The Second Article.
The Triumphant Ascension Of Our Lord.
Which is the Second Article?
_I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.... He ascended into
heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty._
What does this mean?
_Even as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity._
1. After His resurrection our Lord _remained here on earth for forty
days._ During these days He repeatedly appeared to His disciples; He
showed Himself alive to them by many proofs. He convinced them that He
was not dead, but lived. He spoke to them about the kingdom of God,
_His_ kingdom. He finally gave them His great command or commission, to
go out into all the world and preach the Gospel of their living Savior
to all men. Acts 1,3.
2. On the _fortieth day_ when the apostles were assembled in Jerusalem,
the Lord appeared to them again. He told them: _"Behold, I send the
promise of My Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem
until ye be endued with power from on high."_ Luke 24,49. He commanded
His disciples to remain in Jerusalem until they had received the gift of
the Holy Ghost, that in His power they might be His witnesses unto the
uttermost parts of the earth. Then our Lord led them out to _Mount
Olivet,_ as far as to _Bethany._ And there He lifted up His hands and
blessed them. _While He blessed them, He was parted from His beloved
apostles and carried up into heaven._ While the disciples looked on
He was taken up higher and higher, until a cloud received Him out of
their sight. Luke 24,50.51; Acts 1,8.9. In this manner our Lord was
received up to His heavenly glory _Visibly,_ before the eyes of His
disciples, He ascended on high and entered into the glory of His Father.
3. Christ ascended into heaven, _and He did so for our sake._ He
ascended up on high as _the triumphant Victor_ over all His and our
enemies. His entrance into heaven assures us _that He has opened heaven
again for us through His sufferings and death._ Before His death He gave
His apostles the promise: _"In My Father's house are many mansions. I go
to prepare a place for you."_ John 14,2. This promise He has fulfilled.
He went up to heaven to prepare a place in His Father's house for all
who believe in Him, their Savior.--Our Lord ascended into heaven, _and
where He is, there shall we, His friends and disciples also be._ He will
not leave us behind in this world. As truly as Christ went up to heaven,
we, His own, will follow Him to His and our Father's house. _"Where I
am, there shall also My servant be."_ John 12,26. Our Lord prayed for us
before His death upon the cross: _"Father, I will that they also whom
Thou hast given Me be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory,
which Thou hast given Me."_ John 17,24. "Mighty Lord, in Thine ascension
we by faith behold our own."--Remember: _Our Treasure, our Lord and
Savior, is in heaven, and where our Treasure is, our hearts and hopes
should also be._
4. _"He was received up into heaven and sat on the right hand of God,"_
thus we read Mark 16,19. We, therefore, confess that our ascended Lord
now _"sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty."_ What does
this mean? It does not mean that in heaven, at the right hand of God the
Father, there is a special throne, prepared for our Lord, the God-man
Jesus Christ, upon which He is now seated in divine glory, adored and
praised by all the heavenly hosts, and that, because He is sitting on
that throne, He is _far away from us, His own._ It means--and so our
Catechism explains it--that our dear Lord, after being raised from
the dead, _"lives and reigns to all eternity."_ It means that Christ,
though He was dead, lives and is alive forevermore, that our living Lord
is with us and reigns over us as our gracious King to all eternity. He
is, and will be, according to His almighty power, our King forever and
ever.
5. Christ, indeed, ascended into heaven. He now is in heaven, in the
glory of His Father; _but He is not far away from us. He is with us._ We
cannot see Him, as His apostles saw Him, but He is with us _invisibly in
His Word, His Gospel._ When we read or hear His Gospel or think about
it, our Savior is always at our side. He Himself has promised us: _"I
will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you."_ John 14,18.--
_Our Lord lives and reigns to all eternity,_ that is, He rules and
governs us, His own, His disciples. He leads and protects us against all
our enemies. Out of His almighty hand no enemy can pluck us. Our mighty
Lord on God's throne is our Good Shepherd, who leads us in the paths of
righteousness for His name's sake. Ps. 23.--Christ's resurrection, His
ascension, and His sitting at the right hand of God assure us of the
fact that He is indeed our Lord, and will be our Lord and King to
eternity; and in His kingdom we shall live and Him we shall serve in
everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.