It continues to be noteworthy that the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ receives less attention than the birth and resurrection in the celebration of the highlights of salvation.  We are used to a somewhat poorly attended church service on Ascension Day and there are few voices that argue that we should hold two church services on this day.  It appears that, according to the understanding of many Christians, there is much less to celebrate in the ascension of our Saviour than at his birth or resurrection.

However, one who lets Scripture speak must come to the conclusion that on this point, people are very mistaken.  The New Testament lets us see, in a way that we can not fail to recognize, the progression in the mighty works of our God.  The events of Christmas and of Easter are great and glorious, but the ascension is more important.  Paul writes in Romans 8:34, “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.”  The words, “more than that” say very much.  With this, the apostle underlines the progression in the work of our Mediator.  The Ascension is greater, in comparison to Golgotha and Easter.  We may even say that in Christ’s death and resurrection, the main point was actually his ascension.  Our Saviour had to suffer and rise from the dead in order to be able to go to heaven.  It was indeed a magnificent highlight when he ascended from the Mount of Olives and entered God’s heavenly palace as Conqueror.

The ’superiority’ of the ascension is proclaimed to us, especially in the letter to the Hebrews.  In chapter 8, the author says that the gospel of the ascension is “the point in what we are saying," the nucleus of his preaching.  He summarizes this gospel very concisely when he writes: “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)  With the words “such a high priest," the writer reminds us of what he said before about the priesthood of Christ.  In chapter 7, he sharply contrasts the Levitical priesthood with that of Christ.  The former could not bring perfection, the one sinful priest succeeded the next.  Blood was offered, but it was the blood of bulls and male goats, which could not possibly take away sin (Hebrews 10:4).  Moreover, this whole service of reconciliation took place in the earthly temple, but did not reach up to the heavenly temple.  True reconciliation and eternal redemption could therefore not be brought about by Aaron and his sons.

Over against this faulty administration of the priestly office, the writer announces the glory of the priesthood of Christ.  What Aaron and his sons could not bring about, Christ, as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek, accomplished.  He brought the great offering for sins, by which he earned everlasting redemption (Hebrews 9:26).  And, not only that, but he also entered the heavenly sanctuary with that offering, to appear with his blood before God (Hebrews 9:12, 24).  The phrasing used by the writer of the letter to the Hebrews reminds us of the liturgy of the Great Day of Atonement.  First the offering was brought in the court of the temple.  Then the high priest appeared with the blood of the goat in the Holy of Holies before the face of God.

In light of this liturgy of the Great Day of Atonement, we understand better the meaning of Christ’s ascension to heaven.  Something must still follow the ceremony of offering on Golgotha.  Our great High Priest must still bring his blood into the heavenly sanctuary; the fruit of his offering must be brought and presented to the Father, personally.

When we hold this thought in our minds, we understand how full of the gospel these first words of Hebrews 8 are.  After he appeared before the Father with his offering, our great High Priest was allowed to seat himself in the presence of the Holy God.  The Levitical priests always stood in the Holy of Holies.  They did not dare to seat themselves.  But our Saviour received permission to seat himself at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven.  That is indeed the full gospel, the joyful message.  It means no less than this:  the Father accepts the offering, judges it good for all time, gives it his Godly approval.  We may know that everything is truly accomplished.  There is forgiveness, there is release from bondage, for our great High Priest received approval to seat himself at God’s right hand.  The cleansing from our sin is a fact for eternity  (Hebrews 10:11-12).

But there is more.  The writer announces to us, not only the seating of our great High Priest; he also draws our attention to the place where Christ, upon his ascension, was allowed to sit, at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven.  In the East, in ancient history, the viceroy sat at the right hand of the reigning monarch.  This position highlighted his high office; he shared in the king’s power.  This seating of our Saviour at the right hand of God’s glorious throne speaks in the same way, that is of his kingly worthiness.  When he enters heaven, he receives unimaginable glory;  he may seat himself at God’s right hand;  he becomes the Executor of God’s counsel;  he receives all power in heaven and on earth (Revelation 5:6-7).  That once again shows what an exceptional priest Christ is, a priest who is at the same time also King.

Under the Old covenant, the offices of king and priest were sharply divided.  When Uzziah, king of Judah, took upon himself the task of the priest, he was struck with leprosy (2 Chronicles 26:16-21). There was only one priest who, with God’s approval, was also a King, Melchizedek, the priest-king of Salem.  This Melchizedek was, in the union of priesthood and kingship, a living prophecy of the Christ.

