There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.”

(Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.

Ephesians 4:4-10 NKJV

4:4 In the same degree and measure to which there is one body of Christ and one Holy Spirit, we were summoned into one expectation regarding the mystery of Christ.

4:5 We all have one master and supreme authority. We are called into one pursuit of faithfulness. We have been baptized in the same and one baptism.

4:6 We have been adopted to one Father God of the whole family, who is over all, through us all (in unity), and who rests/abides in us all.

4:7 “But to each one…” After Paul stresses our oneness he again highlights our uniqueness. The tension and paradox of the mystery of Christ is on full display within the body. How could a people who are called into such oneness and unity retain any measure of individual identity? We retain our identity for many reasons, but a significant reason is that we have all been given grace according to our measure (limited portion) of the free gift of Christ. We cannot attain the fullness of God’s promise on our own. We need one another.

4:8-10 This is why it says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to mankind.” The spiritual gifts are dispersed among the body, and no one person has all or most of the gifts.

Paul is directly referencing Psalm 68, and I cannot emphasize how important it is for us to understand this Psalm, so we will take a look below.

Deeper Look # 7 “The Psalm 68 Ascension”

Ephesians 4:8-10; Psalm 68:18

Paul makes a very curious reference to the text of Psalm 68. Some have claimed Paul misquoted the Psalm. Some have concluded Paul was re-interpreting the Psalm to fit his teaching. Others simply overlook it as a possible nuance between interpretations. The text in Psalm 68 reads:

“You have ascended on high,

You have led captivity captive;

You have received gifts among men…”

Psalm 68:18 NKJV

Paul’s reference of this passage gives us tremendous insight. Psalm 68 has been an especially challenging Psalm for Bible translators, and Paul’s quoting of this verse in Ephesians helps provide insight into the intended meaning of the passage. For us to follow along with Paul’s intended meaning, it will help to have a basic understanding of the Psalm. This is what we will look at now.

While there is some debate among scholars regarding the Psalm, many believe it was written in praise to God for restoring the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem from Obed-Edom (2 Samuel 6). From the first verse there are clear allusions to the Exodus as well, as though our Psalmist, King David, was looking back to the days of Moses, there finding prophetic similarities in regards to God’s redemptive purposes regarding the two events.

In 68:1, it states, “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered.” The word arise is declared in such a way in the original Hebrew that it denotes past, present, and future/continuing meaning. I would argue fervently that this is the intended context for understanding the whole Psalm. Stated a little differently, Psalm 68 contains a history of what God did, a present testimony of what God is doing, and a future continuing prophecy of that which God can and will do up until the day of the Lord.

With this intended meaning, Psalm 68 is history, present expectation, but also future end-times prophecy (which is when we see the complete fulfillment of this Psalm). The same Psalm faithfully describes the procession which took place during the Exodus as well as the final Exodus which will take place during the return of Jesus.

Paul utilizes the same style of language when he references the middle part of the Psalm. Let’s look at what Paul says:

“When He ascended…” Understanding the grammar clarifies the meaning. This was written in the aorist participle active, which means the statement is conveying the type of action, not the timing of the action. In other words, the phrase is pointing to the simple fact that Jesus is the ascendent One. He is the One who ascends, is ascending, and will always ascend- because that is the simple truth we’re being revealed about His nature. This is very similar to the language present in Psalm 68.

In Psalm 68:18, the verse utilizes slightly different language. “You have ascended…” was written in the perfect tense, which usually expresses a formerly completed action. In context to both the Psalm, while also respecting Paul’s use of the phrase, we have to ask the question, “When did our Lord ascend?” Did He only ascend once, or has He ascended multiple times? If He ascended multiple times, we then need to consider this promise to be granted to us as a matter of fact in context to each time He ascended.

In the Exodus, God ascended when He led the Israelites out of Egypt and when He led them into the promised land. In David’s day, He ascended when He led the ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem. In the apostle’s day, He ascended from the tomb in the first fruits of resurrection. Later He ascends into heaven, being witnessed by His disciples. In the end-times, Jesus will ascend yet again when He goes up from Edom to inherit Jerusalem at His day of battle (Isaiah 63). In this usage, ascended can refer to either “going up” or “going forth” from one place (to be understood as lower or in subjection) into a place of promise and inheritance (to be understood as higher or more glorious).

In each of these events, it also requires Jesus to first descend, which He does on our behalf and for our benefit. Whether it be the burning bush, Mount Sinai, the ark of the covenant, or fully, in the person of Jesus Christ- the Ascendant One has been faithful over and over again to descend on our behalf so that He might also be the One to ascend far above the realm of the heavens, that He might fill all things (Ephesians 4:9-10).

Hopefully this adequately answers the question, “When did our Lord ascend?”

It also says that He “led (or took) captivity captive”. In the same measure as the previous statement, this same Ascendent One has been faithful to both lead the captive peoples out of captivity, but also to take as His captivity everything which brings people into bondage and oppression. In other words, we are the enslaved ones being delivered. In contrast, has a day of judgment coming when “anyone or anything which makes captive or enslaves” is itself thrown into prison.

To conclude, in Psalm 68, gifts are being given to God even among the unrighteous. In Ephesians 4, God is giving gifts to mankind. The nature of the gift is simply that it comes from God and is given back to God in an act of service/servanthood. When it is given to mankind it is given without distinction, which means even the unrighteous are able to receive God’s spiritual gifts. This is a sobering truth, for it means even unrepentant and wicked people can operate in a powerful anointing according to the gift of God.

For those of us who are followers of Christ, this is a fantastic promise. None of us actually deserved or earned God’s gift. You and I were both the wicked and unrepentant who were receiving and operating in the gift of grace prior to our being born again in Christ. Before giving our lives to Christ, our good works were dead works, because we ourselves were dead in our trespasses. This narrative is flipped on it’s head when we turn to Christ and are born again. Once you are in Christ, the good works which were once dead works that spoke a testimony of condemnation against you, have by the grace of God become the righteousness of Christ abiding within you to do righteousness and inherit eternal righteousness. The same gift which grants to us an eternal salvation and eternal inheritance for those who are in Christ Jesus, is the same gift of grace that equips us for the works of righteousness prepared beforehand for us in Christ.