Introduction:

Recently the Associated Press reported that the Social Security agency paid out $71.8 billion —in improper payments. Most of the erroneous payments were overpayments to living people. However, DOGE examined the Social Security death records and found approximately 3.2 million number holders, who were listed at the age of 120 years and older.

They have since been marked as deceased by the Department of government efficiency on March 18, 2025. However, there is still some ambiguity about the number of checks that actually went out to dead people and how many billions were stolen. It appears that many unscrupulous individuals resurrected their names and numbers and have been cashing those checks. Now that kind of a resurrection is of course illegal.

Today I want to talk to you about “Resurrected Saints” events that actually happened and events that will happen in the future. It is only possible because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Folks the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Our belief in this great teaching is not based upon some religious feeling or upon an unfounded idea about what may have happened. Nor are we talking about an isolated rumor, but about a historical fact with solid evidence to supports…

I The Proofs of Christ Resurrection – Mt. 27: 50-53

1. Believe it or not the scriptures give an account of dead people resurrected. These dead saints verified that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was a reality. The proof of Christ Resurrection is evident in an often-missed passage. And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose– The Bible says the earthquake opened their graves (a sepulcher, a tomb) at the exact time of Christ death on the cross… The Old Testament saints were raised up to testified of his resurrection and power.

2. In our text we see an exceptionally important and impressive truth of the resurrection – a cemetery filled with tombs. The Jews were unable to close them up because of the Sabbath days that followed. Remember that the Passover Sabbath was always on the same date, the 14th of Nisan. The second Sabbath – the Feast of Unleavened Bread was on the 15th of Nisan and the weekly Sabbath followed that.

  Look with me at the text in Leviticus – Chapter 23: 3-7.

3. The location of Calvary was near the north wall of Jerusalem. It was a Sabbath’s day journey (3000 ft. or about a half-mile) from the city. The restrictions of the Sabbath prohibited manual labor and insured that those open sepulchers would not be closed up. These graves were opened at the time that Jesus died; but those inside the tombs would not come out until after His resurrection. Why would God allow such a thing? Follow this thinking…

4. Loved ones guarded these open tombs, and the Roman soldiers guarded the closed one where Christ was buried. In Matthew 27:62-66 note: They sealed the stone, which means they stretched a strong cord across the mouth of the sepulcher, over the stone that had been placed at the door, and then with sealing wax or clay they fastened the ends of the cord to the solid rock on either side of the door.

The wax or clay used this way was then stamped with Pilate’s official seal. God was using this situation to make sure there will be no grounds for believing that His disciples came by night, and stole him away. Yet, we read in Matthews 28:12-13, that the guards are bride to lie.

5. That does not matter…The O.T. saints were awakened by the power of the Lord’s awesome resurrection, it was prophetic however that “the Prince of Life” should be the First that should rise from the dead. Jesus appeared unto His disciples alive but so did these O.T. saints appear unto many–that there might be undeniable evidence of their own resurrection first, and testify of the Lord Jesus Christ victory over death. Imagine if this was a relative of yours? They appeared; the Greek word is “emphanizō” meaning to declare or make known.

6. God made provision so that this fact of His Son’s resurrection should in no regard go unnoticed. Just as there is evident for Christ resurrection so there is Biblical evident that another resurrection shall take place. Paul called it a mystery, it is …

II The Promise of a Future Resurrection

1. We can look forward to the day when we too will be “dead men talking”. Yes, it sounds crazy but it is true. The apostle Paul tells of this great mystery in I Corinthians 15:51-58.

2. Why is this called a mystery? A mystery in the scriptures is a previously hidden truth now revealed by God. When Paul speaks of sleep he means death… we shall not all die! There is a generation that shall not die but shall be changed “Metalasso’ to be changed. This is where we get our words metaphorsis. This mystery is what the world will try to resolve at the resurrection or Rapture of the church. It will not only be the rising of the dead but the mysterious disappearance of countless millions. We will be taken to be with Jesus and enjoy the power of his resurrection …

c) Note with me verse #52… It will all happen so very quickly.. in a moment; Paul said in an twinkling of an eye! That is incredibly fast. The G.E. Corporation devised some electronic equipment that was able to measure the twinkling of an eye. Their timing equaled 11/100 of a second! Light travels at 186,000 miles per second yet in far less than that we’ll be with gone!

d) We note that the “corruptible” meaning our moral bodies, have been changed to immoral bodies like that of the resurrected Lord. The glorious news is we are resurrected with our Saviour and Lord the Bride groom of the church. Those who have not accepted Christ shall be left behind. The power of His resurrection gives us a new life in the here and now and a wonderful life in the hereafter not to mention the hell on earth that we will be delivers some. The hereafter for us will be unspeakable, remember Paul’s saying.

I Co.2[9] But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him

e) Jesus is alive and you can know His presence today. — Acts:4:12

Illustration:

A man wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and a baseball cap, he situated himself against a wall beside a trash-can at a famous Plaza in Washington, DC. He pulled out a violin and began to play. In the next 43 minutes, as he performed six classical pieces, 1,097 people passed by, ignoring him. No one knew it, but the man playing outside the Metro was Joshua Bell, one of the finest classical musicians in the world, playing some of the most elegant music ever written on a $3.5 million Stradivarius. But no crowd gathered for the performer. Bell said, “It was a strange feeling, that people were actually ignoring me”. Are you ignoring who Christ? —gospel

God also knows what it feels like to be ignored. God has revealed His majesty and awesome power through the resurrection and many refuse to acknowledge this fact. But God will hold everyone responsible for ignoring who He is and what He has revealed: “They are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful” (Rom. 1:20-21).

The firm foundation of the Christian faith is an empty tomb. The New Testament declares that the death of Jesus paid the penalty for our sin. But how can anyone know for sure that Christ’s crucifixion was acceptable to God? It doesn’t matter much what we think of the death of Jesus; what matters is what God thinks about it.

Conclusion:

Jesus said that He came to give us an abundant life (John 10:10). And when we know His mind, feel His heart, and experience the power of His resurrection, we will truly live before we die. – Will your resurrection be one of joy or one of judgment?

What a God we have! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven – and the future starts now!

Because of the resurrection you can have a new identity and a new life that outshines anything in the past. That’s the power of the resurrection! But there is a limit to that power. God will not force himself on anyone.

Won’t you decide today that you are going to let the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead have an impact on your life?