What Is the Ascension of Jesus — In Biblical Context
The ascension is the event, forty days after His resurrection, when Jesus was taken up bodily into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father.
The ascension is the event, forty days after His resurrection, when Jesus was taken up bodily into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father.
"And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight." — Acts 1:9 (KJV)
The Biblical Context
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples over a period of forty days, speaking about the kingdom of God. Then He led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, on the Mount of Olives. 'He was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.' As the disciples stood gazing into heaven, two angels appeared and said, 'Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.' The ascension was not Jesus disappearing but His enthronement. He ascended as the victorious conqueror, as the priest entering the heavenly sanctuary, and as the forerunner preparing a place for His people. At the Father's right hand He intercedes for believers and reigns as King of kings until every enemy is put under His feet.
Where It Sits in Scripture
The core passage for this question, Acts 1:9, sits inside Acts 1. To grasp the full meaning, read the surrounding paragraph — the verses before set up the thought, the verses after carry it forward.
"And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight."
Supporting Passages
"Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."
"Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church."
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The Ascension of Jesus
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