What Old Testament prophecies connect with the events described in Luke 24:23? Setting the Scene Luke 24:23: “and when they did not find His body, they came and reported that they had seen a vision of angels, who said He was alive.” The women discover an empty tomb, hear angelic testimony, and receive the announcement that Jesus has risen. Each element echoes prophecies and patterns already laid down in the Old Testament. Prophecies Foretelling the Messiah’s Resurrection • Psalm 16:10—“For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.” – David speaks beyond himself to One whose body would never rot; the empty tomb fulfills this word literally. • Isaiah 53:10-11—“Yet it pleased the LORD to crush Him, and He made Him sick. … He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.” – After suffering and death, the Servant lives on to carry out God’s will, matching the report “He was alive.” • Hosea 6:2—“After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His presence.” – A corporate promise that foreshadows the Messiah’s third-day rising, verified by the angels’ announcement. • Psalm 118:17-18—“I will not die, but I will live and proclaim what the LORD has done. The LORD disciplined me severely, but He has not given me over to death.” – Points to victorious life after divine discipline, fulfilled in Jesus’ resurrection. • Psalm 22:22, 24—“I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the assembly.… He has not hidden His face from him, but has listened to his cry for help.” – The Sufferer speaks again in the congregation, something only possible after deliverance from death. • Jonah 1:17; 2:10—Jonah’s three days in the fish typologically forecast Messiah’s three-day sojourn in death, now ended by resurrection (cf. Matthew 12:40). • Daniel 12:2—“Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake…” – Establishes the expectation that God can and will raise the dead, climaxing first in Messiah’s own rising. Hints of Angelic Witness at the Resurrection • Psalm 91:11-12—“For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” – Applied prophetically to the Messiah (Luke 4:10-11), anticipating angelic ministry at critical moments, including the resurrection morning. • Genesis 28:12-13—Jacob’s ladder reveals angels ascending and descending, a picture Jesus later applies to Himself (John 1:51). The traffic of angels around the Son of Man reaches a decisive manifestation at the empty tomb. • Zechariah 3:1-4—Joshua the high priest stands before “the Angel of the LORD” while Satan accuses; cleansing is declared by angelic decree. This courtroom scene foreshadows angels announcing vindication after Messiah’s atoning death. Putting It All Together The empty tomb and the angelic proclamation in Luke 24:23 fit hand-in-glove with Old Testament expectations: 1. Messiah would die, yet His body would not decay (Psalm 16). 2. He would rise to prolonged days and triumphant service (Isaiah 53; Hosea 6). 3. Angelic messengers would testify to God’s protective, vindicating power over His Anointed (Psalm 91; Zechariah 3). Luke’s report is therefore not an isolated surprise but the precise outworking of prophecies woven throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, now fulfilled in the risen Christ. |
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