The Vision Revealed

I’m reminded of a story which I included at the close of the book that I wrote on the church. A London Times reporter was interviewing people who were helping to build the great cathedral in London. The architecture was Sir Christopher Wren, a very famous architect and the name of the cathedral, and it still stands of course, is St. Paul’s.

And the London Times reporter was going along, checking with various workmen just to keep up with the progress of the construction. And he came to one man and he said to him, “What are you doing?” He says, “I’m putting this rock in the slot. Isn’t it obvious?”

He came to a second man doing the very same thing and he said, “What are you doing, sir?” He said, “I’m earning a day’s living.” He came to a third man doing identically the same thing, he said, “What are you doing, sir?” He said, “Why, I’m helping Sir Christopher Wren build St. Paul’s Cathedral.”

I guess it all depends on your perspective, doesn’t it? And I wonder sometimes if Christians really understand what they’re doing. For some Christians it’s just kind of like sticking a rock in a slot, it’s just kind of filling time. For other Christians I think it’s just kind of, “Well I’m trying to earn my reward so that when I get to heaven, you know, I get a halfway decent place.” But I wonder if we really understand that theChristian life is all about helping the Lord Jesus Christ to finish the work that He began.

v. 3 By the way is the only place that tells us that the period between the Resurrection and the Ascension was precisely 40 days. The number 40 seems to have special significance in Scripture:

The rains fell for 40 days and 40 nights before Noah’s flood (). Moses spent 40 days in God’s presence on Mt. Sinai (). The 12 spies spent 40 days exploring the land of Canaan (). A Generation wandered in the wilderness 40 years (). Jonah warned Nineveh of coming judgment in 40 days (). Jesus was tempted the wilderness for 40 days () Jesus appeared to the disciples for 40 days after his resurrection ().

The New Bible Dictionary suggests the following meaning for the number forty:

Forty is associated with almost each new development in the history of God’s mighty acts, especially of salvation, e.g. the Flood, redemption from Egypt, Elijah and the prophetic era, the advent of Christ and the birth of the church.

You might say it this way: When you see the number forty, pay attention because it usually means that God is about to do something significant in the world. Christ was tempted for 40 days at the beginning of his ministry and appeared to the disciples for 40 days at the end of his ministry.

And so we come to the last days of Jesus Christ on the earth. For 33 years He has made the earth his home. Now the time draws near to leave. We’re beyond the cross, past the suffering, the torture, the mocking, and even beyond the resurrection. We’re in that mysterious forty day period that we’d like to know more about.

About one hundred years ago two men who were skeptics, who had lectured against the Bible, decided they would issue a volume about the impossibility of the claims of Christianity. One was Lord Littleton, a member of the House of Lords, well known in England. The other was Dr. Nathanael West, a well-known scholar and writer. They decided to do this but they also considered themselves honest men. They said, “Before we issue a treatise on the impossibility of the claims of Christ in the Bible, we will give the Bible a hearing. We will read the Bible, we will study the four Gospels,” and they did. Each man by himself in his own study took the New Testament, and read the four Gospels and studied them. Both men were finally saved, both were led to Christ, and left a record and testimony that stirred all England.

Luke offers three proofs that Jesus rose from the dead. First, he says that Jesus appeared to them. The Greek word for “appeared” is ophthalmia—which means the eye or the eyeball. (We get the modern word Ophthalmology—the study of the eye and the treatment of eye diseases–from this Greek word). In modern terminology, Luke is telling us that the disciples “eyeballed” Jesus. They looked him over in great detail, examined his wounds, and satisfied themselves that it was the same Jesus they had known and loved.

Second, Jesus spoke with them. He talked with them about the kingdom of God and prepared them for his departure. Third, he ate with them. tells us that when he appeared to the disciples in Jerusalem, they were frightened and thought he was a ghost. He invited them to examine his wounds and see for themselves that he was real. What happens next has always seemed a bit humorous to me. How do you prove to someone that you have come back from the dead? If you ever find yourself in that situation, here’s a tip. Ask people to give you something to eat.

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, ‘‘Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence ().

A ghost can do many things, but no ghost can eat a Big Mac. By eating with them, Jesus proved beyond question that he was alive.

