So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. Mk.16:19-20.
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. Lk.24:49-51.
The attitude of our Lord here characterizes that age. It is one of grace; an ascended Lord is blessing a believing people with spiritual blessings. The Jewish age was marked by temporal blessings as the reward of an obedient people (Deut.28:1-15). In the kingdom-age spiritual and temporal blessings unite.
The scripture distinguish three heavens: first, the lower heavens, or the region of clouds: secondly, the second or planetary; and, thirdly, the heavens of heavens, the abode of God.
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Acts.1:9-11.
H.I.M Haile Sellassie I did not come this way.
The return of Jesus Christ may be summarized as follows:
(1) That the return is an event, not a process, and is personal and corporeal (Mt.23:39; 24:30; 25:31; Mk.14:62; Lk.17:24; Jhn.14:3; Acts.1:11; Phil.3:20-23; 1 Thes.4:14-17).
(2) His coming has a threefold relation to the church to Israel, to the nations.
(a) To the church the descent of the Lord into the air to raise the sleeping and change the living saints is set forth as a constant expectation and hope (Mt. 24.36, 44, 48-51; 25.:13; 1 Cor.15:51-52;Phil.3:20; 1 Thes.1:10; 4:14-17; 1 Tim.6:14; Tit.2:13; Rev.22:20).
(b) To Israel, the return of the Lord is predicted to accomplish the yet unfulfilled prophecies of her national regathering, conversion, and establishment in peace and power inder the Daviadic Covenant (Acts.15:14-17 with Zech.14:1-9).
(c) To the Gentile nation the return of Christ is predicted to bring the destruction of the present political world-system (Dan.2:34-35; Rev.19:11), the judgment of Mt.25.31-46, followed by world-wide Gentile conversion and participation in the blessings of the kingdom (Isa.2:2-4; 11:10; 60:3; Zech.8:3, 20, 23; 14:16-21).