After the Lord died and resurrected for us, He ascended for us. His death solved our problems, His resurrection enabled us to obtain God’s life, and His ascension brought us into a heavenly position.
1. “Having ascended to the height, He led captive those taken captive” (Eph. 4:8).
In the original Greek the phrase rendered He led captivethose taken captive means that He led captive the vanquishing power of the enemy. On the cross the Lord Jesus destroyed Satan and his power, and in His ascension He vanquished Satan’s power to capture people. The Lord disarmed Satan, rendering him powerless to capture people.
2. “Seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all” (Eph. 1:20-21).
The ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ put Him far above all that is on the earth as well as all that is in the air, where Satan rules. The Lord Jesus is above everything, both on the earth and in the heavens. In both space and time, in this age and in the coming age, He is far above all. He is over everything that belongs to the dark power of Satan. All things are under His feet.
3. “Seated us together with Him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6).
In God’s salvation we died with Christ and were made alive with Christ; we were also seated with Him in the heavenlies. God placed us in Christ, uniting us with Him; thus, we died and resurrected with Christ and are seated with Him in the heavenlies. The Christ who is seated in the heavenlies also lives in us. We are joined to the heavens by Christ who is within us. This is similar to an electric lamp in a home being connected to a power plant because of the electricity within the lamp. It is as if the lamp is in the power plant. Because of the life of Christ within us, we are joined to the heavenly Christ and seated together with Him in the heavenlies. As He is above all, so also are we. The power of darkness is under Christ’s feet; therefore, it is also under our feet. Christ’s ascension enables us to partake of this heavenly position, far above every enemy. If we remain in this heavenly position, every enemy is under our feet.
4. “Your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:1-3).
The resurrection of Christ enables us to receive His life. Christ’s life is God’s life. We are joined to God with Christ in His life. We are in Christ, and Christ is in God; therefore, we are hidden with Christ in God. In God we are transcendent, above the earth; in God we rest and are kept.
5. “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God and having received...the Holy Spirit...He has poured out this” (Acts 2:33).
In His ascension the Lord Jesus led captive those taken captive, brought us into the heavenlies far above all, and poured out the Holy Spirit that we might be endued with the power of the Holy Spirit to testify for the Lord Jesus on the earth. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is a result of the ascension of the Lord Jesus; it also proves that He ascended. When we see the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is easy to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Lord’s death enables us to put off our old man, His resurrection enables us to obtain His life, and His ascension enables us to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
6. “Having ascended to the height, He...gave gifts to men” (Eph. 4:8).
When the Lord Jesus ascended to the height, He poured out the Holy Spirit in order to empower us to testify. The Lord also gave different gifts, causing us to receive grace to serve Him in the church. In His ascension He poured out the Holy Spirit and gave gifts. The Holy Spirit empowers us for the Lord’s testimony; the gifts equip us to serve the Lord and to build up the church. In order to serve Him, the Lord gave different gifts. This was accomplished in His ascension.
The Lord saved us so that we might serve Him. His death solved all our problems in order to free us from every kind of bondage. His resurrection imparted His life into us and made us alive together with Him. His ascension raised us far above Satan’s power of darkness, and He gave the Holy Spirit and gifts, enabling us to serve Him.