five things that happened after Jesus died number one there was an earthquake there was a response from creation following the death of Jesus we read that the Earth Shook and The Rock split nature itself was shaken by the death of the Son of God Matthew States first that the Earth trembled and the Rocks split this language implies that this is a significant Earthly reaction to the Divine Events on the cross number two the tombs opened Matthew then records an incident found in none of the other gospels the tombs were opened and many bodies of the
Saints God's people who had fallen asleep in death were raised after their Resurrection they came out of the tombs entered the Holy City Jerusalem and appeared to many Matthew 27: 52 to 53 earthquakes can damage tombs as they were carved in stone the resurrection of the bodies can only be attributed to the direct action of God implying he is behind the earthquake given the geological features of Palestine which lies on a significant seismic fault an earthquake would not be an unusual event but combined with rocks leading to the opening of tombs it is another significant
Testament to Jesus's crucifixion another earthquake will soon witness an even more significant Divine event the resurrection of Jesus Matthew's unique record of these events emphasizes the victory over death that Jesus's sacrifice on the cross accomplishes those who were resurrected are literally described as those who had fallen asleep a common New Testament idiomatic for someone who has died but whose Eternal fate is secure like the initial testimony the supernatural resurrection of these Saints bodies and their appearances in Jerusalem is a striking witness to Jesus's work on the cross and subsequently to his resurrection the term holy
people likely refers to Pious figures from the Old Testament Heroes and martyrs of Israel's history selected to miraculously witness these events their appearance to people in Jerusalem is a testimony to the effectiveness of Jesus's work on the cross this anticipates Paul's teaching about Jesus being the first fruits of the Dead 1 Corinthians 15: 20 to2 3 but now as things really are Christ indeed rose from the dead and became the first fruits that is the first to be resurrected with an Incorruptible Immortal body anticipating the resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in death for
since death came through a man the resurrection of the Dead also comes through a man for as in Adam all die so also in Christ all will be made alive but each in his own order Christ the first fruits then those who are Christ's at his coming will be resurrected with Incorruptible Immortal bodies the resurrection of these Saints is a Prelude to the resurrection all believers can look forward to through Jesus's death A New Day Has Come a day when death was defeated by death the resurrection to eternal life became possible but note it was
not until after Jesus's resurrection that the occupants of these tombs were raised and entered Jerusalem where they appeared to many the Bible does not say whether these resurrected Saints died again or went to heaven with the Lord Jesus the death of the Son of God shook nature itself the popular preacher Charles Spurgeon stated that men's Hearts did not respond to the dying redeemer's agonizing cries but the Rocks responded the Rocks were split he did not die for the rocks yet the Rocks were more sensitive than the hearts of men for whom he shed his blood
it is best understood that Matthew intended us to see that the earthquake occurred on the day Jesus was crucified and then on the day he was revealed as risen the power of new life was so strong that it brought back some of the good people who had died this is one of the strangest passages in Matthew's gospel Matthew does not provide us with much information and we do not learn about this occurrence from any other Source number three the veil of the temple was torn in two Matthew 27: 50- 51 and Jesus cried out again
with a loud and agonizing voice and voluntarily surrendered his Spirit sovereignly dismissing and releasing his Spirit from his body in submission to his father's plan and at once the veil of the holy of holies in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom the Earth Shook and the rocks split the curtain that covered the temple was torn in two places the curtain was the only thing in the temple that differentiated the sacred area from the most holy part of the temple it was a very clear illustration of the separation between God and man
Acts 6:7 says that in the days of the early church many of the priests were obedient to the faith perhaps this torn Veil demonstrated to them the greatness of Jesus's work it is also probably how the torn Veil became common knowledge Hebrews 9: 1-9 tells us that in the temple a veil separated the holy of holies the Earthly place of God's presence from the rest of the temple where men dwell Hebrews chap 9: 1-3 indeed the first Covenant had regulations for divine worship and for the Earthly Sanctuary a sacred tent was set up the outer
