"Do not cling..."

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 20:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "Jesus said to her, 'Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'"  John 20:17

Jesus was dead and now Mary was being denied even the last thing she could do for Him. I can sense her outrage: "'They have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid Him.'" So when Jesus revealed Himself to her, it was beyond incredible. Not only was His body returned, but Himself, alive, warm, touchable, talking!

It was different than before though. "'Don't cling to Me,'" Jesus said. He wouldn't be held down. His mission continued and involved ascension—His permanent physical removal from earth.

Was it bittersweet for Mary, I wonder, having Him back and yet not? Being told to deliver this mysterious message about His coming ascension to the disciples?

It's easy for us, who know how the story continues, to think it was no big deal for them. Jesus ascended, the Holy Spirit came, and so the Spirit of Jesus was available to everyone—way better than when His physical presence was limited to one place at a time.

But Mary had no idea how events would unfold. It was as much a walk of faith for her as dealing with the unknown is for us. And just as Mary and the disciples came to understand the wisdom of God's plan as it played out, so we may see the same as we resist the temptation to cling to the past, and live in faith and obedience in the inscrutable now.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me not to cling to the past but to embrace Your plan as it unfolds in my life and circumstances. Amen.

MORE: The Feast of St. Mary Magdalene

The liturgy for this day begins with this Collect:

"Almighty God, whose blessed Son restored Mary Magdalene to health of body and of mind, and called her to be a witness of his resurrection: Mercifully grant that by your grace we may be healed from all our infirmities and know you in the power of his unending life; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen."

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Jesus—revealed in Revelation

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! 

"I am...the Bright and Morning Star" (Pixabay.com)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Revelation 22:6-21

TO CHEW ON: " 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. … I Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.' " Revelation 22:13,16

Since back in the beginning of April this year we have been reading, from time to time, in Revelation. Today as we come to its concluding words, I recall a challenge I put out on April 4th. It was to search through Revelation to list the names and titles that describe the divine-human relationship and the redemptive work of Christ.

I started my list on that day and over the last couple of days have skimmed through the book to complete it. What an inspiring survey!

I'm going to share my list with you today (though that makes this a very long devo—sorry about that!). Several disclaimers:
- I may have missed some names.
- I included descriptive passages that were not names per se.
- I used my simple understanding of the text to compile this list (didn't go to Bible commentaries and scholars).
- Of course I found lots of repetition so didn't mention each recurrence (the name or title of "Lamb," for example, recurs repeatedly).

These titles and descriptions suggest big-picture facts about Jesus. I have organized them in this way.

In Revelation, Jesus is revealed as:

• Creator:
• "Him… who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it" - Revelation 10:6.

• Eternal:
• "Alpha and Omega" - Revelation 1:8,11; 21:6; 22:13. 
• "Beginning and the End - Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13. 
• "Who was and is and is to come" - Revelation 1:8; 16:5. 
• "the First and the Last" - Revelation 1:11,17; 22:13. 
• "Him who lives forever and ever" - Revelation 5:14; 10:6.

• Omnipotent:
• "… firstborn from the dead" - Revelation 1:6 
• "Almighty" - Revelation 1:8. 
• " 'I have the keys of death and of Hades' " - Revelation 1:18 
• "He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens" - Revelation 3:7
•  "The Lord God omnipotent" - Revelation 19:6.

• Righteous:
• "He who is holy, He who is true…" Revelation 3:7. 
• "The Faithful and True witness" - Revelation 3:14. 
• "Faithful and True - Revelation 19:11.

• Lord:
• "Our Lord" - Revelation 11:8. 
• "He is Lord of Lords …" - Revelation 17:14. 
• "The Lord God omnipotent" - Revelation 19:6. 
• "Lord Jesus" - Revelation 22:20. 
• "Lord Jesus Christ" - Revelation 22:21.

• King:
• "Ruler of the kings of the earth" - Revelation 1:5. 
• "… having on His head a golden crown" - Revelation 14:14. 
• "He is … King of kings" - Revelation 17:4.

• Communicator:
• "Jesus Christ, the faithful witness…" - Revelation 1:5; 3:14. 
• "Alpha and Omega" - Revelation 1:8,11; 21:6; 22:13 (I include this here because these are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and imply communication in writing or speech.)
• "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" - Revelation 19:10. 
• "Word of God" - Revelation 19:13. 
• "He who testifies to these things" - Revelation 22:20.

