Passover to Pentecost – After the Cloud!

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Passover to Pentecost – After the Cloud!         Week 6 Day 6

When he ascended on high, he lead captives in his train and gave gifts to men.  Ephesians 4: 8, Psalms 68: 18 (NIV)

(Warning- some of this may not exactly be in the Bible, but I am pretty sure this is how it happened.)

Once Jesus was hidden by the cloud and out of sight, the party started.  Gabriel had rolled out the rainbow carpet made of pure gemstones.  The heavenly choir was filling the air with Jesus’ favorite songs and those joyous strains were bouncing off of the clouds causing everything to tremble with excitement. The captives that had come up with Him were slowly walking towards the City.  They were wide-eyed and excited as they joined the angels and saints that lined the road.  Twelve legions of angels were at His right and left hand awaiting His commands.

The Son had been away and now was ready to start His journey into the City.  The first thing He needed to do was put on His robes.  The angelic band was leading the parade.  The choir changed their tune to match the music of When the Saints Go Marching In.  Moses, Elijah, David, and all of the prophets were right behind the band.  They were dancing and whirling around while shouting the glories of God.  The Seven Spirits from before the throne were leading in the victorious Jesus.  The angelic army filed in behind Him making a mighty column with Jesus grandly leading.

It was hard to tell if it was a white charger Jesus was riding or a cloud shaped like a horse.  He had on His gold sash, and it was shining like the sun.  Stars were glowing as they moved about Him, and He had His sword in His left hand.  Resting carefully on the saddle and being held by His right hand was an earthen cruse filled with liquid.  It must have been precious because Jesus was taking special care of it.

The city had been buzzing for forty days as preparations were being made for the return of the King.  As the procession entered the Gate of Pearl the eruption of joy started.  As Jesus passed the shining portal the streets of gold and every stone of every building broke out in unrestrained hallelujahs.  The hallelujahs continued to ripple through the crowds of angels and saints.  The waters of the River of Life were resonating into waves and the waves were clapping their hands to rhythm of the hallelujahs.   The praise lasted until Jesus reached the true Holy of Holies.

Before He entered to meet His Father and God, Jesus removed the stopper from the earthen cruse and began to sprinkle its contents on the Altar.  It was His blood from Calvary, that had trickled down that wooden post to be collected and bottled by the earth it touched.  Once emptied the plain earthen bottle became a chalice of the purest gold.  Jesus left it on the Altar.

Jesus bowed before His Father, who rose to hug His Son.  He then pointed to His right where there was an empty throne.  Jesus had just sat down when two angels carried in a footstool and carefully placed Jesus’ feet on it.  From inside His robe Jesus pulled out a ring with two keys on it and placed them on the footstool.  With that done the Father smiled and the party really started.

The feasting, singing, and merrymaking continued for ten days.  About nine in the morning of the tenth day, Jesus stood up from His throne and everyone became silent.  There was a twinkle in His eye as He asked the Holy Spirit to go earth, especially Jerusalem, and fulfill the prayers that the disciples had been praying.  Off the Spirit rushed, He was in such a hurry it sounded like a mighty wind or a trumpet blast.  What party would be complete if there were no gifts?  The Holy Spirit had them with Him and He was going to give them out as He saw fit.

Heaven was silent as Peter preached the sermon that morning, Jesus smiled.  The partying started again as three thousand people accepted Peter’s invitation to follow Jesus.  We have had reasons to rejoice every day because people are still being added to the Church.

Has Heaven been able to celebrate over you?  If not read the post entitled – Following Jesus?  Give the angels something to shout about.

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Passover to Pentecost – The Ascension

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Passover to Pentecost – The Ascension         Week 6 Day 5

(Jesus) who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand. 1 Peter 3:22 (NIV)

It is forty days since Passover the wheat harvest is underway, and we have a “rest day” coming at the sacrifice of the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost.  The group has left Galilee and they are near Bethany probably on the Mount of Olives.  Doctor Luke records the most about His ascension in his Gospel and Acts.

