Just A Thought

Not to worry… this is not an alarm that the sky is falling, nor is it a warning that the ozone is deteriorating. The hole I refer to is a much more significant and encouraging hole than any hole in the atmosphere could ever be; it is a hole made by the Creator Himself.

Each Easter believers celebrate the fact that Jesus overcame sin, death and the grave when he punched a hole in the ground. First century eyewitnesses told of an earthquake and an angel who moved the stone that covered the tomb where Jesus had been buried. The tomb was revealed to be empty, ergo, there was now just a hole in the ground. That hole testifies that Jesus was who He said He was, and that He now has authority over death and hell.

Forty days after His resurrection Jesus punched another hole – this time it was a hole in the sky. In a dramatic demonstration of His authority over the laws of nature, the risen Savior physically rose through the clouds and into the heavens, with the promise to return in like manner. This is referred to as His ascension, and it stands as evidence that there is life after death. Jesus left the Mount of Olives and entered into an eternal dimension beyond our temporal world. (see Acts 1:9-11)

Jesus, as God in flesh, became our role model. He showed us how to live, die and enter eternal life. He was the first fruits of them that slept. (see I Corinthians 15:20) He then led the way to Heaven. He is The Way. The portal He made from earth to heaven is better than a gateway into time travel, space travel, or some other life-form here on earth. This hole that Jesus made insured that not even the sky is the limit for true believers. When He ascended (with the promise to return) He proved that heaven was more than a theory.

A few weeks before His crucifixion when Jesus predicted His death He also predicted His return to earth. He said, “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24:37-42 NLT)

Jesus did not foretell His return as a scare tactic for unbelievers. He meant it as a great source of hope and strength to those who believe in a whole new dimension that lies beyond our small world. No other religious leader has ever risen from the dead. No other religious leader has risen into the sky before the eyes of 500 witnesses. Jesus was, in fact, much more than a religious leader. He was the Creator, robed in flesh. He lived among us. Then He punched one hole in the ground and another in the sky! Now He bids us to follow.

That hole in the sky is supposed to give courage to His followers. St. Paul admonished first century Christians like this: “We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.” (I Thessalonians 4:15-18 NLT)

May I en-courage you: There’s a hole in the sky! It is the portal through which believers will one day travel, as they follow Jesus to the place He has prepared for those who love Him. Can’t wait!

# posted by John W. Hanson @ Friday, May 11, 2007