• Descended from God:
• "Son of God" - Revelation 2:18. 
• "He who has the seven Spirits of God" - Revelation 3:1. 
• "The beginning of the Creation of God" - Revelation 3:14.

• Human being:  "You shall call His name Jesus," the angel told Mary of the child she would birth (Luke 1:31). Repeatedly the name of Jesus occurs in Revelation.
• "Jesus" - Revelation 1:1,2,5 
• "Son of man" - Revelation 1:13; 14:14. 
• "her child" and "male child"  Revelation 12:4,5.

• Human being who was also called Messiah (Christos = anointed one):
• "Jesus Christ" - Revelation 1:1,2,5; 12:17.

• A Jew and source / descendant of David's royal family:
• "Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of Jesse" - Revelation 5:5. 
• "I am the Root and the Offspring of David" - Revelation 22:16.

• Sacrifice (Lamb):
• "a Lamb as though it had been slain" - Revelation 5:6. 
• "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world - Revelation 13:8. 
• "These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them" - Revelation 17:14. 
• Said of the New Jerusalem: "The Lamb is its light" - Revelation 21:22.

• Ascended:
• "And her Child was caught up to God and His throne" - Revelation 12:4.
  

• Present with the Church:
• "… who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks" - Revelation 2:1. (The candlesticks or lamp stands symbolize the churches - Revelation 1:20.)

• Harvester:
• "Son of Man … in His hand a sharp sickle" - Revelation 14:14.
  

• Warrior:
• "… out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword" - Revelation 1:16. 
• "He who has the sharp two-edged sword" Revelation 2:12. 
• "These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them" - Revelation 17:4.

• The Refined who is now a Refiner (Judge):
• "His eyes like a flame of fire, His feet like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace" - Revelation 1:15,16. 
• "The Son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire and His feet like fine brass" - Revelation 2:18.

• Light:
• "… and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength" - Revelation 1:16.  
• Said of the New Jerusalem: "The Lamb is its Light" - Revelation 21:22.
  

• Unpredictable and mysterious:
• "Behold I am coming as a thief" - Revelation 16:15. 
• "He had a name written that no one knew except Himself" - Revelation 19:12.
  

• Majestic in appearance and presence:
• "...and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters" - Revelation 1:13-15.

• Ruler over angels and the spirit realm: 
• "The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches" - Revelation 1:20.
• "I am … the Bright and Morning Star" - Revelation 22:16. (Compare with the description of Satan's fall from heaven in Isaiah 14 where he is referred to as a "morning star" - Isaiah 14:12-15 NIV.)

• God's final word: 
• "... the Amen..." - Revelation 3:14; 22:20,21.

What an invitation and inspiration to be in awe and worship Jesus—our Saviour, the One who has invited us to call Him friend (John 15:15-17).

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I worship with Revelation's thousands and thousands:
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom
And strength and honor and glory and blessing." - Revelation 5:12.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Forty-day seminar

"Jesus appears to His disciples" - Alexandre Bida

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Acts 1:1-11


TO CHEW ON: "…to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." Acts 1:3

How I would love to have been present in the room with the disciples during Jesus' post-resurrection teaching sessions!

Matthew describes the disciples meeting with Jesus on the mountain in Galilee. He left them with the assignment we call the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

Mark describes Jesus meeting the eleven disciples for a meal when he rebuked them for not believing the word of previous eye-witnesses. Mark ends His gospel with another version of the Jesus' Great Commission - Mark 16:15-18.

Luke's gospel has the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus where Jesus says to the two (after they have told Him their tale of grief over Jesus' death and disappointment over dashed hopes that He would have redeemed Israel): "'O foolish ones … Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?'" And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them an all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" - Luke 24:25-27.

When these same two disciples hurried back to Jerusalem to tell the others, Jesus appeared among them and again ended up teaching: "He opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures" - Luke 24:45.

And here in Acts, author Luke talks of Jesus "speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."

Even so, some didn't get it. For they ask, "'Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?'" Jesus' answer gently turns their attention away from immediate national concerns to the next step. It's not your business to know what God has planned, he tells them, but you will receive Holy Spirit power to witness to Me everywhere (Acts 1:7,8).


Jesus' teaching does eventually sink in. I know of no record in the New Testament or tradition that tells of any of the eleven disciples defecting from faith because the political scene didn't change.Their protegé Paul, who wrote many of the New Testament books, was clear on the place of Jesus in the continuum of God's plan and explained it explicitly. So it's obvious that these disciples came to understand what Jesus was talking about. Still, it  would have been wonderful to hear Jesus explain it firsthand.

