Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” | Matthew 28:16–20
Where is Jesus now? Why can’t we see Him? Jesus is in heaven.
One day, when Jesus came to show Himself to His disciples again, He walked with them to Bethany. He walked up a hill called Mount Olivet. There He talked to His disciples.
Jesus said to them, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And then He promised something very wonderful. He said, behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Up there, on the hill, Jesus did not sit down with His disciples as He used to. He stood by them. And when He finished talking, He lifted His hands to bless them.
Then, while He blessed them, Jesus began to go up – up – up.
The disciples could hardly believe what they saw. He went up and up, until a cloud came. They watched Him until the cloud hid Him. And they knew He was gone to heaven. The disciples told us this story. They wrote all about it in the Bible. That is how we know that Jesus is in heaven now.
Do you think the disciples were sad after Jesus was gone? No, they were not sad. They were happy! They knew that He was with them, and would always be with them, even though He was gone to heaven. He had given them a job to do to continue His work. He was gone, but His plan was not finished. His plan was meant to be completed by people working for Jesus. And He promised to be there to help them do it.
How can Jesus be with us down here, if He is in heaven? Can He be in two places at once? Yes, He can! You and I cannot be in two places at once. But He can. He can be in heaven and on earth at the same time. God is OMNIPRESENT, which means that He can be in all places at once. He is on top of the tallest mountain and at the bottom of the deepest sea. He is in creation, but He is also different from it.
Jesus in His body is in heaven now. We will see Him there when we go to heaven. But His spirit is on earth everywhere. We cannot see Jesus spirit, but Jesus is always near us. Wherever we go, He is there. He hears us and sees us. He watches over us and takes care of us.
Something to talk about
- How do we know that Jesus went to heaven?
- What did He tell the disciples to do?
- How can He be with us while He is in heaven?
Memory verse
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. | Matthew 28.19-20