The resurrection is prophesied in several places in the Old Testament. As Isaiah 53:9 speaks of Christ's death, Isaiah 53:10: he shall prolong his days, is a prophecy of His resurrection. The psalmist David also prophesied of the resurrection, saying: thou wilt not leave my soul in Sheol. (Psalm 16:10) Christ was only in Sheol for three days. Then His spirit rose up out of Sheol and re-entered His body, which had not decayed. Then He rose and left the tomb. This is consistent with His word to His disciples: he shall rise the third day. (Mark 9:31)
Jesus rose into heaven soon after His body arose out of the tomb. But before He ascended to Heaven, He appeared to Mary Magdalene, and said to her: Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father; and to my God, and your God (John 20:17) Jesus then ascended to heaven to fulfil His High Priestly duty on this the third day.
Although Jesus’ final Ascension was not until forty days later, He clearly stated to Mary that He was about to ascend to His father on that, the third day. On this day Jesus was: declared to be the Son of God with power, according to spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. (Romans 1:4) And on this day according to Paul in Acts 13:33, was fulfilled the prophecy of the resurrection: Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. (Psalm 2:7) The resurrection of Christ’s body is God's victory over Satan who killed Him. Those who deny it are asserting, at least in part, an enduring victory for Satan over the Son of God.
Although not yet transformed to the former glory of His supernatural body, it seems that Christ’s body was partially changed at His resurrection. I say this as His disciples often failed to recognise Him. Mary supposed Him to be the gardener until He spoke (John 20:15,16). The two disciples on the road to Emmaus also failed to recognise Him at first (Luke 24:15,16). Yet He had a body of flesh and bones (Luke 24:39). I believe that at His resurrection His body was transformed to the state of a glorious natural body; but that Christ’s transformation to a supernatural body occurred at the Ascension forty days later.
After His resurrection, according to Peter in Acts 2:34, the Father said to Christ: Sit thou on my right hand. (Psalm 110:1) The knowledge of such a reward gave Christ hope upon the cross: Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)
After He ascended He returned to earth to appear to His disciples for forty days, and at the conclusion of the forty days: he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:50,51)
The disciples must therefore have returned again to Judea, from Galilee. Bethany is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, and is about two kilometres east of Jerusalem. Jesus would not have ascended from the midst of the village of Bethany, because such a miracle was only for the privileged few to behold. Luke, in the book of Acts, records that the distance the disciples returned to Jerusalem from the site of the Ascension, although only given approximately, was less than the distance to Bethany. So they must have, climbed some way up the Mount of Olives before the Ascension.
Jesus' Ascension was a surprise to His disciples because when:
they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. (Acts 1:6-12)
It was only then that the apostles learned the truth: Jesus Christ . . . whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things. (Acts 3:20-21) Until then they were to focus upon their work.
Before Jesus died on the cross He prayed: And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. (John 17:5) Jesus was brought forth purely of God in a glorious supernatural body before the world was made, and His glory was subdued when He was born of the virgin Mary to dwell for thirty years in a weak human body, although He was divine. At this final ascension Jesus was transformed to His former supernatural glory, as is evidenced by His appearances after His ascension to His apostle John and to His apostle Paul.
Now that He has ascended, the body of Jesus is no longer weak like man’s, but is once again supernaturally powerful, clothed in its original glory. The apostle John saw him and wrote:
One like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And He laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last. (Revelation 1:13-17)
In 1975, the above was my daily bible reading. After closing my bible I remembered these verses and decided to meditate on these words by saying them in my mind. As I did this, God opened my eyes to see, in a vision, the reality of some of what was being described. I saw flames of fire coming several feet out of His eyes and I saw His feet surrounded by radiance from their heat. Both His hands and His feet looked bronze in colour and texture. The other features of the Lord's appearance, I did not see in the vision. I did not see His hair white like wool, nor His face shining like the sun. But what I did see was glorious, and I know that not only I, but all true Christians, will one day at their resurrection, see Him, not only partially as I did, but fully in His glory.
There is no reason to believe that this description of the Lord's appearance is only figurative. Rather, God the Father has clothed Jesus with glory so that all men who see Him will understand His greatness. The various features of the Lord Jesus' appearance teach us about the various aspects of His glory and power.
In the book of Revelation, Jesus appearance is described in different ways in different chapters; sometimes as a lamb, sometimes as a judge. Thus, I believe that the Father clothes the Son with different kinds of glory at different times in order that men might see, appreciate and remember all aspects of His glory, love and power.
Paul writes: last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. (1 Corinthians 15:8) This was some years after the Lord had returned to heaven. While Paul was on his way to persecute the saints, the glorified Christ whose face, since the Ascension, now shines like the sun appeared to him, and he testifies that he: saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecuteth thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus. (Acts 26:13-15)
The dramatic turn around in his life bears witness to the truth of his testimony, as he then went about preaching the faith that he had tried to destroy.