The parable of the Tares

[iamlamad]

18 hours ago, Retrobyter said:

Shabbat shalom, dhchristian.

Oh, but you ARE (and I guess, you don't even realize it)! What's the point of "the Physical resurrection in the end times" if you believe that "heaven is our home?" Why do we need a "Physical resurrection" if we already have our "heavenly bodies" when we're in "heaven?" And, why do we need to go anywhere else if we're already IN "heaven" after death?

Ah! but if life is NOT continuous, then we would notice no change at all as we die and the NEXT MOMENT (for us), we'll be in the presence of the Lord at the Resurrection! Therefore, I have absolutely NO PROBLEM with the verses that say "absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." (And, that's "Lord" merely capitalized translating the Greek word "kurios" or the Hebrew word "adown." If all the letters are capitalized [all caps or made upper case] then we are talking about translating the Hebrew word "YHWH" which is God's Name. Thus, the two, "Lord" and "LORD," are NOT synonymous and should not be used interchangeably!) And, being "absent from the body" is not "one's body" but is the body of believers to which that person belongs!

I'm detecting that you are STUCK in this physical-spiritual dichotomy. I suppose you think that Genesis 1:1 is talking about the spiritual realm and the physical realm when Moses wrote,

 

What is the point? It should be very obvious: we are a three part being: Spirit, soul, and body. But being absent with the body and present with the Lord - that is IN HEAVEN after death, we are only SPIRIT and soul - NO BODY. At the resurrection Jesus will bring the spirits of all who have passed WITH HIM so they can join with their newly resurrected body and be complete once again. I really thought every believe knew this.

Who mentioned this "heavenly body?" Is there a scripture for that? The millions that have passes are there in spirit. However, our spirit looks just like US with our body, so perhaps one might think it is a spiritual body. I disagree. It is spirit with soul, no body. The body went into the grave.  Remember though, the rich man KNEW Abraham and SAW Him. Spirits can be SEEN by other spirits. Abraham told the rich man to REMEMBER, so spirits with souls have MEMORY.  They have eyes and can see. 

Why will we go anywhere? That should be obvious too: we return with Jesus (Rev. 19) and become judges. 

we die and the NEXT MOMENT (for us), we'll be in the presence of the Lord at the Resurrection!  Where do you come up with this stuff? Can we just believe the bible? Paul is clear, when a born again spirit leaves the body, it is present with the Lord.  You are denying the story of the rich man and Lazarus: they were SPEAKING and SEEING and remembering. 

Soul sleep  At least one early church council addressed this false notion long ago.  It is not a new theory: Martin Luther believed it!

being "absent from the body" is not "one's body" but is the body of believers to which that person belongs!  That is a theory, but it hardly what Paul was talking about! It is the context! He is talking about our physical body quitting on us.  "Lord" as used here is used MANY TIMES in scripture as the Lord our GOD. 

Ah! but if life is NOT continuous  It IS continuous! Death is only separation of our spirit and soul from our body.

[Retrobyter]

11 hours ago, eileenhat said:

I get the feeling you are not interested in other viewpoints.  So I will write this mainly for myself.

Shalom, eileenhat.

That's fine. I am interested in other viewpoints AS THEY REFLECT THE TRUTH OF GOD'S WORD. If they don't, then I'm not going to pursue their viewpoints. If they do, then I'm going to pursue them and perhaps, if I see, that their viewoints are closer to the truth than are mine, I will adopt them. I'm after TRUTH, and I know that God's Word is TRUTH.

11 hours ago, eileenhat said:

Much of what you speak of still remains a mystery to us.  We have not been informed yet what it means, ie. the resurrection of the saints and the dead during Jacob's 7 years of trouble.

Well, first of all, I don't believe the Scriptures teach "Jacob's 7 years of trouble." That's NOT what the 7 years of the Seventieth Seven of Daniel 9 is about. The time of Jacob's trouble has been occurring since the First Century A.D. THAT'S the "tribulation period."

