The
Harmonized Gospel of JESUS CHRIST Part 18
Chapter 18
After the Sabbath as the
first day of the week
began to dawn there was a great earthquake for an angel of the LORD
descended from heaven and rolled back the stone from the tomb then sat on it.
His countenance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow. The
guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men.
Mary Magdalene and Mary JESUS’
mother came to see the tomb. The angel said to the women, “Do not be
afraid for I know that you seek JESUS who was crucified, He is not here for He
is risen as He said. Come see the place where the LORD lay
then go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead and
indeed He is going before you into Galilee there you will see Him; Pat
attention I have told you.”
Then they went in and did not
find the body of the LORD JESUS. It happened as they were greatly
perplexed about this that two men stood by them in shining garments and they
were afraid and bowed their faces
to the earth. The angel said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the
dead? He is not here, He is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when
He was still 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.”
Mary stood outside by the tomb
weeping and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. She
saw the two angels in white sitting one at the head and the other at the feet
where the body of JESUS had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “Because they have taken away my LORD and
I do not know where they have laid Him.” When she had said this she turned
around and saw JESUS standing there, she
did not know that it was JESUS, He said to her, “Woman
why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She supposing Him to be the
gardener, said to Him, “Sir if You have carried Him away tell me where You have
laid Him and I will take Him.” JESUS said, “Mary!”
She said, “Rabboni!” JESUS said, “Do not cling to
Me for I have not yet ascended to My Father, but go to My brethren and say to
them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father and to
My GOD and your GOD.’” Then
Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the LORD
and that He had
spoken these things to her.
Then Mary Magdalene ran to Simon
Peter and John whom JESUS loved and said to them, “They have taken away the LORD out
of the tomb and we do not know where they have laid Him.” Peter and John went
out and ran to the tomb. John outran Peter and came to the tomb first, stooping
down and looking in he saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came and
went into the tomb and he saw the linen cloths lying there and the handkerchief
that had been around His head not lying with the linen cloths but folded in a
place by itself. Then John also went in and he saw and believed yet they
did not know the Scripture that He must rise again from the dead. Then the
disciples went away.
While they were going to tell the
disciples some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief
priests all the things that had happened. When they had assembled with the
elders and consulted together they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers
saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ and if this comes to the governor’s ears we will appease
him and make you secure.” So they took the
money and did as they were instructed and this saying is commonly reported
among the Jews to this day.
Two
of the disciples were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which
was seven miles from Jerusalem, and they talked together of all these things
which had happened. So it was while they conversed and reasoned that JESUS
Himself drew near and went with them. Their eyes were restrained so that
they did not know Him. He said He said
to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one
another as you walk and are sad?” Then the one whose name was
Cleopas answered Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem and do You not
know the things which happened there in these days?” JESUS said, “What things?” So they said, “The things
concerning JESUS of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and
word before GOD and all the people and how the chief priests
and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death and crucified
Him. We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Besides
all this today is the third day since these things happened certain women of
our company who arrived at the tomb early astonished us when they did not find
His body, they came saying that they had seen a vision of angels who said He
was alive. Some of those who were with
us went to the tomb and found it just
as the women had said but they did not see Him.”
Then JESUS said to them, “You foolish ones and slow of heart to believe in all
that the prophets have spoken! Should not the CHRIST have suffered these things and
entered into His glory?” Beginning
at Moses and all the Prophets, JESUS expounded to them in all the
Scriptures the things concerning Himself. When they drew near to the village
where they were going, He indicated that He would have gone
farther. They constrained Him saying, “Abide with us for it is toward
evening and the day is far spent.” so He went in to stay with them. As He sat
at the table with them He took bread blessed and broke it and gave it to them then
their eyes were opened and they knew Him and He vanished from their sight. They
said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us
on the road and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” So they rose up
that very hour and returned to Jerusalem and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together. So they told the
things that had happened on the road and how He
was known to them in the breaking of bread.
As they said these things, JESUS
Himself stood in the midst of them and said to them, “Peace to you.” They were terrified and
supposed they had seen a spirit. He said to them, “Why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your
hearts? See
My hands and My feet that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see for a spirit
does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” When He had said this
He showed them His hands and His feet. They still did not fully believe yet
they marveled, He said, “Have you any food
here?” So they gave Him a piece
of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. He took it and ate in their presence then He said, “These are the
words which I spoke to you while I was still with you that all things must be
fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” Then He
opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
JESUS said again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me I send you.” When He had said this He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any
they are forgiven them, if you retain the sins of any they are retained.”
