Jesus Will Soon Return to Earth.

Story based on Acts 1:1-12

That Sabbath was the unhappiest the disciples could remember. For some time they had been following Jesus as He went about preaching. Repeatedly they had seen evidence that Jesus was the Messiah. Often, Jesus had told them He must suffer and die, yet they never thought He meant it literally. Surely, they had thought, it must have some symbolic meaning. Then came the betrayal and arrest in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus went through a mockery of a trial and then was crucified. Now He had been in the tomb for a whole day. All their hopes built on Jesus seemed to have been for nothing.

Early the next morning, when a few women went to the tomb to finish embalming Jesus' body, they found the tomb empty and the stone rolled away. Angels were there declaring that Jesus had risen from the dead. It seemed too good to be true.

By the end of the day, all of the disciples except Thomas had seen Jesus alive again. One week later, Thomas also saw Jesus and joined the others who could personally testify that Jesus was alive again. Without a doubt, Jesus was the Messiah & the Son of God.

For forty days after His resurrection Jesus spent time with His disciples, trying to help them understand the nature of His kingdom. What had seemed like a tragic defeat was really the most glorious victory. Jesus had won the battle against Satan. Soon He would return to heaven, but He would not leave His faithful followers alone. The Holy Spirit was promised to comfort and strengthen them. Jesus would be gone for a while to prepare a place for all who believe in Him. Then they could live with Him forever. The kingdom would be far better than the fondest hopes of any of the disciples.

The time was near for Jesus to return to Heaven. He began to tell His disciples what they were to do after He had gone. They still did not understand. "Will you restore the kingdom to Israel now?" they wanted to know.

"You must wait and see," Jesus told them. "Meanwhile, I want you to tell others about Me. Help others get ready to be part of My kingdom."

As Jesus was speaking, He began to rise into the air. Higher and higher He went, until the disciples could barely see Him. Finally a cloud hid Him from their sight, but still the disciples continued to gaze into the sky hoping for one last glimpse of Jesus.

"Men of Galilee," spoke a voice nearby. As the disciples turned, they saw two strangers who were dressed in white. "Why do you keep staring into the sky? You just saw Jesus taken up into Heaven. He will come again, in the same way you watched Him leave."

Perhaps these were the same angels who were at the tomb to announce Jesus' resurrection. Now they had been sent by Jesus to give the disciples hope. They would see Jesus again. Just as they saw Him leave to return to Heaven, He would come again. This promise would be the hope of Christians until the end of time. Jesus will return to take His people to live with Him forever.

What a treasure of memories Jesus left with His disciples as He ascended! All the experiences they had shared by Lake Galilee. The joy of people to whom Jesus had restored health. His parables came back to their minds whenever they saw a shepherd with his flock, a grape vine, or a farmer sowing his fields.

The life of Jesus had been cut short by the hatred of jealous men, but it had not been a failure. Satan had brought sin and suffering upon humanity. Jesus was the only One who could help. He had come to earth to destroy the works of the devil. By His death on the cross, He had accomplished just that.

Often it seemed that Satan must be winning the struggle. People who had power and influence worked to destroy Him. Jesus trusted the leading of His Father and looked beyond the discouragement all around Him. He refused to give up, and as He faced death on the cross, He could declare victory.

Jesus really did overcome. Satan claimed that God was unjust and impossible to obey. When Jesus died on the cross like a criminal, it seemed that He was defeated. Yet by His death, He finished a life of perfect obedience. Not only did He prove that Satan's charges were false, but He paid the necessary price to offer forgiveness to all who would accept Him. When we choose to accept Jesus, we receive forgiveness and find peace with God. Satan wants to destroy us, but we may defeat him by relying on Jesus.

Sometimes we fail to live as a Christian should. Our weakness threatens to make Jesus' sacrifice of no benefit for us. Jesus never gives up on us. When we fail, we need to turn again to Jesus in repentance, knowing He will forgive. He began a good work in us. We can depend on Him to see the task through to completion. What we need to do is continue to choose to follow Jesus.

Most precious to Christians of every age is Jesus' promise to come again. He will come again to take us to be with Him. We need this hope for the future to help us cope with today. It is easy to become discouraged with life as we see economic crisis, war and suffering all around. Jesus gave these words to cheer us now. "Behold, I am coming quickly."

Thank you, Jesus, for defeating Satan for me. Thank you for Your promise to come again for me. I accept You and plan to live with You forever when You come.

Review Questions

1. What was the purpose of Jesus' life on earth?
2. How was Jesus a conqueror when He died on the cross?
3. How can we be victorious over sin?
4. Who will finish Jesus' work of salvation for us?
5. What encouraging promise has Jesus given us?
6. Do you want to be on Jesus' side in the war against Satan?