ASCENSION OF OUR LORD- JESUS CHRIST lifted to heaven Acts 1

Our dear Lord ascended to heaven. Amaing! Yes, Enoch had been translated, for the scripture told ‘how Enoch walked with God – and he was not. For God took him’. Elijah was another who was caught up in a whirlwind, with a chariot of fire and horses of fire, so escaping death. ( 2 Kings 2:1-18 )

Acts 1 is a record of ‘All tha tJesus began to do and teach until the day He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given them commandments to the apostles He had chosen. ( 1:2 ) His revered Father would not keep His beloved Son earth-bound after the humiliation and disgrace of Calvary and His triumphant victory over the devil, the grave and sin. He must come home to the glory prepared for Him. All Heaven waited expectantly for the Lord to return.

The special , neglected truth of our Saviour’s ascension must be preached.

‘He also presented Himself Alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen of them for 40 days , and speaking to them of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. ( v3 ). Why 40 days? Noah and his survivors experienced the Deluge which continued for that time. How long did Moses live in the immediate Presence of God on the mount? Exactly – 40 days. Goliath, the embodiment of evil, pursued his terrifying ordeal for that same time. Our dear Lord subjected Himself to sustained testing from the great deceiver in the desert for 40 days. God chose that same period to reveal His risen glorified Son in a world, that had crucified Him, but to His associates especially.

Our Saviour prepared His followers for the coming of the Paraklete, during the waiting time, ‘ Being assembled together with them , He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem , but to wait for the promise of the Father, which ‘ He said ,’ You have heard of Me.’ ( v4 ) This 40 days was occupied in building up the disciples in expectation of the coming of the long-awaited Holy Spirit.

The Lord Jesus reminded them of the commencement of His earthly ministry when John truly baptized with water, promising ‘that you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’ ( v5) He earlier had said, ‘The Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.’ Now He had been glorified in His vicarious death and overwhelmingly in His resurrection life. Yet heaven waited for the Conqueror. And what glory radiated from Him!

Then His followers unbelievingly asked ‘ Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ (v6) They wanted to keep their Lord right alongside. Earth-bound. The risen Lord gently responded , ‘ It is not for you to know the times or the seasons the Father has put in His own authority.’ ( v7) One day He will reign on the earth for 1000 years. Meanwhile, He must go home to heaven to receive adoration and enter a new life-ministry. The ascension was essential.

Prior to His being air-borne, He gave the momentous promise, ‘ You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem ( where I was crucified and raised from the dead ), and in all Judea a nd Samaria ( where I was rejected as I preached and healed ) and to the end of the earth.’ ( Australia, South East Asia, Pacific islands, USA,

Africa, and Europe and beyond. ) The Saviour brimmed with missionary zeal and compassion in the last statement before ascending to heaven’s throne.

‘Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched , He was taken up and a cloud received Him out of their sight. ‘ ( v9 ) They saw. They understood.

The brilliant cloud displayed the Shekinah glory, which had followed the children of Israel through the desert, assuring them of the eternal Presence. Now the heavenly haze surrounded the risen King as he drew away from earth’s gravitation to the greater pull of Heaven, where He belonged. Possibly every angel around the throne jostled and volunteered for duty to accompany their Lord back to the monarch's rightful place, the culmination of eternal planning.

‘Because Christ was once offered to bear the sin of many.’ ( Heb 9:28 ), no further sacrifice was necessary. Therefore, He needed not delay His return to the Father, Who yearned that His only Beloved Son share the place of honor with Him. He needed not teach further, for the Holy Spirit would continue that unique ministry. He cannot not bear more sin, for He carried it in His own body on the tree. No more resurrection teaching, for He is the Resurrection.

Two angels, sent from heaven for that specific purpose, confirmed the resurrection of the Lord. Two witnesses confirm truth. ‘While they looked stedfastly towards heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven’. This same Jesus, Who is taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.’ ( 10,11 )

The disciples were frozen in astonishment as they watched their Lord go. So would we. They gazed at Him, knowing that they would surely see Him in the glory. They were not interested in the two witnesses, who came from the heavenly home to affirm that Jesus Christ had embarked for heavenly honours.

Christ had saturated the mind of the followers. We too must be absorbed with our ascended Lord.

The white-clothed men referred to them as ‘Men of Galilee’ , reminding them of their humble origin, the Lord’s earthly ministry of healing and teaching , and of the unforgettable meeting with their risen Lord along the shores of that beautiful lake. Heaven recognises our earthly links.

‘This same Jesus’ strengthens our hope that the Lord in His resurrection but scarred body will minister for us at the throne. In the same bodily form He will come for His blood-bought believers. Oh, precious confirmation of the great fact of the Rapture from the witnesses of His ascension, Why do we not rejoice more in this glorious truth of the ascended and coming-again King ? The Spirit of God links these glorious truths. What superb comfort for His children!

Bow and worship the ascended Lord of glory, whose Name is wonderful!

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