A Timeline of Events from the Resurrection to the Ascension of Christ

Isaiah 28:13 But the word of the LORD was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little,” That they might go and fall backward, and be broken And snared and caught.

An Angel Rolls Back the Stone from the Door

Matthew 28:1 Now after the Sabbath [ending Saturday at sunset], as the first day of the week [Sunday] began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.

Written retrospectively – the Sabbath is the one that they all should have known about; it was the end of the three days and three nights that He was to be in the grave that had begun at the beginning of the high Sabbath the previous Wednesday evening. Yet NO ONE was there until approximately 12 hours after Christ had already risen.

Matthew 28:2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.
Matthew 28:3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.
Matthew 28:4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

The Women Arrive at the Tomb to Find Jesus Already Gone

(Still the first of the week, Sunday)

By going over all accounts and harmonizing them we get a fuller picture of what actually happened.

Matthew’s Account

Matthew 28:5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
Matthew 28:6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
Matthew 28:7 And 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. Behold, I have told you.”
Matthew 28:8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.

Mark’s Account

Mark 16:2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
Mark 16:3 And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”
Mark 16:4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large.
Mark 16:5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.
Mark 16:6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.
Mark 16:7 But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”
Mark 16:8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Luke’s Account

Luke 24:1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.

It is very clear now when all this happened. The confusion comes often because of a lack of understanding on which day is the Sabbath; when days begin; when Christ actual died, etc

Luke 24:2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
Luke 24:3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
Luke 24:4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.
Luke 24:5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?
Luke 24:6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,

Matthew 26:32 But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”

Luke 24:7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”
Luke 24:8 And they remembered His words.

It is interesting in all of this that no was there for the resurrection 12 hours earlier. In fact the women came with spices to anoint the body that they were expecting to find.

Mary Magdalene Reports the News to the Disciples

Luke 24:9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven [no Judas] and to all the rest.
Luke 24:10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. [more women accounted for] Luke 24:11 And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
Luke 24:12 But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.

John 20:1 Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

She was not there for the earthquake, but shortly thereafter. John omits some of the story, but he picks up the account at this point and we find more of what happened

John 20:2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, 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.”
John 20:3 Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb.
John 20:4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first.
John 20:5 And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in.
John 20:6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there,
John 20:7 and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.

His burial garments indicate that He was resurrected not taken by disciples

Where did Jesus go after He left the tomb? He did not go to heaven; He did not ascend as we will see later; there are at least 12 hours unaccounted for here. Also, as we go through this there will be time, even days that are not chronicled, for whatever reason; we have enough to go by; the bottom line is that the Scriptures do not specify.

John 20:8 Then the other disciple [John], who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed.
John 20:9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.
John 20:10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.

Jesus Appeared to Mary Magdalene First

Mark 16:9 Now when He rose[,] early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.

What do we know already about when He rose? We already have covered three clear scriptures (one being from Mark himself) as to the timing of this event – this can be easily understood in light of them.

If we read it without the comma offset it is clear: Now when He rose He appeared first to Mary Magdalene,

Smith’s Bible Dictionary: Mary Magdalene

She appears before us for the first time in Luke 8:2, among the women who “ministered unto him of their substance.”

Of Mary, it is said specially that “seven devils went out of her,” and the number indicates a possession of more than ordinary malignity.

She was present during the closing hours of the agony on the cross. John 19:25. She remained by the cross till all was over, and waited till the body was taken down and placed in the garden sepulchre of Joseph of Arimathaea, Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:47; Luke 23:55, when she, with Salome and Mary, the mother of James, “bought sweet spices that they might come and anoint” the body. Mark 16:1.

So why did He appear to her first, a large part had to do with her dedication and just being there.

Now this is after Peter and John went to the tomb, found it empty and went home:

John 20:11 But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.
John 20:12 And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
John 20:13 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.”
John 20:14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.
John 20:15 Jesus 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 away.”
John 20:16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).
John 20:17 Jesus said to her, “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.’ “

The clinging does not have anything to do with the fact that He had not ascended or glorified. According to 1 Corinthians 15:43 the body is raised glorified, so this could not be the reason He said what He did.

