Last week, we discovered that the real Elijah that the nation (and the disciples) had been looking for was actually John the Baptist, who came in the “spirit and power of Elijah.” Remember the words of the angel who spoke to Zechariah (John’s father) prior to his birth:

“He will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him (the Messiah) in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 2:16-17).

Jesus also told those gathered on the Mount of Olives just prior to His ascension that they were not to be concerned about the “times” or “seasons” of His return, but to keep focused on the things that He had commanded them to do, and that was to take the Good News of redemption and spread it throughout the Roman Empire. That was their calling, to share the Good News of salvation, and as we know from the rest of the Book of Acts, that is precisely what they did.

After the “commission” to His disciples, there was nothing more for Jesus to say. As Luke records, here is what happened next:

“He was lifted up while they were watching, and a cloud took Him up, out of their sight” (Acts 1:9).

What kind of a cloud was this? Well, it wasn’t a cumulous nimbus cloud that are common in our skies today, but the “glory cloud” that was so prevalent throughout the Old Testament. Among other occurrences of this cloud, this is the same cloud that filled both the tabernacle and the temple of Solomon in the Old Testament, and the same cloud that appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration when Jesus met with Moses and Elijah. This cloud, whenever it appears in Scripture, represents the presence of God. It’s the cloud of His presence.

And then Luke records the following:

“As they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them” (Acts 1:10).

Of course, these two “men” were angels who had something to say to those who were watching the cloud and Jesus within it ascend into the heavens. Here is what they said:

“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

The angels told those gathered that it would be the same Jesus who would return, and that He would return in the same manner as He left, that is, in the glory cloud. Interestingly, the angels didn’t say that His appearance would be the same, only that He would return in the same manner. If you are expecting Jesus to return in the same robe and sandals in which He left, and looking the same as He did when He ascended in His resurrection body, then we need to reevaluate that assumption.

A couple of things are important here. Remember that Daniel predicted that when Jesus entered heaven at His ascension, He was going to receive the Kingdom from the Father. Now, if Jesus is going to be the King over His own Kingdom, then he had to leave His resurrection body at the gates of heaven. Remember, the Apostle Paul said that:

“Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God” (1 Cor 15:50).

Furthermore, let’s check out John’s description of Jesus in the Book of Revelation:

“…in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across his breast with a golden girdle. And His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire, and His feet were like burnished bronze, which has been caused to glow in a furnace and his voice was like the sound of many waters. And in His right hand He had seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in His strength” (Rev 13-16).

Yes, this is the same Jesus who ascended, but upon entering heaven, He received His glorified body, the body that John saw in his vision on the Island of Patmos. And so, the angels let the disciples know that the return of Christ would be in the glory cloud, and we can be certain that His appearance was never intended to be the same as when He ascended into heaven. The same Jesus whom they expected to return would be the same Jesus, but this time in a glorified body, not His resurrection body.

And that is the same type of body that we will receive at the time of our own death. But that’s a whole new discussion for another time. May the Lord bless each of you as you walk with Jesus today, and look forward to receiving your own glorified body the moment you step from this life into the next.

Now that we have finished our series on “The First 40 Days,” next week we will begin a new series entitled “The First 40 Years.” But more on that next week. I hope you will join me.