THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE Ephesians 1 This Bible
Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's
transcription/location is provided by http://www.theseason.org Ephesians is the second of Paul's text-books of doctrinal instruction for the believers in our present dispensation or age. The book of Romans told us all the truths concerning the standing of the sinner in Christ, as having died and risen with Him. Ephesians, now brings us beyond Romans, in that the sinner not only died and rose again in Christ, but now in God's sight and purpose, is seated with Christ in the heavenlies. Where Romans ends with a reference to the revelation to the "mystery", Ephesians takes that "revelation of a mystery", and reveals that mystery to us. The book of Ephesians has it's foundation in the first eight chapters of Romans. This "mystery", or "great secret" that Paul is to reveal, for this age or dispensation only, is called the "dispensation of Grace". The secret was that all "individual sinners amongst Jew and Greek alike, are called the "called out ones". Upon repentance, all these converts are formed into "the body of Christ", also referred to as "His Church". Once that sinner enters into the "body of Christ", they all become a member or part of that one body, for there is neither Jew nor Gentile in that body; but Christian. The purpose of Christ's Church exists to "praise the glory of God's grace throughout all eternity", to be the future rulers and priests in God's eternal kingdom. This is the secret kept from before the foundations of this earth age. This earth age is a preparation time for Christians to learn through God's word the will of God, and to get ourselves ready for service in His will or plan. We become prepared by what Paul calls, "putting on the whole armor of God". That "armor of God" is the only protection that the Christian that lives in this final generation of this earth age, can ever expect to stand against Satan, and resist taking the Antichrist's name, number and mark. If we accept any part of the Antichrist's system, or his deceptions, we are making ourselves useless to our Heavenly Father's service; for then we will have ceased allowing the Holy Spirit of God to speak through us; when we shall be "delivered up before the synagogues of Satan", as spoken of in Mark 13:11. Ephesians 1:1 "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus; and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:" The word "apostle" in the Greek means "one sent by God". Paul was called by Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, when he was struck down and blinded. This was the will of God that this should be done. This book of Ephesians is not for everyone, but "to the saints, and those faithful to Christ Jesus". The "saints" are the "set aside ones", or also called "God's elect". The book of Ephesians covers a long period of time; the entire period of Grace, including our time of preparation, getting us ready for the spiritual battles all of God's elect will face during the Antichrist's [Satan's] reign on earth, with the rest of his demonic forces. Ephesians 1:2 "Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." Once you are called, you will never be satisfied again with the traditions of men. Grace and peace are two of the gifts given to His elect when they turn from their sins, to "God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:" Why? Because Christ, upon His resurrection went to the right hand of the Father. Now we have a mediator sitting there at the right hand of God the Father. That throne is the center of all power, and is the giver of all spiritual blessings. The "blessing in heavenly places" refers to more then you and I living in this present earth age. As II Peter 3 points out, there are three earth ages, and three Heaven ages. Verses five and six are talking about the age that was; before this earth "became" a ruin, as spoken of in Genesis 1:2. That heaven and earth are past; and it is because of what happened in that age, that we are all living in the flesh in this earth age. II Peter 3:7 tells us this earth age now, which is the second one, will perish following the day of judgment, at the end of this age, and a new heaven and a new earth will then be established. The third earth age is eternal. This understanding of the three earth ages have to be understood before you can understand the fourth verse of Ephesians. Ephesians 1:4 "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love:" What does it mean to be "chosen"? It means that there are certain people that God chosen in the first earth age, to do a task for Him in this flesh earth age. This is not reincarnation, for it is appointed for each of us to go through this earth age, the flesh earth age, once and only once. We read; "...It is appointed unto men once to die [in the flesh], but after this the judgment." Hebrews 9:27 This appointing and choosing took place before the foundation of this earth age; the second earth age [cosmos] that we now live in. "Without blame" refers to the fact that God intercedes in certain peoples lives. Certain people have free will, while certain others are of God's election, however, God doesn't play favorites. Christ died for the sins of all who will repent; the chosen, and the free-will. All must repent for sins they commit, and love the Lord Jesus Christ, to have the hope of His glory. "Before the foundation of the