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Chapter 4 -- THE ASCENDED CHRIST -- PSALMS 16, 24, 68
These three beautiful Psalms give us the combined picture of the risen and ascended Christ. The twenty-fourth comes in central order after the twenty-second and twenty-third. The twenty-second is the Psalm of crucifixion; the twenty-third, the picture of blessings that follow to us; and the twenty-fourth, the ascension of the Lord and His glorious reign at God's right hand. The logical order begins with Psalm 16: "My flesh also shall rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in hell; neither will You suffer Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life: in Your presence is fulness of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore."
I. DESCENT INTO HADES
This is the inspired picture of what is known in the ancient creeds as the Lord's descent into Hades. That the Psalm refers to our Lord directly is evident from Peter's application of it in his sermon on the day of Pentecost. Peter says it cannot refer to David, whose sepulcher is with them, and whose flesh has seen corruption. Therefore, it must refer to Jesus, who had been raised from the dead by the power of the Father.
But what is meant by His descent into Hades? For the Apostle says in Ephesians: "Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?" The Apostle Peter has given us the strongest light on this subject of any New Testament writer: "Being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit [or rather, in the Spirit]: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient . . . in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water."
This forms the battleground of Bible exposition. It is not necessary that we should even state all the views that have been held and advocated. It is enough to give the two which are most approved by evangelical teachers. The old conservative view is that it refers to Noah preaching through the Holy Ghost to the antediluvians, who are now "the spirits in prison," because they were disobedient when he preached to them. In other words, and freely paraphrased, it might be rendered thus: "Jesus is put to death in the flesh, but is quickened, or raised from the dead by the Holy Spirit, which in the days of Noah, and through Noah, preached unto the unbelieving men of that age, who are spirits in prison." In fact, it is a bungling attempt to make the Bible meet a preconceived opinion; and even though it is a good opinion, it is a profanation to wrest Scripture, even with the best intent.
The central meaning of the passage is, that Christ died in His body, but not in His spirit; but, on the contrary, that spirit was quickened into intenser life the moment of His death, and in the disembodied state His spirit went and preached to spirits in prison; that is, to the inhabitants of the world of the dead. The Old Testament represents departed spirits as dwelling in a region called Sheol or Hades.
This seems to have had two sections, one for the lost and one for the saved. The latter is the Paradise of the dying thief, the bosom of Abraham where Lazarus went, the place where Abraham was gathered to his fathers, a sweet and restful place where the redeemed ones waited for the great redemption. It was not heaven, for heaven was not yet opened.
There was another section to this region where the spirits of the wicked passed, represented by the rich man in the parable, far away from the unsaved, and yet in view of them, even across the great gulf. Now, it was to this region of the dead that the spirit of Jesus passed.
In order truly to die it was necessary not only that His body should hang lifeless on the cross, but that His spirit should go down into the regions of the dead. But how did He go? Not as others had gone before, as victims of death, but as Conqueror and Witness, to preach the consummation of redemption. Even to the unbelieving dead, it was proper that He should announce the accomplishment of those promises which they had rejected. Even to the devil himself and all his angels, it was right that the Son of God should proclaim that he was defeated at length, and that his last desperate blow had been turned against himself in the very death of the Lord.
But to the saints of the past how peculiarly fitting it was that He should preach the great truth that He had come and died for their complete salvation, and that the gates of their prison were about to be opened, and they were to follow Him in a few days as He ascended heavenwards to take His place with them at His Father's side. This is the sense in which He went to preach to the spirits in prison. That He went to proclaim a second probation, another chance of salvation, we do not believe; and there is no semblance of evidence anywhere in the Scriptures to prove, or even imply it. This is the time of men's probation; this is the day of grace; and when it shall be passed, he that is unjust shall be unjust still, and he that is righteous shall be righteous still.
II. HIS RESURRECTION
"You will not leave my soul in hell [Hades]; neither will You suffer Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life."
Not long did He remain among the dead. On the morning of the third day the fetters of the tomb were burst asunder, the stone rolled away, the spirit returned to the uncorrupted clay, and the body sprang to life in all the fullness and glory of immortality, and Jesus became the firstborn from the dead. Others had been raised from the dead, but He was the first raised to die no more. Even the saints that were raised in connection with His crucifixion did not come out of their graves until after the resurrection of their Lord. This glorious fact of the risen Christ is the general theme of the apostolic testimony; it gives eternal greatness to the whole Gospel; and in proportion as we realize it, it uplifts and glorifies our whole Christian life.
The difference between the religion of the New Testament and Judaism on the one hand, or Romanism on the other, lies right here in the conception of a living Christ. It is the great evidence of Christianity. It is the mighty inspiration of spiritual life. It is the pattern, both of our spiritual resurrection now and our future glorification in His fullness when He shall come again.
