What is the significance of the Ascension?
Today, it seems that evangelical protestant theology has largely neglected the doctrine of Christ’s ascension. After all, the actual passages that speak of the resurrected Christ leaving earth to return to heaven in glory are few and short on details (Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:9-11, Mark 16:19).
Essentially, the gospel writers simply tell us, quite matter of factly, that Jesus was taken up to heaven in the clouds. And that’s about all the detail they give.
But we would be mistaken if we thought that this was all the Bible had to say about the ascension of Jesus Christ or that this lack of detail concerning Christ’s departure from earth means that this event is insignificant. In fact, Christ’s ascension is the climax of His saving work on our behalf and is a watershed moment in redemptive history and the unfolding of God’s plan for all of time. G.K. Beale has noted that Christ’s resurrection and ascension are “distinct…but are part of the one concept of Christ’s exaltation.”¹
There are at least three benefits and consequences of Christ’s ascension that we will examine in this article: Christ’s exaltation and enthronement as King, Christ’s work as Priest, and Christ’s reception and subsequent pouring out of the Spirit upon His church.
Christ’s Enthronement
The ascension of Jesus Christ was the event of His enthronement as King over all creation in direct fulfillment of multiple Old Testament prophecies and promises.
We see this in Mark’s conclusion to His gospel: “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.” (Mark 16:19, ESV)²
This concept of sitting down at God’s right hand harkens back to the Old Testament expectation that the Messiah would be enthroned as King over all the nations. We find this expectation in the following passages:
- “The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.” (Psalm 110:1, ESV)
- “I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” (Psalm 2:7-9, ESV)
- “You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,” (Psalm 8:6, ESV)
- “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14, ESV)
The last passage, from Daniel, is a reference to the ascension. This is clear because the “one like a son of man” is coming to the Ancient of Days and receiving dominion and a kingdom. This is not the language of Christ’s return to earth, but instead, his return to heaven. This is further confirmed by the way that Jesus uses this passage during His earthly ministry. Jesus tells Caiaphas, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matt. 26:64, ESV) This is something that Caiaphas will “see”, although not literally. Jesus’ point is not that Caiaphas will look up into sky and see the Son of Man receiving dominion but rather that the outworking of this enthronement on earth will be witnessed imminently by Caiaphas and “that generation” (cf. Matt. 24:34). Therefore, this is not a reference to Christ returning to earth on the clouds of heaven but it is a matter of Christ using familiar Old Testament language to refer to His ascension and imminent enthronement as the King of all kings.
That these OT promises and expectations for the Messiah’s enthronement were fulfilled as Christ’s ascension is clear from the overwhelming evidence across the New Testament:
- Peter considers the prophetic promise of Psalm 110:1 to be fulfilled in the ascension of Christ (see Acts 2:34-36).
- Paul declares the fulfillment of the Messiah’s enthronement in Christ’s ascension in Ephesians 1:20-22.
- Paul also sees the prophecy of Psalm 110:1 beginning fulfillment with Christ’s ascension in 1 Corinthians 15:24-25.
- The author of Hebrews alludes to the fulfillment of Psalm 110:1 in Christ’s ascension in Hebrews 12:2.
- Peter writes of Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13-14 as fulfilled in Christ’s ascension in 1 Peter 3:22.
- Revelation 5 describes the ascent of the Lamb “as though it had been slain” to receive dominion and glory (fulfilling Daniel 7:13-14) by breaking the seal and opening the scroll of God’s decree of redemption and judgment in the last days.³
In fact, these verses that refer to the fulfillment of these OT passages in Christ’s ascension are just the ones having to do with His reign as king specifically! More could be added, as we will see below, that have to do with His work as Priest.
Therefore, that Psalm 110:1 is fulfilled in Christ’s resurrection and, more specifically, His ascension, is one of the most confidently confirmed interpretations we can have when regarding Scripture’s use of Scripture. This is due to the overwhelming quantity and quality of evidence, given by the New Testament writers, that is is the case.
What does this mean for us?
