Angels for Us
Part III
Jesus Christ is our risen lord and savior. His capture was orchestrated by wicked men. His beatings were the result of the wrath of the devil. It is very difficult to image the torture he went through. He did it because he loved God and loved people. He did it because he obedient to God's will. When did he know he was going to be raised from the dead in three days? Matthew 12:38-41 records Jesus teaching that son of man will be three days and three night in the heart of th earth like Jonas (Jonah) was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale. This must have been a consolation to him. However many did not understand or believe. God sent angels to verify that Christ had been raised from the dead but his own disciples believed not.
Mark16
:9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week,
he appeared first to Mary Magdalene,
out of whom he had cast seven
devils.
:10 And she went and told them that had been with him,
as they mourned and wept.
:11 And they,
when they had heard that he was
alive,
and had been seen of her,
believed not.
:12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them,
as they walked,
and went into the country.
:13 And they went and told it unto the residue:
neither believed they them.
:14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat,
and upbraided them with their unbelief
and hardness of heart,
because they believed not them which had seen him after he
was risen.
John 20 is an elaboration of this first visit to the sepulchre and tells us that after she sees the sepulchre empty she finds Simon Peter and other disciples and they return to the sepulchre. Only one believed he had been risen from the dead the others went back home.
John 20
:11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping:
and as she wept,
she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
:12 And seeth two angels in white sitting,
the one at the head,
and the other at the feet,
where the body of Jesus had lain.
:13 And they say unto her,
Woman, why weepest thou?
She saith unto them,
Because they have taken away my
Lord,
and I know not where they have laid
him.
:14 And when she had thus said,
she turned herself back,
and saw Jesus standing,
and knew not that it was Jesus.
:15 Jesus saith unto her,
Woman, why weepest thou?
whom seekest thou?
She,
supposing him to be the
gardener,
saith unto him,
Sir, if thou have borne him hence,
tell me where thou hast laid him,
and I will take him away.
:16 Jesus saith unto her,
Mary.
She turned herself, and saith unto him,
Rabboni;
which is to
say, Master.
:17 Jesus saith unto her,
Touch me not;
for I am
not yet ascended to my Father:
but go to my brethren,
and say unto them,
I ascend
unto my Father,
and your
Father;
and to my God,
and your
God.
:18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord,
and that he had spoken these things unto her.
The presence of the angels verified the raising of Christ from the dead. Actually the first angel that showed up rolled the stone away from the door of the Sepulchre and the guards were so frightened that they passed out (Matthew 28:2-4). There are many appearances of angels as people came to the Sepulchre. Not each gospel records the same thing. If you set out each record according to who, what, when, why and how many angels you will see that there were several trips made by Mary Magdalene and that it starts before daylight after the weekly Sabbath (Saturday). For our western thinking it was before dawn Sunday morning.
After his appearances Jesus Christ hung around for 40 days (Acts 1:3) showing himself to the disciples (including the apostles), the men on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13) and more than 500 brethren (I Corinthians 15:6). Next we see the record of his promise of power to all those that believe and his Ascension into heaven in Acts 1. And guess what, angels appear here also:
Acts 1
:8 But ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:
and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem,
and in all Judaea,
and in Samaria,
and unto the uttermost part of the earth. [where
you live]
:9 And when he had spoken these things,
while they beheld,
he was taken up;
and a cloud received him out of their sight.
:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up,
behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
:11 Which also said,
Ye men of Galilee,
why stand ye gazing up into heaven?
this same Jesus,
which is
taken up from you into heaven,
shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into
heaven.
More angels!! They said he is coming back!! Just like he left he will return! Oh what a glorious day that will be. Let us look at those records.
I Thessalonians 4
:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,
concerning them which are asleep,
that ye sorrow not,
even as others which have no hope.
:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,
even so them also
which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him.
:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord,
that we which are alive and remain unto the coming
of the Lord
shall not prevent [precede] them
which are asleep.
:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel,
and with the trump of God:
and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
:17 Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air:
and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
I am listening for the shout; the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, The three words all translated 'with' in verse 16 is the Greek word en meaning in-denoting position.
:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with
[en - in] a shout,
with
[en - in] the voice of the archangel,
and with
[en - in] the trump of God:
and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
In a shout in the voice of the archangel and in the trump of God the dead in Christ shall rise first!
When the archangel heralds the return of Christ I'll be listening.