After this "tribulation period," God will send His Son in the Second Advent and resurrect those who are His. Matthew 24:29-31. This is the beginning of the SECOND HALF of the 7 years (the first half was fulfilled in the "ministry" or first offer of the Kingdom to Israel at the end of His First Advent) when He will once again offer the Kingdom to Israel.

Those whom Yeshua`s messengers ("angels")

11 hours ago, eileenhat said:

We have Rev. 20:4, for example, which speaks of the saint's souls resurrecting.  There is no mention of a physical resurrection in this particular verse.

Rev. 20:4 "Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
 

I'll go with that verse myself in order to more fully appreciate the change that has occurred in our future since Christ resurrected and his holy spirit came to be within us that are saved by grace.

Your next big mystery should be, what exactly is a soul's resurrection about?

This is one of the more easily explained verses WHEN one remembers the real definition of "soul":

Rev. 20:4 "Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded (Greek: tas psuchas toon pepelekismenoon = "the air-breathing-creatures of-the beheaded-ones") for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years."

G5590 psuchee (psoo-khay'). From psuchoo; breath, i.e. (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from pneuma, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from zooee, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms [psuchee, pneuma, and zooee] thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew nefesh, ruwach and chay) -- heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you.

G5594 psuchoo (psoo'-kho). A primary verb; to breathe (voluntarily but gently, thus differing on the one hand from pneoo, which denotes properly a forcible respiration; and on the other from the base of aeer, which refers properly to an inanimate breeze), i.e. (by implication, of reduction of temperature by evaporation) to chill (figuratively) -- wax cold.

Indeed, the word "psuchee" ("psucheen," the accusative form of this singular, feminine word) was used to translate the word "nefesh" from the Hebrew (Genesis 2:7) for the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:45!

H5315 nefesh (neh'-fesh). From naafash; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. Animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental) -- any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, X dead(-ly), desire, X (dis-)contented, X fish, ghost, + greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, X jeopardy of) life (X in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-)self, them (your)-selves, + slay, soul, + tablet, they, thing, (X she) will, X would have it.

H5314 naafash (naw-fash'). A primitive root; to breathe; passively, to be breathed upon, i.e. (figuratively) refreshed (as if by a current of air) -- (be) refresh selves (-ed).

Now, it's pretty hard to "breathe" if one doesn't have a head, windpipe, working lungs, and diaphragm!

This is just the way Yochanan talked! He notices the thrones and those sitting upon the thrones and mentions that they had been resurrected already! In chronological order, they are resurrected back to life and THEN they are seated upon those thrones and given the authority to judge.

The Resurrection puts all these anatomical parts back together in working order!

11 hours ago, eileenhat said:

But, if you keep insisting this verse should not be read at face value, then, ok, keep resurrecting old testament versions of the dead resurrecting physically.  Because of course, nothing has changed since then.  Oh wait, Jesus came and died for our sins and that might have changed how things get done now.  But you say, the dead saints rose from their graves the day he died. 

Actually, they did rise from the dead the day He died, but they didn't come out of their tombs until after the Resurrection, after the three days and three nights were expired.

11 hours ago, eileenhat said:

Yes, but what about after the holy spirit came, many days after Jesus's 'death'?  No dead were actually raised after that by God.  Or didn't you notice?

Somehow, that's how you remember it, but there WERE other resurrections brought to life by the apostles!

Matthew 10:1-8 (KJV)

1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these;

The first, Simon, who is called Peter,
and Andrew his brother;
James the son of Zebedee,
and John his brother; 
3 Philip,
and Bartholomew;
Thomas, and
Matthew the publican;
James the son of Alphaeus,
and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 
4 Simon the Canaanite,
and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying,

"Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as ye go, preach (herald), saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand (within your grasp).' 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give."

We have NO record of Him EVER rescinding this power, and just as Yeshua` did His miracles through the power of His Father, so these disciples would do their miracles! This was also seen in Luke 9:

Luke 9:1-6 (KJV)

1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. 2 And he sent them to preach (herald) the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. 3 And he said unto them,

"Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. 4 And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. 5 And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them."

