Why Is the Ascension of Jesus Important for You Today? Updated October 19, 2016. Scripture Reference The ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven is recorded in Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:36-53, Acts 1:6-12, and 1 Timothy 3:16. Ascension of Jesus - Story Summary In God's plan of salvation , Jesus Christ had been crucified for the sins of mankind, died, and rose from the dead. Following his resurrection , he appeared many times to his disciples. Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus called his 11 apostles together on the Mount of Olives, outside Jerusalem. Still not completely understanding that Christ's messianic mission had been spiritual and not political, the disciples asked Jesus if he was going to restore the kingdom to Israel. They were frustrated with Roman oppression and may have envisioned an overthrow of Rome. Jesus answered them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

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 1:7-8, NIV ) Then Jesus was taken up, and a cloud hid him from their sight. As the disciples were watching him ascend, two angels dressed in white robes stood beside them and asked why they were looking into the sky. The angels said: "This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11, NIV) At that, the disciples walked back to Jerusalem to the upstairs room where they had been staying and held a prayer meeting. Points of Interest from the Ascension of Jesus Bible Story In the Bible, a cloud is often the expression of God's power and glory, as in the book of Exodus , when a pillar of cloud guided the Jews in the desert. Earlier, Jesus had told the disciples that after he ascended, the Holy Spirit would come down upon them with power. At Pentecost , they received the Holy Spirit like tongues of fire.

Today, every born-again believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who gives wisdom and power to live the Christian life . The command of Jesus to his followers was to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. The gospel first spread to the Jews, then to the Jewish/mixed race Samaritans , then to the Gentiles. Christians have a responsibility to spread the good news about Jesus to all who have not heard. Jesus' mission on earth had been accomplished. He returned to heaven, where he had come from. He took on a human body and will forever remain both God and man in his glorified state. The angels warned that someday Jesus will return in his glorified body, the same way he left. But instead of idly watching for the Second Coming , we should be busy with the work Christ assigned us. The ascension of Jesus is one of the accepted doctrines of Christianity. The Apostles' Creed , Nicene Creed , and Athanasian Creed all confess that Christ ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father .

Question for Reflection It is an awesome truth to realize that God himself, in the form of the Holy Spirit, lives inside me as a believer. Am I taking full advantage of this gift to learn more about Jesus and to live a God-pleasing life? #112. Ascension (Luke 24:50-53 with Acts 1:9-11) -- JesusWalk Text Luke 24:50-53 [50] When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. [51] While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. [52] Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. [53] And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. Acts 1:9-11 [9] After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. [10] They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.

[11] "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken (Greek analambano) from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." Exposition This is the last lesson in our JesusWalk series -- three final verses in Luke. At first glance they may seem pretty straightforward, but they contain one of the New Testament's only accounts of Jesus' ascension. At the same time we'll consider Luke's other account of the ascension in Acts 1:9-11. I don't know about you, but I've never really studied the ascension in any depth. Let's ponder it -- and its implications for disciples -- this week. Blessing the Disciples (24:50) "When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them." (24:50) Jesus has been leading his band of disciples for three years. Now he leads them out of the city of Jerusalem, down into the Kidron Valley, and up the Mount of Olives to a location near Bethany.

They had often been to Bethany. Jesus' friends -- Lazarus, Martha, and Mary -- lived there. But now they come for a different purpose. Jesus says a few words, reminding them to stay in the Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes upon them (Acts 1:8). Then he lifts (Greek epairo) his hands and blesses them, much like a priest would bless the people. Two passages illuminate this act: "Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them" (Leviticus 9:22). God had given Aaron and his descendents a special blessing or benediction (literally "good saying" in Latin) to speak over the people, which begins, "The Lord bless you and keep you...." God's instruction concludes: "So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them" (Numbers 6:27).

A second passage which sheds light on Jesus' blessing is from the Apocryphal book of Sirach: "Then Simon came down and raised his hands over the whole congregation of Israelites, to pronounce the blessing of the Lord with his lips, and to glory in his name; and they bowed down in worship a second time, to receive the blessing from the Most High." (Sirach 50:20-21; NRSV) "Blessed" in our passage is the Greek verb eulogeo, "to ask for bestowal of special favor, especially of calling down God's gracious power, bless."[1] We also see blessings by other spiritual leaders upon their final leave-taking -- Jacob (Genesis 49) and Moses (Deuteronomy 33) bless the 12 Tribes. Now Jesus blesses the New Testament equivalent of the 12 Tribes -- the 12 Apostles and their fellow disciples. Notice how Jesus' hands are used in blessing. When Jesus heals the sick (certainly an act of blessing), he often lays his hands upon the sufferer.

When little children come to him, he takes them in his arms, "put his hands on them and blessed them" (Mark 10:16). But when he blesses a group of people, he lifts his hands as if to encompass them all, and offers a blessing. I would love to know the words of blessing Jesus offered on this occasion! (For more on the use of hands in blessing, see my article "Lifting Hands in Worship," Paraclete, Winter 1986, pp. 4-8. Ascending into Heaven (24:51) "While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven." (24:51) While this blessing is taking place, two additional actions are occurring, represented by two verbs.

"Left" (NIV) or "was parted" (KJV) translates the Greek verb diistemi, "to move from, separate from, or take leave of, go away, part."[2] The word "taken up" (NIV) or "carried up" (KJV), the Greek verb anaphero, "to cause to move from a lower position to a higher, take, lead, bring up."[3] But two other aspects of this particular verb are interesting: (1) The verb is in the passive voice, which means that this happened to Jesus, he doesn't initiate the action. And (2) the verb is in the imperfect tense, which indicates continued action in the past tense. So Luke is emphasizing the process of the ascension, and might be translated "he was being taken up into heaven." Minor points, yes, but interesting. Interesting because we have absolutely no clue to what this was really like. Was it some sort of levitation like one of those portable flying devices? We don't know. This is one of those unrepeatable events that can't be studied by comparing it to other examples.

