FORTY DAYS
Acts 1:1-11 (KJV)
The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
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.
Forty days.
Jesus had shown Himself alive after his crucifixion and resurrection for forty days.
That’s a pretty long time.
Forty days ago we were in the middle of our church camp out at Konasket Palmer State Park.
Since then we have:
· Celebrated three birthdays
· One anniversary
· One national holiday
We have had:
· Nine guest preachers and
· Four major church events
Forty days.
Forty days ago I took Anita to her orthopedic surgeon in Bonney Lake. He x-rayed her knee and her ankle and pronounced that her bone had healed and there was no permanent damage in the ankle.
In some ways it seems like forty days ago was just yesterday.
But since then I’ve been
· Over the Oregon border
· Almost to the Idaho border and
· Almost to the Canadian border
Jesus, “..shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days.”
I wonder what went through the disciple’s minds as those forty days progressed?
At first there was
· Wonder[1]that Jesus was alive, then
· Disbelief[2]
At some point, perhaps, His resurrection lost some of its wonder.
Rather than being amazed that Jesus was alive, they wanted to know when He would restore His kingdom.
It’s not a bad question.
I even think it is a good question
But it is the same sort of question they would have asked Him before He was crucified.[3]
Jesus corrected them a little bit, taught them a little bit, and then He restored their wonder.
Acts 1:9 (KJV)
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
Suddenly, they weren’t asking the same old questions any more.
Now all they can do is look up in wonder and gaze into the heavens, and, Acts 1:10-11 (KJV)
.. 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.
I want to focus our attention on three words found in this promise;
This Same Jesus….
Jesus warned us Matthew 24 that in the last days there would be false prophets and false Christs.
The Apostle John said the same thing in,
Revelation 13:3-6 KJV
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
· With so many false prophets and false Christs
· When they are so good at imitating Christ that the Bible says if it were possible they would deceive the very elect of God
When they are so good at deceiving, how shall we ever know which Christ to follow?
The answer is this simple:
Follow "this same Jesus."
The promise of the coming of the Lord is a promise that
Acts 1:11 KJV
… 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.
This same Jesus
I. HAS LIVED FOREVER PAST
Micah 5:2 KJV
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
· The Messiah we look for
· The Saviour we set our gaze upon
· The Christ the Bible promises will come again
Is the same God who has lived forever in the past.
Revelation 1:7-8 KJV says,
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
This same Jesus, who is both the beginning and the ending.
This is the Jesus the Bible promises will come again.
· It is the same Jesus that was with the Father in Creation
· It is the same Jesus who spoke all that exists into being
· It is the same Jesus who upholds all things by the word of His power
That is the Jesus the Bible promises will come again.
This same Jesus; the One who said unto them,
John 8:58 KJV
….Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
Acts 1:11 KJV
… 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.
Who is the Jesus the Bible promises will come?
This same Jesus
II. WHO CAME TO DWELL AMONG US
John 1:14 KJV
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
This same Jesus who
Came unto His own and His own received Him not.
This same Jesus who
Philippians 2:6-7 KJV
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
This is the Jesus who will come again in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.
It is not another Jesus.
It is this same Jesus
The same Jesus
· Who hungered and thirsted
· Who grew weary and slept
· Who groaned in His spirit and wept at Lazarus grave
This same Jesus.
This same Jesus who
· Calmed the seas
· Healed the crippled and
· Raised the dead
This same Jesus who
· Forgave the woman taken in adultery and
· Called the tax collector to be a preacher
This same Jesus who
Was transfigured on the mount before Peter and James and John
This same Jesus who
Hebrews 4:15 KJV
… was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Acts 1:11 KJV
… 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.
Who is it the Bible promises is our blessed hope?
This same Jesus
III. WHO DIED IN OUR PLACE
Revelation 1:7 KJV
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Revelation 5:6 KJV
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
· The same Jesus that was slain for the sins of the world.
· The same Jesus whose hands and side they pierced
Not a substitute
Not another manifestation of God
· Not a spirit
· Not a Ghost
· Not a vicar for Christ
The Bible's promise is that very Jesus who gave Himself on the Cross for us; after He ascended into Heaven,
Acts 1:11 KJV
… shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Philippians 2:5-8 KJV
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
To think that the very same Jesus who died for us, is the Jesus that is coming again is both a wonderful and terrible thought.
