Life had been surreal for a small band of men who watched their beloved leader unjustly treated for three years, horribly mangled, and ultimately crucified, buried, and miraculously raised from the dead. Along the way, He gave them and the Jewish people every reason to believe that He was, without a doubt, their long-awaited Messiah. He had come to His own people, yet they did not receive Him (John 1:12). The disciples had, no doubt, gone from bouts of being in utter despair and depression to incredible heights of inexpressible elation and joy. They were probably emotionally spent.
The disciples were assembled with the Lord Jesus Christ near Jerusalem at the foot of the Mount of Olives. They had been listening, probably with rapt attention, to Jesus teach about the kingdom of God. They hoped that at last their King was going to bring in this long-awaited kingdom.
Their thoughts concerning the kingdom motivated them to ask again, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). The promise from God of a literal kingdom for Israel was at the heart of everything they hoped for. His teachings about this kingdom had led them to believe that it was to be a real kingdom, that it was coming to the earth, and that it was coming soon. The issue in their minds was simply when.
When the disciples asked Him about the coming kingdom, Jesus did not put doubts in their minds concerning the factof the kingdom to literally turn the entire world upside down, but He said that it was not for them to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority (Acts 17:7). He gave them the impression that timing was the issue. He told the disciples that they must wait. The King would send them the Holy Spirit soon, and they would be empowered to become witnesses for Him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). In fact, this small group of common men, armed with the gospel of God’s immeasurable grace, were going to turn the world upside down.
The twelve had seen the King show miraculous power over nature, angels, disease, demons, and death itself. Some of these events may have played over and over again in their minds as they walked with Him. They did not realize that He had saved one of His greatest performances for last. Suddenly, He was lifted into the air and up, up, and away into the clouds and out of sight. They saw this happen with their own eyes. This wasn’t a mirage. This wasn’t a spiritual, invisible ascension. It was real and very animated. Wow!
It didn’t stop there. A couple of angels put a final note on the miracle. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Jesus Christ will come again in the same way that He left. He is coming again. They did not misunderstand.
This was the last message that the disciples received. Someday, their King was coming back through the clouds. During this coming, His feet would once again stand on the Mount of Olives.
Zechariah predicted this exact coming. Speaking of Yahweh in the Old Testament, who is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament, Zechariah said, “And in that [future] day, His feet will stand [again] on the Mount of Olives” (Zechariah 14:4). Yahweh has feet! That is what the text says. His feet will once again stand where His last sandal prints on earth could be found, on the Mount of Olives. No truth could be clearer.
These Jewish men had every right to expect that the Christ would indeed establish His kingdom on the earth while He was with them. They had every right to question Him concerning the kingdom and ask they did. Undoubtedly, deep in the crevices of their minds and constantly ringing in their ears were many detailed promises.
They had recalled meeting with Him in an upper room and His making an amazing prediction. He told them that He was going away. They did not take that truth very well. He told them they were not to be troubled. They believed in God; they were to also believe in Him. He said that there were many places to live in His house and that He was going away to prepare a place for them. But He reassured them that He was coming again to receive them unto Himself, that they may be with Him (John 14:1–6).
He will make the nation of Israel, once dead, to live again (Romans 11:25–26; Ezekiel 37:4–12) (which He has). He will return to rescue and restore the nation of Israel in order to fulfill God’s unconditional covenant promise to Abraham (Zechariah 13:8–14:19; Romans 11:25–36; Revelation 19:11–20:3; Isaiah 61:2b–64:12). God will purge and purify the Jews from their rebellion against Him and prepare them to face their King (Zechariah 12:9; Malachi 2:3–4).
The King will also return to reclaim and renew the earth from the clutches of Satan (Rev. 5:8-14; Isaiah 11:3–9; Romans 8:19–22; Luke 4:6–7; 2 Corinthians 4:4; John 16:11, 12:31; Revelation 5:6–10). And the King will return to reign over a kingdom on a renewed earth for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4–6). The King is coming!