A common misinterpretation of Matthew 28:2 is assuming the angel rolled away the stone to allow Jesus to emerge from the tomb, implying He needed human or angelic assistance to escape, whereas the sequence indicates Jesus had already risen before the stone was moved, with the angel's action serving to reveal the empty tomb to the guards and women; another error views the earthquake and angelic descent as mere mythological embellishments rather than historical supernatural occurrences integral to affirming the resurrection's reality.
Matthew 28:2
King James Version (1769)
2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
Matthew 28:2 depicts the dramatic divine intervention at Jesus' tomb, where an angel from heaven triggers a great earthquake and rolls away the stone sealing the entrance, then sits triumphantly upon it, symbolizing God's sovereign power over death and the forces that sought to contain Christ; this event confirms the resurrection by revealing the empty tomb to the witnesses, emphasizing that the stone's removal was not for Jesus' exit—as He had already risen—but to provide evidence for humanity.