In the past, Jesus lived, died, and rose again. In the future, Jesus will come again, judge the world, and establish his kingdom. These are all wonderful truths that deserve our utmost attention. But what about the present? What is Jesus doing right now and for the two thousand years between his first and second advents? This is where the doctrine of Christ’s ascension comes in, and why it’s such an exciting and comforting subject. The Savior ascended to actively serve us through his ongoing ministry as our exalted Messiah—Prophet, Priest, and King.
The doctrine of the ascension is summarized in Question 34 of the catechism: “Why did Christ ascend into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father?” Answer: “With the same body in which he was raised, Christ ascended to sit and reign as Lord of heaven and earth [the office of king], intercede as our Advocate before the Father [the priestly office], and build his Church through his Spirit until he returns to judge all people on the last day [the prophetic office].” “In heaven Christ gloriously fulfills his intended offices of prophet, priest, and king” (Calvin, Institutes 2.16.15).
A Bodily Ascension
First, Christ ascended in the same body in which he was raised. The ascension is deeply symbolic, but it is not only a symbol. It was an actual event involving Christ’s physical body. When Christ rose from the dead, he “[took] back his body”—the body in which he lived and was crucified—“with flesh, bones, and all things pertaining to the perfection of human nature” (Question 33; cf. Lk. 24:39). He then remained with his disciples in his body, eating and drinking for 40 days before the ascension (Jn. 21:13; Lk 24:30).
Acts 1:9 records that on the fortieth day, “as [the disciples] were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” The disciples were onlookers—eyewitnesses of this extraordinary event. They watched as Jesus was lifted up from earth to heaven in a cloud—not because he needed a cloud to help him ascend, or because he was going into outer space, but as a sign that he was passing into the heavenly realm.
The ascension was a central point of the apostolic teaching.
The ascension was a central point of the apostolic teaching. In 1 Timothy 3:16, Paul includes the ascension in an early Christian creedal statement of sorts: “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.” The “going down” of the incarnation (“manifested in the flesh”) corresponds to the great “going up” of the ascension (“taken up in glory”). Note that in both Acts and 1 Timothy, Jesus is “taken up”—that is, by God the Father, who spoke out of a cloud at Christ’s baptism (Mt. 17:5). This indicates that the Father was pleased that Christ had fulfilled his earthly ministry and thus received him into the joy of his presence (Ps. 16:11). Of course, the divine power by which the Father took Christ up is one and the same power which Christ has according to his divinity, and so we can also say that Christ ascended by his own power (Aquinas, ST 3.57.3).
Reigning as Lord
Second, Christ ascended to sit and reign as Lord of heaven and earth. In the Apostles’ Creed, we confess, “He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.” Christ ascended to begin his royal session (“sitting”) as Lord and King of heaven and earth. While the ascension and session are often treated distinctly, they cannot be separated.
Ephesians 1:20–22 says that God “seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet.” Christ is in heaven, but he is not one of many exalted, heavenly beings. He is the most exalted creature in the universe and thus, in another sense, “far above all the heavens” (Eph. 4:10). To speak of Christ as “seated at the right hand of the Father” is a metaphor for Christ’s exalted status and judicial power (Augustine, On Faith and the Creed 7), since God does not have a body or right hand at which to physically sit (Q. 5).
1 Peter 3:22 says that Christ “has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.” Angels and archangels, men and demons, kings and rulers, have been subjected to the Son of Man and Son of David (who is also God, according to his divine nature). David Bryan says it well: The ascension “reveals a revised cosmic hierarchy with Jesus at its apex.”
The Christ Hymn of Philippians 2:9–11 celebrates that because Christ humbled himself even to death on the cross, “God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” There are different opinions on exactly what “the name” is that the Father bestowed on Christ, but Paul probably has in mind God’s personal name “Yahweh” or simply the fact of someone who is fully human being called “God” and given divine authority. Because of the resurrection and ascension, a crucified man is now recognized and honored as God by people of all nations.
Interceding as Our Advocate
Third, Christ ascended to intercede as our Advocate before the Father. Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit not only as a king but as a priest—the ultimate mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5). In the Old Testament, Israel’s High Priest entered into the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle to make atonement for the sins of the people. As our great High Priest, Christ ascended into the most holy place of heaven.
