JESUS SAYS GOODBYE

MOUNT OF OLIVES

"Dear Theophilus, in the first volume of this book I wrote on everything that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he said good-bye to the apostles, the ones he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven. After his death, he presented himself alive to them in many different settings over a period of forty days. In face-to-face meetings, he talked to them about things concerning the kingdom of God. As they met and ate meals together, he told them that they were on no account to leave Jerusalem but “must wait for what the Father promised: the promise you heard from me. John baptized in water; you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And soon.”  

ACTS 1:1-5 MSG

40 DAY LAST APPEARANCES

"I passed on to you what I received, of which this was most important: that Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures say; that he was buried and was raised to life on the third day as the Scriptures say; and that he was seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles.  After that, Jesus was seen by more than five hundred of the believers at the same time. Most of them are still living today, but some have died.  Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles.  

I Corinthians 15:3-7  NCV  New Century Version

ASCENSION INTO HEAVEN

"When they were together for the last time they asked, “Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?”

He told them, “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world.”

These were his last words. As they watched, he was taken up and disappeared in a cloud. They stood there, staring into the empty sky.   ACTS 1:6-11 MSG

ANGELS!  Are these the two angels from the garden tomb?  And the fulfillment of the two angels on the Ark of the Covenant?

Suddenly two men appeared—in white robes! They said, “You Galileans!—why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly—and mysteriously—as he left.”  

So they left the mountain called Olives and returned to Jerusalem. It was a little over half a mile. They went to the upper room they had been using as a meeting place:  

ACTS 1:12-13 MSG  The Message Bible

Jesus the groom, goes to his Father's house to prepare a place for his bride, the church. 

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God. Believe in me also. There are many rooms in my Father’s house. If this were not true, would I have told you that I am going there? Would I have told you that I would prepare a place for you there?  If I go and do that, I will come back. And I will take you to be with me. Then you will also be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. So how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you really know me, you will know my Father also. From now on, you do know him. And you have seen him.”  

JOHN 14:1-7  NIRV   New International Readers Version