Chapter 41—King of Glory
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;
and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The
Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
Psalm 24:7, 8
.
Christ came to earth as God in the guise of humanity. He ascended
to heaven as the King of saints. His ascension was worthy of His exalted
character. He went as One mighty in battle, a conqueror, leading captivity
captive. He was attended by the heavenly host, amid shouts and acclamations
of praise and celestial song.
The disciples not only saw the Lord ascend, but they had the testimony
of the angels that He had gone to occupy His Father’s throne in heaven....
The brightness of the heavenly escort, and the opening of the glorious gates
of God to welcome Him, were not to be discerned by mortal eyes. Had the
track of Christ to heaven been revealed to the disciples in all its inexpressible
glory, they could not have endured the sight....
Their senses were not to become so infatuated with the glories of heaven
that they would lose sight of the character of Christ on earth, which they were
to copy in themselves. They were to keep distinctly before their minds the
beauty and majesty of His life, the perfect harmony of all His attributes, and
the mysterious union of the divine and human in His nature.... His visible
ascent from the world was in harmony with the meekness and quiet of His
life.
What a source of joy to the disciples, to know that they had such a Friend
in heaven to plead in their behalf! Through the visible ascension of Christ all
their views and contemplation of heaven are changed.... They now looked
upon it as their future home, where mansions were being prepared for them
by their loving Redeemer. Prayer was clothed with a new interest, since it
was a communion with their Saviour....
They had a gospel to preach—Christ in human form, a Man of sorrows;
Christ in humiliation, taken by wicked hands and crucified; Christ resurrected,
and ascended to heaven, into the presence of God, to be man’s Advocate;
Christ to come again with power and great glory in the clouds of heaven.
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