The only thing in the Bible remotely close is the ascension of Elijah in a whirlwind and a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11). But there's no chariot or whirlwind here. Why did Jesus rise up to heaven? Is heaven up? Certainly people in Biblical times viewed the heavens as the abode of God. But heaven seems to be more than a geographical or astrographical location. It is another sphere, another dimension from the earthly, physical dimension we live in. While Jesus' resurrection body had the ability to adapt to the physical demands of earth, it was not limited to earth. It could adapt to the spiritual dimension as well (1 Corinthians 15:44). While many passages allude to the ascension, only two other passages attempt to describe it. The first is in the longer ending of Mark: "After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up (Greek analambano) into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God" (Mark 16:19). However, this does not occur in the earliest texts and is probably a later addition. The other reference is from Luke's pen in Acts 1.

Coming with the Clouds of Heaven (Acts 1:9-11) "After he said this, he was taken up (Greek epairo, Aorist tense, passive voice) before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight." (Acts 1:9) Here we have three additional elements. First element is that the disciples observe him rising. He doesn't just disappear, but first begins to rise. The Greek verb epairo means, "raise." The second element mentions that a cloud hides him from sight. The third element is a pair of angels who announce, "This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." How does Jesus ascend into heaven? Into a cloud. Then how will he return? In a cloud. As Jesus relates the end-time events, he says, "At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (Luke 21:27).

Now bear with me, as I explore this a bit further, since in the Luke 21:27 passage Jesus is alluding to the prophecy in Daniel 7:13-14 where the Son of Man receives great power and glory. Jesus Entry into the Heavenly Throneroom -- in a Cloud (with Daniel 7:13-14) Now look at the prophecy in Daniel that Jesus has referred to: "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13-14) Daniel's vision uses the phrase, "coming with the clouds of heaven." I would ask: Coming where? Does it talk about (1) coming to earth or (2) coming into the presence of the Ancient of Days -- the Father? The latter, I believe.

The Son of Man is coming with the clouds of heaven on his way into the presence of the Father. Perhaps Jesus is, at the moment of his ascension from the disciples, going directly into the presence of the Father's throne room in immediate fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy! Wow! I had never really thought about that before. This is a three-part drama. Jesus ascending from earth to heaven (Luke 24:51 and Acts 1:9-11). Jesus entering the heavenly throneroom as the exalted Son of God and receiving all authority, where "from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of God" (Luke 22:69) Jesus returning in a cloud at his Second Coming "with power and great glory" (Luke 21:27). Is your head spinning yet? Mine is. But re-read the passages again and connect the dots. Perhaps you'll see what I see. The Ascension of Jesus as Jesus' Exaltation Let's examine the two portions of Jesus' ascension: Jesus ascends into heaven from the Mount of Olives In heaven Jesus is exalted by the Father.

A number of New Testament passages mention the ascension (without describing it): "As the time approached for him to be taken up (analempsis) to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51). "But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God" (Luke 22:69). "Jesus said, 'Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned (Greek anabaino, "ascended") to the Father' " (John 20:17). "... Christ Jesus, who died -- more than that, who was raised to life -- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us" (Romans 8:34). "This is why it says: 'When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men' " (Ephesians 4:8-10, quoting Psalm 68:18; see also Romans 10:6).

"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow..." (Philippians 2:9-10). "He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up (Greek analambano) in glory" (1 Timothy 3:16). "After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven" (Hebrews 1:3). "We have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God" (Hebrews 4:14). "[This hope] enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf" (Hebrews 6:19). "He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence" (Hebrews 9:24). "... Who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand -- with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him" (1 Peter 3:22; cf.

Psalm 110:1). In John's Gospel this is referred to as Jesus' glorification: "Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified" (John 7:39). Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him" (John 12:16). "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified" (John 12:23) "Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once" (John 13:31-32) "And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began" (John 17:5). As Jesus ascends from the earth into heaven, he is ascending directly into the presence of the Almighty Father.

As the Son of Man he appears before the Ancient of Days to receive an unshakable Kingdom (Daniel 7:13-14), reinstatement of his former glory (John 17:5), of which he had voluntarily "emptied himself" (Philippians 2:7). Now it is fully restored. From man's viewpoint the ascension is the phenomenon of a man rising into the sky. From the angel's viewpoint, the ascension is the Son of Man returning home to great power and glory. As the Apostles Creed puts it: "The third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead."[4] Great Joy (24:52-53) Imagine yourself being one of the disciples observing this from earth's perspective. You are in the presence of the resurrected Jesus, receive his last command (wait in Jerusalem) and his last blessing. And as his hands are raised in that final blessing he ascends until a cloud hides him from site. You are overcome.

Observe the four ways the disciples react to the ascension in these verses: "Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God." (24:52-53) Worship. You may not have noticed, but for the first time in Luke's Gospel, Jesus is worshipped. Though doubting Thomas worships in John's Gospel with the words "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28). "Worshiped" in our passage is the Greek verb proskuneo. This word designates "to express in attitude or gesture one's complete dependence on or submission to a higher authority figure, (fall down and) worship, do obeisance to, prostrate oneself before, do reverence to, welcome respectfully."[5] Joy. The disciples also respond with "great joy!" Rather than sadness at his departing, they are overcome with exhilaration. Praise. The disciples' third reaction that Luke mentions is praise in the temple courts.

"Praising" is the same Greek verb eulogeo which we saw in verses 50 and 51, where the context required a translation of "call down God's gracious power, bless." Here, directed toward God, it the context requires the meaning, "to speak well of, praise, extol."[6] Obedience. Finally, the disciples respond by remaining in Jerusalem, during the day in the temple courts. When, about a week later, the Holy Spirit is poured out at Pentecost, their obedient waiting is rewarded with the power and presence of the Spirit. The Return of Jesus in the Clouds (Acts 1:11) The Gospel of Luke concludes with joy, victory, and anticipation. In Luke's account in Acts, as Jesus disappears from sight, two angels stand beside them with an explanation: "They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky?

This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.' " (Acts 1:10-11) He has ascended into heaven to be glorified. But here is the promise that he will return in glory "in the same way you have seen him go into heaven" -- that is, in the clouds. Now we recall Jesus' prophecy: "For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done" (Matthew 16:27). "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30). Jesus' ascension "in the clouds" is an indicator and precursor of his return. Lessons for Disciples While Jesus' physical presence is gone, his blessing upon his followers remains. They respond in worship, great joy, obedience, and praise. Jesus disappears into the clouds, but angels declare his return in the same way.

