WHERE IS JESUS NOW?
Chapter 5
A. Where is Jesus now?
After Jesus was raised from the dead, He stayed on the earth teaching His disciples and appeared to several different groups of people in His new glorified body. These appearances lasted for about 40 days.
One day while with His disciples, a strange thing happened. Jesus had been telling them that He was going away and that it was necessary so He could send the Holy Spirit. Suddenly a cloud came down and took Him into the heavens.
“But you shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you
shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up;
and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two
men stood by them in white apparel;
Who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven?
This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like
manner as you have seen Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:8-11)
The disciples then went to Jerusalem where they had been told to wait for the Holy Spirit to be outpoured on them (Luke 24:49). Ten days later the Holy Spirit came.
B. Why did He go away?
Jesus went away because:
1. The Holy Spirit could not come until Jesus’ work was finished.
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away;
for if I go not away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will
send Him unto you.” (John 16:7)
2. Jesus’ redemptive work was finished. Redeem means to ransom. The devil kidnapped all
of God’s creation through sin. But Jesus paid the ransom to rescue us. To pay the ransom,
Jesus had to die for our sin. This gave us an opportunity to come back to God.
“But Christ came as High Priest of good things to come, with the greater and
more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation.
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered the
Most Holy Place, once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”
(Hebrews 9:11-12)
“Previously saying, ‘Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for
sins You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them’ (which are offered by the law),
Then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.’ He takes away the
first that He may establish the second.
By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all.
And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same
sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at
the right hand of God.” (Hebrews 10:8-12)
3. Jesus made an entrance into the throneroom of God in heaven.
“And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and
without shedding of blood there is no remission.
Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should
be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices
than these.
For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies
of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” (Hebrews 9:22-24)
“And having a High Priest over the house of God,
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our
hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:21-22)
C. What is Jesus doing in heaven now?
1. He is our intercessor and mediator before God.
“For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which
are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence
of God for us.” (Hebrews 9:24)
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the Man
Christ Jesus.” (I Timothy 2:5)
2. He is our advocate – lawyer.
“My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin.
And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the Righteous.” (I John 2:1)
3. He is our High Priest. Jesus is the one we pray to and in His name we pray.
“Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive,
that your joy may be full.” (John 16:24)
4. Because He is seated with the Father, we have a continual rest as the people of God.
“Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person,
and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself
purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
(Hebrews 1:3)
5. One day He is coming back for His church (the body of believers).
“In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you
unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:2-3)
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