With the possible exception of
the Virgin Mary, I know of no topic which is more important - and less preached
- than the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a high and holy event,
one which greatly shows the glory of God. For all that it means, however, it
seems to excite little comment from Protestant expositors. Catholic and
Orthodox writers are a little more kind to it; but this seems largely to stem
from the use of Ascension Sunday in the liturgical calendars.
The Ascension, however, is a most
necessary event. It was included in all the ancient creeds (for reasons we
shall see). It also appears that the neglect of the Ascension - and its
results - are a sign of the times of the end.
Why is the Ascension so important
to us? It is a demarcation point of history. From it we may see things past,
present and future. It serves to limit the past, define the present and
describe the future. So we shall see the Ascension in past tense, present
tense and future tense.
(Acts 1:9-11 NIV) After he said this, he was taken up
before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. {10} They were
looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed
in white stood beside them. {11} "Men of Galilee," they said,
"why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been
taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go
into heaven."
Ascension - Past Tense
The Ascension is a marker that
certain things are finished. Christ has returned to the Father; therefore, the
work of Christ is complete.
The atonement is complete
It is interesting to note that of
all the cults that have arrived in the last two thousand years not one has
presented another atonement. Satan can counterfeit revelations and
prophecies; he can produces lists of laws for holiness - but he cannot do what
Christ did, for it is finished. The atonement, the sacrifice for sins, is
finished. If it were not, Christ would not have ascended.
Since the atonement is complete,
we know that we have no work to do for our own salvation - it is God's free
gift. That was the mission of Jesus: to seek and save the lost. That mission
is completed. Now our mission - the Great Commission - has begun.
The ascension is proof of the
Resurrection
The ascension is absolutely
necessary in this regard. One of the oldest and most common heresies (even
today) is that Jesus did not appear in the flesh - it was only an illusion.
You will hear cults tell you that he left no footprints, for example. He was
"only a spirit" they say. But tell me: if he is only a spirit, why
the Ascension? A ghost - that's what a spirit is - can fade out any time. (By
the way, can fade back in too). But a physical body must go somewhere.
Twice before (Elijah and Enoch)
we have someone with a physical body who is taken up to heaven. (This is the
reason some expect Elijah and Enoch to be the "two witnesses" of
Revelation - they never died, and it "is appointed unto man once to
die.") The ancient church was quite specific on this point: Iraneus, for
example, tells us that he ascended "in the flesh."
The ascension marks the end of
Christ's ministry
We see for the last time - until
his return - the Shekinah, the glory of God, shown in the cloud. We have a
last echo of the old Law, in that two angels (the testimony of two witnesses)
tell the disciples of his return. There is a definite break point here.
Without that break point, the disciples would have been thoroughly confused by
the coming of the Spirit - for God is One.
Ascension - Present Tense
We may see things present in two
ways: those things which Christ now does for us, and those things which the
Spirit was sent to do.
Our Advocate
The letter to the Hebrews assures
us that we have Christ as our advocate,
our High Priest, at the right hand of the Father. Consider the implications:
the Creator, God the Father, ruler of heaven and earth and all between, sits
over all things. Who can appeal to him? Who can move him? Our advocate can.
He is the High Priest for the Christian. A priest always serves as a bridge
between God and man, and Christ is our bridge. He knows what it's like to be
human, for he is human.
The inspiration of the
Scriptures
Remember that nothing of the New
Testament was written before the Ascension. Why? Because the Spirit had not
come! We would not have the Bible we have today if Christ had not ascended.
The spread of the Gospel
Human beings are confined in
geography. If Christ does not ascend, then his followers, necessarily, are
confined to Palestine. If He does not ascend, the world would come to him,
wherever he was - rather than the Gospel going out into the world. The result
would inevitably be that many would not know him as Lord and Savior simply
because they were born and lived in the wrong place. Would the disciples have
willingly left their Master's side? I think not.
