Kingdom Come

After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high… (Hebrews 1:3b).

It’s Thursday, May 14. Happy Ascension Day!

I’m no prophet nor the son of a prophet (I even work for a non-profit organization), but I’m going to prophesy that 98% of my readers have no idea that today is one of the most important days of the Christian Year. Ascension Day always comes on a Thursday, exactly forty days after Easter and ten days before Pentecost. This year, it happens to fall on May 14. And many traditions call the Sunday that follows today Ascension Sunday (May 17 this year).

When it comes to the Church Year, we evangelicals remember the significance of Easter and Christmas. We tip our hats to Pentecost, Palm Sunday, and occasionally Epiphany. But somehow Ascension Day is not on our radar screens at all. Most of the churches we attend will not even mention it this Sunday, much less preach a sermon on it. The tragedy is that our ignorance of the day contributes to our unawareness of what it represents, because when the ascension is not an integral part of our faith, we distort the meaning of the gospel itself!

I grew up thinking that the ascension was a “Catholic thing”, in the same category as crucifixes, icons, and holy water. Although I knew the words of the Apostles Creed that said, “he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty”, no one helped me to understand what that meant. What’s worse, when I became a pastor, I perpetuated the ignorance I had been taught. In all my years in the pulpit, I don’t remember ever preaching on the ascension. Little wonder that some theologians call Ascension Day the neglected stepchild of the Christian Year.

What then is this day all about? I’m so glad you asked.

Ascension Day is meant to remind us of Jesus’ bodily ascent into heaven, where he sat down at the right hand of God (see Lk. 24:50-53; Ac. 1:9-11). It invites us to celebrate the coronation of Jesus as king over all creation. This is the day that helps us to understand the true meaning of the first creed of the church: Jesus is Lord! When we forget the ascension, we tend to understand the gospel as a private message of personal salvation rather than the bold, public proclamation that the world is under new management! If Jesus is Lord, then every president, king, prime minister, and ayatollah needs to be demoted! Theologian Thomas Oden summarizes the meaning of the ascension this way:

Ascension marked a decisive transition: it showed that the period of Christ’s resurrected bodily appearances had come to an end and that he had returned exalted to the Father to intercede, establish, and consummate his divine governance. His earthly mission is complete, his heavenly ministry had begun. (The Word of Life. Vol. 2. p. 504f.).

The ascension of Jesus means many things, but we can begin to understand its revolutionary significance in four simple statements:

Jesus is Lord.

The first Christians understood that the reign of King Jesus was not some vague promise for a distant future. No. It began the moment he ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God! They were convinced that all authority in heaven and on earth had already been given to him (see Matt. 28:18-19). He reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords today, now. Although the full manifestation of his kingdom awaits a future time, his reign has already begun. This explains Paul’s impassioned prayer that believers would “understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe” because Jesus is now seated at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms, “far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else – not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ….” (Eph. 1:19-22 NLT).

The Holy Spirit is poured out.

The gift of the Holy Spirit could be given only after Jesus ascended into heaven. Jesus made it clear that the Spirit can be poured out only when he is glorified (see Jn. 7:39). From that exalted place, he is able to pour out power and blessing on his disciples so that their hearts are sanctified and they are fully equipped with the gifts and graces that will enable them to continue the work that he has begun (see Jn. 16:7; Ac. 2:32-33).

We now have a really good lawyer.

In the throne room of heaven, one of the primary activities of King Jesus is to stand in the presence of God and intercede for us. He pleads with the Father to forgive our sins and to provide for our needs (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25; I Jn. 2:1). Charles Wesley captures the reality of Jesus’ role as our advocate in heaven in his great hymn Arise, My Soul Arise:

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.

The future is secure.

King Jesus will return to earth in the same way that he left: visibly, bodily, and in power and glory (see Ac. 1:9-11; Rev. 19:11-16). When he comes, he will heal every wound, wipe away every tear, and restore everything that has ever been lost. He will make all things new (see Matt. 19:28; Ac. 3:19-21; Rev. 21:4-5). This explains why Peter urges us to set our hope “fully on the grace that will be brought to [us] at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (I Pet. 1:13). Psychologists tell us that our past determines our present. The gospel thinks differently. It tells us that our future determines the present. When we know the future King Jesus has prepared for us, then we can live in joy, hope, and power today!

So, my friends, happy Ascension Day! Don’t let the day pass without pausing to reflect on what it represents. “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Lk. 12:32).

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