We are not told too much specifically why Jesus would not let anyone touch Him in the morning of His resurrection, but allowed them to do so in the evening.
But those with experience in loving and worshipping Jesus have explained to me that it was because Jesus wanted the FIRST enjoyment and appreciation of His resurrection to be God the Father's in heaven.
Always the Father and His will came before every kind of other affection and human involvement. The Father was first in all of His love.
it could be that He ascended for the Father to be the first enjoyer of His freshly resurrected being.
"Jesus said to her, Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father ... (John 20:17a)
Traditional Christianity only knows that Christ ascended publicly many days latter, as Luke records. There is no contradiction.
This ascension must have been a private ascension rather than a public and visible one.
You know He will return in the same manner - first secretly, quietly and privately to rapture some lovers who are truly watching and ready.
Then three and one half years latter He will come publicly on the visible clouds of glory, at the close of the great tribulation time to rapture the REST of the saints who had not been ready.
These are the ones who pass through the time of the great tribulation.
Christ ascended quietly and privately first - John 20:17.
Christ then ascended publicly some days after this - Luke 24:51, Acts 1:9-11.
Correspondingly in His second coming Christ will first come for a remnant of watching and ready ones like a thief in the night - stealing the precious saints who are living moment by moment as if ready to meet Him - Matthew 24:40-44, Rev. 3:10 .
Then as most of the church passes through the great tribulation, He will come at its conclusion, publicly, dramatically, visibly over the Holy Land, and rapture the remaining Christians to the air First Thessalonians 4:16,17; Rev. 14:14-16
Some of you should obtain a Recovery Version New Testament with footnotes. I've known some people to get a RcV and remain up through the entire night studying the notes to all kinds of difficult passages and issues.
www.recoveryversion.org
A little diversion into John 20..
All three of the three-one God are alive at the same time.
The Father HAS sent the Son so the Father is.
" ... as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." (20:21b)
The Son is obviously on the scene and speaking.
"Then Jesus said to them again, Peace be to you; as the Father has sent ME, ... I also send you." (20:21)
The Holy Spirit is alive at the same time and proceeds from the Son.
"And when He had said this, He breathed into them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit." (v.22)
The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit exist and live concurrently.
Of course we already saw that the Son ascends to the Father. So they TWO exist and live concurrently.
"Jesus said to her, ... I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God. (see v.17)
The Trinity is therefore a matter of God going through a process in which the riches of His divine life are first possessed by the Father, then embodied in the Son as His possessions, then lastly by the Spirit transmitted into the disciples.
"All that the Father has is Mine, for this reason I have said that He [the Holy Spirit] receives of Mine and will declare it to you." (John 16:15)
Originally posted by @romans1009How do you know that all believers will be raptured at the same time?
Don’t you think you’ll be raptured too, tiger? We all get raptured at the same time.
Shall we have a little Christ honoring examination of this question?
See the new thread on this question