The Sevenfold Descent and Ascent of Jesus – Part 2

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:9-11).

The Sevenfold Ascent
At Jesus’ first coming, the question of our guilt was worked out. When He returns, the question of power will be worked out. The shameful image of the man crowned with thorns, won’t be the last the world sees of Him.

1. Jesus was exalted by God the Father.
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him.” 

This is a divine principle. The one who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted (Isa 14:13; Matt 23:12). Paul writes, “…when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places” (Eph 1:20).

That entry into heaven must have been triumphant. We can imagine the angels standing in line, and the Father rising and bringing Jesus to sit at His right hand. The Lord returned to heaven differently than He left it to go to earth. He walked through the heavens, not only as the Son of God but also as the Son of Man. As such, He was exalted above all. And Jesus didn’t enter heaven alone in this exalted state. Namely, two things happened:

First, we see how the Old Testament believers who died under the Law were freed: “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men” (Eph 4:8).

Before Jesus died on the Cross, Satan had power over the realm of the dead (OT Sheol; NT Hades). He was permitted to demand man’s death, because every man is a sinner (Heb 2:14-15). The realm of the dead was divided between an area for unbelievers and one for believers, called “Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16). There was an insurmountable gulf between the two. But, we shouldn’t equate Abraham’s bosom with Paradise, which had been closed since the Fall. This is why Jesus didn’t yet speak of Paradise when He told the story of Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom and the rich man in the realm of the dead.

When the Lord died on the Cross, the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom. Among other things, this serves as a symbol that the lost Paradise has become accessible again. That is why the Bible no longer speaks of Abraham’s bosom, but of Paradise, the location of God’s heavenly dwelling (2 Cor 12:4). And so, the Lord told the thief in light of his Redeemer’s death on the Cross, “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

After dying on the Cross, the Lord descended into the realm of the dead. Death had to hand over the key, so to speak. And so later, in His exalted and glorified state, He could tell John, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Rev 1:18). Interestingly, when He rose from the dead, many other saints were also resurrected and appeared to the people of Jerusalem (Matt 27:52-53). At His Ascension, it’s likely that the Lord took these resurrected, faithful ones from Abraham’s bosom (the realm of the Old Testament faithful) into the heavenly Paradise. As Paul writes, quoting Psalm 63:9, “(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things)” (Eph 4:9-10). But the unbelievers are still in the prison of Hades, awaiting judgment on the last day (Rev 20:11-15).

What’s more, the Lord’s exaltation shows us that the New Testament Church was also raised: “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:6). As Max Lucado said of all who are now coming to faith, “When Jesus went home, he left the back door open.”

Since that act of liberation (since the Resurrection, Ascension, and Pentecost), the whereabouts of all believers who have fallen asleep have been characterized by the words “with Christ” or “in Christ” (Phil 1:23; 1 Thess 4:16). They are no longer dead “in the realm of the dead,” but “dead in Christ.” Everyone who believes in Jesus is immediately transferred into His kingdom in spirit (Col 1:13). Therefore, we read of “the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel” (Col 1:5), “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Pet 1:4). “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:20).

In heaven, there are angels, archangels, enthroned figures, messenger angels, a council of elders, cherubim and seraphim, princes, and majesties. But none of them have the privilege of sitting next to God. Only the Church, purchased by His blood, has that. For whoever is in Christ is in fact crucified with Him, resurrected with Him, and transported with Him into the heavenly places. He is now a joint heir with Christ, because he is a member of His body. Theologian Johann Heinrich Volkening (1796-1877) once preached two aptly termed sermons in light of this: “The Miserable Glory of the Children of This World,” and in contrast, “The Glorious Misery of the Children of God.” The best is yet to come!

2. Jesus has a name above all names.
“And given him a name which is above every name.” 

There are many prominent names in this world. Everyone wants to be great, and people often give themselves titles of honor. It began at the construction of the Tower of Babel: “And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth” (Gen 11:4).

Human thinking hasn’t changed since then. Leaders have called themselves Frederick the Great, Charlemagne (“Charles the Great”), Richard the Lionheart, Alexander the Great, William the Conqueror, Catherine the Great, Augustus the Strong. Famous actors and musicians are called stars, or even superstars. More than 2,700 stars bearing the names of celebrities have been embedded in the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. But who would like to call themselves, say, Norbert the Thimble? The Roman Emperor received the nickname Caligula (“little boots” in the vernacular) because, as a child, he walked around in oversized boots, an unusual costume for a Roman. He was a cruel ruler who probably suffered from a complex. It can be said that this world’s celebrities are first wrapped in a hero’s cape, and then eventually in a death shroud. But by contrast, we can say that Jesus was wrapped in a death shroud, but triumphs in a hero’s cape (cf. Rev 1:13). “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev 19:16).

Gustav Heinemann, former President of Germany, once said, “The rulers of this world are leaving, but our Master is still coming.” This is true. Only His name is truly great, surpassing everything that has ever existed by eternities. Scripture says of Jesus and His name, “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come” (Eph 1:21). There is no getting around His name. Not all roads lead to Rome, and not many roads lead to heaven. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). And on the occasion of His triumphant return, it says, “His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself” (Rev 19:12).

Jesus is unique, incomparable. He towers about everything that has ever existed and will ever exist. He is Lord of lords and King of kings (1 Tim 6:15; Rev 17:14; 19:16). His name, identical to His person, possesses the greatest power. “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom 10:12-13). And Israel will also experience this when the Lord returns: “And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD” (Zech 10:12).

