billy-brown 2

The scriptures in Rev. 21:1-8 has this

"the first heaven and first earth"

and this

"new heaven and a new earth"

in clear relief.

And we are living now in "the first heaven and first earth"--and death is a part of the "first heaven and first earth"--indeed, of "this" age. (All of us are mortal now--see Luke 20).

So, look at Rev. 21:1-8:

Rev. 21
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Now, Rev. 21:4 tells us that death is of the former things--indeed, of the "first heaven and first earth," yes? This is our "age," indeed.

So, the individuals in Matt. 27:52-53 who rose from the dead died in "this" age at some point before they rose from the dead (as recorded in Matt 27:52-53):

Matt. 27
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
51 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.
52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.
54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

(After all, no one can be risen from the dead unless they had died previously.)

So, when the individuals in Matt. 27:52-53 rose from the dead, they could not become immortal physically at that time, because they rose from the dead during the "age" that we live in--an "age" where death and mortality occurs.

Therefore, the people in Matt. 27:52-53 have died again, because they were mortal--and mortals do not escape physical death in this age.

Indeed, this age does not have immortality available to it at all--except for what happened to Christ Jesus when He rose from the dead for us--it is clear that Christ Jesus destroyed death during "this" age (see II Tim. 1:9-10):

II Tim. 1
7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,
9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,
10 but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
11 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.

And because of what Christ has done, physical bodily immortality is made available for all believers in Christ.

Indeed, the Lord Jesus Christ alone is immortal physically in the current "age" that you and I live in--He is the "first fruits"of physical immortality, and when He comes "the second time" (Heb. 9:27-28), all believers will rise again to physical bodily immortality also, and we will be fashioned like Christ:

1 Cor. 15
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s (will be resurrected physically) at His coming,
24 then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.

Phil 3:
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

Heb. 9
27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,
28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.