Today, Sun. 05/19/2024 is Day 26, Week 4, and 3 (of the 7) weeks to Shavout (Firstfruits)🎉
CONTRARY to popular belief, Jesus did not ascend into the heaven immediately after the resurrection (John 20:1). It is a mistake to assume that since Mary Magdalene was prohibited to "touch" Jesus upon seeing Him, the notion was, Jesus needed to be shot up to heaven on that day to return again on that same day. Some imaginative theologians equate this event to Jesus' acceptance as "wavesheaf" to the Father on a Sunday morning.
This is nonsense, He was resurrected 12 hours before, on a Sabbath (Luke 24:3-7). In addition, the acceptance of Jesus' sacrifice happened on His death as our perfect Passover sacrifice, not on His resurrection.
Later rendering of words in the NKJV, Jesus actually said to her, “Do not CLING to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father..." (v.17a) The word 'touch' in KJV is misleading (nothing magical in it); the Gk. is 'haptomai' meaning, "do not cling", not 'hold on' or stay to examine me. Thus, paraphrasing - Christ's response was in effect ... "I'm still here, Mary; I've not yet ascended. You can let go."
Moreover, Jesus instructed Mary this way: "...but go to My brethren and say to them, I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God." So when was this?
Luke the historian provided the context of Jesus Christ's ascension when he wrote in the first chapters of Acts this way:
"...to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, BEEING SEEN by them during FORTY DAYS and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." (Acts 1:3; 2:3)
His ultimate ascension was recorded with His final words:
"Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, 'Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' And He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.'” (Acts 1:6-8)
While the disciples were looking up to heaven, two men in white clothing (presumably angels), spoke to them and said,
“Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (v.11)
Ten days thereafter, the descent of the Holy Spirit happened on the very day of Pentecost!
So the question now becomes: For what purpose are those forty days with Jesus, plus the ten days waiting period leading to Pentecost on the 50th? When investigating that period, we need to understand the importance of how we WAIT on God.
God often uses 'times or seasons' (His festivals as markers) of waiting to build our character and faith. We often feel waiting is wasted time, but God wastes nothing. He uses these seasons to test and try us and help our faith become more complete. That's one of the essence of Pentecost, our learning to wait on God for the building and equipping of our character 'till we are ready to be launched for the Kingdom's growth!
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"Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body." --Romans 8:23
| RDH #Pentecost2024
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