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The Spirit of Prophecy Volume 3
you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be
delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third
day rise again.” These angels were well acquainted with the words of
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Jesus to his disciples, for they had been with him in the capacity of
guardian angels, through all the scenes of his life, and had witnessed
his trial and crucifixion.
With combined wisdom and tenderness, the angels reminded the
women of the words of Jesus, warning them beforehand of his cru-
cifixion and resurrection. The women now fully comprehended the
words of their Master, which at the time were veiled in mystery to
them. They gathered fresh hope and courage. Jesus had declared that
he would rise from the dead, and had rested his claims as the Son of
God, the Redeemer of the world, upon his future resurrection from the
dead.
Mary, who had first discovered that the tomb was empty, hurried
to Peter and John, and announced that the Lord had been taken out
of the sepulcher, and she knew not where they had laid him. At these
words the disciples both hastened to the sepulcher, and found it as
Mary had said. The body of their Master was not there, and the linen
clothes lay by themselves. Peter was perplexed; but John believed that
Jesus had risen from the dead, as he had told them he should do. They
did not understand the scripture of the Old Testament, which taught
that Christ should rise from the dead; but the belief of John was based
upon the words of Jesus himself while he was yet with them.
The disciples left the sepulcher, and returned to their homes; but
Mary could not bear to leave while all was uncertainty as to what had
become of the body of her Lord. As she stood weeping, she stooped
down to once more look into the sepulcher; and lo, there were two
angels, clothed in garments of white. They were disguised by an
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appearance of humanity, and Mary did not recognize them as celestial
beings. One sat where the head of Jesus had rested, and the other where
his feet had been. They addressed Mary with the words: “Woman,
why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken
away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.” In view of
the open sepulcher, and the disappearance of her Master’s body, Mary
was not easily comforted.
In her abandonment of grief she did not notice the heavenly appear-
ance of those who addressed her. As she turned aside to weep, another