That path of life which He has shown has become the shining way to a mighty multitude, who pass from mortality to immortality, from the race of Adam to the race of our second great Head of humanity. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." "The first Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." "As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly."
But we pass on from this theme, which has been so often unfolded, to the third question.
III. HIS ASCENSION
This is described in Psalm 16, and more fully in the others. "In Your presence is fulness of joy; at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore." This, undoubtedly, is an allusion of Christ to the ascension at His Father's right hand. Psalm 24, however, expressly refers to this glorious event. It is the responsive chorus of the saints and angels who attend the Son of God as He ascends. "Lift up your heads, O you gates; and be you lifted up, you everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in," is the shout of the approaching procession as it mounts the sky and nears the heavenly portals.
"Who is this King of glory?" is the answer of the heavenly chorus that wait at yonder gates. And then the answer is returned from the approaching throng: "The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle." "Lift up your heads, O you gates," again they shout, "even lift them up, you everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in." Once again the heavenly hosts answer, "Who is this King of glory?" And once again the chorus around the King sends back the cry as they reach the gates, and both companies unite in the swelling refrain, as it echoes to the confines of the universe, "The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory."
It is something like the mighty scene which John presents, the whole creation in earth, and in the heaven, and in the sea, away out to the uttermost parts of the universe, waiting with the saints and angels to echo, "Every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever."
To apply this sublime Psalm to the ascension of the ark to Mount Zion would be unworthy of its lofty character. For there were no everlasting doors; but the gates through which Jesus passed shall never be shaken or removed. The throne to which He ascended can never pass away. The glory which He has inherited can never decline.
The New Testament has given us the earth view of this glorious event. Out to Bethany He has led them. Perhaps for a moment they have entered that loving home and taken a last farewell of its dear inmates; perhaps they have accompanied the disciples and the Lord from the door to the little eminence on which He stands; and now, with hands out-stretched in blessing, He is speaking to them -- perhaps praying with them -- when, suddenly, they behold Him rising and disappearing.
Often in these forty days had He vanished from them, but now His attitude is different; He does not disappear, but fully in their view He begins to ascend. His hands are still stretched out toward them with tenderness and love as higher and higher He rises into the clear, blue heavens, while they gaze intently as if they would follow if they could. Higher and higher He rises, still blessing, still spreading those hands above their heads, until a cloud intervenes, and they see Him no more. Perhaps it was a cloud of angels; angels, we know were there -- multitudes of angels, and multitudes of saints.
Upward and upward still He arose, beyond the nearest of the stars, beyond the distant constellations, beyond the nebulous clouds which form the great invisible worlds, beyond the vision of the eye, to the one central spot, somewhere in this immensity where stands the metropolis of the universe, the throne of God, and the home of the redeemed. "Far above all principality, and power," the Apostle has said, "and might, and dominion, and every name that is named." Far above all heavens, that He might fill all things. Then it was that the glorious chorus of the twenty-fourth Psalm begins, and the King of Glory enters in and takes His seat at the right hand of God.
But the New Testament picture has one little addition, sweeter than all the rest. Just at that moment, when all heaven was prostrate before Him, and when the echoes of those songs were resounding through the universe, His loving heart was turned backward to the earth He had just left; He was thinking of the eleven loving hearts, whose eyes were still straining upward and trying to pierce the little cloud that hung between Him and Bethany. Quickly, therefore, does He send back from the heights of glory two angel messengers, to bear to them His last word of comfort and of love: "You men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven." How beautiful! How loving! How comforting! It was as if He sent them back a miniature photograph of His own face, and written at the bottom, "The same yesterday, and today, and forever." Blessed be His name forever for those three little words, "This same Jesus."
Oh, how things change! But how sweet to know there is One who is the same forever! I have read somewhere the sweet poem of an old man who addresses the companion of his life after sixty years of sojourning together, and tells her that to him she has still the same face that he knew when she was a little child. Others see the wrinkles and the gray hair, the stooping form and the faded cheeks, but he ever sees only the bright young face of sixty years ago. To him, to his love, her youth is immortal. Her girl-face is stereotyped forever upon his heart, and she can never grow old. This is, in a sense, true of all loving memories. We see the ideals of things rather than the things themselves, and our imaginations sometimes picture those we love as they have been rather than as they are.
We thank God sometimes for those who are not. To us their faces can never change. That beautiful child is forever young. Others grow old and are scarred with sin and wrinkled with care, but there are some who live in our love and memory in immortal youth and beauty. Thank God that it is forever "this same Jesus." We may change; He changes not. Circumstances may change; He changes not. As He loved you then, He loves you still and will love you forever. O strange, changeless heart of Christ, we praise Your changeless love. We cannot understand it fully, but let it draw us to be worthier of His love.
Why did He ascend?
1. That He might enter upon His reward. "Being made so much better than the angels, he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they."
