November 21 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

When we say the word heaven, we are inclined to think of the place where God's children go when they die. Especially if one of our loved ones has recently left us "to be with the Lord," our thoughts turn to this person whenever we hear or read the word heaven. But when the Bible talks about heaven, it means the place from which this earth is ruled. Heaven is headquarters.

Since departed believers are "with the Lord," we must think of them as being in heaven. But whenever the Bible uses the word heaven, the accent is on the throne, the government of the world.

That's why the ascension is so significant. When Jesus had completed his work on earth, he went to the Father's throne in heaven. Since that time he has ruled, leaving the devil no ground to stand on. In the language of the book of Revelation, Michael and his angels hurled the devil out of heaven.

What Revelation describes as a war in heaven is the same event the gospel describes as Jesus' ascension to the throne. They are two sides of the same story. In the gospel the event is told from our point of view: Jesus was lifted up from the earth and he went to heaven. In Revelation we get the other side—the defeat of the demons by the faithful angels of God.

The devil is called "the accuser of our brothers and sisters." This does not mean that he slanders them—although he does that too. It means that he is their prosecutor. The devil used to make accusations against us that rang true in the courts of heaven. There was no sin of which we were not guilty, and there was no threat of God we could rightfully escape.

But now the Lamb has been slaughtered for our sins, and we have overcome "by the blood of the Lamb." And so the devil no longer has access to God's throne. Instead of an accuser, we now have an Advocate at the throne of God—Jesus, our Savior! Now the devil is "only" on earth. That sounds ominous, but it's really good news.

REFLECTIONS

Is the story of the ascension from heaven's point of view new to you? Why is it important to know?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.