Late on the first Easter Sunday, after the Lord had risen from the sepulcher, ten of the disciples gathered for the evening in the upper room of a house in Jerusalem (John 20). They were afraid and probably confused. Since their leader had been crucified by the Roman power, as organized by their own Jewish leaders, they feared that now his followers might also be hunted down and punished. They closed and locked the doors. Were any of the women there? The story does not say, but Peter and John were, who saw and talked with the angels that morning, and the stories of the women were known. Some time must have been spent wondering and perhaps arguing - was He really alive? How could they know it was really Him? This kind of thing, coming back to life after you’re dead, this doesn’t happen in this real world, there must be some mistake!

Then two of the followers, not of the twelve, but the two that had gone to the village of Emmaus, came in, excited and bursting with their news. They had seen Him! They had walked with Him for seven miles and He had told them wondrous things! They had only recognized Him when He broke bread and ate with them. "Don’t doubt us, it really was Jesus!"

And then as they all talked and argued, there He was, standing with them in the room. "Peace be unto you," He said, and He showed them His hands and feet and His side, where he was wounded. He calmed them, and told them that just as he had come down to mankind, so they must go out and teach to all people all the true things that He had taught in the years He was with them.

It was these truths about how to live one’s life that were saving, not the disciples themselves. These saving truths have the power to remit or retain sins, because they were from the Lord, the disciples only transmitted them from the Lord to those who would listen and take them to heart. Then He breathed on them - representing His holy spirit - so that they would not only want to pass these truths on to people, but would also be given the words to say whenever the times came. And then He was gone again.

Thomas was not there that night. We don’t know why. And Thomas, when he heard the story, just could not swallow it. "Except I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe", he said. (John 20:25.)

The next verse tells us that the next Sunday they gathered again, and that Thomas was present this time. As before, the Lord was suddenly there, saying again, "Peace be unto you", and then directly to Thomas, "Reach hither thy finger… and reach hither thy hand… and be not faithless but believing". Now Thomas's response was, "my Lord and my God". It seems as if the Lord came this time just to convince Thomas, because it was Thomas who needed Him.

I think He does work this way. I am reminded of another story, from the gospel of Mark (Mark 9:17-27) where a father comes to Jesus with a young son who is possessed by a devil, and asks Jesus to cure him, and is asked in turn: "Do you believe I can do this?" In Mark 9:24 the father responds. Crying out, he said with tears, "I believe, help thou my unbelief."

I think many people have this conflict between lingering doubts and a desire to have the doubts taken away. If we carry on and make our decisions in life as if the doubts were indeed gone, then indeed they will lose their strength and actually will be gone.

These are the only details given of these two meetings in Jerusalem. Chronologically the next post-Easter stories are the ones that take place in Galilee.

John does go on to say at the end of his gospel "...many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book. But these are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God...." (John 20:30-31). Perhaps there were more post-Easter stories that weren't written down, but the ones we do have are strong. For the disciples who were involved, there was an unstoppable impact from the life and teachings of the Lord, and His crucifixion, and physical death, and now - in these stories - His resurrection. Hearing the Lord's charges to them, these Galilean fishermen and their colleagues launch out into the wide world, and work to achieve the Great Commission, enduring hardships and persecution, and succeeding - probably beyond their wildest dreams!

55. And I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet. That this signifies clear perception of Divine truth to be revealed from heaven, is evident from the signification of hearing, as denoting to perceive and obey (concerning which see Arcana Coelestia 2542, 3869, 4653, 5017, 7216, 8361, 8990, 9311, 9397); from the signification of "behind me," as denoting clearly, concerning which more will be said in what follows; from the signification of a voice, when heard from heaven, as denoting Divine truth (concerning which see Arcana Coelestia 219, 220, 3563, 6971, 8813, 8914), and from the signification of a trumpet, as denoting what was to be revealed from heaven, concerning which we shall also speak presently. The reason why "behind me" signifies clearly is, because those things that flow from heaven into the affection of man, flow into the back part of the head, and thus enter clearly into his perception; for the things which enter into the affection are perceived clearly, all the life of perception being from that source; but the things that flow from heaven immediately into the thought, flow into the part above the forehead. (Concerning this influx see what is said in the work, Heaven and Hell 251.) It is therefore evident what is signified by John's hearing behind him, and by his afterwards turning to see the voice which spake with him. The reason why a trumpet, or horn, signifies Divine truth to be revealed from heaven, is, because Divine truth is sometimes so heard when it flows down from the Lord through the heavens to man; for it becomes louder in its descent and thus flows in. But it is heard in this way only in the beginning, by those to whom Divine truth is to be revealed in the ultimate sense, which is representative of interior things; afterwards it is heard as a human voice.

[2] From these considerations it is evident why it is that the voice of a trumpet, or horn, signifies Divine truth that must be revealed from heaven. He who knows that a horn or trumpet signifies Divine truth from heaven, will be able to understand several passages in the Word in which they are mentioned; as in Matthew:

"He shall send angels with a great voice of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the elect from the four winds" (24:31).

In Isaiah:

"All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, when the sign of the mountains is lifted up, behold; and when the trumpet is sounded, hear" (18:3).

In Jeremiah:

"Proclaim with the trumpet in the land. Set up the standard towards Zion. How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? For my people is stupid: they are foolish sons, and have no understanding" (4:5, 6, 21, 22).

In the same prophet:

"I have set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the voice of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken. Therefore hear ye nations" (6:17, 18).

In Ezekiel:

"He heard the voice of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But had he taken warning, he would have delivered his soul" (33:5).

And in Hosea:

"Set the trumpet to thy mouth, because they have transgressed my covenant, and have trespassed against my law" (8:1).

And in Zechariah:

"The Lord Jehovih shall sound with the trumpet, and shall go forth in whirlwinds of the south" (9:14).

And in David:

"God goeth up with a shout, and Jehovah with the voice of a trumpet" (Psalm 47:5).

And also in Apoc. 4:1; 8:2, 7, 8, 13; 9:1, 13, 14; 10:7; 18:22. Because a trumpet signified Divine truth, therefore when Divine truth had first to be revealed before the people of Israel, the voices of a trumpet were heard from Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16). Hence, therefore, to sound with a trumpet became a representative with them, when they were convoked, when they journeyed, and also in their solemnities, in the beginnings of months, at burnt offerings and peace offerings (Numbers 10:1-10). They also sounded with trumpets when they went to battle against the Midianites (Numbers 31:6); and when they took the city of Jericho (Joshua 6:4-20); for those wars and battles signified spiritual combats, which are combats of truth against falsity, and of falsity against truth.