this miraculous event. Yet we find no mention.

These questions do not have Scriptural answers, and this event seems like an anomaly. So, how are we to understand it? Well, we will do the best we can, and I think the first step is

Understanding What’s Written

Just as with any passage, I believe we need to first ensure that we understand what it says, not what we think it says.

Here’s what many believe it says and picture in their heads:

Matthew 27:50-53 – Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the spirit. (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, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

ASSUMED TIMLINE

But here’s what it actually says:

Matthew 27:50-53 – 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.

ACTUAL TIMELINE

These three very important words are often skipped over or not even noticed. The earthquake causes us to make logical correlation of the rocks breaking up and the graves opening as a result, therefore allowing the saints to arise, but this is not what the text says. They did not rise when Christ died, the earthquake shook, and the vail rent. They appeared AFTER Christ’s resurrection. It’s for this reason that their resurrection cannot be included under the helm of “those things that were done” which amazed “the centurion, and they that were with him”, for they were amazed while they were amazed while “watching Jesus” on the cross.

What we see then is that the graves were “opened” in some sense at Christ’s death, but nobody was raised until sometime after Christ’s death. It seems possible that the earthquake exposed some of the corpses in the earth, but if this did occur, they were certainly not alive. Nevertheless, when we go to the accounts of Christ’s resurrection, we again find that there’s no record at all of anyone else being raised.

There’s another thing we must consider: the Gospel of Matthew is largely chronological, particularly in the latter chapters about Christ’s crucifixion. The big question is, if it was not until after Christ was raised that the saints were resurrected, then why would Matthew choose to mention it immediately after Christ died and not in the later chapters when he was raised? Like when Christ appeared to the women, the disciples, etc.? This verse seems out of place and presents an inconsistency in pattern and order with Matthew’s account.

So what are we to make of this? If we abide by the first principles of the Truth and search the Scriptures, we not only find an interpretation that works, but we see the beautiful intricacies of God’s plan being revealed here – that Christ’s death was a climactic event with ramifications for the entire body of the covenanted, both quick and dead.

And so, if we are to understand this, we need to review

The Condemnation of Man & Divine Justification

as Christ’s offering was specifically to remove this condemnation. We know that man was created “very good” in the beginning with an undying nature, but he broke the Edenic law which said not to eat of the forbidden tree. Having broken the law, man became unclean before the Lord, was cast out the garden, and sentenced to return to the dust he was formed from.

The ramifications of this were far reaching, affecting every person to born of Adam’s lineage:

Romans 5:12 – Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that (in whom – Diaglott) all have sinned:

Adam’s sin brought the condemnation of death upon all of this descendants – “all men”, regardless of anything they’ve personally done. Verses 18 and 19 go on to state, “by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation”, and, “by one man's disobedience many were made sinners.” We are born in the state and condition that Adam was after he transgressed as that is when he had children, and we’re condemned to return to dust as a result. This condemnation is therefore called Adamic condemnation as we inherited from Adam. It is also called inherited sin or inherited condemnation. All men are legally considered under “in Adam” or under “the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2). And we’re told, “in Adam all die” (1 Corinthians 15:22).

We must here point out a difference between the condemnation and the execution of that sentence. A man can be a wanted fugitive condemned to death, but he is not dead the moment he is condemned, even though he has the sentence of death looming over him. It’s in this way that Adamic condemnation looms over us. We are sentenced to return to the ground, and it is this sentence which we want removed. This is the great enemy of mankind – this condemnation which only leads to death! But for the longest time, there was no way to have this sentenced removed, and we therefore see that men are referred to a “prisoners” or “captives” of this condemnation:

Psalms 102:19-20 – For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth; (20) To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;

Isaiah 42:7 – To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

If man were to have any hope, the shackles of Adamic condemnation had to be broken. It was for this sole purpose that God sent His son in the same nature and flesh as us, and by him having lived a perfect life without any personal transgression, he was undeserving of death, and the Lord raised him up to life again. As the law of sin and death only requires one death, Christ was resurrected to life again, this time without and Adamic or personal condemnation whatsoever. Now, to begin seeing the bearing of this on our subject, we must look at

How Christ Was Justified and Freed from the Grave

On what principle was Jesus raised? By what legal means did the Lord resurrect him? The Scriptures do not leave us guessing:

Hebrews 13:20 – Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

Hebrews 9:12 – Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption.

