[Talisker]

It’s Matthew (and other inspired writers) that contradict the dogmas and creeds. There is no other way to take Matthew’s word other than literally.

Even regular folks don't lay dead in a grave. Either we don't have souls and the dead rotting body lays in th e dirt and any "we" ended when it dead, so there's no one to experience being in the grave (in which case why are we discussing this?) - or, we have souls, and when the body drops and is buried and rots, "we" are nowhere near it (unless we have the ability to choose to haunt it, but we're still not in the rotting body.

That's us.

Way I figure it, Jesus has a few more options than we do.

But believe what you want.

[count-your-change]

The hope Jesus spoke of was the resurrection from the memorial tombs (John 5:28,29), that which Paul called the resurrection of the righteous and unrighteous. (Acts 24:15)

“Even regular folks don't lay dead in a grave.”

Says who? Not the Scriptures since if the regular (righteous and unrighteous) folks weren't dead they wouldn't need to be resurrected from death.