THE VARIOUS ASCENSIONS OF SAINTS
IN THE BIBLE CANON
THE VARIOUS ASCENSIONS
OF SAINTS IN
THE BIBLE CANON
JAN LILLEBY
Throughout the Bible we find several incidents where God took certain believers/saints/prophets… up to heaven. Without them first having died, that is. But the most glorious one died first, and was raised from the dead thereafter. Namely Jesus Christ, the Son of God Almighty.
So, of course, the most glorious one of these ascensions was when God took His Son Jesus Christ up, as described in the Gospels and in Acts. See image.
I would like to start with this most glorious and divine intervention performed by God, the Father of Jesus Christ.
JESUS ASCENDING TO HEAVEN ACCORDING
TO THE GOSPEL HISTORY
Matthew:
No history telling of the risen Lord’s ascension.
John:
Same as with Matthew.
Mark:
Ch. 16:19 says, “So then the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and He sat down at the right hand of God.” (Psalm 110:1 has a prophecy by King David on this).
Luke:
Ch. 24:50-53 says,
“Then he conducted them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up His hands, He invoked a blessing on them. And it occurred that while He was blessing them, He parted from them and was taken up into heaven. And they, worshipping Him, went back to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple celebrating with praises and blessing and extolling God.”
Acts 1:9-11 says,
“And when He had said this, even as they were looking at Him, He was caught up, and a cloud received and carried Him away out of their sight. And while they were gazing intently into heaven as He went, behold two men (angels) in white robes suddenly stood beside them. Who said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into heaven? This same Jesus, Who was caught away and lifted up from among you into heaven, will return in the same way in which you saw Him go into heaven.” (Verse 12 tells that it happened at Mt. Olives, which is about 1, 2 kilometer from Jerusalem ‘Down Town’.)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Luke was the author of both Acts and the Gospel of Luke. Still, we find two geographic places mentioned for where Jesus was taken up into heaven – Mt. Olives and Bethany. The latter was sited about 3,3 kilometers east of the city, across Mt. Olives. See map: It can be fair to say that both places are correct…and we also find in Zec. 14:4 that Jesus shall ‘land’ on Mt. Olives, causing the place to split!
THE TWO SAINTS WHO WERE CAUGHT UP
WITHOUT FIRST DYING
These two were Enoch and Elijah.
Enoch is mentioned by Jude in short terms, and in Heb. 11.
Jude 1: 14, 15,
14 It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,
15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."
Thus Enoch was proven to have had a prophetic ministry for God.
Hebrews 11:5, 6, portrays Enoch as one who ‘walked with God’ in a pleasing manner, so God took him up into His heaven…rewarding his faithfulness,
«5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
There is no Biblical word or reasoning that can dismiss Enoch as a believer, who in his time was taken into heaven alive, and must therefore also still be alive up there.
Elijah was also one who escaped death (thus far – knowing he shall be killed in the Great Tribulation, as seen in Rev. 11:7, 8), a prophet who was carried up by the means of God’s ‘chariot of fire’ – perhaps the most dramatically described ascension narrative told in the Bible. Even Hollywood with all its fabulous stunts and technically advanced computerized action-scenarios, - cannot even come close to this striking scenario with Elijah flashing up in the sky carried by burning horses pulling God’s flaming ‘wagon’!
We clearly notice that both Enoch and Elijah were prophets of God, going up against ungodliness and idolatry in ancient times.
Here is what an AI-generated list says:
Elijah (2 Kings 2:11)
The Account: In 2 Kings 2:11, the prophet Elijah is taken up to heaven by a whirlwind, accompanied by a chariot of fire and horses of fire.
The Details: Elisha, his successor, witnessed this event. Elijah was transported bodily into heaven without dying. “
2 Kings 2:11, 12, says,
“11 As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.
12 Elisha saw it and cried out, "My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" And he saw Elijah no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.”
There has been, and still is, some disputes among scholars whether Elijah is alive today. But any such dispute dies right away, when we read the report of Matthew 17 – and the vision on Mt. Tabor. For it explicitly says Elijah was alive in verses 1-13, - which happened shortly before Passover in 28 CE, when Jesus went to His crucifixion.
