Jesus’ current ministry in Heaven

Question

You often say that Jesus is not reigning as king right now and that the church is not God’s or Jesus’ kingdom. But I thought he was on a throne in heaven. So what exactly is Jesus doing right now?

Answer

This is a great question that will help clarify things for many people!

We know that when Jesus returned to heaven in Acts 1:9, he “sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3). That quote is from Psalm 110:1, where God promised Messiah that he must wait until it was time to begin his kingdom rule. Jesus’ enemies have not yet been defeated and put down like a footstool for Jesus’ feet; that will occur at the Second Coming (see Isaiah 63:1-3; Zechariah 14:1-15; and Revelation 19:11-21). So we know that Jesus cannot be ruling as king yet.

The question then is: so what is he doing now?

The Bible tells us two things that Jesus is currently doing while waiting for the Rapture of the church and, later, his Second Coming.

First, Jesus is serving as the High Priest between believers and God. This often confuses Christians because both Romans 5 and Hebrews 4 talk about our access to God, and they think that means complete, immediate access with no restrictions. That’s not entirely true.

Notice that in both these passages, our access is still through Jesus, both on the basis of his death and resurrection and through him as mediator on our behalf.

“Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have also obtained access into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory.” (Romans 5:1-2)

“Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Jesus’ work is not only when we need help in our Christian lives. Jesus began his mediatorial work for us with salvation (1 Timothy 2:5) and continues it when we sin as Christians (1 John 2:1-2). Every step of the way, Jesus stands beside us as we approach the Father, whether for salvation, confession, or prayer for grace and help in this life.

Second, Jesus is preparing for the arrival of his people. In John 14:1-3, Jesus famously told the Eleven apostles, “I am going away to make ready a place for you. And if I go and make ready a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that where I am you may be too.”

While many Christians think this is a special promise for the church that Jesus will fulfill at the Rapture, the Bible tells us about only one new “place” in the future: the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9). This city is called “the bride, the wife of the Lamb” and will be available to, if not the home of, all saints of all time, not just the church.

While Scripture certainly describes a few aspects of the new Jerusalem, there is much that we do not and cannot know about it, so it’s important not to speculate too much. Still, we know that Jesus is working on making a new, eternal home for us, and it will be unimaginably wonderful!

If you know Jesus as your Savior, you will get to see the city in all its splendor, but the greatest blessing is that “the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city. His servants will worship him, and they will see his face” (Revelation 22:3-4)!

If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, you have time to change your mind today. You must accept his death as complete payment for your sin and his resurrection as the only way to have a right relationship with God now and forever.