Hail to the King – Ascension Day

All hail the power of Jesus’ Name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him Lord of all!
bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him Lord of all!

All hail the King of Kings. The incarnated, flesh-and-blood Jesus, who took upon Himself our humanity in the Virgin Mary’s womb, goes up into heaven by His own power to sit at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. This is no translation into heaven like Enoch, nor being taken away by a whirlwind like Elijah. This Feast of Ascension celebrates the Lord Jesus, who willingly descended into the world and now ascends into the heavenly realm where the true throne awaits Him.

The real reality, the heavenly and spiritual reality, is where Christ returns. Yet His return should never be thought of as “all is back to normal” nor “Christ deserts humanity.” Shake off such thoughts and notions. Christ Jesus has upended the rebellion of Satan and his demons and reestablished the earth as God’s footstool. Christ cracked open the earth and descended to the bowels of hell and hades and ascended with the host of captives whom He promised He would rescue: from Abraham and Isaac to Jacob and beyond. Jesus has become the very ladder anchoring heaven to earth, for “he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” (John 1:51, KJV).

Crown him ye martyrs of our God,
who from his altar call:
praise him whose way of pain ye trod,
and crown him Lord of all!
praise him whose way of pain ye trod,
and crown him Lord of all!

Christ our steadfast anchor holds the cosmos in His heavenly orbit for it is all His kingdom, and His kingdom shall have no end. When Christ ascends in His human tabernacle, He goes not away but brings us near, for, “Jesus saith unto 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.” (John 20:17). Jesus enters the heavenly temple and sits at the right hand of the Father, and tells us children of the flesh, that because we are bought by His own blood and broken body, our sinful flesh is made clean like Isaiah who approached the heavenly throne of grace. Our humanity need not fear the throne of God, but now may approach it boldly because God Almighty sits upon the throne in His glorified humanity.

Christ our God ascends and hears the Father say, “Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” (Psalm 110:1, KJV). Christ our God rules and reigns, and more so, He serves as the eternal High Priest in the true temple, the heavenly temple where His blood is offered eternally on our behalf, for “The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” (Psalm 110:4, KJV). Therefore, the kings of this world and the principalities that deceive them shall recognize who the true King is, and they shall do so by bowing down willingly or unwillingly on the Last Day.

Hail him, the Heir of David’s line,
whom David Lord did call,
the God incarnate, Man divine,
and crown him Lord of all!
the God incarnate, Man divine,
and crown him Lord of all!

The disciples thought this was the hour of restoring temporal power, and asked Jesus, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Epistle lesson, Acts 1:6). They do not quite realize that the Kingdom is far greater than the boundaries of ancient Israel. Christ tells His disciples that His reign is greater than the beating of the bounds of Israel’s landmarks, indeed, “he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8, KJV). The disciples wish to see God’s power manifested, they do well. But they have not realized the power of God’s Holy Spirit is going to be placed within them so they may roll out the victory parade of Christ from Jerusalem unto the ends of the earth.

Jesus’ reign begins in Israel, but thanks be to God, it does not stop there. Christ tells His beloved disciples that they are being sent out and empowered by the Holy Ghost to cast the fire upon the earth that our Lord longed to cast. These men from humble and various means shall become the heralds of Good News that Jesus first preached at the beginning of His ministry, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17, KJV). Truly, Jesus’ Ascension is not His absence, but His divine reign being executed upon the earth. God’s reign is upon us, therefore, these Apostles are being sent to announce, proclaim, and pronounce that God’s reign should bring repentance from our sinfulness and a turning towards the God who bears gifts.

Ye seed of Israel’s chosen race,
ye ransomed of the fall,
hail him who saves you by his grace,
and crown him Lord of all!
hail him who saves you by his grace,
and crown him Lord of all!

Christ promises His faithful disciples that they will not be left to fend for themselves. He is not leaving them without proper equipment for the challenges ahead. Yet, Christ does not arm them to do battle with Rome’s legions. Instead, Christ tells them to tarry in Jerusalem and “wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” (Acts 1:4-5, KJV). The breath of God, the fire of God, the presence of God Himself shall be their sword and shield, their mace and might, their helmet and herald. Note, dear Christian, Jesus does not tell them to suit up, but to wait. God is the one who provides the armor, the weapons, and the way towards victory.

For the battle the disciples and we – yes, we – face is not against flesh and blood. Our war is not against fellow men, but is against the dark hold of the depths of darkness that Satan and his demons have over hearts of men and whole kingdoms. The reign of God shall, will, and still disrupt the nations of man and rupture the faultlines between even families. Yet the reign of God is at hand! It cannot be put back into a bottle as God Himself has died and risen. Furthermore, God is not hiding from the throne, He is sitting upon it! In this life, the King has sent His Church, His very body, to go out and wage war against hell and its false claims on the hearts of men. This is why Jesus empowers His disciples with signs of Christ going before Him and defeating Satan, namely, “In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (Gospel lesson, Mark 16:17-18, KJV).

Sinners, whose love can ne’er forget
the wormwood and the gall,
go, spread your trophies at his feet,
and crown him Lord of all!
go, spread your trophies at his feet,
and crown him Lord of all!

When a king takes the throne, he reigns. It is no different for the King of Kings. Our King is exercising His rule over the cosmos even now. He is ordering us to war against sin, death, and Satan – each of which He has conquered. Joshua took the Promised Land because the army of the Lord went ahead of Him, and we conquer because Jesus has broken Satan’s power and hold over us and the world. The demons are still dangerous, and they are fighting like hell because they know their hourglass empties soon. But they are on retreat; therefore, do not let them gain a foothold over you. Keep going, keep moving, keep praying, keep praising, keep gospeling, and keep baptizing. Our primary weapons against the evil one and deceived hearts are quite simple – preaching the Word and administering the sacraments: “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:15-16, KJV). 

When Christ ascended, His disciples “looked steadfastly toward heaven,” momentarily. (Acts 1:10, KJV). Because immediately, “two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:10-11, KJV). There is no time to waste. Christ our King is reigning, and soon the King shall return as we saw Him ascend. Except, when we see Him next, we shall be singing Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending and for the enemies of the King there shall be wailing, deeply wailing, and gnashing of teeth. For servants of Christ who neglected their calling, the King shall say depart, for He never knew you. (Matthew 25:41, KJV). Yet for all those multitudes redeemed by the faithful proclamation of God’s Word, there shall be rejoicing and praising as never heard before. (Revelation 19:5-7, KJV). May we be counted among those servants who heeded Christ’s command, to “Go,” we shall hear the joyous words of our Savior, “well done, thou good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21, KJV).

Let us join today in serving the King by carrying the news of His victory, reign, and peace, no matter where He is leading us in the Spirit. Whatever is preventing you from serving the King, let it burn up by the Holy Ghost’s descent. Humble yourself by making use of yourself in the call that Christ your King is placing upon your heart right now. No obedience is too simple or too small, for our King loves every simple act of love and obedience. May we declare our allegiance to Christ not merely by our mouths but through a living faith that is ever going into the neighborhoods and neighbors around us. Your simple act of faith, charity, and lovingly sharing Christ’s gospel with another will increase the multitudes to praise His holy Name when we see Him face to face:

“And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” (Revelation 19:5-7, KJV).

Therefore, let us be about the business of our King who reigns on high: “And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” (Mark 16:20, KJV).

Let every kindred, every tribe,
on this terrestrial ball,
to him all majesty ascribe,
and crown him Lord of all!
to him all majesty ascribe,
and crown him Lord of all!