Category: New Testament
Scriptures:
Acts 1:4-1:11
Acts 1:4-1:11
4 Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, “Don’t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me.
5 For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
6 Therefore when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them, “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”
9 When he had said these things, as they were looking, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 While they were looking steadfastly into the sky as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white clothing,
11 who also said, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who was received up from you into the sky, will come back in the same way as you saw him going into the sky.”
Commentary
The Bible, the cornerstone of the Christian faith, offers insights into the divine presence of Jesus. The question, “Is Jesus in heaven?” is addressed in numerous passages. After His resurrection, Jesus ascended to Heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of God. But the Bible also clarifies that Jesus’s presence extends beyond the celestial realms.
The Bible also touches on the concept of Jesus on earth now, in spiritual, not physical, form. In Matthew 18:20, Jesus says, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” This gives credence to the belief that Jesus’s presence is not confined to a specific location but is experienced wherever faith, love, and fellowship exist.
Hence, the biblical perspective on ‘where is Jesus now’ is sophisticated. It acknowledges Jesus’s physical presence in Heaven and asserts His spiritual presence on Earth.
The belief in the omnipresence of Jesus – the idea that Jesus is everywhere – is a common interpretation. According to the scripture, this belief is rooted in understanding Jesus as the Word of God, and God is omnipresent. Jesus is an integral part of the Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, or the presence of God on earth, is also seen as the presence of Jesus. Therefore, in a spiritual sense, Jesus is everywhere.
Physical constraints or geographical boundaries don’t bind this omnipresence. It’s a spiritual omnipresence that transcends space and time, allowing Jesus’s presence to be felt by believers around the world, regardless of where they are or what circumstances they find themselves in.