6 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching (heralding) the gospel, and healing every where.

Later, we read about Him sending out seventy (or seventy-two) disciples:

Luke 10:1-12 (KJV)

1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. 2 Therefore said he unto them,

"The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. 3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. 5 And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. 6 And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. 7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. 8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: 9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, 11 'Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you': notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh (close) unto you. 12 But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city."

Notice how the message - the offer of the Kingdom, the TRUE "Gospel of the Kingdom"- is always associated with the miracles - God's authentication, endorsement, and validation of that message.

John 14:8-14 (KJV)

8 Philip saith unto him,

"Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us."

9 Jesus saith unto him,

"Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, 'Shew us the Father?' 10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. 12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it."

Acts 5:12-16 (KJV)

12 And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. 13 And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. 14 And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.) 15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. 16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed every one.

Acts 20:7-12 (KJV)

7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. 8 And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. 9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. 10 And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said,

"Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him."

11 When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. 12 And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.

He wasn't just "assumed dead," he was DEAD!

11 hours ago, eileenhat said:

Something had changed in both the physical and the spiritual and we are just now sorting all that out in places like here and other on-line communities, as God begins to unveil his plan to us to help us with our eventual goal of entering New Jerusalem, by his side (Rev. 21) in 1,000 years.  But first, we have to learn to co-operate if we are to get anywhere.

But then we would have to admit we don't know, about this particular topic, at all.  Never an easy thing to do.  To not know.

I don't have all the answers because I don't know all the questions, yet. There are still some secrets hidden, and the answers to some secrets God is not willing to share with anyone now alive. However, a long time ago, God gave me wisdom and told me that "not one of your words shall fall to the ground." First, I had to be humbled, and it was a miserable time in my life. My "hero in the faith" fell, and he was so close to me, his fall took me with it. I crashed and burned in all my theology until the only thing I had left was "God is real, and so is His Word." The only reality I had left was that I had already accepted Yeshua` the Messiah (whom I used to call "Jesus Christ"), the Son of God, as my "Lord and Savior." So, based on those fundamentals, I began the process of rebuilding my belief system, one brick at a time, one passage of Scripture at a time, and each time that the Ruwach haQodesh Elohiym (the Holy Spirit of God) has introduced some element of Truth into my life, the piece has perfectly slid into place with everything else, enhancing what I had already accepted of His Truth. I'm just trying to share the Truth with all.

[Retrobyter]

2 hours ago, iamlamad said:

Very good post, Roy! Clear, easy to understand, and well written. HOWEVER, when a human is born again, the new spirit is created in the spiritual realm, NOT in the flesh: in the spirit "all things become new" while in the flesh, NOTHING CHANGES.  But, there is yet another hand here: When we get our resurrection bodies, THEN both our body and our spirit will be NEW and will have God's own DNA. 

I hope you understand, a human being dwells in TWO realms: the physical and the spiritual.

Shalom, iamlamad.

Thanks for the bright encouragement, but after your "HOWEVER," things get a little dark again.

First, you're assuming that there IS a "spiritual realm." Do you have biblical proof? I don't find any. Instead, the Resurrection is all about the FLESH CHANGING INTO SOMETHING MUCH STRONGER!

Second, that's cute. "God's own DNA?" Nonsense. "Deoxyribonucleic Acid" (DNA) "is a molecule composed of two chains that coil around each other to form a double helix carrying genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of all known organisms and many viruses." Each gene contains three nucleobases consisting of four types - cytosine, guanine, adenine, and thymine - in pairs, such that cytosine is always paired with guanine, and adenine is always paired with thymine. How those four are arranged determine genetic traits. Where along the double helix the genes are located determine the traits for that portion of the body. In all 23 pairs of chromosomes that make up human beings, there's a GREAT variety of human traits.

If two people have the exact same DNA, then they have exactly the same genetic traits. They will look the same, and indeed, they will be clones of each other!

