Chapter 28: His Ascension

The story of the Son does not end at the empty tomb. There is one more movement to the great symphony of His work: He returned to the glory from which He had come. And, remarkably, Jesus had told His disciples this would happen long before it did.

Ascending Where He Was Before

Once, while teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum that He is the bread of life—and that whoever eats of that bread will live forever—many were offended, including some of His own disciples. Knowing they were murmuring, Jesus asked them a piercing question:

What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? (John 6:62).

In effect He was saying: if the thought of My being the bread of life offends you, how will you bear to see Me ascend back to where I came from? It was a plain declaration: I am from above, and I will be returning above. He had come down from heaven; He would go back to heaven. And after His resurrection, the appointed time came for exactly that, just as He had foretold:

• “And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:51).

• “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9).

He was carried up, and a cloud—the same cloud of glory that had filled the tabernacle and the temple, the visible sign of God’s presence—received Him out of their sight. The One who had veiled His glory in flesh now returned, in that same body, to the throne of heaven, and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrews 1:3). His work of redemption was finished, and He took His seat as King.²⁹⁶

He Led Captivity Captive and Gave Gifts

Remember that when Jesus died, the graves of certain saints were opened, but they did not rise until after His own resurrection, for He is the firstfruits (Matthew 27:52–53). Though Scripture does not state it in so many words, many believe that when Christ ascended, He took those risen saints up with Him—a first company of the redeemed, brought home in His train. Certainly the Scriptures declare that in ascending He “led captivity captive” and “gave gifts unto men”:

• “Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them” (Psalm 68:18).

• “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men” (Ephesians 4:8).

“He led captivity captive”—He took prisoner the very powers that had held us captive; death and the grave, sin and Satan, were led in His triumphal train. And from His place of victory, the ascended Christ poured out gifts upon His church—above all the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:33), and then gifted people to build up His body (Ephesians 4:11–12). The King, enthroned, enriches His people.²⁹⁸

He Will Come Again

Before He suffered, Jesus had comforted His disciples with a promise—that His going was for their good, because He went to prepare a place for them, and He would come again to bring them there:

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also (John 14:3).

When He came the first time, He came in humility—born of a virgin, the promised seed of the woman, laid in a manger. But when He comes the second time to gather His own, He will come in glory—and, the Scripture says, in exactly the same manner in which He departed. The two angels at the ascension made the promise sure:

Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven (Acts 1:11).

“This same Jesus… shall so come in like manner.” The same Jesus—not another; in like manner—visibly, bodily, on the clouds of heaven. He went up, and He will come down. The story is not finished; the best is yet to come.

Are You Ready?

He is coming back, and coming soon. It has been about two thousand years since He ascended—but what is that to God? “One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). By that reckoning, barely two days have passed since He went away. The morning of His return is almost here.

And so this part of the book closes not with a full stop but with a question—the most important question you will ever answer. Are you ready to meet Him? Are you a son or daughter of God?

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12).

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house (Acts 16:31).

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).

If you want to be born again and to receive Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour of your life, do not put it off. Turn now to Part XIII of this book, pray out loud the prayer written there, and follow the instructions given. The One who came down the whole distance to reach you—who lived, and suffered, and died, and rose, and ascended for you—is waiting, with the keys of death in His hand and a Father’s welcome in His heart. Come home.