When Christ ascended, He was inaugurated into a number of great offices.
Not until His ascension was Christ officially inaugurated as the Christ. On the day of Pentecost Peter said, “God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). That verse used to bother me. Was He not Christ before His ascension? Yes, even in eternity He was Christ, but in eternity He was not anointed. It was at His baptism that He was anointed. However, He was not officially inaugurated as the Christ until His ascension. Christ has been not only chosen, appointed, and anointed by God, but also inaugurated by Him into His office. He has passed through the manger, the River Jordan, and the cross, and is now enthroned in the heavens as the Christ.
Everywhere in Christianity the cross can be seen. There are crosses of wood, gold, stone, or steel. Catholics often make the sign of the cross. They have a dead Christ. Their knowledge of Him is limited to the manger and the cross. Where is the symbol of the throne? Our Christ did not end with the crucifixion. He is enthroned! Even in our spirit, there is this throne. The One in our spirit is not lying in a manger nor hanging on the cross, but seated on the throne. It is this enthroned Christ we must experience.
Acts 2:36 also tells us that He was made Lord. Yes, He was Lord before His ascension, but again He was not inaugurated into this office. One of the Old Testament names for God is Lord (Heb., Adonai), meaning master. Christ in the Old Testament was Adonai. Then He became a man, a despised Nazarene. This very One was appointed Lord, even when He was on this earth. But it was not until His ascension that He was inaugurated into His lordship. When Peter said, “He is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36) in the house of Cornelius, he meant that He was Lord of all peoples—both Jews and Gentiles—and of all things. There is not only God but a Man on the throne today, who in His ascension was inaugurated as Lord of all!
“Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour” (Acts 5:31). The Greek word translated here as Prince is used only four times in the New Testament and always in reference to Christ (Acts 3:15; 5:31; Heb. 2:10, Captain; 12:2, Author). It has been translated a number of different ways in various versions, because there is no precise English equivalent to the Greek. The thought is that this One is the origin and the Originator, the Author, the Leader, and the Inaugurator. He is therefore above all, and spontaneously is the Ruler with authority.
Acts 3:15 calls Him the Prince of life. Here it seems better to translate Prince as Author, or Originator, of life. In Hebrews 2:10 this same word is translated Captain. Christ in ascension is the Captain of our salvation, leading us into glory where He has already entered as the Pioneer. Hebrews 12:2 calls Him the Author of faith. Again, the thought is included that He is the Originator, the Leader, or the Forerunner, of faith. To be our source of faith and to lead us in the pathway of faith are functions of the office into which He has been inaugurated!
How rich is this Christ in ascension! On earth He was so poor that He had to ask water of a Samaritan woman. Now the poverty of His earthly life is over. He has taken office as the origin and the Originator, the Ruler, the Author, the Leader, the Captain, the Pioneer, and the Forerunner! He is far above all. He is the first. All things and all power are in His hands.
When Christ was on earth, He saved Peter, John, and many others. However, although the title Savior is applied to Christ in His earthly ministry (John 4:42), He was not officially the Savior until His ascension (Acts 5:31). Do you realize that your salvation is more glorious than Peter’s? Peter was saved unofficially by the Carpenter from Nazareth. You were saved officially by Christ on the throne. I realize you think Peter was special to have been saved by Jesus by the seashore of Galilee, but you were saved by One in glory, One seated on the throne in the third heaven! Do not be envious of Peter! When he was saved, he followed Jesus in Galilee. When you were saved, you were seated with Him in the heavenlies (Eph. 2:6)! Christ has saved you from the throne and to the throne. This is your Savior!
We have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens (Heb. 4:14-15)! He is not just a priest, but a High Priest, “able to save to the uttermost those who come forward to God through Him, seeing He is always living to intercede for them” (Heb. 7:25). Christ appears before God on our behalf, praying for us that we may be saved and brought fully into God’s eternal purpose. As verse 26 says, He is not only in heaven but “higher than the heavens.”
In Hebrews 8:2 Christ is called “a Minister of the holy places, even of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.” He is the enthroned Servant, ministering to us from the heavens.
This is a great title. Lazarus was resurrected from the dead (John 11:43-44), but his resurrection was only temporary. Later on he died. With the Lord’s resurrection, however, death is over. He will live forever. Thus He is truly the Firstborn of the dead (Rev. 1:5).
He is also called in Revelation 1:5 the Ruler of the kings of the earth. “Ruler” here is a slightly different word than the title we referred to in Acts 3:15. It is common to call Jesus the King of kings, but to call Him the Ruler of kings is to say that He is far above the earthly rulers.
When Christ was raised from among the dead, God “subjected all things under His feet, and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church” (Eph. 1:22).
These are some of the offices into which Christ was inaugurated in His ascension.