Ever since the fall into sin, heav­en and earth have been separated. There has been a deep chasm be­tween God and mankind. God creat­ed us to praise him, but we rebelled against him in Adam.

Yet despite our disobedience, God came down to us in his grace and mercy. In the time of the old coven­ant, he dwelt among his people in the tabernacle and then in the temple, in the Most Holy Place. Although the LORD was with his people, he was also clearly separated from them. Only the high priest could come into God's presence, and then only once a year.

Then God sent his one and only Son to earth. This Son, the Word, crossed over from heaven to earth, became flesh and tabernacled among us. He is the second Adam, the one who has fulfilled God's law perfectly and who bore in his flesh the wrath of God against the sins of the whole world. After he died and was buried, he rose from the dead. He is the first fruits of the new creation! He is the first of the new mankind. All those who believe in him will follow him into God's perfect kingdom and may dwell with God forever.

God the Father has received Jesus Christ into heaven and that is where he now dwells in God's pres­ence. He is in his Father's house. This is the gospel of the ascension: there is already now a man of flesh and blood like us in heaven. He is not only enjoying God's presence, but he is also busy preparing a place for us, for all those who believe in him, for all God's children.

In John 14 Jesus is comforting the disciples before his death on the cross, and he is explaining to them what he will be doing once he has finished his task on earth. Once he has returned to his Father, he will be making a place ready for us, his brothers and sisters.

How beautiful and encouraging are these words of our Saviour! We have the same heavenly Father as our Saviour has and therefore we be­long in the same house as he. As he is already in that heavenly mansion and as we share in him who is our Head, soon we will be with him in our Father's house. He did not ascend to heaven to abandon us, leaving us here to fend for ourselves, but he has gone to heaven to continue his work of salvation.

He has gone to heaven to make ready our place in our Father's house. There are many rooms in this heaven­ly mansion, enough rooms for all of God's children. We will receive a place from our Saviour in the presence of God, a place in which to rest in peace and enjoy God forever. This is a place which no one and nothing can ever take away from us, for Christ's work is sure and stands forever.

Jesus Christ has ascended into heaven in order that he might make a place ready for us in the house of our heavenly Father. Once this work of preparation is over and once all the elect have been gathered in, then he will come back and take us to be with him forever. Then we will be in God's presence together with Jesus Christ, our brother and our Lord and Saviour. On the day of his return to earth in glory we will be reunited with him our Head. Then Head and body will be together in a renewed and restored world, serving and glorifying God in perfect righteous­ness and holiness.

If we have passed away before that time, our bodies will be raised and will be reunited with our souls. Or if we are still alive when Christ re­turns, then we will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52) and we will receive holy immortality.

In the meantime, we know that there is a righteous man with a glorified and imperishable body already in heaven. Right now he is there, busy on our behalf. His pres­ence with God already is a guarantee that we will later join him, in God's good time. May we be encouraged and strengthened in our faith by this wonderful reality!