Matthew 27:52–54 presents a remarkable scene in the Gospel’s account of the death and resurrection of Christ. As Jesus hung on the cross, mockers taunted, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him” (Matt. 27:49, CSB). Their gibe was soon eclipsed by a cascade of extraordinary signs: the temple curtain was torn, the earth shook, rocks split apart, tombs opened—and, after Christ’s resurrection, many saints came out of the tombs, entered the holy city, and appeared to many. These events demand reflection as they bring us to Christ—the firstfruits of the resurrection—by whose death and resurrection sin and death have been defeated, the body’s resurrection is assured, and eternal life is promised to all united to him by faith.
What Happened?
What were the events surrounding the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ as recounted in Matthew 27:52–54?
Once Jesus “gave up his spirit” (Matt. 27:50), creation responded with unmistakable signs: the earth shook and rocks were split apart. These phenomena followed his death, while the earlier darkness from noon to three o’clock had already signaled an event of eschatological significance. Together, the darkened sky and the quaking earth give witness to the sovereign action of God.
The sequence of events should not be overlooked. Matthew marks a temporal distinction separating the opening of the tombs from the emergence of the saints with the phrase “after his resurrection.” Jesus Christ retains unique primacy as firstborn from the dead and firstfruits of the resurrection, while the raised saints—who came out, entered the holy city, and appeared to many—serve as a bodily pledge, a proleptic sign of the larger eschatological harvest to come (Col 1:18; 1 Cor 15:20).
The physical character of these events deserves emphasis. Matthew is not describing inward impressions, private visions, or merely symbolic experience. He underscores that something objective, public, and historical took place in describing how the temple veil was torn from top to bottom, how the earth shook so that rocks broke apart, and how dead saints were raised and appeared to others. These signs also carry theological meaning. The torn temple curtain signals that access to God has been opened through the death of Christ; believers now have “boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus” by the “new and living way” he opened for us (Heb 10:19–22). The earthquake and the split rocks communicate the cosmic weight of what has happened: the created order itself bears witness to God’s redemptive action in Christ and to the loosening of death’s reign—a theme Paul echoes when he speaks of creation’s groaning as it awaits resurrection glory (Rom 8:19–22).
Old Testament echoes also resound in this scene. The prophet Zechariah envisions a day when the Lord will stand on the Mount of Olives, the mountain will split, forming a great valley, and the Lord will come with “all the holy ones” (Zech 14:4–5). Matthew frames the death and resurrection of Jesus with apocalyptic signs that resonate with such imagery. Daniel 12 speaks of “many” who sleep in the dust awakening; Ezekiel 37 speaks of graves being opened and God’s people being brought out; Isaiah 26:19 promises that the dead will live and their bodies will rise. The final resurrection has not yet reached its consummation; nevertheless, in the death and resurrection of Jesus, the age to come has begun to break into the present.
A Temporary or Permanent Resurrection?
Were the saints raised to resurrection life, or were they temporarily restored to mortal life?
Matthew does not explicitly answer this question, but a coherent case can be made that these saints were temporarily raised as witnesses to Christ’s victory and hence were not yet glorified with the imperishable bodies specific to the final resurrection. Matthew uses clear resurrection language, and the event was undoubtedly real and bodily. While some interpreters have argued for a permanent raising—sometimes linked to Christ’s ascension—Matthew’s timing, the firstfruits logic, and the broader witness of the New Testament strongly favor the temporary raising (mortal) view. Several considerations support this view.
First, Paul teaches that Christ is “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” and that those who belong to him will be raised “at his coming” (1 Cor 15:20–23). Likewise, Christ is “the firstborn from the dead” (Col. 1:18). Matthew’s temporal marker—“after his resurrection”—fits that pattern. The saints do not publicly appear before Jesus rises. Their appearance honors his primacy rather than competing with it. Christ is the firstfruits of the resurrection harvest; all others who belong to him follow in their proper order.
Second, Matthew gives no language of glorification (cf. 1 Cor 15:42–49). He says the saints were raised, came out of the tombs, entered the holy city, and appeared to many. He does not describe them with the imperishable, transformed qualities Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 15 when he speaks of the body raised in glory, power, and incorruption.
Third, the analogy with Lazarus is instructive: a genuine raising from the dead need not entail entry into the final resurrection state. Lazarus was truly raised, yet he later died again. The same likely holds here.
Fourth, Matthew emphasizes their witness. They “appeared to many” in recognizable form, possessing bodily life derived from Jesus’s resurrection (Matt. 27:53). Their role is testimonial. God provided visible, bodily witnesses that Christ’s death and resurrection had decisive power over the grave. For that reason, the best conclusion is that these saints were temporarily raised as a sign and testimony. Their appearance did not replace Christ’s resurrection or complete the final resurrection harvest. Rather, it announced that the harvest had begun in him.
Where Did They Go?
What became of the saints after they appeared in the city?
Matthew tells us that these saints “entered the holy city and appeared to many” (Matt 27:53), but he gives no further narrative, and his restraint should govern our reading, too. We do not know how long they remained, what they said, or where they went next. What is clear, however, is their purpose as witnesses to Christ.
It is plausible that these saints later died again, awaiting with all believers the general resurrection at Christ’s return. That conclusion fits the firstfruits pattern, preserves Christ’s unique place, and avoids building elaborate doctrine on a passage where Scripture is brief. Their appearance was not the permanent glorification of a select group before the last day, but a proleptic sign—a bodily preview—of the resurrection harvest still to come.
We must not fill Matthew’s silence with speculation. The passage neither teaches assumption to heaven nor invites us to supply missing details. What Matthew does say is enough: the raising was real, bodily, and public—the saints came out, entered the holy city, and appeared to many—a lasting witness that Christ’s death and resurrection broke death’s dominion.
What Does This Mean for Us?
What does this passage reveal about Christian hope in the future resurrection of all who belong to Christ?
Despite the mockers at the cross, the crucifixion was a triumph, not a defeat. In Jesus’s death and resurrection, God opened access to himself—a reality the torn veil visibly announces (Heb 10:19–22). The earthquake, split rocks, opened tombs, and raised saints are eschatological signs: the age to come breaking into the present, linking Daniel 12 (“many who sleep… will awake”), Ezekiel 37 (graves opened; a people brought out by the Spirit), and Isaiah 26:19 (bodies rise) to a future hope of Christ’s return. Jesus’s death and resurrection are the turning point where such promises move from anticipation to fulfillment. As Hebrews 1:2 declares, God has spoken to us “in these last days by his Son”; the saints who appeared in Jerusalem were not the final resurrection, but its dramatic sign that the eschatological age had indeed dawned in Christ.
What is our hope? Christ is the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep, and those who belong to him will follow in proper order (1 Cor 15:20–23). The Spirit who raised Jesus now dwells in believers and will give life to our mortal bodies (Rom 8:11). At the Lord’s return, the dead in Christ will rise, and our lowly bodies will be transformed to be like his glorious body (1 Thess 4:16; Phil 3:20–21).
Christian hope is not merely stoic survival amid suffering; it is anchored in the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ and the eager anticipation of his return. Matthew 27:52–54 bears witness to an early tremor of the new creation, announcing the defeat of death and the life everlasting promised to all who are united to Christ (1 Cor 15:42–49; Rev 21–22).
