Ascension (4)

2 Peter 3:3–10 NIV84

3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

In the Year 2525 by Zager and Evans (late 1960s)

In the year 7510 If God's a coming, He oughta make it by then Maybe He'll look around Himself and say Guess it's time for the judgment day In the year 8510 God is gonna shake His mighty head He'll either say I'm pleased where man has been Or tear it down, and start again

The biblical narrative of Jesus’ ascension into heaven leaves us with an important yet unanswered question. When will the statement that the angels made to the apostles take place? They said to them as they hoped to catch one more glimpse of Jesus possibly through intermittent clouds, Acts 1:11 (NIV84) “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.”

Certainly, the apostles and those who believed the Gospel in the early Christian church had a high expectation the Jesus would return and hopefully during their lifetime. The New Testament has over 300 references to the return of Jesus on the Last Day. The New Testament concludes with this testimony in Revelation 22:20 (NIV84) He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

But as the years went by, there were those who scoffed at the promises made about the return of the ascended Savior. Peter writes about this in his second epistle.

Such questioning of Jesus’ return reminds me of a lyric from a very popular song that topped the charts in 1969 and is still enjoyed by many nostalgic music lovers.

How Soon Do Christians Think Jesus is Coming Back?

Thoughts seem to vary widely between Christians of different beliefs. I found David Pawson's book "When Jesus Returns" useful to explore this topic.

Some believe Jesus has returned already, and that we are in a post-millennial era. Not my personal belief.

Some believe Jesus will return at a date that could be calculated. Not my personal belief. So many dates have passed already. I find it amusing to speculate whilst keeping in mind that it could be any time.

Some (even Christians!) behave as if they believe Jesus would never return. This is not my personal belief. It even suggests disbelief, either lawlessness or despair.

Some believe Jesus will return before a time of tribulation, from which believers would be spared. This is known as the "dispensational" view. Not my personal belief.

The early disciples believed that Jesus would return during a time of increasing tribulation and before a "great tribulation", from which believers would be spared. This is my current view. I believe that tribulation brings out the best in Christians because their faith produces the behaviours of Christ just when people need the benefit of them. This would give those who do not yet believe in Christ the maximum opportunity to see why others do believe, and to choose Christ for themselves before the "great tribulation".

Some behave as if Jesus will return in the next few minutes e.g. "Are you rapture ready?". They have a point in that it will be "like a thief in the night" as scripture says, but it is not necessary to stand on the roof! The readiness is in your heart, keeping short accounts with God and knowing Him better.

Some airlines prohibit both pilots to be Christians on the basis that they might both disappear at once with the "rapture" being a common cause. This may also depend on the dispensational view i.e. that there would not be significant tribulation prior to the rapture and hence no warning signs. Silly in my opinion. The probability is many orders of magnitude less than a common soya crop finding its way into both their diverse meals etc... or fire in the cockpit. Perhaps they have not considered that the employees of their insurance company and legal department might also disappear as part of the same common cause! The chance of all those employees being Christians may be small but comparable to "rapture" in a safety assessment! This is just one consequence of pessimism about "how soon is soon".

I think Jesus will return "soon" as scripture says. The time is known only to Father God. Therefore to be ready, one should get to know Father God, which one does through relationship with Jesus and being filled with His Holy Spirit. The Bible contains quite a few concepts with a sense of the "now" and the "not yet". While we wait for the "not yet" let us make the most of the "now" by seeking deeper relationship with Jesus and following Him.

In practical terms I think tribulation is just beginning in western nations, e.g. lawsuits against Christian bakers who refused to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex marriage, but tribulation has not yet reached anything like the level that would prompt Jesus' return. If Christians start being killed for their faith in western nations as they are in some other nations then maybe we would be pleading Father God daily to send Jesus. In the meantime I will follow Jesus and maintain a readiness-of-heart as encouraged by scripture.

Perhaps the best answer is given in the narrative itself when the apostles asked Jesus if at this time he was going to restore the kingdom to Israel. (What does this mean?)

