According to the Bible, Jesus ascended into heaven. Before He did, He spent time teaching His disciples and preparing them for their ministry. This further proves that the disciples were true witnesses of His resurrection—they saw Him alive, touched Him, and knew He had truly risen in a physical body. Once His time of teaching was finished, Jesus rose up into the sky until the disciples could no longer see Him. He ascended to the highest place in heaven, called “the right hand of God,” where He now reigns above all creation.
Jesus didn’t leave earth by riding in a human-made machine or flying off in a UFO. He wasn’t taken by aliens, and He didn’t soar into the sky like a superhero with a cape. The word ascend simply means “to go up.” So, when we say that Christ ascended to heaven, we mean that He physically rose into the sky until He was no longer visible. In the Bible, “heaven” refers to the sky and everything beyond it. The book of Genesis, in the creation account, explains what is meant by “the heavens and the earth.”
“Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. And God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.”
(Gen 1:6-8 NAS)
God separated the waters below from the waters above, and He called the space between them “heaven.” This expanse includes everything we know as outer space—the sun, moon, stars, and all the galaxies. The Bible also says that birds fly in the “open expanse of the heavens,” showing that the word “heaven” can refer both to the sky and to the vast universe beyond it.
“Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. And God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.”
(Gen 1:14-20 NAS)
The Bible defines the word “heaven” in Genesis where we see the statement, “God called the expanse heaven.” This is the simplest and most acceptable explanation of what the Apostles and Prophets meant by heaven.
Christ ascended to heaven.
The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus truly ascended into heaven. He didn’t disappear, fade away, or vanish through some kind of cosmic transporter. It wasn’t like being “beamed up” in a science fiction movie. He physically and visibly rose upward into the sky, just as the disciples saw with their own eyes.
“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.”
(Heb 4:14 NAS)
“And it came about that while He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.”
(Luke 24:51 NAS)
The Bible teaches that the way Christ ascended into the clouds will be the same way He will come again in the clouds.
“And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them; and they also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
(Acts 1:9-11 NAS)
So where did Christ go?
Jesus is not just floating in space somewhere like a lost satellite. The Bible clearly tells us where Christ went after He ascended. He didn’t just go to “Paradise,” the place where God’s people go when they die. Instead, He went to the highest part of heaven, the very presence of God Himself, a place no created being can enter. Only Christ, as the divine Son of God, can stand there on our behalf.
“Therefore, it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men. Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.”
(Eph 4:8-10 NAS)
The expression “far above” is called “The Right Hand of God.” Only Christ can be at the right hand of God.
“So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.”
(Mark 16:19 NAS)
Christ being seated at the right hand of God means He is exalted above everything, in the highest place in heaven. He has authority over all creation. He has gone where no created being can go. Only Christ, as both God and man, can stand before God and act as the mediator between us and God.
“And no one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven, even the Son of Man. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”
(John 3:13-14 NAS)
“And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you– not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience– through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.”
(1Peter 3:21-22 NAS)
All angels, authorities, and powers are under Christ’s authority. If Jesus had not ascended into heaven to stand before God, we would have no mediator between God and humanity. Without His ascension, Christ would be seen as just another wandering teacher, like Buddha or a worldly philosopher, without the power to save or intercede for us. His ascension confirms His divine authority and ongoing role as our advocate before the Father.
Christ did not immediately ascend to heaven.
After Jesus rose from the dead, He remained on earth for a period of time to teach the apostles and prepare them for what was to come. He did not ascend into heaven right away. According to the Gospel of John, Jesus appeared to His disciples three times after His resurrection, showing them He was truly alive and continuing to guide them before His ascension.
“When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples therefore rejoiced when they saw the Lord.”
(John 20:19-20 NAS)
After Jesus met with the disciples the first time, He met with them again at the Sea of Tiberius.
“After these things Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and He manifested Himself in this way. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples.”
(John 21:1-2 NAS)
On another occasion, Jesus appeared and had breakfast with the disciples.
“Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples ventured to question Him, “Who are You?” knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread, and gave them, and the fish likewise. This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.”
(Joh 21:12-14 NAS)
Christ stayed on earth for some time prior to His ascension. The apostle Paul wrote that Christ appeared to hundreds of people before His ascension.
“And that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles.”
(1Co 15:5-8 NAS)
At the beginning of the book of Acts, Luke explains that Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection. During this time, He taught them about the kingdom of God. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus continued to appear to His disciples for up to forty days before He ascended into heaven.
“To these He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.”
(Acts 1:3 NAS)
The Scriptures show that Jesus was in His physical body prior to His ascension to heaven.
Mary was clinging to Jesus. This shows that Jesus was in a physical body. Jesus told Mary to stop clinging to Him.
“Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren, and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’”
(John 20:17 NAS)
Jesus reassured Mary that He had not yet ascended to the Father and told her she could go and tell the disciples that He had risen from the dead. The Bible includes many passages showing that people physically touched Jesus after His resurrection, confirming that He truly rose in a physical body.
“And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him.” (Mat 28:9 NAS)
“See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” (Luk 24:39 NAS)
“Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand, and put it into My side; and be not unbelieving, but believing.”
(John 20:27 NAS)
Christ’s ascension into heaven is the climax of the redemption of God’s people. By ascending, He takes His rightful place on the throne, where He now reigns over all creation and serves as our Prophet, Priest, and King. His ascension is closely connected to His atonement, they go hand in hand. As our risen Savior, Christ stands before God on our behalf, continually interceding for us and ensuring that our salvation remains secure. He is our constant advocate in the presence of the Father.
“For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.”
(Heb 9:24 NAS)
The ascension of Jesus Christ is not a symbolic idea or vague spiritual event; it is a real, historical act that marks the exaltation of the risen Savior. After proving His bodily resurrection and preparing His disciples for their mission, Jesus physically rose into heaven and took His seat at the right hand of God. From there, He reigns with all authority, interceding for His people as our eternal Prophet, Priest, and King. His ascension affirms His divine glory, secures our salvation, and assures us that He will one day return in the same way He departed. This truth is central to the Christian faith and fills believers with hope.