What Christ has accomplished and attained to in His ascension is colossal and monumental, and as believers in Christ we do well to dive deeper into the truth in the word of God concerning this matter. We need to see the heavenly scene and the heavenly Christ.
After the Lord Jesus died and resurrected, He kept appearing to His disciples for a period of forty days; then, He took them to a mountain where He ascended before them, being taken in the heaven by the Father. When He arrived to the third heavens, He was inaugurated by the Father into His heavenly offices for His heavenly ministry – He was made Lord of all, the Christ, the Leader and Savior, the Ruler of the kings of the earth, the Head of the church, the Minister, and the High Priest.
In His ascension Christ was exalted by God to the highest peak in the universe, and He was made Lord of all, Head over all things; the ascended Christ was given the highest name in the universe, and in His name all shall bow to honor Him!
Furthermore, in His ascension Christ was enthroned by God to execute God’s universal administration (to administrate the entire universe for God’s purpose) and to carry out God’s New Testament economy (to propagate Himself for His reproduction to build up the church, the Body of Christ). Right now in the heavens there’s a Man on the throne, the ascended Christ, and He is ruling over the universe to administrate the universe as the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16). Praise the Lord!
We need to see this Christ, appreciate Him, and look away from anything else unto Him! In order for us to contact Christ, we need to exercise our spirit to enjoy Him, but in order for us to realize who He is in His ascension we need to look away from anything and anyone unto Jesus, and we will see this glorious, exalted, inaugurated, and enthroned One, the One who is above all and is the Ruler of all in the universe!
If we see this Christ we will honor Him, give Him the preeminence, and live a life under His rule, being one with Him in His ascension to carry out His economy.
In His Ascension Christ was Enthroned to Execute God’s Universal Administration and to Carry out God’s New Testament Economy
First, in His ascension Christ was inaugurated into His offices in His heavenly ministry; then, He was exalted by God to the highest point in the universe and given the highest name of all, and finally, in His ascension, Christ was enthroned by God! In His ascension Christ was crowned by God with glory and honor; man crowned Him with thorns while on earth, but God crowned this One with glory and honor.
We need to look away from everything unto this One, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down on the right hand of the throne of God (Heb. 12:2).
In His ascension Christ was enthroned by God; there’s no such thing as “God is on His throne” and “Christ is on His throne beside God” – there is only ONE throne, the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 3:21; 22:1, 3), and God rules through and in Christ over all. In His ascension Christ was enthroned by God to execute God’s universal administration and to carry out God’s New Testament economy (see Rev. 5:6; Eph. 1:10).
He is the only One qualified and perfected to open the scroll and administrate the entire universe with its history for God and His purpose; the freshly slain Lamb is the One on the throne administrating the universe for God! From the throne of God, Christ administrates the universe!
I was much helped by this part of the footnote on Heb. 12:2 in the Recovery Version Bible,
To experience the indwelling Christ, we need to turn to our spirit and contact Him. To enjoy the heavenly Christ, we need to look away from all things on earth unto Him, who has sat down on the right hand of the throne of God. By His death and resurrection He accomplished everything that is needed by both God and man. Now in His ascension He is sitting in the heavens, in the person of the Son of God (1:5) and the Son of Man (2:6), in the person of God (1:8) and man (2:6), as the appointed Heir of all things (1:2), the anointed One of God (1:9), the Author of our salvation (2:10), the Sanctifier (2:11), the constant Succor (2:16), the instant Helper (4:16), the Apostle from God (3:1), the High Priest (2:17; 4:14; 7:26), the Minister of the true tabernacle (8:2) with a more excellent ministry (8:6), the surety and the Mediator of a better covenant (7:22; 8:6; 12:24), the Executor of the new testament (9:16-17), the Forerunner (6:20), the Author and Perfecter of faith (v. 2), and the great Shepherd of the sheep (13:20). If we look to Him as such a wonderful and all-inclusive One, He will minister heaven, life, and strength to us, transfusing and infusing us with all that He is, that we may be able to run the heavenly race and live the heavenly life on earth. In this way He will carry us through all the lifelong pathway and lead and bring us into glory (2:10). (Heb. 12:2, part of footnote 2)
Right now Christ is on the throne to administrate the entire universe – He’s the unique Administrator, the Man who administrates all things in the universe for God, and he is the King of kings and the Lord of lords (see Rev. 19:16). In His ascension, Christ was enthroned by God and was given the power and authority to administrate everything in the universe for God!
He’s the Lamb with the seven eyes (the seven Spirits of God) carrying out God’s administration for the accomplishment of God’s economy (see Rev. 5:6). Praise the Lord, the exalted and enthroned One!