We have traced Jesus' life and ministry from the beginnings up to this conclusion. Jesus is alive. He ascends on high and is seated in glory at the right hand of the Father. Now his followers now await the Spirit with joy and expectation. And the Jesus' ministry of setting the captive free and preaching good news to the poor is about to be released in a very needy, hungry world. And until he comes, we will be continue this ministry he has begun in us. Come soon, Lord Jesus. Prayer Jesus, put within my heart afresh that joy and exhilaration in you, that joyful heart that is my possession as your follower. And give me the firmness and boldness to spread the joy until you come. In your holy name, I pray. Amen. Key Verse "He lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven." (Luke 24:50-51) Questions All 120 lessons now compiled as a 808-page e-book and paperback. Get your copy for easy reference What was Jesus' last act before he ascended? (24:50-51).

What hides Jesus from the disciples' view? (Acts 1:9). Extra Credit. How do clouds relate to Daniel's prophecy of the Son of Man? (Daniel 7:13-14). What happens to Jesus when he ascends to his Father's presence in heaven? (Philippians 2:5-11) How do Jesus' disciples respond to his ascension? (24:52) What is the content of the angels' promise at Jesus' ascension? (Acts 1:10-11) References Kevin N. Giles, "Ascension," DJG, pp. 46-50. David E. Holwerda, "Ascension," ISBE 1:310-313. BDAG 882-883. The location and timing of Jesus' ascension to Heaven Location and timing of Jesus' ascension Sponsored link. Location of the ascension: The Mount of Olives (a.k.a. Olivet and Mount Olivet) is on the eastern side of the Kidron Valley from the Temple Mount and the rest of the city of Jerusalem.

The mount is in the form of a two mile (3 km) ridge which has three summits. In biblical times, people believed that the Earth was relatively flat suspended by columns above "the abyss." Over the earth was a rigid firmament that separated Heaven from the Earth. It was a natural assumption that one is physically closest to God when one is at the top of a mountain or hill. This is seen in the story of Mount Sinai, the Tower of Babel. The Hebrew Scriptures contain many references to "high places" as the location of worship. So it was natural that the early Christian church would assume that when Jesus ascended to Heaven, he would have left from the summit of a hill or mountain. When it came to recognizing the location of the ascension, the Church ignored the story in the Gospel of Luke that Jesus ascended from the town of Bethany. As the "Bible Places" website states: "Scripture indicates that the Jesus ascended into heaven in the vicinity of Bethany. This village is down the east slope of the Mt. of Olives about 1.5 miles (2 km).

In this case, none of the traditional locations for the ascension are correct." They zeroed in on the three summits of the Mount of Olives. Today there is a religious structure on each of the three summits. Information on the Internet is somewhat scrambled and confusing. This is our best try at deciphering it: The original Chapel of the Holy Ascension was built in 392 CE, destroyed by the Persians during their invasion of Jerusalem in 614, was subsequently rebuilt by Crusaders, and later captured by Salah al-Din in the year 1187 CE.

According to the Mount of Olives Hotel website: "As a gesture of compromise and goodwill, Saladin ordered the construction of a second mosque and mihrab two years later next door to the Chapel for Muslim worship while Christians continued to visit the main Chapel." 1 Bible Places' web site states: "It contains what is traditionally the last footprint of Jesus on earth before he ascended into heaven." 2 The Venerable Bede wrote of the Mount of Olives in the 8th century CE: "On the very top of it, where our Lord ascended into heaven, is a large round church, having round about it three chapels with vaulted roofs. For the inner building could not be vaulted and roofed, by reason of the passage of our Lord�s Body; but it has an altar on the east side, sheltered by a narrow roof. In the midst of it are to be seen the last Footprints of our Lord, the place where He ascended being open to the sky; and though the earth is daily carried away by believers, yet still it remains, and retains the same appearance, being marked by the impression of the Feet.

Round about these lies a brazen wheel, as high as a man�s neck, having an entrance from the west, with a great lamp hanging above it on a pulley and burning night and day. In the western part of the same church are eight windows; and as many lamps, hanging opposite to them by cords, shine through the glass as far as Jerusalem; and the light thereof is said to thrill the hearts of the beholders with a certain zeal and compunction. Every year, on the day of the Ascension of our Lord, when Mass is ended, a strong blast of wind is wont to come down, and to cast to the ground all that are in the church." In the fourth century, CE, Helena, the mother of Constantine, visited the Holy Land and selected locations associated with various events mentioned in the Bible. She selected one of the summits of the Mount of Olives as the ascension location. Today the Paternoster Church is built above Helena's structure. The Russian Orthodox Church of the Ascension was built in 1870. It has a bell tower about 200 feet in height (64 meters). The Mount of Olives Convent of the Ascension of Our Lord is at this location.

According to the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem: "The convent's area is 54,000 square meters, surrounded by a wall, a kilometer and half in length. It has a large olive grove which supplies the sisters with olives and oil. Today, 46 sisters live at Mount of Olives. Among them are Russians, Arabs, Romanians, Estonians, Australians and Germans." 3 Timing of the ascension: As noted above, the author of Luke has Jesus ascending to Heaven on a Monday, one day after his resurrection on Sunday. But the same author, while writing Acts, says that 40 days passed between his resurrection and ascension. The liberal theologian Marcus Borg has written about this apparent contradiction: "The number 40 often has a non-literal meaning in the Bible. It is a number that means a relatively long period of time, just as "three" is a number signifying a relatively short period of time. ..." "What is going on here? Is the author unaware of the contradiction of '40 days'? Or is this an indicator that the author does not intend this story to be understood literally? ...

The author of Luke-Acts was very sophisticated, and my hunch is that he or she intended some stories to be understood non-literally." 4 References used: The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today. "The Chapel of Ascension," at: "Mount of Olives," Bible Places, at: "Convent of the Ascension," Russian Mission, at: Marcus Borg, "The Ascension of Jesus," Beliefnet, at: Site navigation: Ascension of Jesus | Religion-wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia edit The Christian doctrine of the Ascension holds that Jesus ascended to heaven in the presence of his Eleven Apostles following his resurrection , and that in heaven he sits at the right hand of God the Father . Jesus died circa 30. In the Epistle to the Romans (c. 56-57), [1] Saint Paul describes Christ as in heaven and in the abyss [ Rom. 10:5-7 ] the earliest Christian reference to Jesus in heaven.

