Christ at the right hand of the Father

“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool” (Hebrews 10: 12–13). This was the Bible text the Chief Apostle used in the divine service in Lörrach in Germany on 5 May 2016.

The first to ascend to heaven

Jesus Christ was the first: “He was the first man living on earth to have received the resurrection body and was able to enter eternal fellowship with God,” Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider said. “As a firstfruit, because that is exactly what He has promised us. Those who follow Him will be caught up to heaven, will receive the resurrection body, and enter into eternal fellowship with God.”

“He is now sitting at the right hand of the Father. And I asked myself: ‘What exactly is He doing there?’” The Chief Apostle highlighted five answers based on Scripture.

• Jesus Christ is the mediator between God and mankind (1 Timothy 2: 5). “This is how Christ makes the will of God known to us. He wants to help us to fulfil this will. But everything else has to come from us. It is up to me to recognize the will of God.”
• Jesus Christ is the one who helps us in our fight against evil (Acts 7: 56): “We can feel and experience His presence—whether through a word in the service, a special experience, or through a special feeling in our soul.”
• Jesus Christ is the head over the church (Ephesians 1: 22). “He will make sure that the congregation will be perfected and completed. No one can prevent that. He will make sure that the Apostles can carry out their mission until the end.”
• Jesus Christ is the one who intercedes (Romans 8: 34): “He is our advocate. He does not play down our sins. He simply says, ‘Father, forgive him because of his faith and because of his love!’”
• Jesus Christ is the one who waits (Hebrews 10: 13): “He is waiting for mankind to come to Him. The Lord Jesus loves you so much that He is yearning for you to come to Him.”

Jesus will come for us

But “He will not wait until we have reached perfection, because He knows that we will never reach that state,” the Chief Apostle emphasized. “He will come to meet us. He will come back to bring home His bride. For this we need the grace of God; it covers everything and will sanctify us so that we can enter into fellowship with God.”

Jesus Christ will come a second time. “He will defeat Satan, bind him, and establish the thousand-year kingdom of peace on earth in which He will once again offer salvation in this world and in yonder world. We will then help Him so that all human beings can recognize the will of God and follow Him.