Best-selling author Beth Moore reflects on the
Easter story and Jesus' resurrection.
"An angel of the Lord came down from heaven
and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone
and sat on it."
Can you fathom the angel's horror when
humans mocked, spat on, beat, flogged and
crucified the Son of God?
A Thunderous Arrival
Imagine the joy of the angel whose thunderous
arrival caused the ground to shake. God chose
him to be the one who rolled back the stone
not to free Jesus but to reveal Him already
missing!
Can you picture the angel's gleaming face as
he perched on that stone?
The guards were so afraid that they shook and
became like dead men. The graveyard needed a
few folks acting like dead men since a number
of the formerly dead were suddenly walking the
streets (see Matthew 27:52-53).
Jesus Is Alive!
I'm about to have to shout hallelujah! The
women entered the tomb, but they did not find
the body.
Some things are simply impossible, and death
keeping its hold on Jesus is one of them. Mind
you, the women didn't yet understand. Luke
24:4 tells us "while they were wondering about
this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed
like lightning stood beside them."
John's version hints at these two celestial
ambassadors' assignment.
According to John 20:12, when Mary
Magdalene looked inside the tomb, the angels
were positioned in a particular way. Quite
possibly, three angels also guarded the body of
Jesus while it lay "in state" in the sepulcher.
An Old Testament Foreshadow Brought to Life
The Old Testament tabernacle contained a
marvelous picture foreshadowing this moment.
The ark of the covenant represented the very
presence of God. In Exodus 23:17-22, read the
instructions for the "mercy seat" (KJV) or
"atonement cover" (NIV) on the ark of the
covenant.
Do you see the picture? I can't be dogmatic
that the cherubim prefigured the angels as
Christ's head and feet, but I am convinced.
Jesus has always been the means by which
God would "meet with" humanity (Exodus
25:22). If the cherubim prefigured the angels in
the tomb, can you imagine how they guarded
the body through the wait?
With their wings overshadowing Him, they
faced each other, looking toward the cover.
Picture their reactions when the glorified body
of Jesus sat up from the death shroud and
walked out of the tomb, right through the rock.
Wouldn't you have loved to hear as Christ
thanked them for their service?
"Why do you look for the living among the
dead?"
Glory to God! Though the news echoed
throughout the heavenlies at the moment of
Christ's resurrection, the angels probably
longed for God to turn on their volume in the
earthly realm and announce it to the mortals.
At the sight of the angels, the women fell on
their faces. The celestial guards announced to
them, "Why do you look for the living among
the dead?"
The what? The living! "He is not here" (Luke
24:5). Oh, Glorious, Merciful, Omnipotent God!
He is risen indeed!
"Remember how He told you."
I cherish the next five words of the angels:
"Remember how He told you" (v. 6). Beloved,
have you forgotten something He told you?
Christ, our Lord, is faithful to His promises. If
you're not presently "seeing" Him at work in
your situation, do not live as if He's lifeless
and you're hopeless.
Believe Him and expect Him to reveal His
resurrection power to you!
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