The most influential account of the Ascension, and according to the two-source hypothesis the earliest, [2] is in Acts of the Apostles [ 1:1-11 ] where Jesus is taken up bodily into heaven forty days after his resurrection as witnessed by his apostles, after giving the Great Commission with a prophecy to return . In the Gospel of Luke , the Ascension takes place on Easter Sunday evening. [3] The Gospel of John (c. 90-100) [4] refers to Jesus returning to the Father.[ Jn. 20:17 ] In the First Epistle of Peter (c. 90-110), [4] Jesus has ascended to heaven and is at God's right side.[ 1 Pet. 3:21-22 ] The Epistle to the Ephesians (c. 90-100) [4] refers to Jesus ascending higher than all the heavens.[ Eph. 4:7-13 ] The First Epistle to Timothy (c. 90-140) [4] describes Jesus as taken up in glory.[ 1 Tim.

3:16 ] The traditional ending of Mark[ 16:19 ] includes a summary of Luke's resurrection material and describes Jesus as being taken up into heaven and sitting at God's right hand. The imagery of Jesus' Ascension is related to the broader theme of his exaltation and heavenly welcome, derived from the Hebrew Bible . [5] The image of Jesus rising bodily into the heavens reflects the ancient view that heaven was above the earth. [6] Belief in the Ascension of Jesus is found in the Nicene Creed , and is affirmed by Christian liturgy and, in the West, by the Apostles' Creed . The Ascension implies Jesus' humanity being taken into heaven. [5] Ascension Day, celebrated 40 days after Easter, is one of chief feasts of the Christian year. [5] The feast dates back at least to the later 300s, as is widely attested. [5] The canonical account of Jesus ascending bodily into the clouds contrasts with the gnostic tradition, by which Jesus was said to transcend the physical realm and return to his home in the spirit world.

It also contrasts with the beliefs of Docetism , in which matter is intrinsically evil and Jesus was said to have been pure spirit. Scholars of the historical Jesus commonly reject New Testament accounts of Jesus' resurrection as inventions of the Christian community in the Apostolic Age . [3] Some describe the Ascension as a convenient device to discredit ongoing appearance claims within the Christian community. [3] Contents [ show ] Biblical accounts The first account of the Ascension found in the Christian Bible is in the Gospel of Mark[ 16:14-19 ]—but see article on Mark 16 . The description is brief: Jesus and the remaining eleven apostles are seated at a table, presumably in a room in or near Jerusalem . Jesus commands his followers to spread the Gospel (see also Great Commission ) and tells them that those who believe will be known by their invulnerability to poison, ability to heal the sick , exorcise demons, speak in "new tongues," and the like. After delivering these final words, Jesus is received into heaven to sit at the right hand of God . No description of the Ascension itself is given; Mark simply states that it happened.

This traditional ending of Mark is considered a summary of Luke's resurrection appearances, commission, and ascension, plus miracles from the apostolic tradition. [7] The Gospel of Luke[ 24:50-51 ] is even more brief in its description. Jesus led the eleven to Bethany , not far from Jerusalem. While in the act of blessing them, Jesus was carried up to heaven. Since Luke was once the first part of Luke-Acts , scholars surmise that this Ascension, different from that in Acts, is from a different hand, perhaps created when Luke-Acts was divided into Luke and Acts. [3] Icon of the Ascension, by Andrei Rublev , 1408 ( Tretyakov Gallery , Moscow ). The third account of the Ascension is in the Acts of the Apostles.[ 1:9-12 ] For forty days after the Resurrection, Jesus continued to teach his followers. Not that many people saw him. Jesus and the eleven were gathered near Mount Olivet , to the northeast of Bethany.

Jesus tells his apostles that they will receive the power of the Holy Spirit , the "Comforter," see also Paraclete , and that they will spread his message the world over, i.e., the Great Commission . Jesus is taken up and received by a cloud. Two men clothed in white (i.e., angels ) appear and tell the apostles that Jesus will return in the same manner as he was taken. Even though these three accounts might appear contradictory, the reader should keep in mind that the original Gospels of Luke and Acts were both written by the same author and were thus very unlikely to contain such glaring discrepancies in their original form. [8] Not only is the Ascension related in the passages of Scripture cited above, but it is also elsewhere predicted and spoken of as an established fact. Thus, Christ asks the Jews: "What if then you shall see the Son of Man ascend up where He was before?"[ Jn.

6:62 ], and to Mary Magdalene he says: "Do not touch (translated "approach" in the Aramaic ) Me, for I am not yet ascended to My Father, but go to My brethren, and say to them: I ascend to My Father and to your Father, to My God and to your God." 20:17 In Acts,[ 2:30-33 ] Ephesians,[ 4:8-10 ] and 1 Timothy[ 3:16 ] the Ascension of Christ is spoken of as an accepted fact. The Gospel of Matthew ends[ 28:18-20 ] at a mountain in Galilee with Jesus commanding the Disciples to spread the Gospel to the ends of the world, baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (the " Great Commission "). No mention is made there of the Ascension. The Catholic and Orthodox traditional view is that Mary was also present at the Ascension, following her mention in Acts 1 . Extra-biblical accounts Outside of the Biblical Canon , the Ascension is discussed in the Pistis Sophia .

Irenaeus in Against Heresies notes the Gnostic view that the Ascension happened eighteen months after the Resurrection. [9] The apocryphal text known as the Apocryphon of James describes the teachings of Jesus to James and Peter 550 days after the resurrection, but before the ascension, suggesting an even longer period. The recently discovered Nag Hammadi Gospel of Thomas , like the canonical Gospel of Matthew , does not mention the Ascension. Location ↑ 1.0 1.1 On the following Sunday in some areas: see Sunday observance The Ascension is one of the great feasts in the Christian liturgical calendar , and commemorates the bodily Ascension of Jesus into heaven. Ascension Day is officially celebrated on a Thursday, the fortieth day from Easter day. However, some Roman Catholic provinces have moved the observance to the following Sunday. The feast is one of the ecumenical feasts (i.e., universally celebrated), ranking with the feasts of the Passion , of Easter and of Pentecost among the most solemn in the ecclesiastical calendar . History The observance of this feast is of great antiquity.

