Messiah in Yom HaBikkurim Chapter 115
Miracle #45. Resurrection of many (kedoshim) holy ones.
- The Forty-fifth Miracle of Messiah
- The 12th of 12 Corporate Miracles of Messiah
- A Unique Miraculous Event
- The Text
- Key Details
- Spiritual Significance
- Common Questions
The Forty-fifth Miracle of Messiah:
Mattai 27:50-53
וְיֵשׁוּעַ הוֹסִיף לִקְרֹא בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל וַתֵּצֵא רוּחוֹ׃ וְהִנֵּה נִקְרְעָה פָּרֹכֶת הַהֵיכָל מִלְמַעְלָה לְמַטָּה לִשְׁנַיִם קְרָעִים וַתִּרְעַשׁ הָאָרֶץ וְהַסְּלָעִים הִתְבַּקָּעוּ׃ וְהַקְּבָרִים נִפְתָּחוּ וְרַבִּים מִן־הַקְּדוֹשִׁים יְשֵׁנֵי אַדְמַת עָפָר נֵעוֹרוּ׃ וַיֵּצְאוּ מִן־הַקְּבָרִים אַחֲרֵי תְחִיָּתוֹ וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל־הָעִיר הַקְּדוֹשָׁה וַיֵּרָאוּ לָרַבִּים׃
יֵשׁוּעַ צָעַק שׁוּב בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל וְנָפַח אֶת רוּחוֹ. וְהִנֵּה נִקְרְעָה פָּרֹכֶת הַמִּקְדָּשׁ לִשְׁתַּיִם, מִלְמַעְלָה עַד לְמַטָּה; הָאָרֶץ רָעֲדָה, הַסְּלָעִים נִבְקְעוּ, הַקְּבָרִים נִפְתְּחוּ וְגוּפוֹת רַבּוֹת שֶׁל קְדוֹשִׁים יְשֵׁנֵי עָפָר נֵעוֹרוּ. הֵם יָצְאוּ מִן הַקְּבָרִים אַחֲרֵי שֶׁהוּא קָם, נִכְנְסוּ לְעִיר הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְנִרְאוּ לְרַבִּים. פ
And Yeshua (the Messiah) cried out again with a loud (great) voice and gave up his Spirit. And behold (וְהִנֵּה) the parochet (פרכת-veil, curtain) in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook violently (quaked), the rocks were split (broken into pieces), the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the kedoshim (holy ones) who slept in the dust were awakened. After he had risen, they came out of the tombs, entered the Holy City, and appeared to many.
The 12th of 12 Corporate Miracles of Messiah:
Today’s *corporate miracle of the “Resurrection of many (kedoshim) holy ones,” is the Twelfth corporate miracle of Twelve corporate miracle events that occur in the testimony and witness of the Seven Signs and Fifty Miracles of Messiah.
*There are Twelve recorded corporate miracles of the Messiah (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12). The number Twelve is a symbol of the “governance” of the nation of Israel and its people and everything else in creation.
Mattai 27:52-53 describes a unique miraculous event where the tombs broke open at the moment of Yesha’s resurrection. Following the Messiah’s own resurrection, many deceased *kedoshim (קדושים) arose, entered Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.
*Holy ones.
A Unique Miraculous Event:
This passage is unique to the Besora of Mattai. Here are the key details and perspectives surrounding this event:
Timing: The tombs were broken open by an earthquake when Yeshua died, but the saints were raised and entered the city after the Messiah resurrected.
The Identity of the Saints: While the text does not specify, it obviously refers to those faithful followers of God who had lived and died prior to the death and resurrection of the Messiah Yeshua.
Spiritual Significance: This event symbolizes Yeshua conquering death, acts as a “preview” of the general resurrection, and serves as a fulfillment of prophecies in the Tanakh (such as Ezekiel 37).
Their Final Fate: It was a glorification event. After these persons bore witness to the death and resurrection of Messiah they were sent forward to the time of the resurrection on earth. This is one of the most unique and mysterious accounts in the Brit HaChadasha, found exclusively in the Besora of Mattai.
The Text:
“…and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.”
Key Details:
The Catalyst: The tombs broke open immediately when Jesus died and a powerful earthquake shook Jerusalem, splitting the rocks.
The Timing: Though the graves opened at Jesus’s death, the text notes they did not enter the city until after his resurrection. This aligns with the Jewish concept of Messiah being the “firstfruits” of the resurrection.
The Location: They entered the “holy city,” which refers directly to Jerusalem.
The Witnesses: This was not a private vision. They physically “appeared to many” people within the city.
Spiritual Significance:
Scholars view this event as a powerful sign that Yeshua’s death broke the power of death itself. It served as a visual, real-world preview of the final, future resurrection promised in the Hebrew scriptures.
Common Questions:
Who were they? The text does not name them, but they were most likely righteous Jewish believers or prophets who had recently died and were able to be recognized by living relatives.
Why were they resurrected with Messiah? The kedoshim rising was a prophetic preview. Just as the tearing of the temple veil showed the end of the old sacrificial system, the breaking of the tombs showed that Messiah’s death had shattered the power of the grave forever.