Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!wuarchive!bcm!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: hall@vice.ico.tek.com (Hal Lillywhite) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Resurrection (was Do dead saints interact with us?) Message-ID: Date: 24 Jan 91 08:44:18 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Tektronix Inc., Beaverton, Or. Lines: 34 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article dylan@ibmpcug.co.uk (Matthew Farwell) writes: >In article >hall@vice.ico.tek.com (Hal Lillywhite) writes:A >> Do you mean it hasn't started or that it isn't finished? If you >> believe it hasn't started what about Matt 27:52-53 "And the graves >> were opened and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and >> came out of the graves and went into the holy city and appeared unto >> many." >But did they rise in their new Glorified bodies or did they rise in the >same way as Lazarus and die again later? The New Testament is not very specific on this point. It seems to me that it is talking about their glorified bodies. Firstly, Matthew makes a point of mentioning that this happened *after* the resurrection of Jesus (even though in the text this event comes before the description of Jesus' resurrection). I think Matthew is so specific on this point because Jesus must be the first fruits of the resurrection. If they were like Lazarus and going to die again their would be no problem if they arose before the resurrection of the Lord, and Matthew probably would not make such a point of mentioning it. Secondly, these saints "Appeared to many," the same language used to describe the appearance of resurrected beings such as Jesus. Perhaps someone with a knowledge of Greek could comment on the language used and clarify (or contradict) my reasoning. Admittedly these reasons are not iron-clad but to me they indicate that the saints indicated were in a state different from that of Lazarus and others who had their mortal lives restored and would die again. I believe they were resurrected at that time to immortality.