Weekly Pastoral Message prepared by Rev. Murray Adamthwaite
for Sunday 24th May 1998

From the Pastor: He ascended into heaven II

"This same Jesus, who has been taken away from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven." Acts 1:11 Have you seen those TV commercials where a broken window comes together again just by rolling the film backwards? Likewise, there are similar commercials where someone jumps over a cliff and then goes into reverse until he is back on the cliff edge again. Motion can be reversed just by putting the projector into a backwards roll. We wish it was so easy in reality! When our Lord ascended into heaven the disciples watched Him go, and couldn't take their eyes off the whole scene. But heavenly messengers assured them that He would come back - in just the same way as they had seen Him go. One is tempted to think that it would be like the film in reverse. In many ways it will: they saw Him ascend into the sky; when He comes He will descend from the heaven with a shout (1 Thessalonians 4:16). They saw Him disappear into the clouds: when He returns He will come with the clouds (Revelation 1:7). When He ascended angels attended the scene: when He returns it wil be "in the glory of the Father with the holy angels" (Mark 8:38). However, there will be an enormous difference between His ascension and His return: the latter will be on a far grander scale, and with many accompaniments. It will be witnessed by the whole world, whereas the Ascension took place in relative obscurity. One thing is important to grasp: there is the sure promise that just as surely as He ascended, He will return. That means that we must be ready at all times.