In the Lord’s ascension and exaltation to the highest, He was given a name that is above all names, a name to which every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess. The name is Jesus. Some may argue that the name Jesus was given to Him at the time of His birth. Why at His ascension is He given the same name, the name to which every knee should bow and every tongue should confess? Again, the name given to Him at His birth was not so official. At His ascension, the name Jesus was made more official. Before His ascension, officially speaking, “Jesus” was not a name that is above all names. It was by His ascension that God declared to the whole universe that the name of Jesus is above all names. “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11). This is a kind of declaration, announcement, and proclamation to the whole universe. All the universe has to know that God has officially made the name Jesus above all names.
The fourth point is that in His ascension Jesus was positioned to receive all the gifts from the Father and to give the gifts to His believers. This is for the building up of His Body. “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:7-8, 11-12).
Before the Lord’s ascension, He could give the gifts, but in a sense, He did not have the official position to do it. By His ascension He was officially positioned to receive all the gifts from the Father and pass these gifts on to His members for the building up of His Body.
The last point which we must see concerning the Lord’s ascension is that all things were put under His feet, and He was made the Head over all things to the church. “Which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:20-23).
By considering all these points which we have mentioned, we see the real meaning of the ascension of Christ. The ascension of Christ is really the inauguration of Christ. When a president of the United States is elected, he does not officially take office until the day of his inauguration. According to the legislature, he must be inaugurated. Before his inauguration, he has been elected the president, but it is not official. It is not until the day of his inauguration that he officially becomes the president of the United States.
On the day Jesus was born, He was our Savior, but it was not official. There was no inauguration. Even after Christ was crucified and resurrected from the dead, it was not announced to the whole universe. Not until the day Jesus was exalted by the right hand of God to the highest place in the universe did God make the declaration. It was at this time that God inaugurated Christ into His post.
Before this inauguration date, and even before the forty days when the Lord was with His disciples following His resurrection, Jesus had a secret ascension. In the morning of His resurrection He went to the Father. John 20 tells us that on the resurrection morning Mary Magdalene began to touch Him, but the Lord told her, “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God” (v. 17). Then on the evening of the same day He openly showed His disciples His hands and His side and bid them to handle Him (Luke 24:39). Therefore, He must have had a secret ascension to the Father on that same day. This is why He told Mary to tell His brethren that He ascended to His Father. But this was an ascension in a secret way. Nobody saw it.
Forty days later, Jesus had the public ascension. It was universally open. All the disciples saw Jesus ascending, and the angels declaring that He would return in the same manner. It was this declared ascension which was the inauguration of Jesus. By His ascension, Jesus was inaugurated into His post. Then everything became official. He became the official Savior.