world", [cosmos in the Greek, meaning world or earth age.] The "foundation" in the Greek text, is the verb for, "the overthrow". This refers to something that happened in that first earth age, before the overthrow of Satan and his angels that followed him. When Satan fell [war against God], one third of all angelic beings [God's children] followed Satan. Then during that war, there were some who fought against Satan, and those who did, God calls "His Chosen". They took a stand, and were overcomers in that first earth age. Have you ever wondered why you do the things that you do, at times. It's just like you have a destiny. You have always felt their is more to life, and this world, then what you have been taught. Paul addresses this in Romans 8:27. In verse twenty six it says that there are times in your life when the Holy Spirit makes intercession for you because you don't even know what to pray for. "And he that searcheth the heart knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:27 These saints are "the set-aside ones", or "the chosen". God has a overall plan, and a purpose in that plan just for you. That purpose is to bring back His children to Him; after that overthrow, and in this earth age. Why would God intercede in a person's life, without them even asking? When your free-will goes against God's purpose for your life, God will intercede. When Paul's "free will" was to destroy all Christians, God's will was to take this highly educated man, and use Paul as the instrument for Him. Paul used to same drive to destroy Christians, that he used later to convert people, after his conversion. We read that the Lord said; "...For He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and Kings, and children of Israel:" Acts 9:15 Ephesians 1:5 "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will," "Predestined" means "from a prior time", or "required to do a certain thing" in the Greek text. You have a choice of loving God, or loving Satan. God will not interfere with your free will choice to chose Him or Satan. However, that person that proved himself during the overthrow of Satan, were "justified", or earned the right to be called "saints", from that first earth age. Each soul comes from God, and enters an embryo at conception. This is why Jeremiah was a chosen one. "Before I formed thee in the belly I know thee; and before thou comest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet of nations." Jeremiah 1:5 "Sanctified" thee, is to "set aside, or apart for a purpose". Sins still have to be repented, and the price to pay for them still had to be made. To the predestined, and fore chosen, God can make life so miserable to those out of His will that they will repent. God has a perfect will, and God is always fair. "And we know that all things work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 This verse is directed to a certain people, with a condition attached. This applies to "them who are called according to His purpose." "His purpose" is called God's plan, and God's overall plan is the offering of Salvation to all. That plan includes the teaching of God's Word; to plant seeds to convict; to live our life for Him; and to go and speak where God leads you. God will use you as it pleases Him. "For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." Romans 8:29 God knew you, and what you were in that first earth age; and then [in that first earth age] God prearranged our destiny for this age. That destiny is to make us conform, or be like His Son, Jesus Christ. Though Jesus is the first fruits to overcome death, there are many that have that victory over death, through Christ's death and resurrection. "Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called: He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified." Romans 8:30 "Justified" means "judged" in the Greek text; God judged them there in that first earth age, and that is why God can and does intercede in the chosen's ones lives. The justified are the priests of the Zadok in the millennium age of Ezekiel 40, for the word Zadok comes from the Hebrew word meaning "the just". Certain of God's children stood against Satan in the first earth age, and those that did stand, and did not follow Satan; God judged [justified], and He "chose" them then to be used in His eternal plan. Through God's perfect plan, God "predestined", and "ordained" each of them to His purpose to be used in this flesh age. Each of these will also be used in the Millennium age as priests, or called the "Zadok". When you become a Christian, and God has given you a working over, He is trying to wake you up. God is calling out a people, His people, the "Elect-chosen, and predestined" to stand against the Antichrist [Satan] in this final generation. "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31 "What things"? The things mentioned in verses 27-30. The knowledge that God has judged the overcomers, and chose them for the purpose of fulfilling His plan; then predestined those overcomers to a service, not only in this flesh age, but the millennium age to come. They will be the priests [Zadok] then. Let's return now to Ephesians, now that we have the background of predestination explained by Paul, in Romans. We were predestined to be the adopted children of God, by what Jesus Christ did on the cross. This is exactly what God's plan [His will] is designed to do. Being in the flesh body, we all will fall short, however, through repentance