It was Christ’s perfect life-blood that was able to both fulfill requirements of the law of sin and death and allow him to be raised up, for it ratified (or brought into legal force) the covenants of promise. He therefore required his own bloodshed for salvation. And, being the first one to attain salvation and pave the way for others, he is therefore called “the firstfruits of them that slept” and “the forerunner” of our salvation (1 Corinthians 15:20, Hebrews 6:20).

Now, if that’s how Christ was justified, let’s now consider

How We Are Justified and Freed from the Hold of the Grave

We’re all aware that if we hope to remove this sentence of eternal death, we must be cleansed and justified by the same blood that enabled Christ to be freed from it and come out of the grave. We must be justified and freed from the law of sin and death, and for that to happen, it’s requirement of death must be satisfied. It was for this purpose that baptism was instituted; our symbolic death, burial, and resurrection with Christ. In God’s eyes, our “old man” in Adam is crucified “with his deeds”, and we “put on the new man” in Christ (Colossians 3:9-10). That baptism is our means of justification is clearly explained:

Romans 6:3-7 – Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? (4) Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: (6) Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (7) For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Romans 8:1-3 – There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. (2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (3) For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

In God’s eyes, the requirement of the law of sin and death is accounted for in our baptism as our old man in Adam “dies”. It’s for this reason that if we die before Christ returns, the Lord views us as “asleep in Christ” and not dead, for God “is not a God of the dead, but of the living” (Luke 20:38). We then have the assurance of the resurrection, that as Christ was raised, so will we be when he returns. At the judgment seat, if we do fall short of the kingdom, it will be for any condemnation that we heaped on ourselves and not that from Adam.

Now, we covered this not only because it’s important, but because we need to see and understand the legality and process of salvation if we are to understand these verses in Matthew 27. And so now that we know how Christ obtained justification and how we today can justified be from it, we now ask,

How Did Those Who Lived BEFORE Christ Receive Justification?

This is an important, and perhaps obscure, question. The reason it’s difficult is because these people lived and died before Christ’s came and offered himself, and the people of this resurrection in Matthew 27 fall into this category. For us who live after the fact, it’s clear to see how we are freed from the law of sin and death when we come out of baptism because Christ has already done it. But how are those persons who had already died supposed to come into contact with Christ’s blood?

Let’s explore this with a number of questions:

1. We know that thousands and millions of people lived and died in faith before Christ came on the scene. Are they without hope? (No)

2. How do they have hope? How did they associate with Christ’s blood? (Through relationship with God's promises and covenants, and by animal sacrifices whose shadow-blood represented Christ’s. Such sacrifices were made in Eden, afterwards, and throughout the Law of Moses. There has never been a point in time that this was not true).

True. But we know that the animal blood was not sufficient for salvation as it merely covered the sin and didn’t take it away, for we’re told, “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4).

3. So for example, when people died in Abraham or Davids’ days, what event do we know would have to happen for those people to be raised? (For Christ to come and offer himself, be buried, and resurrected).

So we see that all of the faithful before Christ came had the promise of resurrection just like anyone else as long as they were faithful and associated with the covenant blood, but it was CONTINGENT upon Christ’s successful offering of himself. It’s as if I were to promise someone that I would give them $1,000 if I won the lottery. The promise is made, but it can’t be executed until I win the lottery.

4. So, hypothetically, since their resurrection was contingent upon Christ’s sacrifice, what would happen to those in the grave if Christ had failed? (They could not be resurrected. They would remain in their graves forever).

