Prayer – Lord Jesus—Hallelujah! You are risen from the dead! I rejoice—with exceeding great joy! The joy we felt at Christmas—and with the appearing of the wise men is nothing compared to the joy that we feel knowing that You were resurrected…and one day we will experience that same resurrection! Praise Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly there
was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled
aside the stone, and sat on it. ... Then the angel spoke to the women.
"Don't be afraid!" he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus,
who was crucified. He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said
would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell
his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to
Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you." The women
ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great
joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel's message. And as they
went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet,
and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Don't be afraid! Go tell my
brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there." Matthew
28:1-2, 5-10 
The Stone was rolled away.
The Tomb was empty.
Jesus was Risen...just as He said.
Meditate. Consider God’s plan and its fulfillment.
Oh my! An earthquake! Ground shaking and rocks falling! The huge stone covering the entrance to the tomb rolled away! Powerful tremor. Earlier there had been an earthquake as Jesus hung on the cross. Was this one at the tomb three days later an aftershock? There is an 8.2 magnitude earthquake report associated with the Palestine area in 33 AD according to articles on Skeptic.com. No wonder the ladies going to the tomb were afraid! Earthquakes are a powerful— frightening even valiant Roman soldiers.
The Roman officer and the other
soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had
happened. They said, "This man truly was the Son of God!" Matthew
27:54
Jesus was
raised from the dead—just as He had said. The very earth that He created quaked
at His death and again at His resurrection.
There have been several well publicized earthquakes lately…and people were pretty traumatized. Scary stuff. I experienced a minor quake a couple of times over thirty years ago when I lived in Okinawa. They were like waves through the ground—just like ocean waves. I could actually see the ground swelling and receding as it came near us…and the dishes rattling in the cupboards as it moved through our house. Not too scary in the daylight. Nothing like the 7.8 magnitude felt in Turkey or all the minor ones, 4.1 to 5.6, recorded in Turkey during the last few weeks. Have you ever experienced an earthquake? Was your first spiritual encounter with the Lord like an earthquake?
Verse of Salvation ~ After this I saw a vast crowd, too
great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing
in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes
and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great
roar, "Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from
the Lamb!" Revelation 7:9-10
© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
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