Pastor Curt

Matthew 27:52-53 (NKJV) 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

As you can see by now, Jesus dying was more than just a man hanging on a cross and leaving this earth.

It was a deeply significant event that marked a complete spiritual change in the atmosphere for all of creation.

Today’s verse mentions something that we don’t often hear much about. That is likely because it isn’t expounded on anywhere else in the entire Bible. That doesn’t, however, take any of the significance of it away.

So, let’s take a look.

Verse 52 says that graves were opened (presumably as the result of the earthquake).

The graves opening might be explained away by some as a natural phenomenon because of the tremors of the earthquake. But what happened next is supernatural; the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised.

Again, there isn’t a lot to give us more insight on exactly what happened after this, except that after Jesus arose from His grave, these resurrected saints went into the holy city and appeared to many.

And even though not much else is mentioned, the resurrection of these saints symbolizes Jesus’ victory over death, giving irrefutable evidence that death is not the final victor, nor will it hold us in the grave forever.

So, it’s easy to see that the moment that Jesus took that last breath, significant changes took place, both on the earth and in the spiritual realm.

It may have appeared that the enemy had won, striking a blow to the Son of God. But whatever visions of victory he had were short-lived, as Jesus ultimately rose again and walked the earth again before ascending to sit at the right hand of the Father.

These few verses, though, demonstrate the incredible power of our God, and the impact that what He does has on spiritual events and situations.

We hope that these things have brought you better understanding, deeper insights and a stronger trust in God, as He has shown us His complete awesomeness and his power and might.

Trust Him in all things.

Sincerely,

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

Matthew 27:51 (NKJV) 51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,

Immediately after Jesus died, the veil of the temple was torn in two.

The veil was woven and was approximately 9cm thick. For those in countries that use standard measurements, that would be a little over 3 ½ inches thick!

The Bible makes it clear that it was completely torn, from top to bottom, which no man could possibly do. It had to have been done by God Himself. It was a divine act.

Aside from the forgiveness of our sins and the fact that our sins could now be forgiven without an animal sacrifice, as required in the Old Testament, the veil tearing in two is the most significant thing that happened.

The veil of the temple separated God from man. It protected the Holy of Holies from being entered into. It was like a locked safe, so to speak, that kept man out of God’s presence.

This was like a double-edged sword. It kept us from God’s presence, which meant that man had to rely on a priest to “connect with God”. On the other hand, it kept man from entering into God’s presence and falling dead on the spot.

Man can now go to God without an intermediary needed. We can talk to Him, hear from Him and commune with Him, one on one.

The importance of this is truly hard to convey in its fullness. Just know that it is a critical part of our ability to have and grow our relationship with God.

Knowing that God was willing to tear that veil in two from top to bottom shows that He wanted us to have 100% unfettered access to Him, 24/7.

The earth quaked and the rocks were split in two.

This was a 100% supernatural event.

One might say that it was as though the earth was groaning for its Creator as He departed.

More than likely, though, it was God’s presence and the enormity of the event that caused the earthquake, the darkening of the skies (Matthew 27:45) and the splitting of the rocks.

As a cross reference, look at what happened when God visited Elijah on the mountain in 1 Kings 19:11-12.

As God passed by there were strong winds that tore into the mountain and broke rocks into pieces. Then there was an earthquake and a fire. God’s presence on the earth is incredibly powerful, beyond human comprehension.

Can you begin to see now the significance of the things that happened when Jesus breathed His last breath?

We will wrap this up tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

Matthew 27:50 (NKJV) 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

When Jesus breathed His last breath and died, many things happened in the spiritual realm that are extremely significant.

All of these things are miraculous in one way or another. Some are downright incredible and even hard to fathom.

Over the next few days, we will be taking a look at these things and seeing what they mean on a larger scale, both to us as individuals and to the kingdom of God as a whole.

There is a lot to be gleaned from these verses!

Let’s start today with verse 50, above.

I am often baffled by death; the process of it. It is odd to me that a person is here one second, and quite literally gone the next. They are alive, thinking and breathing, and then their body is simply lifeless.

In reality, the person is not dead. They have simply left their body. Their spirit has vacated its earthly habitat.

I witnessed the death of my mother as she passed away from cancer at the very young age of 46 years. Up until her last few breaths she was coherent and speaking to us.

She knew that she was leaving. She said so, and she even told us (Pastor Ellie, me and my 4 sisters) not to cry, that everything would be OK and it was her time to go.

Shortly after this, she said “goodbye”, closed her eyes, her breathing got more and more shallow until she simply breathed her last breath, and then she was gone.

Her body was still there in her bed, but she was gone. Her spirit had left.

As I read about the death of Jesus, I see some of the same things happening. He knew it was His time. He had been brutally tortured by the Romans. His body had endured all it could take.

And when it was time, He cried out with a loud voice and breathed His last breath, vacating His earthly body and leaving it behind, at least temporarily.

One of the miracles that happened was the fact that Jesus died after a relatively short time on the cross.

Many people would take 24 hours or more to die from crucifixion. Jesus, however, died after just 6 hours.

His work was done. He had completed His purpose. There was no reason for Him to remain alive for 24 hours or more on the cross, simply to suffer and be further shamed and ridiculed.

So, after roughly 6 hours, He breathed His last.

Tomorrow we will look at some of the things that happened immediately after he breathed that last breath.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!