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Ascension of Christ   Artist: Giacomo Cavedone

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Ascension of Christ   Artist: Giacomo Cavedone

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Acts 1:1-2 testifies the Ascension of Jesus Christ saying, “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen.

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The Bible Written by the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit Testifies to This Truth

Acts 1:1-2 testifies the Ascension of Jesus Christ saying, "The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen."

Christianity is not a theory-driven religion, but it is the real truth. The Bible thus is authoritative. In particular, the Gospel according to Luke is not a product of the physician Luke's subjective and superficial knowledge, but it is the living record that "through the Holy Spirit" he wrote of Jesus' ministry "until the day in which He was taken up." When we can believe in historical documents left behind by mere mortals, how can we not believe in this Bible that was written through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who is God Himself?

The above passage testifies that Jesus ascended to Heaven before the presence of many who witnessed this with their own eyes. Acts 1:9 says, "Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight." 1 Corinthians 15:6 also states, "After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep." Since Jesus resurrected while over 500 saints were witnessing it, His ascension is the undeniable reality. And this was written when most of those who witnessed it were still alive.

That Jesus Returned Again to the Infinite from the Finite Realms Testifies to His Ascension

We must believe as a matter of course that the infinite Lord came to this finite world incarnated in the flesh of mortals, took upon our sins by being baptized, was crucified, rose from the dead again with His power, and, as the glory of this resurrection, ascended to Heaven returning to the infinite from the finite.

If we the saints were, after coming to and staying on this earth for a while, to return to Heaven, then there is nothing strange about this but it is only a matter of course. Likewise, there is nothing strange in the fact that Christ, who came from Heaven, stayed on this earth for a while and then ascended back to Heaven again, but it is only a matter of course. Our Lord therefore said to Nicodemus, to whom He had explained the principles of Heaven but who could not understand, as the following: "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven" (John 3:10-13).

That Jesus Ascended to Heaven before the Witnessing of Many Testifies the Truth In Acts 1:10, it is said, "And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up...." Here, the phrase, "looked steadfastly toward heaven," means that they looked toward Heaven very closely. In other words, it shows that the Lord's ascension took place before the very eyes of the disciples over an extended time-period. Put differently, this experience of the disciples was not just instantaneous, but it provided clear and detailed evidence. That the disciples "looked steadfastly"means that they gazed for a considerable length of time. Jesus' ascension was not a momentary and instant event, like a falling star or lightening in the night sky, but it was a concrete and certain event. Like this, Christianity is the very witnessing of the real truth.

Two Angels Bore Witness

In the latter half of Acts 1:10, it is written, "two men stood by them in white apparel." These two men here clearly refer to angels. The "white apparel" symbolizes purity and honor. Both the Old and New Testament testify alike that angels always manifest in the likeness of human beings (Matthew 28:3; Luke 24:4; Acts 10:30; Genesis 18:2, 19:1; and Revelation 21:17).

Angels are supernatural beings who are sinless. As such, their testimony plants the truth in our hearts, as refreshing as the clear water of a river.

Our Lord Who Will Return in the Same Manner as His Ascension Want to know more about "The Faith of the apostle's Creed"? Please click the banner below to get your free book on the Apostle's Creed.

Acts 1:11 says, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."

After the Lord's ascension, the 500 brothers gathered to bear witness to this ascension were still staring at the empty sky in sadness even as the Lord had disappeared from their sight. To give them comfort, courage and hope, the two angels testified, "This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."

The phrase "in like manner" means that just as He had ascended to Heaven from the Mount of Olives, the returning Lord would invariably come back to this Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:4), and He promised that at this time, He will not come in humility as He did when He first came, but He will come in clouds in glory. Therefore the righteous can wait for Him in hope, saying, "Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20)

Sermons on important subjects by Rev. Paul C. Jong

Source: The New Life Mission Website (www.goodbookforyou.com)

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The Bible Written by the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit Testifies to This Truth Acts 1:1-2 testifies the Ascension of Jesus Christ saying, "The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen."

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What was happening in the world outside of Israel in the time of the ascension?

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What was happening in the world outside of Israel in the time of the ascension?

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During this time period was the Battle of Actium Rome controls Egypt. The Battle of Actium was a naval battle in the last war of the Roman Republic. It led to the end of Ptolemaic Egypt and the birth of the Roman Empire.

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“And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.” Luke 24:50-51

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After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples, friends, and others. Forty days after his body was resurrected, Jesus and His disciples went up to Mount Olivet where Jesus promised them that the Holy Spirit would come to give them strength and power in being witnesses to all nations for God's glory. After saying these things, Jesus ascended into heaven, meaning a literal bodily return to heaven. Many onlookers saw and bore witness on that day of Jesus's ascension. As a cloud began to hid Jesus as he ascended, two angels appeared to the disciples and promised that Christ would "come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

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Day of Jesus's Ascension Bible Verses - 7 Scripture Recordings

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After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples, friends, and others. Forty days after his body was resurrected, Jesus and His disciples went up to Mount Olivet where Jesus promised them that the Holy Spirit would come to give them strength and power in being witnesses to all nations for God's glory.

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The Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.

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Jesus ascended to heaven the 40th day after his resurrection.

