JEAN'S BIBLE STUDY COM

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible ® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

KJV    NAS

1-3 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Eph 1-1

(102i) Thy kingdom come >> Faithfulness (Loyalty) >> Consistency >> Faithfulness – Paul makes it clear that he’s writing to those who are faithful in Christ Jesus. This is the audience of the word of God. The Bible was not written to unbelievers. The proof of this is that those who do not believe cannot understand the Scriptures. It is helpful to keep this in mind throughout your interpretation of the Bible. 

Eph 1-2 -- No Entries

Eph 1,3-23

(70ja) Authority >> Believer’s authority >> We have been given authority over all creation >> We are the children of God >> We have a place on His throne – The book of Ephesians, particularly the first few chapters, use what some of the Bible’s critics call flowery language. They claim that Paul was being superfluous, using many superlatives in his expressions, but how else was Paul supposed to talk about the heavenly realm? When you actually read the Scriptures and really listen to what Paul was saying, it seems like flowery language only because of his subject matter. When you extract the meaning from his words, you begin to realize that he is not being half as flowery as he initially sounded. How else is he supposed to describe the things that God has done for us, except through some of the most beautiful words in the English language? The subject of Ephesians chapter one is all about God’s wonderful plan for mankind, which is full of grace. This is not a subject that Paul often addressed, mostly because he was too busy resolving issues within the Church and putting out their fires, but he finally got around to discussing just how kind God’s intensions are toward us, so that the critics of the Bible should be ashamed after calling these words flowery. If they were to listen, believe and understand, they would know that Paul was not being superfluous at all. If only they could hear the man using primitive instruments to describe something far greater than our English language was meant to convey.

Eph 1,3-14

(30j) Gift of God >> He favors you by His gracious choice of you

(71g) Authority >> Ordained by God >> Ordained by His sovereign will >> God chooses you – “Predestination” goes one step further from God’s foreknowledge and assures that whatever God has foreknown He will accomplish. That is, foreknowledge has a passive tone, while predestination is God actively creating the future. He has created our future by participating in our salvation through the Holy Spirit in conjunction with His foreknowledge. This is God not just knowing we will get saved but reaching out and grabbing us and pulling us to Himself. Our decision to reject Him of those who are chosen of God is in debate, but it is a trustworthy statement that God values our decision more that we will ever know. There are some people whom God simply wants in His kingdom, and He works very hard with them to ensure they walk through the gates of His holy city. Jesus said, “Many are called but few are chosen” (Mat 22-15); this differentiates between foreknowledge and predestination.

Eph 1,3-11

(212a) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> He is the creator >> The creation glorifies God >> The creation exemplifies God’s sovereignty – We are blessed with every spiritual blessing. God has not held anything from us. When we get to heaven, God will make us co-owners of it; He has not even withheld His throne from us, which is something that Satan has always wanted, but God never offered to him, so he fought and struggled and literally gave up His eternal soul in pursuit of that which was freely given to us (Eph 2,4-7). Instead, Lucifer’s fate will be the lake of fire, and there he will be “tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev 20-10), because he sought the throne of God. With man, God has freely offered His throne with only one stipulation, that we believe in Him and obey His will. That seems like a very small thing to ask for such great reward. This demonstrates the justice of God that if a person strives on his own authority to take God's throne, he cannot have it; then He will make a new creation and offer it to mankind to spite Satan. For the things that God freely offers, we only need to gratefully receive them. We have been dedicated by God, consecrated and set apart from the world to receive “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

(248b) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> The will of God >> God exercises His will

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

Eph 1,3-9

(31i) Gift of God >> Grace >> Having the ability to respond to the word – When we look further into this first chapter, eventually Paul begins talking about a Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, and that is the main subject of his discourse. We don’t just read about things in the Bible; these are more than just facts about our eternal future with God in heaven; that would not be a revelation. A revelation is an experience of knowledge; it is not just knowing about something. Most things are not an experience to know them, but the knowledge of God is an experience in itself. This doesn’t sound like the teaching of Paul that we hear in our pulpits today. He is not talking about reading the Bible and gathering a number of facts that indicate the mystery of His will; when it comes to the actual relationship we have with God, all things come to us by revelation, and the things we don’t understand by revelation we simply don't know. It takes the Holy Spirit to reveal the word of God to us before we can actually know what it means, and if He is not revealing His word to us, it is a sign that we do not belong to Him.