The challenge to us is, do we believe the rich body of evidence we have? Do we take advantage of the many resources that help us coordinate the Jesus of history with the Jesus of prophecy? Do we understand our place in history? Or would Jesus' rebuke of some His disciples of having hard, unbelieving hearts, way too often fit us?


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your rich word—the story of Your plan to save humankind from sin. Help me to understand  it, believe it, and myself become part of the story of the kingdom of God. Amen.

MORE: Ascension Day

Today the church celebrates the ascension of Christ into heaven. The Ascension Day liturgy begins with this collect:

Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Reasons to clap

"Shout to God with the voice of triumph..." (Image Pixabay)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 47:1-9

TO CHEW ON: "Oh clap your hands all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!" Psalm 47:1

The word transliterated "clap" (taqa') means to clatter, clang, sound, blow (trumpets), clap, strike. "Its best one-word definition may be 'strike'" says a Word Wealth article in my Bible. It goes on to explain the Israeli usage of the word: "Taqa' describes pitching a tent or fastening a nail, probably due to the striking of the hammer used for both tasks. In other references taqa' describes blowing a trumpet or sounding an alert" - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 724.

"Clap" is definitely a noisy word. Why would we respond to God this way? Several facts gleaned from my Bible's notes about how people over the years have viewed this psalm help answer:

God's rule:
This psalm was part of Israel's New Year celebrations. In the words of verse 2: "For the Lord Most High is awesome, / He is a great King over all the earth," they claimed God's rule over the nations in the coming year.

Our inheritance:
While the Son of Korah writer of this psalm may have been thinking of a literal inheritance of land when he wrote: "He will choose our inheritance for us…" (Psalm 47:4), Paul related this inheritance to Jesus and the inheritance He bought for believers through His death and resurrection - Colossians 1:12-14.

Our hope for the future:
Christians have seen in the words "God has gone up with a shout…" (Psalm 47:5) a prophetic picture of Jesus' ascension. After coming down to accomplish salvation (Philippians 2:6-10), He went up in victory (Acts 1:9-10; Hebrews 12:2). But that's not the end of the story. Someday He will return with shouts and trumpets to take us to be with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17).

Do these things—God's rule, our inheritance, our hope—elicit a reaction in us? As we meditate on these grand truths and celebrate them in our churches, let's not squelch the impulse to respond with a little noise. Applause is definitely in order!

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me to realize anew the magnitude of what You have done in the world and for Me. May these truths never grow old and tired. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Promise—kept!

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Acts 1:1-11

TO CHEW ON: "And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the Promise of the Father, 'which,' He said, 'you have heard from Me.' " Acts 1:4

Here Jesus, in His last goodbyes to His disciples, gives them some explicit instructions . They are not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the "Promise of the Father." What is this "Promise of the Father"?

[The word "promise" here is the Greek word epangalia. It refers to "both a promise and the thing promised, an announcement with a special sense of promise, pledge and offer" - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1516.]

In the next verse, Jesus tells them what this promise is: the Holy Spirit.

What sort of expectation does this raise in the disciples, who are familiar with the law, psalms and prophets (our Old Testament)? Here are some OT scriptures that may have come to their minds, and the expectations they raised:

Isaiah 32:15 - "Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field…" = Fruitfulness.

Isaiah 59:21 - "… this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you…" and the verse continues with a promise = Believing Generations.

Ezekiel 39:29 - "And I will not hide my face from them anymore for I shall have poured out My Spirit…" = a New Intimacy with God.

Joel 2:28 - "I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions" = Supernatural Insight and Communication.

Zechariah  12:10 - "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication…" = a New Favor with Man and Power with God.

As we look at these OT promises, we see that every one of them is fulfilled at the coming of the Spirit on and beyond the day of Pentecost.

• Fruitfulness: 3,000 people become believers after Peter's sermon that day and the church only keeps growing from there.

• Believing Generations: The church that begins on the day of Pentecost continues till today.

• A New Intimacy: Through the Spirit believers through the centuries have assurance of a vital connection to God as His children. Paul and John express this well in Romans 8:16; Galatians 4:6; and 1 John 4:13.

