Christ Is Risen! He Is Risen, Indeed! Acts 1:1-3 In my former book, Theophilus, (The author of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles was also the author of the Gospel of Luke.) I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day He was taken up to heaven, (As incredible as Jesus' resurrection is, the true finale of the miracle of the resurrection is His ascension into the heavenlies to return to His place as the Son of God and to be seated at the right Hand of the Father, seated and at rest because His redemptive work, His mission to earth, is accomplished and complete and finished. Nothing more needs to be added to His work of salvation.
He has provided everything we ever need to belong to Him.)
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen. After His suffering, He presented Himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days (Not only has Christ died, but He rose again, freed from the finality of death, the first fruits of those of us who have already and still yet will step into new life from death. To ensure people received the good news of His Resurrection, Jesus appeared in person to so many people over such an extended period of time that the truth of the Resurrection was undeniable and, in fact, a truth so profound it changed the entire world. That truth still holds for us today, the truth of His presence with us. His message to His friends and disciples is still His message to us, that the Kingdom of God is here, is within us, is a new institution in the lives of man, and gives us the strength and power to walk out the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. Presenting Himself to a wide variety of people in a wide variety of settings, Jesus remained visible and accessible to His disciples for forty days. He began His ministry by fasting for forty days in the wilderness, preparing Himself for the mission ahead of Him, and now He shows Himself alive for forty days in a victory tour as He brings His mission to completion. The number forty often represents testing and trials, such as the Israelites' wandering for forty years in the wilderness or rain flooding the earth for forty days. These forty days the Lord chooses to linger on earth are also another example of the grace and mercy of the Lord as He replaces the times of defeat and trial with a time of triumph, as He remains here on earth in person to give more than ample proof to His followers of His Resurrection life!) and spoke about the kingdom of God. (The same Kingdom of God that Jesus spoke about and revealed then is still the same Kingdom of God that He offers us today. This Kingdom of God as manifested in Jesus is as present with us today as it was in the Person of Jesus when He walked as a human on earth. He has offers us today this truth that He Himself is the strength and power that enables us to be His ambassadors and representatives here on earth.) Christ Is Risen! He Is Risen, Indeed!
