What Really Happened After Jesus Died?

The gospels of Matthew and Mark both note that after Jesus took his last breath, an event took place in another part of the city, likely miles away from where Jesus was killed. Specifically, the writers both mention "the curtain of the temple" being torn in two, "from top to bottom." According to the Christian question-and-answer column Got Questions, the writers are referring to a veil of sorts that hung in the temple, physically and figuratively separating the room where God's very presence was said to linger from an outer chamber. The garment was said to be as thick as a man's hand (about 4 inches). Therefore, the veil being torn in two on Jesus' death was something of a metaphor for the barrier between God and man having been destroyed, the column notes.

Matthew also adds that Jesus' death was followed by an earthquake so powerful that rocks split, after which tombs opened, and the dead walked out, alive and well. Luke notes that the crowd wailed and grieved before dispersing, while John notes that the soldiers were set to break Jesus' legs to hasten his death but did not do so. Instead, a soldier pierced Jesus' side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out.

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