Luke alludes to Jesus’ ascension to the Father again when he records Stephen’s death. The reference in Luke contains less information than the one in Acts nevertheless, the descriptions are harmonious. He mentions it briefly at the end of the Gospel that bears his name and again at the beginning of the sequel he wrote, the book of Acts. He mentions it once in each of the books he wrote. Luke is the only Gospel writer to narrate the ascension of Jesus, which he does twice. What did Jesus say about his ascension? See below The ascension of Jesus according to Luke Adding 40 days to April 9 is May 19, 30 A.D. Based on details from the Gospels, some scholars estimate that Jesus died on (or about) April 7, 30 A.D., and rose from the dead three days later on April 9. However, the Bible reveals the time of Jesus’ death and resurrection. One writes, “This may be simply a round number, but it fits in with the fact that there were 50 days between Easter and Pentecost.” If 40 days is approximate, it can’t be more than 50 days because Jesus ascended before Pentecost, a date which Luke specifies (Acts 2:1).ĭoes the Bible mention the day or month that Jesus ascended? No. Is the number 40 approximate? While most Bible scholars think the number 40 is exact, others are open to the possibility that it’s a round figure. 4:2) and Moses and Israel’s time in the wilderness (Acts 7:36). The same word for forty is found in passages that describe the length of Jesus’ temptation (Matt. The words are common and have straightforward definitions. The Greek phrase translated “forty days” comes from the words tesserakonta (τεσσεράκοντα) and hemeron (ἡμερῶν). And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.ĭuring the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. 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.Īfter his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 40 isn’t a direct reference to the number of days between events but the length of time that Jesus appeared to people. Though Luke briefly mentions Jesus’ ascension at the end of his gospel (more below), Acts 1:3 is the only verse that specifies a 40-day period between the resurrection and ascension. Is the number 40 literal? See below Where does the Bible mention the 40-day period?