Psalm 68:18 pictures the victorious LORD ascending on high after conquest. In its original setting the language celebrates God's royal triumph and presence with His people rather than directly narrating a future bodily ascension of the Messiah.

Luke 24:51 records Jesus being carried up into heaven, and Ephesians 4:8 explicitly quotes Psalm 68:18 in explaining Christ's ascension and gift-giving. The direct New Testament citation establishes the Christian connection more securely than Luke alone would. Jesus' bodily ascension is understood as the victorious exaltation of the divine Messiah, who has conquered sin and death and now reigns from heaven.