He Ascended Into Heaven: The Ascension and Session of Christ
He Ascended Into Heaven
The Ascension and Session of Christ
7 minute read
The Statement of Faith
We believe that after His resurrection, Jesus Christ ascended bodily into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. His ascension marks His enthronement as King over all creation and the beginning of His ongoing ministry as our High Priest and Advocate. From heaven, He rules the universe, intercedes for His people, and prepares a place for our eternal dwelling. He remains fully God and fully human forever.
How Did We Get Here?
The ascension is the neglected doctrine of Christianity.
We celebrate the incarnation at Christmas. We commemorate the cross on Good Friday. We rejoice in the resurrection at Easter. But Ascension Day? Most Christians couldn't tell you when it falls or why it matters.
Yet without the ascension, the story is incomplete. The resurrection isn't the end—it's the beginning of a new phase. Jesus didn't simply rise and then hang around indefinitely. He rose, appeared to His disciples for forty days, and then ascended to the Father. He went somewhere. He's doing something. And what He's doing matters immensely for how we live today.
The ascension tells us where Jesus is now—at the Father's right hand, reigning as King and interceding as Priest. It tells us where we're headed—the place He's preparing. And it tells us how we live in the meantime—empowered by the Spirit He sent when He ascended.
What the Bible Says
The Ascension Happened
"After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.'"
— Acts 1:9-11
Luke describes a visible, physical departure. The disciples watched Him go. A cloud received Him—likely the glory cloud of God's presence. And angels promised He would return the same way. This isn't a metaphor; it's an event.
"When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven."
— Luke 24:50-51
His last earthly act was blessing His disciples. Hands lifted. Words of benediction. And then He was gone—taken into the dimension of God's immediate presence.
He Is Seated at the Father's Right Hand
"After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God."
— Mark 16:19
The "right hand" isn't a physical location (God is spirit) but a position of authority and honor. In ancient courts, the seat at the king's right hand was reserved for the co-regent, the one who shared the king's power. Jesus now occupies that position—ruling with the Father over all creation.
"God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church."
— Ephesians 1:22
Everything is under His feet. Every power, every authority, every ruler—all are subordinate to the ascended Christ. And He exercises this rule "for the church"—His cosmic authority serves our good.
"The LORD says to my lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'"
— Psalm 110:1
This is the most quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament. David's Lord (the Messiah) sits at YHWH's right hand—a position of honor and authority while enemies are being subdued. Jesus cited this psalm to show that the Messiah is more than David's descendant; He's David's Lord (Matthew 22:44).
He Intercedes for Us
"Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us."
— Romans 8:34
Right now, Jesus is interceding for you. When accusations come—from the enemy, from your conscience, from the world—Jesus speaks on your behalf. His wounds are your argument. His righteousness is your defense.
"Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."
— Hebrews 7:25
"He always lives to intercede." This is His ongoing ministry. The cross was a moment; intercession is continuous. Every moment of your life, Jesus is advocating for you before the Father.
He Sent the Spirit
"Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear."
— Acts 2:33
The ascension and Pentecost are connected. Jesus had to go so the Spirit could come. "Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you" (John 16:7). The Spirit is the gift of the ascended Christ—proof that He reached the Father and received all authority.
He Is Preparing a Place
"My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
— John 14:2-3
Jesus didn't just leave; He went ahead. He's preparing our eternal home. And He's coming back to bring us there. The ascension is not abandonment; it's advance work.
How It Fits the Full Narrative
The ascension fulfills the Son of Man prophecy. Daniel 7:13-14 describes "one like a son of man" coming on clouds to the Ancient of Days and receiving dominion, glory, and an everlasting kingdom. Jesus called Himself the Son of Man repeatedly. The ascension is when He approached the Father and received the kingdom.
The ascension completes the exaltation of Christ. Philippians 2:9-11 describes God exalting Jesus to the highest place. The resurrection began that exaltation; the ascension completed it. He descended to the lowest point (death on a cross); He ascended to the highest point (the Father's right hand).
The ascension enables the mission. "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:8). The Spirit's coming, made possible by the ascension, empowers the church's mission. We're not on our own; the ascended King is equipping His people through His Spirit.
The ascension guarantees the return. "This same Jesus... will come back in the same way" (Acts 1:11). The ascension isn't the end of the story; it's the intermission. He went visibly; He'll return visibly. The same Jesus—scarred hands, glorified body—will descend as He ascended.
