Okay, will do. Ask and ye shall receive...
Thank you
So, here's kind of a bare-bones list of most (not all) of the texts that refer to the identity and activity of the Matthew 27:52-53 resurrected Jewish saints. Matthew is not the only one who wrote about them or predicted their coming.
Leviticus 23:10-12 - The "Sheaf Handful" of barley First-fruits, offered along with a single he-lamb without blemish. This was a picture foreshadowing "Christ the First-fruits" as the Passover Lamb and the many Matthew 27:52-53 saints resurrected that day by Christ.
This is the first part of what you say above that I find very interesting.
I was always aware that Jesus was crucified on Passover, and rose again on the third day, and the Holy Spirit came and rested upon the new church on the day of Pentecost.
I was aware that firstfruis is seven days after Passover, so I could never understand how firstfruits fits into the picture. But I'm a person who takes note of certain specific words when used in scripture, because often just one word or phrase is extremely important, and a clue as to a correct understanding of something. So I've always taken note of the words "firsftuit" in the following verse:
Revelation 14
4 These are those who were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are those who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, as a firstfruit to God and to the Lamb.
I've also wondered before (but only as a very vague thought) whether or not these may be referring to those who we see resurrected after Christ's resurrection (Matthew 27:52-53).
So I find the link you have obviously made interesting, though I still do not see more biblical evidence, even though you do (I will come to that).
IMHO though, "Mount Zion" in Revelation 14:1 is
not referring to the city of Jerusalem on earth, because the Bible interprets the Bible (our own ideas should never interpret the Bible), and it becomes 100% clear that Revelation 14:1 is referring to the heavenly Jerusalem, because
(A) we are told in Hebrews 12:22-24 that we (all believers) "have come to
Mount Zion and to the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are written in Heaven, and to God the judge of all,
and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel."; and
(B) the firsfruits being spoken about in Revelation 14:1-4
are seen in heaven:
Revelation 14
1 And I looked, and lo,
the Lamb stood on Mount Zion. And with Him were a hundred and forty-four. thousands,
having His Father's name written in their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from Heaven, like the voice of many waters and like the voice of a great thunder. And I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps.
3 And
they sang as it were a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousands who were redeemed from the earth.
4 These are those who were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are those who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These
were redeemed from among men, as a firstfruit to God and to the Lamb.
5 And in their mouth was found no guile, for they were without blemish before the throne of God.
The above facts makes the idea that these 144,000 may be those who were the first to be resurrected with Christ's resurrection
plausible, and it's also
plausible that this occurred
on the day of firsfruits, fulfilling the day of the firsfruits (Leviticus 23:6-14).
The following
is also plausible (and therefore also possible), but as for the rest of what you've said though, this is something I hate doing when someone is so keen on his subject as you are and has gone to all the trouble you have to share it with me:
I don't agree with a lot of the rest of what you are saying, because I find some of it not biblical, and some of it, though
plausible, too much of a jump using the pole-vault of assumption from what is biblical to what actually took place, for example where you say:
Psalms 68:18-20 - The "multitude of captives" which would be led by the ascending Christ, and be received as "gifts for men". This text attributes to God the power of bringing about "the exodus from death".
Matthew 9:37-38 - The "laborers" sent into the harvest. In Christ's days, the "fields" were already white, and ripe for "harvesting". Christ told the disciples to pray the Lord of the harvest to "send forth laborers" into that harvest. When the group of Matthew 27:52-53 saints were raised and given as "gifts to men" (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers), this was an answer to that prayer, and a real benefit to the disciples' evangelistic efforts in those days. This resurrected group would have had evangelistic capabilities far beyond that of normal living believers hampered by weakness, aging bodies, sickness, death, sinful temptations, dependent children, wives' and husbands' needs, etc.
It's plausible and very interesting, because in Numbers 18:6-7 God says concerning the Levites,
Numbers 18 (NETfree) version)
6 I myself have chosen your brothers the Levites from among the Israelites. They are given to you as a gift from the LORD, to perform the duties of the tent of meeting.
7 But you and your sons with you are responsible for your priestly duties, for everything at the altar and within the curtain. And you must serve. I give you the priesthood as a gift for service; but the unauthorized person who approaches must be put to death."
Young's Literal Translation (1898) translates it as "a gift they are given by Jehovah".
However, IMO we need to
guard ourselves against employing the pole-vault of assumption to jump from the above to this:
Ephesians 4:8-13 - The "multitude of captives" led out of the grave by the ascending Christ, and given as "gifts for men" in those first-century days. They would act in the roles of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to help build up the early church, until they all came into the state of a "perfected man".
This is what Ephesians 4:8-14 says:
7 But to every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
8 Therefore He says, "When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men."
9 (Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He who descended is the same also as He who ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things.)
11 And truly He gave some to be apostles, and some to be prophets, and some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
12 for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
13 And this until we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
14 so that we no longer may be infants, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, in the dishonesty of men, in cunning craftiness, to the wiles of deceit.
The above is speaking only about Christ giving each person "grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ", and it's speaking only about Christ leading captivity captive and giving various gits, and
according to the context, these gifts are given
"to every one of us", therefore He has given "some to be apostles, and some to be prophets, and some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."
So though what you are saying is very interesting, plausible and possible, there is no real biblical evidence for it, certainly not enough to make such a leap from one to the other (when we do that with scripture, we're employing the pole-vault of assumption).
I'll come to the rest of what you said in your post (which I'm truly grateful you took the time to lay out so clearly for me), as I go through each scripture you quote.