“1 Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves.
2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.
3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.
“4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!"
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified.
7 And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, "Get up, and do not be afraid."
8 And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.
9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead."
10 And His disciples asked Him, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
11 And He answered and said, "Elijah is coming and will restore all things;
12 but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands."
13 Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.”
I have emphasized verse 3: it is no doubt that both Moses AND Elijah actually spoke with Jesus, as men-to-a-man. They were actually PHYSICALLY present on that mount meeting with Jesus, shortly before He would go to Jerusalem and get crucified. Peter’s reaction confirms the fact that the two prophets were physically present, and real…since he suggested that he should build three tabernacles, one for each of them. Peter experienced the two as real live men, and not as ‘holograms’ and pure visionary sight.
We also notice from the text that the real Elijah (not John the Baptist – he was beheaded back in Mat. 14) shall come for to restore ALL THINGS (pertaining to Israel and the future establishing of its Kingdom) – meaning that His mention of the Baptist was only regarding his ministry to go ahead of Jesus, introducing Him to the Jews by water baptism. He was ‘one like Elijah’ – and not The prophet Elijah himself. If John was executed by Herod Antipas in Mat. 14, several months before Jesus said that …Elijah shall come for to restore All things…then we know He was speaking of the real Elijah and not the Baptist. This timespan between Mat. 14 and Mat. 17, is supported among scholars, generally speaking.
So, once more: yes, Elijah is alive and well, and shall come down to Israel before and during the Great Tribulation – and again be partnered with Moses, Rev. 11. They are the ones called ‘the two witnesses’, v. 3-4.
Luke also has a word on the meeting at Mt. Tabor.
Ch. 9:30-31, says,
“30 And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah,
31 who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.”
They had an important errand: to inform Jesus of His forthcoming death at Jerusalem!
Personally I believe that they came to bring comfort and assurance to the Lord, that in spite of the suffering, He would be cared for by His Father, and raised from the dead.
We must remember that Jesus was a genuine ‘regular’ human being, however without sin and blemish – like a sacrificial Lamb. Jesus had thoughts, emotions, - He could laugh and He could moan and cry…He was a fully normal man in those regards. He could get real angry, as when He made a whip and chased the money-changers and sellers out of the temple! Jesus had to sleep at night, and He ate breakfast, He washed up, He combed His hair, or even cut it if it took too much length…and so on and so forth. He could get tired from work, and He even went aside from His disciples at certain days, to be in peace and quiet… to be able to fully rest up for a coming day of work.
Moses, he too had to die before he was resurrected.
Moses himself prophesied of Jesus, as …a prophet like me, and if one did not take heed to his words, God would remove such unbelievers, destroying them (Deut. 18:18-19).
From Peter’s second speech, a few months after Acts 2, is mentioning this – pointing to Jesus,
Acts 3:22, 23,
“22 "Moses said, 'THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you.
23 'And it will be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.”
This was literally so: Moses’ words ‘a prophet like me’ – mirrored also a MAN WHO WOULD DIE, BUT THEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD. Jesus was that prophet, Who first died (like Moses) and thereafter raised from the dead, like Moses was. Angels were active regarding Moses being raised, and angels were seen regarding the resurrection of Jesus! Likeness to Moses and vice-versa.
And which in Deut. 34 shows Moses as he died, Jude 1:9 shows how he was raised from the dead, by assistance from the archangel Michael,
“But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
It ‘lies in the cards’ that Moses was resurrected from the dead! Proof: his appearance together with Elijah at Mt. Tabor, speaking with Jesus, as I told above.
THE FALSE CATHOLIC DOCTRINE OF
MARY ASSUMED BODY AND SOUL
INTO HEAVEN
The Catholic Church managed to create a doctrine, based on pure human imagination, regarding Mary.
But there exists no Biblical document or testimony saying that Mary went to heaven, body and soul.