Thomas, called the Twin, one
of the twelve was not with them when JESUS came. The other disciples said
to him, “We have seen the LORD.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands
the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and put my
hand into His side I will not believe.” After eight days His disciples were
again inside and Thomas was with them. JESUS came, the doors being shut, and
stood in the midst and said, “Peace to you!” Then
He said to Thomas “Reach
your finger here and look at My hands and reach your hand here and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving but believing.” Thomas said to Him, “My LORD and
my GOD!” JESUS said, “Thomas because you have
seen Me you have believed, blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
JESUS rebuked them for their hardness of heart and not
believing those who had seen Him, so He said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Go into all the
world and
preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be
saved but
he who does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will follow those who believe in My
name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues, they will take up serpents and if they drink
anything deadly it will not hurt them, they will lay hands on the sick and they
will recover.”
After these things JESUS showed
Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Galilee also called the Sea of
Tiberias. It happened like this, Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael
of Cana in Galilee, the sons of
Zebedee and two others of His disciples were together. Simon Peter said to
them, “I am going fishing.” they said to him, “We are going with you.” They
went out and immediately got into the boat and that night they caught nothing.
When the morning had come JESUS stood on the shore yet the disciples did
not know that it was Him.
Then JESUS said to them, “Children have you any food?” They answered Him,
“No.” He said, “Cast the net on the right side
of the boat and you will find some.” So they cast the net and now they were not
able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. Then John said to Peter,
“It is the LORD!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the LORD, he
put on his outer
garment, for he had removed it and plunged into the sea. The other disciples
came in the little boat for they were not far from land, about one hundred yards,
dragging the net with fish. As soon as they had come to land they saw a
fire of coals with fish and bread laid on it. JESUS said to them, “Bring some of the
fish which you have just caught.”
Simon Peter went and dragged the
net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three and although there
were so many the net was not broken. JESUS said, “Come and eat
breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”
knowing that it was the LORD. JESUS then took the bread and fish and gave
it to them. This is the
third time JESUS showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the
dead.
So when they had eaten breakfast JESUS
said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah do you love Me
more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, LORD You know that I love You.” JESUS
said to him, “Feed My lambs.” JESUS said to
him a second time, “Simon son of Jonah do you
love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes LORD You know that I love You.” He
said to him, “Tend My sheep.” JESUS said to
him the third time, “Simon son of Jonah do you love
Me?” Peter was grieved because He asked him the third time, “Do you love Me?” he said to Him, “LORD,
You know all things, You know that I love You.” JESUS said to him, “Feed My sheep. Truly I say to you when you were younger
you girded yourself and walked where you wished but when you are old you will
stretch out your hands and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” This He spoke signifying by what death
Peter would glorify GOD then He said to Peter, “Follow
Me.”
Then Peter turning around saw the
disciple John whom JESUS loved following them. Peter seeing him said to JESUS,
“LORD what about this
man?” JESUS said, “If I will that he
remain till I come what is
that to you? You follow Me.” Then the saying went out among
the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet JESUS did not say to him
that he would not die only, “If I will that he
remain till I come what is that to
you?”
Then the eleven disciples went to
the mountain in Galilee that JESUS had
appointed for them. When
they saw Him they worshiped Him yet some still
doubted, JESUS came and spoke to
them saying, “Go and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, for
I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.”
Later JESUS led them to Bethany,
to mount Olivet, He lifted His hands and blessed them saying, “It is written and it was necessary for the CHRIST to
suffer and to rise from the dead the third day and that repentance
and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations
beginning at Jerusalem, you are witnesses of these things. I send the Promise
of My Father to you so wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are
endued with power from on high. For
John truly baptized with water and you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many
days from now.”
They asked Him, “LORD will You at this time restore the
kingdom to Israel?” He said, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own
authority. You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you and you shall be witnesses of Me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.”
When He had spoken these things,
while they watched, He was taken up and a cloud received Him out of their sight into Heaven
and He sat down at the right hand of GOD. While they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up two men stood
by them in white apparel who said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into Heaven? This same JESUS, who was taken up from you into Heaven will come
in like manner as you have seen Him go into Heaven.” Then they worshipped Him
and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. They were continually in the temple
praising and blessing GOD.
This account I
made of all that JESUS began both to do and teach until the day in which He was taken up, after He
through the Holy Spirit had given
commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He presented Himself
alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during
forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of GOD. JESUS was seen by up to 500 people at one time. Truly JESUS did many
other signs in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this
book. These are written that you may
believe that JESUS is the CHRIST, the
Son of GOD, and that believing you may have life in His
name. There are many other things that JESUS did which if
they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could
not contain the books that would be written. Amen!