Acts The Ascension of Jesus / 1:6–11

1:6 So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” The average Jew of Jesus’ day was looking forward with great anticipation to the literal coming of the Messiah’s earthly kingdom and with it the restoration of the fortunes and military might that the nation had enjoyed under King David. Jesus had certainly taught a great deal about his coming kingdom in his ministry with the disciples. During this forty-day instruction period, the disciples had questions about the promised kingdom, for their anticipation had been heightened with their Master’s resurrection from the dead. Fully expecting Jesus to bring in his kingdom on earth at that moment, the disciples asked: “Are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

The coming of the kingdom was closely associated with the coming of the Holy Spirit (as implied in passages such as Isaiah 32:15–20; 44:3–5; Ezekiel 39:28–29; Joel 2:28–3:1; Zechariah 12:8–10). When Christ told the disciples of the imminent coming of the Spirit, therefore, they were even more likely to assume the coming of the kingdom would also be at hand. During the years of Jesus’ ministry on earth, the disciples continually had wondered about the coming of the kingdom and what their roles would be in it. In the traditional view, the Messiah would be an earthly conqueror who would free Israel from Rome. But the kingdom about which Jesus spoke was first of all a “spiritual” kingdom established in the hearts and lives of believers (Luke 17:21); behind it was the earthly kingdom that Christ promised to institute at his return.

Jesus’ answer, disappointing to the disciples, was a rebuke and a gentle reminder that the apostles’ role (like the role he had modeled on earth) was to desire to be in God’s presence in prayer and worship and to faithfully follow the Father’s sovereign lead.

“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.”

As biblical Christians, we believe that Jesus really did die on the cross for the sins of the world, that he rose again on the third day (and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive), and that after 40 days he physically ascended into heaven from where he will come to judge the living and the dead. This has been the public confession of Christians as stated in the Apostles and Nicene Creeds. Even though Jesus has not returned yet (or soon in our time frame), we continue to trust that he will either return during our lifetime (the signs are all there) or that if we die first, we will appear before the judgment seat of Christ.

We also believe that in his answer to the apostles question, Jesus made several promises that have been kept.

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. — baptized by the Holy Spirit.”

Acts The Promise of the Holy Spirit / 1:1–5

The Old Testament promised a time when God would demonstrate his purifying power among people (Isaiah 32:15; Ezekiel 39:29). The prophets also looked forward to a purifying fire (Isaiah 4:4; Malachi 3:2). This looked ahead to Pentecost (Acts 2:1–6), when the Holy Spirit would be sent by Jesus in the form of tongues of fire, empowering his followers to preach the gospel. All believers, those who would later come to Jesus Christ for salvation, would receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the fire of purification (in the Greek one article precedes these words, indicating that they were not two separate baptisms). This baptism would purify and refine each believer. When Jesus baptized with the Holy Spirit, the entire person would be transformed by the Spirit’s power.

If Jesus had stayed on earth, his physical presence would have limited the spread of the gospel because physically he could be in only one place at a time. After Christ was taken up into heaven, he would be spiritually present everywhere through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent so that God would be with and within his followers after Christ returned to heaven. The Spirit would comfort them, guide them to know his truth, remind them of Jesus’ words, give them the right words to say, and fill them with power. As promised by Christ in the upper room (John 13–17) and by the Father (see Peter’s speech in Acts 2:17 and following), the Holy Spirit would be the next great event in the life of the church. Many believe it to be the very birth of the church.

We note how this happened in a public and dramatic way on Pentecost. It is interesting to note how often in the book of Acts the proclamation of the Gospel was authenticated with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:14–25 NIV84

14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” 24 Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.” 25 When they had testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

Acts 11:15–18 NIV84

15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?” 18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”

Even today, we believe that through the gospel in word and sacraments the Holy Spirit empowers us and encourages us to live for Jesus.

“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The book of Acts is a record of the spread of the Gospel in the first century of the Christian Church. A history of the Christian church will show how it has continued to spread throughout the world. Although some modernists will lament that the white man stole North America from the Native Americans for the natural resources, it may be interesting to note who some of the first white men were exploring Wisconsin and what they represented. I am thinking of the Jesuit missionary Father Marquette for example. Worldwide the Christian church as sought to spread the Gospel not by force but by proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord.

So in response to those who scoff at the belief that Jesus has ascended into heaven and from there will come to judge the living and the dead, I offer this logical response. Consider the other promises that Jesus had made which seemed impossible or at the least very difficult.

Did he promise to rise from the dead?

Did he promises to pour out the Holy Spirit?

Did he predict the worldwide spread of the Gospel?

Since all of these past promises have been fulfilled, we can be confident that he promise of a fantastic future event will take place and in the mean time we can be empowered by the Holy Spirit to participate in the continues spread of the Gospel