For only a small proportion of the population it is Ascension Day. For the majority it is a public holiday and for many fathers it is an occasion for a wild feast. The once Protestant churches have their own unique attitude to this holiday.
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Ascension Day equals Father’s Day
Ascension Day will be again in a few days. A nationwide holiday in Germany. For the remainder of Bible-believing Christians, which does not mean church members across the board, Ascension Day is the event 40 days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For the rest, it is “Father’s Day,” which is celebrated at the same time. In many places there is cause for a boozy drinking session.
Biblical explanations of the Ascension of Christ
The event is described in the Bible in Acts 1:9-11:
“And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.“
Mark also briefly and succinctly mentioned the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven in Mark 16:19:
“So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.“
Another brief description of Christ’s ascension is in Luke 24:50-53 zu finden:
“And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.”
The evangelical understanding
Anyone who wants to look around in evangelical circles to find out what the (once) Protestant churches meant by Ascension may be surprised. In “theology”, the ascension of Jesus Christ is not understood as a journey at all and heaven is not a geographical place, but rather the domain of God, according to the Protestant magazine “Sonntagsblatt”. (Source). Therefore, the Ascension should not be understood as literal, but rather simply expresses “according to a Christian understanding” that the risen Christ is with God, according to the “professional journal”.
The ascension of Christ is also interpreted as a symbol of “the transformation and spiritual development of the personality”.
Inconsistencies in spirituality
It is obvious that at least the author of this article (not an opinion article) in the Protestant online magazine does not believe in the literal ascension to heaven, but in a written allegory or metaphor for a purely spiritual process. It is true that “Himmel” can have two meanings in German, whereas in English a distinction is made between “sky” and “heaven”. But what is clearly described is a physical, observable lifting of Jesus Christ into the sky. Since then, Jesus Christ has sat at the right hand of God and “incidentally” is our advocate and high priest in the heavenly sanctuary (Info).
“Theology, according to Christian understanding” sees the Ascension as a pure spirituality. So when it says, “while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight“, this was merely an imaginative paraphrase by Luke (author of Acts), possibly based on one spiritual “darkening” which Luke expressed as a cloud pushed in front of the sun?
Consequently, the equally described return of Jesus Christ, “this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven“, should be considered a “spiritual settlement” to return to the original state can be interpreted. Almost woken up from the dream? How these two men who described the return of Jesus Christ can be accommodated in the allegory probably remains a mystery.
The return of Jesus also only spiritually?
Anyone who interprets the topic of the Ascension of Christ as something purely spiritual is guilty of also interpreting the described return of Jesus Christ spiritually (Descriptions of Jesus’ return). Otherwise, this “theology” is once again just evidence of a secular “science” and the adoption of its “findings” by so-called theologians of the Protestant churches. The supposedly spiritual nature of Christ’s ascension would have to be brought into harmony with Mark 13:26:
“And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.“
Revelation 1:7:
“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.“
Matthew 24:30:
“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.“
1 Thessalonians 4:17:
“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.“
This means that in addition to Luke, Matthew, Mark, Paul and even Jesus Christ through John would be pure daydreamers who expressed their respective “spiritual state” in different places and times.
In short:
This kind of theology has nothing to do with the gospel, nothing to do with faith, but is purely “spiritual-theological” rubbish. A revelation of the false prophet – Info. After this spiritual outpouring is over, the beer will probably be cold for next Father’s Day anyway.
The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.
Proverbs 14:8
Bible verses from King James Version
