The same way
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” Acts 1:11
A lot of people argue about if Jesus will come back to the earth someday. Some say He has already come. Others believe we will only see Him when we die. Still, there are those who think Jesus will only come when He sets up His Kingdom in the millennial reign. Then of course there are the ones who have the idea that you just never know what is going to happen.
The truth is, we do know because God put it in His word. God gave us an entire manual to live our lives by and to prepare us for things to come. He wants us to know what He is up to and what to expect He is going to do. First of all, we know He is good and He does good things. In Galatians 5, we can read about the fruit of God’s Spirit so it is safe to believe that God is all of the attributes listed in that passage. We also know that God is love and loves us. We know that God the Father sent His only Son into the world to pay the price for the punishment of sin and we know that Jesus raised up from the dead, spent time with His disciples for 40 days and then ascended into heaven while that group watched Him go.
All of these events were prophesied before they happened but while these things were actually going on, many did not believe because they did not know or understand what God had written in His Word about them. God was not trying to hide what He was doing at the time, and He doesn’t want us as His people to be in the dark about what is going on right now in His plan and what He is about to do.
We know this because right before Jesus ascended, the disciples asked Him if it was now time to set them free from the Romans and restore the kingdom of Israel. However, after they received the Holy Spirit, they never had this question again. By the witness and wisdom of the Spirit of God and His Word, they knew what their mission was and how they were to complete it. They were no longer concerned with the circumstances surrounding them, only to fulfill their assignment while they were living in this world.
It is the same for us today. As we yield to the Spirit of God and spend time with Him in His Word and presence, we will know and understand the things that He has planned for us to be and to accomplish. We will also have revelation knowledge from the Spirit of God about His plan to come back someday. Just like Jesus told His disciples long ago the things that were about to happen and what their part would be in the plan, He is letting us know today, too. It is up to each individual to take the time to press into Him and ask for the revelation and the leading of God’s Spirit to know the plan He has for our lives.
Today I want to encourage you to know that some day Jesus will come back the same way that that group of people saw Him leave so many years ago just as His word promises. Begin to fill your heart and life up with the word of God and the promises He made in it. Take time each day to yield to the Spirit of God and His leading you step by step in life. Ask Him for wisdom and insight into the plans He has for your life and for a filling of His Spirit. Then you will no longer ask the questions that are temporary to your circumstances and you will align your life with the plan God has instead.
Today’s scripture reading: Acts 1:6-11
6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him.
10 As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them.
11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
The Daily Dose 