of the glory and majesty which had belonged to Him as the Son of God
from eternity; His human nature was exalted to a full share in the glory
of His divine nature. [Phil. 2:9-11+] He had humbled Himself as a man;
and He was exalted as a man. His divine nature, being unchangeable, can
neither be humbled nor exalted. [Heb. 13:8]

Christ's exaltation, like His humiliation, includes five stages:--

1. HE DESCENDED INTO HELL. Immediately before His resurrection He
descended into the place of the departed spirits and proclaimed His
victory. [I Pet. 3:19]

2. THE THIRD DAY HE ROSE AGAIN FROM THE DEAD. Having paid in full the
penalty for our sins, He rose again from the dead, triumphant, on the
third day (Easter). He had power to lay down His life, and power to take
it again. [John 10:19] As His death had been a real death, so His
resurrection was a real resurrection. He re-appeared to His disciples,
not as a spirit, but with the same body that was crucified, the prints
of the nails and of the spear being plain in His hands and side. [Luke
24:36-40] But His body was a transformed and glorified body, with new
properties and powers. [John 20:19]

_The Resurrection a Fact_. The reality of the resurrection is
established beyond all doubt. The strongest proof of its reality is
found in the fact that the disciples themselves were so unwilling to
believe it, but were obliged to do so by the evidence of their own
senses. Even the doubting Thomas exclaimed, "My Lord, and my God." [John
20:28] During the forty days between His resurrection and His ascension
the Lord gave His disciples so many proofs of His resurrection that all
their doubts were removed. [Acts 1:3] The women on Easter morn found the