(31l) Gift of God >> Gift of His grace >> Forgiveness is an act of God’s grace – When we talk about trespasses, we are not talking about sins committed against each other, but against God, for all sins against man are primarily committed against God. People may suffer by some of the things we have said and done, but the one who suffered the most is Jesus who paid for our sin. This is a contract to which we must agree and sign by a promise to serve Him all the days of our lives before it goes into effect, like signing any contract. Jesus has already signed the covenant in His own blood, and now it is our turn to sign, and our signature will appear in the Lamb’s Book of Life. It is not signed in blood but in faith, and that faith is the promise to obey whatever the Holy Spirit tells us; that is the new covenant in a nutshell. This is how we get our trespasses and sins forgiven. So many people even in the Church have not signed the covenant. It is not Jesus who writes our name in the Lamb’s Book of Life; it is our signature we find there. The Bible says that if we renege on the contract, that Christ will erase our name from Book of Life.

(33l) Gift of God >> Believers are special to God >> He has given us all things

(33n) Gift of God >> Believers are special to God >> God receives us – The Father adopted us through Christ, meaning that spiritually we had neither father nor mother until Jesus came and saved us. We were orphans. In contrast, there are many people in the world who feel that the world is their oyster, who really feel that they have found their place in the cosmos; these are the ones who are most difficult to reach with the gospel. Then, there are people who feel like a fish out of water, like they have the right shoe on the wrong foot; they just don’t feel that they belong in the world, and for this reason they are often outcasts of society. To them, attempting to integrate into the world is too much work for too little gain. Not only has society rejected them; they also have rejected society, and for this reason they feel lonely and alone; they feel like orphans in the world, until the gospel of Christ came and they responded to it. The fact is, all of God’s children are adopted, the gentiles doubly adopted. The truth is, anybody who feels that this world is their home essentially cannot be saved, until they realize that this world does not belong to them, but some people will never come to this realization, and they will die in their sin and face an eternity without God, and it will be hell, but that is how most people want it. They thoroughly believe in this world and have shut their minds to the word of God and to any idea that God cares about them, and have rejected everything that pertains to the God of heaven.

(34g) Gift of God >> God is willing to Give >> He is generous with His spiritual blessings – The Kingdom of Heaven is like a rich man who found us in the gutter and hired us off the street to be his chauffeur, and promised to give us a $100,000 a year for our faithful service. Our duties require us to drive him to some the fanciest places, and we are given opportunity to meet some of the most important people in the world, who are also rich and some famous; and we are allowed to sample some of the most extravagant appetizers and sleep at the swankiest motels, with many more perks of the job. All we have to do is show up for work. Would we do it? Who wouldn’t want to be his personal confidante and servant? However, just because we were chosen doesn’t mean we can shirk our duties, as though our Master is so gracious that surely he would forgive us if we missed a day or two without an excuse. Our Master may get the feeling that we don’t want the job and hire someone to replace us if we don’t show an interest is such a fabulous opportunity. There are many in the Church today who have been called, but they have not yet decided if they want the job; their old life keeps calling them back to the gutter.

(116i) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Working God’s kindness

(124l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love is the action of God’s faith

Eph 1-3,4

(113h) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Anointed through obedience – This first chapter in the book of Ephesians is really all about experiencing heaven on earth in the flesh through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. It is interesting that the anointing is best described as it were a smearing of oil, like the slathering of butter on a piece of toast. God has slathered His anointing and lavished Himself upon us. The whole purpose of the anointing is to give us an introduction to the promises that we will receive in heaven (Rom 5-1,2), helping us to at least partially experience His promises in this life. When we think of all the promises we have that can only be fulfilled in heaven, the anointing essentially simulates many of these things, yet that same anointing will be with us in heaven, so in that sense it is not a simulation, but the real thing. The anointing is the most literal of all promises about heaven. Paul is talking about the blessings we have received in this life that we will also enjoy in heaven. To have these heavenly experiences in this life is sadly more than what most preachers would have us know, simply because they personally are not experiencing them for themselves, so how can they preach about them? The goal is to possess and experience everything that God has for us in heaven and on earth, and to tell others about our experiences with God.