or first section in which were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread this is called the holy place behind the second veil was another Tabernacle the inner or second section known as the holy of holies the book of Exodus teaches that this thick veil was made of blue purple Scarlet material and twisted linen now Christ is our Superior high priest and as Believers in his finished work we partake in his Superior priesthood we can now enter the holy of holies through him Hebrews 10: 19 to 20 says we have confidence to enter the
most holy place by the blood of Jesus by a New and Living Way opened for us through the veil that is his body as we look upon this scene we see an image of Jesus's flesh being torn for us just as he was tearing the veil for us the book of Hebrews provides a gloriously detailed explanation of the profound meaning associated with the bearing of The Veil The Veil that always hung in the temple served as a constant reminder that sin makes humans Unworthy of being in God's presence the fact that the sin offering was
presented once a year beyond the Myriad of other sacrifices that were presented daily was a blatant illustration of the reality that sin really could not be atoned for or eradicated by mere animal sacrifices because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross the barriers that used to separate God and people were destroyed and now we can approach god with confidence and boldness Hebrews 4: 14-6 therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens Jesus the son of God let us hold firmly to our confession of faith for we do not
have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are yet he did not sin therefore let us approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find Grace to help us in our time of need Jesus's body was torn and so was the veil each signifying that now we can boldly approach God we have a high priest presiding over the Heavenly courts to ensure that the believer has full access at the moment Christ died the heavy
woven curtain separating the two main rooms of the Temple was torn by an invisible hand from top to bottom the death of the Son of God was also accompanied by Massive Tremors in the natural world as if there were some kind of emotional connection between the inanimate creation and the one who made it number four there was Darkness over the whole land Matthew 27:45 now from the 6th hour noon there was Darkness over the entire land until the 9th hour there was a thick thick Darkness over the whole land now the scripture was fulfilled Amos
88:9 and it shall come to pass in that day says the Lord God that I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the Earth in broad daylight often Christ was asked for a sign from heaven and now they had one but such that it signified the blindness of their eyes at this point in the afternoon it would be noon and the Darkness would continue until the 9th hour which would be 3:00 this Supernatural Darkness appeared when the sun was at its brightest because the moon was full it could not have been created
by an eclipse as it cannot interpose between the Earth and the sun when it is full God's Swift intervention not only brought about this Darkness astronomical knowledge was rudimentary at the time Fon also mentions an earthquake which aligns his story closely with the sacred record the creature could not Sully the error before its creator therefore the sun withdrew its Rays so as not to witness the acts of the wicked the darkness occurring at such a critical moment can mean several things first Darkness was associated in Antiquity with mourning Darkness was also associated with the death
of Great Men both Gentile and Jewish readers could understand the darkness as a cosmic sign accompanying the death of a king moreover Darkness was a sign of God's judgment the tombs were opened and many bodies of the Saints God's people who had fallen asleep in death were raised and coming out of the tombs after their Resurrection they entered the Holy City Jerusalem and appeared to many Matthew 27: 52- 53 number five the soldier overseeing the execution realized he was innocent now the Centurion and those with him guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that
were happening became terribly frightened and filled with awe said truly this was the son of God Matthew 27: 53- 54 it was the job of a centurion to ensure the crucifixion was carried out correctly and without complications he was generally in charge of a hundred soldiers at the time of a crucifixion he was a career Soldier whose courage and intelligence helped him rise through the ranks he would be a soldier of the highest order he would need to be both cold and efficient to succeed in this position this man had to follow the orders of
his superiors the scene at Jesus's crucifixion was so remarkable that even a hardened Roman Centurion recognized that this was the son of God this realization meant that Jesus was innocent of the crime for which he was on the cross the Centurion must have had a mix of emotions he had just realized that he had overseen the crucifixion of an innocent man these were not the whispered words of a scared recruit or the trembling words of an easily manipulated conscript they were the conclusions reached by a seasoned veteran a man who had watched countless men suffer