Although no documentary evidence of it exists prior to the beginning of the fifth century, St. Augustine says that it is of Apostolic origin, and he speaks of it in a way that shows it was the universal observance of the Church long before his time. Frequent mention of it is made in the writings of St. John Chrysostom , St. Gregory of Nyssa , and in the Constitution of the Apostles . The Pilgrimage of Aetheria speaks of the vigil of this feast and of the feast itself, as they were kept in the church built over the grotto in Bethlehem in which Christ was born. [12] It may be that prior to the fifth century the fact narrated in the Gospels was commemorated in conjunction with the feast of Easter or Pentecost. Some believe that the much-disputed forty-third decree of the Council of Elvira (c. 300) condemning the practice of observing a feast on the fortieth day after Easter and neglecting to keep Pentecost on the fiftieth day, implies that the proper usage of the time was to commemorate the Ascension along with Pentecost.

Representations of the mystery are found in diptychs and frescoes dating as early as the fifth century. Western The Latin terms used for the feast, ascensio and, occasionally, ascensa, signify that Christ was raised up by his own powers. In Roman Catholicism the Ascension of the Lord is a Holy Day of Obligation . The three days before Ascension Thursday are sometimes referred to as the Rogation days and the previous Sunday, the Fifth Sunday after Easter (or the Sixth Sunday of Easter), as Rogation Sunday . Ascension has a vigil and, since the fifteenth century, an octave , which is set apart for a novena of preparation for Pentecost, in accordance with the directions of Pope Leo XIII . In Western Christianity , the earliest possible date is April 30, the latest possible date is June 3. Sunday observance The Roman Catholic Church in a number of countries has obtained permission from the Vatican to move observance of the Feast of the Ascension from the traditional Thursday to the following Sunday, the Sunday before Pentecost . This is in keeping with a trend to move Holy Days of Obligation from weekdays to Sunday, to encourage more Catholics to observe feasts considered important.

[13] The decision to move a feast is made by the bishops of an ecclesiastical province , i.e. an archbishop and the neighbouring bishops. The switch to Sunday was made in 1992 by the church in Australia ; [14] before 1996 in parts of Europe; [15] in 1996 in Ireland ; [16] before 1998 in Canada and parts of the western United States; [13] in many other provinces in the United States from 1999; [13] and in England and Wales from 2007. [17] The U.S. provinces which retain Thursday observance in 2009 are Boston , Hartford , New York , Newark , Philadelphia , and Omaha . [18] Eastern In the Eastern Church this feast is known in Greek as Analepsis, the "taking up", and also as the Episozomene, the "salvation from on high", denoting that by ascending into his glory Christ completed the work of our redemption. Ascension is one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Orthodox liturgical year .

The feast is always observed with an All-night vigil . The day before is the Apodosis (leave-taking) of Pascha (i.e., the last day of the Feast of Easter). The Paroemia ( Old Testament readings) at Vespers on the eve of the Feast are Isaiah 2:2-3 ; Isaiah 62:10-63:3 , 63:7-9 ; and Zecheriah 14:1-4 , 14:8-11 . At the Divine Liturgy , the Epistle is Acts 1:1-12 , and the Gospel is Luke 24:36-53 . Ascension Thursday also commemorates the Holy Georgian Martyrs of Persia (17th–18th centuries). Ascension has an Afterfeast of eight days. The Sunday after Ascension is the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea .

This council formulated the Nicene Creed up to the words, "He (Jesus) ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end." The Afterfeast ends on the following Friday, the Friday before Pentecost. The next day is appropriately a Saturday of the Dead (general commemoration of all faithful departed). The Eastern Orthodox Church uses a different method of calculating the date of Pascha (Easter), so the Eastern Orthodox commemoration of Ascension will usually be after the western observance (anywhere from a week to as much as a month later; but occasionally on the same day). The earliest possible date for the feast is May 14, and the latest possible date is June 17. Some of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, however, observe Ascension on the same date as the Western Churches.

[19] Customs Certain customs were connected with the liturgy of this feast, such as the blessing of beans and grapes after the Commemoration of the Dead in the Canon of the Mass, the blessing of first fruits , afterwards done on Rogation Days , the blessing of a candle, the wearing of mitres by deacon and subdeacon , the extinction of the paschal candle , and triumphal processions with torches and banners outside the churches to commemorate the entry of Christ into heaven. The antiquarian Daniel Rock records the English custom of carrying at the head of the procession the banner bearing the device of the lion and at the foot the banner of the dragon, to symbolize the triumph of Christ in his ascension over the evil one (and can also be interpreted by analogy as the triumph of England over Wales ). In some churches the scene of the Ascension was vividly reproduced by elevating the figure of Christ above the altar through an opening in the roof of the church. In others, whilst the figure of Christ was made to ascend, that of the devil was made to descend. In some countries (e.g.

Austria , Belgium , Croatia , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Iceland , Indonesia , the Netherlands , Norway , Sweden , Switzerland and Vanuatu ) it is a public holiday; Germany also holds its Father's Day on the same date. Coinciding with the liturgical feast is the annual commemoration by the Christian labour movement (especially syndical , in Belgium) of the encyclical Rerum Novarum issued by the Roman Catholic Pope Leo XIII on May 15, 1891. Very recently Ascension day has become an annual celebration for those who practice the Ishayas' Ascension; a form of meditation said to have been taught by Jesus. On this day the ascenders take part in a twelve hour group meditation. References Some or all of this article is forked from Wikipedia . The original article was at Ascension of Jesus . The list of authors can be seen in the page history . ↑ Harris, Stephen L. , Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985. p. 321 ↑ The account in Acts was originally in Luke-Acts . The Ascension account in Luke came later, possibly after the text had been split in to Luke's gospel and Acts.

Mark's reference to the Ascension is based on Luke, part of the traditional ending, written in the second century and added onto Mark. Funk, Robert W. and the Jesus Seminar . The acts of Jesus: the search for the authentic deeds of Jesus. HarperSanFrancisco. 1998. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Funk, Robert W. and the Jesus Seminar . The acts of Jesus: the search for the authentic deeds of Jesus. HarperSanFrancisco. 1998. "Empty Tomb, Appearances & Ascension" p. 449-495. The Ascension of Jesus : A social scientific perspective The Ascension of Jesus : A social scientific perspective John J. Pilch © 2007 Studium Biblicum Hong Kong In a previous study, I designed a social science model for understanding and interpreting sky journeys reported in ancient literature (Pilch 2005a). That model focused on round trip journeys between the earth and the sky made by human beings during their life time (e.g., the author of Revelation in Rev 4:1-2).

