The Ascension

Acts 1:9 – “And while they watched, Yeshua was taken up into a cloud which hid him out of their sight.”

Many have asked, “How did Yeshua ascend?”.  Today that question will be answered unequivocally.

Pictures Of Ascension
What picture do you have of Yeshua’s ascension that day into the cloud?
• Did Yeshua climb the ladder that Jacob saw? (Genesis 28:12).
• Did Yeshua ride the chariot or horses of fire as did Elijah? (2 Kings 2:11).
• Did Yahweh’s personal throne-chair, the Merkabah [מִרְכֶּבֶת H4818], pick Yeshua up? (Ezekiel 10:1-22).
• Did Yeshua ride upon a cherub, or perhaps fly upon the wings of the wind? (Ps 18:10; 2 Sam. 22:11).
• Did angels carry Yeshua aloft as they did Lazarus? (Luke 16:19-31)
• Or, did Yeshua simply float upward like a helium balloon?

So, what picture comes to your mind as you read these scriptures?  One of the above, or perhaps another?

The Rebuke
Acts 1:10-11a – “And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel who said, You men of Galilee, why are you gazing up into heaven?”

It is well attested to that Yeshua’s talmidim (disciples) could at times be as dense as a London fog, as dumb as driftwood, as bright as a burned out light bulb, as thick as a brick.  Once again, they show their inability to respond immediately to what Yeshua is doing.  They continue to gaze off into the sky so long, in fact, that two angels have to break their concentration by saying: “Hey, youse guys, whatcha lookin’ at?

The Ascension
Acts 1:11b – “Yeshua will return in exactly the same way as you have watched him ascend into heaven.”

The question, if one can call it that, of exactly how Yeshua ascended, has just been answered.  But to answer this question, we must study scripture to see if it tells us how he will return!

Scripture has a lot to say about his return.  Proverbs 21:31 tells us that “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But victory belongs to Yahweh.”  Revelation 19:11 tells us very plainly that heaven is opened and Yeshua is astride a white horse, coming to judge and wage war.  Revelation 19:14 tells us that there is an army of people  that follows Yeshua, all of whom are riding on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

Therefore, since Yeshua returns on a white horse, and Acts 1:11b tells us he ascended the same way, there can be absolutely no doubt that Yeshua ascended on the back of a white horse.

Conclusion
Without a doubt, Yeshua ascended into heaven on his white horse.  He will return the same way, and his Bride will return with him, also astride white horses!  I like to picture Yeshua, as he stands nearby his talmidim, either whistling, or perhaps, just calling out.  Not only do his sheep know his voice, so apparently do his horses!  And this particular horse, is special – he is the King Of Horses.  Peter Jackson, in The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers, employed this imagery well – Gandalf whistled, and Shadowfax, the King of the Mearas, answered, also bringing with him other horses for the man, the elf, and the dwarf to ride.