“The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool’.” Psalm 110:1
Over the past two weeks as I was preparing to preach on the Ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven (Acts 1:4-11), I came across these two very fine quotes from Dr. Cornelis Venema on “The Session of Christ.” Essentially, the term “Session” (Lat. sessio = a sitting) refers to how Jesus Christ now reigns in heaven over the Kingdom of God here on earth. When Jesus ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God, he not only finished his public ministry (as a Prophet), completed his saving work on the Cross (as a Priest), but he also began to reign over his kingdom (as a King). Moreover, during this time between the resurrection of Christ and the return of Christ the Kingdom of God is growing and expanding (Matt. 13:31-33; Matt. 16:18). In addition, Christ’s enemies are being defeated and the gospel message is spreading throughout the entire world (Matt. 12:29; Luke 10:17-18; John 12:31-32). There may be times of discouragement in life when we lose all hope and can’t see it’s growth. Yet the promise of the Bible is that the Kingdom of God is “in the midst” of us (Luke 17:20-21). Dr. Venema capably expands on these thoughts with these two quotes:
“Just as Christ fulfills all of the Old Testament promises (2 Cor. 1:20), Christ also guarantees the future consummation of all God’s promises by his resurrection from the dead, session at the Father’s right hand, and outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost. These events are disclosed in the New Testament as end-time events, that is, events which mark a decisive turning point in history. These events signal that Christ has been given all authority in heaven and on earth and will reign until all things have been subject to him, including death, the last enemy (1 Cor. 15:25-26). By his resurrection from the dead, Christ has become the ‘first fruits’ of all who will through union with him share in his victory. By his session at the Father’s hand, Christ has been given the keys to unlock God’s plan for history until he is revealed at the ‘last day.’ And by his outpouring of the Holy Spirit, he has entered into the last and most decisive epoch in his church-gathering work which, once completed, will serve to prepare all things for his coming again.”
— Venema, The Promise of the Future, 8-9
Dr. Venema further explains,
“The biblical revelation regarding the future, therefore, always fixes our attention upon Christ. Just as God’s ways with his people in history in times past have all met in Christ, so all of his ways in the future will meet in Christ. The great event on the horizon of the future, in biblical perspective, is accordingly the event of Christ’s return or ‘Second Coming’. This event is the great future toward which all history is moving. It is the event that gives meaning to present history and which will consummate God’s work of redemption. the entirety of the biblical teaching about the future is intimately linked to the coming of Christ at the end of the present age.”
— Venema, The Promise of the Future, 9
These words–and all of the Scripture passages that back them up–give me hope. All that Jesus said would happen regarding his death and resurrection have come to pass. And now that he reigns over his kingdom (i.e. in his “Session”) we can be confident that it will be fully consummated upon his return. Alleluia!
— Dr. Marcus J. Serven
Resources for Further Study:
Elwell, Walter A., ed. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. 1st Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1984.
- “Ascension of Christ” by Alexander Ross
- “Kingdom of Christ, God, Heaven” by George E. Ladd
- “Millennium, Views of the” by Robert G. Clouse
- “Offices of Christ” by Robert L. Reymond
- “Session” by David H. Wheaton
- “States of Jesus Christ” by Wayne A. Grudem
Venema, Cornelis P. The Promise of the Future. Edinburgh, Scotland: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2000.
Venema, Cornelis P. “The Four Main Millennial Views” in These Last Days: A Christian View of History. Edited by Richard D. Phillips and Gabriel N. E. Fluhrer. Co-Published by the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals (Philadelphia, PA); and P&R Publishing (Phillipsburg, NJ), 2011.
