Acts is written by Luke who was a physician. Trust him, he's a doctor :0) 1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 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 and spoke about the kingdom of God. So Jesus didn't just appear in a dream or a vision. He was with them on multiple occasions for significant time periods. He appeared before up to 500 people. All this after He was crucified, died, and rose from the dead. Some claimed He never really died or that they stole His body. If they could have produced His body, they could have stopped Christianity before it started. The truth is that the resurrection of Jesus the Christ was a historical event. How will you deal with that? If you're interested in more information about why the resurrection is true, Lee Strobel has written some excellent and easy to read books - "The Case for Christ" and I think "The Case for Easter (or the Resurrection).
4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them,
(eating with them showed it was a physical bodily resurrection, not just a spirit!) he gave them this command:
"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with
[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with
[b] the Holy Spirit."
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Have you received the power of the Holy Spirit? Ask for it in the name of Jesus. The Spirit of the Creator of the universe will live inside you. 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
Is He coming soon? We're supposed to be ready all the time - whether we meet Him after death or He comes back to make everything right.