According to the model, those who made a one-way journey while still alive must return in order to complete the round trip (Enoch, Gen 5:24; Elijah, 2 Kings 2:1-12; Ezra, 2 Esdras 8:19b). They eventually die if they have not already died. In the Israelite tradition, there is also a belief in an after death trip in which everyone makes a one-way journey to alternate reality. A particular one-way journey familiar to readers of the Bible is the ascension of Jesus. However this sky journey took place after Jesus was revitalized and transformed by God, that is after his resurrection. After his death and before his being raised by God, Jesus' activity consisted largely of proclaiming God's redemption to "them that sleep" (GPeter 10:41). Yet what is known of round-trip journeys to the sky by the living can plausibly shed some light on the ascent to the realm of God after death, particularly the reports of Jesus' ascension.

Life-time Sky Journeys of Jesus In 1981, Morton Smith suggested that during his life time, Jesus "taught and practiced ascent to the heavens" (Smith 1981: 416). He deduced this from assorted clues scattered throughout the New Testament reflecting beliefs of his followers. Of course, Luke reported the ascension of Jesus after his death and resurrection (Luke 24:50-51; Acts 1:1-11), but he used vocabulary ("carried up," "lifted up," "cloud took him out of their sight," "taken up") that would seem to indicate that Jesus did not travel by his own power. Indeed, Himmelfarb (1995: 129) prefers to speak of divine rapture in this and similar cases, that is, being taken up to the realm of God by God's initiative or by the agency of spirits. This distinction, however, is superfluous. It does not matter how one makes the journey, whether on one's own power (during one's life-time) or by the power of God or God's assistants (during one's life-time and after death).

Smith thinks that this notion of an ascent is rooted in "some immediate experience in Christian life" (Smith 1981: 417). Surely sky journeys taken in altered states of consciousness experiences qualify as such an "immediate experience." In the reflections that follow, I rely on Smith's evidence. The author of Hebrews praises Jesus as a great (or high) priest who prepared "a new and living road" (or way; Heb 10:19) into the sanctuary in the sky. That same author urges that since believers have been purified, they should enter at once, now, even while they are alive on earth. Similarly, in John 14:4, Jesus says to his disciples: "You know the way where I am going" (to prepare a place for you whom I will come and gather so that you can be with me). Yet again, the author of 2 Peter exhorts the readers to strive for virtue "so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet 1:11).

Smith understands "richly (his word is "plentifully") provided" as indicating repeated access to that realm, the eternal kingdom. Finally, Smith refers to Colossians: "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Col 3:1-3). Smith's point is that believers are not waiting until the end-time for this experience but already enjoy it on a regular basis in their present earthly lives. In other words, he denies an eschatological interpretation of these text-segments. Death and passage to the realm of God will only make permanent what believers were already experiencing. Smith concludes: "For some, at least, in primitive Christianity, ascent to the heavens was not only a post-mortal reward, but a goal exceptional individuals could achieve and had achieved in this life. The orientation of the cult toward it appears in some of the earliest evidence we have, within fifteen or twenty years of Jesus' death.

We should normally suppose it a reflection of Jesus' own teaching and practice" (Smith 1981: 418; relative to the cult, see Pilch 2004: 170-180). While Smith admits that the New Testament makes no explicit mention of such sky journeys by Jesus, he identifies plausible and credible clues that Jesus quite likely did make such trips. We have already noted that the Johannine Jesus reminded his disciples that they already know the way to the sky, the place where Jesus is heading (John 14:4). Indeed, Jesus identified himself as the way (John 14:6). If, Smith notes, believers understood baptism as a ritual for identifying with Jesus (Rom 6:3ff, 8:9ff), then John offers another clue about Jesus' sky journeys. "You (plural) will see the sky opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man" (John 1:51). Scholars note that this verse ill fits its context and has long vexed interpreters.

Brown thinks the overall meaning of the phrase is that Jesus has become the point of contact between heaven and earth, and that this is already available and operative in his life time (Brown 1966: 91). Smith further notes that Aaphrates, an early Christian writer from Mesopotamia wrote: "the ladder [an allusion to Gen 28:12 implied by Jesus' statement in John 1:51; my comment] is the mystery [initiated by] our saviour, by which righteous men ascend from the lower world to the world above" (Demonstratio 4:5). According to Smith, the "mystery" may well have included a strategy or technique for making a sky journey. The Gospel according to the Hebrews reports one such experience by Jesus: "My mother, the Holy Spirit, took me by one hair and carried me off to the great mountain, Tabor" (Aland 1964: 34, quotations from the Gospel according to the Hebrews in Origen and Jerome). The well know fragment of a Christian hymn incorporated by Paul into Philippians (2:5-11) has an introduction often overlooked by interpreters.

According to Smith, the hymn is not about a pre-existent being but about Christ Jesus: "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus" (v. 5). This Jesus emptied himself and humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death on a cross. The sentiment is echoed in 2 Cor 8:9: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich." Smith relates this understanding of Jesus to the full legend of Enoch who went to the sky, saw God and became like the deity in appearance (1 Enoch 71:11-16; II Enoch 9 end), yet remained obedient to God and returned to earth to preach to fellow human beings (I Enoch 81:5; II Enoch 11). On his return journey, Enoch resumed the human appearance (II Enoch 13), and eventually died. He ascended to the sky, regained his glory and was given the name of God, YHWH (II Enoch 12, cp 16; Phil 2:9ff).

The Pastor reports another fragment of a hymn in which Jesus was "manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in Glory" (1 Tim 3:16). Smith notes that the sequence of this hymn is similar to that in Philippians: Jesus was seen by the angels before being believed in the world, and then taken up in Glory. In other words, on a sky trip, Jesus became like God but returned to earth to live and die, etc., as in the Enoch myth. Even in the Johannine understanding of Jesus as pre-existent, the earthly Jesus tells Nicodemus he has made sky journeys well before their present conversation. "No one has ascended into the sky but he who descended from sky, the Son of man" (John 3:13). Smith conjectures that since this sentiment ill suits John's perspective of Jesus as pre-existent, its original setting may have been a controversy between Jesus' followers and those of another Palestinian holy man who also claimed to have made sky journeys. Among such sky travelers, Smith would include some in the Dead Sea Community.