horrific ends and was responsible for leading them to death this Centurion was well aware of the strong condemnation of the Jewish Rel religious leaders who put Jesus on the cross for blasphemy his Commander in Chief Pontius Pilate had upheld Jesus's condemnation for making this claim but he rejects the condemnation and declares Jesus's claim why because the arguments in favor of Christ were overwhelming although he undoubtedly had overseen many crucifixions this execution was different what did he see various scenes from the events of Jesus's rest trial and crucifixion combined into a compelling statement it might have
been Jesus's response to the Injustice he was forced to endure at the hands of his own countrymen through arrest and trials it could have been Jesus's response to the torture he suffered at the hands of the Centurion and his men one could think of the dignity with which Jesus responded to the Lynch Mob demanding his blood like a silent sheep before its Slaughter the scripture does not record any response from Jesus to the crowd's cries Mark 15: 11 to5 but the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabas for them instead pilate
answered again then what shall I do with the one you call the king of the Jews they shouted back crucify him but pilot asks why what evil has he done yet they shouted all the more crucify him so pilate wishing to satisfy the crowd released barabus for them and after having Jesus whipped handed him over to his soldiers to be crucified his concern was for their forgiveness not for his Escape Jesus's Mercy towards the people who rejected him and the soldiers who crucified him including this Centurion his response father forgive them for they do not
know what they are doing Luke 23:34 4 to 39 father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing and they cast lots dividing his garments among themselves and the people stood by watching but even the rulers scoffed and mocked him saying he saved others let him save himself if he is the Christ the Messiah the anointed of God the chosen one the soldiers also mocked him coming up and offering him vinegar cruy and saying sarcastically if you are really the king of the Jews save yourself now there was also an inscription above
him this is the king of the Jews one of the criminals who were hanged railed at him saying are you not the Christ save yourself and us as they gambled for Jesus's belongings Jesus's concern was for their forgiveness not his Escape what a powerful statement Matthew Chap 27: 35-36 and When They Crucified him they divided his garments among them by casting lots then sitting down there they began to keep watch over him to guard against any attempt at rescue if all this did not convince him he saw something more the response of creation clearly the
Centurion was shocked to witness such a dramatic event during Christ's Final hours especially since he had never seen anything like it before it had an almost immeasurable impact on him the Centurion saw heard and felt all the events of Christ's crucifixion and death as a result he and his troops were greatly frightened even if the Centurion and his group of soldiers had learned to deal with fear now they were experiencing pure Terror it's this powerful cross and the love demonstrated there that moves hearts even the hardened battle weary heart of a career soldier from Death
To Life an old saying goes the ground is always level at the foot of the cross it was so in the first century and it is still today the foot of the cross is where everyone poor and Rich finds level ground to kneel and embrace the Christ who died for them truly this is the Son of God we hear and believe the journey must not end there we should have a passion to know him more deeply May that same desire burn in our hearts so we can honestly know the one who loved us and gave
himself for us one cannot help but wonder how the Encounter With Jesus affected the lives of the soldiers did they become Christians the pulpit commentary reports the tradition that the centurion's name was longinus and that he became a devout follower of Jesus preached the gospel and died as a martyr this is only tradition we do not know if this happened but we do know that truth has a way of clinging to a person's heart the cross of Jesus has the power to change the individual the Centurion started as a Roman officer overseeing a crucifixion but
ended the day recognizing that Jesus was the son of God Jesus has already taken the initiative in Salvation Christ died for you now it's your turn Jesus gave his life so that we could have ours back he died as us so we could live as him he not only pleased his father but won us as a prize as Humanity's substitute Jesus suffered the withdrawal of communion from the father ter terrible as this was it fulfilled God's good and loving Plan of Redemption there are others who consider this a myth or at best a theological story
these are all unique events that uniformly testify to God's unique acts in human history they are extraordinary Supernatural testimonies that confirm the truth of the gospel and the transformative reality of Christ's love if this content was valuable to you I ask that you support me with your subscription so you don't miss any of our upcoming videos together we can Enlighten more minds and expand our understanding thank you for being here and may God bless you
