and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. - Matthew 27:52-53 NKJV
Here's another worse interpretation from our friendly INC neighborhood, also known as THE REBUKER. So, was this really what the scripture meant, just another cherry-picked ideology from INC doctrine? Let's find out -
ITONG MGA TALATA ANG NAGPAPATUNAY NA KASINUNGALINGAN ANG ITINUTURO NG PROPETA NG MGA MORMON-LDS NA SI JOSEPH SMITH NA NAGPAKITA SA KANYA SI JUAN BAUTISTA AT ANG 3 APOSTOLES SAPAGKAT HINDI PA NAGAGANAP ANG MGA NAKAULAT DIYAN. SA PAGBABALIK PA NI JESUS SILA BUBUHAYING-MULI.
This was his concern, and the rest were just a copy-paste from his Bible collection without further explanations and contextual analysis of the data.
But the real concern was actually on the bullets below -
- Were there people resurrected soon after Christ was resurrected?
- If there are, then those people whom Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery saw were the resurrected beings, like John the Baptist?
Then it answers the scriptures that Christ was indeed the first fruit, since there are people who followed after them. The rest of the concerns regarding the first resurrection after the second coming were not actually the main issue. Now, back to THE REBUKER's concern, what does this have to do with the scripture that has been posted? Okay, so let's get to it quick -
1 Corinto 15:20-23
Ang Salita ng Dios (Tagalog Contemporary Bible)
20 Ngunit ang totoo, muling nabuhay si Cristo bilang katibayan na muling bubuhayin ang mga patay. 21 Dahil sa isang tao na si Adan, dumating ang kamatayan sa lahat ng tao. At dahil din sa isang tao na si Cristo, muling mabubuhay ang mga patay. 22 Sapagkat kung paanong tayong mga tao ay mamamatay dahil sa kaugnayan natin kay Adan, ganoon din naman, dahil sa ating kaugnayan kay Cristo, tayong lahat ay muling mabubuhay. 23 Ngunit may kanya-kanyang takdang panahon ang muling pagkabuhay. Unang nabuhay si Cristo; pagkatapos, ang mga nakay Cristo naman ang bubuhayin pagbalik niya rito sa mundo.
The Context: This brief part of the chapter of Paul's letter holds great significance, as it not only mentions the resurrection but also refers to Christ as the firstfruits, which signifies the assurance of the believers' resurrection. Like Adam's act resulted in death, Christ's act will result in the giving of life, and the believers will be raised in a sequence that starts with Christ and goes on to His followers at His second coming. The verse implies that the resurrection of Jesus is the promise of the entire human race being brought back to life in Him; thus, it serves as a secure support of the faith for Christians in the face of the resurrection-deniers. The people in Paul's time, like the saints in Corinth, did not believe in Resurrection, so he made it sure that in his letter, he might help them understand that Christ was the first and the rest will be resurrected in due time. This doesn't say anything about the part of the resurrection as who will and when, but pretty sure this has nothing to do with the subject that everyone will be resurrected and that there were already people resurrected soon after Christ resurrected. Now, again what was this all about, Jose Rodelio Retome Rata? Seems like you just simply quote it without knowing what this was all about.
1 Tesalonica 4:15-16
Ang Salita ng Dios (Tagalog Contemporary Bible)
15 Sinasabi namin sa inyo ang mismong turo ng Panginoon: Tayong mga buhay pa pagbalik ng Panginoon ay hindi mauuna sa mga namatay na. 16 Sa araw na iyon, ang Panginoon mismo ang bababa mula sa langit kasabay ng malakas na utos. Maririnig ang pagtawag ng punong anghel at ang pagtunog ng trumpeta ng Dios. Ang mga namatay na sumasampalataya kay Cristo ang unang bubuhayin;
The Context: The second coming of Jesus is portrayed in such a way that the living believers at the time of His return will not go before or "precede" the dead ones; rather, the Lord will come down with a loud voice, an archangel's voice, and the trumpet of God, the deceased believers will be the first to raise from death, and then the living believers will be taken up to meet Him, as explained in verse 17 and the following verses. So again, this brief explanation doesn't simply mean that those people or saints who rose soon after Christ's resurrection have never been resurrected.
Pahayag 20:4-6
Ang Salita ng Dios (Tagalog Contemporary Bible)
4 Pagkatapos, may nakita akong mga trono, at ang mga nakaupo roon ay binigyan ng karapatang humatol. Nakita ko rin ang kaluluwa ng mga taong pinugutan ng ulo dahil sa pangangaral nila tungkol kay Jesus at dahil sa pagpapahayag nila ng salita ng Dios. Ang mga ito ay hindi sumamba sa halimaw o sa imahen nito, at hindi tumanggap ng tatak nito sa noo o kanang kamay nila. Binuhay sila at binigyan ng karapatang maghari na kasama ni Cristo sa loob ng 1,000 taon. 5 Ito ang unang pagkabuhay ng mga patay. (Ang ibang mga patay ay saka lang bubuhayin pagkatapos ng 1,000 taon.) 6 Mapalad at banal ang mga kabilang sa unang pagkabuhay ng mga patay. Walang kapangyarihan sa kanila ang ikalawang kamatayan. Magiging mga pari sila ng Dios at ni Cristo, at maghaharing kasama niya sa loob ng 1,000 taon.
The Context: Describes souls of martyrs and faithful believers coming to life to reign with Christ for a thousand years, partaking in the "first resurrection" where they are blessed, holy, immune to the second death, and serve as priests, contrasting with the rest of the dead who await the end of this millennium. Again, as I have said earlier, this has nothing to do during Christ and the saints that resurected during the time of his resurrection, those people who were resurrected with Christ where now with him with the Father, Revelation 20 simply stated to those who were left even until the second coming and then the first early resurrection will then occurd followed by those who doesn't believe. See the difference, Jose?
Conclusion: Which obviously means Jose Rodelio Retome Rata doesn't know his scripture well, especially his Bible. And was only brainwashed by the INC ideology, in which case he is ignorant of the things of the Scriptures.
David Whitmer
Martin Harris
Oliver Cowdery
