So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch."-- Matthew 27;65,66.
[263]The Lord Jehovah must have held these Pharisees in derision, who presumed by having the stone sealed and a Roman guard placed at the entrance that they could prevent his bringing Jesus out of the tomb.
God could have easily resurrected the Lord without removing the stone.
He chose, however, to do the latter.

And in addition to raising up Jesus as a divine being, he also removed the body in his own good way and to his own good place, that it might not see corruption, even as he had promised .-- Psalm 16:10.
[264]This Roman guard kept a close vigil over the tomb during Friday night, Saturday and Saturday night; and early Sunday morning the angel of the Lord appeared and rolled back the stone.

The keepers testified that the countenance of the angel was like lightning and his raiment as white as snow, and these watchmen did shake because of fear.
[265]The sabbath day now ended, the dawn of the first day of the week being here, the faithful women were the first ones to start for the tomb.

"In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.