(2) ENUNCIATED BY GOD

The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is,

(a) AFFIRMED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:

David predicted it: He said, “For Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy one to see corruption.” () Isaiah predicted it, for he said, “For He shall see of the travail of His soul and shall be satisfied.” () Job predicted it, he said

“I know that my redeemer liveth.” () So this great historical fact of the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus is (a) and it is,

(b) CONFIRMED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT:

Listen to the testimony of Matthew: “The Son of Man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill Him, and the third day He shall be raised again.”

() Listen to the testimony of Mark, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests and scribes and be killed and after three days rise again.” () What about Luke? “The Son of Man must suffer many things …. and be slain and be raised the third day.”

(9:22) And John says, “Jesus said, destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. He spake of the temple of His body.” (2:19-21) Do you see that Christ predicted His resurrection in an unmistakeable and straightforward manner? No wonder our Lord’s foes remembered such promises as these. The marvel is that His friends forgot them. So the resurrection of the Lord Jesus is (1) (2)

(3) SUBSTANTIATED BY FACT

Do you see what Luke says? “He showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs,” (1:3) This word is a medical word, its also a word from the field of logic. It means demonstrable evidences, undeniable evidences. You see, for a whole 40 day period of time after His resurrection the Lord Jesus walked on this earth demonstrating to His disciples that He was absolutely alive and He did it with evidences that cannot be denied. Some years ago in England there was a young lawyer by the name of Frank Morrison. He was an unbeliever. For years he had promised himself that one day he would write a book to disprove the resurrection finally, and forever. At last he got the time. He was an honest man and did the work and study. He intended of course to omit any suspicion of the miraculous and utterly discount the resurrection. But when he came to study the facts with care, he had to change his mind.

Indeed after accepting Christ as his Savior he wrote entitled “Who moved the Stone?” A book which sets forward the resurrection as substantiated by fact. You see, “He showed Himself alive …. by many infallible proofs.” What are these proofs?

(a) THE VACATED TOMB:

Luke speaking of the women says, “And they entered in and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.” (24:3) My …. the stone was rolled away not to let the Savior out but to let the women and the disciples in. Now the body of Christ was there when the tomb was sealed. It was not there when the seal was broken. I remember the first time I went into the Garden Tomb at Jerusalem and gazed at these words as they were inscribed on the door of the tomb. My …. my heart was pounding. “He is not here but is risen.” No atom of Christ’s body was left within the tomb. It was a nest forsaken. The sweet scent of the spices clung around that rock-hewn burial place, but the cavern was just an echoing void. The body had vanished. “He is not here for He is risen as He said. Come see the place where the Lord lay.” ()

My …. we cannot visit too often that empty grave, delight in it too ardently, revere it too solemnly, or declare it too loyally. For do you know what that empty grace preaches?

1. The Father was so well pleased with His Son’s sacrifice on our behalf that He raised Him from the dead

2. It pledges that my loved ones who have died in Christ will rise also. “Up from the grave He arose.”

(b) THE DEFLATED SHROUD:

It wasn’t just that the grave clothes were there, it was their shape, position, undisturbed condition. Do you know what the disciples saw? The clothes lying.

() The head napkin was not with the linen clothes but in a place by itself. Also, the head napkin was wrapped together or twirled. It describes the rounded shape which the empty napkin still preserved. Now do you see what the disciples saw? The stone slab, the collapsed grave clothes, the shell of the head-cloth and the gap between the two. These clothes had not been touched nor folded nor manipulated had they been so the spices would have been all scattered all over the floor but nothing was disturbed. My …. a glance at this grave clothes prove the reality and indicate the very nature of the resurrection. Sure there was no way this could have happened but by bodily resurrection ! My …. when the Lord Jesus arose, He passed through the shroud without it being unwound. Hallelujah ! (a) (b)

(c) THE ELATED DISCIPLES:

If you one day saw a man looking sad and dejected and the next day you found him excited and exuberant would you not look for a reason. And if you discovered that he had come into a fortune you would say, “well, that explains it.” My …. the disciples of Christ were like. After Calvary the hopes of the disciples were at rock-bottom. Do you recall what John says? “the doors were shut where the disciples where assembled for fear of the Jews.” (20:19) What a picture of fear, despair and shattered dreams. Yet seven weeks later these same despondent disciples are preaching with such power that three thousand are saved. Their fear was replaced with courage, their timidity with boldness. What had happened? Christ had risen. For only a risen Savior could have such transforming power in a person’s life.