The connotation here is that He would come back after the ascension, so there was no need to cling like she would never let go.

Wave Sheaf

Leviticus 23:9 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Leviticus 23:10 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.
Leviticus 23:11 He shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.

This is not a holy day. The Passover sheaf was cut the evening before just after the Sabbath. It was saved until just after the 9 am burnt offering.

The priest would wave the sheaf, hold it up, to be accepted by God, on our behalf.

This raising of the sheaf symbolized Christ’s ascension to go before God the Father and be accepted on our behalf and this is exactly what was being fulfilled at this time.

After the Discussion with Mary

Mark 16:10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.
Mark 16:11 And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

Jesus Appeared to the Other Women as Well

Matthew 28:9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.
Matthew 28:10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”

The Soldiers Were Bribed to Lie

Inset in Matthew 28

Matthew 28:11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.
Matthew 28:12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
Matthew 28:13 saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’
Matthew 28:14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.”
Matthew 28:15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

Maybe they can deny that He was resurrected with the lie in :13 and discount Mary Magdalene’s story after all she had been possessed. But they could not dispute what was to follow.

Jesus Appears to the Two on the Road to Emmaus

Luke 24:13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.
Luke 24:14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
Luke 24:15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.
Luke 24:16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
Luke 24:17 And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”
Luke 24:18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas [apparently the father of the Apostle James son of Alphaeus; maybe His uncle] answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”
Luke 24:19 And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
Luke 24:20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.
Luke 24:21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.
Luke 24:22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.
Luke 24:23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.
Luke 24:24 And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”
Luke 24:25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
Luke 24:26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”
Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
Luke 24:28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther.
Luke 24:29 But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.
Luke 24:30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
Luke 24:31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
Luke 24:32 And 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?”
Luke 24:33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,
Luke 24:34 saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”
Luke 24:35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.

Mark 16:12 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.
Mark 16:13 And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples for the First Time

(Sunset as the first day of the week (Sunday) is ending)

Luke 24:36 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.”
Luke 24:37 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.
Luke 24:38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?
Luke 24:39 Behold 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.”
Luke 24:40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.
Luke 24:41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?”
Luke 24:42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.
Luke 24:43 And He took it and ate in their presence.
Luke 24:44 Then He said to them, “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.”
Luke 24:45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
Luke 24:46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,
Luke 24:47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Luke 24:48 And you are witnesses of these things.

John 20:19-25; Mark 16:14

He Meets with the Disciples for a Second Time

John 20:26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”
John 20:27 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.”
John 20:28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
John 20:29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John’s Addendum

John 20:30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;
John 20:31 but 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.

He Meets with the Disciples for a Third Time

(While fishing in Galilee)

John 21:1 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself:
John 21:2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.
John 21:3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.
John 21:4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
John 21:5 Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.”
John 21:6 And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.“ So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.
John 21:7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now 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.
John 21:8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish.
John 21:9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.
John 21:10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.”
John 21:11 Simon Peter went up 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.
John 21:12 Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord.
John 21:13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.
John 21:14 This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.

Jesus Asks Peter to “Feed My Sheep”

John 21:15 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.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
John 21:16 He said to him again 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.”
John 21:17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.
John 21:18 Most assuredly, 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.”
John 21:19 This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”
John 21:20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”
John 21:21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”
John 21:22 Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”
John 21:23 Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?”
John 21:24 This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.

Jesus Gives Them His Commission

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Matthew 28:20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Mark 16:15-20; Luke 24:49-53;

Jesus Ascends to Heaven the Second Time

Acts 1:1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
Acts 1:2 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,
Acts 1:3 to whom He also 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.
Acts 1:4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;
Acts 1:5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts 1:6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Acts 1:7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1:9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
Acts 1:10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,
Acts 1:11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

John’s Second Addendum

John 21:25 And there are also 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.