GOD’S WORD FOR APRIL 3 ~ ~ John 6:62 ~ ~  “What if you were to observe the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?”

We’re in Nancy DeMoss Wohlgemuth’s book, “Incomparable”, speaking today  of the Ascension of Jesus.

The ascension needed to happen just exactly the way it did.

First, it needed to be VISIBLE.  “He was taken up as they were watching.”

Acts 1:9 tells us that there were eyewitnesses who saw Him lifted up bodily into the heavens.  The event was stunning, yes, and unexpected, but unforgettable. 

In addition, Jesus’ exit needed to be PHYSICAL.  He had come to the earth in human flesh, and now he was leaving the earth in human flesh.   The people who saw Him leave, saw the Jesus they’d always known.   He left as a man, as they’d seen Him all those years.

On the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus had prayed to His Father:  “I have glorified You on the earth by completing the work You gave Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with that glory I had with You before the world existed.” (John 17:4-5).  And the manner of His departure showed that His prayer had been answered.

In acts 1:9 we are told that as He ascended “a cloud took Him out of their sight,”  That’s a significant detail because clouds in Scripture symbolize the presence and glory of God.  Some examples are:

The cloud that rested on Mount Sinai at the giving of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 19:16.

The pillar of cloud that guided the Israelites through the wilderness in Exodus 13:21.

That same cloud protected them from the Egyptian soldiers at the Red see in Exodus 14:19, and also hovered over the tabernacle in the wilderness in Numbers 9:15.

The cloud hovering around the Son at His ascension indicated that He was being transported into His Father’s presence, not into an unknown portal in the universe.

In fact, the two angels in the form of men, who were watching with the disciples, said this in Acts 1:11:

“Why do you stand looking up into heaven?  This same Jesus who has been taken from you INTO HEAVEN, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going TO HEAVEN,”

This is our assurance also that He’ll return one day, visibly and bodily, to reclaim us so we can follow Him where He’s gone – to a physical heaven and to a personal God.  We are guaranteed by His grace that we will appear in His presence in new glorified bodies,  The path that leads us there was paved not only by His death and resurrection but also by His return to heaven.

Luke’s gospel ends by telling us that the disciples “returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.  Jesus’ final earthly blessing broke through the sorrow they had experienced at the prospect of their Friend leaving.  It filled them with joy, and they could not stop blessing Him in return.

Truly, the ascension is accompanied by blessings abounding eternally – from our resurrected Savior to us and from our hearts back to Him.

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