1. WHAT HAPPENED TO JESUS
“Then he led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. And while he was blessing them, he left them and was carried up into heaven. After worshiping him, they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they were continually in the temple praising God” —Luke 24:50-52
After He was resurrected, Jesus ascended into
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight” —Acts 1:8-9
While this sight would have induced awe, wonder, and amazement among His followers, it shouldn’t have
Before His death on the cross, when Jesus was speaking to His disciples in the Upper Room, He told them that this was going to happen
“I came from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I am
the world and going to the Father.” —John 16:28
The Ascension stands on equal footing with the crucifixion and resurrection in the earliest declarations of the
Jesus even connects the Ascension with his work of dying and rising again.
When Mary Magdalene sees him in the garden after his resurrection, he’s not simply strolling about, enjoying the fact that everything has been accomplished.
“Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father” —John 20:17
The Ascension appears to be an exact fulfillment of the prophetic
“Suddenly one like a son of man was coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. He was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, so that those of every people, nation, and language should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.” —Daniel 7:13-14
In this vision, the Son of Man, surrounded with clouds, approaches the throne of the Ancient of Days and is given the dominion of an everlasting kingdom.
Notice that the prophecy does not show the Messiah’s rule beginning with an
If Jesus had remained on earth and tried to claim his kingship, then he could not have been the Messiah, for the true Son of Man had been prophesied as ascending into the presence of God, there to be given his reign.
2. WHERE IS JESUS NOW?
Ancient world: when a King wished to honor someone, he offered him a seat at his
That was the highest seat, the greatest honor, the most glory that a King could confer upon anyone.
When our Lord Jesus ascended into Heaven, He didn’t have to look for a spot to sit. There was a throne with His name on it.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high —Hebrews 1:3
What does this mean for us?
It means His work of redemption is
“Every priest stands day after day ministering and offering the same sacrifices time after time, which can never take away sins. But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God” —Hebrews 10:11-12
“For this is the kind of high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices every day, as high priests do—first for their own sins, then for those of the people. He did this once for all time when he offered himself” —Hebrews 7:26-27
3. WHAT IS JESUS DOING NOW?
HE IS INTERCEDING FOR
“Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. Now many have become Levitical priests, since they are prevented by death from remaining in office. But because he remains forever, he holds his priesthood permanently. Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them.” —Hebrews 7:22-25
“Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.” —Romans 8:34
What is He praying for?
He advocates for believing saints
“My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous one” —1 John 2:1
“I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in me through their word. May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me. “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they will see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the world’s foundation. Righteous Father, the world has not known you. However, I have known you, and they have known that you sent me. I made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them and I may be in them.” —John 17:20-26