Why just be lifted into the air?  God took Enoch and Elijah got a fiery chariot, why just lift into the air and disappear into a cloud?  Okay, I have no clue, but the “going up to God” part is very important in the whole context of the Feast and the typology from the first Passover to Pentecost and “out of Egypt” theme.

Moses went up the mountain so he could be given the Law.  Jesus went up into heaven so He could give the Holy Spirit.  The Hebrew word for “ascend” has a lot of different aspects, but some of them are associated with the idea of a journey where you are “going up” to a different place.  The whole “out of Egypt” journey to the Promised Land is a going up or ascending to a new land.   A way of looking at Jesus’ life as a whole is it was a journey of Him from birth going back to the Father.

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Passover to Pentecost – The Ascension Foretold

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Passover to Pentecost – The Ascension Foretold         Week 6 Day 4

I am with you for only a short time, and then I go to the one who sent me. John 7: 33 (NIV)

This verse was spoken by Jesus at the Feast of Tabernacles the year before His Passion.  At the same Feast He spoke John 8: 21, it was clear that He was preparing His disciples for His leaving earth.  John 8 started a controversy that was meant to shake and disturb those following Him.

Most of the verses about Jesus predicting His ascension were said at the Last Supper. They are John 13: 1 + 33, 14:28, 16: 5, and 17:11.  You have to wonder if they understood any of these at the time Jesus said them.  Some of these verses could also be considered to predict His death, which we know they were not expecting.  Jesus in John 14: 29 said that He has told them so they will believe when they see it happening.

Passover to Pentecost – Other Ascension Stories

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Passover to Pentecost – Other Ascension Stories         Week 6 Day 3

The Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind.  2 Kings 2:1 (NIV)

We will look at two cases where a man was taken into heaven while still alive:

Enoch – His story is found in Genesis 5: 21 -24.  It says he walked with God 300 years and God took him.  One creative preacher said that they spent so much time walking together that one day when they were close to heaven; God asked him to spend the night and he just never went home. J

Elijah – His story of being taken into heaven is in 2 Kings 2: 1 – 18.  This story has a backward connection to the Feast and Joshua’s Fifty Days.  Elijah and Elisha started in Gilgal then proceed down the list:

  • Bethel – House of God
  • Gilgal – (back to)Place of circumcision, first camp, held Joshua’s first Passover
  • Jericho – First city taken, it happened during the Counting of the Omer
  • Jordan River – “Baptism” for all those born in the wilderness
  • “The Wilderness”- Place where Moses died.

This is a reverse of the locations that Joshua and the Israelites took when they came into the Promised Land.

There is a third case in Revelations 11: 12 where the Two Witnesses will rise into heaven in a cloud.  This is after they had been killed by the Beast.  The powers of these witnesses match Moses and Elijah while they were on earth.  But Enoch and Elijah are the only two people never to die, and it is written that man is appointed once to die (Hebrews 9:27).

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Passover to Pentecost – Other Typologies

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Passover to Pentecost – Other Typologies         Week 6 Day 2

May another take his place of leadership. Acts 1: 20 (NIV)

There are two things in this Passover to Pentecost time period that I want to highlight.  Both have been mentioned before, but I think they are worth another look.

Jethro and Matthias

Jethro visited Moses and knew at once that he needed help to govern the people.  Between the Ascension and Pentecost, Peter (who was leading again) knew that Judas’ position needed to be filled.  The importance of this appointment is the process that was used to pick the candidates and then the Thirteenth Disciple. They took inventory of the candidates, and then let the Holy Spirit pick.

Amalekites

As I said before the Amalekites became enemies for many centuries (see separate post on Amalekites).  Even though the timing is off the typology is not when it comes to how Joshua defeated them in Exodus 17.  Moses had his hands lifted up (position on the cross) with a man on either side of him, this lasted until sunset. (Remember the sky went dark when Jesus was on the cross).

The Amalekites are descendants of Esau, who sold his birthright for soup.  This shadow can extend to Satan or to religious leaders who would rather have the position and power than Jesus.