A. It is wonderful as a saved man
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
There has never been an act of love equal to the love of God in His dying in our place.
Romans 5:7-8 KJV says
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
That such a loving God would die for us while we were yet sinners is grace.
That this same love compels God to again to receive the saved unto Himself that where He is there we may be also; that is a promise too wonderful for words!
But
B. It is a terrible thought to those who have rejected Him
Acts 2:36-37 KJV
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
When Peter preached on the day of Pentecost and declared that the same Jesus they had crucified was the very Jesus God had made both Lord and Christ…
The Bible says, they were "pricked in their heart" and begged, "What shall we do?"
And when the lost man comes under conviction that
· The same Jesus he has continued to reject
· The same Jesus whose name he uses as a curse word
· The same Jesus who church he refuses to attend and whose disciples he attacks
That same Jesus is the very Jesus who is coming again - he has more than good reason to be pricked in the heart and cry with the Jews of old, "What shall I do?"
That same Jesus who died in our place at Calvary is the One promised to come again.
Who is it who will come again?
This same Jesus
IV. WHO HAS RISEN FROM THE DEAD
Acts 1:3 KJV
To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
Acts 1:11 KJV
… 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.
It was the same Jesus who had shown Himself alive after His passion, His death and burial, that the Bible promises will come again.
The fact that He was raised again from the dead is the most telling thing in the Bible about Jesus.
· It sets Him apart and
· It sets His believers apart
from any others in all the world.
There are religions a plenty in this world of ours: philosophies and theories of what happens after we die.
But of Jesus Christ alone it can be said that He died, was buried and He rose again.
His resurrection is historical fact
More provable than that Julius Caesar ever even lived.
His resurrection is archeologically proven
More effort has been spent to find the body of Jesus and any other historical figure. But there is no body to find.
His resurrection is demonstratable certainty
He shewed himself alive for 40 days and to more than 400 people at once.
More importantly
His resurrection is the proof that what He promised He is able also to perform.
He said
John 2:19-21 KJV
Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
But he spake of the temple of his body.
He promised He would die and rise again the third day and He did.
He has promised
John 14:19 KJV
Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
And He has promised
John 14:2-3 KJV
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
This same Jesus who has risen from the dead
Acts 1:11 KJV
… 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.
Whose appearing do we look for?
This same Jesus
V. WHO HAS ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN
Acts 1:9-11 KJV
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.
The angels promised that the very same Jesus they just saw go into heaven would be the same Jesus who would come again.
And they said He would come "in like manner."
That means he will come again the very same way He went away
A. Visibly
When Jesus left, they saw Him go.
They watched Him ascend "out of their sight."
When Jesus comes again it too will be visible.
The Bible says
Revelation 1:7 KJV
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
B. Gradually
He was taken up and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
I do not know how fast the process was, but the tenor of the passage makes it seem like it was a good while.
When Jesus comes again, He will come gradually. It is described in
Revelation 19:11-16 KJV
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
In the "days of ole" battle was not so sudden.
Armies would march to the field of battle.
Oftentimes camps would be set up and each side could watch as the other side prepared for the inevitable conflict.
That is the picture the Bible gives of Jesus Christ's return.
When Jesus comes to take the believers to heaven, it happens suddenlyand as athief in the night.
His coming with the armies in heavenis not so sudden.
It is gradual enough that the anti-christ is able to see His coming and assemble his own armies to withstand Him.
He will not succeed in battle and Christ will return to set up His own kingdom on earth.
He will return
C. Physically
Consider Revelation 19 again and note the physical features of Christ
Revelation 19:11-16 KJV
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
His eyeswere as a flame of fire, and on his headwere many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
And out of his mouthgoeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
And he hath on his vesture and on his thigha name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
· When He left this earth, He left in a physical body.
· When He returns He will have that same physical body, now glorified
In Luke 24:30 the resurrected Jesus ate with His disciples
In John 21:13 he did the same
And in Acts 10:40-41 KJV, to clarify that the resurrected Jesus did in fact eat, says,
Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
And the reason the resurrected Jesus ate with them was to prove that He wasn't some spirit or Ghost, but that He was truly risen from the dead.
That is the same Jesus who will come again.
Conclusion
Acts 1:11 KJV
… 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.
That is the Bible Promise.
This same Jesus
· Who has lived forever in the past
· Who has come to dwell among us
· Who has died in our place
· Who has risen from the dead and
· Who has ascended 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.
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