1. In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
2/ until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
3/ He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
4/ While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for "the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak;
5/ for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy Spirit."
6/ When they had gathered together they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7/ He answered them, "It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority.
8/ But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
9/ When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
10/ While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.
11/ They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven."
12/ Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away.
13/ When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
14/ All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
The Apostles, instructed by the RISEN CHRIST JESUS, points out that the parousia or second coming in glory of Jesus will occur as certainly as his ascension occurred (Acts 1:6-11), and lists the members of the Twelve, stressing their role as a body of divinely mandated witnesses to his life, teaching, and resurrection (Acts 1:12-26).
Appearing to them during forty days: Luke considered especially sacred the interval in which the appearances and instructions of the risen Jesus occurred and expressed it therefore in terms of the sacred number forty (cf Deut 8:2). In his gospel, however, Luke connects the ascension of Jesus with the resurrection by describing the ascension on Easter Sunday evening (Luke 24:50-53). What should probably be understood as one event (resurrection, glorification, ascension, sending of the Spirit--the paschal mystery) has been historicized by Luke when he writes of a visible ascension of Jesus after forty days and the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost. For Luke, the ascension marks the end of the appearances of Jesus except for the extraordinary appearance to Paul. With regard to Luke's understanding of salvation history, the ascension also marks the end of the time of Jesus (Luke 24:50-53) and signals the beginning of the time of the church.
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