Where did Jesus ascend to?

Question

I'm sure that people will say I am mocking but I really wonder.

General understanding of the Christian doctrine of Ascension holds that Jesus bodily ascended to heaven in the presence of his apostles, following his resurrection. It is narrated in Mark 16:19, Luke 24:50-51, Acts 1:9-11, and Ephesians 4:7-13. This is affirmed by Christian liturgy in the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed

Mark: "he was received up into heaven"
Luke: "he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven"
Acts: "he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up.."
Ephesians: "When he ascended up on high"

Now we've been to the sky and beyond and we know heaven is not up there. So is it metaphor? Or do you take this literally, he flew upwards like superman and they stood there watching until he went behind a cloud? Seriously?

"Its not like you were there when Jesus ascended" - THAT IS WHY I AM QUOTING FROM your BIBLE.

gmcfayden: I am aware of the contents of the bible (see my quotes) and you didn't answer my question.

nagarajan: after the resurrection Jesus was still in bodily form.

emperorisnaked: "if you die and your soul travels faster then light what dimension would you be in" WHAT? No, seriously, WHAT?

Answer 1

"Up - up and away, my beautiful, my beautiful balloon"
When my ballon deserts my little tender hand and goes up to the skies,(me, crying my eyes out...) it bursts when it reaches up to some hight and no one gives a damn about it anymore. My mom always buys me a new one.!! Hm....
So much I know, so much I say.....

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Do I sound like talking with parables or should I not go to the therapist???

Answer 2

Heaven is where God is and hell is where God isn't. Earth is where we are.

Where is heaven? Specifically the heaven (ho ouranus). The Greek text has "the heaven(s)"

Theologians have number every word in the bible, 3772 is ouranus number, see source.

Answer: Unfortunately, the bible does not explain how Jesus was carried up (passive voice). As with the resurrection, God is doing the action. This was emphasized in Luke 24:51 where the phrase is stated twice.

Answer 3

Jesus said:
"Do not look to the sky for heaven, for if the kingdom was in the sky, the birds would get there before you."

That tends to make me believe that the parts of the chapters you talk of aren't true.

I'll read you what it says in my Bible for Mark 16:9-19

"The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-19"
In other words, the original Mark texts dont have this and it was added later.

Now Luke 24:51states that Jesus "left them, and was taken up to heaven."

I find it interesting that only Luke has this passage, that is pretty important, considering what it tells us.
The language of it doesn't sit right with me to be honest.

"He left them, and was taken up to heaven."

Surely, just saying that he was taken up to heaven is enough. The "he left them" part lead me to believe that they didn't see him rise to heaven, but he did in fact walk off first, and then they assumed thats where he had gone.

I also think that the phrase from Acts "a cloud recieved him out of their sight." is grammatically incorrect to mean "The cloud hid him from them". And does infact literally mean, "out of their sight, a cloud recieved him.

I think that Jesus did not ascend to heaven, and that merely, his job was done.
Just as his time had not come to do what he must do before John the Baptist could baptise, I think after his "death" and "rise" his time had ended, and he left them.

No other man in the Bible is at work in this was for such a short time.

So in answer to your question, he did not ascend.
Thats my belief.

Answer 4

To the right hand of his Father. Wherever heaven is, it appears to the ones viewing the event as upward. But, as we understand more about our universe and our position within it, we now know that as far as we can see out there, we can't see God's Heaven.
I take it as figurative, though the Apostles saw what God wanted them to see, he made it appear the way they best understood it and could handle it.
But the actual act was that Jesus went wherever God resides. Inner space? Outer space? Another dimension? I don't know where, nor do I know spiritual science.

Answer 5

It's a curious one. Growing up in the catholic church, they were adamant that he ascended into heaven, but they never discribed it beyond him going up into the clouds, the way it's always been depicted in christian art.

We were taught that a whole lot of angels accompanied him.

Of course Eric Von Daniken knew better.lol

It was one of the first things that got me thinking that the bible was a bit sus as a source of truth. The whole resurection and ascention seemed pointless to me. I didn't see that there was a reason for a "god" to do that stuff......or to get nailed to a tree.

Answer 6

Well we dont really believe that heaven is literally up there in the atmosphere. Its not like you were there when Jesus ascended. The whole point of this event is not that Jesus goes to this place we cant see or go to, but the fact that Jesus needs to go and that he leaves his legacy to the apostles. And dont worry; when you die a happy life, you'll know where it is.

Answer 7

Heaven cannot be reached by human means. It is a spiritual place not physical. It's actual location? Out there somewhere.

Acts 7:56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

Answer 8

Gracious, don't you watch Star Trek???

An invisible hole opened up in the space time continuum and He ascended up to Heaven which exists in another dimension parallel to ours. I thought everybody knew that.

No really, I'm being serious. Now have an orange zest cookie and nice glass of iced tea.

Answer 9

Good morning.

I believe the soul of Jesus went where all souls go, to the other side. I believe that place to be another dimension right here on earth. I also believe that it is the same on all the planets with life in the infinite universe.

Answer 10

God is a multi-dimensional being that can exist in and outside of our space-time continuum. Because He cannot be fully comprehended by a finite mind He must say and do things that can't completely make sense to us so he uses anthropomorphisms and similes and metaphors that we can get the idea without it having to be fully explained.

So if you die and your soul travels faster then light what dimension would you be in? Maybe heaven.

Answer 11

You must remember, my brother, that there was a reason for the death of Christ...... A New Testament......

That meant that he had to attain the keys of death and hell, so that when this present condition of living is done, they will not be in the wrong hands.....

The plan is to kill off death and hell.......

So, he, according to Ephesians, 4:9, descended "FIRST" to the lower parts of the earth.....

While there, took the keys of death and hell from Satan, bound him and offered salvation to the lost souls there......

Some came up out of that place for salvations sake, because they accepted the new Lord.........

Others did not accept, and remain in that state........

Then, he ascended.... so that it may be fulfilled.....

had he not done that... then a very important part of the new testament would remain open like a loophole.......

Your sister,
Ginger