After saying this, he was taken up to heaven as they watched him, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

After the Lord Jesus had talked with them, he was taken up to heaven and sat at the right side of God.

As the time drew near when Jesus would be taken up to heaven, he made up his mind and set out on his way to Jerusalem.

As he was blessing them, he departed from them and was taken up into heaven.

Suppose, then, that you should see the Son of Man go back up to the place where he was before?

It was now the day before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. He had always loved those in the world who were his own, and he loved them to the very end.

Jesus knew that the Father had given him complete power; he knew that he had come from God and was going to God.

I did come from the Father, and I came into the world; and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father."

And now I am coming to you, and I say these things in the world so that they might have my joy in their hearts in all its fullness.

"Do not hold on to me," Jesus told her, "because I have not yet gone back up to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I am returning to him who is my Father and their Father, my God and their God."

As the scripture says, "When he went up to the very heights, he took many captives with him; he gave gifts to people."

So the one who came down is the same one who went up, above and beyond the heavens, to fill the whole universe with his presence.

No one can deny how great is the secret of our religion: He appeared in human form, was shown to be right by the Spirit, and was seen by angels. He was preached among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, and was taken up to heaven.

We have this hope as an anchor for our lives. It is safe and sure, and goes through the curtain of the heavenly temple into the inner sanctuary.

On our behalf Jesus has gone in there before us and has become a high priest forever, in the priestly order of Melchizedek.

For Christ did not go into a Holy Place made by human hands, which was a copy of the real one. He went into heaven itself, where he now appears on our behalf in the presence of God.

who has gone to heaven and is at the right side of God, ruling over all angels and heavenly authorities and powers.

You know about Jesus of Nazareth and how God poured out on him the Holy Spirit and power. He went everywhere, doing good and healing all who were under the power of the Devil, for God was with him.

The spirit of the LORD will give him wisdom and the knowledge and skill to rule his people. He will know the LORD's will and honor him,

and find pleasure in obeying him. He will not judge by appearance or hearsay;

The LORD says, "Here is my servant, whom I strengthen--- the one I have chosen, with whom I am pleased. I have filled him with my Spirit, and he will bring justice to every nation.

"Now come close to me and hear what I say. From the beginning I have spoken openly and have always made my words come true." (Now the Sovereign LORD has given me his power and sent me.)

The LORD says to his people, "I will come to Jerusalem to defend you and to save all of you that turn from your sins.

And I make a covenant with you: I have given you my power and my teachings to be yours forever, and from now on you are to obey me and teach your children and your descendants to obey me for all time to come."

The Sovereign LORD has filled me with his Spirit. He has chosen me and sent me To bring good news to the poor, To heal the broken-hearted, To announce release to captives And freedom to those in prison.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came up out of the water. Then heaven was opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and lighting on him.

No, it is not Beelzebul, but God's Spirit, who gives me the power to drive out demons, which proves that the Kingdom of God has already come upon you.

Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another.

The one whom God has sent speaks God's words, because God gives him the fullness of his Spirit.

This book is the record of the events that Jesus Christ revealed. God gave him this revelation in order to show to his servants what must happen very soon. Christ made these things known to his servant John by sending his angel to him,

"If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches! "To those who win the victory I will give the right to eat the fruit of the tree of life that grows in the Garden of God.

"If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches! "Those who win the victory will not be hurt by the second death.

"If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches! "To those who win the victory I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give each of them a white stone on which is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.

"If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!

But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth!

"If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!

"If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!"

Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

He said to them, "Go throughout the whole world and preach the gospel to all people.

Believers will be given the power to perform miracles: they will drive out demons in my name; they will speak in strange tongues;

After the Lord Jesus had talked with them, he was taken up to heaven and sat at the right side of God.

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

and in his name the message about repentance and the forgiveness of sins must be preached to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.

And I myself will send upon you what my Father has promised. But you must wait in the city until the power from above comes down upon you."

They entered the city and went up to the room where they were staying: Peter, John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Patriot, and Judas son of James.

But God raised him from death three days later and caused him to appear,

And he commanded us to preach the gospel to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God has appointed judge of the living and the dead.

Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and every sickness.

Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;

and he chose twelve, whom he named apostles. "I have chosen you to be with me," he told them. "I will also send you out to preach,

These are the twelve he chose: Simon (Jesus gave him the name Peter);

Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Patriot,

When day came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he named apostles:

Matthew and Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon (who was called the Patriot),

Jesus replied, "I chose the twelve of you, didn't I? Yet one of you is a devil!"

"I am not talking about all of you; I know those I have chosen. But the scripture must come true that says, 'The man who shared my food turned against me.'

Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you."

From Paul, whose call to be an apostle did not come from human beings or by human means, but from Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from death.

You, too, are built upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, the cornerstone being Christ Jesus himself.

I want you to remember the words that were spoken long ago by the holy prophets, and the command from the Lord and Savior which was given you by your apostles.

The city's wall was built on twelve foundation stones, on which were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.