Lord Jesus, we look away from all things on earth unto You, the One who has sat down on the right hand of the throne of God. Praise You, Lord, through Your death and resurrection You accomplished everything that is needed by both God and man, and now in Your ascension You are sitting in the heavens and administrating the entire universe for God’s purpose! Hallelujah, there’s a Man on the throne, and His name is Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ is the Administrator of the universe, and He is the King of kings and Lord of lords! Praise the Lord Jesus Christ!
Christ Administrates the Universe and Carries out God’s Economy to Propagate Himself for His Reproduction
The Bible is not only a mysterious and wonderful book but the Person presented in the Bible, Jesus Christ – the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, ascended, and propagated One – is also a very mysterious and wonderful Person with a mysterious yet wonderful history.
Christ has passed through the processes of creation (He is both the Creator and the creature, the Firstborn of the old creation), incarnation (God became a man in the Lord Jesus), human living (expressing God, shining God out, speaking God’s word and doing God’s work), crucifixion (terminating all the negative things in the universe), and resurrection (became the life-giving Spirit, was begotten as the firstborn Son of God, and regenerated us), and in His ascension, He was inaugurated, exalted, and enthroned by God to execute God’s administration and to carry out God’s New Testament economy.
As the Administrator of the universe, Christ is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, ruling and reigning over everything and everyone, and arranging all things and people for the fulfillment of God’s purpose. His administrating is related to the universe, and there’s so much that He’s doing in the universe for the fulfillment of God’s goal!
On the other hand, the ascended Christ is on the throne of God to carry out God’s New Testament economy, which is related to the church. As seen in Matt. 16:19; 28:19, and Acts 1:8, the ascended Christ carries out God’s New Testament economy which is to propagate Himself for His reproduction to build up the church, the Body of Christ. This is His central work.
God wants to increase, grow, spread, and be propagated in humanity, and for this, He has done everything necessary in Christ through all the processes He went through. Now the ascended Head of the Body, Christ, is propagating Himself in and through man for His reproduction so that He may have a Body on earth, the church as His corporate expression.
His administration of the universe and His carrying out God’s economy is for this unique central work of propagating Himself in and through man for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ, His corporate reproduction.
Lord, cause us to see the ascended enthrone Christ who administrates the entire universe and carries out God’s New Testament economy! Hallelujah, the ascended Christ as the Head of the Body is now propagating Himself for His reproduction to build up the church, the Body of Christ. Lord, make us one with You in Your unique central work that we may cooperate with You in Your propagation work! May God in Christ as the Spirit be propagated, increased, and spread throughout the earth for the building up of the church as the Body of Christ!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Minoru Chen’s sharing in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Luke, msgs. 76-77 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Vision and Experience of Christ in His Resurrection and Ascension, week 4 / msg 4, The Vision and Experience of Christ in His Ascension (1) – Christ Inaugurated, Exalted, and Enthroned to Execute God’s Universal Administration and to Carry Out God’s New Testament Economy through His Body.
- All verses are taken from, Recovery Version Bible.
- Hymns to strengthen this burden / topic:
# Thou art the Man in glory there, / And there by God enthroned; / All pow’r in heaven and on earth / Now by Thyself is owned. (Hymns #133)
# Now in heaven by ascension / He is seated on the throne; / All the lordship, all the headship, / He Himself doth fully own; / And by pouring out His Spirit, / He as such might be made known. (Hymns #277)
# Thine incarnation, rising too, / And Thy transcendency, / Thy Lordship, Headship, kingdom full, / And Body here we see. / By all these steps of work divine / Thou hast established praise. / With overflowing hearts to Thee / Our joyful voice we raise. (Hymns #1097)
# Looking up to Jesus / On the emerald throne, / Faith shall pierce the heavens, / Where our King is gone. / Lord, on Thee depending, / Now, continually, / Heart and mind ascending, / Let us dwell with Thee. (Hymns #644)
About aGodMan
As the One who passed through the process of creation, incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection, the Man-Savior with His wonderful status has been inaugurated into His heavenly office to execute God’s administration and to carry out God’s New Testament economy. Christ is now on the throne to administrate the entire universe. He is the unique Administrator, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. All the rulers of the earth are under Him. He is the Administrator to execute God’s administration and also to carry out God’s New Testament economy. His administrating is related to the universe, but His carrying out of God’s New Testament economy is to propagate Himself for His reproduction to build up the church, His Body, which will issue in the New Jerusalem. How wonderful! (Witness Lee, Life-study of Luke, pp. 644-646)