13 May 2010
Ascension Day
Psalm 8, 47; Dan. 7:9-14; Heb. 2:5-18; Matt. 28:16-20

This passage from Daniel is an amazing vision of the Son of Man. It very closely parallels Revelation 5 of the lamb looking like it was slain coming to the throne and being offered the worship of heaven on par with God. These two scenes in heaven complete the picture from Acts 1 of Jesus’ ascension. He disappears into the clouds and these passages tell us what happens next. It is a wonderful picture Daniel gives us of the victorious Christ receiving His throne after the defeat of the beast. Christ has won the day in heaven, the enemy has been defeated but he fights on here on earth for a season until he is ultimately cast down into his own eternal prison.

The Great Commission is given to baptize and make disciples. A disciple is one who has accepted a particular teacher as master and lord and sets about the task of learning and adopting all that the teacher has to offer. Jesus’ instructions to His own disciples here are to teach others to obey all He has taught them. They have little latitude in what they teach and how they make disciples. They are making disciples of Jesus, not themselves, and His promise is that He will be with them and us to the end of the age as we go about the work we have been given to do. He has ascended to heaven and the right hand of the Father yet He is present to us in the power and person of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us to do all that we have been given to do.

Jesus elevated our humanity. We are, for a little while, lower than the angels but Jesus taking on flesh and becoming like us shows us the great regard our Father has for us who bear His image. He became like us so that we can become like Him. The anthropocentric view of humankind is proven to be a Godly view of creation. He became like us completely, in all our weaknesses and suffering in this life. He didn’t simply appear to suffer, He actually did and then took all of that with Him to the throne. We know that we have a God who cares deeply enough about us to come among us, to suffer and die for us and now forever lives with the Father in heaven, understanding our weaknesses and interceding for those He came to save and redeem.

Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
For God is the King of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm!
God reigns over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.