Our Lord Jesus Christ was the third of seven references to the rapture in Scripture!
Luke recorded by The Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 1:
1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,
3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
By spending forty days with the disciples, Jesus accomplished two things. First, At the beginning of His ministry, He was “delayed” by forty days due to the requirement to specifically overcome the adversary in the wilderness of temptation. This forty-day delay was made up after His resurrection. Secondly, He provided infallible proof to those who interacted with Him that He in fact was raised from the dead.
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;
5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel?”
7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Before His departure, He fully equipped the disciples with understanding of The Kingdom of God as well as preparing them for the ministry of The Holy Spirit on behalf of the newly formed Body of Christ.
9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked steadfastly toward Heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,
11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into Heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into Heaven.”
FATHER also provided two angels to confirm what the disciples saw with their own eyes so there would be no question of His ascension.
Mark wrote by The Holy Spirit in Mark chapter 16:
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, He was received up into Heaven, and sat on the Right Hand of God.
20 And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the Word with signs following. Amen.
It is clear that the disciples were different men and walked in boldness after they witnessed the “taking up” of Our Lord. These events changed the world forever and FATHER’S long-term plan continues to this day. He will return for His Bride in like manner.