Jesus remains human forever. The one seated at the Father's right hand is not merely divine. He is the God-man. "There is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). Right now, humanity is represented at the throne of the universe. God will never be without a human nature again.
Why This Matters
Jesus is in charge. Not Satan. Not politicians. Not cultural trends. Not our fears. Jesus has "all authority in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18). The world feels chaotic, but there's a throne, and it's occupied. We can have peace in troubled times because our King is reigning.
We have an advocate. When you fail—and you will—you don't face condemnation alone. Your High Priest is pleading your case. "If anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One" (1 John 2:1). Run to Him, not from Him.
We have access to power. The same Spirit who raised Jesus and who empowered Jesus' ministry is available to us. The ascension unlocked that gift. We're not trying to live the Christian life in our own strength; the Spirit of the ascended Christ is with us.
Our humanity is honored. A human being sits on the throne of the universe. That says something profound about human dignity, about the body, about our future. We matter to God—not just our souls, but our whole embodied existence.
We have a future. He's preparing a place. This life is not all there is. The separation is temporary. "I will come back and take you to be with me." The ascension points forward to reunion.
How to Communicate This
Recover the doctrine. Most Christians have neglected the ascension. Teach it. Preach it. Celebrate Ascension Day. Help people understand that Jesus' story didn't end at the resurrection—it continues at the Father's right hand.
Emphasize His present activity. Jesus isn't passive, waiting for the end. He's active: reigning, interceding, pouring out the Spirit, building His church. Help people understand what Jesus is doing right now.
Connect to daily confidence. When fear comes, when accusation comes, when circumstances feel out of control—point to the throne. "Jesus is Lord" isn't just a theological statement; it's a daily anchor. He's in charge; we can trust Him.
Point forward to the return. The ascension creates anticipation. The angels' message wasn't "He's gone forever" but "He'll come back the same way." We live between ascension and return—and both shape how we live now.
Defending Against Critics
Objection: "The ascension is primitive cosmology—Jesus flying into the sky toward a heaven 'up there.'"
Response: The ascension wasn't primarily about physical direction but about transition to a different mode of existence. "Heaven" in Scripture isn't a location in outer space but the dimension of God's immediate presence. Jesus visibly departed to make clear that He was entering God's presence to reign. The "going up" is a visible sign of exaltation—a fitting symbol that doesn't require a three-tiered universe.
Objection: "If Jesus is sitting at God's right hand, how can He also be 'with us always'?" (Matthew 28:20)
Response: Jesus is present with us through the Holy Spirit. "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:18)—and He did, through the Spirit. The ascension didn't end His presence; it transformed it. He's no longer limited to one location; through the Spirit, He's with all His people everywhere simultaneously.
Objection: "The disciples just imagined the ascension to cope with Jesus being gone."
Response: The disciples had already seen the risen Jesus for 40 days. They weren't coping with loss—they were celebrating resurrection. The ascension wasn't a consolation prize; it was the next chapter. They were told to wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit's coming—which happened at Pentecost. The ascension fits a coherent narrative that continues into Acts.
Objection: "Why does Jesus need to intercede if God already loves us?"
Response: Intercession doesn't change the Father's disposition toward us—He already loves us. But it demonstrates our ongoing need for representation and the completeness of Christ's mediatorial work. The Father delights to hear the Son; the Son delights to speak for us. Intercession is the outworking of the Trinity's unified work in salvation, not a negotiation between reluctant parties.
Going Deeper
Key passages to study:
- Psalm 110 – Sit at my right hand
- Daniel 7:13-14 – The Son of Man receives the kingdom
- Luke 24:50-53 – The ascension in Luke
- Acts 1:1-11 – The ascension in Acts
- Acts 2:32-36 – Peter's Pentecost sermon on the exalted Christ
- Ephesians 1:19-23 – Seated far above all rule and authority
- Hebrews 1:1-4 – Sat down at the right hand of the Majesty
- Hebrews 4:14-16 – Our great High Priest
- Hebrews 7:23-28 – He always lives to intercede
Questions for reflection:
- How often do I think about what Jesus is doing right now at the Father's right hand?
- How does knowing Jesus intercedes for me affect how I approach God when I've failed?
- How should the truth that "Jesus is Lord" shape my response to fear and uncertainty?