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But Christ came back
  from the dead
that we might have the hope
  of eternal life in heaven.
And even if He were
  to all of a sudden
appear to His friends
  once more alive again,
it might have driven them
  insane instead
since they would not have
  been prepared for it.

For we have been
  so accustomed to justifying
  the care of our needs,
that it can be difficult
  to easily believe
that we really need not
  fret and worry
because life after death
  is a reality.

So just as one might
  suspect,
their minds were prepared
  by God
  to witness this.
God arranged
  the circumstance
so they could accept
  that His life came back
in order to reconcile
  certain facts.

First they saw
  the empty tomb.
Then they saw
  some angels
who told them
  the good news.
Then He was glimpsed
  by just a few.
Then as they
  considered all,
He appeared to them
  in the upper room.

He appeared to them
  from time to time
to prove that He was
  indeed alive.
Then as He was
  blessing them,
He was taken from them
  into the sky.

For if He will not rot
  in the ground,
then He will ascend
  into the clouds.
If He cannot by earth
  be bound,
then He in heaven
  will be found.

Yet
if He would have
  stayed on earth
  with His friends,
they would have
  been obliged
  to stay with Him.
But if those who witnessed
  these events
should stay behind
  to wait on Him,
then the nations
  would not hear of it,
and His glory would not
  spread.

But
He is destined to be
  worshipped
by people from all
  the nations.
For He has proven
  worthy of it
as we have already
  said.

Thus,
the truth of Him
  was destined to spread.
So His disciples
  were destined to be sent
first to those in Jerusalem
and then to all the nations.                       See Acts 1:8
But how could they
  force themselves
  to part with Him
when He presents Himself
  so gloriously in front of
  them?
So He was taken up
  into heaven
right in front of them
so they could witness
  to all the nations
that people can go to
  heaven.

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