Jesus's final words before ascending, recorded in Acts 1:8, were a commission to his disciples: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth". This charge, given on the Mount of Olives, instructed them to spread his message globally, empowered by the Holy Spirit, before he was taken up into heaven.
Acts 1:8 states: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” These are the final recorded words of Jesus before He ascended into Heaven – the very last thing He said to His disciples.
Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit
And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
His last words on earth that were recorded for us in the Bible are in Matthew 28:19-20: “Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
Before Jesus returned to heaven, He prepared His disciples to carry on the mission of His kingdom. He met them where they were and prepared them for where they would go in His name. Jesus does the same for His children today.
Acts 1:3 tells us that one of the primary things that Jesus did with His disciples in those 40 days of being with them prior to His ascension was that “He presented himself to them” and showed them convincingly that He was very much alive.
God, by definition, transcends the rules of time and space, existing outside the framework of creation. This means He doesn't need a beginning because He exists in a reality beyond our own.
The last promise that Jesus gave to His Apostles before His ascension to heaven was the promise that the Holy Spirit would come upon them to empower them to take the gospel to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).
Matthew 21:22 means that genuine, unwavering faith is essential for answered prayer, but it's understood within the larger context of aligning your requests with God's will, not as a blank check for selfish desires; it's about trusting God's power and goodness, even when outcomes differ from expectations, often linked to the previous verse about the withered fig tree as a lesson in divine judgment and the power of belief.
While God did take Enoch and Elijah up to heaven prior to Jesus, John is not incorrect. Indeed, both Enoch and Elijah went immediately into God's presence in heaven (2 Cor.
Jesus is God's final word. Jesus is the Son of God who is the heir of all things, Creator of the universe, sustainer, the radiance of God's glory, and the exact representation of his being. This Jesus came into the world to save us from eternal condemnation. He died on the cross to purify us from our sins.
Understanding the text. Jesus was on the cross from the sixth hour until the ninth hour. In Jesus' day the first hour was 6am, so this means he was on the cross from 12 noon to 3pm. Matthew records that during this time “darkness came over all the land”.
The seven last words of Jesus from the cross, as recorded in the Gospels, are: (1) "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34); (2) "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43); (3) "Woman, behold your son! Behold your mother!" (John 19:26-27); (4) "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46 / Mark 15:34); (5) "I thirst" (John 19:28); (6) "It is finished" (John 19:30); and (7) "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46). These sayings cover themes of forgiveness, salvation, relationship, abandonment, distress, triumph, and trust.
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” These are the final words spoken by Jesus on the cross. The heartbreak of false accusations, betrayal, abandonment, and the crowds cheering for crucifixion have reached their cruel conclusion.
“It is finished.” – The Sixth Word (Triumph)
While he hung on the cross, Jesus, Word made flesh, had accomplished everything he needed to. Having taken the full weight of humanity's sins, he's given himself fully. He achieved the end for which he was sent.
Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. (Luke 23:46 ESV).
The holy things and the pearls represent the things of God, perhaps the gospel itself. The dogs and pigs represent hostile, unworthy people. And so the statement translates into something like this: Do not preach the things of God to hostile, unworthy people.
The Lord “will not blot out his name from the Book of Life” (Rev. 3:5). This verse does not mean those who have received Jesus as Savior can lose their salvation and have their names erased from the Book of Life, as some interpret the text. In fact, the opposite is true.
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. That's the temple—God himself and, of course, the Lamb, who is the risen Christ. There's no building there.
John saw the ascension twice. The first time he saw it looking up from the earth, and Jesus rose into the clouds, and his vision of the coronation was thus obscured. The second time he was taken up into the heavens, and he saw Jesus come up from the earth, and enthroned at the right hand of the Father.
The drink offered to our Lord was vinegar (made of light wine rendered acid, the common drink of Roman soldiers) "mingled with gall," or, according to ( Mark 15:23 ), "mingled with myrrh;" both expressions meaning the same thing, namely, that the vinegar was made bitter by the infusion of wormwood or some other bitter ...
God May Be Calling You to Intercession
Midnight to 3AM is the third watch. From 3AM to 6AM is the fourth. It was during this time that Jesus prayed and even walked on the water toward His disciples. Many believers sense that these hours carry heavy spiritual activity.
“We are each free to believe what we want and it's my view that the simplest explanation is there is no God.
Elon Musk's beliefs have evolved; while previously skeptical, he recently stated he believes "God is the Creator" and the universe came from "something," though he avoids strict religious labels, identifying more as a "cultural Christian" who values Christian principles for boosting happiness and birth rates, rather than subscribing to all traditional doctrines. He acknowledges a higher power but distinguishes this from a judging, moralistic deity, focusing on the creative origin of the cosmos.