The Sunday after Ascension , 2001
Ephesians 2:1-6

Baptism and the Ascension

From 1862-1890 the greatest German political figure since the Middle Ages governed Germany and most of Europe. He was Otto von Bismarck, Imperial Chancellor and Minister-President of Germany. Historian Robert Massie describes Bismarck's character like this: "His greatest gift was intelligence; he possessed intellectual ascendancy over all the politicians of his time, German or European, and everyone acknowledged this. He was self-confident, even daring, to the point of recklessness. He combined indomitable will and tenacity of purpose in reaching long-range goals with resourcefulness, suppleness, and virtuosity in improvising means. Bismarck was willing to work indefatigably, with exuberant energy, to create political and diplomatic situations from which he could profit."

Not everyone liked Bismarck, but nobody doubted his genius. The same could not be said for the Chancellor's son. Bismarck and his wife Princess Johanna had three children: Marie, Herbert, and Bill. The father's affection for his children was fierce, protective, and possessive. At the height of the war with France, Bismarck, at army headquarters with the King, was told that Herbert had been killed and Bill wounded. He rode all night to find Herbert not dead but merely shot through the thigh and out of danger. This was a great relief to the elder Bismarck. It was his dream that his son might follow in his steps. However, the dream would never come true. Though Bismarck tried his best to catapult his son into power, Herbert did not possess his father's abilities. He attempted to copy his father but it didn't come off. Where Otto was lofty, self-confident, and ironic, Herbert became arrogant, flamboyant, and sarcastic.

What's more, Herbert began to drown his frustrations in drink. He began staying up all night in bars drinking heavy liquor and champagne. For lunch he would finish off an entire bottle of port. In the mornings he suffered from debilitating hangovers. Working in a state of alcoholic befuddlement, he became violent and peevish, barking orders in a rage. By the end of his life no one trusted him and he went down in disgrace.

A similar power-sharing dynamic happened at the time of our Lord's ascension. Christ brought up to heaven all God's sons and daughters to rule with Him. Unlike Herbert, the dominion of the saints is to be a humble and righteous reign. We will now explore a much-neglected teaching.

We can begin with the fact that the prophet Daniel seems to link the rule of the Messiah and the rule of the saints. Daniel 7:13-14; 21-22, 27 spell it out.

v. 13: I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.

v. 21: I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.

v. 27: Then the kingdom and dominion,
And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.

First of all, the granting of a global kingdom to the Son of Man immediately follows the Ascension. The Ancient of Days is God the Father in heaven. Therefore, the coming of the Son of Man to the Ancient of Days with the clouds of heaven must mean Christ's coming up, not His going down. What is described here is Jesus Christ's ascension into heaven to the right hand of the Father in the shekinah glory-cloud.

Although verses 21-22 abound in complex images we can make a guess. Perhaps the little horn that makes war against the saints refers to the general opposition of the human kingdom to God's kingdom. Specifically, it could signify the fourth kingdom, or the Roman Empire.

Daniel explains in verse 27 that after the dominion of the one horn is destroyed, "the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people." Who are these people that receive dominion? "The saints of the Most High." This situation of saints reigning with the Son of Man is called "the kingdom of God." Hence, the reign of God's people is bound up with the reign of God's Anointed. The dominion of the Jesus Christ is tied to the dominion of the Church.

Upon ascending to heaven and being exalted at the right hand of God, not only has Christ established His kingdom with full authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18-20), but King Jesus allocates His authority to His followers. Hence, it is entirely biblical to say that those who are united to Christ share with Him in His reign over heaven and earth.

Granted, it appears from some passages of Scripture that the saints must die before they ascend to their heavenly thrones. But the passage in Daniel forces us to a different conclusion. If the reign of the Messiah and the reign of the saints are two sides of the same reality, then the beginning of the reign of the Messiah is also the beginning of the reign of His saints. The two work in tandem. On this Sunday after Ascension we will attempt to answer a few questions with regard to the saints' dominion. What is the New Testament evidence for the reign of the Church? How does the Church rule? And, in what ways are Christians reigning with Christ now?

The New Testament also promotes the idea of the dominion of the saints. We find it in Ephesians chapter two. Ephesians 2:1, 4-6.

v. 1: And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, ...
v. 4: But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus...

St. Paul says that God has "raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." This is an amazing statement! We sit in heavenly places? How is that so? Maybe we can comprehend it in terms of baptism. The word baptism is not used here but it is definitely implied. Baptism pictures our unity with Christ in His death and resurrection. And if we are united to Christ's death and resurrection, then we are united to Him in His ascension. That is what the apostle is hinting at here. All of us who have been baptized have been baptized into Christ's ascension. Baptism portrays several components; we die to sin and are buried, we rise to newness of life, and ascend to sit in heaven with the Lord.

What does it mean to be seated in heavenly places? Earlier in the same letter the Apostle Paul told the Ephesians that Jesus Himself is seated at the right hand of the Father "in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:20) above all rule and authority and power, in heaven and earth, in this age and the next." Thus, a seat in heaven is a seat of authority! (Eph. 1:21-23) It is actually a throne! Christians are enthroned on high because they are "in Christ." They have been baptized into Christ's ascension! They are united to the Son of Man who has been exalted high above all rule and authority and dominion and power. [I am indebted to Peter Leithart's The Kingdom and the Power . Highly recommended!]

The doctrine of the saints' dominion is surely a puzzling one if we look around us today. What kind of rule is it? Where is the Church pure and powerful? What nations do we possess? How many troops do we command? What authority do we wield? Look at a globe and there are few nations we can call Christian. Survey the cultural domains of the media, academia, and Hollywood, and there is little perceptible Christian influence. The same goes for federal and state governments. Are St. Paul's words in Ephesians chapter two a bit of self-delusion? How should we understand them?

