“This Same Jesus, Who Has Been Taken from You into Heaven, Will Come Back in The Same Way You Have Seen Him Go into Heaven.”

Until Later

“After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and He sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed His word by the signs that accompanied it” (Mark 16:19-20 NIV).

“When He had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God” (Luke 24:50-53 NIV).

Setting the Scene

The final glimpse of Jesus was yet another surprise in a long line of startling developments for His disciples. During the previous forty days Jesus had been appearing and disappearing unexpectedly, so this departure was markedly different. Both Mark and Luke report that He was “taken up.” He didn’t disappear; He went away, leaving the distinct impression that what He said about returning might happen at any time. In the book of Acts, when Luke continued his account of what happened next, he added: “They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:10-11 NIV).

Clearly, the spreading of the gospel to the nations was not going to happen by disciples stuck on the Mount of Olives looking up to the sky. Luke’s closing note is that they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. The power was coming, but the message was already planted. They would soon set the world on fire with the unstoppable Good News that any life can be eternally altered by the forgiving power of God, to the glory of God.

Getting Personal

In what ways do other people recognize your joy?

How does the joy of the Lord affect your daily life?

How often would you say you delight in anticipating Christ’s return?

What does that privilege mean to you?

Just as His first disciples, fresh from the scene of Jesus’ ascension, anticipated Christ’s return, we live today in similar anticipation. The believer knows that none of us has to live longer than a lifetime to see Jesus. We will leave through death to meet Him, or He will come for us. Either way, our task is to live with joy, letting others know why it is that we cannot stop praising God.

Talking to God

Adapt one of the apostle Paul’s prayers, that “Christ will make His home in your heart as you trust in Him; that your roots would grow down into God’s love and keep you strong; and that you may have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is; that you may experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully; and that you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (Ephesians 3:17-19 NLT).

Veerman, D. R. (2011-08-25). Life Application Study Bible Devotional.

https://modesofinfluence.blogspot.com/2025/03/this-same-jesus-who-has-been-taken-from.html

“This Same Jesus, Who Has Been Taken from You into Heaven, Will Come Back in The Same Way You Have Seen Him Go into Heaven.”

Just as His first disciples, fresh from the scene of Jesus’ ascension, anticipated Christ’s return, we live today in similar anticipation.

How often would you say you delight in anticipating Christ’s return?

“Behold, I Send The Promise Of My Father Upon You, But Tarry In The City Of Jerusalem Until You Are Endued With Power From On High.”

Empowered

Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:44-49 NKJV).

Setting the Scene

What Jesus did for two disciples on the road to Emmaus, He did again for the disciples gathered in Jerusalem. He assured them they could count on His teaching to come true. He showed them how all that God had already revealed in His Word had been fulfilled or would be fulfilled in Him. Then He “opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.” He made it possible for them to see for themselves what had always been there in God’s Word but was hidden by distortion or unbelief. What Jesus did for His disciples He continues to do today. Our need to comprehend the Scriptures is the same as theirs. Much of the authority of the New Testament writings can be traced to understanding the Old Covenant Jesus gave His disciples in preparation for recording the New Covenant. The new understanding will not only help us recognize Jesus throughout Scripture but also remind us of God’s offer of salvation to the world: “Repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations.”

Jesus confirmed His promise of indwelling power that would soon arrive and become the energizing life of His church—the Holy Spirit. The task of spreading the gospel to all the nations would begin in Jerusalem, so He commanded them to stay there until they were “endued with power from on high.” They waited attentively and were empowered. Today, all who ask the Holy Spirit to empower them find that same outpouring.

Getting Personal

To what degree would you say your life is steeped in God’s Word?

As you have experienced these applied devotions on the life of Jesus, how has your view of God’s Word been affected?

How are you experiencing the Holy Spirit’s power in your life?

What Jesus described and promised for the disciples was not any easier for them to accept or understand than it is for us today. The challenge of genuine discipleship continues to be as real, dangerous, and thrilling as it has ever been.

Talking to God

Come to the Lord with a spirit of expectation, looking attentively for the Spirit to provide direction and empowering. Be ready to set aside your preconceived ideas about what your obedience might look like in order to receive whatever guidance the Lord has for you today.

Veerman, D. R.  (2011-08-25). Life Application Study Bible Devotional.

“Behold, I Send The Promise Of My Father Upon You, But Tarry In The City Of Jerusalem Until You Are Endued With Power From On High.”

How are you experiencing the Holy Spirit’s power in your life?

Come to the Lord with a spirit of expectation, looking attentively for the Spirit to provide direction and empowering.

https://modesofinfluence.blogspot.com/2025/02/behold-i-send-promise-of-my-father-upon.html 

Consider How The Truth About Christ’s Resurrection And The Good News Of Salvation Have Traveled Through So Many Generations To Reach Your Own.

To the Ends of the Earth

“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:16-20 NIV)

“He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name, they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well” (Mark 16:15-18 NIV)

Setting the Scene

Forty days after the Resurrection, Jesus called a meeting in Galilee. The time had come to leave, as He had told His disciples repeatedly. He would still be with them, but not in the same way He had been for the last three years.

Matthew wrote, “Some doubted.” All of us struggle with doubt sometimes. The struggles of the early disciples reach across the centuries and provoke us to pay attention. Our assumption that given the exact undeniable proofs of Jesus’ resurrection and identity, we would be unflinchingly faithful is wishful thinking. God does not ever have to do more to prove Himself to us.

Jesus stated His supreme authority and then exercised that authority by telling His disciples to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. They were to reproduce themselves—disciples making disciples, who in turn make more disciples. The target audience, “all nations,” confirms God’s eternal purpose is reaching the world with a message for all people (Genesis 12:3; Luke 2:10). In both Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts, baptism is the symbolic aspect of discipleship while belief and obedience are the required signs of authentic discipleship.

Because of His previous promise of the Holy Spirit, Jesus could say, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” That presence of Jesus is what still marks the lives of authentic believers today.

Getting Personal

In what ways are you taking Jesus’ commission seriously?

Who made you a disciple, and how have you passed on the gift to others?

Why is Jesus’ promise of His continual presence important to you?

Jesus’ final command was not for a chosen few designated to be missionaries but for all those who claim to follow Jesus. The point of Jesus’ promise to be with us is not primarily for personal well-being and companionship but to accomplish the ongoing purpose to evangelize and disciple the world.

Talking to God

Consider how the truth about Christ’s resurrection and the good news of salvation have traveled through so many generations to reach your own. Thank God for the priceless gift of these precious truths, and ask Him to make you a generous steward of the Good News.

Consider How The Truth About Christ’s Resurrection And The Good News Of Salvation Have Traveled Through So Many Generations To Reach Your Own.

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

In what ways are you taking Jesus’ commission seriously?

Who made you a disciple, and how have you passed on the gift to others?

Veerman, D. R.  (2011-08-25). Life Application Study Bible Devotional.