What happened at the moment Jesus died on the cross—the veil, the earthquake, the rocks?
When Christ gave up His spirit, the temple veil was rent in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, and the rocks rent. All of nature responded convulsively to His death at Calvary. These events occurred at His death and were all in response to what had just happened on Calvary.
Les explains that Matthew 27:51 comes right after Christ gave up the ghost and died. The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, and the rocks were rent. Les says all of this was in response to what had just happened up there on Calvary, and His death; all of nature responded convulsively. The next verse says graves in the Jerusalem area were opened—not all of them, but some—and many bodies of the saints came out after His resurrection. Les reminds that saints means believers of any age, here Jewish believers, and it was important they came out after Christ's resurrection so Christ would be the firstfruits of resurrection.
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;
More Questions
why did the earth quake and the rocks split when Jesus died?
The veil of the temple being rent from top to bottom, the earthquake, and the rocks splitting at the crucifixion were all nature's convulsive response to Christ's death on Calvary.