Yes, and Paul even explains this very thing in

1 Corinthians 15:17-18 – And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. (18) Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

Everything was contingent upon Christ’s successful death, burial, and resurrection, for it is only on the basis of him achieving salvation for himself that anyone else can obtain the same. Again, he is the forerunner:

Hebrews 6:19-20 – Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; (20) Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

If the forerunner didn’t enter into the vail (which represented salvation), then neither could anyone else. The shackles on those in the prison-grave would never be removed. Until the blood of the covenant had been shed, the promises were merely promises. But once the blood had been shed, they were made legally sure. And this concept of “ratifying by blood” is something that’s also spelled out for us very clearly:

Hebrews 9:15-17 – And for this cause he is the mediator of the new covenant, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. (16) For where a covenant is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. (17) For a covenant is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

Even though Christ was on the earth, the promises were not sealed until “the death of the testator” occurred, which was himself. We’ll ask one final question:

5. What does one need to loose the shackles from someone else? (They must have the key).

Correct – they must possess the key. As Christ was the only one to overcome sin and the grave, he became “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) and had power over the grave, now possessing the keys to unloose the shackles from all of his fellow prisoners. He therefore says,

Revelation 1:18 – I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

How beautiful it all is! How interwoven and intricate! It is truly a testament to the Divine mind.

Now, we’ll mention this just in passing for time’s sake, but this explains the reason why the disciples were to not tell the vision of the transfiguration to anyone until Christ was raised from the dead, for what they were given was a vision of “the Son of man coming in his kingdom”, and they saw the resurrected Moses and Elijah (Matthew 16:28, 17:9). After he was risen, the resurrection would be sure as Christ now possessed the keys, and they could proclaim the vision to all.

Now, it’s clear from the Scriptures that resurrection to eternal life was not possible until Christ’s death. But even though the blood of the covenant had not yet been shed for the first 4,000 years since creation, God, knowing the beginning from the end, prophesied of the time when the dead would arise. There are a number of passages which show this, but the two most pertinent to our subject are

Isaiah 49:8-9 – Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; (9) That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.

Zechariah 9:11 – As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.

This shows the people actually coming out of their graves, so it illustrates the certainty of the Lord’s plan and long-reaching effects of Christ’s success, and this was spoken prior to Christ.

Our Verse in Light of These Facts

In light of these facts, let’s reread our subject verse and see if we come to a better understanding that aligns with all of Scripture:

I believe we see an easy and truly beautiful meaning of this passage. Matthew, knowing the importance of Christ’s sacrifice, has chosen at this point to show the ratification of the promises and the affect it had on those in the grave. I believe he is directly citing Isaiah 49:8-11 and Zechariah 9:11. A comparison of the passages shows remarkable correlations:

Isaiah 49:8-9 – … I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; (9) That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.

Zechariah 9:11 – As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.

We note all of the same things: the Messiah was given for the covenant made to the father’s, and as a result, the Lord can now say to those in the covenant-graves, “Your shackles have been broken: Arise, and shew yourselves!” What’s beautiful about Zechariah 9 is that it even shows the means of their loosening: “by the blood of thy covenant”.

Matthew is not saying that the saints literally rose from the dead right after Christ was resurrected, he is showing the relevance of Christ’s death in relation to the salvation of those who had died in faith before him. The blood of the testator had finally been shed, and so the covenant had been ratified. Although untold thousands or millions of the Lord’s servants still slept in the dust of the earth, the shackles which held them there had now been broken, and they merely await the call of their returned Lord to awaken them from their slumber for judgment. If we picture prisoners locked with shackles on their ankles, the shackles had now been removed. They simply await the call to come out of the prison.

This was Christ’s prophesied purpose which he fully recognized. In the days of his ministry, he cited an Old Testament prophecy from Isaiah (61:1) concerning himself:

Luke 4:18 – The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty (Strong’s “to set free, pardon”) them that are bruised (referring to the sting of death),

Their Entrance into the Holy City and Appearing Unto Many

Yet this still begs the question of the latter part of the verse, that they “went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” Again, we note that this is not said to occur until after Christ’s resurrection, but we find no trace of it there whatsoever. So, WHEN will this occur?

Well, if Matthew is citing Isaiah 49 and Zechariah 9:11, then we should go there and see when and in what context those persons are said to “shew themselves”. Let’s look at the verse again with a little more context and an emphasis on when this occurs:

Isaiah 49:8-11 – Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; (9) That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. (10) They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. (11) And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted.