Our God is a God of VARIETY! Just look at His Creation!

No, perhaps you've misspoke, but God doesn't give us His Son Yeshua`s DNA. And, God, who is a Spirit, does not personally have DNA. We shall have differing brightnesses like the stars differ from one another, but we shall have God's glory upon us.

[iamlamad]

1 hour ago, Retrobyter said:

Shalom, iamlamad.

Thanks for the bright encouragement, but after your "HOWEVER," things get a little dark again.

First, you're assuming that there IS a "spiritual realm." Do you have biblical proof? I don't find any. Instead, the Resurrection is all about the FLESH CHANGING INTO SOMETHING MUCH STRONGER!

Second, that's cute. "God's own DNA?" Nonsense. "Deoxyribonucleic Acid" (DNA) "is a molecule composed of two chains that coil around each other to form a double helix carrying genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of all known organisms and many viruses." Each gene contains three nucleobases consisting of four types - cytosine, guanine, adenine, and thymine - in pairs, such that cytosine is always paired with guanine, and adenine is always paired with thymine. How those four are arranged determine genetic traits. Where along the double helix the genes are located determine the traits for that portion of the body. In all 23 pairs of chromosomes that make up human beings, there's a GREAT variety of human traits.

If two people have the exact same DNA, then they have exactly the same genetic traits. They will look the same, and indeed, they will be clones of each other!

Our God is a God of VARIETY! Just look at His Creation!

No, perhaps you've misspoke, but God doesn't give us His Son Yeshua`s DNA. And, God, who is a Spirit, does not personally have DNA. We shall have differing brightnesses like the stars differ from one another, but we shall have God's glory upon us.

I don't have to assume: the gift of "discernment of spirits" is a gift that allows one to see in that realm of the Spirit. I was "in the spirit"once and saw demonic spirits. But they live in the spiritual dimension, and we live in the physical dimension - so we don't see them.

the Resurrection is all about the FLESH CHANGING INTO SOMETHING MUCH STRONGER!  I won't argue that! It is a body that can walk through walls, eat fish, walk back through the wall and NOT leave fish on the wall! It will be "our" body, but it will never suffer death again!

"God's own DNA?"  Well, can you prove it does NOT exist? The point is, GOD creates the new (born again) spirit, so HE is our Father.  We can use DNA to prove who is the true father physically. So why not spiritually? Anyway, it makes a point.

We will LOOK just like we look now. Each will look different - just as we do in our flesh. It will be OUR body changed into a resurrection body.

[iamlamad]

4 hours ago, Retrobyter said:

Shalom, eileenhat.

Well, first of all, I don't believe the Scriptures teach "Jacob's 7 years of trouble." That's NOT what the 7 years of the Seventieth Seven of Daniel 9 is about. The time of Jacob's trouble has been occurring since the First Century A.D. THAT'S the "tribulation period."

Retro, HOW LONG did Jacob have to work EXTRA for the woman he loved? It was 7 years.  That is why the 7 year 70th week of Daniel is also called the time of Jacob's trouble: 7 years.  So you are disagreeing with the bible here.

ON the other hand, you are agreeing with John wrote wrote, "I John in "THE tribulation..."  I have looked at every Greek text I could find online and see that the Greek translated "THE" is there in every Greek text; but very few English translators had the nerve to include it in their translation. I did see one translation with "the tribulation."  I think God considers the entire church age "the tribulation" and when things get tough, "great tribulation"  - yes, during the church age.

Sadly the church world in general want to call the 70th week (7 years) as "the tribulation." It just causes confusion.

[iamlamad]

4 hours ago, Retrobyter said:

...

This is one of the more easily explained verses WHEN one remembers the real definition of "soul":

Rev. 20:4 "Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded (Greek: tas psuchas toon pepelekismenoon = "the air-breathing-creatures of-the beheaded-ones") for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years."

G5590 psuchee (psoo-khay'). From psuchoo; breath, i.e. (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from pneuma, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from zooee, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms [psuchee, pneuma, and zooee] thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew nefesh, ruwach and chay) -- heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you.

