And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.
While blessing His disciples at Bethany on the Mount of Olives after forty days of instructing them following His resurrection, He was parted from them and carried up into heaven in the same tangible human form they had known. He lifted hands outstretched in blessing, wounded by the nails, with a face radiant with heavenly brightness and loving tenderness, completing His earthly ministry without rebuke as assurance of His protecting care. He was escorted in triumph by rejoicing angels with music to the courts above, leading with Him the captives raised at His resurrection, to be enthroned as King of glory, High Priest and Intercessor to carry forward the atonement and prepare homes for those He loved. The disciples worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy and not in sorrow, charged as witnesses to preach repentance and forgiveness among all nations beginning at Jerusalem after they were endued with power from on high. His parting pledged His abiding presence to the end of the world and made His ascension their hope, for angels assured them this same Jesus would return in the same manner to stand again on the Mount of Olives as triumphant King.
Setting and Timing
Jesus led His disciples out as far as Bethany to the Mount of Olives beyond its summit, the mountain often associated with His prayers and ministry and chosen for this final display of glory, where He would stand again as a glorious, triumphant king. There He paused while they gathered about Him and lifted His hands to bless them before being parted from them and carried up into heaven. His departure followed His resurrection and His opening their minds to understand the Scriptures about His suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection, and it was a triumph, not a cause for despair.
The ascension came after He had remained with them for forty days instructing them before His departure. Immediately before being parted He commanded them to tarry in the city of Jerusalem until endued with power from on high by the promise of the Father.
The eleven were with Him not knowing it was their last time together, talking with Him in sacred converse as He repeated former instructions. On the way they passed through the gates of Jerusalem before wondering eyes, though only weeks before priests and rulers had condemned and crucified Him, and they crossed the Kedron and came to Gethsemane. There He paused so they would remember the lessons He gave on the way to the garden on the night of His great agony, looking again on the vine He had used to picture the union of His church with Himself and His Father and repeating those truths. The place was full of reminders of His unrequited love, for even the disciples beside Him, dear to His heart, had reproached and forsaken Him in His humiliation when He most needed their sympathy and comfort.
With hands outstretched in blessing as assurance of His protecting care He slowly ascended from among them, drawn heavenward by a power stronger than any earthly attraction. The disciples watched with straining eyes for the last glimpse of their ascending Lord until a cloud of glory received Him and hid Him from their sight. As He rose they briefly heard sweet and joyous music from the angel choir.
Blessing at Parting
While He blessed them He was parted from them, pausing as they gathered about Him and lifting hands outstretched in blessing as assurance of His protecting care while He slowly ascended from among them and was carried up into heaven. That blessing completed His earthly ministry, for He was taken up while blessing His disciples and left them with His blessing as He departed. He was carried up with hands stretched out toward them, and His promise to remain with them until the end of the world assured them of His presence meanwhile. His final words, looks of deep love, and outstretched hands expressed tenderness and loving care and assurance of His care, without rebuking or reproaching them for their faults and failures. He spoke tender final words and left them with tender words and an expression of loving care as He was lifted heavenward by divine power stronger than earthly attraction. His face radiated light as He looked on them, His countenance shining with heavenly brightness and a loving smile, and beams of light from Him fell on the watching, waiting ones who looked on. The light from His extended hands seemed to fall on those who watched, and His final look left them full of joy and not mourning. The hands He extended had healed the sick and afflicted and rebuked demons, and had been bruised by the nails, and His nail-scarred, wounded hands were extended toward them in blessing. In blessing the disciples those hands embraced the whole world and called down blessing on all followers of Christ, a gesture that embraced all His followers. The hands outstretched in blessing still bear the marks of His crucifixion, and the redeemed receive their crowns from those same hands. He was seen in meekness and quietness in harmony with His life, leaving a last remembrance of Himself as the sympathizing Friend and glorified Redeemer. The beauty and majesty of His life and the mysterious union of the divine and human in His nature were to be kept distinctly before their minds, for the same Jesus who had lived and worked with them ascended in human form while blessing them. The blessing He bestowed was the sanctification they received, which made them loving, gentle, and kind, though they were not yet ready to begin their work and were told to wait for power from on high. His parting blessing pledged Himself with blessing to the work of redeeming the world and to all who believe with entire consecration, given just after His full and ample promise to His disciples. From near Bethany on the Mount of Olives He slowly rose heavenward with hands outstretched in blessing until a cloud of glory hid Him from sight, and His final words assured the disciples that He remained with them.