we are drawn back to Him, and into God's will for us. Ephesians 1:6 "To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved:" The "Beloved" is Christ, the firstfruit, and first born to the Heavenly kingdom of God. Ephesians 1:7 "In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace," Ephesians 1:8 "Wherein He hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;" "Prudence" is insight. God has given us "redemption", or forgiveness from all our sin's, through Jesus Christ's death on the cross, and His shed blood. The grace God now gives us, opens our minds, and through His Spirit, we are given the "wisdom" and "insight" to understand all the mysteries, and hidden wisdom that the rest of the world calls foolishness. God has given you the gift of wisdom, insight, understanding, and the ability to use common sense. This is all part of our gospel armor, necessary for these end times. Ephesians 1:9 "Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself;" The "mystery of His will", is that which we just studied from Romans 8:27-31. That mystery is the fact that God does have a plan, and certain overcomers of the first earth age were then predestined, and ordained for God's service in this earth age, and also in the Millennium age to come. It is God who allows this to happen, and purposed it within Himself. Peter gave Paul credentials as he wrote in II Peter 3:15, that the wisdom the Peter revealed was first written by Paul. That wisdom is concerning the three earth ages, whereby the chosen were prejudged, and purposed by God to be of service in this earth age, and the next. Then in II Peter 3:16 Peter says; "As also in all his [Paul's] epistles [letters], speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned, and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction." Those that God has called, are given the will to learn, and the wisdom and insight to understand; where as the unlearned and unstable in the Lord, just don't get it. They just don't have the eyes to see, nor ears to hear and understand the deeper meanings. Ephesians 1:10 "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him:" What dispensation? The dispensation from both the first age, and the present earth age; right up to the time of Jesus Christ's return. That is called the "fullness of time". In the fullness of time all of God's people will be gathered back to Jesus Christ. And we will all, both those saints in heaven now, and those who will live to see Jesus Christ's return at the seventh trumpet, will be drawn and gathered to Christ. Has God called you to Him? Ephesians 1:11 "In Whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him Who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will:" With out God's intercession, Paul would not have been the leader in the Church that he was. When Paul changed from working against God to working for God; He remained the same strength of character; bold and willing to stand against any man, even kings. Paul's mission changed from killing Christians to making Christians. The "inheritance" that we obtain, is in the predestined plan of God. The inheritance is to the chosen, those who were overcomers, and God judged [justified] them then, and predestined them to His service in this age. The inheritance is being the Zadok in the Millennium, and that inheritance is our eternal life. What your full inheritance is will be according to God's predestined plan for you, and how you work to fulfill your part of that service. God is in control, and He controls His election [the elect]. It comforts me to know God is in control, even as the one world system comes into force, and Antichrist's rule will soon be total. God set the limits of his powers, and the God even shortened the time that Satan will have to rule. However, their rule has no power over God's elect, because every last one of God's chosen will see right through Satan's tricks and deceit. Ephesians 1:12 "That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ." To be God's elect does not mean your better than all others; it means you going to do God's work. God has a rich inheritance for all those who are faithful to His work. "We", used in this verse, and those prior, are those who are predestined in the first earth age. Our goal and glory should all be to glorify our Lord Jesus Christ, in all the work we do in our flesh age, for God. Ephesians 1:13 "In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise," The "ye" in this verse, are those who heard God's word and believed. They are not the predestined ones. When they believed, God sealed each of them with His Holy Spirit "of promise". That promise is the inheritance of eternal life. There is no difference between the inheritance of the predestined soul, and the soul that heard the Gospel of Christ, then believed and repented. However, there is a difference in the positions that the elect will hold in the Millennium temple. Ezekiel 44 describes the difference in the inheritance; it is in the area of ownership with respects to land, and the location to the throne of Jesus Christ. The "Zadok" simply will not be given land, because they do not need it. They will all be in the priestly services of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:14 "Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory." "The earnest" is a pledge from God to us. "Our inheritance" is the gift from God to you and I, the Christians, of the "new nature" [our new spirit], and