• Supernatural Insight and Communication: Peter refers to the passage in Joel in his sermon, interpreting the coming of the Spirit as fulfillment of Joel's prophecy (Acts 1:16-21). The book of Acts continues with many examples of this: Acts 5:1-11; 8:14-23; 9:10-16; all of Acts 10.

• Favor with People, Power with God: The early church has "favor with all the people" - Acts 2:47 and power when they pray - Acts 4:31.

The wonderful thing is that the same Holy Spirit is still available to us and working in and through Christ-followers all around the world. His presence and activity in our lives is still able to energize us and make us powerful and effective in these ways.

The question becomes: Are we making ourselves available to Him?

PRAYER: Dear Holy Spirit, all of You is available to me but I fear I often don't make all of myself available to You and so I stifle Your activity in my life. Help me to be better at giving myself to You for whatever You would do through me. Amen.

MORE: Ascension Day

Today the church celebrates the day Jesus ascended to heaven--Ascension Day. The day's liturgy begins with this collect:

Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Gone but not for good

"Ascension of Christ" 
Tiffany window Union Congregational Church,
Montclair, NJ, Designer unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Acts 1:1-11

TO CHEW ON: "And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel who also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.'" Acts 1:10-11

Even after Jesus rose from the dead His disciples didn't grasp his plan. For when they were together they quizzed Him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"

It was only after His answer and then His ascension that they finally understood that this wasn't going to be an earthly kingdom He would set up any day now. 

The two "men who stood by them in white apparel"  promised that Jesus would be back, would actually return in the way they had seen Him go. His coming is talked about throughout the Bible. It's in the Old Testament (Psalm 98:9; Daniel 7:13; Zechariah 14:5). Jesus referred to it repeatedly (Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 21:27). And it was the hope of the Apostles (Hebrews 9:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; Revelation 3:3).

The early church expected it to occur any day. There was even a wait-instead-of-work controversy that developed because, these early Christians reasoned, why bother working when Jesus will come back any day anyway.

We are still waiting. God's definition of "quickly" (Revelation 3:11) is obviously not the same as ours. But in the meantime, The Bible tells us to occupy ourselves in:

• Readiness - because Jesus' second coming will be unexpected - Matthew 24:44.

• Stewardship - because we will be held accountable for what God has given us - Luke 19:13.

• Waiting - 1 Corinthians 1:7.

• Charitableness - because God who knows things we don't about motivations behind others' actions  and will judge people by His standard of truth - 1 Corinthians 4:5.

• Holy living - so we will be preserved blameless - 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

• Obedience - 1 Timothy 6:14.

• Joyful expectation - because Jesus' glorious return is a "blessed hope" - Titus 2:13.

• Constant abiding - so that we can meet Him without shame but full of confidence - 1 John 2:28.

It's tricky living with one eye toward the sky, the other on the things of earth. But it's also very freeing as we keep in mind how transitory this life is, how we need to travel lightly (both materially and in judgment) and always keep our relationship with God clear, open, and strong - so we will be ready for His return. It could be today!


PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for this account of Your visible ascension into heaven and the clear promise of Your return. Help me to occupy myself productively and in ways that will please You as I wait. Amen.


MORE: Ascension Day

Today the church celebrates the bodily ascension of Jesus into heaven. The liturgy for the day begins with this Collect:

"Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that as we believe your only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into heaven, so we may also in heart and mind there ascend, and with him continually dwell; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

"We Shall Behold Him" written by Dottie Rambo, sung here by Sandi Patty




(The lady Sandi Patty hugs at the end of the video is Dottie Rambo.)

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The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Christ's Ascension

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 103:1-22

TO CHEW ON: "The Lord has established His throne in heaven,

And His kingdom rules over all." Psalm 103:19

Today is Ascension Day—the day we as Christians remember the ascension of Christ into heaven. So that's it, isn't it? Jesus ascended, straight and simple.

It is simple, and yet not. I love reading books on theology because they open my eyes to what various God-activities mean. When we read the writings of godly learned men who have made it their life's work to study such things we get an enlarged appreciation of the meaning and significance of events like the ascension.

Join me today as we peer into Jesus' ascension through the eyes of one such man to answer the questions what is Jesus' ascension and what does it mean to us? (Quotes taken from Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem, pages 617-620).

1. Christ ascended to a place. ...

These narratives (Luke 24:50-51; Acts 1:9-11) describe an event that is clearly designed to show the disciples that Jesus went to a place ....

