Jesus said: "Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." John 14:1-3*

I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,  until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.  To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God.   And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me,  for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"  He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority.   But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Sama'ria and to the end of the earth."  And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.   And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,  and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." Acts 1:1-11*

© 2010 St. Mark's Anglican Church, unless otherwise noted

*Downloaded from the Oxford Text Archive and used with permission. The following header is required to be posted: All Biblical quotations on this website have been transcribed from: The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version containing the Old and New Testaments, translated from the original tongues: being the version set forth A.D. 1611, revised A.D. 1881-1885 and A.D. 1901: compared with the most ancient authorities and revised A.D. 1946-52. — 2nd ed. of New Testament A.D. 1971. Language: English.  Availability: Freely available for non-commercial use provided that this header is included in its entirety with any copy distributed.