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This article was most recently revised and updated by

Ascension, in Christian belief, the ascent of Jesus Christ into heaven on the 40th day after his Resurrection ( Easter being reckoned as the first day). The Feast of the Ascension ranks with Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost in the universality of its observance among Christians. The feast has been celebrated 40 days after Easter in both Eastern and Western Christianity since the 4th century. Prior to that time, the Ascension was commemorated as a part of the celebration of the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

The meaning of the Ascension for Christians is derived from their belief in the glorification and exaltation of Jesus following his death and Resurrection, as well as from the theme of his return to God the Father. Thus, the Gospel According to John uses both the sayings of Jesus and his post-Resurrection appearances to indicate a new relationship between Jesus and his Father and between him and his followers, rather than a simple physical relocation from earth to heaven.

Scripture and observances

According to the first chapter of The Acts of the Apostles, after appearing to the Apostles on various occasions during a period of 40 days, Jesus was taken up in their presence and was then hidden from them by a cloud, a frequent biblical image signifying the presence of God. Although belief in the Ascension is apparent in other books of the New Testament, the emphasis and the imagery differ. In the Gospel According to John, the glorification described by the Ascension story seems to have taken place immediately after the Resurrection. The imagery of the account in the Gospel According to Luke is similar to that of Acts, but there is no mention of a period of 40 days. The Ascension of Jesus is mentioned in the Apostles' Creed, a profession of faith used for baptism in the early church.

A distinctive feature of the feast's liturgy in the Western churches is the extinguishing of the Paschal candle, first lit on Easter, after the Gospel has been read, as a symbol of Christ's leaving the earth. Despite the idea of separation indicated in this act, which might be expected to set a note of sadness, the whole liturgy of Ascensiontide, through the 10 days to Pentecost, is marked by joy in the final triumph of the risen Lord. One of the central themes of the feast is the kingship of Christ, and the theological implication is that the Ascension was the final redemptive act conferring participation in the divine life on all who are members of Christ. In other words, Christ "was lifted up into heaven so that he might make us partakers of his Godhead."

In the European Middle Ages the people's delight in the visual and dramatic found an outlet in various ritual practices that came to be associated with the feast. Popular customs included a procession in imitation of Christ's journey with his Apostles to the Mount of Olives, as well as the raising of a crucifix or a statue of the risen Christ through an opening in the church roof.

Art

In Christian art the Ascension is an old theme, appearing since the 5th century. The earliest version of the Ascension, which persisted in the West until the 11th century, shows Christ from the side, climbing to the top of the hill and grasping the hand of God, which emerges from a cloud above to pull him into heaven. The Apostles, assembled below, watch the event.

In the 6th century a different version of the Ascension was developed in Syria and was later adopted in Byzantine art. This version emphasizes Christ's divinity, showing him frontally, standing immobile in a mandorla, or almond-shaped aureole, elevated above the earth and supported by angels. He holds a scroll and makes a gesture of benediction. A curious detail of this version is the regular inclusion of the Virgin Mary, who is not mentioned in the biblical account of the event, and St. Paul, who, on historical grounds, was not present. The inclusion of these figures has not been adequately explained, but they may represent, with the figure of St. Peter, an allegory of the church that Christ leaves behind. This type of Ascension, which follows the Roman tradition of representing the apotheosis of an emperor, often figured prominently in the monumental decoration of Byzantine churches as the emblem of one of the principal church feast days.

By the 11th century, the West had also adopted a frontal representation. In the Western version, however, the humanity of Christ is emphasized: he extends his hands on either side, showing his wounds. He is usually in a mandorla but is not always supported or even surrounded by angels; thus, he is no longer carried to heaven but ascends by his own power. In the 12th century this version of the Ascension had an especially prominent place in French Romanesque church decoration. The Ascension remained important as a devotional subject in the art of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, both of which retained the iconography of Christ displaying his wounds.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Melissa Petruzzello.

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Ascension | Description, Significance, Feast, & Art

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Ascension, in Christian belief, the ascent of Jesus Christ into heaven on the 40th day after his Resurrection (Easter being reckoned as the first day). The Ascension represents the glorification and exaltation of Jesus following his death and Resurrection, as well as his return to God the Father.

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What specifically happened when Jesus ascended into heaven?

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What specifically happened when Jesus ascended into heaven?

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When Jesus ascended into heaven he disappeared into a cloud in a symbol of God's presence and glory.

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The people involved in the ascension of Jesus 

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The people involved in the ascension of Jesus 

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The people involved in the ascension of Jesus into heaven was 11 of Jesus’ 12 disciples (Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.)

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The Bible Story of the Ascension of Jesus, found in the first chapter of Acts, describes the ascent of Christ from the Earth to the Heavenly realm. According to Acts, the ascension of Jesus takes place 40 days after the Resurrection in the presence of his disciples. Christ is risen after advising them to stay in Jerusalem until the arrival of the Holy Spirit. As He rose, a cloud obscured Him from their view, and two men in white arrived to tell them that he will return "in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

The Ascension

Then they gathered around him and asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." ( Acts 1:6-11)

When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. ( Luke 24:50-53)

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it. ( Mark 16:19-20)

In Christian doctrine, the Ascension is correlated with the deification of Jesus, meaning that through His Ascension, Jesus took his seat at the right hand of God: "He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty."

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Ig0rZh
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The Ascension of Jesus - Bible Story, Verses and Meaninng

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The Bible Story of the Ascension of Jesus, found in the first chapter of Acts, describes the ascent of Christ from the Earth to the Heavenly realm. According to Acts, the ascension of Jesus takes place 40 days after the resurrection in the presence of his disciples.