Smith reviews 4Q491 ll which he claims presents a "clear and complete" example of a journey to the sky where the traveler became like the gods in form (Smith 1990; 1981: 425; compare Collins 1990: 139). While many disagree with him, Smith believes this pre-Christian text from the Dead Sea Scrolls testifies to Semitic belief in sky journeys despite the contrary suggested in Deut 30:12 and Prov 30:4. Other sky travelers of the period would include those gnostics influenced by Simon Magus. From the evidence he collected and investigated, Smith concluded: "I think the most likely explanation [of the body of biblical and extra-biblical evidence just reviewed] is that Jesus, in his lifetime, believed he had ascended into the heavens, told his most intimate disciples of his experiences, and thus -and perhaps by other methods- induced similar hallucinations in some of them" (Smith 1981: 429) "Hallucinations" or real journeys?

In a previous article (Pilch 2005a), I noted that anthropologists are not agreed whether reports of sky journeys tell of imaginal or veridical events (see Walsh 1990: 155-156). Smith and many biblical scholars deny that they are veridical. As we just read, Smith considered them "hallucinations" and claimed that "imaginative" [persons] actually believed they experienced the journeys about which they read and wrote (Smith 1981: 411). Complicating the issue, however, is the fact that some anthropologists use the word "hallucinations" in a positive sense (Lewis-Williams 2002: 124-129) while many social and medical scientists give this word a negative meaning (noted in Pilch 2002: 696-697). Since completing the review of anthropological research for my earlier article on sky journeys (2005a), I am now even more inclined to consider sky journeys as veridical, that is as actual events. My reasons are two-fold. First, one good definition would support that conclusion.

The anthropologist Winkelman writes: "The shamanic soul flight (or soul journey) can be defined as an ASC [altered state of consciousness experience] in which some aspect (emphasis mine) of the experient -soul, spirit, or perceptual capacities- is thought to travel to or be projected to another place, generally a spirit world" (Winkelman 1999: 411). Though he says that some aspect "is thought to travel" to another place, by including this phrase I think Winkelman allows for the possibility of a veridical event. My second reason is based on personal research with associates in the The Cuyamungue Institute (Santa Fe, NM and Columbus, OH; see Goodman 1990; 1997; Goodman and Nauwald 2003). My unpublished material indicates that researchers who make sky journeys do actually arrive at the same, real destination but experience it differently (Pilch n.d.; see also Gore 1995: 146).

The overlapping descriptions of the destination in each person's ASC experience confirm that the intended destination has been reached in an ASC, while the differing interpretations of some elements in the destination underline the fact that visionaries rely not only on the latent discourse of the shared culture but also their personal history and belief system (Pilch n.d., passim on sky journeys; Pilch 2004). While biblical scholars are wont to say that reports of sky journeys (and other ASC experiences) are often cast into a stereotypical literary form (see Pilch 2004: 76), it is important to remember that literary forms are grounded in social experiences; they give verbal shape to culturally recognized human experiences. Habel's identification and analysis of the literary form of "call narratives" concluded that it was rooted in Abraham's sending of his servant to Nahor to find a wife for his son Isaac and in the way in which the servant validated his mission and function to Laban and his family (see Gen 24:34-48; Habel 1965). I applied Habel's insights to Ezekiel (Pilch 2006).

I made similar observations on the call of Paul to be an Apostle as described in Acts of the Apostles (Pilch 2002: 701-702; 2004: 76). Paul's own report of his sky journey is a straightforward statement (Pilch 2003: 221-222). Thus, I propose that it was indeed veridical round trip sky journeys made by persons during their life-times that provided ancient writers with a form for describing the ascent to the sky after death. The Ascent of Jesus Practically all the NT writers testify to the ascension of Jesus but from different perspectives (Gulley 1992: 472). I will focus on the event chiefly as described by Luke in his gospel and Acts of the Apostles. As Fitzmyer correctly observes, Luke is the only New Testament writer "who has depicted the ascension of Jesus as a visibly perceptible event" (Fitzmyer 1985: 1587; 1997: 194).

In trying to explain this "visibly perceptible event" Fitzmyer says the obvious: it is a motion upward toward heavenly spheres. He concludes that these "are clearly time conditioned modes of expression" (1985: 1587). Since his research does not include social science investigations, he seems to be totally unaware of sky journeys as ASC experiences. Reports of sky journeys both in antiquity and in contemporary ethnographic literature are not simply "time conditioned modes of expression." They are rather credible reports of actual human experiences which are recorded in what appear to be "stereotypical" patterns, because that pattern is indeed how the sky journey takes place (Pilch 2005a; 2005b). The location of the ascent of Jesus is in the environs of Jerusalem. The gospel (Luke 24:50) identifies Bethany, and Acts (1:12) identifies mount Olivet (literally, "the hill called 'the Olive Grove,'" Fitzmyer 1997: 213) as the specific place from which Jesus ascended to the father.

The small village of Bethany was located on the hill (Mount of Olives) about 2.7 kilometers east of Jerusalem. The hill, of course, is just east of Jerusalem across the Kidron valley. However, this topographical information is lacking a key piece of information, which Luke of course knew was quite familiar to his audience. A reader must remember that the Bible is a high context document. Many details which are self-evident to biblical authors and their audiences are simply not mentioned. The ascent HAD take place here near Jerusalem. It could not have occurred in Galilee (Matt 28:16, nor does Matthew say that). The reason is that access to the abode of God, the spirits, and the deceased (alternate reality) is only through the "hole in the sky" familiar to everyone in antiquity (Pilch 2004: 18). The opening in the sky through which one gained access to God was located over the earthly residence of the God.

Thus Malina writes: The opening in the sky, mentioned previously in the book of Revelation and variously in the Bible (1 Kings 22:19; 2 Chron 18:18; Ezek 1:1; Mark 1:10; Matt 3:16; Rev 4:1). To get to God's real home in his celestial Temple and its attendant City, a person had to pass through the opening in the firmament that led to the other side of the vault of the sky where the God in question was enthroned. In Mesopotamian lore, appropriated so well by Israel, this opening was to be found directly over God's earthly Temple. In Acts, for example, the sky opens above Jerusalem to allow the resurrected Jesus to ascend to God, of course, through the opening in the firmament (Acts 1:2-7). Likewise because of a sky opening, Stephen in Jerusalem can see the exalted Jesus standing by the throne of God (Acts 7:56). And in Revelation, John frequently mentions this opening and his seeing the ark of the covenant in the center of the Temple.

