Tag: suffering

Don’t Let the Ascension Go To Waste

On By Tyler BoydIn Christian Living, Christian's Relationship to Government, Kingdom Life, The Authority of God

There is often great emphasis placed on the death and resurrection of Christ. The ascension, however, is often underemphasized or misunderstood. The ascension is so much more than simply a miraculous levitation to the skies at the end of Jesus’s life. The ascension is an event with deep implications and real, tangible effects on the life of the church, highlighting His exaltation and authority.

The Ascension Turns Humility into Exaltation

Luke records the ascension as both the conclusion to his gospel and the starting point for the book of Acts:

While he blessed them, he departed from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.

Luke 24:51-52

And when he said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Acts 1:9-11

Prior to this, Jesus appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-34). They were confused about why Jesus, whom they had hoped would redeem Israel, had to die on a cross. Adding to their confusion, they had heard the tomb was empty and rumors of his resurrection. Jesus rebuked them, explaining that the prophets had long anticipated this moment:

O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that they prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into glory?

Luke 24:25-26

Peter echoes this in Acts 3:19-21:

Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, and that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

Both passages declare that the ascension was anticipated throughout the Old Testament as the moment when Christ’s suffering was turned into glory. On earth, Jesus suffered, but in heaven, He is glorified until the time of restoration.

On earth, Jesus endured the shame of the cross; in heaven, He has a name above every name (Phil. 2:8-9). On earth, He was obedient to death; in heaven, every knee shall bow to Him (Phil. 2:8, 10). On earth, He took the form of a servant; in heaven, He reigns as Lord (Phil. 2:7, 11). On earth, He was a man of sorrows; in heaven, He divides the spoil with the strong (Is. 53:4, 12). On earth, His soul was in anguish; in heaven, His soul is satisfied (Is. 53:4, 12). On earth, He was numbered with transgressors; in heaven, He intercedes for them (Is. 53:12).

The ascension was Jesus’s ultimate moment of vindication, where His humility was turned into exaltation.

The Results of the Ascension

When New Testament authors spoke of the ascension’s significance, they frequently referred to to Daniel 7 and Psalm 110.

In Daniel’s vision (Daniel 7), the dominion of “beast”-like kingdoms was taken away, and the trampled “Son of Man” was exalted, given a throne, and all other kingdoms and dominions were subjected to him:

I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
and a 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 one that shall not be destroyed.

Daniel 7:13-14

Similarly, Psalm 110 anticipates that the Messianic Lord would be exalted to a priestly role at God’s right hand, ruling over all enemies and shattering the authority of kings:

The LORD says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

The LORD sends forth from Zion
your mighty scepter.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!…

The Lord is at your right hand;
he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
He will execute judgment among the nations,
filling them with corpses;
he will shatter chiefs
over the wide earth.

Psalm 110:1-2; 5-6

These passages are the foundation for New Testament descriptions of the ascended Christ sitting at God’s right hand (Mk. 16:19; Acts 2:33; Heb. 10:12). Because of the ascension, Paul rejoiced in God’s power:

That he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

Ephesians 1:20-21

The resurrection gives us hope for a new birth (1 Pet. 1:3), but it is the ascension that places Christ at God’s right hand, with angels, authorities, and powers subjected to him (1 Pet. 3:22). The resurrection proclaims Jesus as the firstborn from the dead, but the ascension proclaims him as the rulers of the kings of the earth with everlasting dominion (Rev. 1:5-7).

The ascension allows Jesus to serve as our priestly intercessor (Rom. 8:33-34; Heb. 4:14; 7:24-27, 1 John 2:1), and to send the Holy Spirit (John 16:7; Acts 2:32-33; Eph. 4:8-10). The ascension is crucially important, because it was the moment when Christ was given all authority, in heaven and on earth (Mt. 28:18-19).

Christ’s Ascension Means Things are Different Now

Since Jesus has been exalted and now reigns with authority far above all other rule and power, the world order has fundamentally changed. While we still await the future day when the kingdom is delivered to the Father, and all enemies, including death, are subdued (1 Cor. 15:24-26), the ascension means Christ’s reign over the world has already begun. His exaltation is the firstfruits of the great harvest to come (1 Cor. 15:20-23).

