The Ascension Of Jesus Christ Into Heaven The Hidden Context

A single statement in Luke's Gospel opens an obscure gate to a galactically different view of exactly what happened to Jesus Christ at the end of his time on Earth. Contrary to our common understanding, Jesus’s ascension into heaven happens to be the ultimate proof of his messiahship, so much so it made his enemies race against time to prevent it from being fulfilled at any cost. The real significance of Jesus’s ascension was never made clear in the canonical gospels for it stood stubbornly against the very teachings of the Pauline Church. This book takes you on a short journey to see how Jesus’s ascension was the exact antithesis of the belief about his rising from the dead and to hear about the story of Jesus Christ as it was most likely told by the earliest Judeo-Christians. It will also bring to light the real reason behind the persecution of the early Judeo-Christians, culminating with the murder of James the Righteous: it has everything to do with the early Judeo-Christians’ steadfast belief in Jesus’s ascension into heaven, against what was being publicized about Jesus.

A single statement in Luke's Gospel opens an obscure gate to a galactically different view of exactly what happened to Jesus Christ at the end of his time on Earth. Contrary to our common understanding, Jesus's ascension into heaven happens to be the ultimate proof of his messiahship, so much so it made his enemies race against time to prevent it from being fulfilled at any cost. The real significance of Jesus's ascension was never made clear in the canonical gospels for it stood stubbornly against the very teachings of the Pauline Church. This book takes you on a short journey to see how Jesus's ascension was the exact antithesis of the belief about his rising from the dead and to hear about the story of Jesus Christ as it was most likely told by the earliest Judeo-Christians. It will also bring to light the real reason behind the persecution of the early Judeo-Christians, culminating with the murder of James the Righteous: it has everything to do with the early Judeo-Christians' steadfast belief in Jesus's ascension into heaven, against what was being publicized about Jesus.

The book presents the Ascension as public truth, examining questions such as when did Jesus ascend - and how, where did he go, with what kind of body and into what kind of space? It discusses the nature of Jesus' victory, how it has been challenged, how it has been understood at different times in history, and how it relates to his second coming. The author examines the relevance of the doctrine for personal spiritual life: our union with Christ, Jesus praying for us, worship, and our own prayers. He goes on to consider living in God's kingdom, the tension between waiting for the kingdom and working for it now, suffering, humanisation, and the church and the world today. The book approaches the Ascension thematically, making it a useful teaching tool. Its themes arise from the categories in which the Church Fathers employed the doctrine. Gerrit Dawson shows the Ascension to be a vital key to understanding in a fresh way the person and work of Christ, union with Christ, the mission of the church in the world, Christian identity and spiritual theology. A unique feature of the book is the way Dawson combines a full presentation of Nicene trinitarian Christology with its application to the practicalities of Christian life today. Praise for Jesus Ascended: 'Gerrit Dawson harkens back to an older vision of ministry, that of the pastor-theologian. This vision is remarkably illustrated in this beautifully written book that can properly lay claim to being practical theology.... Very highly recommended for both pastors and theologians who want to have a faith grounded in the continuing reality of the incarnation in the ascension of Jesus.' Andrew Purves, Princeton Theological Seminary 'This is a truly outstanding book for students, pastors and thinking Christians alike. I could not recommend it more enthusiastically!' Alan Torrance, St Andrew's University, UK 'A yawning gulf often appears between the interests of preacher and scholar, of pastor and theologian. Serious attempts to bridge that gulf are too few. This book is one of them. It brings to life the voice of the Fathers on the subject of the ascension of Jesus, and calls the church back to the roots of its faith.' Douglas Farrow, McGill University, Canada

Nothing is more important than what a person believes about Jesus Christ. To understand Christ correctly is to understand the very heart of God, Scripture, and the gospel. To get to the core of this belief, this latest volume in the Foundations of Evangelical Theology series lays out a systematic summary of Christology from philosophical, biblical, and historical perspectives—concluding that Jesus Christ is God the Son incarnate, both fully divine and fully human. Readers will learn to better know, love, trust, and obey Christ—unashamed to proclaim him as the only Lord and Savior. Part of the Foundations of Evangelical Theology series.

Discover the Power of the Ascension. Something happened. Jesus rose. But Christ didn't just rise from the dead. He ascended to Heaven. We hear the stories about Peter and John and all the heroes of the New Testament, and they're unstoppable Christians--fearless and bold. And sometimes we wrongly assume that they just got that way. That Christ died for their sins, and bam! They're instantly changed! On the contrary, the disciples were actually quite cowardly in their actions after the Resurrection. It wasn't until after the Ascension that they were on fire for Christ. So, what happened during the forty days? Something happened. There's more written about Christ's ministry before his death than the events that happened after his Resurrection, but when we look at Ascension, we begin to see that there's power in small details. We begin to see that something happened after the Resurrection--something happened to transform the lives of believers and make them more than followers. Looking at what happened after the Resurrection, and further at the Ascension of Christ, we start to see what happened to transform the followers--and in seeing this we might just be transformed ourselves. Something did indeed happen during the forty days. Jesus was not done teaching.

This document's purpose is to spell out the Church's understanding of the nature of revelation--the process whereby God communicates with human beings. It touches upon questions about Scripture, tradition, and the teaching authority of the Church. The major concern of the document is to proclaim a Catholic understanding of the Bible as the "word of God." Key elements include: Trinitarian structure, roles of apostles and bishops, and biblical reading in a historical context.

In comparison with other aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry, his ascent into heaven has often been overlooked within the history of the church. However, considering its placement at the end of the Gospel and the beginning of Acts—the only narrative depictions of the event in the New Testament—the importance of Jesus’ ascent into heaven is undeniable for Luke’s two-volume work. While select studies have focused on particular aspects of these accounts for Luke’s story, the importance of the ascension calls for renewed attention to the narratological and theological significance of these accounts within their historical and literary contexts. In this volume, leading scholars discuss the ascension narratives within the ancient contexts of biblical, Second Temple Jewish, and Greco-Roman literature; the literary contours of Luke-Acts; and questions of historical and theological significance in the wider milieu of New Testament theology and early Christian historiography. The volume sets out new positions and directions for the next generations of interpreters regarding one of the most important and unique elements of the Lukan writings.