Renewal in Christ: Athanasius on the Christian Life

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Renewal in Christ: Athanasius on the Christian Life

from the hand of the oppressor, and the laborer for whom no help was offered. §8 – The Psalms Foretell Christ’s Ascension and Return This is why it predicts his bodily ascension to the heavens and says in Psalm 24: Lift up your gates, princes, and be lifted up you everlasting doors, and the king of glory will come in. And in Psalm 47: God ascends with a shout, the Lord with the voice of the trumpet. It announces his being seated at the right hand and says in Psalm 110: The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” And in the 9th Psalm it cries aloud about the destruction of the devil that occurred: You sat upon the throne as one who judges righteousness; you censured the nations and the ungodly one perished. For the fact that he has received judgment over all from the Father is not hidden [in the Psalms] either. Psalm 72 foretells that he would come as judge over all: O God, give your judgment to the king and your righteousness to the son of the king to judge your people in righteousness and your poor with discernment. And in the 50th Psalm it says: He will summon the heaven above and the earth to sort out his people. And the heavens will announce his righteousness; for God is judge. And in the 82nd Psalm we read: God stands in the assembly of the gods, and in their midst he will judge the gods. Even more, we learn from the Psalter about the calling of the nations in many places, but especially from Psalm 47: Clap your hands all you nations, shout for joy to God with a voice of exultation. And in the 72nd Psalm: The Ethiopians will fall before him and his enemies will lick up the dust. The kings of Tarshish and the islands will offer gifts; the kings of Arabia and Saba will bring gifts. And all the kings of the earth will worship him, all the nations will serve him. All these things