The Bible provides insight into where Jesus is now and whether He is in heaven. This article will examine key biblical passages to understand what scripture says about Jesus’ current location and role.
Jesus Ascended to Heaven After His Resurrection
According to the Gospels, after Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples and followers over a 40-day period before ascending to heaven (Acts 1:3). The Gospel of Luke records the ascension:
When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. (Luke 24:50-53)
The book of Acts also describes Jesus’ bodily ascension into heaven:
After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:3-11)
These passages clearly indicate that after His resurrection, Jesus ascended bodily into heaven. His followers witnessed this miraculous event.
Jesus Is Now Seated at the Right Hand of God
According to Scripture, after He ascended into heaven, Jesus sat down at the right hand of God:
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55-56)
God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. (Acts 5:31)
Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name. (Romans 1:3-5)
The right hand of God symbolizes divine power, authority, and honor. By being seated at God’s right hand, Jesus reigns with divine authority over all creation.
Jesus Presently Serves as High Priest and Mediator
The book of Hebrews explains that Jesus serves as our great High Priest, interceding for us in heaven:
Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. (Hebrews 7:25-26)
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Because Jesus lived as a human on earth, He is able to sympathize with our human weaknesses. At the same time, He is fully divine and without sin, able to intercede for us before God’s throne. Jesus serves as the one and only mediator between God and humanity:
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. (1 Timothy 2:5-6a)
Jesus Will Return Again from Heaven
Although Jesus ascended into heaven, the Bible is clear that He will return again:
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. (Revelation 1:7)
At Jesus’ second coming, He will return in power and glory to judge the earth. Believers will be caught up to meet Him, receiving resurrected, glorified bodies.
Jesus Reigns in Heaven But Is Also Present Everywhere Through His Spirit
Although Jesus is locally present in heaven, seated at the right hand of God, He is also omnipresent through the Holy Spirit which dwells in believers:
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (John 14:16-18)
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? (1 Corinthians 3:16)
While Christ’s incarnate body is in heaven, He is spiritually present in the lives of believers through the Holy Spirit. He is also present throughout creation and upholding all things by His power (Colossians 1:17).
Jesus Is Preparing a Place for Believers in Heaven
When He ascended to heaven, Jesus said He was going to prepare a place for those who believe in Him:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3)
Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, believers can have the hope of eternal life in heaven. He is presently preparing a place for His followers to dwell with Him.
Key Takeaways
- After His resurrection, Jesus visibly ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of God.
- Jesus serves as our High Priest, interceding for us before the Father.
- He reigns from heaven but is present with believers through the Holy Spirit.
- Jesus will one day return bodily from heaven to judge the earth.
- He is preparing a place in heaven where believers will dwell eternally in resurrected bodies.
In summary, the Bible teaches that Jesus is presently reigning from heaven while also being active on earth through His Spirit. His incarnate bodily presence is localized in heaven, but He is spiritually present in the lives of believers. Jesus serves both as our High Priest and heavenly King, awaiting the day when He will return to establish His kingdom on earth.