The body of Jesus has been in the tomb for the entire time of the Sabbath, which has ended Saturday evening. It’s now very early Sunday morning (the sun hasn’t even risen yet), and Mary Magdalene and some other female followers of Jesus are on their way to the tomb. They don’t really know what they’re expecting to see when they arrive, but they do remember that Jesus said something about arising from the dead on the third day (which has now arrived).

The chief priests and Pharisees also remember what Jesus said. As a result, they have sealed the tomb by having a large stone placed in front of the entrance, with guards stationed around the clock. At this point, if anyone even hinted that they were going to remove the body of Jesus, the response would have been, “Oh, really? You and what army?”

In the early hours of that fateful Sunday morning, even as the women are making their way toward the tomb, the guards on the night shift were having an uneventful night, watching a plain-looking cave with a large stone blocking the entrance. 

Then, suddenly, an earthquake shakes the ground! As the stunned guards watch in amazement, an angel descends from heaven, his face lit up like lightning and his clothing bright white, and he calmly rolls away the large stone and sits on it! The guards tremble in fear and finally pass out. (See Matthew 28:1-4, Mark 16:1-4, Luke 24:1-2, John 20:1.)

At about this time, the women arrive on the scene. They see the guards lying on the ground like dead men, the large stone is rolled away from the tomb, and an angel is sitting on top of it. The women are obviously fearful, but the angel reassures them, saying:

“Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen” (Matthew 28:5-6)

As can be seen from this event, when God wants something to happen, it’s going to happen. At this point, it would have been appropriate to go back to the Pharisees who said they were going to prevent the body of Jesus from leaving the tomb and ask them, “Oh, really? You and what army?” And, actually, even if the enemy had tried to form a large, powerful army to prevent the resurrection from occurring, it should be obvious that no army on earth would ever be powerful enough to defeat God. There are many examples of that throughout the scriptures:

• Gideon began with an army of 32,000 men. God instructed him to keep reducing the number until his army was a mere 300 men, and then that tiny army defeated a powerful enemy. (See Judges 7.)
• Jerusalem was about to be attacked by the powerful Assyrian army, but God sent an angel who killed 185,000 soldiers in one night, causing the remaining Assyrians to flee. (See 2 Kings 19:35-36.)
• Numerous battles in the Book of Mormon were won when the power of God resided with one side (Moroni carrying the Title of Liberty into battle, Helaman’s stripling warriors, etc.).

Based on the above, it should be obvious why the Church continues to move forward with following the plan of God, in spite of small numbers, and in spite of what appears to be stronger and stronger opposition in the world. Prophecies (such as 1 Nephi 14) tell us that God will bestow His power upon the Church, even though it is few in number, and bring about victory against the enemy.

So, why would we even consider turning away from the plan of God? Whether it’s a battle within our personal life, or the larger battle against principalities and spiritual wickedness in high places, we can trust that if the power of God is in the matter, the enemy cannot prevail. They tried in their meager way to prevent the resurrection of Jesus, and they failed miserably. Likewise, the enemy will always come up short when they try to fight against God.

So, if you encounter anyone who indicates that they’re going to prevent the plan of God from moving forward, you can feel free to ask them, “Oh, really? You and what army?”

(If you want a little visual on the use of this phrase, click here for a cute 30-second video.)

Image credit: The Resurrection of Christ, 16th-century Flemish tapestry, Tapestry Gallery, Vatican City