The next part of the After the Resurrection story is Jesus ascending into Heaven.
Luke is the only one of the Gospel writers who mentions the ascension…
Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God.
Luke 24: 50-53
Luke then goes into a bit more detail in…
The Book of Acts
Luke opens with a little introduction, then he describes the ascension…
In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
The Ascension of Jesus
So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
Acts 1: 1-11
Up into Heaven
Have you ever watched a helium balloon fly up into the sky until you couldn’t see it any more? When I lived in Florida, I was near the Space Coast and watched several times as the shuttles and rockets took off into space. We’d watch each one go higher and higher until we could no longer see them.
That’s where Jesus went. However, the promise that He made was that He’d be coming back for His believers — His born-again believers.
I’ll be doing a post on the Rapture soon — explaining what it is, where it’s found in the Bible, who will be taken up and who will be left behind.
Even though Jesus said, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know,” He also told us that when we start seeing the signs of the End Times, to be ready.
Look up!
The “birth pains” are getting stronger and more frequent.
If you want the assurance of a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven, and that you won’t be left behind when Jesus comes for His believers, this is what you have to do…
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
- Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
- Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.
Invite Jesus into Your Heart and Receive the Gift of Grace, Joy, Peace, and the Confident Hope of Eternal Life…
Pray this prayer humbly and wholeheartedly…
“Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Please forgive me. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. I will follow you for the rest of my life. Thank You for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Soli Deo Gloria — to God Alone be the Glory!
