What Jesus is Doing Now
Before the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, he told his apostles that he had to go away but that he would send a helper to be with them in his absence:
“I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”
– John 16:4-7
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
– John 16:13-15
While Jesus remained on earth, he could only teach those persons who were within his physical presence. But by means of the Spirit of Truth, which was poured out on ‘every sort of flesh’ (Acts 2:17), Jesus could be with each one of us individually throughout the centuries until his return. Because the Spirit of Truth speaks only what Jesus declares, Jesus is clearly continuing to work on our behalf from his vantage point in heaven. Jesus is still active in teaching, communicating and nurturing each one of us as he promised. He has taken no break, no time out, no vacation, no resting. He is diligently about the Father’s business. He needs no successors to represent him on earth:
“Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”
– Hebrews 7:23-25
Even through what we call the ‘dark ages,’ the Spirit of Truth was active preserving Jesus’ original teachings, though they were shrouded within manmade ideas. If the Spirit of Truth had not been active, the good news of the kingdom could not have survived into our day.
Though Jesus gave us ‘gifts in men,’ he did not provide an intercessor or mediator. He himself continues to be the only one through whom we can reach the Father. Remember, too, what Jesus told his apostles:
“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. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
– John 14:1-4
So Jesus is also working with his spiritual organization preparing abodes for us, places where we can be received after our resurrection to further educate and care for us. As the Creator of our entire universe, Jesus has a fully equipped spiritual kingdom getting ready for our arrival. Jesus is not alone in the heavens.
And when we consider the vastness of our universe, we are certain the earth is not his only concern. We are told that he will ‘gather together the things in the heavens and the things on the earth to himself.’ (Ephesians 1:10) Perhaps there are other inhabited planets that he is uplifting and gathering together with us.
The Apostle Paul said that Jesus “sat down at the right hand of God, from then on awaiting until his enemies should be placed as a stool for his feet.” (Hebrews 10:12-13) But we should not interpret that to mean that Jesus was just sitting and waiting for someone else to subdue his enemies. It is more likely that he is waiting for his enemies to be subdued while he continues to work to prepare mankind for his return to earth.
And, we wondered, how would a ‘Prince of Peace’ defeat or destroy his enemies? By turning them into friends! Perhaps what Christ is waiting for is for us to complete our ministry of reconciliation by turning Christ’s enemies into brothers of the kingdom, thus subduing Christ’s enemies. And, of course, Christ is active in this work by means of the Spirit of Truth.
Finally, just prior to Jesus ascension into heaven:
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
– Matthew 28:18-20
By this scripture, we know that Jesus has been ruling as king of his kingdom since his resurrection in 33 C.E. As such, we are confident that his entire heavenly universe is peaceful and completely subject to his sovereignty, and has been so since 33 C.E.
It is now our turn to keep in step with the kingdom by teaching the things Jesus actually commanded – the actual, authentic, plain and open good news of the kingdom.
Therefore, all disciples of Jesus, all sons of the Kingdom, all ambassadors substituting for Christ must preach the true good news of the kingdom until the conclusion of the system. And as we do so, we will subdue Christ’s enemies by leading them into the spiritual brotherhood of man so that when the Christ makes his second appearance, he will indeed “find the faith on the earth.” (Luke 18:8)