That which was allowed to be one with Melchizedek, was also one with our Saviour.  As Priest, he was allowed to seat himself at the right side of God’s exalted throne.  As Priest, he received kingly power and authority.  We may say that it was his obedience as Priest that opened the way to the throne for him.  The writer accents this in chapter 10, when he says, “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” (Hebrews 10:12)  Our Saviour could not just receive kingly worthiness apart from his earthly obedience and crucifixion.  It was a terrible temptation, when the devil tried, in his own way, to bring Christ to power over the whole world.  Scripture clearly proclaimed that the Christ first must suffer, in order to be able to enter into his glory.  Only after the cleansing from sin was brought about would he be able to seat himself at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:3)

Well, now, when the great offer on Golgotha has been accomplished, then the ascension can follow.  The evangelist, Mark, writes: “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).  Christ’s entrance into the holiness of heaven becomes his ascension to the throne at the same time.  He may seat himself at God’s right hand.  Now he reigns from God’s own throne.

But, let us not forget: The King is the Priest!  He carries his dearly bought people on his heart.  The hand that reigns is the hand of the Priest, the hand of him who has said, My sheep will certainly not be lost, and no one will pluck them out of my hand (John 10:27-30).  John was allowed to see this Priest-King when he was on the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:12).  This revelation dominates all that John was allowed to see after this.  That says much!  Terrible things are going to happen, but the Priest-King stands guard over the lampstands.  Christ’s church may live out of the gospel of the ascension: the great Priest is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.  Yet the author of the letter to the Hebrews is still not finished with proclaiming ‘the greater event’ of the ascension to us.  He yet adds to what he has taught us, that our high Priest, who is full of glory, fulfills his office in heaven’s sanctuary.  The Saviour is not yet finished with his priestly task.  Seated at the right hand of God, he continues to fulfill his office as priest.  No, there is no offering in heaven.  The great offering was made once, for all time.  Yet, because of that offering, a new work as priest can now be done, the work of intercession for his people.

The letter to the Hebrews speaks repeatedly about this intercession. (Hebrews 4:15-16; Hebrews 7:25) In this intercession the writer sees Christ’s priesthood come to a high point.  Christ can completely keep all who go to God through him, because he always lives to plead for them!  Oh, the Levitical priests also prayed.  In the Holy Place, they were required to intercede for Israel.  But their service in prayer remained incomplete.  The debt was not paid.  They prayed in a tent, set up by man around the place where God set his throne.  They could not appear in God’s heavenly holy place.

The great High Priest has also brought the complete service in prayer.  He carries out his service of prayer in the true tabernacle, in God’s heavenly palace.  He prays and intercedes in God’s holy presence–even seated at the right hand of God!

This is the service of prayer that we must think about when the writer speaks about ‘the service’ which our High Priest ‘performs’ in heaven.  Ascension to heaven indeed means tremendous progress: we now have an Advocate with the Father, a Priest, who prays for us in God’s holy presence.  A. Kuyper has called the advocacy of Christ an unjustly neglected part of Christology.  He is correct to some degree.  When we speak about the work of our Saviour, we all too easily forget the service that he now performs in the true tabernacle.  In the time of the Reformation, Article 26 of our Belgic Confession shows that Christ’s intercession stood in the foreground.  I believe that this is totally Scriptural.  The intercession of Christ is not an add-on, but is a high point of his work as Mediator.  Hebrews 7:25 says that he is able to save us, because he always lives in order to plead for us.  And the progression that Paul preaches in Romans 8:34 concludes, “who indeed is interceding for us.” 

The gospel of the ascension proclaims to us that we now have an advocate with the Father, an advocate who can plead for us because he can sympathize with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15).  The Greek language uses a strong word that literally means ‘suffer with us’.  Our Advocate suffers with us, stands beside us in all that the devil does to us.  He was tempted in the same way as we are, but without sinning.  Therefore he can plead for us so well: He knows our struggles;  he knows our weaknesses.

Our dearly bought life is safely guarded in the mediation of our High Priest.  This is the basis of Paul’s glowing assurance in Romans 8 that nothing can separate us from the love of God!

Whoever sees the fact of ascension as inferior to the birth and resurrection of Christ has not acknowledged the triumphal progress in the mighty works of our God.  Scripture very clearly declares the ‘greater act’ of the ascension:  Christ entered the heavenly sanctuary with his blood, he received kingly glory, and he began his advocacy with the Father.  It was ‘better’ for us that he ascended to heaven (John 16:7)  For ascension opened the way to come to a richer, more effective way to be with us until Christ’s return at the end of the age.