(228l) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> God works the victory in your life -- These verses go with verses 13-23

Eph 1-3

(34c) Gift of God >> Believer owns everything >> Holy Spirit belongs to us – God has lavishing His grace on us, His wisdom and insight seeing passed all our mistakes and blunders, seeing past the present and into eternity, wherein all God’s plans for us unfold. This is where the joy of being a child of God is fully realized, while sharing in the joy of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and in all the people that He has chosen for Himself who are brothers and sisters of the kingdom. When we get to heaven, we will not be denied access to any part of heaven, but every good and wonderful aspect of heaven will be ours to enjoy throughout eternity. Keep in mind, though, that Paul does not teach a by-and-by-in-the-sky-when-we-die theology. Rather, he is referring to these spiritual blessings as something that we can access in this life through the Spirit.

(226d) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >> Reserved in heaven >> Our inheritance is reserved in heaven -- This verse goes with verses 13&14

(249ga) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> God’s perception of wealth >> Our blessed hope of eternal life -- This verse goes with verses 6-9

4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love

(218j) The Elect (Key verse) – Many have attempted to understand the concept of predestination and have come to the flawed conclusion that their future is written in stone, which leads them to think they don’t need to do anything because they have been predestined to an inevitable path through life; this is the height of trash theology! Our disobedience flies in the face of God; it did in the old covenant and it does today. What some fail to see is that paths are made for our feet, and the word “walk” used mostly by Paul implies human effort coupled with grace. The human side of that equation is anything but written in stone. It is totally up to us whether we will obey God even with the grace of God; so then, how are we predestined? On the other hand, predestination is very much a reality, but it is not our reality; it is the Father’s reality. When Paul speaks of predestination, he is speaking about the Father, who knows we will obey Him, but we don’t know that until we actually obey Him. God can take eternity past and eternity future in mind and treat them alike, thinking of every detail simultaneously. He thinks exclusively through foreknowledge; that is where He lives in His mind; unfortunately, it has no direct application to us, so being predestined does us no good in terms of fulfilling His purpose and calling in our lives. The only reason the Bible addresses the subject of predestination is to cite the greatness of God, so we understand that we are dealing with a God who knows all things and can do all things. In this way predestination increases our faith. The only way we can become predestined from all eternity to do His will is to determine in our own hearts to obey Him, but if we just sit around claiming predestination as though that word has the power to cause our obedience, and somehow the will of God will be accomplished through us, some have been indoctrinated into the strict Calvinist view, we will accomplish nothing. John Calvin (1509-1648) taught irresistible grace as something we could not avoid if we were chosen for glory and could not attain if we were not chosen. This doctrine erroneously combines God’s predestination with man’s will, which is like pounding a square peg into a round hole; they simply do not fit together. Paul taught in Eph 1-11 that God has a purpose for each of us, “who works all things after the counsel of his will.” So if God is working to fulfill His predetermined plan, how much more should we be working to fulfill His purpose in our lives?

(218k) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> Man is a spectator of his own salvation >> We are chosen before the foundation of the world -- These verses go with verse 11. Paul refers to the concept of predestination, and he brings it up again later in this chapter, calling us chosen before the foundation of the world. God knew us before the world was, and selected us as His beloved, knowing that we would respond favorably to Him. More than just knowing our response, in verse 11 it says, 'we have been predestined according to His purpose as He works all things after the counsel of His will.' This predestination goes beyond mere foreknowledge; The Father's predestination is based on the work of Christ. He is creating the circumstances and preparing the way for us to come to Him. God is the great manipulator of circumstances that has resulted in our salvation. In that state of being chosen by God he calls us to be holy and blameless before Him, to emulate the character of God, to behave like Jesus. Being blameless is not just a matter of perfecting our righteousness before God and men, but involves living in such a way that no one could convict us of sin. You can be blameless all day, but holiness comes only through prayer. This is how we demonstrate our gratitude for His choice of us. As times grow darker, being blameless will become more challenging, yet more imperative than ever.

