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The 4 Gospels, Interwoven

The Risen Lord




Author, Roger W. Gruen
Publisher, Commendations Incorporated

Copyright 2017 by Commendations Incorporated
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Chapter 2.

Where Is Jesus?

 

 

The First Easter

Was Far From Serene.

 

At the dawn of the first Easter Sunday, the determined women who hurried to the tomb to re-bury Jesus were rocked by an earthquake.  When they regained their footing, they noticed that the great stone which blocked the door of the sepulcher was rolled back from its entrance.  As they approached the grave site, they marveled when they passed a contingent of well-armed, Roman soldiers lying on the ground comatose.

 

Then, an angel, appearing as a young man with a glowing face, dressed in a gleaming, white robe, ushered the ladies into the tomb to see where Jesus’ body had lain.  He and another angel declared, “Jesus is alive!  He is risen from the dead!”  But, the women didn’t see Jesus.  They saw the grave cloths that had been wound around Him ... still intact ... but, Jesus’ body was not inside the windings.

 

The women were unnerved.  They bolted from the tomb in fear and sat down in the cemetery garden to recoup.  With just one exception, they were filled with joy, thinking that Jesus had, in fact, risen from the dead.  But, Mary Magdalene did not believe the “young men”.  She thought they were part of an elaborate plot to bury Jesus in an undisclosed location and obliterate all memories of Him.  She hurried back to town alone to tell Peter and John that the tomb was empty.  “Someone has stolen the body of Jesus!  Where is He?” she cried.

 

Having recovered their equanimity, the rest of the women began walking back to Jerusalem to tell the Apostles and their fellow believers what they had seen and heard.  Immediately, they encountered Jesus.  In wonderment, they sank to their knees, clasped His feet, and worshiped Him.  He comforted them and sent them on to tell His followers that they had seen Him alive.

 

 

 

What Was the Risen Lord Like?

 

The Risen Lord was and is an awe-inspiring, glorified embodiment of His former self.  As explained in “The 4 Gospels, Interwoven, Holy Week”, while Jesus’ body had lain lifeless in His tomb, Christ’s Spirit had worn a “Pre-Resurrection” body.  In it, He had welcomed the repentant thief, who had died on the cross next to His, to Paradise.  And in it, He had fraternized with the millions of believers there and told them they would soon be leaving Paradise and moving to “Pre-Millennial Heaven”.

 

Shortly after the sunset of Holy Saturday, an hour or 2 after the beginning of the Jewish first day of the week, Easter Sunday, Jesus had returned to His tomb.  Miraculously, He had merged His “Pre-Resurrection” body with His earthly remains to form His eternal, Resurrected body.  His earthly body had been impressive; tall, handsome, strong, moving about majestically, and filled with His divine nature.  In that body He had preached the Gospel,  eloquently.  But, in His Resurrected body, all these wondrous attributes were magnified far beyond the limits of ordinary humanity.  Meeting the Risen Lord was and is a breath-taking and humbling experience.

 

 

 

What Will You Be Like

When You Are Resurrected?

 

Jesus’ transformation from His “Pre-Resurrection” body to His eternal body will be echoed in your life, if you are a believer.  When you die, immediately,  you will be with Christ in “Pre-Millennial Heaven”, clothed in your “Pre-Rapture” body.  Then, when the Rapture occurs, your “Pre-Rapture” body will be  merged with your earthly remains to form your eternal body.  The Apostle Paul often thought about this change.  He looked forward to leaving this world to be with Christ.  In his letter to the Philippians, he  weighed whether it would be better for him to move on to Heaven or to stay on Earth and continue to preach the Gospel.  He said ...

... I am hard-pressed between the two. I have the desire to leave [this world] and be with Christ, for that is far, far better; yet to remain in my body is more necessary and essential for your sake. 

(Philippians 1:23-24 The Amplified Bible)

And, in his second letter to the Corinthian Church, Paul ponders what it will be like to put on his “Pre-Rapture” body.  He said ...

... we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.  (2 Corinthians 5:5 NLT)

What did Paul mean when he wrote “these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life”?  He explained that thought in his first letter to the Church at Thessalonica when, writing about the Rapture, he said ...

... since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.  (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 NLT)

 

Notice first: This passage says, “when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.”  So, if you die before the Rapture, you will come to the Rapture in the clouds with Jesus.  You will be wearing your beautiful, “Pre-Rapture” body.  Even so, Christ will call your earthly remains from your grave, and, miraculously, these will be incorporated into your “Pre-Rapture” body to form your eternal, celestial body.  As Paul said, your earthly body “will be swallowed up by life”.  So, none of your earthly body will stay with planet Earth.

 

Notice second: If you are alive when the Rapture occurs, your entire spirit, soul and body will fly away to Jesus all at once and be transformed directly into your eternal, celestial body.  So, none of your earthly body will stay with planet Earth.

 

Notice third: Jesus did not leave the remains of His earthly body with planet Earth.

 

Furthermore, note what Peter said, “When the Day of the Lord comes ...

... the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 

(2 Peter 3:10)

Nevertheless, not a particle of the body of any believing soul will be destroyed in that inferno. 

 

 

 

The Search

For Jesus Intensified.

