Jesus Returns Home

Old Testament prophecy fulfilled by Jesus.

He would ascend on high.

Every detail of Jesus’s life, death, burial, resurrection fulfilled the prophecies written long before the events. So too did His ascension.

After Jesus was raised from the death, He appeared to hundreds of people. There would be no doubt that Jesus had been resurrected. But after forty days, the time had come to fulfill one more prophecy. This too is found in the words of David, written more than a thousand years before it happened:

“Thou hast ascended on high, Thou has led captive Thy captives; Thou hast received gifts among men, even among the rebellious also, that the LORD God may dwell there.” Psalm 68:18.

Jesus would not remain on earth indefinitely after His resurrection, but ascend back to heaven.

Jesus allowed His disciples to witness this. Acts 1 describes what happened. Jesus tells them they will receive power when the Holy Spirit came (at Pentecost) and they would be witnesses to people all over the world.

“And after He has said these things, He as lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” Acts 1:9.

How do we know Psalm 68:18 references Jesus’s ascension? The apostle Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians. In chapter 4, Paul is teaching that Jesus left gifts for His followers to use-part of what the verse in Psalms teaches. But then Paul explains the ascension of Jesus this way:

“(Now this expression, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean except that he also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)” Acts 1:9-10.

But that is not the end. Jesus will come back again. As the disciples stood in amazement as they watched Jesus ascend to heaven, two angels appeared to them and said:

“And they also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.’” Acts 1:11.

Come, Lord Jesus.

Carla Killough McClafferty