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.”
> “That picture is funny—and it’s revealing.
It shows how small our imagination is compared to the real God.
Even the Bible uses picture language—‘books,’ ‘court,’ ‘throne’—so our limited minds can grasp cosmic realities.
But heaven’s courtroom isn’t an 18th-century law office or a high-tech Artificial Intelligence server farm.
God doesn’t need a keyboard, a blockchain, or an AI assistant.
Psalm 139 says He knew every one of our days before one of them came to be.
His justice is immediate, relational, and alive.
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Cosmic Reality
The Scriptures pull back the curtain:
Daniel 7:9–10 – “Thrones were set in place… the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.”
This isn’t about dusty ledgers; it’s about God’s transparent justice before the universe.
Hebrews 7:25 – “He always lives to intercede for them.”
Not re-paying for sin, but applying and celebrating what the cross has secured.
Revelation 14:7 – “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come.”
This is announcement, not threat—a worldwide call to trust His fairness and love.
Notice: every text emphasizes public vindication of God’s love and the security of His people, not secret condemnation.
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Why the Longest Time Prophecy?
Here lies the hinge of the message—what our banter helped us uncover.
> “The 2,300-day prophecy of Daniel 8:14 isn’t God stalling forgiveness.
It’s a date stamp for the day heaven would throw open the books to prove that Calvary’s verdict is final.
The longest prophecy is God’s way of saying to the entire universe: Watch this moment. The cross will now be publicly vindicated and its grace applied to every name that trusts in Me.”
Think of it like the legal recording of a wedding.
The vows are real the moment they’re spoken; the county seal simply publishes what love has already accomplished.
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Assurance, Not Anxiety
So when your name comes up, it isn’t for re-trial.
> “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
Who then is the one who condemns? No one” (Romans 8:33-34).
The judgment is for you, not against you.
It is heaven’s way of declaring to every watching world that Christ’s righteousness—already yours—is unassailable.
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Living Now in the Light of an Open Courtroom
Because this is happening now, it invites a present-tense response:
Bold access – “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16).
Authentic discipleship – We live transparently, not to earn favor, but because love that secure frees us to be honest and wholehearted.
Hopeful witness – We can tell a fearful world: God’s justice is not a threat; it is the final proof that mercy wins.
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Closing Movement
You might end Part 2 with something like:
> “So let’s drop the cartoon of a nervous God with one finger on DELETE and one on SEND.
The delete key is broken.
The Lamb’s book of life is permanent.
The great time prophecy doesn’t delay your salvation—it puts heaven’s seal on it.
The courtroom of God is not a place of dread; it is the open stage where the universe sees that Jesus’ words were true: It is finished.”
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Courtroom to Worship
We began the message with laughter.
> Remember the powdered wig, the galactic monitor, the divine mouse clicking “Delete” or “Send to the Cloud”?
Those images gave us a safe place to admit our hidden fears about judgment.
And then, together, we watched the Bible dissolve those cartoons in the blazing reality of God’s open courtroom—
a place of vindication, not humiliation.
Now it’s time to step back and see why all this matters for the way we live and witness right now.
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1. The Cosmic Outcome: Love Publicly Vindicated
The final chapters of Revelation pull the lens wide:
> “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth… He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:1,4).
The investigative—or open—judgment is heaven’s way of saying to the watching universe:
“Look! The cross is enough. Evil’s accusations are silenced. Love has won.”
The “books” are not heavenly hard drives.
They are living witnesses that God’s mercy and justice have always been one.
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2. Personal Impact: Living in Transparent Grace
Because heaven’s verdict is already spoken in Christ, we can live with holy transparency:
Confidence before God – “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22).
Freedom from hiding – No need to edit our past or curate a flawless image.
Daily companionship – Jesus’ present ministry isn’t a distant legal process; it’s His real-time intercession and friendship.
This is the opposite of living under surveillance.
It’s living as beloved children who know the family name is secure.
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Mission
The first angel’s message calls:
> “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come” (Revelation 14:7).
This is not a threat to whisper; it’s an invitation to proclaim:
God’s justice is transparent.
His mercy is unstoppable.
The cross is enough for every human being.
In a world jaded by hidden corruption and deepfakes, this is electrifying good news.
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The Gospel Crescendo
So we return to our refrain:
> Daniel’s longest time prophecy doesn’t delay salvation—it dates the day God opened heaven’s books to show the cross is enough.
Every click of that imaginary celestial mouse now becomes a shout of assurance:
> No condemnation. Name secured. Love wins.
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A Call to Worship and Surrender
> “Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28).
Let today be more than information.
Bring your whole self—your past, your fears, your future—into the open grace of Jesus.
Rest in His finished work and rejoice that the universe will see what He already knows:
You are His.
