The Adventures of Jesus Christ
Episodes from the Life of Jesus for Young Readers
by Vincent Cheung
[ Contents ]
Chapter 32. Jesus Returned to Heaven
I WILL BE BACK, BUT THIS TIME IT WILL TAKE LONGER
After the suffering and resurrection of Jesus, he showed himself to the disciples and offered many convincing proofs. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
On one occasion, Jesus told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. This promise referred to the Holy Spirit. In the past, God gave his Holy Spirit to prophets, kings, and other individuals that he chose to perform special ministries. But God promised that one day all of his people would receive the Holy Spirit.
Remember John the Baptist? He said, “I baptize you with water, but after me comes one who is more powerful than I am. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!” Baptism with water was only a ritual, a ceremony. Although God can do something in our lives whenever we obey him, the water itself was only water. It is nothing more than a symbol for something that God does in our lives.
On the other hand, the Holy Spirit is God himself, just like God the Father and God the Son. There is only one God. This one God is God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God, and the power of God. And John said that Jesus would baptize us, not with water, but with the Holy Spirit. Jesus would be someone who gives us the Holy Spirit, God’s very power, to fill our beings and fill our lives.
After a person believes in Jesus and becomes his follower, an important next step is receiving the Holy Spirit. The Bible calls this the baptism of the Holy Spirit, being filled with the Holy Spirit, or receiving the Holy Spirit.
Receiving Jesus Christ comes before receiving the Holy Spirit. And receiving Jesus Christ is different from receiving the Holy Spirit. While the Holy Spirit is involved when you first follow Jesus, receiving the Holy Spirit is a separate and special experience that happens after someone believes.
The Holy Spirit is the one who works in our hearts and brings us to Jesus. He is the one who causes us to put our faith in him. When we first believe in Jesus, we receive forgiveness for our sins and become part of God’s family.
This is wonderful, but there is more. Jesus wants to give us the Holy Spirit, which is not just about forgiveness or being saved. It is about giving us power. This is the power to have courage for God, power to preach the gospel, and power to perform miracles.
Without the baptism of the Holy Spirit, believers miss out on the power that God wants them to have. The first disciples understood the importance of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It filled them with courage to preach and with power to perform miracles. It was a major reason for their success.
Today, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is just as important. Many people are not stronger in their character or better in their work for God because they have forgotten about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We must understand that receiving the Holy Spirit is different from receiving Jesus Christ, and that it comes after receiving Jesus Christ.
We must understand that receiving the Holy Spirit is not about receiving salvation, but it is about receiving miracle power from God. When we receive the Holy Spirit, we can experience more miracles, heal the sick with more power, speak with more boldness, and be full of God’s wisdom and power. God will give his Holy Spirit to any follower of Jesus who will receive by faith.
At this point in our story, the Holy Spirit would be poured out upon the people of God very soon. Jesus explained that this would begin in Jerusalem, and it was why he wanted the disciples to stay in the city until that happened. After that, people would be able to receive the Holy Spirit anywhere in the world.
Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. Then you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the rest of the world.”
When you receive Jesus Christ, you receive life. When you receive the Holy Spirit, you receive power! By faith alone, we can heal the sick, cast out demons, and even move mountains. But Jesus said that even more power was coming. This would be the same power that Jesus used to work miracles in his ministry. We have seen that faith alone can perform all kinds of miracles. But God wants us to have even more power and more courage, and to perform more miracles and bigger miracles.
When the time came for Jesus to return to the Father in heaven, he brought his disciples to the Mount of Olives, just outside of Jerusalem. As they gathered around him, he lifted his hands and blessed them.
While he was speaking, Jesus began to rise into the sky. He was actually flying upward into the sky. We call this event the ascension of Jesus. The disciples watched in awe as he ascended higher and higher, until a cloud hid him from their sight.
As they strained to keep watching him rise into the sky, two angels in white robes appeared beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go.”
Jesus will come back one day. At that time, a great resurrection will happen. The followers of Jesus will return to life and live with God forever. They will be safe and happy. But all the other people will be punished forever.
Then the disciples returned to Jerusalem to wait for the Holy Spirit as Jesus had instructed. They regularly gathered for prayer and discussion. They began to organize themselves and to prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit, at which time they would show themselves to the world.
What happened to Jesus? And what is he doing now? Jesus returned to heaven. When he arrived, he was given a place to sit at the right hand of God the Father. This is a place of honor and power.
Jesus was the Son of God since the beginning. He had always had the highest honor. But this is different. Jesus is now sitting at the right hand of God also as a human. Jesus as the leader of humanity will have the highest honor in heaven forever. This means that humanity will never lose their place with God again.
You should not sin, but if you do, this will not destroy the whole humanity! Jesus, as the leader of humanity, remains on the throne in heaven. Because he is there, you can repent and be restored. Jesus is the ultimate priest, and the only priest, of humanity. Jesus is our champion and our guarantee in heaven.
But he is not just sitting there. Jesus is praying for his people and directing their progress. He is arranging everything so that the gospel is entering into nations and into people’s hearts and lives. He is teaching people to grow in knowledge and in faith.
Through his people, Jesus is preaching the gospel and teaching the truth to all of humanity, telling people to repent and follow him. Through his people, Jesus is healing the sick, casting out demons, and working other miracles. He is making history head toward the direction that God has planned. He is preparing the world for the day of his return, the day of resurrection and judgment.