A Serious Question: Literal Ascension

Actually, very little of the Bible can be taken literally.

Why would His own Mother not recoqnise him in the garden after his death?

Asention to me is a movement into a higher understanding of spirituality. If you read Hebrews 12 you will see what the cloud refers to. They refer to a cloud of witnesses...

Originally posted by knersis21
Actually, very little of the Bible can be taken literally.

Why would His own Mother not recoqnise him in the garden after his death?

Asention to me is a movement into a higher understanding of spirituality. If you read Hebrews 12 you will see what the cloud refers to. They refer to a cloud of witnesses...

k21: Why would His own Mother not recoqnise[sic] him in the garden after his death?

Er ... because she wasn't His Mother?

Originally posted by lucifershammer
1. Jesus goes up.
2. Cloud hides him from apostles.
3. (He somehow makes it to Heaven).

uh-huh.

Do you accept the story as literal?

Originally posted by David C
uh-huh.

Do you accept the story as literal?

Yes.

Originally posted by lucifershammer
Yes.

You must get a lot out of the paintings of El Greco.

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
You must get a lot out of the paintings of El Greco.

I'm not too much into Renaissance Art - my favourite art work comes from the Impressionists.

Originally posted by lucifershammer
I'm not too much into Renaissance Art - my favourite art work comes from the Impressionists.

You like Edward Hopper too?

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
You like Edward Hopper too?

Haven't seen much of his work.

I think Nemesio has a very good point but has slightly misinterpreted himself. 'Up' is undefined in exactly the way he says, which is why Jesus went 'up' while normal ascensions (ICBMs fired at godless Commies, airplanes fired at infidels, etc.) simply move radially.

4DJ.

Does the Bible give us any indication that Jesus actually stopped travelling along his trajectory of ascension? It seems to indicate that man only lost sight of him, not that he actually stopped rising. Is it possible that he continues to ascend to this very day? Might his planned return to earth be nothing more than the result of a grand ballistic calculation? Or if he actually set out to physically rise to heaven, might heaven be so far that he hasn't arrived there yet?

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
Does the Bible give us any indication that Jesus actually stopped travelling along his trajectory of ascension? It seems to indicate that man only lost sight of him, not that he actually stopped rising. Is it possible that he continues to ascend to this very day? Might his planned return to earth be nothing more than the result of a grand ballisti ...[text shortened]... set out to physically rise to heaven, might heaven be so far that he hasn't arrived there yet?

Anything's possible.

Originally posted by lucifershammer
Anything's possible.

It's possible that the Bible both does and doesn't give us indication that Jesus stopped rising?

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
It's possible that the Bible both does and doesn't give us indication that Jesus stopped rising?

DS: Is it possible that he continues to ascend to this very day?

LH: Anything's possible.

Originally posted by DoctorScribbles
Does the Bible give us any indication that Jesus actually stopped travelling along his trajectory of ascension? It seems to indicate that man only lost sight of him, not that he actually stopped rising. Is it possible that he continues to ascend to this very day? Might his planned return to earth be nothing more than the result of a grand ballisti ...[text shortened]... set out to physically rise to heaven, might heaven be so far that he hasn't arrived there yet?

Okay, more seriously:

DS: Does the Bible give us any indication that Jesus actually stopped travelling along his trajectory of ascension?

I would say - yes. In the next verse, the angel says that "[Jesus] has been taken... into heaven". So, some time between the obscuring of Jesus by the clouds and this statement by the angel, Jesus went to heaven. He might still be "ascending" there - but I think that's unlikely.