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Answer: First of all, the New Testament never claims
that any angels actually saw Jesus rise from the dead.
Beyond this, the New Testament angelic announcement
texts following a supposed resurrection of Jesus create
some serious problems. Some of the Gospels allege that
angels directed that the disciples should meet Jesus
in Galilee (Mark 16:7, Matthew 28:7). While John 21:1
says the disciples went back to Galilee, it is not because
of angelic direction. However, the author of Luke claims
that the risen Jesus told the disciples that they should
stay in Jerusalem (Luke 24:49). Indeed, we see from
Luke and Acts the claim that they did stay in Jerusalem
and did not go to Galilee. Mark, Matthew and John, of
course, contradict this assertion.
Whose direction should the disciples have taken -
that of the angels (as in Mark and Matthew) or that
of Jesus (as in Luke)?
As for the question of whether angels would lie? Well,
the author of John writes that Satan, an angel, "is
a liar, and the father of lies" (John 8:44). While this
is not a Jewish concept, the Christian Bible clearly
teaches that angels do lie. |