There remains but one double span to complete God’s wondrous bridge of salvation. The God-man, crucified, buried, and risen, must go back to His Father in glory and be exalted to the place of honor and power at His right hand. Only then would His work be completed. At the resurrection, Christ Jesus was constituted the last Adam and became the Progenitor of a new order of beings. However, He could not be inducted into His work as Head of the Church until His ascension and exaltation. He must first enter into heaven to present the blood of Calvary’s Sacrifice to His Father and then be enthroned by God as “the King of kings and the Lord of lords.” 

THE HOMECOMING OF THE SON

In His glorified body, the God-man left the earth and, passing through the heavens, entered into Heaven itself.

Acts 1:10-11

^10 “And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,¹¹ who also said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven.”

Hebrews 9:24

^“For Christ has not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.”

Oh! What a homecoming that must have been! Thirty-three years before, the well-beloved Son, who had been in the bosom of the Father through all eternity, had left His home in glory to be born in the womb of a virgin. Earth had never held such a One as He and the world did not know the worth of the precious gift and did not receive Him. But, having glorified His Father on earth and finished the work He gave Him to do, the Son now goes Home. He is marred and scarred by His treatment on earth. Hands, feet, and brow all tell the story of the crucifixion on Calvary’s tree. The precious body of flesh and bones (Luke 24:39) is a silent witness to the bloodshed on the cruel Cross. Surely heaven had never homed such a One as He. But heaven knew the worth of the treasure it held on that wonderful ascension day. The angelic host, whose number was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands, praised Him with a loud voice. Heaven reverberated with the anthem of welcome that greeted the triumphant Redeemer as He entered its portals.

Psalm 24:7-10

“⁷ Lift up your heads, O ye gates! And be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in.

⁸ Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. ⁹ Lift up your heads, O ye gates! Even lift them up, ye everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. ¹⁰ Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.”

THE EXALTATION OF THE SON

The Father awaited the return to glory of His well-beloved Son that He might bestow upon Him the place of highest honor; that He might exalt Him to the place of greatest power; that He might give Him a name which is above every name; that He might crown Him Lord of all.

Ephesians 1:20-22

²⁰ “Which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ 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.²² And God hath put all things under His feet, and hath given Him to be the head over all things to the church.”

^9 “Therefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name,¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The exaltation of Jesus Christ meant His enthronement. The eternal Son who once voluntarily had emptied and humbled Himself was now exalted to the throne of God, and all power in heaven and upon earth was granted unto Him. The crucified Savior is now the preeminent Lord.

Matthew 28:18

“And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, “All power is given unto Me in Heaven and on earth.””

Acts 2:36

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Source: “Life on the Highest Plane” by Ruth Paxson

Hallelujah, and all praises to the ascended and enthroned King of Glory upon His return to the Father!!