We see a number of things which tell us when this prophecy regards, and it is unquestionably after Christ’s second advent. The “desolate heritages” have yet to be inherited to this day. And most importantly, those who do come out of the grave to “shew themselves” do so in an immortal state! They will neither hunger nor thirst, neither will they be affected by the heat of the sun. They “feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places”. These phrases are a reference to another prophecy regarding redemption and salvation:

Isaiah 58:14 – Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

The “desolate heritages” of Isaiah 49 are therefore “the heritage of Jacob” and the promises made to him, all of which remain unfulfilled to this day. These resurrected saints here are certainly immortal.

Therefore, if the resurrected saints in Isaiah 49 are those of the future age, and if Matthew is citing that verse, then we must conclude that Matthew’s mention of them relates to the future age as well.

We see a hint of this in what city they enter into. They went into “the holy city”. While this immediately identifies it as Jerusalem, it does not necessarily mean Jerusalem in its current state. It’s worth noting that Jerusalem was corrupt in Christ’s day and viewed by God as such. It was to be trodden down for its wickedness not long after Christ’s crucifixion. The term “holy city” is most frequently used in relation to the NEW JERUSALEM (Revelation 21:2, 10, 22:19), and there are passages which seems to tell us the exact moment and event which causes Jerusalem to indeed be the HOLY city:

Joel 3:17 – So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.

Revelation 21:10 – And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

It therefore appears that Jerusalem, in Christ’s day, was not considered a holy city, but that what Matthew was referring to was the future entrance of those in their covenanted graves into the New Jerusalem. And it seems sensible to include this aspect here in Matthew, for their resurrection is specifically so that they may be judged in order to enter the kingdom.

“After His Resurrection”

So, if this is referring to their future resurrection, then we may wonder why it says this happened “after” Christ’s resurrection? When it says “after”, it’s not meaning to say that their resurrection was the next thing to happen (again, as there’s no account or evidence of it whatsoever), but rather to show that now that Christ had been RAISED, they too would be raised, and that it had to be in that order. It’s this point that Paul is stressing in

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

Christ first, the saints afterward. And again, we note in this passage that we’re told WHEN others would be raised: “at his coming.” When he returns and sends out the call, “Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice” (Psalm 50:5), the righteous will then “shew themselves” from the graves after being hidden for so many years, and being judged worthy, they will finally enter into “that great city, the holy Jerusalem” (Revelation 21:10).

In summary: Isaiah 49:8-11 and Zechariah 9:11 are prophecies of the future resurrection of the saints. While justification from the grave was not legally possible in the days of these prophets, it was made legally possible by the shedding of Christ’s blood. In order to illustrate this important detail of the Divine plan, Matthew cited these prophecies while recording the event of Christ’s death to show that the covenant had been ratified and the shackles of Adamic condemnation removed, and therefore, the resurrection of those who had died in covenant was now sure. While it is possible that some bodies of the saints were exposed by the earthquake, the saints were not resurrected right after Christ’s resurrection, but will be when he returns to “judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:1).

Perfection in the Details

Now, we mentioned how intricate and detailed this beautiful revelation is. Yet the detail goes even further. As mentioned before, it is Christ’s resurrection that gives us the foundation for resurrection. His death fulfilled the Adamic condemnation, but his resurrection to life afterwards is what allowed him to live without end. Why, then, is it not after Christ’s resurrection that the covenant blood comes into force? Why does Matthew not cite this verse while recording Christ’s resurrection?

It’s an excellent question. It’s worth noting that in Old Testament times, it was when the blood was shed that the covenant came into force (Hebrews 9:16-20). But more importantly, it’s for the same reason that the vail was torn in two at Christ’s death. It deals with God’s unwavering faithfulness and perfection. The Lord had promised that He would raise up Christ if he offered himself. That is as far as Christ’s control went, for once he died, his thoughts and existence perished. And so, when Christ’s part had been completed and his life had been offered, there was no longer any possibility that he could fail. Figuratively speaking, the “ball” was in God’s court, and He would perform all that He had promised and raise him up. All that Christ had to do was live a perfect life and offer himself as a sin offering, and then ALL WOULD BE RATIFIED. And if you turn to John 19:30, we see this fact born out in his very last words:

John 19:30 – When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the spirit.

