Christ had ascended to heaven in the form of humanity. The disciples had beheld the cloud receive Him. The same Jesus who had walked and talked and prayed with them; who had broken bread with them; who had been with them in their boats on the lake; and who had that very day toiled with them up the ascent of Olivet,--the same Jesus had now gone to share His Father's throne. And the angels had assured them that the very One whom they had seen go up into heaven, would come again even as He had ascended. He will come "with clouds; and every eye shall see Him." "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise." "The Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory." Rev. 1:7; 1 Thess. 4:16; Matt. 25:31. Thus will be fulfilled the Lord's own promise to His disciples: "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:3. Well might the disciples rejoice in the hope of their Lord's return.

Kristus var steget op til Himmelen i menneskeskikkelse. Disciplene havde set skyen tage imod ham. Den samme Jesus, som havde vandret og talt og bedt sammen med dem; som havde brudt brødet sammen med dem; som havde været hos dem i deres både på søen, og som endnu den samme dag havde arbejdet sig op til toppen af Oliebjerget denne samme Jesus var nu forsvundet for at dele tronen med sin Fader. Og englene havde forsikret dem, at han, som de havde set blive optaget til Himmelen, ville komme igen på samme måde, som han var steget op. "I skyerne kommer han, og alles øjne skal se ham." "Thi Herren selv skal stige ned fra Himmelen, og der skal lyde en befaling, en overengels røst og Guds basun. Og først skal de døde i Kristus opstå." Når Menneskesønnen kommer i sin herlighed, og alle englene med ham, da skal han sætte sig på sin herligheds trone." Åb. 1,7; 1Tess. 4,16; Matt. 25,31. Således skal Herrens eget løfte til disciplene opfyldes: "Og når jeg er gået bort og har gjort en plads rede for jer, kommer jeg igen og tager jer til mig, for at hvor jeg er, dér skal også I være" Joh. 14,3. Disciplene havde megen årsag til at glæde sig ved håbet om Herrens genkomst.