Ascension

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on August 21, 2012 under Ask the Pastor |

A member of Bethany Bible church asks:

If Jesus the only person who went up to heaven—or if there were other people who went to heaven before Him. John 3:13 seems to be saying that nobody went to heaven except Jesus. But what about Enoch and Elijah?

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Dear friend,

The actual quote from John 3:13 reads this way: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven” (New King James Version). The larger issue in this verse seems clear enough—which, in the surrounding context, is how the “new birth” is accomplished (see vv. 1-8). But there’s a difference of opinion between those who believe that these are the words of the Lord Jesus Himself from John 3, and those who believe that they are a part of John’s commentary on Jesus’ words. That difference of opinion makes a big difference in how your question would be answered.

Some say that these are the words of the Lord Jesus Himself; and so, some translations carry the ‘quote marks’ on from verse 12 as if Jesus spoke them. If that’s the case, then when Jesus spoke them, He had not yet physically “ascended”. This word “ascended” goes together with the phrase “came down from”; and if you take one of them literally, you can’t take the other figuratively. You need to treat them the same. And so; if Jesus is using the word “ascended” figuratively (since He had not yet “ascended” as He would after His resurrection), then we should understand both figuratively. One way to take this, then, is to see “heaven” as not a reference to a “place” as much as to a “state”. “Heaven” would be a way of describing a unique communion with God the Father that gives perfect knowledge of spiritual realities—much like what Jesus said in Matthew 11:27, “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” This would fit the context well; because in verses 10-12, Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus about his ignorance of the spiritual realities of salvation—which He called “heavenly things” as opposed to “earthly things” (v. 12). If that’s the case, Jesus would be saying that no other person has ever entered into such deep communion with the heavenly Father—a communion so deep as to have a perfect knowledge of spiritual realities regarding the ‘new birth—but only Jesus the Son; who had first dwelt eternally with the Father and enjoyed perfect communion with Him, and then came to the earth and walked in the world of humanity in order to tell these things to us.

Others point out that the phrase at the end of this verse—”who is in heaven”—is not found in all the Greek texts. Some of our English translations, in fact, leave them out of the text and put them in the margin. But if they are legitimately a part of the text—and were expressing the idea that Jesus was, right then, in heaven—then it would show that these are the words of John and not of Jesus. And if that’s the case, then John was saying that no one “ascended” to heaven (literally), but He who first “came down from” heaven (literally)—specifying “the Son of Man who is [right then] in heaven”. This too would fit the context; because it would be like what Jesus said to Nathanael in 1:51; “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

It probably doesn’t help you much that I offer two different interpretations. I believe that a good case can be made that either of them are legitimate. But I also believe that, whichever interpretation one embraces, the intended point remains the same. No one can reach up to heaven from earth. Our need is such that God must reach down to us in mercy—which He has done by sending His Son. You were right to point out that Enoch and Elijah both appear to have ascended to heaven without dying. But neither of them “came down from” heaven in order to tell us truth from God or show us the way to salvation. Only Jesus did. I believe that we can take Romans 10:6-10 in the light of all this: “But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Thanks for a great question.