Hello John and Doves,
Ascension Day is Thursday, May 26,
2022. Or if using the sighting of the new moon, a day
later. On the Hebrew (chabad calendar) this day is 25
Iyar. Omer Day Count: 40
After His Crucifixion and
Resurrection, Jesus appeared to various people over a period
of 40 days. Then on the day of His 'Ascension', He
tells his followers about the coming baptism with the Holy
Spirit and receiving of the power when the Holy Spirit
comes. The last thing He says is, "But you will
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and
you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8
Acts 1 describes what happened on
Ascension Day - Jesus was "taken up" or "carried off",
"lifted up", or "taken on board".
"He was taken up and a
cloud hid Him from them their sight." Acts
1:9
As they were intently
watching Him going up into Heaven, two men in
white robes stood beside them.
These were angels, that said "Men,
Galileans, why do you stand here looking into heaven?
This Jesus, having been taken up from you into heaven, will
thus come in that manner you beheld Him going
into heaven." They said this as Jesus disappeared into
a cloud.
In the Rapture, Jesus is seen in
the clouds - "For the Lord himself will come down
from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice
of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the
dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are
still alive and are left will be caught up together
with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air." I Thessalonians 4:16-17
In the Second Coming, Jesus
returns with armies of Heaven - riding on white horses.
So, it seems to
me that these two men in white robes are describing the
Rapture - where Jesus Himself comes down from Heaven (not
angels, not armies, not horses) to take the dead and
living Believers...not to set up His kingdom. He
comes from Heaven for His Believers. This is
different and distinct from the Second Coming.
Forty days after the Feast of
Firstfruits is not a High Holy Day. We are not told
about this day as a special convocation of fasting,
offerings, etc. We do not read about this day in
Leviticus like we do the Seven High Holy Days.
Yet, 40 in Strong's Greek means
"sacred, holy", "set apart by (or for God, holy, sacred)"
"The fundamental (core) meaning of
40 is "different". In the New Testament, 40 ("holy")
has the "technical" meaning "different from the
world"...implies something "set apart" and therefore
"different (distinguished/distinct)", - i.e. "other",
because special to the Lord.
So this forty days of Jesus being
on earth after His resurrection is a most unusual 40 day
time period - it's the time period our Risen Savior
solidified His apostles, disciples to His ministry.
This time period was set apart from the rest of Jesus'
ministry. After His death, but before the arrival of
Holy Spirit on Pentecost. Forty days set apart,
special to the Lord.
The end of this forty day period
culminates in the 'ascension' of Jesus into Heaven.
The 40th days is the last time He is 'physically' with His
followers. After that He is with them in Spirit when
the Holy Spirit comes.
Thayer's Greek notes 40 is
"religious awe, reverence, to venerate the gods"
The Galileans were standing on holy
ground - a heavenly 'door' was opened and angels appeared
while Jesus was rising up into the clouds to add the final
touch to what Jesus said to the Galileans.
One could say that Jesus was
'raptured' on that day. Back during that time, the
Galileans did not have Paul to tell them about the
miraculous Rapture event. If we were there that day,
I'm sure we'd be thinking - Wow - that's going to happen to
us..some day.
Ascension Day is what some would
call a non-Jewish day. And some would call a
'Christian" day. It has nothing to do with the Jewish
faith, but is a "High Holy Day" to the Christian world.
Could the Believers in Christ
experience their own 'ascension' on the same day that Jesus
ascended into the clouds? This could be a 'hidden'
message from Jesus to the world - when this happens to the
Believers, He has already explained it. No need to
bring in UFOs and alien abductions or some other
'misinformation'. Jesus already showed Himself how
this could happen. Read Acts 1.
"It seems that if the Lord wanted
to send a strong message to the Jews and the rest of the
unbelievers, as to Who did this (the rapture) and what
happened to all the Christians/children, etc. that He would
take us out on Ascension day. It would be like handing
the whole world a tract. The Ascension also makes more
sense than connecting the rapture to a Jewish Feast Day
because it shows the separate handling of the church and
Israel."
Ascension
Day Rapture? – Grace thru faith
https://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/ascension-day-rapture/
Ascension Day is ten days after
Second Passover, ten days after the Blood Moon Lunar
eclipse. The new moon is on May 30. Ascension
Day is always near a new moon.
As we see the world becoming more
and more evil, I am hopeful that the Rapture is in our near
future!
Ascension Day is right in the
middle of the U.N. vote May 22 - May 28 when the nations of
the world sign over total control in any 'determined' health
emergency (hello - monkey pox!) to Tedros/WHO/globalists and
at the end of the WEF Davos meeting that is May 22 - May 26.
It would be a nice surprise for the Davos globalists to have
their world rid of those pesky Christians right at the end
of their big world agenda meeting! It would make their
lives so much easier.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
Maranatha!
Chance
https://www.biblehub.com/greek/40.htm