The Ascension and Enthronement of Christ Gives Us an Advocate with the Father, and Christ Now Applies the Blessings of Salvation Without the ascension of Christ, none of these benefits of the Spirit (of which many more could be listed) would be available to Christians. Even our future hope of glorification is tied to the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13–14). The Apostle Paul tells us that “ God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5), and all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God (Romans 8:14–16) and exhibit the fruits of the Spirit-love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). While the disciples of Jesus were certainly blessed by walking and talking with the Incarnate Christ, they and all Christians since have been blessed even more by the indwelling Holy Spirit, which was only given after Christ ascended. Peter even connected Jesus’ ascension and exaltation to the outpouring of the Spirit in Acts 2:33–35. The Spirit descended on the church in Jerusalem and filled the disciples with power, the gift of tongues, and boldness to preach in the name of Jesus-and that day, 3,000 men were converted by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:41). Jesus promised that the Spirit would be with them forever, bringing to remembrance all that Jesus said, and would guide them into all truth (John 14:16, 26, 16:13) And on the Day of Pentecost, ten days after Jesus’ ascension, that’s exactly what happened. Jesus himself had told his disciples that it was good for him to go away, because only then would he send them the Helper, the Spirit of truth (John 16:7–16). And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, 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.” (Acts 1:8–11) The Importance of Jesus’ Ascension: The Giving of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:3) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. (Luke 24:51–52) presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. (Mark 16:19) While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. Christ was speaking of his death, resurrection, and ascension, but they were so dumbstruck by his statements that they kept thinking he was going to go away on a journey and did not know why they couldn’t accompany him (John 13:36–37, 14:5, 16:17–18).įollowing the crucifixion and resurrection passages in the Gospels, Scripture subsequently records the ascension (and the length of time after the resurrection when it occurred) in the following passages: 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. The disciples did not understand Jesus’ repeated references of going away, and this left them sad and bewildered.
During the last supper (John 13–17) Jesus repeatedly told the 11 disciples (after Judas Iscariot had left to betray him) that he was going back to the Father.
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