Here are some key points regarding the false doctrine created by the Catholic Church:
“The Catholic Church teaches that Mary was assumed (taken) body and soul into heaven at the end of her life, not that she ascended by her own power like Jesus. This dogma, defined by Pope Pius XII in 1950, is known as the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on August 15.
Key Aspects of the Teaching:
Assumed vs. Ascended: Mary was "taken up" (assumed) by God, whereas Jesus ascended into heaven by his own power.
Body and Soul: The Church teaches that Mary's body did not suffer decay but was united with her soul in heaven.
Dogma: Defined in the 1950 Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus, this is a central, infallible belief.
Death: The Church does not definitively define whether Mary died before being assumed or was assumed before death, though the tradition (Ordinary Magisterium) generally teaches that she did die.
This belief is grounded in Sacred Tradition rather than direct scriptural testimony”.
PAUL’S WORDS ON HAVING BEEN CAUGHT
UP INTO HEAVEN AS IN A VISION
In 2 Corinthians 12:1-4, Paul describes being "caught up" to the "third heaven" or Paradise, where he heard inexpressible things, likely occurring about 14 years prior. He highlights that he did not know if this vision was in the body or out of the body, boasting of this experience only through his infirmities.
Key Details of Paul's Vision:
The Experience: Paul speaks of "visions and revelations from the Lord".
The Location: He was caught up to the "third heaven," which he also describes as "Paradise".
His Physical State: Paul emphasizes, "Whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows".
The Revelation: He heard "inexpressible words," which were not permitted for a person to speak, or that no man can utter.
Reason for Sharing: He mentioned this experience to validate his apostolic work, but he did not want to be praised for it.
The "Thorn": To prevent him from being conceited due to the "greatness of the revelations," Paul states he was given a "thorn in the flesh". He also calls that ‘torn’ for a messenger of Satan beating him, causing pain, 2 Cor. 12:7. This can thus be called for a fallen angel of Satan. He is not named anywhere in the Bible.
The one fact we can draw from this is that Paul was not taken up into heaven in the capacity of ‘Final Salvation’ – for to stay there!
Paul will have to wait (as he now rests in the sleep of death) for the Day of Redemption, which is the day the church enters heaven physically for to stay.
Paul’s visions of heavenly abodes were for his edification, to support and inform the apostle in his ministry. It was not an act of salvation as such.
FINALLY WE HAVE ONE FUTURE
EVENT IN WHICH SAINTS
WILL BE BOTH RAISED FROM THE DEAD
AND THEREAFTER TAKEN INTO HEAVEN
This group of believers/saints will be us, the believers in Christ according to the Grace-Gospel of Paul for us Gentiles, Eph. 3:1-3.
The day that this will occur is called by the apostle for ‘The Day of Redemption’, Eph. 4:30.
All Christian believers in this dispensation of the Church, the ‘one new man’ – are saved. Those who die as believers before that conclusive ‘day of redemption’ shall be raised up to life in the epiouranios heaven, Greek for heaven-up-above-heavens. We shall not be raised up from graves on earth, but we shall be experiencing that resurrection in heaven.
There is no sure word from Paul whether this gigantic move of God will be witnessed by the world or not. But nevertheless it will be most certainly noticed: Where have all the millions and millions Christian believers gone? For such a move of God will undoubtedly be noted as so many people are disappearing in the same day! Houses and jobs left empty? Millions of people not showing up at job? Cars parked on parking lots and along the streets just left there, and nobody comes to pick up the car they parked? Banks will experience that millions of customers suddenly no longer pay their monthly dues? How about the insanely overloads of patients of doctors who no longer meets up to carry on their treatments and medications? How can the authorities come up with an attestation on whether a missing person is alive or has died? How can estate brokers be sure to sell all those vacant houses and apartments – unless the police come up with a closure on the owner’s status, dead or alive? In one word, this can be called chaos. The worst chaos ever seen on earth.
