Topical Studies
Jesus Christ's Ascension
(From Forerunner Commentary)
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Jesus Christ is the perfect type of the waving of the wavesheaf. Histories of the time show that the sheaf was waved about the same time as the daily morning sacrifice—about the third hour of the day or 9 AM by our reckoning. This particular day was Sunday morning, the day after the Sabbath that falls during the Days of Unleavened Bread. The priests of the Temple would have been conducting the wavesheaf ceremony on the day of Christ's resurrection. It is quite evident that Christ ascended to heaven about the same time as the wavesheaf was being waved before God.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Christ's Death, Resurrection, and Ascension
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Psalms 24:6 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)
Verse 6 tells us that Jesus Christ is the head of the church. It may not appear so at first glance, but remember that the church is the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16). Remember, too, that another name for Israel is Jacob. "Generation" is poorly translated; it should read "congregation." This verse, then, could read, "This is the congregation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face." This is telling us that, because Jesus died, rose, and ascended to heaven, it is now possible for there to be a congregation of those who seek His face—the Israel of God!
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Christ's Death, Resurrection, and Ascension
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John 20:17 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)
As the firstfruits of God's Family, Jesus had not yet appeared before the Father for acceptance as our Savior and High Priest! He had not yet been "waved"! The context of John 20 shows that it was still early in the morning, and most likely, shortly after Mary returned to the disciples, Jesus ascended to His Father's throne in heaven to be accepted as our Redeemer—at about the same time the priest waved the sheaf before God in the Temple. God fulfills His Word to the letter!
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
'After Three Days'
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John 20:17 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)
Jesus was crucified on the day of the Passover in AD 31, which fell that year on a Wednesday. God resurrected Him at the end of the weekly Sabbath (Saturday). He appeared to Mary Magdalene the next morning, the day after the weekly Sabbath during Unleavened Bread, when the priests presented the wavesheaf offering. He did not permit her to touch Him because He had not yet ascended to the Father. Just as the High Priest had to wave the sheaf of grain before the spring harvest began, so our Savior had to ascend to the Father that day to be accepted before Him. Once this happened, He allowed His disciples to touch Him (cf. Matthew 28:9; John 20:20-28).
Earl L. Henn (1934-1997)
Holy Days: Pentecost
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John 20:17 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)
This occurred early in the morning not long after sunrise. We do not know exactly what time after sunrise, but the women originally came to the tomb while it was still dark (verse 1)—and He was already gone from the tomb at that point! He simply could not have risen at sunrise. It was sometime after sunrise when Jesus stopped her and instructed her to tell His disciples these things. So, shortly after Mary returned to the disciples—however long it took her to get back to where they were assembled—Jesus ascended to His Father's throne in heaven to be accepted as our Redeemer and High Priest.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Christ's Death, Resurrection, and Ascension
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John 20:17 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)
Early on this Sunday morning during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Jesus would not let Mary Magdalene cling to Him, explaining that He had not yet ascended to His Father (John 20:17, 19). But later that same day, He voiced no such prohibition, allowing His disciples to handle Him (Matthew 28:9). This clearly shows that Christ ascended to heaven and was accepted by His Father as the spiritual "first of the firstfruits" on the same day the Levitical priests were commanded to offer the first of the firstfruits to be accepted by God! Jesus Christ therefore fulfilled the symbolism of the first of the firstfruits on the morrow after the weekly Sabbath—not an annual Sabbath. If it had been the first annual Sabbath that was intended by the words "the Sabbath" in Leviticus 23:11, then the sheaf or omer would have been waved on Friday in AD 31. But on Friday, the Messiah was dead, buried in a sealed tomb. So the explanation in Rabbinic Judaism of Leviticus 23:11 is incorrect. Christ's resurrection or harvest was necessary before any of the remaining spiritual harvests could be reaped (see Leviticus 23:14 for this truth in symbol).
Pentecost: Only 'Firstfruits' Now Called!
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Acts 1:6 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)
The scene is the ascension of Jesus Christ, after forty days of being with the disciples (verse 3). The day of Pentecost is just about to occur (Acts 2). It is interesting to note, in this profoundly significant time in the lives of the apostles, what was on their mind. Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." They were seeking to know about the Kingdom of God and seeing it established immediately! We should not be unfamiliar with that kind of an attitude. If we are at all like them, we, too, would like to see God's Kingdom established right now.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Trumpets Is a Day of Hope
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Ephesians 4:10-13 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)
When He ascended, He was resurrected as very God. He was an immortal spirit being once again! These verses show the goal, the focus, the very reason the church exists—why we have been impregnated by the Spirit of God: "till we come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God." Paul is describing something that will not occur while we are still physical beings, yet he is pointing to the great goal that lies beyond the resurrection of the dead! Our hope and goal is found in verse 13. What we have to do is begin to expand on what Jesus Christ is now—that is what the apostle Paul is pointing to. Our standard is not Jesus merely as a man before He was crucified and resurrected, but the great goal is Jesus Christ as He is now—ascended and at God's right hand! We are still mortal and physical, but we are in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), not just in form and shape. The image of God that He is concerned about is the fact that we have the power of mind. Because of this and with the help of the gifts of God, we can come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
John W. Ritenbaugh
We Shall Be God! (Part 1)
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