(220a) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> Predestination >> Predestined before the foundation of the world – The notion of predestination is a tough one for many people. Those who are devout Calvinists are the ones with the most trouble with it, while those who merely read the Bible and accept it without putting much thought into it are just fine with being predestined according to the kind intension of His will. We were born for the purpose of God’s grace, selected among the multitudes to receive eternal life and go to heaven as the children of God. We will become vessels of mercy upon which God will bestow all His great fortunes. Although we are predestined we still must commit ourselves to a life of faith before we can be saved, yet some say that since we are predestined we shouldn’t have to do anything; everything should just happen on its own, for no one can stop the hand of God. Quite right, however, God predestined the things that happened to Jesus, but that doesn’t mean He didn’t have to do anything to ensure prophecy was fulfilled. For example, His own mouth was predestined to say, “I am thirsty” (Jn 19-28) but if He never said those words at the proper time, no one else could have said this for Him to fulfill prophecy. We too should be actively fulfilling our calling in life. We can’t sit on our hands and expect predestination to run its course when it is foretelling what we will do. God knows the end from the beginning, so He knows that our purpose will be fulfilled if we fulfill it, otherwise He will know we didn’t fulfill it, which instead will be predestined. Most of what people believe about predestination is pure rubbish, otherwise known as Calvinism. Predestination is God’s point of view, not ours.

Eph 1-4

(4a) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Accountable to the character of God – Holiness is the formality and overall environment of heaven. God has made us holy, yet the demonstration and practice of this divine trait is expressed in our sinful flesh as an attempt to remain blameless before God and men. Jesus often depicted God as a rich man in His many parables, and so we are in that sense beseeching a rich man, who has adopted us through faith to take part in His holiness. Just as in the natural realm, to be adopted into a rich man’s home, not just somebody with a couple million dollars but with great power and prominence, this would change our lives. We wouldn’t be able to continue with the life that we once had as paupers, but would be required to conform to many aristocratic formalities of royalty. God is indeed a rich king, but more than that, this passage is speaking about Him as someone who is holy; therefore, we must conduct ourselves to suit our maker.

(41l) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Be like Jesus >> Blameless before God >> Prepare to enter His presence – Many would say that when God looks at us, He sees us as holy and blameless because of the blood of Jesus that we have wiped on the doorpost of our heart, but when is this spiritual condition ever going to manifest in the natural realm so that we actually live in a way that is holy and blameless before God and men? Just as God wants to manifest His heavenly blessings in us, so He wants us to manifest His kingdom in the natural realm on a practical level. His vision for us in this life is to come to a fuller understanding of our eternal inheritance. Paul is trying to tell us how God feels about us and what He thinks of us. God wants us blameless because He is blameless. A lot of other things must be in place, though, before we can realize these things. For the Ephesian Church, a whole foundation of obedience and faithfulness and knowledge was poured, and for this reason they could grasp the level of maturity that Paul was speaking to them. The first thing that needs to be in place before the Church will understand any deep revelations from God is unity. Without unity being blameless before God and men is impossible. The Church today is steeped in disobedience. We are a group of individuals who socialize with each other, but in the end there is no real connection between us. We are like the Corinthians Church, who all they wanted was to walk in the power of God, but ironically this is exactly what Paul was teaching the Ephesians, only after the foundation of the rudimentary principles of Christianity had already been laid. The Corinthians would have said, why are you talking to us this way; we just want to walk in the power of God; we don’t want to be blameless. The thing about the Ephesians is that they already had the power of God, and for that reason Paul could speak to them about being blameless, since God gives us His power for this very purpose.

(104i) Thy kingdom come >> Pure in heart shall see God >> Shall see Jesus >> Being in the presence of Jesus – We are called and chosen, which means that everything God has intended for us, we are in possession of it. It is not that we might own it one day; we own it now. It goes back to Gal 4-1,2, “Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father.” A child is born into a wealthy family, yet because he is young, he is not able to fully take advantage of his family fortune. For now he must wait to mature to become a prince of a grand kingdom. We are already in His family; we belong to Him; we are His sons and daughters, though now we are not able to take full advantage of it, simply because we still live in this temporal world and in a body that is slated for death. We must wait until this life is over so we can continue to the next life, where we will enjoy our inheritance. In this life God has enlisted us in a program that is designed to bring about purity of body and soul, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

(133g) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holiness >> The body of Christ is holy >> We have made ourselves holy through Christ