Are you getting the facts? Do you see the undeniable evidences of the resurrection? What about,

(d) THE FABRICATED CHURCH:

The existence of the church. When Christ said, “I will build my church,” () only a few months remained of His earthly life. He knew that and He knew that He would not take months but centuries to build His church. My …. does this declaration not demand the resurrection? Does not His declaration of intent presuppose a rising from the dead? My …. the church of Jesus Christ is proof positive that Jesus Christ lives.

(e) THE DEDICATED DAY:

The change from Saturday to Sunday as the main day of worship. My …. how are we to explain the change from Saturday to Sunday worship without the resurrection? The Jews original day was Saturday that commemorated Creation, but the Christian’s day of worship is Sunday and that commemorates Resurrection. Now the Jews of Christ’s day were fanatical about the Sabbath. Yet thousands of these Jews who became Christians abandoned their holy day to worship on the first day of the week () Why? What would cause them to change? Only one fact. The fact that echoed from the Garden Tomb that first Easter. He had risen. My …. I know He lives because of (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) and I can say this …. I know He lives because He lives within my heart. Tell me, does He live within your heart? Are you saved? Is this Risen Lord your Savior? The empty tomb has a message for us this …. ! It say to Science and Philosophy “Explain this event,” it says to History, “Repeat this event.” It says to Time, “Blot out this event.” It says to Faith, “Believe this event.” Will you believe?

Conclusion

At the University of Chicago Divinity School each year they have what they call “Baptist Day.” On this day they bring a lunch and eat outside on the grass. On this day some of the greatest minds would be invited to lecture to the students. One year they invited Dr. Paul Tillich. He spoke for two and a half hours seeking to disprove the resurrection of Christ. He quoted scholar after scholar, book after book, he said that Jesus Christ never rose from the dead. He then asked if there were any questions. An old dark skinned preacher with a head of short cropped woolly white hair stood up at the back. “Docta Tillich I got a question.” All eyes turned upon him. He reached into his lunch bag, pulled out an apple and began munching it. You could hear his teeth crunching the apple. “my question is a simple question. Now I ain’t never read them books you read and I cannot recite the Scriptures in the original Greek,” as he finished his apple, “but all I want to know is this, this apple I just ate, was it bitter or sweet?” Dr. Tillich paused for a moment and answered in an exemplary scholarly fashion, “I cannot possibly answer that question for I have not tasted your apple.” The white haired preacher dropped the core of his apple into his crumbled paper bag looked up at Dr. Tillich and said, “Neither have you tasted my Jesus.” The one thousand people erupted as Tillich promptly left the stage. My …. have you tasted my Savior? Have you thanked my Savior for dying and rising for you? Will you trust my Living Savior as your Savior now?

The Promise (1:4): “And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, ‘Which,’ He said, ‘you heard of from Me;’” -- JesusChrist gave His disciples specific instructions. They were to stay put in Jerusalem, and do nothing but wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit. “And behold,. I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (). Christ had promised His disciples a very special work or enduement with the Holy Spirit. Christ had a task to do through His disciples and they could not do this task of reaching men for Christ apart from this special work of the Holy Spirit.

So when they met together, they 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.” I. An Honest Question

Let us for a moment consider the question the disciples asked: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (v. 6). They had good reasons to ask this question. According to we know that Jesus had been speaking to them about the kingdom of God. We also know that the Old Testament makes a close connection between the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the coming of the kingdom (; ; ). When he told the disciples that very soon they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit, they concluded that the establishment of the kingdom must also be near at hand.

A. The Positive Side

Many commentators over the years have upbraided the disciples for asking this question as if it reflected a kind of carnal spirituality. But as I have mentioned, they had a sound biblical reason for supposing that the kingdom was at hand. We can add several other positive points as well. First, this question represented a strong faith in Jesus—that he was the Sovereign Lord who had the power to establish his kingdom on the earth. You wouldn’t ask such a question to any other than the Son of God. Second, it came from zeal to see God’s kingdom established and the glory of the Lord fill the earth as the waters cover the sea (). I can understand that, can’t you? When I consider how evil has reared its ugly head and perversion rules the day in Oak Park, I want to cry out, “Even so, Come, Lord Jesus!” Third, it stems from genuine grief over the coming departure of the Lord. When a father is about to leave on a business trip, his little children will sometimes tug on his pants and say, “Daddy, don’t leave. Stay with us.” By asking the question, the disciples were saying “Lord, why don’t you just go ahead and start your kingdom now? That way you wouldn’t have to leave at all.” They loved Jesus and didn’t want to see him go back to heaven. I can’t say that I blame them at all.

