Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Luke 2:15

"And it came to pass, when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing that is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us." — Luke 2:15 (ASV)

Luke does not say that the angels disappeared but that they went “into heaven.” The realization of God’s promise is expressed both here and in v.29. In other words, Luke combines the phenomena of ancient (v.15) and recent (v.29) prophetic words, thus emphasizing the connection between the old and new ages, the Jewish orientation of the Gospel and the reality of the heavenly in the earthly.

With a heightened sense of excitement and determination, the shepherds rushed off to the baby’s side.