The body of a church minister who promised to resurrect on the third day after his death has finally been buried after his grieving widow refused to hold a funeral until the deadline for his return had passed.

Huber Carlos Rodrigues’ corpse was reportedly being kept in a refrigerator at a funeral home in the municipality of Goiatuba in the Brazilian state of Goias.

The church minister passed away from cardiorespiratory complications in a hospital in the city of Itumbiara, also in the state of Goias, on Friday, 22nd October.

He left behind a document, signed in 2008, in which he claimed he had received divine revelations from the Holy Spirit.

He claimed he would go through a “mystery of God” and be resurrected at 11.30 pm on the third day after his death, which was Monday 25th October.

He wrote in the letter: “My physical integrity has to be fully preserved, as I will be dead for three days, and on the third day, I will be resurrected.

“My body during the three days will not have a bad smell or decompose, because God Himself will have prepared my flesh and my brain to go through this experience.”

The statement, signed by two witnesses, was confirmed to local media as authentic by the lawyer representing the deceased man’s family.

The funeral home also confirmed to local media that it was respecting the request of the widow, who had been married to the church minister for 26 years.

However, the church minister was finally buried at around 12.30 am on Tuesday, 26th October, after he apparently failed to return from the dead as predicted.

According to the news site G1, hundreds of people attended the burial on Tuesday and sang hymns in honour of the minister.