Quotation (Acts 1: 9 -11)

When He had said these things, as they were looking, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. While they were looking steadfastly into the sky as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white clothing, who also said, "You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky, will come back in the same way as you saw Him going into the sky"

Yesterday was traditionally being marked as the Ascension -the day the Lord Jesus Christ departed to Heaven (though not the actually day anyway). I am not concerned with the day, as with its implications and consequences. So I want to outline for our learning the theological thought on this as prophesied in the Bible.

The Old Testament foreviews of the coming Jewish Messiah in two aspects:

- that of rejection and suffering (Isaiah 53)

- that of glory and power (Isaiah 11).

Oftentimes, these two aspects were blended together in one passage (Psalm 2).

In due time Jesus the Messiah was born of a virgin, appeared among men and began His ministry and announced the predicted kingdom of Heaven was at hand.
However Israel under their chief priests rejected the king and the kingdom. There upon, Jesus announced His approaching death by crucifixion, resurrection after three days, departure by ascension and return in glory and power as King of kings.
He uttered predictions concerning the course of events between His departure and return - that is the building of His church, the parables of His church, the disasters of the world, deserters in the church and dictator in the world (Matt 26 18, Matth 13: 1 -50, Matth 24: 4 -26)

The promise of Jesus return becomes the cornerstone, foundational pillar and a prominent them for His followers as they preach all over the world, and in the Letters of the Bible and the Revelation given to John the Apostle.
Taking together, this return of Jesus as outlined in the New Testament may be summarized as follow:

- The return is an event (wiill take place one day), and is personal (its effects affect everyone individually)

- His coming has a threefold relation:

1. to the Church - the descent of the Lord into the air to raise the sleeping (the dead saints) and change the living Christians is set forth as a constant expectation and a blessed hope (normally termed as the rapture, 2 Thess 4: 13 -17)

- to Israel - the return of the Lord is predicted to accomplish the yet unfulfilled prophecies of her national regathering, conversion and establishment in peace and power under the Throne of David (Acts 15: 14 -17, Zech 14: 1 -9)

- to the Gentile nations - the return of Jesus is predicted to bring the destruction of the present, devilish political and economic world systems (Dan 2: 34 -35), the judgment of the ungodly who would be living, followed by world wide gentile nations conversion and participation in the blessing of Christ's Millennium kingdom rule on earth.

Under Christ rule on earth, the inscription on the UN building in New York, which UN has failed virtually to accomplish or granted to the world will become the order of the day. No nation will go to war, no nation will be greedy, no nation will have power to place sanctions on other, or call other nations criminals or shithole, because those evil, criminals will be removed from earth by the Righteous Christ the Lord.

And all the saints, who followed Christ Jesus now, will rule and reign with Him in glory for a thousand years, with Jerusalem as its Capital, not London, Berlin, New York or Washington.

What a day and an era it will be. Please, don't remove yourself from it. But it all bogged down to your will, decision and choice, which you alonr are free to make. Christ ascension also meant His return, and the implications and consequences of it are bearing heavily on us.

So as you go through the day and live life, be reminded that a greater, glorious destiny awaits you, so seek the giver of that destiny now. He is the risen, ascended Lord of glory, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
May this destiny be yours in Jesus name and may you choose Christ now. May the blessing of His ascension fill your life now in Jesus name. Amen

pray with me

Thank you Father for such a wonderful future. We have hope, for your word is true. Thank you for Jesus, for having thought of us and bringing us to such a glorious future life through His death on the Cross. As we commemorate His ascension to glory today, may we also be reminded of His glorious and powerful descend in the clouds one day as King of kings and Lord of lords. Fill our day with His peace and power in Jesus name. Amen

Shalom, life and grace to you
Moving people unto God's purposes

Thanks for reading,

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