So there is much to be said in favor of their question. But that’s not the whole story.

B. The Negative Side

Take a look at that question again: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Underline the phrase at this time. That’s the key to the answer Jesus gives in verse 7. They weren’t asking, “Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” because they already knew the answer. It was yes. He told them as much in , “And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (See also .) They knew that one day they would reign with Christ in his kingdom on the earth. That was a settled fact about which they had no doubts. It wasn’t if but when the kingdom would be restored to Israel.

What’s wrong with the question, then? It was wrong because they were asking for something that was none of their business. Jesus had told them the what, they wanted to know the when. There are three problems here: The first is carnal impatience that is unwilling to wait for God’s plan to unfold. The second is improper curiosity from prying into things that belong to God alone. The third is spiritual indolence in which the pious fold their hands looking at the clouds instead of working in the harvest fields for the Master.

So the question, though understandable, is still wrong, not in what it presumes—that Jesus will one day return and set up his kingdom on the earth—but in what it asks—when are you going to do it?

II. A Surprising Answer

Let’s get the answer clearly before us and then make several comments: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” This is what you might call a divine put-down. Some have misunderstood Jesus as saying that there will never be a kingdom on the earth at all. But nothing could be further from the truth. Suppose that on the first day of the semester the teacher tells the class that there will be four major tests and a few unscheduled pop quizzes. One inquisitive scholar raises his hand and asks, “Teacher, are you going to give us a pop quiz next Thursday?” “It’s not for you to know the times and dates of my pop quizzes,” the teacher replies. “As the one in authority over this class, I alone know the dates.” Does that mean there aren’t going to be any pop quizzes? No, and if the students think that, they’re going to be sadly surprised one day when the teacher says, “Take out a piece of paper.” By the same token, when Jesus says, “It’s not for you to know the times or dates,” it can only mean that the kingdom is coming but no one can ever be sure of the date in advance.

The phrase “times or dates” involves two different Greek words. The first refers to duration of times and the second refers to both length of times and kinds of times—such as “hard times.” Jesus is telling us that we can’t know the time in general or specific relating to his return. Those things the Father has reserved for himself. In the Greek it’s even stronger than that. The words mean that God the Father has set by his own divine authority the timetable for all the events surrounding the Second Coming of Christ to the earth. No one else can know that timetable. It’s his and his alone.

emphasizes two things we need to know: 1) The Holy Spirit empowers disciples, and 2) Spirit-filled disciples witness about Jesus around the world. It is the first point we need to emphasize for just a moment. Our greatest need today is not for political power but for the power of the Holy Spirit. Political power can change leaders but it can’t change hearts. It can win an election but it can’t save a life. It can pass righteous laws—or repeal unrighteous ones—but it can’t make men righteous. Politics cannot change the way people think because it touches the outside of life. Only the Holy Spirit can change hearts, restore families and save an entire nation from destruction.

Verse 8 is what the book of Acts is about. It is the mission statement of the book of Acts. It is the anchor that must go into the ground as we move into this study to hold us from getting swept away into anything else. This is what the book of Acts is about. So if you like to write in your Bible or highlight in your device, verse 8 is where we’ll camp out today.

A witness, then, is someone who tells what he knows and only what he knows. How does this relate to ? In his commentary on Acts, F.F. Bruce calls attention to how Luke uses the word “witness” elsewhere in the book of Acts. Here are a few examples:

—God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.

—You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.

—We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.

—But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.

—Then he said: “The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.” (I find this example striking because Ananias uses words that are similar to the dictionary definition: “One who has seen or heard something.")

If we take all these verses together, we can sum them up this way: A witness is a person who tells the truth about Jesus Christ. The disciples testified to the things they knew to be true about Jesus Christ. Above all, they testified to the truth of the resurrection.

