The Lord Jesus is the first from the dead. The saints were therefore raised after His resurrection.There was no time reckoned beween the Lord's death and His resurrection; that is why Mathew'snarrative proceeds directly from one event to the other with mentioning the time in between. Danieldescribes the resurrection of the OT saints; the rapture is the resurrection of the NT saints. Logicsuggests that the saints raised in Mathew's account were the saints in between, i.e. those whohad believed in the Lord but died before His resurrection. They made up the sheaf of first-fruits. Ifyou want a fuller explanation, read "The Restored Vision" by A. E. Ware or "The Miracle of Time"by Frank Paine.
http://www.shiloah.co.uk/Miracle%20Of%20Time/Chapter%2011.htm
<<<<<"'Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the Firstfruits of them that slept' (1 Corinthians 15: 20)
"We must now examine this great annual 'type' of the Resurrection of Christ which is pictured for us in Leviticus 23: 9-21 for, if we fail to grasp its meaning for the Church now, at the climax of the age, we shall find ourselves deprived of a vital part of 'the armour of light' (Romans 13:12) just at the time when it is most urgently needed.
"Those who have read these verses with understanding have seen that the Harvest has special reference to the Church, which is the Body of Christ - springing forth, as it were, from that 'one corn of wheat' which fell into the ground and died (John 12:24) - and that the seven weeks begin with 'a sheaf of the firstfruits' and end with 'the bread of the firstfruits' being 'waved', that is, ascending to the Lord.
"Nothing is more wonderful than to see the way Jesus fulfilled the beginning of this typical picture of the Harvest. He had, indeed, died and fallen into the ground but, in resurrection, He 'bore much fruit,' for we read in Matthew 27:52-53 that 'many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.' Had He not promised, at the graveside of Lazarus, that 'he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live'?(John 11:25) And had not many, who had believed in Him in the years of His ministry, already passed on and predeceased Him? Were these to remain in their graves when He, the Prince of Life, had conquered death and already 'led captivity captive' (Ephesians 4:8)? No, a thousand times, No! For the Harvest meant that all that had sprung from that one Corn of Wheat must be raised up together - none could continue to remain in death.
"What would have been more unnatural than if these, who had recently died, should keep to themselves the glorious fact that He and they had been loosed into everlasting life! Of course, they went and manifested themselves to their bereaved friends and relatives still gathered in the holy city!"
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Adrian