Jesus spent forty days with the disciples and what did he do during this time but to do and teach until the day he was taken up into heaven. Jesus spent over a month with his disciples after his death. Most never talking about it but for a brief moment of facts retain for the purpose to know He lived beyond the resurrection. How come Rome did not look into these things during these forty days, and that is perhaps a good question considering, they believed his body to be stolen from the grave. Then when we think of our own world what government would believe a story of resurrection and life for forty days on earth only to depart into heaven afterwards right in plain sight of the disciples. Maybe the fact that Jesus was with the disciple and tangible in the since of being able to physical embrace him only convinced the faithful to be more obedient to God and to Christ his Son. Yet it would of done something else it would of spurred the disciples to lead on the troops of faith. After all Peter found fishing in a boat with the other disciples not out preaching. How many of us have to be in a place of jumping ship, in regards to following the voice of Jesus after the crucifixion and the resurrection, yet be idle until the voice of Jesus is heard.

I can only imagine the days of disciples longing to be crucified in regards of being marked by the battle of faith in such away that seems only a true mark of Martyrism of faith. Going beyond the call of duty, not living the duty of a person of faith to be willing to die for one's convictions. To go through the pain to rise again. The plight of to be valient or warrior in faith to endure the suffering to be an overcomer, yet all died in faith without the promise. Not raise to life to go up into heaven in physical for others to believe(Hebrews 11). Yet there are stories of Mary the mother of Jesus own ascension into heaven in some of the old Catholic church history being visible to the disciples of Jesus. Did others miss the mark, is this story even true in physical form? The question unanswer is not a question to be blinded by, but a question to say there things unheard of in some places of Christianity that hard to believe or is believable depending on if you believe that God can do all things.

Do we take something on faith, or do we loose the mark of the ascension after our death. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.(Romans 8 is where you will find the verse). Yet what about bodily resurrection before the time of Christ that did not see death. Enoch did not see death or Elisha but taken up to heaven, but most people seen death even in the Old Testament. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego seen the fiery furance, and Daniel the lions den. All having their own spiritual battle of potential martyrism, but living instead of dying for faith, while others are crucified, stoned like Steven, behead like James and John and so forth. Why did those that faced death didn't leave the same hope as Christ through resurrection, because the resurrection to come is not for the living but the dead. Those dead in without faith.

Our bodies only like hermit shell, Our spirit like a crab waiting for the incorruptible shell, and yet we will be known as we are known. All hanging on to the hope of resurrection. All holding to the hope of eternal life through potential martyrism, and yet not realizing the hope is for all whether we bear a physical cross in regards to suffering, or whether we live peacefully in our world with out turmoil beyond the normal turmoil of life. Whether we suffer in will doing, or suffer by the law, or suffer by famine, wars, storms, and so forth, we must continue our path with God(Holy Spirit). Who is God? God is Spirit. The Spirit of God hovered over the earth in Genesis 1:2. Who does Jesus give us back to but God the Father, the Creator of all things. We Know God had a fleshly appearance in Genesis as well for God walked in the garden of Eden looking for Adam and Eve the day they sinned.

We stop and then redefine Father, Son and Holy Spirit as Father, Son and Father of all things(Spirit). The Holy Spirit having all power, just like God the Father/Lord God/Jehovah had the power to kick and to restore people into the land of paradise. This is where faith must be applied to either believe the story about God or not too. Faith becoming child like, in order to enter heaven. If we use the adult mind, most might try and throw God out of our imagination of being unreal like Santa Clause, yet there is a problem, Santa was a man name ST. Nick that helped boys and girls in orphanage, that the tradition continued for even the upper elite group of people. God miracles still continue today, without help of humanity, or help of angels unaware. Miracles still come with the touch of our Savior by His Spirit. Miracles also come by angels unaware and aware in situation needing the human contact to make the story believable. God wants us to stretch our faith, but some people need believable evidence, and with others God(Father, Son and Holy Spirit only needs to be acknowledged to receive it. Jesus is the man in John 3 that was lifted up for all to see, and yet he is also part of the God heaven, before and after the birth to ascension.

Why did God do the impossible through his Son, perhaps to give us hope and not a spirit of fear, but one of hope that even in our failings God still loves and has the power to forgive, even when our hearts are harden to the truth of his possibility. Faith in God can not survive in one regard, if we do not believe in God or his ability. Meaning the woman with issue of blood had faith in God and was already righteous but had to look to the serpent on the pole in the wilderness to be healed.(John 3:14)Jesus had to be lifted up to be glorified. Woman walking away from her healing could of denied touching his hem, but once spoken about she had to come forward as a child, thinking she had sin, but finding Jesus lifting up her faith and her righteousness, and the fact she was healed because she had looked to him as the people were healed that looked to the serpent on the pole in the wilderness as God instructed them to do.

For forty days Jesus taught his disciples, and expounded on scripture much like he did Peter and Mary's husband Cleopas in the story about journey to Emmaus. Maybe Jesus explained more to his disciples why he had returned to give hope and also full reality he was alive. Then we have in Acts 1 Christ ascension, and promise of the Holy Spirit would come baptize them with fire. They would receive power from on high. God had gone no where, God's Spirit never left Jesus, the earth and so forth. However he had not anointed, or baptized the disciples yet to have the empowerment for service for ministry. This is a special anointing from on high and not from man, but God alone.

Jesus physically had to leave for the Holy Spirit to empower his men, for who need the disciples but only Jesus. Yet they had served, healed, and minister as disciples or students of Christ's ministry, now they were giving graduation papers so to speak, of not being Christ, but the empowerment or spiritual license to do those things called by God to do and the ability to do them.

Disciples have that wow moment as they sit staring into the sky where Jesus had departed, and how long had they stood there no one knows, but two men/angels had to tell them to go to Jerusalem as Jesus had already instructed and wait for the Empowerment of the Holy Spirit. That same power that enable men to build the ark, the tabernacle,the temple and so forth. That same Spirit would empower the disciples to build the church with His instruction.

Dear Heavenly Father, empower your children to serve you, enabling them to know the need and function of your Spirit in ministry, to know why it is a gift and tools for your service. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Hebrews 11:33-40 KJV
33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.