Why this cannot be the rapture
Pre-tribulation rapture theology holds that the rapture has
very specific features:
- It includes the Church (the Body of Christ)
- It involves translation of living believers (1 Thess 4:17)
- It is global and visible to believers
- It precedes the Tribulation
- It results in permanent glorified bodies
Matthew 27:53 fits
none of these criteria:
- Only “many” saints, not all
- Only deceased saints, no living believers
- Localized to Jerusalem
- Occurs at Christ’s resurrection, not before tribulation
- No statement they received glorified, incorruptible bodies
So pre-trib interpreters unanimously reject this as “the rapture.”
The dominant pre-millennial / pre-trib explanation
1. A resurrection of Old Testament saints
These are understood to be:
- Believers from the Old Covenant era
- Raised because Christ’s atoning work was now complete
- Vindicated publicly in Jerusalem
They are not the Church, since the Church had only just begun (Acts 2).
2. A sign-resurrection, not a programmatic one
This event is interpreted as:
- A miraculous sign, tied uniquely to Christ’s death and resurrection
- Demonstrating His victory over death (Heb 2:14)
- Authenticating Jesus as Messiah to Jerusalem
Think of it as
eschatological symbolism breaking into history, not a stage in the end-times timetable.
3. Temporary resurrection (most common pre-trib view)
Many dispensational theologians (e.g., Walvoord, Ryrie) hold that:
- These saints were raised back to mortal life, like Lazarus
- They later died again
- Scripture never says they ascended or were glorified
This avoids:
- Premature glorification before Christ
- A partial resurrection that disrupts resurrection chronology
Not all pre-trib scholars agree, but this is the
most common solution.
Summary (pre-millennial / pre-trib view)
Question Answer Is this the rapture?
No
Are these Church saints?
No
Are they glorified?
Unclear; likely not
Purpose
Sign, validation, foretaste
Eschatological function
Proof of Christ’s victory over death
Bottom line
In pre-trib premillennial theology,
Matthew 27:53 is a unique, one-time resurrection sign:
- Not the rapture
- Not the resurrection of the Church
- Not the general resurrection
It is best understood as a
symbolic, localized, anticipatory resurrection — a
preview of what Christ’s resurrection guarantees, without collapsing the end-times timeline.
