And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. Matthew 27: 50-53.

Some say that those who were resurrected at the moment of Jesus’ death, rather than entering the earthly city of Jerusalem, ascended to the New Jerusalem in heaven. There, they are identified in the book of Revelation as the twenty-four elders sitting on thrones.

I don’t know about that. It is speculation based on what? I don’t see anywhere in the Bible that connection being made. Personally, I lean toward the risen having gone into the earthly Jerusalem. And rather than guessing about who they are and how many there were, I’d rather focus on what their resurrection meant.

The event was surely another of God’s miracles testifying that Jesus was His Son and messenger (John 5: 36; Acts 2: 22). This particular miracle was to prove the legitimacy of Jesus’ claim to have power over death. As such, the saints’ resurrection coinciding with Jesus’ death was a mini display. It was intended to connect with and bring to remembrance Jesus saying that He was “the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies” (John 11: 25) and that He would raise the believers on the last day (John 6: 39, 40, 44, 54).

Assurance in those words is the intended upshot of this episode. If there weren’t any who were raised and entered the city, the story would have easily been debunked by those living at the time. Such a lie would have been eagerly exposed. Yet we don’t find any such accusations in history’s manuscripts.

Consequently, the saints’ resurrection points to and gives credence to Jesus’ own resurrection. Therefore, this incident was meant to help believers be assuredly bold in the telling of the gospel.