In Matthew 27:45-53, we read;
45From the sixth hour until the ninth hour
darkness came over all the land.
46About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a
loud voice, “Eloi,
Eloi, lama
sabachthani?”—which
means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”47When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
48Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.
49The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
51At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.
52The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
Some of the tombs were shattered and
laid open by the earthquake, and while they continued unclosed, many bodies of
holy men were raised and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, went
into the holy city (Jerusalem) and appeared to many - Who had probably known
them before: God hereby signifying, that Christ had conquered death, and would
raise all His saints in due season.
It is a genuine record of the event
that happened when our Lord was crucified on the cross; the graves were opened,
and many bodies of saints which slept, arose. To whom they appeared, in what
manner, and how they disappeared, we are not told; and we must not desire to be
wise above what is written in the Gospel Matthew.
The Old Testament teaches life after death, and that
all people went to a place of conscious existence called “Sheol.” The wicked
were there (Psalm 9:17; 31:17; 49:14; Isaiah 5:14), and so were the righteous
(Genesis 37:35; Job 14:13; Psalm 6:5; 16:10; 88:3; Isaiah 38:10).
The New Testament equivalent of Sheol is Hades.
Prior to Christ’s resurrection, Luke 16:19-31 shows Hades to be divided into
two realms: a place of comfort where Lazarus was and a place of torment where
the rich man was. The word hell in verse 23 is not “Gehenna” (place of eternal
torment) but “Hades” (place of the dead). Lazarus’s place of comfort is
elsewhere called Paradise (Luke 23:43). Between these two districts of Hades is
“a great gulf fixed” (Luke 16:26).
Jesus is described as having descended into Hades
after His death (Acts 2:27, 31; cf. Ephesians 4:9). At the resurrection of
Jesus Christ, it seems that the believers in Hades (i.e., the occupants of
Paradise) were moved to another location. Now, Paradise is above rather than
below (2 Corinthians 12:2-4).
Today, when a believer dies, he is “present with the
Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6-9). When an unbeliever dies, he follows the Old Testament
unbelievers to Hades. At the final judgment, Hades will be emptied before the
Great White Throne, where its occupants will be judged prior to entering the
lake of fire (Revelation 20:13-15).