Three very short words, yet how much is contained in them! And so, it was at the point in time that the blood was shed that the covenant was ratified, but, as we have seen, it was not until after Christ himself was raised that others would be able to follow suit. Therefore the passage says that the graves were “opened” at his death, but they would not “shew themselves” and “appear unto many” until after his resurrection. It abides strictly by the legality of salvation.

Conclusion

Now, we have covered a lot of information, and hopefully it has not been too much to absorb. Yet I wanted to discuss the subject in a way that explains and allows Scripture itself to lead us to the conclusion instead of just stating it. This seems to explain all parts of the account and shows the beauty and outworking of God's plan in real time.

I believe we also see the importance of the first principles of the truth, without which we cannot understand the Gospel, and therefore cannot be saved by it. Had Christ not been of our nature and under the same Adamic condemnation as us, he could not have been an offering for us, and we would be without hope. To borrow Paul’s words, we would be “of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19). But the Lord specifically sent him for this purpose – that we MIGHT have hope:

Hebrews 2:14-18 – Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil (sin in the flesh); (15) And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (16) For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. (17) Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. (18) For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

How grateful we ought to be to have a High Priest who is so keenly aware of our nature, yet was able to overcome it and can now sympathize with us in our shortcomings. If there is one thing that should enable us to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need”, I believe it is this (Hebrews 4:16). And so let us press forward toward the high mark of Christ, and at this present time, let us remember him and discern his body and sacrifice, that we might be strengthened to endure for time ahead. It certainly seems short, Lord willing.

In the One Hope of Israel,

Tanner Hawkins

Matthew 24:28 and Luke 17:37 – "Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together"

March 19, 2022

In Matthew 24 and its parallel passage Luke 17, Christ tells his disciples some of the greatest details of his return and the signs of his coming. The entire chapters have been subject to an endless variety of interpretations, but the parallel verses of Matthew 24:28 and Luke 17:37 are perhaps the most puzzling. What do these verses mean? We would like to offer an answer that not only harmonizes with the context of both passages, but also with the rest of Scripture.

The verses read essentially the same, but since the placement of the verse is most difficult in Luke 17, we will start with it:

Luke 17:34-37 – “I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they (Christ’s disciples) answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.”

The disciples were asking Christ where the saints would be “taken” once gathered by the angelic host. His answer has perplexed students of the Word for many years, resulting in varied conclusions. While some of these may seem logical at first, a scrutinous examination has presented many issues with the traditional thinking. There are many questions that have proven difficult to answer. What does Christ mean by the eagles? What is this “body” (called a “carcase” in Matthew 24:28) that the eagles gather to? Is this referring to the future gathering of the saints, or is it referring to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70 as many have supposed?

We strongly suggest that all read the entirety of Matthew 24 and Luke 17 to gain context. After doing so, it will be clearly seen that the context of this verse in both chapters regards the gathering of the saints. If time is short, consider

Matthew 24:31,40-42 – “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other… Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”

Now that we know when this is referring to, we can begin to understand what exactly Christ meant in his answer, “Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together” (Luke 17:37).

The Body

One question we need to ask is, Why would Jesus answer his disciples like this? What in the disciples’ question warranted an answer about eagles and a body? This seemingly odd response begins to make sense once we understand that Christ, as he so often did, was quoting from the Old Testament:

Job 39:27-30 - "Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place. From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off. Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she." It is this last phrase that Jesus quotes. By comparing this passage with Christ’s words, it is readily apparent that "the slain" directly corresponds to "the body" as mentioned in Luke 17:37.

Luke 17:37 - "...Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together."

Job 39:30 - "...where the slain are, there is she."

Yet, we still question, why quote this passage to explain where the saints will be taken? The word "slain" here is Strong’s H2491 - "From H2490; pierced (especially to death); figuratively polluted: - kill, profane, slain (man), X slew, (deadly) wounded."

Do we know anyone who was slain? Can we think of anyone who was pierced? Three verses should make the answer clear:

Revelation 5:12 - "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."

Revelation 13:8 - "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

Now, note carefully this third passage:

John 19:34-38 - "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced. And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body (G4983) of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body (G4983) of Jesus."

This last passage is incredibly valuable to us in this study, for the word “body” here used in relation to Christ is the same word for "body" in Luke 17:

Luke 17:37 - "And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body (G4983) is, thither will the eagles be gathered together."

