Where did Jesus go after His resurrection and ascension?


By using the content of the New Testament, we can trace where Jesus has been since His resurrection, and how He will return at the end of the ages.

After Resurrection

Jesus was in a glorified body for 40 days in Jerusalem, appearing to His inner group of friends, disciples and eventually to many people,

After He Ascended

After Jesus ascended, He remained in a position “in the clouds”.

Acts 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

This position is in a spiritual context. A cloud of glory hid Jesus from the sight of the disciples, but Jesus remained in this ‘invisible’ position in the clouds of glory due to two reasons,

(1) If Israel were to believe the testimony of the disciples preaching the gospel of God in the power of the Holy Spirit (after Pentecost), then, as Jesus promised throughout His ministry, He would have come back again, bringing with Him the Kingdom (the Millennial Kingdom). We know this as the disciples were expectant of Jesus soon return, (see Acts 1:6; Acts 3:19-21).

(2) Since Israel did NOT believe in the testimony of the Apostles, we eventually read in Acts 7:55-56 how Stephen saw heaven opened to reveal the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. In other words, Stephen saw into the spiritual realm how that Christ was standing at the right hand of God (which means He was standing in a place of authority, influence and power). Jesus was standing because He was NOT going to come back at that time due to Israel’s unbelief. He was going to ascend up from the clouds into a higher position, into the 3rd heaven .

In a Place of Unapproachable Light

Since Israel rejected Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in Acts 3, He stood up, and instead of returning to save Israel, he ascended higher into another location. This is clearly proved by the next scripture reference,

1 Tim.6:13-16 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; 14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: 15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

Here we learn from Paul, (writing to Timothy), that Jesus is in a place of light, which no man can approach, and which no man has seen, nor can see. This is a place that is different from where Stephen saw Christ. This is a place where no man can see Him. It is not the same location where Jesus was, waiting for Israel's response. With this in mind, we have to determine that Jesus had ascended higher, into a place that is beyond our comprehension and scope.

Far above ALL Heavens (The Third Heaven)

I'd like to identify one final position, as quoted from scripture, in which Jesus ascended to. This I believe is the throne of God and the ultimate position that Christ has held in all eternity past and for all future to come.

Paul, writing to the Ephesians, provides us the identity of this place,

Eph.4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above ALL heavens, that he might fill all things.

This is the current position and location of Jesus even now, today! Jesus (the Son of God) is not on earth today, neither is He in the hearts of men. The person who dwells with men today, in their hearts, and here on earth, is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Life. On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit came upon the disciples to empower them and provide them with miraculous signs to validate their gospel message to Israel.

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come UPON you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

But this program was put on hold (due to Israel’s unbelief) and God called Paul and gave Him a mystery gospel and doctrine. In this grace program that we are in today, the Holy Spirit resides WITHIN us from the moment we are saved and seals us for the day of salvation.

Jesus Position in Events to Come

In the same way Jesus ascended; into the clouds, then into the light, and then into the 3rd Heavens, He is going to return again, in exactly the same way, and order,

Acts 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

At our rapture, Jesus will leave the third heaven and appear again in that place of light. This is where we as the Body of Christ will be raptured into at His coming. 

In the mid-point of the Tribulation, we learn that He will appear in the clouds and become visible to the great fear of men at that time. (Rev. 12). 

The at the end of the battle of Armageddon, he will place His feet on the Mt. of Olives and inaugurate the Millennial Kingdom (Rev. 20).

So, in summary, Jesus is currently in heaven. The Holy Spirit is on earth today and resides in the hearts of saved humanity, but in a time that is imminent, Jesus again will stand up and start His return to earth in GREAT POWER AND GLORY as a Redeemer and Saviour to the saved and as a righteous Judge and Executioner to those who rejected Him and His gospel.



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