⁹And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. ¹⁰And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. ¹¹They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

This last appearance would be branded in the memories of the apostles. Luke carefully details the event. Jesus had physically died; His earthly mission was done. In His resurrected body, He had no further work to do. His final teaching and instructions were complete. He had prepared His disciples over three-plus years for what was now to become their mission: to extend the message of their master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The ascension of Christ marks a major shift in how God was going to operate in the world. In the OT, He worked through His chosen people, the descendants of Abraham. Then for a brief period He worked through His Son, Jesus, who came with a dual purpose: to offer the kingdom of God (which was rejected) and to die for the world as redeemer. Now God was about to carry on the mission of reaching the world through the followers of Jesus.

Contrary to skeptics who say the ascension was just a vision and not a physical event, the NT writers treat it as factual (John 20:17, 1 Tim. 3:16, Eph. 4:8–10; Heb. 4:14; 7:26; 8:1; 9:24; 1 Peter 3:22). Before eyewitnesses, Jesus rose up into the clouds, and then He was gone. Not much detail is given about what happened to Jesus next. The focus turns to the disciples.

Like the “two men in dazzling clothing” explained the resurrection (Luke 24:4), here “two men in white” address the astounded disciples at the ascension. We take these to be angels. Their comment follows the admonishment of Jesus, diverting their interest in the timing of the kingdom to the task ahead: Why stand around in wonderment? He is coming back as He said He would. As for you, get moving! That seems the sense of this interaction.

Christ is returning—that is all they or we need to know. True, He will be with them spiritually—”I am with you always, even to the ends of the age” (Matt. 28:20). But He would not be with them in the physical sense until His return. Of course, there would be isolated appearances, as when confronting Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), but those would be more in tune with His pre-incarnate appearances in the OT, like in the burning bush of Moses’ experience (Ex. 3). The simple fact is this: He will return just as He left. In the meanwhile, we need to be about the business He left us here to do.

Lord, help me focus on spreading the gospel message until You return.