The word “session” refers to “the act of sitting, as of a court, or a council”. His own, as well as in world affairs. The period of time of Christ’s session extends from His ascension to His second coming.
Many students of the life of Christ stop short of the full revelation of our Saviour, going no further in their considerations than the cross, the resurrection or possibly His ascension. From Jesus’ ascension to Heaven onwards remains a mystery to many, yet the Scriptures have much to say concerning Christ’s present ministry. The student is strongly encouraged to dig deeper into these wonderful truths for themselves.
Christ today is in heaven as a man! He is our Great High Priest in the Heavenly Tabernacle:
“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,” (1Tim 2:5 NKJV)
Concerning this truth Paul reports:
“Now the main point of what we have to say is this: We have such a High Priest, One Who is seated at the right hand of the majestic [God] in heaven, As officiating Priest, a Minister in the holy places and in the true tabernacle which is erected not by man but by the Lord.” (Heb 8:1-2 AMP)
Already having spoken of Christ as Creator, the incarnation, His victory on the cross and exaltation, His ministry and sacrifice of Himself, Paul says, “this is the sum of all we have said so far, this is where all this has been leading us to…We now have a High Priest, a Minister in the Heavenly Tabernacle”
If we can grasp the implications of some of these truths we will be awed at God’s wisdom and provision.
Consider the following:
- Christ became both the Offerer (the High Priest) and the Offering (the Sacrifice)!
- Christ is both the Testator (the will-maker) who died on our behalf, and the Solicitor (Mediator) who rose again to ensure that the will of the deceased is fully enforced!
- Christ is the God who put on humanity, in order that humanity may put on divinity! He was born naturally, that we may be born spiritually!
- Christ died that we might live
As Paul exclaimed as He considered the plan of Redemption, we too can only stand in amazement His-story unfolds before us:
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unfathomable (inscrutable, unsearchable) are His judgments (His decisions)! And how untraceable (mysterious, undiscoverable) are His ways (His methods, His paths)!” (Rom 11:33 AMP)
All of this was made possible through the offering of Himself, His Body and His Blood, which are the essential elements and the sacrificial basis of the New Covenant we now enjoy. The Body and the Blood of Jesus are the most holy things in the universe. They alone form the basis for Christ’s session, because without them we have not offering to present before the Father, No propitiation, no salvation from sin!
Christ’s High priestly ministry is the fulfilment of, and purpose behind, Calvary’s sacrifice. The offering had to be presented in order to be accepted. Every Old Testament covenant was founded upon body and blood sacrifices, and the New Covenant is no exception. All Old Testament sacrifices, as outlined particularly in the book of Leviticus, foreshadowed Christ’s perfect, once-for-all sacrifice of Himself.
“By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Heb 10:10 NKJV)
“For Christ [the Messiah Himself] died for sins once for all, the Righteous for the unrighteous (the Just for the unjust, the Innocent for the guilty), that He might bring us to God. In His human body He was put to death, but He was made alive in the spirit,” (1Pet 3:18 AMPLIFIED)
The Body and the Blood of Jesus in Heaven
The Body that Christ has in Heaven is the same body resulting from the miraculous incarnation in the womb of Mary. His body once experienced sinless infirmities, sufferings and death but now it is resurrected and glorified. Christ’s body is no longer subject to suffering or death, yet still bears the eternal evidence of His perfect sacrifice in His hands, feet and side:
“One of the disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”
Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.”” (John 20:24-29 NLT)
Christ’s body in Heaven is the guarantee that the bodies of the saints will likewise be raised and glorified (Phil 3:21; 1 Cor 15:51-57). Like Christ’s, the bodies of the saints will transcend natural laws, being adapted to celestial realms for all eternity.
Kevin Conner points out in Foundations of Christian Doctrine:
“Christ’s blood is the only cleansing agent from sin in the universe”.
It is the blood of God Himself:
“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” (Acts 20:28 NKJV)
As such it is the divine life (Leviticus 17:11-14), and speaks to God on our behalf:
“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.” (Heb 12:22-24)
The perfect blood in Heaven bestows many benefits upon believers here on earth:
Take time to look up and note some of the results of the atoning blood being upon the mercy seat in Heaven’s tabernacle:
- 1 John 1:7
- Romans 5:9
- Ephesians 1:7
- Colossians 1:20
- Ephesians 2:13
- Hebrews 9:13
- Hebrews 13:12
- I Corinthians 10:16
- Hebrews 13:20
- Revelation 1:5; 5:9-10
- Revelation 12:11
- John 6:53-57,63
The Function of His Session
In his session:
Jesus acts as mediator, intercessor, and advocate, handling the accusations that Satan would charge against the believer.
As our High Priest he stands before God on our behalf, or more accurately, we stand before God in Him. Just as Israel was accepted before God in the person of the priest under the Law, so we are “accepted in the Beloved” High Priest, Jesus Christ.
“It shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may take upon himself and bear [any] iniquity [connected with] the holy things which the Israelites shall give and dedicate; and it shall always be upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord [in the priest’s person].” (Ex 28:38 AMP)
“to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”(Eph 1:6 NKJV)
When we stand before God it is as if He were stood before His Father. The acceptance of Christ was our acceptance, and the love with which the Father loves Jesus, His Son, is the love with which He loves His adopted sons an daughters. In this way, Christ’s prayer recorded in John 17:25-26 finds fulfilment:
“O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”” (John 17:25-26 NKJV)
Regarding our conflict with the demonic spiritual realm, its tests and temptations, much is revealed in Hebrews chapter four:
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:12-16 NKJV)
Here we are told that Jesus Priestly ministry is intimately tied to our confession of faith. As the Living Word in heaven, He is empowered to act in His Priestly, intercessory ministry, as we choose to speak His written Word on earth. Spiritually we are shielded from attack through the power of God’s words spoken in faith, knowing that He exists to fulfil that Word from His position of authority in the heavens:
“Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.” (Prov 30:5 NKJV)
Just as Christ in His temptation chose to speak the word of God alone as His defence, we too can do the same and see the accuser flee.
Jesus directs the affairs of the church, his body in earth, as the heavenly head
Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:15-19; 2:9-10.
Jesus bestows gifts and ministries upon the Church, both individually and corporately
1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 28-30; Ephesians 4:8-10; Romans 12:1-6).
Jesus pours out His Spirit on all flesh, Jew and Gentile
Acts 2:33
Jesus brings conviction, repentance and faith to man by the power of the Holy Spirit.
2 Timothy 2:25
Jesus administers the affairs of the Kingdom of God in the nations of earth
He is restraining the work of Satan and his kingdom, until the Church is completed and has finished her work. (Ephesians 1:20-23; 1 Cor 15:23-28)
Christ’s session then is a time of great activity and administration, not a passive waiting. Once this period of grace comes to a close, and the dispensation of the Holy Spirit ends, Christ will leave the throne in Heaven and return to the earth, ushering in the next phase of God’s redemptive plan.
