Ascension Part 2

 

    With the word ascension comes questions, mostly questions that are rhetoric.  One is, am I condemned?  Jesus' ascension into Heaven displayed his authority and advocacy for God.  It means everything that he claimed, declared, or taught while on earth was correct.  His words hold power.

    After the great commission was given to Jesus' apostles he ascended into Heaven.  He went home to make a place for all the saints.  His disciples were not able to move.  They just stood there looking into the sky.  Two angels (men in white robes) came and asked them why they just stood there staring at the sky.  Like the apostles, we can't just stand around waiting.  We have work to do.

    Jesus' ascension is not like his resurrection.  Both are impossible, miraculous, and involve his human body.  The difference is the resurrection he returned more supernatural than human, but was still human.  The ascension is when he lifted himself back up to heaven in his body.  He could have just blinked his eyes and returned home, but he chose to make it slow and memorable for his closest friends.

    Jesus left the human realm for the spiritual dimension in Heaven.  It also revealed how different Jesus was from any other human.  No human can enter Heaven alive.  They have to go in spirit, not in their human body.  Jesus is the only one.  He returned home in spirit, body, and all his power.

    We have to change.  The body that we have is temporary.  It has an expiration date.  When we enter Heaven, we will be given a new body that is eternal.  This body represents all that we truly are in relation with God.  The only way to obtain this is to live a life in faith of Jesus.

Luke 24:50-53, John 16:25-28, Acts 1: 6-11, & Romans 8:31-39

Epistle

 

    Epistle is a word that refers to 21 books in the New Testament.  These books were actually letters written by apostles to the church: Romans to Jude.  They were written for guidance and instruction for the early church. They are still the guidelines for the modern church.

    The Epistle is important to Revelations.  They help you understand who the antichrist is.  You need to understand your enemy to a degree to be able to identify him.  You need to be able to identify the antichrist because he is the primary force that works against the church.

    The whole Bible works together to help you.  It is all a love letter, even the parts of correction.  Only a person that loves you will care enough to try to save your soul.  The Epistles put it into a practical way of living and preparing for eternity.

Matthew 24:26-31, John 17:15, 2 Corinthians 3:1-3, & Revelations 2, 7:14-17

Tribulations

 

    There are three tribulations that we can talk about before the very end of time: Pre, Mid, and Post.  There will be people following Jesus during the tribulations.  We will not know all the details until that time, but we do know that it will happen.  

    The Pre-tribulation is kicked off when the church is removed.  It is here that it is made clear that there will be two judgments.  The first is when the church is raptured.  The second is will be all the non-believers.  We have been experiencing the birthing pains that foretells that we are closer than ever before to the beginning of the end, but the time is still unknown.

    Mid-Tribulations is believed to be three and half years.  It is the halfway point after the church is raptured, but before the final victory.  The final victory will belong to Jesus.  After that all the saints and sinners will be raptured to face God on the judgment throne.  This concept declares that Jesus' followers will experience the first half, but will be raptured before the end.

    This is when we see the two phases of Jesus.  It is believed that he will return to resurrect the righteous dead and rapture his living followers.  He will then return the final time to resurrect all the unbelievers.  The good news is that the saints will be spared the greater tribulation.

    Post Tribulation is the belief that no one will be raptured until the end.  The first two believe that the tribulation will last seven years.  This group thinks that it is metaphoric and will last much longer.  The argument for this belief is that the church has always been under tribulation.  They believe that the saints will remain safe during the final tribulation like Moses and the plagues.

    What they all agree on is that the rapture unifies all believers.  We know that a world without Jesus is a dark world.  He is the light and when he leaves, so does all the life giving life.  His presence holds power and glory.

Matthew 24:15-22, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, & Revelations 2, 6:1-8, 11:15

Interpreting Revelations

 

    There are a lot of concepts and thoughts to Revelations.  A person has to understand the Millennial and Tribulation concepts.  It is important to understand because one way or another it will happen.  The Rapture will happen before the tribulation.  God's people will be spared the wrath of God as it is poured out onto the world.  Christians will be spared from Satan's last attempt to defeat Jesus.

    During all of this it is believed that more people will come to Jesus.  They are the people that become Christians that will live for a time in this terrorized world.  Jesus' salvation is the only way to avoid God's wrath.  He delivers us from God's wrath.  He is the only way.

    There are two phases to God's return: the resurrection of the saints and resurrection of judgment.  When Jesus ascends the final time all the new believers will accompany him.  He will come back.  He will defeat Satan.  He will return to Heaven to reign with God and the Holy Spirit.  We need to understand the truth.

