The Church of St. Luke

Jesus "ascends" into Heaven. What does this mean? 

 

We do not believe that Jesus is on a cloud or floating around the galaxy or went "up, up, and away!" For the Jewish people, "heaven" and "earth" are two realms that are connected, not separated. We don't escape the earth or our earthly bodies; the Biblical worldview understands heaven and earth as interacting in a very real way. 

 

When we say that Jesus "ascends," we believe that he is (1) alive and (2) with us still in a very real way. "Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky?" the angels say to the apostles (Acts 1:11). Jesus is still with us now, so let's get to work on bringing about the Kingdom of God in the here and now!