Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - May/63

Contributor - K. Hanhart

Title - Pravda's Truth or The Truth of Ascension

Topic - Ascension

ACTS 1: 9 B - "AND A CLOUD TOOK HIM OUT OF THEIR SIGHT. . .

"I didn't meet any angels or a throne of God". Such was the report of the first man who entered space. This newspaper item appeared in the official paper of the Russian Government: Pravda. And Pravda means truth. The report was clearly a challenge to the "Christian" West. With this statement these friends of the "truth" triumphantly proved that the belief that God reigns on high and that Jesus, His Son ascended into heaven were only Western fables. At least they thought so. Heaven simply isn't there, says Pravda. Our astronaut did not find a trace of it.

Some of you smile no doubt at these naive statements of the Russians. At least I hope so. For it is disconcerting that many Christians apparently were at a loss what to think of the results of this first flight into space ; and how they should answer this challenge to their faith. They had heard the message of Ascension Day many times, but apparently never thought it through, never really understood it.

"He ascended into heaven" - that does not mean a flight into space. It does not mean that Christ literally went skyward and therefore is not now on the earth anymore. To the contrary, Ascension means that Jesus Christ is in a special way with us, amongst us, within us. No longer limited by His earthly body, He is now with us in His Spirit. As He promised His disciples: "I will not leave you desolate: I will come to you". Ascension means: The risen Christ is here. Ready to meet us,

What happened then on Ascension Day ? We read simply.......... and a cloud took Him out of their sight". In other words: Jesus departed from the world as we know into another world, that we do not know, the world, the realm of God. The world that we know is the created world, which we can explore with the microscope and the spaceship. But there is another world, which we cannot explore or investigate; the realm of God. Our world is separated from that world by the border of death. We may call this world "heaven", but we should not think of it as far away or high above as the child does. We may just as well say that it is very near, yes around us. We say: God is in "heaven", and at the same time we say: God is everywhere. There is no place in our universe where we can escape Him. There is no moment in time, when man is not called to meet His Creator. The world of God is beyond time and space: "A thousand years are as one day" with God, and the psalmist says: If I ascend to heaven (for the Hebrew this -.was the highest place he could think of) Thou art there! If I make my bed in Sheol (the lowest place), Thou art there! This idea of God's being "in heaven" and at the same time His being "with us" is illustrated in the Bible by the symbol of a "cloud". The cloud indicates that God is present, but at the same time he cloud also "hides" God from our sight. It was a "pillar of cloud" that led the Israelites out of Egypt. It was a "cloud" that rested upon the Ark in he Holy of Holies. A cloud removed Jesus from the sight of the disciples and "upon the clouds He will return". In all these verses the presence of God is indicated, but at the same time it is made clear that God is in this "other" world, from which we are separated by death.

The message of Ascension is: Jesus, our Lord, has entered this world of God. And He reigns there for ever and ever. But at the same time it means: The risen Christ is here on earth. Ready to meet us.

When the Jews crucified Jesus they were not worrying about the fact, that He was sent from God. They did not care that Jesus would still go on living on the other side of death; all that they were concerned about was that Jesus should not live on earth any more. As long as He was on earth He wrecked their peace. He confronted them with the Will of God and they could not stand it any longer. So they killed him. But Jesus arose from the dead and ascended into heaven. That is: He is both here and there. For his death is no boundary. We who are on earth are bounded by death, we are on this side of it ; those who have died are also bounded by it, they are on that side of it ; but Jesus is risen and -ascended, He is both on this side and on that side. He has conquered death.

How inevitable is it then, that we meet Him. No, not by means of a space ship, circling the earth or traveling to Mars. But by means of a "broken and contrite heart"; at the preaching of His Word, around His table or in a quiet moment in your home.

Ascension means: The Risen Christ is here!

He is waiting for you around the corner!

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