He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God
During a period of forty days after the resurrection Jesus appeared many times to the disciples. Jesus did not depart without saying farewell in a thorough manner. In order to prove his bodily resurrection he asked Thomas to touch his wounds and put his hand to Jesus’ pierced side. Jesus also ate with the disciples. On the other hand he could suddenly appear in the midst of them even when they were behind locked doors. The resurrected body is therefore real, but no longer limited in the same manner as the earthly body. This was the time for final preparations. Jesus prepared his disciples with many words for his departure. Jesus went to the Father, to heaven, to prepare a place for us. He opened the way to eternal life for us (John 14:1-16).
The Bible tells us that God is almighty and above everything. God is different from us who are created. Man can never reach the level of his Creator in anything. And yet Jesus now promises to take us to the very presence of God. This is almost more than we dare to think. Jesus avoided speaking about this in public. Before his death, when he was imprisoned and interrogated, Jesus revealed that he was the Son of God. He revealed that he will take his own humanity to God. He told that he would sit on the throne of God. This was too much for the high priest. Jesus told the truth about himself and that became the grounds for his judgement (Matthew 26:63-65). Through Jesus, God has come into the midst of people. Without losing his divinity, Jesus really is a human being. In him man sits at the right hand of God. Jesus went all the way for us. Now on the throne of God there is a place for those people who believe in Jesus (Revelation 3:21). If a believer suffers from persecution and is threatened, then focusing on Jesus at the right hand of God gives strength. Jesus has all the power despite the circumstances here. This vision was a source of encouragement for Hebrew believers (Hebrews 4:1-16, Hebrews 8:1 and Hebrews 12:1-2) and for Stephen as he was stoned to death (Acts 7:54-60). Jesus is already there in heaven, and through faith in him we will also most certainly get there. Even though Jesus is in heaven, he has promised to be with us every day to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20).
Are you sometimes homesick? What kind of things do you miss? Man’s original home is in paradise with God. Our deepest longings cannot be satisfied without being with God. Christians talk about the heavenly home and at times the expectation of getting there fills our heart.
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