Angels at Christ's Tomb

S

Set free 47

Well-Known Member
I have a question that I think maybe others have asked. What part did the two angels play at Christ's resurrection from the dead? Growing up in different churches based on the four Gospel accounts, I assumed that the two angels were sent by God to somehow command or somehow arouse Christ back to life. The Gospel accounts don't mention God the Father being there to raise his Son Jesus back to life. It only mentions the angels there to roll the great tomb stone open while the Roman guards asleep. The women question the angels, not realizing who there were. The angels tell them He is not here and He is risen. I could speculate that the two angel could have been sent by God under His command under his power to command the raising of Christ from the dead.
The Bible scholars I have read say that the two angels were present at the tomb simply to act as witnesses to Christ's resurrection. I am not sure whether the two angels actually acted on authority from God to somehow command Christ to rise, or they were there having rolled away the tomb entrance to be witnesses to the apostles and woman who first came to the tomb and found Christ gone. What do you think? God did raise Christ from the dead, but did He do so personally, or did He send his angels with His orders to raise Christ? Angels were sent to do God's will or proclaim messages to man elsewhere in the Bible.
Phil
 
J

Jaybird

Well-Known Member
Angels are servants of God so I don't believe they were needed to aid in the resurrection. The Father raised the Son. Angels do not possess this power. I believe the angels were sent to be witnesses to the resurrection. When we see angels mentioned in the Scriptures they are usually delivering messages from God. However, in Acts 5:19 we see an angel opening the doors to the prison where the Apostles were imprisoned. They serve God and do not act on their own will.
 
Wally

Wally

Choose Your Words Carefully...
Matthew has a single angel rolling the stone away, striking fear into the guards, and sitting upon the stone

Mark has the women meet a man in shining clothes in the tomb

Luke has two angels appear as the women were looking in the tomb

John has Mary find the empty tomb, John and Peter are told and travel to find the tomb as she said, and then Mary sees two angels in the tomb just before meeting Jesus.


With a few people going there, each had an encounter and a story to tell. Mary was still grieving, others were amazed or perplexed.
And not everything is recorded in time sequence so some may have visited outside of what is written.
I remember one writer supposed the man in the tomb was actually John Mark, who "got it" - "He is not here, He is risen!"

The angels performed two actions: To move the stone, and to proclaim. He is Risen! Go and Tell! The angels established the fact and then prodded the witnesses to share the Good News.

One does wonder how many, if any, of the guards became stalwart witnesses, or succumbed to self-preservation and in saving their lives, lost them.
 
S

Set free 47

Well-Known Member
Again, let me re-state that I do indeed believe God raised Jesus from the dead, which I stated in my OP. Again, angels can be sent by God to act as God's agents to either proclaim His will or do his will or both. You can see this in numerous places throughout Scripture. There may be reasons why the gospel writers only mention the angel or angels at the tomb and not all that happened previous to the woman and apostles arriving at the empty tomb.
 
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