Tuesday: He Will Come Again
Read Acts 1:9-11. How does Luke portray the ascension of Jesus? What is the significance that there were two angels speaking to them (see Deut. 19:15)?
Luke’s account of the ascension is rather brief. Jesus was with the disciples on the Mount of Olives, and while still blessing them (Luke 24:51), He was taken up to heaven. The language, of course, is phenomenological;
Image © Jack Pardue Goodsalt.com
that is, the scene is portrayed as it looked to human eyes, not as it really was. Jesus was leaving the earth, and there is no other way to do so in a visible form than by going up.
The ascension of Jesus was a supernatural act of God, one of many all through the Bible. This is implied by the way Luke describes it, with the passive eperthe (“He was taken up”, Acts 1:9, NKJV). Though used only here in the New Testament, this verbal form is found several times in the Greek version of the Old Testament (the Septuagint), all of them describing actions of God, which suggests that God Himself was the One who took Jesus up to heaven, as He was the One who raised Him from the dead (Acts 2:24, Acts 2:32; Rom. 6:4; Rom. 10:9).
After Jesus already had been hidden by a cloud, Luke reports—only in Acts—the episode of the two figures dressed in white who stood beside the disciples. The description coincides with that of angels in their bright robes (Acts 10:30, John 20:12). They came to assure the disciples that Jesus would come back the same way He had gone up, and it is also only Acts that informs us that Jesus went up “before their very eyes” (Acts 1:9, NIV).
Thus, the visible ascension became the guarantee of the visible return, which also will happen in a cloud, though “with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27), no longer as a private event, as “every eye will see Him” (Rev. 1:7, NKJV), and He will not be alone (Luke 9:26, 2 Thess. 1:7). The glory of the Second Coming will far exceed that of the ascension.
| How can we learn to keep the reality, and promise, of the Second Coming always before us? How should this great truth impact all areas of our life, such as finances, priorities, and moral choices? |
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He will come Again is our lesson title reminds me of the famous speech by Douglas MacArthur on March 21 1942 in which he declared, "I came through and I shall return" a promise he made to the troops in the Philippines.
Jesus says, I have come through death. Until now death was a one way street. The one enters in never came out but I have broken the sting of death.
“Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
I have the keys to unlock as I wish (whenever).
Douglas MacArthur: On October 20, 1944, a few hours after his troops landed, MacArthur waded ashore onto the Philippine island of Leyte. That day, he made a radio broadcast in which he declared, “People of the Philippines, I have returned!” In January 1945, his forces invaded the main Philippine island of Luzon.
Jesus, I have returned declares the Lord gather my people together. Lightning (visible), trumpet (audio)What a glorious day it will be.
And in that day it will be said, “Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”
Regarding he whom will come again, who does the Psalmist tell God's true Church would return?
Psalm 50:3; My God shall come …
Whom do God's holy Prophets tell God's true Church would return?
Amos 4:12 … prepare to meet thy God, O Israel
Zechariah 14:5 … the Lord my God shall come ...
It appears that those of the period of the holy scriptures, that is, the patriarchs, the holy prophets and others who accepted God's word that there is only one true God, will be looking for the Lord God to return while, conversely, those of the New Testament era who believe in a trinity will be looking for "Jesus" to come.
How then should we 21st century "Christians" understand who it is that will "come again"?
Colon, what do we read in Titus 2:13,14?
As to the trinity: The second coming does not split the trinity inasmuch as three divine persons are inseparably und indestructibly are united in one name, as Christ himself has pointed out in His gosple commission. (Matthew 28:19-20)
Winfried Stolpmann
It is a super an assurance that God will put everything right! But we have to be wise, because although we know He is coming back, we do not know exactly when... "to live like it will take place today, but to plan for a 100 years"...
As i read the kesson above now i see where others get this notion about secret rapture from. Jesus was with the disciples when he ascended into heaven then the angels came and comfort the disciples heart.
i guess what they dont pay attention to is the fact that Jesus will come again and this time his coming will not be in secret but a very noisy one. In His birth the disciples would have to go in search of him by travelling long milees but when he comes again every eye shall see Him no matter where we are.
If we truly believe that Jesus is coming soon we will live our lives without any attachment to the things of this earth and will do the work that we were call to do. Maranatah, Christ is coming!
Esther Moran
I cannot wait for Jesus to come again. Please Lord, do not tarry too much longer.
I like to remember Jesus said: John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, so that where I am, you may be also.
Jesus is in heaven now and He promised to come fetch us to take us back to heaven with Him.
To me the important fact is that this world is coming to an end, and only after the 1000 years will we return and then it will be completely renewed, no more evil.
Jesus' plan is to renew the earth and just as importantly to renew each one of us, imagine a fresh start, now and after the 1000 years!
The good seed did well in the soil not filled with weeds, rocks, or packed so hard that the seed could not penetrate. From this we can learn how to keep the reality and promise of Jesus' return always before us.
There is something that Jesus did for all and therefore for me too while he was here and before He left and that is that "He died and spilled His blood for all including me." I need to appropriate this blessing in my life every day when I awake and before I go to sleep and whenever I am overwhelmed with the temptation to sin or with trials or with the stresses and burdens of life. It is this blessing that gets me by now and it is this blessing that will see me through until he arrives again in power and great glory.
Hallelujah! MARANATHA!!! TWO witnesses!!!!! Glory!!!!!!!!