Well, if passages like Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13-14 are fulfilled in Christ’s ascension then it stands to reason that Christ has received dominion over all creation. Of course, it is not as if the Triune God has ever not exercised sovereignty over all creation. But the ascension of Christ is an unique redemptive-historical event whereby Christ Jesus, the God-Man, receives such dominion. Jesus Christ, this very moment, stands as a man in heaven, ruling creation.
This reign of Christ is further fulfillment of indirect OT expectations. For example, God granted (and tasked) Adam with dominion over creation. In this, Adam failed. But Christ’s ascension to the everlasting dominion of Daniel 7:14 is a fulfillment of this original dominion mandate by the “Last Adam”.
We also have a part to play in this. The Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20 is to Christ as the Last Adam as the dominion mandate of Genesis 1:28 is to the first Adam. Adam and his wife were tasked with subduing the earth for God’s glory and spreading the presence of God across the earth.⁴ Likewise, Christ and His bride (the Church) are on a mission to subdue the nations and spread the presence of God across the earth (Matt. 28:18-20). Notice that Christ prefaces His great commission with these words: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me...” (Matt. 28:18)
We are called to spread the gospel throughout the nations, discipling the nations, baptizing them, and teaching them to do all that Christ commanded and we do this alongside Christ (Matt. 28:20b). This is just one point of application that we can draw from Christ’s enthronement and ascension.
Christ’s Priestly Work
But we would stop ourselves short if we understood the ascension only in the context of Christ’ office as King. He is also our great High Priest and His priestly work is tied up intimately with His ascension.
We see this most clearly in the book of Hebrews. We are told in Hebrews 4:14 that Christ Jesus is our great high priest “who “who has passed through the heavens” and opened up our way to the throne of God to find mercy and grace in our need (v. 16). This alludes back to the process by which Israel’s sin was atoned for during the Day of Atonement, described in Leviticus 16. It is through Christ’s work as a priest “after the order of Melchizedek” that “we draw near to God” (Heb. 7:19). The author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 110:4 in its reference to the priest after the order of Melchizedek. The psalmist writes,
“The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind,
“You are a priest forever
after the order of Melchizedek.”
(Psalm 110:4, ESV)
Notice that this appears in the exact same psalm as the prophecy of the Messiah’s enthronement (v. 1). Furthermore, these two prophecies of Christ are separated by only two verses in a psalm that consists of only seven total!
As we read through chapter 7 of Hebrews and into chapter 8, we see that Christ’s ascension was integral to the execution of His priestly work: “Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.” (Hebrews 8:1-2, ESV) Christ Jesus is here described as “seated at the right hand of the throne…in heaven”, undoubtedly a reference to His ascension. And we are told that He is now a “minister in the…true tent that the Lord set up”. This is a reference to the heavenly tabernacle as Hebrews 8:5 makes clear.
The author of Hebrews furthers his case in the beginning of chapter 9 by once again pointing out that the earthly tabernacle and temple was structured in such a way to symbolize that the way to God was closed and only accessible by the shedding of blood, once a year, by one man (Heb. 9:6-9). Then the author makes a glorious claim about Christ’s priesthood in relation to His ascension:
“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 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.” (Hebrews 9:11-12, ESV)
First, we note that Christ is described as a “high priest”, fulfilling the office of which the Levitical high priest of the old covenant was a type and shadow.
Second, we note that He entered once for all into the holy places of heaven. That these are the heavenly holy places is clear from the fact that they are contrasted in verse 11 with the earthly tabernacle/temple which was made with hands. Instead, He enters into the “greater and more perfect tent” which is not of the old creation. Upon the death and resurrection of Jesus, the new creation was inaugurated and the Jerusalem temple immediately became “obsolete” and belonged to the old creation. Jesus did not enter the earthly temple’s holy places to make atonement for sin. He did so in heaven, armed not with the blood of earthly animals (which cannot take away sin, cf. Heb. 10:4), but with His own blood. This obtained a perfect and eternal redemption.
But the author of Hebrews does not stop there and nor shall we. He goes on to say, “For 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.” (Heb. 9:24, ESV) Christ Jesus ascended into heaven to “appear in the presence of God on our behalf” by working eternal redemption through His own blood, making a way to God’s throne, not in an earthly tabernacle but in the true heavenly tabernacle of which the earthly one was only a type and shadow.
