Christians remember Jesus’ death and resurrection as the cornerstones of their faith every year on Good Friday and Easter. Such events impacted the lives of modern Christian, however vague they might be. These are spiritual truths, not material ones that Jesus’ death on the cross accomplishes for everyone. They are not visible to the naked eye. You won’t be able to feel them if you put your hands on them. When Jesus breathed his last on the cross? How can you be certain that something spiritual had moved forever? What happened after Jesus died? These are some questions that arise in every Christian’s mind.
God, in His infinite wisdom, didn’t leave it to chance what the replies would be. In truth, he composed them here on earth, not merely in the realm of the unseen spirit. For a brief moment on the day of Jesus’ death, you could see, hear, and feel God’s rescue plan in action.
What Happened After Jesus Died?
What happened after Jesus died? Three events occurred after Jesus’ death. This article describes them along with the significance of each and why it still matters today.
The arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus are depicted in detail in each of the four gospel accounts of his life. When Jesus died on the cross, this is what happened:
According to Matthews, the temple’s curtain was ripped in half, top to bottom. The earth trembled, and the rocks split open. The graves were also made accessible. Some of the saints who had died were resurrected, and they appeared in the Holy City after their resurrection from the dead.
Matthew’s biography of Jesus was written with a Jewish readership in mind. His original readers have spotted all of these references to their old history. Nevertheless, it sounds like the most bizarre episode of The Walking Dead ever. To truly understand the meaning of Easter, take the time to deconstruct these events. You’ll never look at Easter the same way again. You may want to put on your floaties, though. We’re taking a leap of faith and diving into the deep end.
Importance of Zeke
Ezekiel, the strangest prophet in Israel’s history, must be mentioned before we go into all this.
Ezekiel was born roughly 600 years before Jesus, during the time when Israel was at its lowest ebb. The people of Israel had been exiled to Babylon after their country had been destroyed, the temple had been destroyed, and the people themselves had been killed.
Ezekiel, the chief prophet, operated on a different level than most prophets, who conveyed verbal messages from God. Many of his messages had to be performed for him. God once told him to spend 390 days resting on his left side and boiling his food over feces. The fact that Zeke didn’t care if he was mistaken as a prophet is obvious.
Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones is what most people identify with him. A vision describes a valley in the middle of a forest. It’s said that the valley was littered with dried human remains. The breath of God moistened the bone marrow. There was a little tremor. Things started to come together. Muscles developed first, and then ligaments formed on them. By the time it was over, what once was a lifeless army was sprung to life.
It’s more than just a precursor to The Nightmare before Christmas. It’s a representation of His plan and what was accomplished via Christ’s death. This 600-year-old prophet’s vision can be traced back to all the strange events that occurred following Jesus’ death.
Begin with the dead elephant and proceed.
The Importance of Easter
There are righteous people who returned to life after Jesus’ death. To put things in perspective, let’s go back to Zeke’s bones.
Remember that the Israelites were in exile at the time Ezekiel had his vision. Reuniting with God’s special people and returning to their native homeland were among the ancient people’s hopes for a better future. The metaphor of the arid bones fit perfectly with how they felt.
Ezekiel’s book said that these bones were the whole house of Israel as declared by God. Look at what they say – our bones have dried up, and our hope has gone; we are no longer connected to anyone. The Lord has promised that he will open the graves, bring you them, and lead them into the land of Israel.
It was originally intended to give hope to the exiles, but now that Jesus has come, God has painted a much wider, cosmic picture. Even death cannot stop God’s designs because our foes are more terrifying than any of Babylon’s.
Resurrected Bodies
These resurrected saints were a strange but encouraging side effect of Jesus’ death.
Paul, an early Christian leader, devotes a significant portion of his writings to the resurrection. Because Jesus had been resurrected and clothed in His righteousness before God, you can have a genuine hope that death is not the end of your journey. Those who believe in Christ’s resurrection can also look forward to their resurrection.
Christians believe that these resurrected saints don’t appear in any other books. Matthew is the only one that mentions their existence. The reason for this is that these people are not the focus. Symbolically, they represent God’s desire to bring fresh life to all creation.
Final Words
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What happened after Jesus died? This is one of the most thought-provoking questions for Christianity. Christians believe that Jesus’ death gives them a lesson that it doesn’t have to be the end if you have God by your side. What appears to be hopeless or abandoned can be resurrected. Everything is safe in the hands of God. Nothing, not even dried-up bones, is beyond his reach. Addiction, abuse, workaholism, and every other form of evil can be redeemed. In the wake of Jesus’ unflinching faith, trust in humanity was given new life by the Almighty. Therefore, you should never lose hope in Him.
