To fully understand Jesus' Resurrection
and Ascension, we need to first know what happened with his spirit
after the death of his human body. Without this background, there is
no way to clearly see what the Bible means when speaking of
the Resurrection. Jesus spirit returned from His appointed time in hell and was united with his new body –
which was still full of the powerful energy of the Holy Spirit that merged his
spirit and body.
Notice Jesus told Mary Magdalene not
to touch him as he had not yet ascended to his Father. Looking at the
Shroud of Turin, it took mega amounts of energy to make a negative
photograph of Jesus earthly body (front and back including his face –
which had a separate wrap as well). This power was provided by Holy Spirit to
unite Jesus spirit with his resurrected body. Jesus had to go to the
Father before anyone could touch him. This is in line with the OT when being in the presence of God. No one could look on God and
live: except Moses that God made provision for in Exodus 33:17-23. So
also, no one could touch Jesus in his newly resurrected body until he
had gone to the Father. Jesus told Mary not to touch him and asked
her instead to go tell the disciples that He was returning to His
Father. This was to reassure them that he was truly resurrected.
Never before or since has there been a
resurrection such as happened to Jesus. The first prophecy in the
Bible, Gen 3:15, foretells of his victorious Resurrection. The
prophecy of Isaiah 53:10 is understood because of Jesus'
resurrection. His resurrection required the power of God. Many
infallible proofs, Acts 1:3, have confirmed Jesus death in our place
as a substitute for us and God raising him from the dead and exalting
him by giving him a name above all names. No one knows what we will
be when we are transformed into our glorified bodies, but we do know
we will be like Jesus. The resurrection shows us the power of God,
but also his mercy, love and grace. He loved us enough to show us
mercy by his only begotten son choosing to take our place and pay the
cost to reconcile us back to God as our advocate in grace.
Jesus then returned to earth after he
received his glorified body and others saw and spoke with him.
Doubting Thomas' unbelief was confronted when he was invited to touch
Jesus since that is the only way that he would believe.
All relationships with Jesus would
now, from this moment, be different than what they had known before.
Now He is our Savior. This is a separate and different ascension than
that which would be seen by witnesses 40 days later). The Old
Testament foretold Jesus Ascension in Psalm 68:18. Paul quoted this
scripture in Eph 4:8-10.
The ascension, when the disciples and
others witnessed him Ascending into the clouds to Heaven, is the way
Jesus' children will leave this earth with Him in the pre-trib
Rapture. They watched until the clouds hid him from sight. When Jesus
returns for his children, he will come to the clouds, the shofar will
sound, and his children will meet him in the air. This ascension by
his children will happen in an instant. The twinkling of an eye is
only an instant.
This is not to be confused with his
Second Coming, when Jesus will return as the avenging Lion of Judah
with all his saints on horseback with him for the Battle of
Armageddon. Rev 16:16, Matt 24:21, Isaiah 13:9, Rev 11:15, Rev 16:14,
Rev 19:11-21, Rev 12:9, Rev 14:20-24, Rev 19:19-21, Isaiah 13:6, Rev17:1-18, Zec 14:1-21, Luke 21:25, Titus 1:2, Joel 3:12-14.
Continuing on with the background narrative:
After Jesus died on the cross, his body
was taken to the borrowed tomb. His face was wrapped in a separate
cloth and his body was then wrapped on a shroud. The burial shroud was one solid piece: the body was laid on it then the rest of it went over the head to rest on the front of the body.
In the spirit realm upon his human
death, Jesus spirit descended into the part of Hell called Abraham's
bosom (Luke 16:22). Jesus told the thief on
the cross, when he asked Jesus to remember him, that day he would be
with him in Paradise. Paradise was the holding place outside of Hell
where the saints that were faithful, from Adam to the thief on the
cross, went to wait upon the Christ until his passion and death on
the cross were fulfilled. They could see over into Hell and the ones
that were tormented (read the accounting of Lazarus the beggar and the Rich Man). Scriptures
telling of Jesus in Hell (and what he did there i.e. preaching to the
captives, etc.): Eph 4:9, Acts 2:24, 1 Pet 3:19, Hosea 13:14, Zech9:11, and Col 2:15..
When the prophesied three days in hell were
completed, Jesus returned with the keys to hell and death. He was
victorious in paying the cost of our salvation to reconcile us to God
through his blood. The resurrection of his body and the return of
Jesus to Father God also fulfilled prophesy.
What is Jesus' Ascension and what does
it mean now: His physical ascension into heaven is our example of his
victory. He fulfilled the work he was given to do. He was given back
his heavenly glory. Father God was very pleased, exalted him and gave
him a new name. Eph 1:20-23, Matt 17:5, Phil 2:9. Jesus going to
heaven allows him to prepare a place for us, John 14:2 and to begin
his work as our High Priest Heb 4:14-16 and New Covenant mediator Heb9:15. Jesus reign over all enemies began 1 Pet 3:22. The church (our
body not a building) was now empowered to accomplish
our mission. Eph 1:22-23.
Maranatha,
Anna
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References for scriptures if you want to study further:
1 Cor 15:11 Jesus was seen by over 500
people at one time after his resurrection.
12
different recorded appearances of Jesus:
1st
of 12 The appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene
Sunday 17th or 21st of Nisan Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:9-11, John
20:11-18
2nd
of 12 The appearance of Jesus to the other women,
Matthew 28:1
3rd
of 12 The appearance of Jesus to two disciples
(Cleophas and another) on the road to Emmaus, Mark 16:12-13, Luke
24:13-32, John 24:33-35, 1 Corinthians 15:5
4th
of 12 The news of the appearance of Jesus to Simon
Peter, Luke 24:33-35, 1 Corinthians 15:5
5th
of 12 The appearance to the astonished disciples
(Thomas absent) with a commission, Mark 16:14, Luke 24:36-43, 1
Corinthians 15:5
6th
of 12 The appearance of Jesus to the disciples the
next Sunday night, John 20:26-31
7th
of 12 The appearance of Jesus to seven disciples
beside the Sea of Galilee, John 21:1-25
8th
of 12 Jesus appears to the eleven disciples on a
mountain in Galilee, Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:15-18
9th
of 12 Jesus appears to about 500 hundred people on
a mountain in Galilee, 1 Corinthians 15:6
10th
of 12 Jesus appears to James his brother, 1
Corinthians 15:7, Galatians 1:9
11th
of 12 Jesus appears to the disciples with another
commission, Luke 24:44-49 & Acts 1:3-8
12th
of 12 Jesus appears to the disciples with another
commission, Luke 24:44-49 & Acts 1:3-8
References
