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What happened to the bodies of those who arose at Jesus' resurrection?

    What happened to the bodies of the holy people, and to whom did they appear, and what holy city are they talking about in Matthew 27:52-53?

  Matthew 27:50-53 says, “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”

The language is very similar to when Jesus showed Himself after His resurrection. Mark 16:9-14 says, “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, HE APPEARED first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. After that HE APPEARED in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. Afterward HE APPEARED unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.”

When it says “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and APPEARED unto many,” it does not sound like it was very long lasting, or to everyone that they appeared. That means that their “appearance” was probably the same length as Jesus’ after His resurrection. Acts 1:1-3 says, “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he SHOWED HIMSELF ALIVE after his passion by many infallible proofs, BEING SEEN OF THEM FORTY DAYS, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” It seems that they appeared around the area for the same 40 days that Jesus did, and then ascended back with Him to heaven.

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