Heavenly Reception and Reign
He was received into the rejoicing ranks of heavenly angels who escorted Him in triumph to the courts above, to the city of God, with sweet and joyous music and angelic song heard as He rose. The heavenly host welcomed Him into the holy city, worshiped Him, and praised Him as the Lamb who had been slain and now lives in majesty and glory. The brightness of that heavenly escort and the opening of the glorious gates of God to welcome Him belonged to His reception above, even as the disciples below saw Him part in meekness and quietness. A multitude of captives raised from their graves at His resurrection accompanied Him, following Him upward as He ascended on high leading captivity captive and giving gifts unto men.
His ascent was an honored return to His Father, to His heavenly home and His own dominion and to the city of God in triumph. He returned as a divine Conqueror, with His victory as His trophies, and as King of glory escorted by angels and received with joy. There He was enthroned before the heavenly universe and the unfallen worlds as High Priest and Redeemer for those who call upon Him in truth. He went to occupy His Father's throne, to prepare a home for those He loved, having wrought out salvation for man. There He carries forward the work of atonement as man's Advocate and Intercessor with the Father, giving assurance of a living Saviour who has pledged Himself with blessing to the work of redeeming the world and to all who believe with entire consecration.
The full glory of the ascension was veiled from mortal eyes, so the brightness of the heavenly escort, the opening of the glorious gates, the myriads of angels, and the burst of triumph from the battlements of heaven as the everlasting doors were lifted up were not discerned. The heavenly glory of His ascent and its welcome were hidden from human and mortal sight. The disciples could not have endured the sight, and the contrast with life in a world of trial would have left them hardly able to take up again the burden of earthly life and execute with courage and faithfulness the commission given them. Keeping His earthly character before them and keeping Christ's earthly character before them fitted them to continue their earthly work with courage and to keep distinctly before their minds the beauty and majesty of His life.
Disciples Joy and Commission
They worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Their return was full of joy and not mourning, with no defeat or sorrow, because His departure was a triumph and not a cause for despair. His resurrection and ascension became part of their joyful testimony, which many received.
His ascension completed the events they recognized as the literal fulfillment of prophecies concerning Christ and His mission. That recognition gave them new faith and assurance in the Scriptures.
His departure followed His charge that as witnesses of His trial, rejection, crucifixion, resurrection, and time on earth they were to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins among all nations beginning in Jerusalem. Just before He was taken up He gave the command to teach all nations, marking His departure after giving His final instructions and commission. They were to bear this witness first in Jerusalem and then to all nations, but only after receiving power from above through the Holy Spirit by the promise of the Father. They were not yet ready to begin their work, and were told to wait for power from on high and to tarry until endued with it.
The commission to preach and the promise of power recorded in the closing blessing and ascension belong also to believers now. They enable earnest, sanctified, evangelical work that warns fellow beings, reaches neighbors and unworked cities, and brings Bible truth before many. That same endowment converts thousands in a day and prepares a people to stand in the day of the Lord.
Salvation Promise and Return
Luke 24:51 belongs to a wonderful chapter that shows the Lord God of heaven so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to save the sinful race. The Saviour made salvation possible by suffering the penalty of death. Everyone who repents and is converted receives the gift of salvation. All who come to the Father through faith in Christ, laying hold of the Saviour by faith and following His example, receive assurance of the forgiveness of sins, and His sufferings make it possible for every soul to be sanctified through belief of the truth.
His departure while blessing His disciples at Bethany after His resurrection did not end His work for those He loved nor His promise to them. Before ascending He had opened their minds to understand the Scriptures about His suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection, and He ascended in tangible human form as the same Jesus they had known, with His hands stretched out toward them. He had gone to occupy His Father's throne and to prepare a home for them, and the heavenly glory and welcome were veiled from mortal sight so the disciples could continue their earthly work with courage and keep His earthly character before them. The angels assured them that this same Jesus would return in the same manner in which He went, and His promise to remain with them until the end of the world assured them of His presence meanwhile. That assurance makes His ascension their hope and joy, their last remembrance of Him being as their sympathizing Friend and glorified Redeemer, and they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, praising and blessing God.
The ascension took place from the Mount of Olives, the mountain often associated with His prayers and ministry. He returned to His Father from there as a divine Conqueror, with His victory as His trophies. The same mountain is where He will stand again as a glorious, triumphant king. The counterfeit Christ imitates this parting scene by lifting his hands and pronouncing a blessing as Christ blessed His followers, to deceive people into believing that Christ has returned.
