How must God and his holy angels have looked upon all those preparations to guard the body of the world’s Redeemer! How weak and foolish must those efforts have seemed! The words of the psalmist picture this scene: “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against his Anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision.” Roman guards and Roman arms were powerless to confine the Lord of life within the narrow inclosure of the sepulcher. Christ had declared that he had power to lay down his life and to take it up again. The hour of his victory was near. {3SP 179.2}

Hvorledes må ikke Gud og hans hellige engle have skuet ned på alle disse beredelser for at vogte verdens Forløsers legeme! Hvor afmægtige og dåreagtige (180) må ikke disse bestræbelser have forekommet dem! Salmisten giver et træffende billede herpå, når han siger "Hvorfor fnyser hedninger, hvorfor pønser folkefærd på, hvad fåfængt er? Jordens konger rejser sig, fyrster samles til råd mod Herren og mod hans salvede: "Lad og sprænge deres bånd og kaste rebene af os!" Han, som troner i Himlen, ler, Herren, spotter dem." (Sal 2,1-4) Den romerske vagt og de romerske våben kunne ikke binde livets Herre indenfor gravens snævre lukke. Kristus havde erklæret, at han havde magt til at sætte sit liv til og til at tage det igen. Hans sejrs time var forhånden.