The first half tells us what to do—Be Witnesses for Christ. The second half tells us where to do it—in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. If the first half gives us God’s job description for every Christian, the second half gives us God’s plan for every local church.

is an important verse for many reasons. For one thing, it offers us a convenient outline for the Book of Acts. Luke uses three successive phrases to describe the spread of the gospel in the first few decades of the Christian church. These phrases fit nicely into the overall plan of this book.

Beginning in Jerusalem— Judea and Samaria— Ends of the Earth—

This verse contains the last recorded words of Jesus. As far as we know, these are the final words Jesus spoke before he ascended into heaven. They demand our close attention since they tell us what was on the Savior’s heart just before he left this earth.

gives us God’s plan for the entire Christian church. It also tells us God’s plan for Calvary Memorial Church. From this verse we learn what we are to do and where we are to do it.

By starting in Jerusalem they could build their base, then expand elsewhere. Finally, Jerusalem represented a vast spiritual darkness that needed the light of the gospel. Just a few weeks earlier this city had rejected our Lord and put him to death. The city Jesus loved did not love him back. This is where the disciples must begin the work of spreading the gospel.

Now we come to the third step in God’s plan for Calvary Memorial Church. We are to be witnesses “to the ends of the earth.” I checked the word “ends” in the Greek and discovered that Luke used the word eschatou, from which we get the English word eschatology—the doctrine of the Last Things. When Luke uses the word in , it refers to the extremities of the earth. The expression “the four corners” of the earth catches the flavor. It means that we must take the gospel to every nook and cranny of the globe. We must venture into the farthest, remotest regions in the most distant lands in order to share Christ with everyone we meet. The task will not be done until there is a worshipping band of believers in every identifiable people group.

If we take that literally, it will mean traveling great distances, overcoming large difficulties, making an enormous sacrifice, and facing strong opposition.

III. What it Means to Us

A. The work of salvation is now complete. Since God has accepted Christ, nothing more can be added to what he did when he died on the cross and rose from the dead. reminds us that there were no chairs in the tabernacle because the priests were not allowed to sit down. They stood to perform their work because their work was never done. Every day the priest would kill another animal—signifying that the price of sin had not yet been paid. But when Christ returned to heaven, he sat down because he had offered himself as the one sacrifice for sin forever. Thank God, Jesus is seated in heaven. It means we have a sit-down salvation.

B. We have a friend in heaven. calls Christ a great high priest who has gone into heaven. Because he walked on this earth with us, he knows what we are going through and is able to sympathize with us in our struggles. Because he is now in heaven, he can help in all our troubles. When we go to the throne of grace, we don’t have to worry about being turned away because Christ himself is there to meet us. He has grace to help in the time of need.

People who live in big cities understand this principle well. We deal with so many different government bodies—local, state and federal—that it’s inevitable that sooner or later we’ll get in trouble one way or another. At that moment, only one question crosses the mind: “Who do I know who can help me out?” If you know someone at City Hall, suddenly your problems begin to vanish. Or you may know someone who knows someone, and if your friend will make that phone call, everything will be OK. In order to survive in today’s world, you need some friends in high places—a man on the inside, someone who knows you and is willing to help you out. Just try doing business in Chicago without a few friends in high places. You’ll drown in a sea of red tape.

What we need in Chicago, we already have in heaven. We’ve got a Friend in High Places—the Highest Place in the universe. We’ve got a man on the inside who can help us out with all our problems. Think of it this way. When you’re in trouble, you need two things: 1) Someone who cares about your problems, and 2) Someone who can help you out. If your friend cares but isn’t in a position to help you, you’ll get sympathy but no concrete help. If your friend could help you but doesn’t care about your problem, well, that’s like not having a friend at all. What you need is someone who cares and is in a position to make things happen for you. That’s what Jesus is—a Friend in High Places who loves to come to the aid of his people.

C. The ascension also means that Christ prays for us in heaven. tells us that Christ is now at the right hand of God interceding for us. In we learn that because Jesus lives forever, “he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” The word “intercede” means to speak up on behalf of someone else. That means that Christ is now in heaven praying for us. What a marvelous thought this is—and what a balm for troubled souls. When I am down in the dumps, Jesus prays for me. When I falter under the load, Jesus prays for me. When my faith gives way, Jesus prays for me. When I fight a losing battle against temptation, Jesus prays for me. There’s even more than that. Often when I am asked to pray for someone, I can’t seem to find the appropriate words and I feel as if my prayers are in vain. But Jesus in heaven comes alongside, takes my pitiful prayers and transforms them into powerful petitions before the throne of God. When I can’t pray, when the words won’t come, Jesus prays for me.

