- If Jesus accomplishes everything necessary for our salvation in his death and resurrection, why doesn't he just stick around? Why does he go away?
- The disciples in the early chapters of Acts preach publicly about the ascension--not as something to be explained away, but as the ultimate proof of Jesus' claims to be the Messiah. It is a primary argument in the apologetics of the early church. Why is this so?
- First, the ascension exactly meets the prophesied role of the Messiah as a divine king given a heavenly enthronement (Dan. 7:13-14). In other words, Jesus could not possibly have been the royal Messiah unless he had ascended.
- Second, the ascension exactly meets the necessary requirements for the Messiah's priestly role: someone who can offer the blood of the atoning sacrifice in the very presence of God in his heavenly tabernacle (see Heb. 8-10). In other words, Jesus could not possibly have been the priestly Messiah unless he had ascended.
(For more on this particular argument, see my article published last year by Christianity Today: Why the Ascension is Essential)