I couldn’t put this book down. Patrick Schreiner kept my attention throughout the book and walked me through a doctrine that gets very little attention.

Schreiner explains the ascension is indeed a neglected doctrine. When was the last time you heard a sermon on the ascension? Have you ever heard a sermon about it? When was the last time you read a book on the ascension or read an article about it? My guess is very few of us have. That’s why this book intrigued me.

So why is it neglected? Schreiner helps us with five reasons,

• The Bible speaks little of it.
• It seems like a bad plan. Jesus should have stayed.
• Its Implications are unclear.
• The event is abnormal. He went up into the clouds, very peculiar.
• The resurrection can overwhelm the ascension.

Schreiner then provides five reasons not to neglect the ascension. But I will not list them here, sorry, you will just have to read the book! Which you will not regret.

Here are the chapters,

• Introduction
• Ascension of the Prophet
• Overlooking the Ascension
• Ascension of the Priest
• Ascension of the King
• The Ascension in Theology

A couple of my favorite quotes from the book,

“The ascension (rising) of Christ refers to Jesus going up from earth into heaven. His session (sitting) speaks of Christ sitting at the right hand of the Father. These are two closely linked stages of Christ’s exaltation and triumph, but in a real sense the ascent is the journey, while sitting is the goal.” (p. xiii)

“Although the ascension is rarely mentioned in explicit terms, the New Testament assumes its central place. All of the authors write in response to, and work backward from, the ascension. The ascension revealed the Messiah’s exaltation and triumph, finished his work on the earth, guaranteed his current sovereignty, broke the barrier between heaven and earth, thus pouring out the Spirit, and pledged his return.” (p. 11)

The book traces the offices of prophet, priest, and king - connecting them with Jesus and to the ascension.

“Before, Christ was prophet on the earth; now he builds his church as the prophet in heaven. Before, Christ was priest on the earth; now he intercedes as our heavenly priest. Before, he was worshiped as the king of the Jews; now he has been installed as the Lord of heaven and earth.” (p. xvi).

I have done a little research on the ascension and come up with a few summary thoughts and applications.

What is The Ascension of Jesus Christ?

Definition: The Ascension is Jesus’ bodily return to heaven to reign at the Father’s right hand.

Why is the Ascension of Jesus Christ important?

It is important because Jesus ascended according to plan, with a promise, and to a place.

• Jesus ascended according to plan. Jesus’ ascension is an essential part of Christ’s work of forgiveness because it was foretold in the Old Testament, predicted by Jesus, and approved by the Father.

• Jesus ascended with a promise to send the Helper, the Holy Spirit, so that Jesus could continue his work by indwelling, empowering, and teaching every believer.

• Jesus ascended to a place. Jesus bodily ascended to a real place to demonstrate his glory.
  • He ascended to heaven as our Forerunner to be with his Father and prepare a place for us. He ascended to a throne as our King to rule the universe and bless his Church.
  • He ascended to return again as our Blessed Hope to resurrect our bodies and live with us forever.

What difference should The Ascension make in our lives?

Since Jesus has gloriously ascended – we witness, we wait, and we worship (Luke 24:48-53).

• We Witness.
  • By the power of the Spirit, we are witnesses to the truths of Christ in Scripture, to the work of Christ in history, and to the good news of Christ in salvation.

• We Wait.
  • Since Jesus promised to return, we wait for him with longing and expectancy. We reach out as witnesses, use our gifts to build the Church, and worship him in all of life.

• We Worship.
  • Jesus ascended into heaven as king, gave us a mission in life, and will return one day. So we worship him continually and with great joy!

I received a copy of this book so I could do an honest review.