D. adds the encouraging truth that Christ is our attorney in heaven. He is our advocate who speaks to the Father in our defense. When the devil comes and makes a claim against us, Jesus speaks up on our behalf and pleads his own blood in our defense. The Father looks at the Son, sees his pierced hands, and says, “Case dismissed.” Let me tell you the best part of this truth: He’s never lost a case yet. No matter how much money you pay an earthly lawyer, you can never be certain of the outcome of your case. So many things can happen in the courtroom that you can’t control. Even the best lawyers lose now and then. But because Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of God the Father, he’s in the place of highest authority in the universe. He never has to appeal a decision to the Supreme Court. He is the Supreme Court—and he’s there for you and me all the time. Lately I’ve heard the expression “24-7"—it means 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That’s what Jesus is. He’s our 24-7 advocate in heaven.

shows us how this works. When Stephen preached his bold sermon before the Jewish Sanhedrin (the Supreme Court of Israel), he recited the history of the nation, showing how the Jews had consistently rejected God’s messengers. He told them they had murdered God’s Righteous Son (v. 52)! The rulers didn’t like that kind of talk so they gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen cried out, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (). What does it mean? On earth Stephen stands before a corrupt human court, but in heaven there is another judge. There will be another trial, but this time the judge will also be the attorney for the defense. The judge normally sits, but in heaven Jesus stands to defend his people. It’s as if Jesus is saying, “They can kill you on earth, but I will defend you in heaven.”

E. Let me mention one aspect of this truth you may not have considered. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he took his glorified humanity with him. The physical body of Christ is now in heaven, which means that someday when we are raised from the dead, we won’t be raised as spirits but as real people with our physical bodies glorified just like Jesus. He not only redeemed your soul, he also redeemed your body. If you are in Christ, you have His promise that your flesh will be renewed and gloriously raised in the resurrection. Then we all shall see him as he is, and we will be with him forever. The ascension guarantees our Christian destiny. Because he was raised, we too will be raised. Because he ascended, we too will ascend. Because he is in heaven, we will join him there someday.

This week I spent six days speaking at the Word of Life Bible Conference Center in Hudson, Florida. Last night an older couple drove me to the Tampa airport so I could catch my flight back to Chicago. As we talked, the father shared a tragic story about the death of one of his sons at the age of 33. It happened just as the son was completing his training to be a missionary. Cancer took him in death after only three months. Before he died, he encouraged his parents with these words, “Don’t worry about me. I’m just being transferred to Headquarters.” His parents have cherished those words ever since he died six years ago.

Where does that faith come from? What hope do any of us have of going to heaven? Surely it is this: We will be where he is, and we know where he is because he ascended into heaven. At the moment of death the children of God can rest assured that the Christ who ascended bodily into heaven will take them to be with him—and will one day raise their bodies immortal and incorruptible ().

The Tug of Heaven

Let me close with this thought. Because of the ascension, we may rest assured that the religion of Christ is true. God has accepted him and because God accepted him, he will accept all those who trust in him. Because he is safe in heaven, we will someday be safe in heaven. We will be where he now is.

The ascension shows us how we should spend our life—looking up. The story is told of a little boy who went outside on a windy spring day to fly his new kite. As the wind blew, the kite flew higher and higher until it finally disappeared from view in the clouds far above. After a few minutes a bystander asked, “How do you know the kite is still attached to the string?” “I can feel it pull,” the boy replied. The same is true for us today. Christ is pulling us toward heaven. He is pulling us away from the earth toward our eternal home. We may not see him with our eyes but we feel his tug in our hearts. We know where he is and we know that where he is, we will someday be.

Every day Jesus tugs on our hearts, pulling us up toward heaven so that when we finally get there, we won’t feel like strangers. One day soon the Lord will give us one final tug and we’ll end up in heaven forever. Until then, let the people of God rejoice. Christ has conquered! He has won the victory and defeated every foe.

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What are we waiting for? (v. 11)