[YTM] 27.0 Pre-Ascension Appearance of Yeshua the Messiah

In the final hours before His crucifixion, Yeshua prepared His disciples for His departure. During the Last Supper, He spoke openly of returning to the Father, leaving the disciples troubled and confused (Matthew 26:29–32; Mark 14:25–28; John 13:33). Yet His words were fulfilled after His resurrection, when He began appearing to His followers, demonstrating that He was truly alive (Acts 1:3). He first revealed Himself to the women near the tomb (Matthew 28:9–10; John 20:14–18), then to His disciples in multiple encounters (Matthew 28:16–20; Mark 16:14–18; Luke 24:36–43; John 20:19–31; 21:1–25), and finally to more than five hundred others at once (1 Corinthians 15:6). These appearances confirmed the reality of His resurrection and prepared His followers for the mission ahead. During the forty days between His resurrection and ascension, Yeshua continued teaching them about the Kingdom of God, deepening their understanding of His mission and its spiritual nature (Acts 1:3).

After these forty days, Yeshua led His disciples to the Mount of Olives, a short distance from Jerusalem (Acts 1:12). There He reminded them of the Father’s promise that the Holy Spirit would soon come upon them. He commanded them to remain in Jerusalem until this promise was fulfilled, for the Spirit would empower them to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. As He blessed them, Yeshua began to ascend into heaven. The accounts in Mark 16:15–19, Luke 24:50–51, and Acts 1:9–11 describe this moment as a visible, physical rising. The disciples watched as He gradually lifted from the earth, disappearing into a cloud while they stood in awe. Two angels then appeared and assured them that the Messiah would one day return in the same manner they had witnessed Him depart (Acts 1:11).

This raises an important question: Why did Yeshua need to ascend so soon after His resurrection? Why not remain on earth among His followers for generations? Scripture shows that the Ascension is inseparably linked to the Paschal Mystery—His death, resurrection, ascension, and the sending of the Holy Spirit. These events form one unified act of redemption, essential for the salvation of humanity and the establishment of the Church (1 Timothy 3:16). During the Last Supper, Yeshua lovingly explained that His return to the Father was necessary so that the Spirit could come (John 13–17). Without His ascension, the Spirit’s transforming presence would not be given in the same way.

Even after the resurrection, the disciples still expected a political restoration of Israel. They asked if this would be the moment when Israel’s kingdom would be restored. Yeshua redirected their expectations, saying that the timing belonged to the Father alone. Instead, their task would soon begin: they would receive power from the Holy Spirit and become His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:7–8).

The ascension, described as Yeshua being “taken up” into heaven, signifies the Father’s exaltation of the Son. Having completed His earthly ministry, Yeshua was enthroned at the Father’s right hand, from where He intercedes for His people and directs the mission of His Church.