What about Acts 1:11?

This passage is one which is frequently cited to “prove” Christ’s coming could not have yet taken place, so it is important for us to consider what it has to say:

  “And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them; and they 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.'”

It is argued they saw Jesus go physically into heaven and therefore He will come physically from heaven. Is that what the passage says. Let’s back up to verse 10 and take a look at what they did see:

  “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”

Very plainly, the text says they saw “. . . a cloud receive receive Him . . . .” They didn’t actually see Him go into heaven but the two men in white clothing told them what they witnessed. The cloud was the means by which Jesus went into heaven.

Consistent with Christ’s  teaching, the two men said He would come in the same way “on a cloud.” This is prophetic language which they knew well. We’ll not get into it here, but if you will do a study of the cloud comings of God in the Old Testament, you will have a good picture of what Christ’s coming on the clouds in judgment was all about.

If you still insist that Christ’s coming is physical consider 1 John 3:2:

  “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.”

What does this have to say on the subject at hand? Plenty! Remember, John was present at Christ’s ascension. He knew exactly what He looked like and how He went to heaven. Yet, here he says he doesn’t know what Christ will look like when He appears! If he had understood the two men in white clothing to mean that Christ was going to return in the same bodily form in which He left it would be easy for him to describe how the soon coming Christ would appear.

John’s testimony is clear support for an appearing other than a physical bodily presence of Christ. Why then do we insist on that very thing? When we realize that insisting on a physical, bodily return of Christ, actually nullifies much of scripture, why not rather agree with scripture and proclaim the good news that Christ really did come in the first century generation, just as he promised?

© Copyright 2004 – 2020 ~Jim Wade