As our great High Priest, Christ ascended into the most holy place of heaven.
Hebrews 9:24 says, “Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.” The tabernacle itself was always a “copy” of heavenly realities and a blueprint for how God would save us through Christ. When Christ ascended to heaven, he “entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption” (Heb. 9:12). If Jesus had stayed on earth, “he would not be a priest at all” (Heb. 8:4). But “we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens” (Heb. 4:14).
Hebrews 7:24–25 says that unlike the many priests of the old covenant, “he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” As God, Christ is eternal and cannot die; as man, Christ is glorified and will never die. The God-man Jesus Christ is the perpetual priest that we need. He never sleeps or takes a day off. He never passes the office on to another. There is no insecurity or instability in his ministry. He “always lives” to pray and plead for us.
Building His Church Through His Spirit
Fourth, Christ ascended to build his Church through his Spirit. While we tend to think about the ascension as Jesus leaving us, the New Testament views the ascension as Christ becoming present with us in a new way—becoming embodied in the Church through the Holy Spirit to continue his ministry on a global scale. It was necessary for Christ to ascend so that the Holy Spirit might be poured out.
In John 14:16–17, Jesus promises his disciples, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” Jesus was the first Helper; the Holy Spirit would be another Helper. In the divine economy (God’s way of ordering our salvation), Christ needed to accomplish his earthly mission and ascend before the Holy Spirit could begin his mission of applying Christ’s redemption in the world.
In John 16:7, Jesus assures his disciples, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” The disciples no doubt struggled to believe these words, “it is to your advantage,” as we often do, but the mission of the Holy Spirit was just as essential as the mission of the Son, and it is truly for our good that Christ ascended and the Spirit was poured out ten days later.
In Acts 2:33, Peter explains at Pentecost, “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.” This crucial verse puts the ascension into clear Trinitarian perspective: The Father granted for his exalted Son to pour out the promised Holy Spirit upon the Church.
In John 14:12, Jesus tells his disciples, “whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” There is an obvious sense in which the works of the Church are not greater than those of Jesus during his earthly ministry. But empowered by the Spirit of Christ, the Church’s works are greater especially in their worldwide scope: billions of people have heard the gospel and a numberless multitude have been born again, the greatest “miracle” of all.
Ephesians 1:22 says that God “put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” The physical body of Jesus was assumed into heaven, but through the Spirit, Christ is embodied in the global Church. Christ is still active in the world through his people, working to fulfill his promise to build the Church for which he died (Mt. 16:18; Eph. 5:25). Looking up at the ascended Christ should lead us to look down at the Church with fresh eyes and see in her the glory of her exalted Head, as the moon reflecting the light of the sun (though imperfectly in this present age).
Until He Returns to Judge All People
Fifth, Christ ascended to reign, intercede, and build his Church until he returns to judge all people on the last day. In Acts 1:10–11, while the disciples were gazing into heaven as Jesus went up, “two men stood by them in white robes, and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’” The disciples stood looking into heaven, not only because their eyes had seen an amazing sight, but because their hearts were full of “excessive sorrow, mixed with a kind of unbelief” (Petrus van Mastricht, Theoretical-Practical Theology, 4.16.2). Their world was shattered when Christ was crucified. Then, he returned. Now, only forty days later, he was leaving again, and it no doubt felt permanent. To these distraught disciples, the angels offered the comforting promise that Christ would certainly return. While the ascension may seem like Christ leaving the world behind to continue in its corruption, the New Testament points to the ascension as a guarantee of Christ’s second coming.
Acts 17:31 says that God “has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” By exalting Jesus in the resurrection and then the extension, God has shown us that Jesus is the one chosen to carry out his long-promised, long-awaited judgment.
In 2 Timothy 4:1, Paul said, “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom.” Our lives are now lived under the watchful eyes of the ascended Christ who will be our judge. This should make us serious and godly, but not fearful. We will be judged by the same Christ who loves us and gave himself up for us on the cross.
Our lives are now lived under the watchful eyes of the ascended Christ who will be our judge.