Imagine the exalted Son of Man, reigning at God’s right hand, high above all rule, authority, power, and dominion, being consumed by a presidential election or worried about a city ordinance. It’s absurd! Psalm 2 reminds us, “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision!”? Have we forgotten the ascension?

The ascension reveals the truth about the cross. Before the ascension, the meaning of the cross was hidden and concealed, viewed as a shame and reproach, a demonstration of power by rulers and authorities. But the ascension reveals the suffering on the cross for what it really was and highlights it as the way to glory. Because of the ascension we can now see that humiliation and exaltation and intimately connected. Paul reminds us in Romans 8:

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesu is the one who died – more than that, who was raised – who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”

How much less should we be concerned about  food, gas, and housing prices? If, as Paul says, “neither death not life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present not things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord,” how much less should we worry about a bad president?

The call to bear a cross for Christ is not a call to live as perpetually defeated. The call to endure suffering is not hopeless. Building up the Kingdom of Christ rather than seeking earthly authority is not “apathy.” The call to follow Christ’s suffering is not a “loser’s theology.” The ascension glorifies our sufferings, making them incomparable with the glory to be revealed (Rom. 8:18). Rather than avoiding suffering, we “suffer with him in order that we may be glorified with him” (Rom 8:17).

Do you believe in the ascension of Christ? Then why are you more vocal about politics than you are about Christianity? Why do you campaign more zealously for political candidates than for Jesus? Why do you defend political platforms more than the doctrine of Christ? Why are you more interested in the nation’s future than the church’s future? Why is earthly citizenship more important than heavenly citizenship? Why do you get more upset with someone who doesn’t vote than you are upset by someone committing sin? Why worry about having a voice heard in Washington when you already have an intercessor at God’s right hand? Why worry about what kind of country your children will live in more than their faith in the power of the gospel? Why fear suffering, persecution, or poverty? Why place so much confidence in conquered rulers?

Do you believe in the ascension of Christ? Then live as loyal citizens of the heavenly kingdom. Don’t let the ascension go to waste.

Suffering that Leads to Hope

On By Tyler BoydIn Christian's Relationship to Government, Kingdom Life, The Authority of God, The Resurrection

The Book of Daniel draws an important connection between Israel’s suffering and their hope for a better future. Central to this theme is the vision described in Daniel 7, where the Son of Man is depicted as being trampled by earthly kingdoms – visualized as terrifying beasts – yet ultimately exalted to reign with divine authority. Later, in the gospels, the phrase “Son of Man” became the most common way that Jesus referred to himself, indicating that Jesus viewed his mission as the fulfillment of the hope described in the book of Daniel. The purpose of this article is to explore how the book of Daniel provides an important perspective on faithful suffering and how this perspective is central to understanding the gospel.

Suffering in the Book of Daniel

Israel’s exile into Babylon serves as the backdrop to the events and prophetic visions described in the book of Daniel. The first part of the book (Daniel 1-6) describes the challenges faced by Daniel and his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

The authorities assigned these men the task of learning Babylon’s customs and serving the very empire that had torn them away from their home. They could have abandoned hope in God and chosen instead to assimilate into Babylonian culture. Instead, then continually set themselves apart from the world around them by remaining loyal to God (cf. Daniel 1:8-9; 5:17). When the king demanded that Daniel’s friends bow to a large Babylonian image, they humbly and firmly refused, despite the looming threat of the fiery furnace (cf. Daniel 3:16-18). Later, when prayer to the LORD was declared to be a crime punishable by death in the lion’s den, Daniel still refused to hide or to stop offering his daily prayers (Daniel 6:4-11).

While living in Babylon, Daniel and his faithful friends refused to compromise their faithful loyalty to the LORD. Ironically, their willingness to remain faithful, even in the face of real danger and pain, continually resulted in their exaltation. Time and time again, they were honored and rewarded by the very kings whom they refused to serve (Daniel 1:19-20; 3:28-30; 6:25-27). Together, these famous accounts from the book of Daniel highlight the theme of faithful endurance, even while facing threats of suffering and violence. Rather than viewing suffering as a misfortune, the book of Daniel presents faithful suffering as the path to a better future.