3. Every knee shall bow at the name of Jesus.
“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.” 

This is already true today: “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30). It can be said that soldiers are ordered to destroy and to go to their deaths. But God orders salvation so that we can enter into life. And this will be true in the future: “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).

That day seems close, because we’re moving further into a point of convergence for apocalyptic events. Our society is spiritually ill; the order of Creation is being overturned, and normal is becoming abnormal. But in the end, everyone will bow before Him. Pontius Pilate, the Pharisees of His day … As the Lord told them, “Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven” (Matt 26:64). Every Roman emperor and world ruler, every religious great, every dictator, Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin, Mao Zedong, Che Guevara … yes, even death must one day bow before Him and abdicate. And we too will one day stand before Him.

Theologian and hymn writer Theo Lehmann writes: “You could spit on Him, and to this day, everyone can scorn Him. But on the last day, when the final whistle is blown in the great game of world history, everyone can and must see that He is the Lord of the world. All the other masters you’ve honored or feared, the ones you’ve groveled before, you will never meet again. The only One you will meet again after your death is Jesus. […] You’ll never meet your gods and idols, past and present, ever again. But you will meet Jesus. He stands at the end of history, and the end of your life’s story.”

It’s far better to willingly bow to Him now and be accepted, than to be forced to bow one day and be rejected. The most terrible words a person can ever hear are these from Jesus’ mouth: “I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!” (Luke 13:27, NIV).

The story of the rich man and Lazarus shows a big difference between these two standings. Christ begins His description with, “There was a certain rich man…” (Luke 16:19). The rich man isn’t mentioned by name; he remains unknown, because he doesn’t have a relationship with God. What good is all that wealth? Lazarus, on the other hand, is known by name: “And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus…” (Luke 16:20).

“And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom…” (Luke 16:22). Since Abraham is the father of all the faithful (Gen 15:6; Rom 4:3, 12, 16), this identifies Lazarus as a believer. Angels carry him to the part of Hades reserved for the redeemed, and comfort him. Since the Resurrection, however, angels no longer carry believers. The Lord Himself takes them to Himself. “The rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he [lifted] up his eyes…” (Luke 16:22b-23). While Lazarus is carried by angels, the rich man is simply buried, to awaken tormented in Hades. This is the great difference between those who bow willingly now, and those who will be forced to bow someday.

4. All realms will surrender to the Lord.
“Of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.”

In the visible and invisible world, in all expanses and depths, there will no longer be a realm that doesn’t surrender to Him and over which He doesn’t stand. Everything is laid before Him as a footstool for His feet. “For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet” (1 Cor 15:25). In the endless worlds and hierarchies, there will no longer be a single corner where rebellion and resistance remain.

5. Every tongue will confess.
“And that every tongue should confess.”

All scoffers, rebels, atheists, deniers, and others who have rejected Jesus will confess Him. And I’d imagine that they don’t even have to be forced to do it, but will do so spontaneously as soon as they see Him.

When, rising from the bed of death, 
O’erwhelmed with guilt and fear,
I see my Maker face to face,
O how shall I appear?

If yet, while pardon may be found, 
And mercy may be sought, 
My heart with inward horror shrinks,
And trembles at the thought.

When thou, O Lord, shalt stand disclosed
In majesty severe,
And sit in judgment on my soul,
O how shall I appear

But thou hast told the troubled mind
Who does her sins lament,
The timely tribute of her tears
Shall endless woes prevent.

Then see the sorrow of my heart,
Ere yet it be too late,
And hear my Savior’s dying groans,
To give these sorrows weight.

– Joseph Addison

The rich man realized and confessed it too late.

6. The Confession
“That Jesus Christ is Lord.”

In his Pentecost sermon, the Apostle Peter said, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).

This shows us a clear indication of Jesus’ real incarnation. He has always been true God, but as a true man, He was made Lord and Christ. Just imagine: Everyone who rebelled against Him, everyone who refused to believe, who was angered by Him, who slandered Him, who wanted to put Him on equal (or lesser!) footing than others, or who elevated themselves above Him … they will all confess that Jesus is Lord (God).

The United Nations sees itself as a force for peace. In the garden of the UN building in New York, there is a sculpture of a man turning a sword into a ploughshare, with powerful blows from a hammer. This biblical motif is taken from Isaiah 2:4: “And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (cf. Mic 4:3). This sculpture was a gift from the atheist Soviet Union. Does the world situation today reflect that? But the Bible says, “Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him … His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed” (Ps 72:11, 17; cf. Rev 5:13).

7. All to the Glory of God the Father.
“To the glory of God the Father.” 

Paul closes this section on the Lord’s sevenfold descent and ascent with the word “Father.” Everything springs from the Father’s plan of salvation. The eternal Father sent the eternal Son into the world in harmony with Himself. The mission: the salvation of the world. The lost relationship with God was to be restored. God doesn’t just want to be our God but our Father, in a deep, personal relationship. And Jesus brings us into that relationship.

As the Son of Man on earth, Jesus was completely devoted to the Father and obedient in all things. The Son glorified the Father in everything. He was able to say, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4).

Now the Father is honored by all who recognize and honor His Son. God’s plan and agenda for the redemption of the world and a lost humanity, has been accomplished through the Son. So, the text we’ve been examining ends with the Father, but begins with the Son and an exhortation to us: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5).

• He did not cling to honor.
• He made Himself nothing.
• He became a servant to others.
• He drew near to the lost.
• He never sinned, but had mercy on sinners.

If only we shared this mindset…

Midnight Call - 06/2025