In John 14:2, Jesus told his disciples, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” Christ’s presence in heaven assures us that we belong there. “We have our own flesh in heaven—a guarantee that Christ our head will take us, his members, to himself in heaven” (Heidelberg Catechism, 49). Where the head has gone, the body will follow.
In Revelation 19:11–16, John records his vision of Christ’s second coming from heaven to judge the world and establish his kingdom on earth:
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
A proper understanding of Christ’s ascension and session will lead us to view Christ as positioned to return. For the wicked, this means wrath, but for the sons of God and the whole creation, “which has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now” (Rom. 8:28), it is truly good news, as anticipated by the ascension hymn “Risen Lord in Splendor Seated”:
Earth awaits her new creation
when from sin and death restored,
In the strength of full salvation
Christ is honored and adored;
Christ forever high ascended,
sov’reign universal Lord!
Practical Application
The ascension and session of Christ have many obvious applications to the Christian life. I can personally testify that the ascension has been a regular source of comfort and encouragement in my own spiritual journey.
First, the ascension should be part of the gospel that we preach, which calls us to bow now to King Jesus or be put under his feet when he returns. The gospel is “the gospel of the kingdom” (Mt. 4:13), and it is the ascension which most clearly means that Christ is king of the world and Lord of the cosmos. When a king is installed, he is truly king, regardless of whether or not people recognize him as such. David was anointed as king long before he was finally honored by Judah and Israel as such. The devil continues to rebel against Christ and build his counterfeit kingdom. The gospel calls people to renounce the devil and submit to Christ as the “Lord of all” (Acts 10:36). Bowing the knee is not just a religious act; it is a cosmically political act that asserts the ascendance of Jesus’s kingdom over all other kingdoms.
When God saves us, he “delivers us from the domain of darkness and transfers us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Col. 3:13). We are made true children of King Jesus, and representative citizens of the kingdom which will supplant all other kingdoms eternally. We are made fully authorized agents of his redemptive mission to all nations (Mt. 28:17–19). The Church is entrusted with the “the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 16:19), and each local church is an embassy of that kingdom to which rebels can flee for refuge from the world that is perishing. The ascension is central, not peripheral or incidental, to the gospel.
Second, the ascension means that we do not need to fear earthly governments and have a duty to be a non-partisan prophetic voice calling them to repentance. Influenced by Satan, the nations of this world continue to act as if they are sovereign states and have no higher authority. But we know that Jesus is King of kings, Lord of lords, President of presidents, and Prime Minister of prime ministers. His heavenly government is real.
The ascension is profoundly political. It’s why Psalm 2, looking forward to the resurrection and ascension of Christ to the heavenly Mount Zion, specifically warns kings and earthly rulers to submit to God’s enthroned Messiah: “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled” (Ps. 2:10–12).
As subjects of the heavenly king, and citizens of the heavenly kingdom, we Christians do not need to live in fear of unjust earthly governments or their threats. We know that their time is short. They are fugitives from the law of heaven. They will carry on for a time, but the ascension guarantees us that their crimes will catch up with them.
As the Church, we represent the true king in the world, and so it is absolutely essential that we put our hope fully in King Jesus, and not in any earthly politician (Ps. 146:3). It is a constant temptation to try to bring God’s kingdom through earthly political power, and then become entangled with earthly politics in a way that compromises the integrity and purity of our witness. The Church should be a non-partisan prophetic voice that speaks truth to power, like John the Baptist who confronted Herod for his sinful marriage (Mk. 6:18). Earthly kingdoms rise and fall, and so we should know better than to compromise even an ounce of our integrity for short-term political “gains.”
The Church should be a non-partisan prophetic voice that speaks truth to power.
Every human being and every human king is faced with a choice: bow now to King Jesus and enjoy the blessings of his reign, or be forced to bow when he returns, and face the terror of his wrath. Those of us who have bowed already know by experience, “Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Ps. 2:12). As Charles Wesley wrote,
Rejoice, the Lord is King!
Your Lord and King adore;
Rejoice, give thanks, and sing
and triumph evermore.
His kingdom cannot fail;
He rules o’er earth and heav’n;
the keys of death and hell
are to our Jesus giv’n.
