We are continuing in our study where we are discussing the relationship between the Jewish Feasts and the events of the First Advent of TLJC that launched the church age.
We have seen that the Jewish Feasts that relate to the events of the First Advent of TLJC are Passover, Unleavened Bread: First Fruits and Pentecost, the day that The Holy Spirit was sent to indwell and fill believers universally providing the power for unique spiritual life for believers in the church age.
We have seen that the model and precedence for this unique spiritual life was established by TLJC during his life on this earth in unglorified humanity at the beginning of the hypostatic union. Heb 10:5; Heb 12:2a;
At this point in our study we are looking at the results of the fulfillment of these days in the crucifixion, resurrection, ascension and session of TLJC that provides for a new unique relationship with God and Divine Power being provided to church age believers from his position at the right hand of the Father.
At the ascension his prophetic work was ended until after the tribulation at his second advent. There is no prophecy to be fulfilled during the church age so it is a period of unlimited potential and opportunity.
Christ no longer was to do miracles in His bodily presence on earth, although miracles continued to be done in His name and power through the ministry of God the Holy Spirit.
The ascension provided a climax to the period of the kenosis that had characterized his entire life on earth during his first advent.
The ascension of Christ was also an anticipation of the exaltation and glory that was to come at his session.
The ascension, corresponds to his glorification in heaven in the same way that His birth corresponded to His humiliation on the earth.
Both involve a transition, the first transition was from heaven to earth in humiliation and the second transition was from earth to heaven in glorification.
The new glorification which Christ entered was the resumption of His preincarnate glory in answer to His prayer in John 17:5; that He receive the glory that was His before the foundation of the world.
This meant that He not only removed the limitations that were the protocol for His life on earth in unglorified humanity, but in addition to his inherent glory as the Second Person of the Trinity there was the added glory of his resurrected humanity as the Savior and Mediator who had triumphed over sin and death.
While His inherent preincarnate glory was unchanged, a new glory was given to Christ that was based on His work in addition to that of His person, and it now included his victorious resurrected and glorified humanity in addition to his deity.
His glorification also had the aspect of reward, in that the Father bestowed upon Him added glory in recognition of His victory over sin and death. 1Cor 15:55-57;
In Eph 1:20-23; and Heb 2:8; it is declared that all things are placed under His control or dominion.
Phil 2:9; states that God " highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name."
This glorification includes His position at the right hand of the Father's throne in which He would share the dominion and glory of the Father (Psa 110:1) and would be in a position to intercede for believers because God's justice was satisfied with his finished work on the cross.
The ascension of Christ indicates that Christ entered heaven in a resurrected human body in the same way that church age believers will at he rapture or exit resurrection of the church.
His ascension, however, was unique in that for the first time ever, a resurrected member of the human race entered heaven.
As such, Christ is the forerunner as described in Heb 6:20; of believers who would subsequently enter heaven through either resurrection or translation, and His presence in heaven is a guarantee or assurance that every believer in Christ will also enter into heaven in their appointed time. 1Cor 15:23;
His entrance into heaven, was not simply a return to the preincarnate glory of deity but it constituted, for the first time, a glorification of resurrected humanity along with undiminished deity.
His exaltation was therefore unique because he is the unique "Theanthropic person" as undiminished deity and true humanity in hypostatic union.
The ascension was the beginning of His present work that is significantly different from his work that occurred while he was on the earth between the incarnation and the ascension.
In his new position, Christ is now carrying out the purpose of God for the church age, that is the calling out of the church as a new spiritual species without regard to their ethnicity their gender or their social status and bringing to completion the revealed will of God for the creation.
This new work requires His presence in heaven, in glory at the right hand of the father so he can advance the plan of God from a position of strength in heaven rather than from a position of weakness on the earth.
Some concluding points regarding the ascension and session of TLJC
The resurrection body of Christ was capable of space travel. The humanity of Christ in his resurrection body traveled through all three heavens John 20:17.
The purpose of this space travel was to arrive in a resurrected human body at the throne room of God the Father.
Although it was not covered with a protective space suit, the resurrection body did not suffer any damage as it traveled through the universe; it did not suffer fatigue, TLJC arrived in perfect condition in the third heaven. Col 3:1; Heb 1:3; Heb 8:1; Heb 10:12; Heb 12:2.
Upon His arrival, God the Father said, "Sit down at my right hand" Psa 110:1; Heb 1:13; Deity does not "sit"; only Christ's humanity sat down.
This indicated the acceptability of the humanity of Christ Eph 1:20; and guarantees the acceptability of regenerate mankind Eph 1:6;
In the seating or session of Christ, he was declared to be superior to all angels, elect or fallen 1Pe 3:22.
Today believers are positionally higher than angels, but experientially lower just as TLJC was in his unglorified humanity but in the resurrection, believers will completely superior to angels just as TLJC is in his glorified humanity. Heb 2:6-8;
This is why God gives every believer at least one angelic servant as a down payment indicating we will one day be superior to them Heb 1:14.
This is all courtesy of our unique and only Celebrity, TLJC through his resurrection, ascension and session.
The ascension and session of the humanity of Christ produce a strategic victory in the angelic conflict Heb 1:3-13;.
The ascension opens a new theatre in the angelic conflict Eph 1:20-22; Eph 4:7-10. that results in every believer in the Church Age being involved in the intensification of the angelic conflict where the battle is spiritual and invisible.
The ascension marks the beginning of the enlistment of the Royal Family as the army that will carry out "operation footstool " Psa 110:1; that is quoted in Luke 20:42-43; Acts 2:33-35; Heb 1:13;.
The Second Advent of Christ begins the implementation of Operation Footstool Dan 7:13-14; Zech 13:2; Col 2:15; Rev 20:1-3.
The ascension completes the glorification of Christ in hypostatic union Acts 2:33; Phil 2:9; 1Pet 3:22;