Lesson Four • Graves Opened
Gary Wright
“The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” Matthew 27:52-53
When my wife Kim and I first got married, we could not afford a trustworthy vehicle. Our car was 20 years old and needed some work. Whenever we had to travel any distance at all, we were very anxious. We did not know if our car would make it to our destination or would break down. We looked forward to a time when we could afford a car that we could trust.
After the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, a very unique miracle happened. Some of the Old Testament saints who had died came back to life. These saints went to Jerusalem and many people saw them. The Old Testament saints were people who lived before Jesus died on the cross, and who had trusted that God would provide a solution for their sin. They were saved the same way we are today, through faith. The Old Testament saints were looking ahead to the cross. Today, we are looking back at the cross.
There are a few things from this miracle that proves Jesus is 100% trustworthy. Because of this miracle, we can trust that Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection gave Him victory over death. John 11:25 tells us, through faith in Jesus we can have victory over death as well, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” Next, we can trust that Jesus truly is who John the Baptist said He was. John 1:29 describes Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Lastly, the Bible also teaches us that during the Rapture of the church, Jesus will resurrect the bodies of those who have put their faith in Him. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16, we read, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” Since Jesus raised the Old Testament saints, we can trust He will raise us as believers in the future.
After several years, Kim and I were finally able to buy a trustworthy vehicle. What peace of mind it was having a reliable vehicle to get us to our destination.
Through faith in Jesus, we can trust that we have been forgiven of our sin, we have life, and He will get us to our destination, eternity with Him.
Have you trusted Jesus as Savior?
In 1 John 5:12, we are told, “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”