What were some of the remarkable, supernatural phenomena that accompanied Jesus’ death—and what was the significance of each?

• At noon darkness fell over the land and remained for three hours (Matthew 27:45). It could not have been an eclipse, because Passover always fell on a full moon, and a solar eclipse would be out of the question during a full moon. God is certainly able to dim the sun’s light. Scripture does not say why the darkness occured; it only reports it as a fact. It may well signify the Father’s judgment falling on Christ as He bore in His person our guilt.

• At the moment of Christ’s death, “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51). The veil was a heavy curtain that blocked the entrance to the Most Holy Place in the Jerusalem temple, the place where the ark of the covenant was kept, symbolizing the sacred presence of God. The tearing of the curtain at the moment of Jesus’ death dramatically symbolized that His sacrifice was a sufficient atonement for sins forever and that the way into Most Holy Place was now open. The tearing of the high curtain from top to bottom signified that it was God Himself who removed the barrier.

• Also at the exact moment of Christ’s death, “the earth quaked, and the rocks were split” (Matthew 27:51). Although earthquakes were a fairly common phenomenon, an earthquake with enough force to split rocks would have instantly brought the entire city of Jerusalem to a halt for several minutes. A supernatural earthquake like this one could only signify the wrath of God. At the cross, the wrath of God against sin was poured out on His own Son; the accompanying earthquake was a kind of divine punctuation mark.

• At the very same moment when Christ died, “the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised” (Matthew 27:52). Their appearance proved that Christ had conquered death, not merely for Himself, but for all believers.

• Mark reports the conversion of the centurion charged with overseeing the crucifixion. At the moment of Jesus’ death, as Christ’s atoning work was brought to completion, its dramatic saving power was already at work in the lives of those who were physically closest to Him. The centurion proclaimed, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39).