Ultimately, the earthly tabernacle/temple was typological of Christ’s own body (John 2:19, Heb. 10:20). The ascension is explicitly addressed again in Hebrews 10:12-13. The author of Hebrews writes, “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.” (Heb. 10:12-13, ESV) Here again, we see Psalm 110 language. Furthermore, the emphasis on “sitting at the right hand of God” highlights the finality of Christ’s priestly work in contrast to the necessity of ongoing sacrifices by the earthly priests (see 10:11).
So, in this brief expositional overview of Hebrews we see that Christ’s priestly work was finalized at His ascension. He ascended to the heavens to make atonement for us and to make intercession for His people. These are priestly tasks which the resurrected Christ does in the context of His ascension specifically.
What are we to take and apply from this? There are three things which the author of Hebrews exhorts us to do in response to this finished priestly work of the ascended Christ.
- We are to draw near to God with a heart fully assured of our standing before Him because of Christ’s work on our behalf. “let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:22, ESV)
- We are to have confident hope in God’s faithfulness, secured by Christ’s perfect priestly work. “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23, ESV
- We are to stir one another up in our own faithfulness to Christ, much in light of the above two realities. Also, this is in light of the great price that this redemption cost and the impossibility of finding any other redemption anywhere else. “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,” (Hebrews 10:24, ESV)
Christ’s Gift of the Spirit
Finally, we want to examine Christ’s ascension in relation to the descent of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus promises to send the Spirit when He ascends to His Father.
“Nevertheless, 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.” (John 16:7, ESV)
Immediately before His ascension, Christ tells His disciples to “stay in the city [of Jerusalem] until you are clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49, ESV, cf. Acts 1:4) Indeed, the disciples obediently wait in Jerusalem and the day of Pentecost arrives. The Spirit is poured out upon God’s people and fills the new temple of Christ’s body.
In Peter’s sermon explaining this event he expresses how the descent of the Spirit and the ascension of Christ are related.
“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.” (Acts 2:33, ESV)
It is at this exaltation to the right hand of the Father that Jesus Christ pours out the promise of the Holy Spirit on His people. Furthermore, we read in Ephesians 4:7-11 about the victorious ascension and triumph of Christ in His conquest of the powers of darkness. Paul modifies Psalm 68:18 to say that in His victorious ascent (Christ’s resurrection and ascension are probably both in view), Jesus “gave gifts to men”. The nature of these gifts are explained in v. 11: He “gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers”. And when we cross-reference with 1 Corinthians 12 we realize that these gifts are gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:7).
Therefore, Christ’s ascension leads to the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost and the pouring out of Spiritual gifts upon the church to “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,” (Eph. 4:12, ESV).
Conclusion
In this article we’ve examined three aspects of Christ Jesus’ ascension. Far from being a footnote in redemptive history, this event is the climax of Christ’s work on behalf of His people. In His ascension Jesus takes His place as the Sovereign over all creation, fulfilling the prophecy of Psalm 110:1. He completes His priestly work by securing eternal redemption for His people through His blood in the heavenly holy place. And He receives the promise of the Spirit from the Father and subsequently pours out the Spirit on His people.
In this way, the ascension is an integral and significant aspect of the work of Christ.
Footnotes
¹ G.K. Beale, Union with the Resurrected Christ, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2023), p. 8.
² I understand that there are textual questions and debates surrounding the authenticity of the end of Mark. Those questions are beyond the scope of this article and currently beyond the scope of my study. As we shall see throughout the rest of this article however, this is not the only location in Scripture where this language or concept occur. So regardless of the textual concerns of Mark 16, we can be sure that Christ indeed did “sit down at the right hand of God” upon His ascension.
³ For defense of this view of the scroll, with slight variations, see Douglas Wilson, When the Man Comes Around; G.K. Beale, Revelation: A Shorter Commentary; William Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors.
⁴ See G.K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission, for a book-length defense of this thesis.