King of Glory

[Daily Devotional]

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. Ps. 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. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 48