However, I disagree with those who think that God for instance, will take a Christian air pilot out of the plane…leaving it to crash and killing the passengers onboard. Or the same with a cab driver, or a train driver, or whoever that would be in charge for his passenger’s wellbeing. God has myriads of angelic servants, and it would be a small matter to Him to have them assist in such situations, and so avoid any kind of accidents and chaotic deaths of innocents. An angel will know how to fly the plane and landing it safely. Same as with all other means of transport incidents. God will not let millions innocent ignorant people die because of us Christians being taken up to heaven. I am sure of it. Just to have cleared this sort of speculation.
And those who are alive at that ‘day of redemption’ shall be super-naturally transferred right into heaven by God and the Holy Spirit. We have gotten the Holy Spirit as a SEAL FOR THE DAY OF REDEMPTION. This glorious event must not be confused with the so-called ‘rapture into clouds’ found in 1 Thes. 4:13-17, I shall come to that below.
Paul’s description of the church going to heaven is found in Col. 3:1-4,
“1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”
This glory with Christ, as the day of redemption arrives is a glory up in heaven where He is receiving us. It is not Jesus coming down to us, but us coming up to Him.
As the two witnesses in Rev. 11 are raised after laying three days dead on a street in Jerusalem, they are told by a voice saying: …come up here.. and not, “I shall come down to you and take you up here with Me”. Rev. 11:11, 12,
“11 But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them.
12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them.”
The church, us – the ‘one new man’ are not awaiting the Second Advent, for only Israel (in the future) shall experience this coming of the Lord. He shall be King in Jerusalem, as prophesied in the Old Testament, and also according to Gabriel’s greeting to Mary in Luke 1:31-33. But the church will not have any connection to the Second Advent, and that is why Paul did not mention this Advent in his two church epistles. We have a calling for the heavenly spheres, the epiouranios heaven. Thus Paul describes us as such believers who are already placed in heaven, check out Eph. 1 and 2, and Col. 1-3. An example may be: Eph. 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”.
This is the glorious heavenly hope in Christ given His body of believers, the ‘one new man’ in Eph. 2:15.
Another group of believers was described as such ones who will be raptured up in clouds, according to 1 Thes. 4, - but it was the Acts-body of Jewish believers and their proselytes.
This is now obsolete – and will not ever occur! I just mention these souls for the record.
From the moment that God established the present dispensation, with the Grace-Salvation (see Eph. 3:1-3), they are included with us regarding the heavenly hope. The hope of a rapture was cancelled due to Israel’s fall and destruction/scattering. This rapture was only pertaining to the coming of Christ from heaven, the Parousia – in Greek, which is His physical arrival and staying on earth. He would then rapture the saints in Israel and elsewhere gathering them there. This rapture was not for being taken up to heaven, but for being landed in the Kingdom of God on earth, namely Israel!
This hope of ‘salvation’ was only for the earthly Kingdom-believers, a regime which Jesus should establish at His Second Advent. God charged Israel however, to first repent as a nation, before He could send Christ down.
They could not and would not meet these terms for salvation, and was divorced from God as a nation, as Paul confronted the Sanhedrin counsel at Rome in 60 CE, Acts 28. Verse 28 declares that God from now on has turned to the Gentiles (ethnos, the nations) – and no longer addresses the nation of Israel. They lost their elevated position with God, since they would not receive Christ!
The whole teaching of the rapture was only for the Acts-body, and never has had anything to do with the church, the ‘one new man’.
This kind of Kingdom-hope and salvation and even resurrection (as in 1 Thes. 4) has thus been cancelled entirely, and it will not ever happen like Paul then described to the Messianic saints. This was valid only in the time of Acts, as the apostles preached the Kingdom-Gospel to the nation.
But God will turn to the Jews again, as He sends the Great Tribulation upon them, prophesied by Jesus in Mat. 24:21, 22 – a time of 7 years to purge and cleanse Israel from all disbelief and iniquity so they will receive Jesus as He comes from heaven to establish His Kingdom.
Summing it all up, we have totally four people who have been taken to heaven in Biblical times, Enoch, Moses, Elijah, and Jesus.
The next to enter heaven will of course be us, the Body of Christ, called ‘one new man’ by Paul. We are found as believers from all over the world, internationally, and this great glorious salvation is a gift of God, by faith, and without any works…
Eph. 2:8, 9,
“8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
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