2. That He might assume the kingdom and government of the world which the Father had put into His hands, as mediatorial King; for now power was given Him in heaven and in earth, and He is Head over all things for His Church. His ascension has put all things under His feet, and He sits in calm repose and mighty omnipotence, from henceforth expecting until His enemies are made His footstool.
3. That He might become our Great High Priest, and at God's right hand represent us in heavenly places, meeting for us every question of sin, temptation, and need, presenting our petitions to the Father, and keeping us by His intercessions forevermore.
4. To take possession in our name of our inheritance, and to prepare a place for us when He shall have finished for us our life work and called us home.
5. That we may now ascend with Him and live in heavenly places through the power of His ascension. There is something higher than resurrection life; we may live an ascension life above our trials, anticipating already our heavenly calling, and feeling and acting as we shall when earthly things shall have passed away forever.
IV. THE EFFECTS OF HIS ASCENSION
These are described more fully in the sixty-eighth Psalm. "You have ascended on high; You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts for men; yes, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them."
1. "You have led captivity captive." This undoubtedly refers to the multitudes who ascended with Him from the regions of the dead. The captivity which He led captive is just a Hebrew expression for the captives that He liberated and took with Him to heaven.
Up to the time of Christ's ascension, as we have already seen, the spirits of the sainted dead were not in heaven, but in Paradise or Hades. But when Jesus ascended, He opened the gates of heaven to all believers, and took with Him these ransomed prisoners from the abodes of the dead. And now these gates are ever open, and day by day our friends are passing through, passing in. Stephen looked up from the murderous stones of his persecutors and the blood that was streaming from his face, and saw heaven opened and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, waiting to receive him. And Paul could say, "To depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better." And the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us we "are come unto . . . the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect."
2. "You have received gifts for men.” Into His hands the Father gave, on His ascension, all things.
All that had been included in the covenant of redemption between the Father and the Son was now handed over to Jesus to dispense to His people: pardon for the penitent; power to become the sons of God through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit; grace to keep, to sanctify, to sustain; all the fullness of Jesus, the all-sufficiency of His love and life, especially the greatest of all gifts -- the Holy Ghost. Representative of Christ, the Executive of God, and all the ministries which He endues and directs.
When He ascended on high, "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 edifying of the body of Christ: Until we all come in the unity of the faith, and to the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." Like a king at his coronation, He has received the power and might to give whatever He wishes; and ever since His ascension He has been pouring out the riches of His love and grace, and saying to sinful man, "Ask what you will."
3. The third effect of Christ's ascension was the proclamation of the Gospel of reconciliation to lost and rebellious men.
A great prince rising to the throne usually signalizes his advent by some distinguished act of amnesty. When Alexander of Russia visited Napoleon at Toulon, the French Emperor gave his illustrious visitor the privilege of liberating any one of the prisoners in the galleys. The Emperor went among the men and asked them concerning their lives and their crimes. But none of them was willing to acknowledge his guilt. One said he was unjustly convicted; another, too severely punished; another, persecuted by the officials; but all were virtuous and innocent.
At length, he found one man who was thoroughly penitent and humble and could only blame himself for his sufferings. The Emperor was so pleased that he said, "I have been looking for a sinner all this day, and you are the first I have been able to find. Now, because you are a sinner, you are pardoned and free. Go and use your liberty for his honor to whose clemency you owe it."
So Jesus at God's right hand has received authority to pardon even the rebellious and save the most unworthy and lost, on the simple condition that they will acknowledge their sin and accept His free and sovereign grace.
Oh, the gifts He has to pour out upon the sinful and unworthy: the gift of eternal life, the gift of peace, the gift of grace to stand and overcome, the gift of His Holy Spirit -- all as the gifts of His grace, without money and without condition, to all who will receive them by faith and use them for His glory.
4. The presence of God in the hearts of His people. "That God the Lord might dwell among them." This is the crowning glory of Christ's ascension. It has brought God down to man in a new relationship. God was with men under the Old Testament. He is in them under the New. Christ has been glorified that man might be glorified in Him, and raised up to union with Him. Born as an Adamic race, we may be newborn into a divine nature.
He has gone up to yonder throne that He may send the Holy Ghost to dwell in our hearts and unite us to Himself. Henceforth God's home is to be the human heart. Strange as it may seem, His going up has really brought Him down! So high above us, He has really come so much closer to us than He could have done had He remained on earth in human form.
How finely the Apostle presents this in the lofty Epistle to the Ephesians! He presents Christ in the first chapter as going up, far above all principality and power, and might and dominion. And then in the third chapter he presents Him as coming down to dwell in our hearts by faith, and bringing us to know "the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
Beloved, do you know this mystery of love and life divine, "Christ in you the hope of glory"? He is waiting now to make your heart His home.
"This is my wonderful story,
Christ to my heart has come;
Jesus, the King of Glory,
Finds in my heart a home."