Ascended into Heaven

 

And he [Jesus] led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God. (Luke 24:50-53 ESV).

 

Saying goodbye can be hard. In fact, grieving loss is one of the hardest things we must do in life. Jesus’ disciples surely felt grief and sorrow as they watched him being taken up to heaven. With the Apostles’ Creed we say that Jesus “ascended to heaven.” This happened forty days after his resurrection (cf. Acts 1:1-11). But this does not mean Jesus abandoned his disciples or us. No, Jesus went to heaven for us.

 

While the Bible isn’t very clear about where heaven is or what it looks like, it plainly teaches that heaven means being in the presence of God. In God’s presence, Jesus serves as our advocate, continuously interceding with God the Father for our every need (cf. Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2). Jesus’ presence with God also assures us that one day we will be with him in God’s presence as well (cf. John 14:1-3). And from heaven Jesus sends his Holy Spirit as a guarantee and a reminder that he is always with us (cf. Matthew 28:20).

 

Knowing that Jesus is in heaven for us now gives us tremendous comfort and strength as we wait for his promised return. This becomes the foundation of our hope for the future. It is a sure hope guaranteed by the presence of the Holy Spirit within each of us. Knowling this also allows us to persevere through the trials and challenges of the present time. We know our end, thus we can go through our present.

 

Spend some time today affirming this great declaration in your mind and heart. Whatever you are going through today is merely a temporary condition. Our permanent condition is eternal, perfect life with Him in our home prepared by His very own workmanship. That allows us all to take a breath and move forward!