(2 Of 4) God’s Open Courtroom Series

Opening Scene – “If It Is Finished, What Is Jesus Doing Now?”

The very last word Jesus spoke on the cross was a single, triumphant cry:

> “It is finished!” (John 19:30)

Every Christian heart thrills to those words.

Nothing can be added to what Jesus accomplished that day.

Sin’s penalty was paid in full.

Yet the New Testament adds another set of words—just as true and just as inspired:

> “After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3).

“Christ Jesus… is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Romans 8:34).

So here’s the question many thoughtful believers ask:

> “If salvation is complete and Jesus is already seated at the Father’s right hand, what is He doing now—and why does it matter?”

Some wonder, Is He somehow moving from room to room in heaven?

Others worry, Does this mean forgiveness isn’t fully mine until some future heavenly step?

Those are fair, honest questions.

Today we will explore what the Bible actually says about Christ’s present ministry and how it answers those very concerns.

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The Cross Is Finished—That Never Changes

Let’s settle the foundation first.

The sacrifice is complete.

When Jesus said “It is finished,” He used a marketplace word meaning paid in full.

There is no second Calvary.

Hebrews 10:14 declares, “By one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”

Our access is direct.

At the very moment of His death, “the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51).

The Most Holy Place—the symbolic dwelling of God—was thrown open.

Hebrews 4:16 invites us to “come boldly to the throne of grace.”

Every Christian—Adventist or otherwise—can stand here with confidence:

Nothing can add to the finished work of the cross or block a believer’s immediate access to God.

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Yet Scripture Describes an Ongoing Ministry

Still, those same Scriptures speak of a living, active Savior:

> “We have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places” (Hebrews 8:1-2).

“He always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

The Bible is clear: Jesus isn’t passive.

His saving work was finished once for all, but His caring work continues.

Why?

Because redemption is more than a legal payment; it is also a relationship to be applied, defended, and celebrated before a watching universe.

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Symbolic Language, Not Celestial Geography

This is where some of our Adventist vocabulary—words like Most Holy Place or phase of ministry—can puzzle or even alarm other Christians.

It can sound as if Jesus is literally moving from chamber to chamber, as though heaven were a vast building and forgiveness waited on His next appointment.

But that is not what the Bible is saying.

When Hebrews speaks of Jesus as our High Priest and uses words like sanctuary or most holy, it is using the language of Old Testament worship as symbol of reality, just as we speak of God’s “hand” or “eyes” while knowing He is Spirit.

The right hand of God is not a GPS location; it is the position of ultimate authority.

So when we say Christ ministers in the “true tabernacle,” we are not mapping celestial hallways—we are describing His role and function in salvation history.

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An Analogy for Clarity

Think of a Supreme Court justice. She may first deliberate privately with colleagues, then step into open court to announce the decision, and later write the official opinion.

Her location may change slightly, but her office and authority never do.

And those phases don’t add a new law; they simply apply and publicly confirm what is already settled.

In the same way, the Bible pictures Jesus moving through stages of ministry, not because His sacrifice was incomplete, but to apply its finished power and demonstrate God’s justice before the universe.

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God’s Open Courtroom

We’ve settled that the cross is finished and our access to God is wide open.

Now let’s walk into the Bible’s next scene and watch what Jesus is doing right now—and why Daniel’s longest time prophecy exists to celebrate, not complicate, the gospel.

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Get the Picture

> “Alright, friends, let’s be real.

When we hear words like judgment or books opened, most of us get an inner cartoon running.

God seated in a vast black robe, a white powdered wig that could double as a cumulus cloud, perched before a galaxy-wide monitor.

He scrolls left and right with a cosmic mouse—don’t look at His mouse!

One finger hovers over the DELETE key, the other over SEND TO GLORIOUS CLOUD.

We half expect a pop-up to flash, ‘Confirm Eternal Deletion?’

And somewhere in the back of our minds a nervous whisper says, When my name comes up, the whole universe will know everything about me.”