Further Thought: “Christ’s ascension to heaven was the signal
that His followers were to receive the promised blessing. For this they
were to wait before they entered upon their work. When Christ passed
within the heavenly gates, He was enthroned amidst the adoration of
the angels. As soon as this ceremony was completed, the Holy Spirit
descended upon the disciples in rich currents, and Christ was indeed
glorified, even with the glory which He had with the Father from all
eternity. The Pentecostal outpouring was Heaven’s communication
that the Redeemer’s inauguration was accomplished. According to
His promise He had sent the Holy Spirit from heaven to His follow-
ers as a token that He had, as priest and king, received all authority in
heaven and on earth, and was the Anointed One over His people. . . .
“They could speak the name of Jesus with assurance; for was He not
their Friend and Elder Brother? Brought into close communion with
Christ, they sat with Him in heavenly places. With what burning lan-
guage they clothed their ideas as they bore witness for Him!”—Ellen
G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 38, 46.
Discussion Questions:
 The psalmist said, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?” (Ps. 42:2, ESV). How
can we have the same thirst to come into the presence of God?
If we don’t rejoice now in the presence of God as we worship
Him and come before His presence in faith, will we rejoice in the
future? What are the factors that lead to joy before God?
 In a book mocking faith, someone created a robot that suppos­
edly did our believing for us. Though this was a spoof, how can
we be careful not to do as Israel did in the desert, and that is to
make a request for intermediaries between us and God? We tend
to allow other people to study the Bible in our behalf and find the
gems of truth in the Bible. Some people may feel tempted to think
that the prayers of others in their behalf carry more weight before
God than their own prayers. Why should we avoid this spiritual
trap? Why, because of Jesus, can we approach God without the
need of anyone else?
 Hebrews is about assurance of salvation. How, though, must we
be careful not to mistake presumption for assurance?