Section A

Jesus has been and remains the top most agenda of God for the universe all over. Jesus goes far beyond business within the four walls of any church and beyond life on the earth. Colossians 1:17 “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” The Jesus effect is beyond the earth in that all things consist by Him. He is the reason why all lives remain where they are just as He is the rea son why the planetary bodies have not suffered accidents and casualties. ‘By Him All Things Consist’. It matters therefore how much knowledge about Him to go for as well as opinions to hold of Him. The believer is directly impacted by the right knowledge and view of Jesus Christ as told by Apostle Paul. Romans 16:25 “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,”. Some important interventions made by the scripture above are that the preaching of Christ:

1. Must be according to ‘the revelation of the mystery’ kept secret since the world began.
2. Has power to establish the recipient.

So, the preaching of the gospel of Christ is not for a ceremonial purpose but for life establishment. Even more affirming of God’s agenda for the world being Jesus Christ can be seen in verse twenty-six. Romans 16:26

“But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:”

Here we see the manifestation of what was kept secret since the foundation of the world which confirms the writings of the prophets. How that God commanded that all nations come to this knowledge for the obedience of faith. The need-to-know Christ is not a human generative exercise but a command of the Everlasting God. Let us do ourselves some good by reviewing and advancing our knowledge of Christ for our own establishment.

Before all things

Jesus has been limited to what He looked like when He came here and all kinds of arguments have been raised about the reality of who He is. However, a scripture we read early on disbands any such opinions with one simple statement. Colossians 1:17 “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” ‘He is before all things’. This simple looking statement carries a depth of revelation about Jesus’ pre-existence. That is to say before anything was Jesus had existence, lived to Himself in absolute consciousness. This was so because Jesus referred to the days of His existence before anything else mentioning some aspects of what He was doing. 

Proverbs 8:22-30 “The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

[22] “The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
[23] I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
[24] When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.
[25] Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:
[26] While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.
[27] When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:
[28] When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:
[29] When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:
[30] Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;”

In verse 1, Jesus who is the Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24) is said to be speaking and says He was with the Lord in the beginning of His way from everlasting before anything ever was. 

Micah 5:2 “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” – His goings forth is of old, from everlasting

John 8:58 “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” – Abraham lived one thousand seven hundred and sixty-seven (1767) years before Jesus was born. How is it that Jesus expresses that He was there before Abraham came to being. Why did Jesus use the term I am instead of I was in this very expression.

Jesus was speaking to His eternality in being, is and shall be unlike Abraham who was come and gone. Assuredly Jesus Has been there before matter and time for He did not come into being He just was.

Section B

Already in the world

John 1:10 “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.” – This scripture is giving a stunning revelation about Jesus entering the world He created unnoticed. This means a physical appearance before He was born by Mary so many years later. This is what is called the pre-incarnation life of Christ which offered Theophanies or Christophanies as one may call it. This mystery was hidden since the foundation of the earth that no one recognized Jesus when He walked and encountered people on the earth right after creation.

Isaiah 6:1 “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.” – Who could have been the Lord Isaiah saw here when God is said to be invisible and none survives seeing him (Exodus 33:20, 1 Timothy 6:16). We are answered by John when he referred to Isaiah’s prophecy concerning

Jesus Christ in John 12:41 “These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.”

Daniel 3:25 “He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” – The Fourth man in this narrative was a physical being seen by all including the king whose conclusion is revelatory of Jesus.

John 8:56 “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.” – Jesus who was told to be less than fifty-year-old and could not possibly have met one of eighteen centuries ago said this. Jesus is the truth and therefore can neither lie nor pull a prank about a matter so dear to the heart of His listeners. As Abraham lived in the days before His birth by Mary and He says they met the He was there where Abraham was.

Pitched tent here

The condescension of the eternal, infinite, sovereign, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient God to the earth is the greatest moment in history. John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Was made flesh and dwelt among us does not mean that the Word ceased to be God but that the Word took on humanity. He literally lived among men as one who is God and man all in one. Furthermore, dwelt among us also translates that he pitched His tent, made His abode, tabernacled with us. What an awesome sight to behold among men.

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Matthew 1:23 “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

Galatians 4:4-5 [4] “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, [5] To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

Philippians 2:8 “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

1 Timothy 1:15-17 [15] “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. [16] Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. [17] Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Absolutely it is plain that God in Jesus came and pitched His tent with humanity in order to redeem us from the chain of the enemy. 

Section C

No one has ascended

The pitching of tent by divinity among humanity ended with the death and burial of the God incarnate. That marked the beginning of the next fold of the existence and life of the Savior Jesus Christ. Hints of the next face of this life is interlocked, interwoven, inter laced by the Lord Himself in for example John 3:13 “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” With another one which can be seen from John 6:62 “What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?” This is the post-incarnation life in which there are certain essential things to the believer’s faith and life in the present age.

1.  The post-incarnation life of Christ reveals and affirms His messianic identity to the believer (Luke 24:26-27).
2. The post-incarnation life of Jesus Christ inspires hope in the life the believer lives today for a better end (1 Corinthians 15:19)
3. As the first fruit of them that sleep He is the confident assurance of believers secured future (1 Corinthians 15:20).
4. The greatest advantage of the name of Jesus is with us who live in His post-incarnate period (John 16:23-24, 26).
5. To our advantage He is back into the father where He originally was (John 16:27-28, 17:8).
6. His post-incarnation life is an intercessory life for the believer (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:24-28,9:24, 1 John 2:1-2).
7. His post-incarnation life is an intercessory life for the believer (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:24-28,9:24, 1 John 2:1-2).
8. One major job in post-incarnation life of Christ is preparing a place to come back for us (John 14:1-3, Philippians 3:20-21, Titus 2:13, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

Summary

In summary Jesus came out from the Father through some stages to end up at the right hand of the Father and this is a mystery. Out from the Father (John 16:27-28) not just from the Father like other messengers but as a part of God unleashed for a saving mission. Right hand of the Father (Psalm 110:1, Mark 16:19, Hebrews 8:34, 1 Peter 3:22) not by physical location but place of power (Exodus 15:6-7, Matthew 26:54).