The Vision of the Beasts (Daniel 7)

The stories of Daniel and his friends serve to explain, and are themselves explained by, Daniel’s wild vision described in chapter 7. The vision begins as Daniel sees four terrifying monster-like animals rise from the sea (Daniel 7:1-8). The fourth beast is described as the most terrible of all:

After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.

Daniel 7:7

Daniel then looks and sees thrones where the “Ancient of Days” takes his seat, and the heavenly court sits in judgment over the beasts. The terrible fourth beast is destroyed and burned, and the dominions of the other beasts are taken away.

Once the beasts are judged, Daniel sees another figure, this time a human character, identified as the “son of man”:

I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
And 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 one
that shall not be destroyed.

Daniel 7:13-14

As we would expect, Daniel is greatly disturbed by this wild vision (Daniel 7:15). Thankfully, one of the spiritual beings from God’s court approaches Daniel and offers him an interpretation of what he was shown.

The Suffering and Exaltation of the Son of Man

The four beasts are identified as symbolizing the evil and destructive nature of four successive earthly kingdoms (Daniel 7:16-17). The terrifying fourth beast is depicted as kingdom that made war with, and prevailed over, the saints until the Ancient of Days pronounced judgment (Daniel 7:19-26).

The saints, however, would not remain defeated forever. The human figure, the exalted son of man, is identified as symbolizing the saints of the Most High, as they are given an everlasting kingdom.

But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.

Daniel 7:18

And the kingdom and the dominion
and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven
shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;
his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,
and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

Daniel 7:27

Just as Daniel and his faithful companions faced continual threats at the hands of the Babylonians, so also the kingdom of the fourth beast continually trampled and defeated the saints of the Most High. And just as Daniel and his friends were continually exalted to positions of increasing authority as a result of the faithful endurance, so the saints were ultimately rewarded with an everlasting kingdom that would never pass away.

As we reflect on this wild vision given to Daniel, we begin to see the significance of the times when Jesus identified himself as the “Son of Man.”

Hope through Suffering in Christ

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Mark 8:31

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will is profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

Matthew 16:24-28

When Jesus used the phrase “Son of Man,” he was recalling both the suffering, defeat, and ultimate exaltation of the saints in Daniel’s vision, and claiming this pattern to explain his purpose.

In Christ, we see that suffering and death are not ends in themselves. They are not mere unfortunate realities to endure. As the book of Daniel demonstrates, faithful endurance of suffering is the pathway to future exaltation. It is not a misfortune to avoid, but a doorway to vindication in an everlasting kingdom. This perspective transforms how we view our own trials and suffering at the hands of earthly rulers and kingdoms in our own day. By embracing faithful, submissive endurance, as Jesus did on the cross, we follow him on the path to eternal hope and glory.

Following Christ means accepting self-sacrificial suffering as an necessary part of our journey. Just as Daniel’s visions foreshadowed, and Jesus’s life confirmed, it is through enduring suffering faithfully that we find our ultimate exaltation. This truth calls us to a life-changing understanding of what it means to follow Christ: that true discipleship is marked by a willingness to embrace the cross, knowing that through it lies the promise of resurrection to eternal life and citizenship in an eternal kingdom.

The Holy Spirit, Suffering, and Hope

On By Tyler BoydIn Holy Spirit

This post is the 22nd in an ongoing series on the Holy Spirit. Click here for other posts in this series.

The Holy Spirit and Hope

One of the primary blessings of the Holy Spirit is that Christians can enjoy hope.

Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 5:5

May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Romans 15:13

For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.

Galatians 5:5

As noted previously in this study, it is only by the Holy Spirit that we have hope of resurrection from the dead.

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Romans 8:11

As Paul describes the future resurrection body for which we hope, he highlights that our future body will be “spiritual”.

What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is a spiritual body.