Of course we cannot now say exactly where heaven is. Scripture often pictures people as ascending up into heaven or coming down from heaven (as the angels did in Jacob's dream - Genesis 28:12), so we are justified in thinking of heaven as somewhere 'above' earth ....

The repeated emphasis on the fact that Jesus went somewhere (as did Elijah, 2 Kings 2:11) and the fact that the New Jerusalem will come down out of heaven from God (Revelation 21:2) all indicate that there is clearly a localization of heaven in the space-time universe.


2. Christ received glory and honour that had not been his before as the God-Man. (Scriptures cited: John 17:5; Acts 2:33) ....

Christ is now in heaven with the angelic choirs singing praise to him with the words, 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing!' (Revelation 5:12).


3. Christ was seated at God's right hand.

• This welcoming into the presence of God and sitting at God's right hand is a dramatic indication of the completion of Christ's work of redemption... (Hebrews 1:3)

• In addition ... the act of sitting at God's right hand is an indication that he received authority over the universe... (Ephesians 1:20-21).;

• One additional aspect of the authority that Christ received from the Father when he sat at his right hand was the authority to pour out the Holy Spirit on the church (Acts 2:33).

4. Christ's ascension has doctrinal significance for our lives

• Christ's going up into heaven foreshadows our future ascension into heaven with him (1 Thessalonians 4:17)...

• Jesus' ascension gives us assurance that our final home will be in heaven with him (John 14:2-3)....

• Because of our union with Christ in his ascension, we are able to share now (in part) in Christ's authority over the universe, and we will later share in it more fully (Ephesians 2:6)

Isn't God's plan amazingly rich? Perhaps our best response is with the closing words of our Psalm:

"Bless the Lord, all His works.

In all places of His dominion.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your plan, which included the brief stay of Jesus on earth and His ascension back to heaven. Please give me spiritual understanding of its significance to my everyday life. Amen.

MORE: Ascension Day

The Ascension Day liturgy begins with this prayer:

"Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that as we believe your only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into heaven, so we may also in heart and mind there ascend, and with him continually dwell; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

Gone but not for good

"Ascension of Christ" 
Tiffany window Union Congregational Church,
Montclair, NJ, Designer unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Acts 1:1-14

TO CHEW ON: "And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel who also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.'" Acts 1:10-11

Even after Jesus rose from the dead His disciples didn't grasp his plan. For when they were together they quizzed Him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"

It was only after His answer and then His ascension that they finally understood that this wasn't going to be an earthly kingdom He would set up any day now. 

The two "men who stood by them in white apparel" (angels?) promised that Jesus would be back, would actually return in the way they had seen Him go. His coming is talked about throughout the Bible. It's in the Old Testament (Psalm 98:9; Daniel 7:13; Zechariah 14:5). Jesus referred to it repeatedly (Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 21:27). And it was the hope of the Apostles (Hebrews 9:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; Revelation 3:3).

The early church expected it to occur any day. There was even a wait-instead-of-work controversy that developed because these early Christians reasoned, why bother working when Jesus will come back any day anyway.

We are still waiting. God's definition of "quickly" (Revelation 3:11) is obviously not the same as ours. But in the meantime, The Bible tells us to occupy ourselves in:

• Readiness - because Jesus' second coming will be unexpected - Matthew 24:44.

• Stewardship - because we will be held accountable for what God has given us - Luke 19:13.

• Waiting - 1 Corinthians 1:7.

• Charitableness - because God who knows things we don't about motivations behind others' actions  and will judge people by His standard of truth - 1 Corinthians 4:5.

• Holy living - so we will be preserved blameless - 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

• Obedience - 1 Timothy 6:14.

• Joyful expectation - because Jesus' glorious return is a "blessed hope" - Titus 2:13.

• Constant abiding - so that we can meet Him without shame but full of confidence - 1 John 2:28.

It's tricky living with one eye toward the sky, the other on the things of earth. But it's also very freeing as we keep in mind how transitory this life is, how we need to travel light (both materially and in judgment) and always keep our relationship with God clear, open and strong - so we will be ready for His return. It could be today!


PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for this account of Your visible ascension into heaven and the clear promise of Your return. Help me to occupy myself productively and in ways that will please You as I wait. Amen.


MORE: Ascension Day

Today the church celebrates the bodily ascension of Jesus into heaven. The liturgy for the day begins with this Collect:

Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

"We Shall Behold Him" written by Dottie Rambo, sung here by Sandi Patty




(The lady Sandi Patty hugs at the end of the video is Dottie Rambo.)