 

The ladies who Mary Magdalene had left in the garden were the first to see the Risen Lord.  It was an amazing experience.  He looked and sounded majestic.  But, He disappeared as suddenly as He had appeared.  They were left thrilled and disappointed.  “Where did Jesus go?” they asked each other.  They rushed to tell Jesus’ followers that they had seen Jesus alive.

 

As they hastened back to Jerusalem, Roman soldiers rushed past them, men they had seen asleep at the tomb.  These troops had regained consciousness, examined the empty tomb, and were running to report their findings to the chief priests and their military superiors.

... when they [the women] were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.  (Matthew 28:11)

 

 

 

The Chief Jews

Launched a Massive

Search For Jesus’ Body.

 

When the chief priests heard that the tomb was empty, they quickly called together their counselors, and as a group, they conferred with the Roman soldiers.  For sure, they did not believe the troops had seen an angel roll back the stone at the entrance to the sepulcher.  They concluded, “It had to be Jesus’ followers who rolled back the stone.  The earthquake must have stunned the soldiers and caused them to hallucinate and fall into a deep sleep.  Furthermore, we only asked the troops to watch the tomb for 3 days.  This is the 4th  day since Jesus was crucified.  Let’s make a deal, ‘You soldiers report the news as we see it, and we will give each of you a generous reward and keep you free from any reprimands or punishments from your superiors.  But, you must help us find the body of Jesus.  We’ll clear that mission with Pilate.’”

... when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.  (Matthew 28:12-15)

Immediately, an exhaustive search for Jesus’ body began.  Roman soldiers, the Temple guards, and many of the servants of the ruling Jews sought for the missing body throughout Jerusalem and its environs.

 

 

 

Jerusalem

Was Filled With Commotion.

 

The residents of Jerusalem had been violently tossed about by the earthquake that had erupted at sunrise.   They were anxious and frustrated.  They had not yet recovered from the quake that had occurred 4 days earlier, as Jesus perished on the Cross.  Feverishly, they tended to the injured, the trapped, and the deceased.  They strove to repair their houses and workplaces. 

 

As they coped with the disaster, they were startled.  They saw recently deceased and buried friends and relatives strolling into the city in good health.  Matthew recounts the miraculous event.  He says,
“When  Jesus succumbed ...

... the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. 

(Matthew 27:51b-53)

So, during that tumultuous, Sunday morning “many” saints (believers) returned to Jerusalem to resume their former lives.  That triggered numerous reunions and celebrations.  News of these resurrections spread through the city with astounding speed.  Just as the resurrection of Lazarus of Bethany a few days before Holy Week had caused a great stir in Jerusalem, these resurrections got everyone’s attention.

 

Also, the women who had seen Jesus alive entered the city and told everyone who would listen, “Jesus’ tomb is empty!  We saw Him!  He has risen from the dead!”

 

Furthermore, the seven-day “Feast of Unleavened Bread” was still in progress.  It had begun the prior Wednesday as the sun set.  It would continue until the sunset of the coming Wednesday.  Many thousands of Jews had come to town to celebrate Passover and to participate in the religious services of that special week.  Some of them had come from distant countries.  The inns were full, guest rooms were packed, and tents and temporary lean-tos were scattered all around the city.  Jerusalem was teeming with activity.

 

Into this turbulence, stepped the soldiers, guards and servants who were charged with finding Jesus’ body.  Their investigations persisted for several days to no avail.

 

 

 

Initially,

the Apostles Did Not Believe

the Ladies.

 

Mary Magdalene was the first to tell the Apostles about the empty tomb.  Getting nowhere with the men, she felt compelled to return to the tomb to see if she could find Jesus.  In deep thought and sadness, she walked alone on a secluded path to the Mount Calvary cemetery.  Meanwhile, the women who had seen Jesus alive gave their exuberant testimony to the Apostles and any others who would listen.  But, even their ecstatic enthusiasm failed to move the Apostles to action.  Amid all the tumult in Jerusalem, the men felt the women had been overwhelmed by their emotions and were repeating idle rumors.  Luke says ...

It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.  (Luke 24:10-11)

 

 

 

Peter and John

Ran To the Tomb.

 

Peter and John discussed the claims of the women who  had seen Jesus alive.  And, they heard of the many resurrected believers who had left their graves and returned to their homes.  And, they saw Roman soldiers and agents of the chief priests searching for Jesus’ body.  So, they decided to inspect Jesus’ tomb.

Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him ...  (John 20:3-6a)

Luke describes the scene from Peter’s perspective ...

Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves ...  (Luke 24:12a)

The men paused at the mouth of the tomb and said, “Who took His body away?  Or, did He arise and walk out of here?  We saw other resurrected saints in the city.  Where is He?”

Then ...

... [Peter] went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.  (John 20:6b-9)

What did John believe?  What insight flashed through his body, soul and spirit?  There on the broad ledge before him, he saw the linen cloths that had been wound around Jesus lying undisturbed.  The fasteners that held the windings together were all in place.  But, there was nothing inside the wrappings.  Suddenly, John concluded that in some miraculous way Jesus had floated free from His grave cloths leaving them intact.  “Surely,” John thought, “He must be alive, but where is He?”

 

Peter did not agree with John.  He ...

... departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.  (Luke 24:12b)

Still uncertain of the whereabouts of Jesus ...

... the disciples went away again unto their own home.  (John 20:10)

 

 

 

 

 

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