this is a pledge also from God for future gifts in the same kind. It is a total commitment which can not be broken, thus making this inheritance different from any other pledge ordinarily given. The pledge in earnest is the same as the term "sealing". It is a legal term. God is creating His contract with us, the Christian, and God will fulfill that pledge, or covenant. The sealing of God's covenant is by giving to us His Spirit to dwell within us, and those other gifts He may also give to us. Our "earnest money", so to speak, is to fulfill our part of the agreement, and our part is to repent and believe in His Son, Jesus Christ; who is the actual one who paid the price to fulfill God's contract between Him and us. We reap the inheritance, while Jesus Christ paid the price, and gets all the glory for it. Ephesians 1:15 "Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints," In other words, Paul is saying that he heard how all the Ephesian Saints became Christians. Ephesians 1:16 "Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;" Paul is like a father to them; this Church was built on Paul's work. Paul was close to them, and with a continuous tie to them. Ephesians 1:17 "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him:" Paul's prayer for the Ephesians, was that the almighty Father would give to them the spirit of wisdom and revelation. Paul wanted all of them to understand all levels of wisdom of all three ages, and exactly what their inheritance included. When you know and understand your inheritance; it becomes precious and valuable to you. That wisdom and revelation can only come to you by the Spirit of God; the Holy Spirit. This "foreknowledge" of God, is the knowledge of what went on prior to this present earth [flesh] age. This we discussed in verses four through eleven. Review, and pray God will clear our minds, to fully understand Paul's teaching. Ephesians 1:18 "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints," "Israel" [all the tribes] will be God's inheritance [the peculiar treasure of Exodus 19:5] on this earth. That time is at the acceptance of Jesus Christ by them. The Church is the body of Jesus Christ, and this body is Christ's inheritance in heaven. At the seventh trumpet, the entire inheritance of Christ [the Church] will dwell with Jesus Christ right here on earth. Paul is praying that you, as part of that body, or inheritance, will know the hope and riches we do have as being part of Christ's inheritance in His kingdom. If God has called you through His Spirit, and a light comes on, don't resist Him. In that calling there is eternal hope, riches, and eternal peace. Ephesians 1:19 "And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power," You must close the eyes of the flesh, to open the eyes of the Spirit. The two simply cannot be compared. It is from the Father that we get the desire even to seek after Him. God's "power" is His help given to us. Paul is telling us, it is only by God's mighty power, or special help, given to only His own that we are able to comprehend God's mighty acts. Most of the world looks at God's work in the Bible as a series of fairy-tales, and unbelievable stories. Ephesians 1:20 "Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places," Do you know why? Ephesians 1:21 "Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:" Get a hold of that, friend; By Christ being placed at the right hand of the Father, Jesus Christ has power over all kings and nations, and dominions, and persons in this world age, and the next. When Jesus Christ completed His work on the cross, and arose out of the tomb, God placed Him over all ---everything. Through Jesus Christ we have the power over all also, including Satan [the Antichrist], because God gave it to you. So assume the power! The authority for that authority is given to us through God's Word, but we must claim it. Ephesians 1:22 "And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the church," Why the Church? Ephesians 1:23 "Which is His body, the fulness of Him That filleth all in all." Jesus Christ's true church is not a building, and it is not a denomination; but it is made up of all the true believers, with God's Holy Spirit in there hearts and minds. In Acts 2 we read of the beginning of this body of believers, who when they spoke, every one heard and understood in their own language and even in their local dialect. That body of Christ of true believers has grown, and in these last days, we are told by Joel, and Jesus in Mark 13, that it will happen again just as on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2:6,7 tell us that when the true spirit speaks, there is no confusion, "because every man heard them speak in his own language". In the Greek text, "dialektos", or as we say dialect. This is why everyone was "amazed and marvelled". That is right, right down to the very town and neighborhood they came from, and were born in. I simply haven't heard of that happening yet, but it will happen soon. The evidence of the Holy Spirit is this tongue. It is those, with the foreknowledge of what happened before, and those sons and daughters within the body of Christ that will perform at the appointed time, as it is written in Mark 13:11. Denominationalism has nothing to do with Christ's true body, but it is made up of those with the revelation, truth, wisdom, and the seal [knowledge] of the Living God.
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