Our holiness in living
All Christians know the futility
of self-reform. New Year's resolutions last about a week for most of us. How
do we achieve "normal holiness" in our lives? By the power of the
Holy Spirit. The Spirit would not come unless Christ had departed. So we
would not know the power of the Spirit if Jesus had not ascended.
Gifts of service
Interestingly, Paul tells us that
the gifts of the Spirit in the church - appointing some to be apostles, others
teachers, etc. - is somehow connected with the Ascension. It is connected with
his Ascension in triumph - that as a conqueror, the conqueror of death - that
he gives gifts to men. Those gifts are the works of service he outlines:
(Eph
4:7-12 NIV) But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned
it. {8} This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in
his train and gave gifts to men." {9} (What does "he ascended"
mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions ? {10} He who
descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to
fill the whole universe.) {11} It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to
be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, {12}
to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be
built up
Ascension: Future Tense
The most exciting aspect of the
Ascension is simply this: it is the picture of the future. In the Ascension
we can see these things which are to come.
Christ's return
In this passage the angels tell
us that He will return in the same way he left. He is coming "with the clouds."
We know from other passages that this also means that he will return with the
angels of God, and the cloud in question is most likely the Shekinah, the glory
of God.
This is a great comfort. It
destroys all of those statements which say that Christ has come invisibly (they
saw him go, we'll see him return). It destroys those who say he returns
spiritually; it destroys those who say his return will never happen. He
left. He will return. He said so, and God cannot lie.
New Heaven and New Earth
Again, much beyond our
comprehension, there is this. He is going to prepare a place for us, a place
described as a "new heaven and a new earth." Peter assures us that
the elements will melt with the heat of that day.
Do we know what this will look like? Most assuredly there are commentators on
Revelation who can describe it in detail. Regrettably, however, they do not
agree on the description. I will undertake no such description; but consider
this: Has not the Lord been a magnificent creator in the existing earth and
heavens? If He sees fit to recreate both, will it not be much more
magnificent?
Judgment
From the earliest days of the
Bible, in Job, the children of God have been told and expressed the idea that
they would some day rise from the dead. Paul expresses it this way:
(1 Th 4:15-17 NIV) According to the Lord's own word, we
tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord,
will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. {16} For the Lord
himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the
archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise
first. {17} After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be
with the Lord forever.
A careful reading of all the
Scriptures relating to this (well beyond the time required for a single lesson)
would reveal this: not only are the righteous to rise, but all will rise - to
face the judgment. How many resurrections? Do the wicked rise with the
righteous? What about the people before the time of Christ? All these things
some think they know - and disagree. But this much is certain: all will rise,
and all will face the Risen Lord as Judge - some to hear "well done"
and others to hear "depart."
Our bodies like his body
We are told that he is the
"first fruits" of the Resurrection of the dead. In this we
understand that upon resurrection we will have a body like that he has - a
physical body, but possessed of powers beyond our understanding or knowing in
this life. This body will be suited to the new heaven and new earth. What
will it be like? How does this work? I don't know. It is entirely possible
that the answer is beyond my comprehension. But I do know this: we shall be
like him.
Scoffing in the Last Days
One last thing predicted about
the Ascension is this: in the last days, men will scoff at the possibility of
resurrection, denying the life to come.
(2 Pet 3:2-4 NIV) I want you to recall the words spoken in
the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior
through your apostles. {3} First of all, you must understand that in the last
days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. {4}
They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers
died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."
This is a sign that the times are
ripe, and surely this sign is upon us.
Conclusion
Because so little is placed upon
the Ascension we forget that we are destined to live with him forever.
Consider the times; consider the world around you; consider the world to
come. Then consider how you should live:
(2 Pet 3:13-18 NIV) But in keeping with his promise we are
looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
{14} So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every
effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. {15} Bear in mind
that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also
wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. {16} He writes the same way in all
his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things
that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as
they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. {17} Therefore, dear
friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be
carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.
{18} But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.