As the One who passed through the process of creation, incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection, the Man-Savior with His wonderful status has been inaugurated into His heavenly office to execute God’s administration and to carry out God’s New Testament economy. Christ is now on the throne to administrate the entire universe. He is the unique Administrator, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. All the rulers of the earth are under Him. He is the Administrator to execute God’s administration and also to carry out God’s New Testament economy. His administrating is related to the universe, but His carrying out of God’s New Testament economy is to propagate Himself for His reproduction to build up the church, His Body, which will issue in the New Jerusalem. How wonderful!
What we have covered thus far is an introductory word concerning the Man-Savior’s ascension. Let us now go on to consider the objective aspect of Christ’s ascension.
In His ascension the Man-Savior was crowned with glory and honor. Hebrews 2:9 says, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little inferior to the angels because of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor.” Here glory and honor are considered a crown. Glory is the splendor related to Jesus’ person; honor is the preciousness related to Jesus’ worth (1 Pet. 2:7). Here we may also point out that the Lord’s dignity is related to His position (2 Pet. 1:17). As the ascended One crowned with glory and honor, Christ is in a state of gory and has a rank of honor.
It is always an honor for a person to have a high rank. For example, the principal of the school has a high rank, and that rank is his honor. But a janitor, on the contrary, does not have any rank or honor. Christ is glorious in state and honorable in rank. He is above all kings and rulers; his is His honor. He has received such a glory and has entered into such an honor. This glory and honor are the crown with which He has been crowned.
Another matter related to the objective aspect of Christ’s ascension is that He has been enthroned for God’s administration. Concerning this, Hebrews 12:2 says that Christ is now “seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” From this verse we may have the impression that next to the throne of God, at His right hand, is another throne. However, in the book of Revelation we see that it is only one throne of both God and Christ. In Revelation 3:21 the Lord says that He sat down with His Father on His throne. Furthermore, Revelation 22:1 speaks of “a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” Revelation 22:3 goes on to say of the holy city, New Jerusalem, that the “throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it.” Revelation 22:1 and 3 do not speak of thrones—one for God and another for the Lamb—but of the throne of God and of the Lamb. Hence, it is one throne for both God and the Lamb.
In what way are both God and Christ sitting on the one throne? Chapter twenty-one of Revelation is helpful in this matter. Verse 23 says, “The city has no need of the sun nor of the moon that they should shine in it, for the glory of God illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.” Here we see that the Lamb, Christ, as the lamp shines with God as the light to illumine the city with the glory of God, the expression of the divine light. Christ, the Lamb, is the lamp, and God is the light within the lamp. Because the light is in the lamp, the light cannot be separated from the lamp. We can see from this how both God and Christ are sitting on one throne. Just as the light is in the lamp, so God is in Christ. Since God is in Christ sitting on the throne, both God and Christ sit on one throne in the heavens.
The fact that God in Christ is sitting on the throne means that God administrates the entire universe from within Christ and through Christ, just as the light shines from within the lamp and through the lamp. From this we can see that Christ is enthroned with God. God is on the throne, and this very God is in the enthroned Man-Savior. As we consider this we see that the enthronement of the Man-Savior involves the Divine Trinity.
Christ has been enthroned in His ascension. His ascension was for His enthronement. The Man-Savior, as the ascended One, has been crowned with glory and honor and has been enthroned for God’s administration.
The Man-Savior, in His ascension, has been made the Lord to possess all (Acts 2:36). He is now the Lord to possess the whole universe, God’s chosen people, and all positive things, matters, and persons. Christ is the Lord not only of God’s chosen people, but also of the angels and of all those who will be in the millennium and in the new heaven and the new earth. Therefore, He is the Lord of the heavens, the earth, and of everything and everyone He has redeemed. The Man-Savior was made the Lord of all to possess all.
Acts 2:36 reveals that in His ascension the Man-Savior was made not only the Lord but also the Christ. He was made the Christ as God’s anointed (Heb. 1:9) to carry out God’s commission.
In this message we have given an introductory word concerning the Man-Savior’s ascension, and have emphasized the objective aspect of His ascension. In the following message we shall see how we can experience His ascension. Then we shall go on to consider the subjective aspect of His ascension.