What is the term for Jesus' return to the Father in heaven?

• A. Resurrection
• B. Pentecost
• C. Ascension
• D. Glorification

Answer: (C)

The event being described is Jesus' return to the Father in heaven after his earthly ministry, which is called the Ascension. After his Resurrection, Jesus appeared to his followers for forty days, teaching and blessing them, and then he was taken up to heaven in a cloud, beginning his heavenly reign. This moment marks the end of his visible earthly work and the sending of him back to the Father, often understood as Jesus taking his place at the Father’s side.

Resurrection is the rising from the dead, the moment Jesus conquers death itself. Pentecost refers to the Holy Spirit coming to empower the followers after Jesus ascended. Glorification can describe becoming glorious or the state of glory, often used in reference to Jesus’ heavenly magnified state or believers’ future transformation, but it is not the act of returning to the Father. The specific term for Jesus’s return to heaven is Ascension.