While blessing His disciples at Bethany on the Mount of Olives after forty days of instructing them following His resurrection, He was parted from them and carried up into heaven in the same tangible human form they had known. He lifted hands outstretched in blessing, wounded by the nails, with a face radiant with heavenly brightness and loving tenderness, completing His earthly ministry without rebuke as assurance of His protecting care. He was escorted in triumph by rejoicing angels with music to the courts above, leading with Him the captives raised at His resurrection, to be enthroned as King of glory, High Priest and Intercessor to carry forward the atonement and prepare homes for those He loved. The disciples worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy and not in sorrow, charged as witnesses to preach repentance and forgiveness among all nations beginning at Jerusalem after they were endued with power from on high. His parting pledged His abiding presence to the end of the world and made His ascension their hope, for angels assured them this same Jesus would return in the same manner to stand again on the Mount of Olives as triumphant King.
Setting and Timing
Jesus led His disciples out as far as Bethany to the Mount of Olives beyond its summit, the mountain often associated with His prayers and ministry and chosen for this final display of glory, where He would stand again as a glorious, triumphant king. There He paused while they gathered about Him and lifted His hands to bless them before being parted from them and carried up into heaven. His departure followed His resurrection and His opening their minds to understand the Scriptures about His suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection, and it was a triumph, not a cause for despair.
The ascension came after He had remained with them for forty days instructing them before His departure. Immediately before being parted He commanded them to tarry in the city of Jerusalem until endued with power from on high by the promise of the Father.
The eleven were with Him not knowing it was their last time together, talking with Him in sacred converse as He repeated former instructions. On the way they passed through the gates of Jerusalem before wondering eyes, though only weeks before priests and rulers had condemned and crucified Him, and they crossed the Kedron and came to Gethsemane. There He paused so they would remember the lessons He gave on the way to the garden on the night of His great agony, looking again on the vine He had used to picture the union of His church with Himself and His Father and repeating those truths. The place was full of reminders of His unrequited love, for even the disciples beside Him, dear to His heart, had reproached and forsaken Him in His humiliation when He most needed their sympathy and comfort.
With hands outstretched in blessing as assurance of His protecting care He slowly ascended from among them, drawn heavenward by a power stronger than any earthly attraction. The disciples watched with straining eyes for the last glimpse of their ascending Lord until a cloud of glory received Him and hid Him from their sight. As He rose they briefly heard sweet and joyous music from the angel choir.
Blessing at Parting
While He blessed them He was parted from them, pausing as they gathered about Him and lifting hands outstretched in blessing as assurance of His protecting care while He slowly ascended from among them and was carried up into heaven. That blessing completed His earthly ministry, for He was taken up while blessing His disciples and left them with His blessing as He departed. He was carried up with hands stretched out toward them, and His promise to remain with them until the end of the world assured them of His presence meanwhile.
His final words, looks of deep love, and outstretched hands expressed tenderness and loving care and assurance of His care, without rebuking or reproaching them for their faults and failures. He spoke tender final words and left them with tender words and an expression of loving care as He was lifted heavenward by divine power stronger than earthly attraction.
His face radiated light as He looked on them, His countenance shining with heavenly brightness and a loving smile, and beams of light from Him fell on the watching, waiting ones who looked on. The light from His extended hands seemed to fall on those who watched, and His final look left them full of joy and not mourning.
The hands He extended had healed the sick and afflicted and rebuked demons, and had been bruised by the nails, and His nail-scarred, wounded hands were extended toward them in blessing. In blessing the disciples those hands embraced the whole world and called down blessing on all followers of Christ, a gesture that embraced all His followers. The hands outstretched in blessing still bear the marks of His crucifixion, and the redeemed receive their crowns from those same hands.
He was seen in meekness and quietness in harmony with His life, leaving a last remembrance of Himself as the sympathizing Friend and glorified Redeemer. The beauty and majesty of His life and the mysterious union of the divine and human in His nature were to be kept distinctly before their minds, for the same Jesus who had lived and worked with them ascended in human form while blessing them. The blessing He bestowed was the sanctification they received, which made them loving, gentle, and kind, though they were not yet ready to begin their work and were told to wait for power from on high.
His parting blessing pledged Himself with blessing to the work of redeeming the world and to all who believe with entire consecration, given just after His full and ample promise to His disciples. From near Bethany on the Mount of Olives He slowly rose heavenward with hands outstretched in blessing until a cloud of glory hid Him from sight, and His final words assured the disciples that He remained with them.