1 Corinthians 15:42b-44

Throughout his writings, Paul uses the word “spiritual” not to refer to disembodied, immaterial beings, but to describe fully embodied, tangible, material Christians who lived by and are guided by the Spirit, living with the mind of Christ.

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are not spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

1 Corinthians 2:14-16

The Holy Spirit gives us hope, because the Holy Spirit is the one who resurrects the dead. In this sense, our future bodies will be “spiritual” in nature, as we live with the mind of Christ. As Paul puts it, in the resurrection we will “bear the image of the man of heaven.” (1 Cor. 15:49). Those who have the mind of Christ now, will bear the image of Christ in the resurrection. This hope of transformation in His image comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

And we all, we unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18

Suffering and Hope

The hope offered by the Spirit is, however, conditional.  This is demonstrated throughout the books of Romans, Galatians, 1 Corinthians, and 2 Corinthians. If we are to have hope of bearing the image of Christ, we must be willing to look like Christ our willingness to suffer with him. Paul states this truth explicitly in Romans 8.

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Romans 8:16-17

Hope and suffering are tied together. Suffering with Christ is not an optional extra. It is the necessary and indispensable path to glorification. The Spirit given hope is that the ultimate fate of the humiliated and crucified Messiah will be the ultimate fate of those who are crucified with him. Hope is the conviction that those who share in the suffering of Christ will likewise share in the resurrection of Christ.

For those who live by the Spirit, suffering is not separate from hope, and hope is not separate from suffering. Suffering is not despair, nor is hope mere wishful thinking. That is because the Spirit serves as a bridge connecting suffering and hope. If we suffer in the Spirit of Christ, we will be raised by the Spirit with Christ. Suffering with Christ is the guarantee of our confident expectation, our hope.

Hope is Future Oriented

The hope provided by the Spirit is a confident expectation, but confident expectation is not the same as present realization. Hope is, by definition, future oriented.

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Romans 8:24-25

Although God has already in a very real sense “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved son” (Col. 1:13), this triumph is not yet fully complete. Through Jesus’s death and resurrection, sin and death have already been attacked and defeated, but we still await the day when “he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and authority and power” (1 Cor. 15:23), when we receive the redemption of our bodies by the Spirit.

A Present Guarantee of Future Hope

Although the Christian’s hope is future oriented, the Spirit is the guarantee of that hope. Through the Spirit, we already have a foretaste of what is to come. Paul describes the presence of the Spirit by using the image of the “firstfruits” of a harvest, which is the beginning and guarantee of the full harvest which is to come.

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Romans 8:23

Similarly, Paul describes the Spirit in our hearts as a “guarantee,” “down payment,” or “first installment” of what is to come.

And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22

He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

2 Corinthians 5:5

As Christians live by the Holy Spirit in the present, they are guaranteed that God will bring the Holy Spirit’s work to completion in the future. As we share in the Holy Spirit, having the mind of Christ we are continually transformed into the image of Christ. As we think like Christ, we look like Christ. Ultimately, the Spirit’s work will be completed, as we “become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21), when we “bear the image of the man of heaven” (1 Cor. 15:49). But we only have hope to be raised in the image of Christ in the future if we look like Christ by suffering with him in the present.

Groaning Together With the Spirit

Since we have the “firstfruits”, or the “down payment” of our future glory, there is a very real sense in which we can enjoy the righteousness and peace of the Holy Spirit in the present (cf. Rom. 14:17) But our present righteousness and joy and peace is not separate from suffering. To illustrate this point, Paul uses the image of a mother in labor with her child.

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Romans 8:22-23

An expecting mother patiently anticipates the day when her child will be born. Pregnancy is a joy, but it’s not easy. It is a time filled with increasing discomfort and pain. Then the day comes. It is a day of pain and suffering and torment and tears. But then, the pain is replaced with joy. The crying is replaced with tears of happiness. The groaning gives way to new life.

So also, by the Spirit, we presently suffer and we groan. But we have peace in our trouble, we endure with patience, and we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know what it brings. By the Spirit we suffer with the mind of Christ. And by that same Spirit, we will be raised with him. And so, through the suffering Spirit, we have hope.