Dear John and Fivedoves,

 

Re:  What is the message of the angels on Ascension Day?

 

G-d bless you all!  This is my first post but I've been 'around' for years.  This site always touches my heart.  Thank you.

 

There is something I wanted to share with you that every time Ascension Day rolls around I think about.  It has to do with Acts Chapter 1 and the two angels that appear there with a 'message'.  There are many translations of this chapter.

If you read Acts chapter 1,  Jesus' disciples ask Him about His restoring again the kingdom to Israel; Jesus responds with "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons" -- I take this to mean that Jesus is telling them this will not happen in their lifetime, so they do not need to know the date/time/month/year; so it's not important to them.

 

After Jesus ascends into heaven, two men appear in white apparel who say to the disciples as they are looking up at the clouds:

 

"Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up to heaven?  This same Jesus who is taken from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."

           Another translation: "Galilaeans, why stand looking into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into Heaven will come in just the same way as you have seen Him going into Heaven."

 

Whenever G-d has wanted to communicate something REALLY BIG to mankind it seems that He often has sent angles -- an angel was sent to Daniel to help him decipher his dreams; an angel was sent to Mary to tell her she carried the Son of G-d; angels were sent to the shepherds to tell them the Messiah was born; one or two angels (depending on the Gospel one reads) told the women who went to the tomb that the 'Messiah/Son of G-d is not there, He is risen'; etc. etc.  These angels always have some BIG message of prime importance for mankind.

 

On Ascension day, G-d doesn't send just one angel, He sends two.  One angel could have easily delivered this message to the disciples so why TWO?

 

In the above translations the angels tell the apostles that Jesus will return 'like you just saw him leave'.  This is not a BIG message -- Jesus himself told the disciples He was coming back -- they knew this and had asked Him about this... so this is not BIG news.  It's not a BIG DEAL to be told that Jesus will return in the clouds either -- so that part of the message is not BIG news.  No more mention is made of these angels or their message...the disciples journey to Jerusalem and go to the upper room.  It seems to me that the angels' message is 'lost to them'.  I really don't see any reason for one angel, more less two angels, to give the disciples this 'all imporant' message from G-d.  Maybe I'm missing something?

 

Acts 1:3 states that Jesus was "being seen of them forty days" after his Resurrection -- that's "Ascension Day" or day 40 after Firstfruits.  So, in Acts we are specifically given the day that this 'ascension' and message occurs.

 

Now back to the message of the angels -- what the angels told the disciples wasn't even important enough for the disciples to mention again in the rest of the chapter or anywhere else in Acts that I am aware of -- they did not see the angels' message as a BIG DEAL -- but maybe it was.(?)  Maybe because it was not for them to know the times or seasons...it is for someone else like 'the last generation' to know.(?)  Maybe the angels were telling the disciples that Jesus would return 'in like manner', that is, He will return exactly on this same day in the clouds in the future.  That would make this message a BIG DEAL.  That would warrant a couple of angels at least! :)  That would be a BIG message from G-d to mankind. 

 

It obviously wasn't a message for those who actually heard it and it took TWO angels to deliver it.  Seems there should be something more to it than a message telling them things they already knew.  Maybe it's this 'message' that's the important part of this chapter -- and G-d wanted to emphasize the message by having it delivered by two angels.  But what was G-d trying to tell us?

 

To date, I have not found a translation that says 'on this same day Jesus will return in like manner'. :)  I can't remember ever reading about or hearing anyone 'explain' this message or even ponder this message. 

 

Just a thought that keeps me thinking about Ascension Day and that odd message of the angels. 

 

I am watching and waiting too. :)  

 

G-d bless you.

 

Chance