Week 8 - Day 4
THE STORY
Rescue (New Testament)
ASCENSION
40 days after His Resurrection, Jesus ascended back to His Father in heaven.
Acts 1:9-11 (NIV)
[Jesus] 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.”
What do the angels say will happen because Jesus has ascended into heaven?
Ephesians 1:19-23 (NLT)
I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
According to this passage, what is Jesus now doing in heaven?
John 14:1-3 (NIV)
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
According to this passage, what is Jesus now doing in heaven?
Romans 8:34 (NIV)
Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
According to this passage, what is Jesus now doing in heaven?
Revelation 1:9-18 (NLT)
I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus. It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. It said, “Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.
When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.”
The Apostle John was Jesus beloved disciple (best friend?). Yet John never reacted to Jesus in this way when Jesus was on earth. Why does John now react this way to Jesus in heaven?
How is Jesus different now as He reigns in heaven compared to when He ministered on earth?
When you picture Jesus do you picture Him in His earthly ministry or in His current heavenly ministry? How would thinking about Jesus’ heavenly reign more impact your life?
Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV)
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
Now knowing The Story of Jesus Christ, how does The Story of Jesus’ Birth through His Ascension and beyond, fulfill this prophecy from the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah? Once again, this prophecy was given 700 years before Jesus’ earthly ministry and mission.
In light of what you have discovered through the Bible readings and your personal reflections, how will you respond? Finish this sentence: I will …