Chapter 9

Jesus Christ

Resurrection, Ascension, and His Present Work (1)

In this chapter we move from the humiliation of the Cross to the glory of the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus to God's right hand in heavenly places. Then, we will begin a discussion of His present work on His Father's throne, which will be continued in the next chapter.

The Resurrection of Jesus

It Was Physical — It is important to understand that Jesus Christ's actual physical body was raised from the grave after His crucifixion. With that resurrected body He proceeded into heaven where He now sits at the right hand of God. Some people believe that He was raised only in a spiritual sense, that is, His teachings and ideas continue to exist and influence people. The Bible, however, makes it plain Jesus was raised in a physical body. Luke 24 tells about the appearance of Jesus to His disciples gathered in Jerusalem after His resurrection:

Luke 24:36-43

36 And while they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst.

37 But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit.

38 And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?

39 "See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have."

40 [And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.]

41 And while they still could not believe it for joy and were marveling, He said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?"

42 And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish;

43 and He took it and ate it before them.

It is very clear from this passage that Jesus had a real physical body after His resurrection. Verse 37 says they "thought" they were seeing a spirit. They thought that because Jesus had been crucified and buried. But now, they saw Him standing before them! They had not counted on a physical resurrection even though Jesus had told them it would happen. They could not believe their eyes. Jesus stood before them, so they simply thought they were seeing His spirit. He quickly corrected them saying, "See My hands and My feet … touch Me and see." He plainly indicated that His resurrection body was a physical body because it could be touched. He declared, "A spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have."

So His resurrection body was real flesh and bones. As further proof, He ate a piece of broiled fish in their presence. In this manner, the Bible establishes that the resurrection of Jesus was more than a spiritual resurrection — He was raised in a glorified, physical body that could be touched!

The Ascension of Jesus

His Ascension Was Physical — Chapter one of the New Testament book of Acts tells about the physical ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven:

Acts 1:9-11

9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them;

11 and they also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."

He Ascended to God's Right Hand — According to the above Scripture, Jesus ascended to heaven in a physical body before their very eyes. Many passages tell us the exact location of Jesus Christ in heaven. He is exalted to the right hand of God. In Acts 2:33, Peter said, "Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear." The New Testament says that Jesus is at the right hand of God no fewer than 20 times. References are found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, Ephesians, Colossians, Hebrews, and 1Peter.

Jesus Is Lord — The great number of references to this particular theme point up its extreme importance. The right hand of God is the place of power and authority over heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18-20). Notice what Jesus said before His ascension. He came up to the eleven disciples (Judas no longer among them) and said this, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18). Since all authority has been given to Him, there is no authority that He does not have. Satan and his demonic host are subject to Jesus, even though Satan is presently ruler over the world system (2Corinthians 4:4; 1 John 5:19).

At the present time, Jesus is in heaven and is Lord of heaven and earth; God has given Him all authority over the entire creation. He presently chooses to exercise His authority in earthly affairs through the Church, which is His body. In Ephesians we are told that He is head over all things to the Church. It says:

Ephesians 1:22-23

22 And He [God the Father] put all things in subjection under His [Christ's] feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,

23 which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all.

One reason we do not see an extensive influence for Christ in many places is that the Church has lost sight of this important truth. If believers would pray boldly and work totally in submission to Christ, we could see many more bad situations turned around to the glory of God.

His Present Work

Now, let's look for a moment at what Jesus is doing at God's right hand. Not only does Jesus presently exercise Lordship as Head of the Church, giving it direction and guiding its conduct in the world, but He is also the great High Priest of the Church. As High Priest He has undertaken five different kinds of work. He has gone to heaven:

(1) To prepare a place for us (2) As a forerunner for us (3) As an advocate for us (4) As an intercessor for us (5) As a mediator for us.

In this chapter we will discuss only the first one — He has gone into heaven to prepare a place for us. In our next study we will look at the other four items in the above list in detail.

Preparing a Place for Believers — One of the most precious promises of the Word of God appears in the Gospel of John. Jesus was speaking to His disciples when He said:

John 14:1-3

1 "Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.

2 "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.

3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

Jesus spoke of preparing a place for us in His Father's house. When that place is prepared, then He will come again and take us to Himself to be where He is.

When Paul was caught up to the third heaven, he heard words so wonderful man is not allowed to speak them:

2Corinthians 12:2-4

2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago — whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows — such a man was caught up to the third heaven.

3 And I know how such a man–whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows —

4 was caught up into Paradise, and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.

Paul speaks of the third heaven because the Scriptures tell us of three heavens. The biblical teaching is not like the doctrine of seven heavens that some teach. The Bible teaches there are only three heavens divided into:

(1) The atmospheric heaven – the air around us we breath. (2) The starry heaven – the universe or outer space. (3) The third heaven – the place of God's manifest presence.

It was this third heaven to which Paul was caught up and which he describes as being beyond human expression. Heaven is so wonderful that no human language can adequately describe it. Earlier in the same epistle, Paul wrote, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him" (1Corinthians 2:9). Indeed the place which Jesus is preparing for us is good and beautiful beyond our imagination.

Not only is heaven a good and beautiful place, it is a place where we shall relax without pain or sorrow. The Apostle John wrote a wonderful description of the future new heaven and earth:

Revelation 21:1-5

1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.

2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them,

4 and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."

5 And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."

This is a stunningly beautiful word picture John gives us of the new heaven and the new earth. It is certainly the place for which all the people of God are longing. Isn't it something wonderful we can look forward to with keen anticipation? We can rejoice and praise God in faith, knowing that all He is preparing will be ours to enjoy.

Make It Personal

In the last book of the Bible, Jesus personally issues you an invitation. Both His Spirit and His people invite you to join them in the celestial city. Won't you trust your eternal future to Jesus now?

Revelation 22:16-17

16 "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star."

17 And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

Do you know for sure that you will spend eternity in Heaven? The Bible speaks clearly about how you can know for sure if you are Heaven-bound.
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