Acts 1:9-11, Hebrews 7:25, Philippians 2:9
The Neglected Event
Christmas and Easter receive full liturgical and popular attention. The ascension — forty days after Easter, when Jesus was "lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9) — is largely forgotten. Many Christians would struggle to explain what it means or why it matters.
This is a significant loss. The ascension is not a footnote to the resurrection — it is its necessary completion and the ground of several essential Christian convictions.
What the Ascension Is
The ascension was the visible, bodily departure of the risen Jesus from earth to the presence of the Father. It was not a disappearance — it was a going to a specific place: "the right hand of God" (Mark 16:19), "the throne of grace" (Hebrews 4:16), "the sanctuary" of the true tabernacle (Hebrews 8:2).
Jesus did not return to some disembodied spiritual state — He ascended in His resurrection body. The incarnation is permanent. The Son of God remains, now and forever, the God-man.
What the Ascension Accomplishes
The enthronement of the King. The ascension is the installation of the risen Christ as Lord and King over all creation. "God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name." (Philippians 2:9). The resurrection proved He was alive; the ascension established His reign.
The sending of the Spirit. Jesus told His disciples it was to their advantage that He go away — "for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you." (John 16:7). The ascension was the precondition for Pentecost. The exalted Christ poured out the Spirit (Acts 2:33).
The intercession of the High Priest. "He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:25). The ascended Christ is not inactive — He is perpetually interceding for His people at the right hand of the Father. Every prayer a believer offers is supported by the Son's intercession.
The guarantee of return. The angels' promise at the ascension: "This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11). The ascension points forward to the second coming.