Third, the ascension means that we have confidence to approach God at any time and find immediate forgiveness if we fall. One of the “comforting words” commonly used in the liturgy of the Lord’s Supper is 1 John 2:1: “if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” John wrote “so that you may not sin,” and the ascended Christ can empower us by his Spirit to live a victorious life. But if by weakness or folly we disobey the Lord, Jesus does not cast us out; he stands ready to help us. My wife’s favorite Charles Welsey hymn is in fact an ascension hymn and offers this wonderful assurance:
Arise, my soul, arise,
Shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding sacrifice
In my behalf appears;
Before the throne my surety stands;
My name is written on his hands.
He ever lives above
For me to intercede;
His all-redeeming love
His precious blood to plead;
His blood atoned for all our race
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.
Romans 8:34 asks, “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” A more recent hymn reflects the spirit of this verse:
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea
A great High Priest whose name is love
Who ever lives and pleads for me
My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in heav’n He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
Hebrews 4:14 says, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” The ascension is a source of encouragement to stand firm and persevere in the faith despite our many weaknesses and temptations.
Fourth, the ascension means that Jesus is always with us and dwells in us through the Holy Spirit, and will never leave or forsake us. Sometimes I wish that Jesus was still on earth in his physical body so that I could see him, kiss his feet, and ask him all my questions. But then I remember that even if Jesus was here in body, I would probably have very little access to him. It would be harder to get to Jesus now than it was for the paralytic who had to come down through the roof, or the woman with the issue of blood who had to press through the crowds. It would probably be harder to get to Jesus than it is to get to the pope or the president of the United States. And just knowing that Jesus was somewhere on earth in a physical body, I would be fixated on Christ “according to the flesh.”
Because Jesus ascended, however, my focus is completely different. Despite the moments when I wish I could see Jesus with my eyes, I thank God for a confident faith that Jesus is always with me, that he can always hear me, and that I can talk to him whenever I want. His promise is true: “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). “In his human nature Christ is not now on earth; but in his divinity, majesty, grace, and Spirit he is not absent from us for a moment” (Heidelberg, 47).
Cyril of Jerusalem encouraged those who were about to be baptized, “Do not think that because He is absent in the flesh He is therefore absent in the spirit; He is here in the midst of us, listening to what is said of Him, seeing our thoughts, searching our hearts and souls; He is ready even now to present all of you, as you come forward for Baptism in the Holy Spirit, to the Father” (Catechetical Lectures 14).
Fifth, ascension means that we can simply be faithful with the gifts that Christ has given us and trust him with the results because he is building his Church and nothing can stop him. It is the ascension which assures us that the Spirit has truly been poured out and made the risen Christ present in our midst. It is the ascension which reminds us that Jesus now walks among the lampstands (Rev. 1:12–20). When I lose sight of this, I begin to think that I am alone in ministry, and that the success of our local church depends entirely on my effort, skill, and ingenuity. But when I remember, I am filled with profound peace: the Head of the Church is here, he’s in charge, and he has promised, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Mt. 16:18).
Ephesians 4:8 tells us that when Christ ascended, he gave gifts to the Church, to build up the body. The glory of Christ our ascended head benefits us because “through his Holy Spirit he pours out his gifts from heaven upon us his members” (Heidelberg Catechism, 51). We certainly have a role to play and need to be faithful with what we’ve been given. But we must never forget that we are ultimately instruments in the hands of the Heavenly Builder. We sow and water, but he gives the increase. “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Cor. 3:7).
Sixth and finally, the ascension means that we should fix our eyes on heavenly, not earthly things, and be conformed to our ascended Head instead of this corrupt world. In Colossians 3, Paul writes a lengthy section on holiness: putting to death “what is earthly in you” and putting on the virtues of Christlikeness. But this whole section is presented as a response to Christ’s resurrection and ascension:
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
“By the Spirit’s power we make the goal of our lives, not earthly things, but the things above where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand” (Heidelberg, 49). Regularly confessing and meditating on the doctrine of the ascension will increase our faith, hope, love, and reverence by drawing us towards unseen realities, assuring us of an eternal inheritance, stirring up our affections for heavenly things, and leading us to focus on Christ’s divine glory and not just his bodily presence (Aquinas, ST 3.57.1, 6). By increasing our awareness of what Christ is doing right now, we are better equipped to live rightly in this present age.
