Bible Story of the Day: Ascension

https://hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Bible-Story-of-the-Day-Ascension

Bible Story of the Day

Scripture is the story of Jesus, from Genesis to Revelation. There are over 400 prophecies and representations of Jesus in the Old Testament alone. The Old Testament pointed forward to the coming Christ, and the New Testament points back to Jesus. The Bible is a record of redemption through Jesus Christ who conquered sin and death when He died on the cross and resurrected three days later. The New Testament was written almost 2000 years ago. Some of the Old Testament was written over 4000 years ago. The Bible Story of the Day not only shows Jesus throughout scripture but shows how scripture is relevant to our lives today. Seeing Jesus in scripture is a major step into understanding who our God is, and how He impacts and affects our lives in every moment. I pray that the Holy Spirit opens your mind to understanding the verses and how they affect your life and gives you a better understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ. I will post a link to the chapter that each passage is from, so that you can read further on your own.

The Ascension

2 Kings 2:10-12

¹⁰ He said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” ¹¹ As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. ¹²Elisha saw it and cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw Elijah no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. (NASB).

Where is Jesus and What Does This Mean to Us?

Elijah is one of only two men in the Old Testament that did not die in a way that we know or understand. In the traditional sense, Elijah and Enoch never died. Elijah’s ascension foreshadows the ascension of Jesus after He was resurrected and remained on earth for 40 days. Luke 24:51, “While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.” The Apostles stood watching until they could no longer see Jesus for the clouds, just like Elisha’s description of the ascension of Elijah.

All the Apostles fled and hid when Jesus was crucified except for one. After the same Apostles watched Jesus ascend into Heaven, they became emboldened and fearless. All but one of the Apostles were murdered, and the one that was not was severely tortured and put on a remote island to die. What makes a man fearful for his life that he runs away when his leader is killed? I would say that would be a typical reaction. What is not typical is that a month and a half after being fearful they become so brave that they are thankful for the torture they receive for speaking about Jesus. Elisha and the Apostles witnessed a miracle of what amounts to eternal life. There is no question of the God Almighty after watching Elijah and Jesus ascend into the sky out of sight. Elisha was blessed to see this, and it bolstered his resolve to do what he was called to do. The Apostles were encouraged by what they witnessed, and it bolstered their resolve as well. They knew, without doubt, that the life we live on earth is only the beginning. The sacrifice here is nothing to the reward later.

What does this mean to us? We can be encouraged by the events in the Old Testament and the New Testament. I understand that reading about others witnessing a miracle does not work the same as seeing it ourselves. However, I also believe that we have all seen a miracle. There are many miracles to behold. I believe if we step back and work on paying attention to the miracles that occur around us then we would become emboldened to speak the Gospel and to have unwavering faith just like the Apostles and Elisha. Have you known anyone cured of cancer? Have you seen or been in a wreck that there is no practical reason someone did not die? Do you look at the sun every morning and think: “every day of my life this big light has come up without fail”? I think of these things regularly and remind myself of just how amazing our God is. We do not need to see someone ascend into the skies to know God is real. We can put our trust in Him that there is more to this life than the world offers and that there is a better life to come. We can believe this because of the miracles around us every day.

Resource

• 2 kings 2 NASB – Elijah Taken to Heaven
  Elijah Taken to Heaven – And it came about when the LORD was about to take up Elijah by a whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from