Jesus has given up His life to ransom the souls of men, but death could not hold Him. Risen again, He promises a power that will come over His people.
Despite the joy that He is alive and interceding in the heavenlies on their behalf, heartache has...
Jesus is alive, showing Himself after His passion by indisputable proofs for forty days, teaching them continually about the Kingdom of God.
He promised power, He promised a comforter, peace like the world could never know. But there was a catch.
They could not depart from Jerusalem, but must wait on Him to fulfill His Word He had foretold them of.
His late cousin John had baptized with water, but now they would be rebaptized. This time with the Holy Ghost.
The disciples still had a one-track mind, and who could blame them. They had been under Romanized government for so long it was hard to remember a time when they were free men.
"Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?"
He had done so much, who else did they know who not only raised men from the dead, but healed and delivered from satanic captivity? Surely to restore the Kingdom wasn't too hard for the God of the impossible.
"It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power," Jesus looked at the downcast group, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven watching Him ascend into heaven, two angels appeared unto them, "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."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Waiting is never fun. To have lost Jesus temporarily to death was one thing, but when He had resurrected and appeared unto them on many occasions, to lose Him a second time, permanently was like no sorrow they'd ever known. It was easy to feel helpless. Afraid. Abandoned.
And time did what time does best. It wore on.
They set up Matthias to replace Judas who had hung himself. They waited. They encouraged each other, continuing together in prayer and supplication, men and women alike. Their small group had grown to nearly one hundred twenty. They waited.