Heavenly Reception and Reign
He was received into the rejoicing ranks of heavenly angels who escorted Him in triumph to the courts above, to the city of God, with sweet and joyous music and angelic song heard as He rose. The heavenly host welcomed Him into the holy city, worshiped Him, and praised Him as the Lamb who had been slain and now lives in majesty and glory. The brightness of that heavenly escort and the opening of the glorious gates of God to welcome Him belonged to His reception above, even as the disciples below saw Him part in meekness and quietness. A multitude of captives raised from their graves at His resurrection accompanied Him, following Him upward as He ascended on high leading captivity captive and giving gifts unto men.
His ascent was an honored return to His Father, to His heavenly home and His own dominion and to the city of God in triumph. He returned as a divine Conqueror, with His victory as His trophies, and as King of glory escorted by angels and received with joy. There He was enthroned before the heavenly universe and the unfallen worlds as High Priest and Redeemer for those who call upon Him in truth. He went to occupy His Father's throne, to prepare a home for those He loved, having wrought out salvation for man. There He carries forward the work of atonement as man's Advocate and Intercessor with the Father, giving assurance of a living Saviour who has pledged Himself with blessing to the work of redeeming the world and to all who believe with entire consecration.
The full glory of the ascension was veiled from mortal eyes, so the brightness of the heavenly escort, the opening of the glorious gates, the myriads of angels, and the burst of triumph from the battlements of heaven as the everlasting doors were lifted up were not discerned. The heavenly glory of His ascent and its welcome were hidden from human and mortal sight. The disciples could not have endured the sight, and the contrast with life in a world of trial would have left them hardly able to take up again the burden of earthly life and execute with courage and faithfulness the commission given them. Keeping His earthly character before them and keeping Christ's earthly character before them fitted them to continue their earthly work with courage and to keep distinctly before their minds the beauty and majesty of His life.
Disciples Joy and Commission
They worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Their return was full of joy and not mourning, with no defeat or sorrow, because His departure was a triumph and not a cause for despair. His resurrection and ascension became part of their joyful testimony, which many received.
His ascension completed the events they recognized as the literal fulfillment of prophecies concerning Christ and His mission. That recognition gave them new faith and assurance in the Scriptures.
His departure followed His charge that as witnesses of His trial, rejection, crucifixion, resurrection, and time on earth they were to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins among all nations beginning in Jerusalem. Just before He was taken up He gave the command to teach all nations, marking His departure after giving His final instructions and commission. They were to bear this witness first in Jerusalem and then to all nations, but only after receiving power from above through the Holy Spirit by the promise of the Father. They were not yet ready to begin their work, and were told to wait for power from on high and to tarry until endued with it.
The commission to preach and the promise of power recorded in the closing blessing and ascension belong also to believers now. They enable earnest, sanctified, evangelical work that warns fellow beings, reaches neighbors and unworked cities, and brings Bible truth before many. That same endowment converts thousands in a day and prepares a people to stand in the day of the Lord.
Salvation Promise and Return
Luke 24:51 belongs to a wonderful chapter that shows the Lord God of heaven so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to save the sinful race. The Saviour made salvation possible by suffering the penalty of death. Everyone who repents and is converted receives the gift of salvation. All who come to the Father through faith in Christ, laying hold of the Saviour by faith and following His example, receive assurance of the forgiveness of sins, and His sufferings make it possible for every soul to be sanctified through belief of the truth.
His departure while blessing His disciples at Bethany after His resurrection did not end His work for those He loved nor His promise to them. Before ascending He had opened their minds to understand the Scriptures about His suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection, and He ascended in tangible human form as the same Jesus they had known, with His hands stretched out toward them. He had gone to occupy His Father's throne and to prepare a home for them, and the heavenly glory and welcome were veiled from mortal sight so the disciples could continue their earthly work with courage and keep His earthly character before them. The angels assured them that this same Jesus would return in the same manner in which He went, and His promise to remain with them until the end of the world assured them of His presence meanwhile. That assurance makes His ascension their hope and joy, their last remembrance of Him being as their sympathizing Friend and glorified Redeemer, and they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, praising and blessing God.
The ascension took place from the Mount of Olives, the mountain often associated with His prayers and ministry. He returned to His Father from there as a divine Conqueror, with His victory as His trophies. The same mountain is where He will stand again as a glorious, triumphant king. The counterfeit Christ imitates this parting scene by lifting his hands and pronouncing a blessing as Christ blessed His followers, to deceive people into believing that Christ has returned.