Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 28:2

"And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it." — Matthew 28:2 (ASV)

The clause introduced by “for” either suggests that the violent earthquake came with the “angel of the Lord” or was the means the angel used to open the tomb. The stone was rolled back, the seal broken, and the soldiers made helpless —not to let the risen Messiah escape, but to let the first witnesses in.