unitarianchristian

Jesus is Taken Up to Heaven.

After the Resurrection,   the Lord Jesus was 40 days with His disciples, to teach them, and make them ready for the mission field in front of them, this, after His departure to His Eternal Father.

We specially want to read and study the texts of the Ascension.

We find the narration of this miracle in 3 books of the New Testament :

Mark 16,19. has one verse, he is always concise in his « repport ».

Luke 24,50-51. has 2 verses who explain a bit what happen.

Acts 1,9-11. give more informations as the 2 others together.

We want to give the texts in chronological order as they were understand and experiended by the witness (the disciples).

We find the chronology with the help of the verses after the narration of Ascension, verses with many teaching and hope for the new born christian community.

The Acts of the Apostels 1,9 -11.

 «After saying this, He was taken up to heaven as they watched Him, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.

They still had their eyes fixed on the sky as He went away, when two men dressed in white suddenly stood beside them

and said, « Galileans, why are you standing there looking up at the sky ? This Jesus , who was taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw Him go to heaven .»

12, « Then the apostles went back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is about a kilometre away from the city.

13, They entered the city and went up to the room where they were staying : … the apostles.

14, They gathered frequently to pray as a group, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with His brothers. »

Luke 24,50-51

«Then He led them out of the city as far as Bethany, where He raised His hand and blessed them. As He was blessing them, He departed from them and was taken up into heaven. »

52. « They worshiped Him and went back into Jerusalem, fillend with great joy,

53. and spend all their time in the Temple giving thanks to God. »

Mark 16,19.

« After the Lord Jesus had talked with them, He was taken up to heaven and sat at the right side of God. »

20, « The disciples went and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and proved that their preaching was true by the miracles that were performed. »

In the light of the Bible texts. After Jesus was Taken Up to Heaven,

The disciples were first back to Jerusalem, and meet in the room were they usualy meet, Acts1,13.

The next days, waiting the coming of the Holy Spirit, they spend time in the Temple to thanks God. Luke 24,52-53.

After receiving the power of the Holy Spirit. Luke 24,49

The disciples/apostles went to preached everywere, from Jerusalem to the end of the world. Mark 16,20

To give the Good News of Christ and the kingdom of God !

Good News for us, up today !

Maranatha, le Lord is coming soon !  

Dear friends in Christ, just to remember you about Egypt and the struggle who the christians face in their daily life.

The Arab spring, is not realy spring for the christians in these lands. The radical islamist take power in all of the country who had a "democratic" revolution.

Now the christians face new persecussions, legaly, onder the Shariah law.

These days the old Coptic orthodox church of Egypt, with several millions actif members, lost his chief, Pope Shenouda 3.

This church was founded by the Evangelist Mark, as the history of the church says. Shenouda 3 was the spiritual leader of this church for nealy 40 years.

We have to prays God, in the name of Christ, for the peace in Egypt, and also to the election of the new Pope of the Coptic orthodox church of Egypt and his diaspora with several parish in America and Australia. 

Bible study about John 1,1 – 18

Before to go a head it is important to know.

1 – the Bible explains the Bible.

2 - To take out one or two verses is not a christian way of doing.

Please always have a look carrefully in the context of the verses, and don’t be affraid to search others verses according to our study.

It shall be beter if you read this study with your open Bible.

(we shall use the « GOOD NEWS BIBLE translation)

The Gospel according to John, between the 4 Gospels, is the latest who was writing, and also the more spiritual. It means that the 3 others are more historical, and talk less about the Spirit.

The 4 are complementary between them.

We also know that John was very old when he wrotes « his Gospel and his Letters ». Then he had more questions and answers about the end of life. All his writing were under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

In John letters, we, the converts christians are « his children », 1John 2,1 + 3,7 + 3,18 + 5,21 and 3John 4.

His he our father or grand father ? Certainly not ! But we may consider him as father in the faith. To-day, we are studying his testimony.

In the Gospel according to John 14,6, Jesus tells us that « He is the Way to goes to the Father ».

Later one, in John 14,28, Christ explains that « the Father is greater than Himself ».

It is in this contexte that we have to study en believe the prologue in John 1,1 -18, the prologue include the all beginning of John 1, before the baptism of Jesus and His ministry.

We shall specialy have a deep look in the first verses, and also have a look in others verses to help us in context.

John 1 : « In the beginning the Word already existed, ……., and the Word was God. »

In Genesis 1,3 +6 and after, we observe that God’s Creation was made by His Word. God commends and it be !

The Word of God is creation and autority.

John 1,1 mentions God by His Word like in Genesis. Also a way of writing for John, to show that Christ is a new creation and new beginning for humanity.

Have a look in 1 Corinthians 15,22 and 15,45.

Is it no a new alliance between God and us through the blod of Jesus ?

« The Word was the source of light, » John 1, 4

« The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out. » John 1,5.

Most people didn’t accept the light, the light who is God. The darkness are the ghosts who not accept the divine light.

Verses 6 – 8, God sent John the baptist to be witness (not the light), for whom in the light of God believe, they become child of God.

V. 10 and 11. The light of God cames to illuminate the creation. Exept a few, His own people didn’t accept the light who cames out of the prophets. See also Hebrews 1,1.

V. 12 – 13. A big promise :

Who accept en believe in The divine light become kind of God ! Not born form the flesh, but born from God.

See also Romans 8,16 and 1 John 3,2.

V. 14. « The Word became a human being ». Jesus came with the Word of God, the divine Light, with glory ». « The glory which he received as the Father’s only Son ». We realy believe that Jesus is God’s only Son.

V.17 – 18. Moses cames with the Law, Jesus came to make us free, with grace and truth.

Verse 18. This verse explains God’s meaning and the faith. « No one has ever seen God. The only Son ….. , He (Jesus) has made Him (God) know ».

Few words of this Bible translation may perturb the christian : «, who is the same as God and … ».

We can understand that Jesus is the same as God and God himself !

It is not exactly like that. The real translation from the original greek language has to be like that : Jesus is in God, like us, we have to be in Jesus. Jesus is in God, He is not God or a part of God.

« Who confess that Jesus is Lord has the right to be kind of God ». As we see before : in John 1, 12 and 1 John 4,15.

Verse 18. these words « He has made Him know », are also explained by John 14,6. When Jesus says that He is : « the Way to the Father ». « … who is my Father and their Father, my God and their God. » in John 20,17.

In the trinity, God has to be in 3 personns : the Father, the Son and the Holly Spirit.

The trinitarian don’t accept the personality of the Holly Spirit, who, for them, is the manifastation of God (God is spirit).

We remain in this « trinity » with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is out for them (the trinitarians)!

We are going further now.

If the Father is member of the trinity, the Son came from the Father and is submit to the Father, as we see before, because He came from Him, and not from Himself !

As we realy see in the Holy Bible, the trinity members are (is) only the Father who is the Eternal God.

There is no Trinity, the Father is One.

Christ came from the Father (John 1, 14 and 18) He is the Only God,s Son.

The Holy Spirit, spirit of verity, the Paracklet, sent by God through the Son, submited to the Son. . John 14,16

God bless us all.

If we need more prouf, We may read this on our Bible in Deuteronomy 6,4 and in Mark 12,29 :

" Listen Israël, The Lord our God is One."