1 Thessalonians 1:8-10, 5:9-11, & Revelations 2

Sufficient Sacrifice

 

       Jesus is the only sacrifice that is sufficient for you, me, and everyone else.  He is the only atonement that will make each person clean from their sins.  It is our faith that makes us righteous because we choose a personal relationship with Jesus.  You display your gratitude to Jesus by not sinning any more.

    The things is that when you have been enslaved to sin for so long it does not come naturally to stop sinning.  You walk into salvation like a spiritual baby.  All your past sins are removed, but you have to learn how to live righteous and holy..  As you discover sin in your life, you repent and remove it.  Then you deal with all the scars and aftermath from that sin.

    If you are Christian, sin should break your heart.  You have an unique perspective on sin because as you mature in faith, you are able to see it more clearly for what it is.  You are given an exclusive understanding to the cost of sin.

    When you decide that you are going to live life like Jesus, you have to decide to die to the flesh/  When you give up your pride, self-importance, and selfish nature, your spirit is allowed to live.  You are able to hear the Holy Spirit guide you throughout your day.

    Jesus came into this world fully God and fully human.  He held back all he could do as God to live the life of purpose.  He died and then he resurrected as predicted centuries before.  His resurrection completed the sacrifice that is sufficient for all people.  He accomplished everything he set out to do and then he returned home.  When he left this world he was still human, but he was not longer holding back all he could do.  He raised himself back up to Heaven.

Isaiah 2:5-11, 2 Corinthians 12:1-4, Philippians 2:3-11, Hebrew 10:8-10, & 1 Peter 3:18

Sacrificial Servant

 

    Jesus was the sacrificial servant for the world.  He was mutilated, tortured, and mocked for our benefit.  He emptied himself and was silently oppressed, so we can have a guaranteed opportunity for salvation.  He died the worst criminal death of the time when he was innocent, so that we can become innocent.

    Jesus was crucified on a course wooden cross.  It is a horrible and slow way to die.  It was meant to be prolonged torture, but it was still an execution.  He died as any human, but he is also God.  That means that death was unable to keep him.  He allowed it to happen.  He had the authority to end it, but he chose to be obedient to God's design instead.

    Jesus' taught how to be obedient to the point of death.  That is what a servant is called to do sometimes.  She was verbally abused, insulted, lied about, and more.  He showed Christians how to endure.  He went so far to ask God to forgive us for what we put him through.  

    Christians are servants to the world in representation of Jesus.  We have to learn how to accept insults, rumors, and more harsh things to represent God.  We are not to be a door mat, but we are not to lower ourselves to the same standards of those that do not know Jesus.  We are called to be Jesus' servants and representatives.  It is bigger than our ego.

    Jesus could have stopped it at any time in a way that we cannot.  Yet, he endured because it was necessary for our benefit.  Physical bodies will fail, but our souls are eternal.  If Jesus had not become out sacrifice, then there would be no hope for humanity.  

    Jesus showed us how to love God and people.  He took our sins as if they were his own, so that they could be destroyed.  Sin is a big deal.  Do not play it down.  Sin holds serious and eternal consequences.  Sin leads to more than physical death.  It kills any hope for eternal peace.  

    If you are Christian, then it pushes you away from God until you can feel lost.  Once you become a Christian, you still have to repent any sin you discover to stay close to God.  Don't be satisfied to just enter Heaven.  Allow heaven to enter you now, so you can live with an inner peace.

Psalms 53:4-6, 143:7-12, Mark 10:35-45, Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 12:14-15, & Philippians 2:1-8

Submission to God

 

        Jesus' life is a display of how to submit to God.  He fulfilled over 300 prophecies.  He came to this world as a servant and taught us what true humility looks like.  He was born a human in humble circumstances.  He lived a valuable and humble life.  He did this to submit to God's will and design, but also because he cared about our great need to have a relationship with God.

    Jesus could have decided he was not going to follow God's design.  He let go of all that he deserved to become hope for all people.  He suffered for us.  We can learn how to suffer and hold onto our hope because he has already cleaned up our mess.  He brought healing, atonement, and hope through his resurrection.

    Jesus' trial, beating, crucifixion was not something he wanted.  He felt the pain just like any human.  The difference is that he knew his purpose and was willing to go through it for our benefit. It was the ultimate act of submission to God.  Jesus was obedient to the point of death, but since he was also God death could not keep him.  

    Jesus' life as the suffering servant was divinely orchestrated by God for that exact moment of time.  All the events around Jesus' death and resurrection are proof.  All the people that were involved and present had a purpose: pilot, Mary, the apostles, soldiers, and the man that helped Jesus carry his cross.  The places held great significance.  That moment in time holds the finger print of God.  

Isaiah 53:10-12, Philippians 2:3-8, James 4:7-10, & 1 Peter 5:5