Going up

My old blog balaam.wibsite.com can no longer be accessed.

Using the Wayback Machine I am trying to save whatever can be saved, There are no images available for these old blogs.

This blog is from 17 May 2012

Thoughts on the ascension of Jesus Christ.

Today, in Western Christianity is ascension day, when Christian commemorate the ascension of the risen Jesus back to heaven.

Here’s how the book of acts describes it,

After Jesus said these things, as they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going away and as they were staring toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood next to them. They said, “Galileans, why are you standing here, looking toward heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you saw him go into heaven.”  Acts 1:9-11 CEB

Jesus ascended as a man, he took his humanity back to heaven, and is now seated at the right hand of God. — There is a man in heaven.

What this means is that when we pray, there is a humanity in the Godhead. God understands what it means to be human, with all its temptations and frustrations. — There is a man in heaven.

When we pray God understands, when we fail God understands, when we are happy or sad, joyful or frustrated God understands. — There is a man in heaven.

The writer of the book of Hebrews put it like this:

 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[a] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to feel sympathy for our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Heb 4:14-16 NIVUK