Christ is the lamb that was slain. Christ was pierced. Christ is “the body” of Matthew 24:28 and Luke 17:37.

What, then, is the meaning of Christ's answer to his disciples? WHERE are the saints to be taken? They will be taken TO HIM, wherever he might be (which, though irrelevant to our topic, we believe will be Mount Sinai). We know from the rest of Scripture that Christ’s first order of business upon his return will be to gather his saints - dead and living - for judgment and to afterward celebrate the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Note carefully the sequence of events in the following testimonies:

Psalms 50:4-5 - "He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice."

2 Timothy 4:1 - "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;"

The saints will be taken from their everyday lives – whether at work, on vacation, etc. - and be brought to stand before their Lord for judgment.

The Eagles

If Christ is “the body”, then it naturally follows that “the eagles” are the saints. Some Bible translations use the word “vulture” instead of eagle, and there is great evidence suggesting that this is a more proper translation in this passage. Either way, the mention of the animal has added greatly to the confusion surrounding these passages. The problem arises from trying to relate the saints, who are to be holy and blameless, to unclean animals. Why would the saints be represented as eagles or vultures? There are two reasons:

1. Consider the imagery of the verse. Eagles and other birds of prey do not all approach the slain from the same direction. They come from every which way - north, south, east, and west - all converging upon the same "body." This is precisely how Christ, in the same chapter, speaks of how the saints will be gathered to him:

Matthew 24:31 - "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

It is a perfect illustration. The eagles are referred to for their gathering habits. We can understand Christ’s answer as reading, “As you see the eagles/vultures all converge upon the body from every direction, so shall the saints be gathered to the body."

Though a logical answer, there still remains the apparent incongruity of likening a Brother or Sister of Christ to an unclean bird of prey. The saints are those who“have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14). And again, “such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). Can such persons be represented as an eagle/vulture? Yes, they can. and this brings us to our second point:

2. Since the saints at the time of their gathering by the angels have not yet been immortalized, they are still "unclean" and imperfect by the sin that dwells in them and their mortal bodies. Consider how Paul refers to the saints before and after immortalization:

1 Corinthians 15:53-55 - "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"

Christ’s purpose, then, in referring to the saints as unclean birds of prey is not to illustrate the voracious and scavenging character of the animal, but to the unclean state of it. Just as the bird cannot help whether it is clean or unclean, neither can we help the fact that we are imperfect, sinful mortals. It is, in part, for this purpose that the saints are to be gathered to him who “wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9). For those of us who are judged worthy, Christ will remove that sin from our members and change us “unclean” beings into clean, pure, perfect beings. “We know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3).

Another Beautiful Detail!

We believe that this is the basic meaning of Christ’s words. However, there remains yet more detail to be discovered! If, as the disciples did, we ask WHERE we are going, it is natural to also ask WHAT we will be doing. Though the disciples did not ask this question, it appears even this is discernable from Job 39, the passage Christ was quoting from:

Job 39:30 - "Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she."

The eagles are said to drink up the blood of the body. Once Christ has his righteous, immortalized multitude with him, what does Scripture say will happen next?

Matthew 26:28-29 - "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."

We will drink the memorial cup of wine with our Lord and Master! Even now, we “drink his blood” as commanded every Sunday, and we do so looking forward to the time when we will drink it with him in our very midst!

Conclusion

In short, Christ's answer to his disciples was this: In the “hour” when he returns, the saints, unclean as to their nature, will be gathered from every corner of the earth, converging upon “the lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). There, once all have been judged and the faithful immortalized, they will “drink his blood”, sharing the memorial cup of wine anew with him in his Kingdom.

This, Brethren, is the only interpretation we have found that fits in with the rest of the context of both Matthew 24 and Luke 17 and has Scriptural, logical, and contextual support, and how unspeakably beautiful it is!

Yet too, what an insight into the mind of Christ! For him to quote this passage from Job 39 - a passage which the carnal mind would not even consider in this light - in such a way as to encapsulate these finite details of the gathering of the saints so exquisitely shows his supreme wisdom and cunning! How well Isaiah prophesied of him, “the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD” (Isaiah 11:2-3).