The Majesty Of His Ascension

“After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.” (Acts 1:9)

For the disciples who witnessed Jesus and His ascension back to Heaven, it was an event of majesty.


The King of Kings was returning to His rightful place in Heaven at the Father’s right hand.

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It Was A Heavenly Event.

It was supernatural.

The Lord Jesus had no problem overcoming the Laws of Nature while He ministered on earth.

He walked on water, healed the sick, raised the dead, and fed great multitudes of people with small amounts of food.

His ascension was merely another instance of His power as God.

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It Was A Holy Event.

A cloud hid Him from their sight.

His glory was waiting to reclaim Him!

His glory had been allowed to surface once on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-9).

He was received up into His glory once again!

The Mystery Of Jesus' Ascension

Then they gathered around Him and asked Him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. (Acts 1: 6-7)

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The Apostles knew nothing of Jesus’ going away.

They thought He would establish His kingdom immediately.

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They weren’t alone in their belief.

No one anticipated the ascension of Jesus back to Heaven.

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It Was A Mystery To His Prophets.

The prophets knew nothing of this great event.

The Jews could not conceive of a Messiah Who would die on a cross.

They were expecting a King Who would reign in power and liberate the people of Israel.


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It Was A Mystery To His People.

While Jesus was ministering in the midst of His people, He spoke of His ascension on several occasions (John 6:62; 7:33; 14:28; 16:5; 20:17).

But none of the disciples understood just what He was saying.

They could not grasp the thought that Jesus would be going away.

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Jesus' ascension was a mystery to everyone!

The Time For Good Bye

Acts 1:9-12

The time of Jesus’ earthly ministry had come to a close.

He stood with His disciples on the Mount of Olives, just outside the city of Jerusalem.

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It was from this mountain that He had descended, on the back of a donkey, into Jerusalem for His triumphal entry into that city.

It was at the foot of this mountain that He gathered with His men in a place called Gethsemane to pray the night He was arrested.

It was from this garden that He had been taken away, arrested, tried and crucified by the Jews and the Romans.

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This was the time for “Good-byes”.

Jesus was getting ready to ascend back to Heaven from which He had come.

He was leaving His men behind.

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This must be an exceedingly difficult moment for His disciples.

They were about to watch the One they had loved, served and worshiped go away.

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They had been with Jesus through the good times and the bad times.

They had watched Him exercise the power of deity to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cause the lame to walk, the deaf to hear and the blind to see.

They had seen Him raise the dead, and walk on the water.

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Now, they were about to watch Him go away.

Surely their hearts were breaking as they listened to His final words and waited for the moment they would be parted from Him.

It was parting time.

It was time to say good bye!

We Must Acquire The Right Power

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

If our message is to be accepted; if our methods are to be successful; if our mindset is to be right; we need the help of the Holy Spirit.

The disciples were promised that the Spirit of God was coming, and when He came, He would fill them with God’s power (Luke 24:49).

When that power came on the day of Pentecost, those terrified disciples, who had been hiding from the Jews in fear, became bold preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:1-21). When they preached the Gospel, 3,000 souls were saved (Acts 2:41).

What made the difference? It wasn’t their eloquence. It wasn’t their oratory. It wasn’t their delivery. What made the difference was the power of God on their lives!

That same power is available to us today! If we are going to have the power of God on our witness, our words and our works, we must get our lives in the kind of shape the Lord can bless and use. We must be like the early church (Acts 2:42-47). When we do, we will see the Lord pour out His power on our witness to the world.

We desperately need God’s power on our lives and on our church. We will never enjoy His unction and power until our hearts are right with one another and with Him.

We Must Have The Right Mindset

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

The witness to Jesus is to testify to the whole world!

That is a big task, so Jesus breaks it down for us.

We are to begin close and move out!

Our mission field is anywhere lost people can be found! Anywhere sinners can be found, there is a need for the Gospel and the Gospel witness.

Most of us will never go to the ends of the earth, but we can serve in our Jerusalem. We can witness to our families, our friends, our co-workers, total strangers, to anyone we meet, and anywhere we go.

We are to always be on mission for Jesus, telling a lost and dying world that Jesus saves.

Everyone we meet is either a believer, or they are in need of the Gospel!

Let’s tell them about our Savior!

Let’s share the glorious news that Jesus saves and will save all who will come to Him by faith (Rev. 22:17).

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It is our individual responsibility to share the Gospel with the world.