John 20:12

John 20:12. And beholdeth two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. In each of the accounts of the Resurrection an angelic appearance is recorded, in every case an appearance to the women who came to the tomb: by Peter and John no angels had been seen (John 20:5-6). The ‘white' garments are the symbol of purity and glory; see the references in the margin, and also Revelation 3:4-5; Revelation 6:11; Revelation 19:14, etc. That one of the angels was ‘at the head' and the other ‘ at the feet' where the body of Jesus had lain,' is to be regarded as expressive of the fact that the body was wholly under the guardianship of Heaven. This is not the place to enter upon any discussion of the general credibility of the angelic appearances recorded in Scripture. They are too often and too circumstantially spoken of to permit us to resolve them into mere figures of speech: nor can we have any difficulty in believing that in the great universe of God there should be such an order of beings as that described by the term ‘angels.' If, however, they may exist, their manifestation of themselves must be regarded as also possible; and the manner of the manifestation their appearing to some and not to others, their appearing suddenly and then as suddenly disappearing is to be looked at as dependent upon laws of which we can say nothing, because we have ourselves no practical experience of them.