47
THE KING’S BUSINESS
again. The disciples were straining their eyes (the Greek words translated “were looking steadfastly” are very strong) to get another glimpse of Him, and then- stood there gazing. These two men in white were doubtless angelic messengers; they are not called angels here, but in Mark 16:5 we are told o f “a young man" arrayed in a white robe sitting in the tomb from which our Lord had passed out, and in Luke 24 we are told o f “two men" in dazzling apparel standing in the tomb, and in the twenty^ third verse we are told it was a “ vision o f angels” they saw, and in John 20:12 we are told by John himself that the two in the tomb, sitting one at His head and one at His feet when Mary came back to the tomb, were "angels.” In Acts 10:3 we are told that Cornelius saw “ an -angel of God. coming in unto him,” •but in the thirtieth verse o f the same chapter when Cornelius is telling what he saw he reports, “behold, a man stood before me,” so there can be no-reasonable question that the two men in white here spoken o f were angelic beings. Though angels, they were very practical; they asked, “Why stand ye looking into heaven?” There are times when duty calls to. the heavenly look, but there are other times when duty calls to the earthward look. The right thing for the disciples to do right now was to do just what Jesus had bidden them do (v. 4). The angels gave a glorious promise to cheer the dis ciples and make it easy for them to live without wear and not to stand gazing up into heaven. The promise' was, Jesus is coming back again, not another Jesus, but "this Jesus” who had just, been taken up from them. Not only was He to come back, but He was to come back just as He went. The words translated “in like manner as” are very strong words/ literally, “in the manner which.” They can refer to nothing but the mode- o f our Lord’s return, i.e., just as He went, personally and visibly. Further than all this, He was received up ih a cloud, and He is coming in the clouds (Matt. 26:64). God’s "chariot which took Him away shall bring Him back again. This coming again o f our Lord so clearly
us how we ought to ponder it, long and deeply !„ v. 9. "And when He had said these things, as they were looking, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him'out o f their sight." As our Lord finished His message to His Apostles, He lifted up His hands to bless them (Luke 24:50),- and while His hands were still raised in blessing His feet began to leave the earth and He was parted from them and carried up into heaven (cf. Luke 24:51). The last sight they had of Him was with His hands stretched out in benediction, and He has been blessing us ever since. There was no doubt about the reality o f His Ascension and the literalness o f it ; for “they were looking” right at Him as He went up. His ascension was not merely a theological theory, but a historic fact which they themselves saw clearly. They saw Him until a cloud surrounded Him and took Him up into it out o f their sight. This cloud was doubtless the sheki- nah o f glory, God’s'ow n chariot (cf. Ex. 19:9; 34:5; Isa. 19:1; Ps. 104:3). The purpose o f His ascension was to “appear ih the presence o f God in our behalf,” as our great and only High Priest, and to “ pre pare a place for -us” (Heb. 9:24; John 14:2). Our Lord is now in glory, at the right hand o f God, whither He was carried. His presence there in our behalf makes us eternally secure (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25), and His presence there now at the present time guarantees oiir presence there here after (John 12:26; 14:3; Rev. 3:21). vs. 10, 11. >cAnd while they were looking steadfastly into heaven as He went , behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye' men o f Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven? This Jesus, which was received up from you into hea ven, shall so come, in like manner as (more exactly) in the manner which ye beheld Him going into heaven." W e have had three o f the four great Gospel facts, viz. : (1) The death o f Christ. (2) The resur rection o f Christ. (3) The ascension of Christ, and here we get the fourth great fact predicted, and predicted by divine messengers, the fact o f His coming back
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online