This is consonant with Israel's tradition according to which certain people saw God's presence in the sky from earthly Jerusalem. God's _holy habitation,_ his _dwelling place,_ is in the sky (Deut 26:15; 1 Kings 8:43; 2 Chron 30:27), high in the sky (Job 22:12); _he walks on the vault of the sky_ (Job 22:14), hence he is located beyond the vault, for he sits enthroned on high above the stars, on the mythical Mountain of Assembly in the far north (Isa 14:13-14; 2 Chron 18:18). The prophet Micaiah _saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left_ (1 Kings 22:19; 2 Chron 18:18). Clearly, his holy temple, his throne, is in the sky (Ps 11:4) although he does have a house at Jerusalem (2 Chron 36:23; Ezra 1:2).

(Malina 2000: 74-75) In the Greek tradition, the opening was over Delphi. In the Israelite tradition, the opening was over Jerusalem. Contemporary anthropological research confirms the belief widespread among cultures about the "hole" or entry way to alternate reality that sky travelers use. But anthropologists note that the hole or opening is not so much a geographical location as it is a question of "tuning" the body that exists in consensual reality to the frequency of alternate reality in order to enter therein (Goodman 1990: 180-181). More specifically, the sensory overstimulation that induces the ASC in which the sky journey takes place is the "horse" and the body-posture is the "doorway" into specific areas of alternate reality, including the realm of God (Goodman and Nauwald 2003: 2). After death, however, the human body is already tuned into the frequency of alternate reality (1 Cor 15:51 "we shall all be changed"). The journey and the entry to alternate reality are spontaneous, consequent upon death.

Equally critical for properly understanding Luke's report is to realize that the disciples had entered into an altered state of consciousness. The entire experience of Jesus' ascent to the father took place in the same way his (and their) round-trip sky journeys occurred during Jesus' life-time. The word "stare" communicates this information. Luke uses the word "stare" ten times in Acts (twice in his gospel), and most of the instances signal an altered state of consciousness experience. That is certainly the case with Jesus' ascent to the father as reported by Luke (Pilch 2004: 40). "And while they were staring (gazing) into the sky (heaven) as Jesus went, behold, two men in white robes stood by them..." (Acts 1:10). The colors one perceives in an altered state of consciousness alert the visionary whether or not s/he actually is in an ASC. The colors relate to neurological changes. To see black means one is in "normal" consciousness. To see white means the level of awareness is changed, one is in an ASC (Pilch 2004: 20, 71).

The cloud that took Jesus "out of their sight" is white in color. Fitzmyer mistakenly calls the cloud "an apocalyptic stage prop" (Fitzmyer 1997: 210). Yet he does note its significance in the Israelite tradition. The cloud signals God's presence, power or honor (Exod 16:10; 19:9; 24:15018; Ezek 10:3-4; Ps 18:11; Dan 7:13; Luke 9:34-35; 1 Thess 4:17; Rev 11:12). The passive voice in Acts 1:9 ("he was lifted up") is, of course, the theological passive. God is the agent who took Jesus into alternate reality. In its way, the cloud explains the theological passive. It emphasizes the agent that took Jesus to the sky, namely, God. The disciples knew this and drew on their traditions to express their experience of Jesus' ascent.

The cloud is not a "stage prop" but rather part and parcel of the (biblical) cultural style of expressing an actual experience of God's power. The interpretation of the apostles' vision is given by the two men in white robes, clearly identified by the color of their garb as visitors from the sky, from alternate reality. They tell the apostles that Jesus will return some day from the sky (compare 1 Thess 4:16) and with the same attendant phenomena that accompanied his departure ("the same way you saw him go into the sky"). Human beings will see his return in an altered state of consciousness ("clouds" signal this; see Luke 21:27), and he will be accompanied by sky servants ("beings in white robes"). That Jesus reached the destination of his sky journey is confirmed by Stephen who peered through the hole in the sky over Jerusalem and saw Jesus "standing at the right hand of God" (Acts 7:55-56). The author of 1 Peter (dated between A.D.

73 and 92, therefore approximately contemporary with the Acts of the Apostles; Elliott 2000: 138) intimates that on his ascent, Jesus traveled through a plurality of heavens (1 Peter 3:19, 22; see Elliott 2000: 654-655). On this journey, according to the Petrine author, Jesus encountered the disobedient spirits of the pre-flood period (Gen 6:1-4) in their prison and announced condemnation to them. The petrine author has embellished simple account of Jesus' ascent recorded by Luke. This perception of a multi-layered sky is common in the literature of this period (see 1 En 18:4, 10; 71:1; 3 En 12:4; 17:2; 18:1).

Just as other sky travelers journeyed through these heavens, so too does the risen Jesus on his way to taking his place at God's right hand (see Heb 4:14; Eph 4:10; Ascension of Isaiah 3:13-4:2; 9:6-18; 10:7-11:33). Conclusion What then did the Apostles witness at Jesus' ascension? Did this event occur "factually" as Luke described it? Did the Apostles just imagine it? Or did Luke resort to a literary device and create a story to make a point? Perhaps it is impossible to decide whether Luke reports a veridical or imaginal event. That, however, is not important. No matter what one concludes about the report, it has to be plausible to Luke's audience. In the context of Middle Eastern culture, the most plausible explanation of the report is that the disciples experienced the risen Jesus' departure from them in an altered state of consciousness. Further, the report indicates that it was a group experience, or more precisely a group trance experience (Pilch 2004: 15).

This report is similar to Paul's report that the risen Jesus "appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep" (1 Cor 15:6). Luke's report of the apostles' experience of Jesus' ascent was shaped by previous ASC experiences of sky journeys which Jesus and his disciples made and which were familiar to them from the Israelite tradition. Anthropology and contemporary cognitive neuroscience contribute key insights toward understanding and interpreting Luke's texts. Indeed, the late anthropologist Felicitas D. Goodman described her visionary experience of what her death and her journey to alternate reality might be like (Goodman 1997; Goodman died in 2005). She could do this because she and members of her Institute have learned how to make sky journeys just as human beings have been doing for millennia (Lewis-Williams 2000: 147-148). The ethnographic literature is replete with reports of sky travelers.

Question: According to 'Acts', what peak was the location of the 'Ascension of Jesus'?
Answer: MOUNT OF OLIVES