were the saints raised in Matthew 27 Jewish or Gentile?
The saints raised in Matthew 27 were Jewish believers. The graves opened near Jerusalem, and the saints there were believing Israelites, since the Old Testament economy did not have enough Gentiles to constitute such a group.
Les teaches that the saints are believers in every age, including believing Israelites, those saved during Christ’s earthly ministry, the Acts period, the Church period, and the tribulation. At the crucifixion, after Christ died, the veil was rent, the earth quaked, and rocks were rent. Then in Matthew 27:52, graves in the area of Jerusalem were opened—not all, but some—and many bodies of the saints came out after His resurrection. Les explains these were Jewish believers buried around Jerusalem, because there certainly were not enough Gentiles in that Old Testament economy to count. This matters because if they had come out before Christ’s resurrection, it would have disrupted God’s plan that Christ was the firstfruits of resurrection.
And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
More Questions
Who are the 'saints' mentioned in Matthew 27:52?
The 'saints' whose bodies came out of the graves in Matthew 27:52 are not a special class but a general term for believers of any age, including believing Israelites, believers in Christ's earthly ministry, Acts-period believers, Church-period believers, and tribulation believers.
When did the saints rise from their graves in Matthew 27?
The saints whose graves opened around the crucifixion did not come out until after Jesus' resurrection, because He had to be the first to be resurrected.