G5594 psuchoo (psoo'-kho). A primary verb; to breathe (voluntarily but gently, thus differing on the one hand from pneoo, which denotes properly a forcible respiration; and on the other from the base of aeer, which refers properly to an inanimate breeze), i.e. (by implication, of reduction of temperature by evaporation) to chill (figuratively) -- wax cold.

Indeed, the word "psuchee" ("psucheen," the accusative form of this singular, feminine word) was used to translate the word "nefesh" from the Hebrew (Genesis 2:7) for the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:45!

H5315 nefesh (neh'-fesh). From naafash; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. Animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental) -- any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, X dead(-ly), desire, X (dis-)contented, X fish, ghost, + greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, X jeopardy of) life (X in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-)self, them (your)-selves, + slay, soul, + tablet, they, thing, (X she) will, X would have it.

H5314 naafash (naw-fash'). A primitive root; to breathe; passively, to be breathed upon, i.e. (figuratively) refreshed (as if by a current of air) -- (be) refresh selves (-ed).

Now, it's pretty hard to "breathe" if one doesn't have a head, windpipe, working lungs, and diaphragm!

This is just the way Yochanan talked! He notices the thrones and those sitting upon the thrones and mentions that they had been resurrected already! In chronological order, they are resurrected back to life and THEN they are seated upon those thrones and given the authority to judge.

In chronological order, they are resurrected back to life and THEN they are seated upon those thrones and given the authority to judge.  I agree: the word "soul" is sometimes used for the complete human being.  And IF John saw them, they had their heads back!

[iamlamad]

4 hours ago, Retrobyter said:

...

Actually, they did rise from the dead the day He died, but they didn't come out of their tombs until after the Resurrection, after the three days and three nights were expired.

Somehow, that's how you remember it, but there WERE other resurrections brought to life by the apostles!

Ha! I would call that double talk! If they rose from the dead, they came out of their graves or tombs! It could not happen until JESUS rose first. The earthquake opened the graves (removed all the dirt) but they did not come out of their graves (resurrect) until Jesus did. My guess is, Jesus brought their spirits and souls with Him when He ascended out of Hades.

[iamlamad]

6 hours ago, dhchristian said:

Jesus is the firstfruits of the first resurrection, the main harvest is during the final week. I see one day when all of these resurrections take place. 

There must be something wrong with your eyesight! Jesus resurrection will end up around 2000 years before the dead in Christ are resurrected.

There is NO WAY the church is resurrected on the same day the Old Testament saints are resurrected.  Paul's writings would disprove that.  The great crowd too large to number would disprove that.

However, if you can show us why you believe it all happens at once, show us.

[dhchristian]

2 hours ago, iamlamad said:

There must be something wrong with your eyesight! Jesus resurrection will end up around 2000 years before the dead in Christ are resurrected.

There is NO WAY the church is resurrected on the same day the Old Testament saints are resurrected.  Paul's writings would disprove that.  The great crowd too large to number would disprove that.

However, if you can show us why you believe it all happens at once, show us.

JESUS is the Way.... 

Jesus was the firstfruits, When is that? in the spring.... and then the ingathering, when is that? In the fall feasts. And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.(Exodus 34:22)

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (1 cor. 15:20-23)

Do you see it now? 

What feast will all nations celebrate during the Millennial reign of Christ? The feast of Ingathering/ Tabernacles. (Zech. 14) Now you know why. 

 

[Retrobyter]

7 hours ago, iamlamad said:

Ha! I would call that double talk! If they rose from the dead, they came out of their graves or tombs! It could not happen until JESUS rose first. The earthquake opened the graves (removed all the dirt) but they did not come out of their graves (resurrect) until Jesus did. My guess is, Jesus brought their spirits and souls with Him when He ascended out of Hades.

Shalom, iamlamad.

Sorry, but that's what the Scriptures say:

Matthew 27:50-53 (KJV)

50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51 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; 52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

Two stages, three days apart.