The following order of appearances may help in the understanding of the testimony to the resurrection: 1. The women at the grave see the vision of angels. 2. The women separate at the grave to make known the news --Mary Magdalene going to tell Peter and John, who doubtless lived close by (for it seems that they reached the grave in a single run). The other women go to tell the other disciples who, probably, were at Bethany. 3. Peter and John, hearing the news, run to the grave, leaving Mary. They then return home. 4. Mary follows; lingers at the grave; gets vision of the Master, and command to go tell the disciples. 5. The other women see Christ on the way. 6. Christ appears to the two on the way to Emmaus. 7. To Simon Peter. 8. To the ten apostles, and other friends. 9. To the apostles at Tiberias. 10. To the apostles and multitude on the mount. 11. To the disciples and friends at the ascension. 12. To James (1 Cor. 15:7). 13. To Paul (1 Cor. 15:8). IV. THE RESULTS OF THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST. 1. AS TO JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF. Rom. 1:4--"And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." To "declare" means to mark off, to define, to set apart (Acts 10:42; Heb. 4:7). NOTE: Christ was not _made_ the Son of God by the resurrection, but _declared_ such. Had Christ remained in the grave as other men had done, there would then have been no reasonable ground to impose faith in Him. The empty tomb testifies to the deity of Christ. Matt. 18:38-42; John 2:13-22. In these scriptures Jesus Christ bases His authority for His teaching and the truth of all His claims on His resurrection from the dead. (Cf. under I. 2, in this chapter, p. 84.) See also Matt. 28:6--"Risen, as he said." 2. AS TO THE BELIEVER IN JESUS CHRIST. a) Assures Him of His Acceptance with God. Rom. 4:25--"Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." So long as Christ lay in the grave there was no assurance that His redemptive work had been acceptable to God. The fact that God raised Jesus from the dead was evidence that the Father was satisfied with the sacrifice Christ had made for the sins of men. "Of righteousness, because I go unto my Father" (John 16:10). Believing sinners may now rest satisfied that in Him they are justified. This thought is illustrated by the picture of the Jews waiting outside the temple for the coming out of the high priest (Luke 1:21), thereby indicating that their sacrifice had been accepted. b) Assures of Him an Interceding High Priest in the Heavens.