As any observer can see, the Church is weak, mocked and rejected. It has been that way throughout most of history. The Bride of Christ, our mother, is undeniably afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down (2 Corinthians 4:8-10). Yet the Scriptures teach that Christians are already on thrones in the heavenlies. Our first reaction is to reject such a notion. We are inclined either to deny that the Church rules, or to suppose that such rule lies completely in the future. What does the reign of God's people signify? How does the Church now reign with Christ? In what ways can we see this fulfilled, or participate in it?

First, the Church rules and conquers in the midst of, and through her suffering. If God is for us, who can be against us? We may be accounted as sheep for the slaughter, yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:31-37). Why must the Church rule and conquer in the midst of trials and suffering? In order that the surpassing greatness of the power may be of God's grace, and not of herself (2 Corinthians. 4:7). The Church might become vain and proud if she were able to conquer in the midst of ease. Ease in Zion is usually an apathy trap.

The Old Covenant patriarch Jacob is an example of a man who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. He wrestled with God and injured his thigh. He was no match for his super-athletic brother Esau. Yet he bore twelve sons that became a great nation. When the Church is weak, then is she strong. It is by limping along that the Church rules.

There may be a personal application here. It is a mistake to suppose that people succeed through success; they much oftener succeed through failure. The man who never failed is a myth. Such a person never lived, and is never likely to. All success is a series of efforts in which, when closely viewed, look very much like failures. So when you fail now and then do not be discouraged, bear in mind that it is the experience of the Church and the way that God has providentially determined that each believer should grow.

There is another way that we rule with the Lord in heaven. As "heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ," the saints of God possess "all things" necessary for their highest well being (Romans 8:17; 1 Corinthians. 3:21-22; James 2:5). We live like kings! We possess the riches of royalty! We enjoy the hope of heaven, the promise of victory, the wisdom of the Word, the comfort of the Holy Spirit, the communion of Christ, the fellowship of God's people, the wonders of creation, the grace of the sacraments, and the worship of God. As royal sons and daughters of the Great King we inherit eternal life and all the good things we need. Let us therefore be grateful to our Lord and King for granting us these benefits.

Moreover, the Church reigns, or rules, in the sense that all things in nature, and in history, are working together for our good (Romans 5:17; 8:28; 1 Peter 3:13). God's agenda for history will not be thwarted. Granted, in the face of death and despair, or sickness and sorrow, God's providential agenda for history is hard to discern. But what a comfort it is to know that the Almighty Creator is in control; that all things work together for good to those who love God.

What kind of power do Christians wield? Never for a moment should we think that the saints' dominion is a power-grabbing, authoritarian rule. The children of God rule in the manner set down by Jesus in Matthew 20:26-28. There He said, "whoever desires to be great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Christ tells us that rule and authority are gained through service to others. Such service is best carried out with the people closest to us. Constant sacrificial service to our spouses and children at home should mix with our ongoing servanthood at church. Helping out our neighbors and improving the neighborhood is yet another area of service. Servants go out of their way to serve - visiting prisoners, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, and demonstrating the love of God in ways that seem radical to the world. The experience we gain in service prepares us for authority, and glorifies God along the way.

Next, the dominion of the saints involves the privilege of feasting at the King's table. This is a privilege higher and greater than the kings and potentates of the earth. We are baptized into Christ's ascension and sit together with Him in heavenly places. Every Eucharistic celebration we draw near to the banquet table in the King's throne-room and there Christ feeds us with His Body and Blood.

How else do we rule the earth with Christ? We rule through prayer. In Christ, we may come boldly into our Father's presence and speak to Him, and receive His council. We have freedom of access at all times to the presence of the King of kings and Lord of lords. This is only natural for those who sit on thrones in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6; Hebrews 10:19-22; 1 Peter 2:5, 9).

Moreover, the Church rules as an intercessor. The Church pleads with God on behalf of all men and women. By our prayers we move the Arm that controls the winds, the rain, all the potent forces of the physical world. The liturgy of the Church quite literally moves history. As we pray and worship and commune with God in the Land of the Trinity, our Sovereign Creator sends out His angels to do His bidding. Nature, the angelic spirits, and history itself respond to the faithful worship of the Church Militant. Even the power of wicked nations and men are foiled (Jeremiah 1:10, 18; Matthew 7:7-8; 18:19; Acts 12:5; James 5:14-18).

Unfortunately the Church calendar sets aside only one Sunday to focus on the Ascension of Jesus. There is so much more to say. The ramifications of the ascension extend to the arts, politics, and culture, and we'll just have to touch on those things on another occasion. Next week we celebrate Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit.

The ascension does not mean Christ sits alone in heaven. You sit with Him. You have been baptized into Christ's ascension. What a privilege! You belong to the world-governing body. Almighty God desires to produce in you qualities of responsibility, maturity, hope and comfort in order to equip you for your dominion duties. It is for a reason that the King Eternal Jesus Christ has raised you up to sit in heavenly places. He put you there to serve and rule with Him. On this Sunday after Ascension let us take to heart the statement of the Apostle Paul, "God raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus," If you can truly grasp these words, then it is only natural that you acquire a passion for godly leadership. Such leadership begins by following the example of King Jesus. He possessed a passion for service, and a compassion for others. We follow his conduct, along with a love for the Church, and a zeal for the Spirit, the Word, and the Sacraments. If by God's grace we faithfully set our efforts toward these things, we may still see the Church limping along, but conquering the world in spite of it. We will see unstoppable Christian, cultural advancement. We will be amazed one day to behold the earth filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

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