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

5&6 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

Eph 1,5-11

(227f) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> Depending on Jesus to have compassion >> Depending on Jesus to receive us – Without Jesus paying the price for sin, this whole project of man being made in the image of God could not have been completed. Man knew sin, which was an attribute of God, but the fact that he was separated from God made man His opposite, but now that Jesus has been sacrificed and forgiven us, He has reestablished the connection between God and man while retaining the knowledge of sin, and he also has learned humility, being accepted by God without deserving it. That takes a kind of humility that not everybody is willing to accept. Most people want to approach God with something of his own ability as a means of relating to Him, but Christians don’t have that. We have nothing of our own that we use to achieve His favor; instead, we use God’s ability, His willingness to be merciful to us through the blood of Christ. Humility is hence another attribute from God that we have received from Him. It was the attribute of humility that led Him to send His Son in the first place; humility sent Him and humility receives Him. God hates human pride; it keeps man from receiving the free gift and atoning sacrifice of His Son. It was of His doing and not our own; therefore, we have no occasion to boast. If anybody wants to brag about his rewards that he has received from God, let him do it through his service to others, which was how he received them. Serving one another is our way of boasting in Christ (2Cor 11-30).

Eph 1,5-7

(114j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Working God’s grace through Christ >> Salvation is through Christ

Eph 1-5

(36l) Gift of God >> Adopted >> We are adopted by the Spirit – The fact that we are adopted is referring to the gentiles, whereas the Jewish race, those who are the children of God according to the flesh, are those who are first in line to receive this salvation. Afterward, we too among the gentiles are welcome to the grace of God, but we should always be mindful of the order. This adoption marks the kind intension of God’s heart toward us. Not only have we been adopted by God, and not only have we taken the place of the disobedient Jew who has opted out of this salvation, but we have also taken over their ministry of reconciliation and proclamation of the gospel throughout the world. This was God’s purpose for the Jew, and now the gentiles have inherited it as a result of their unbelief.

(75d) Thy kingdom come >> Motives of the heart >> God’s motives – This is the difference between serving Jesus in the flesh and serving Him in the Spirit: Christ controlled the outward circumstances of the world, while the Holy Spirit controls the inward circumstances of the heart. The vast majority of us would prefer that God controlled our outward circumstances, rather than the drudgery of teaming with Christ to control the members of our bodies, which is like trying to control birds in the sky. We would prefer the liberty of fully expressing the passions and desires of our flesh in whatever way it leads. When something bad happens, we want to call on Jesus and He can come and fix it, but to the degree that Jesus fixed the disciples’ problems is the degree to which the Holy Spirit can fix our hearts and point us in the direction of Christ. When bad things happen, there is no remedy, except what God is able to do inside us. He wants to help us control such emotions as anger, hatred, fear, malice and the desire for revenge, among many other things.

(91b) Thy kingdom come >> The called >> God’s purpose is an inherent component of His calling >> God’s eternal purpose -- This verse goes with verses 8-11. It is far more important that we control the internal circumstances of our hearts than the external circumstances, for if we control our internal circumstances, we can in turn control the external ones, not so much as individuals but as a body of believers on a global scale. Christ established the Church to see if we would obey the small, still voice speaking to our inner man, and of course we mostly failed over the generations. Had His people obeyed the Spirit of God within them, this vision would have been fulfilled. This was not so much a vision as it was an experiment of sorts, not to see if we could control our destiny, but to show us that we can’t. Now that God has proven that we cannot govern ourselves without Him, He will hold a roster in His hand with all the names of the people whom He has chosen from the world to become His sons and daughters. We will have Jesus in the flesh to be our Great Shepherd and the Holy Spirit dwelling in our resurrected bodies to guide us into the purposes that the Father has designed for us from all eternity.

(117gb) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Eyes of your spirit >> Vision >> Real-eyes God’s purpose for the Church >> Understand Jesus' exalted position with the Father -- This verse goes with verses 8-11

(127d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Kindness >> God is kind – Paul is referring to the Father by the word “He”. The father predestined us to adoption as sons to Himself through the kind intention of His will, so we are sons and daughters of the Father. God has chosen to keep our relationship with Him as adopted sons and daughters that we may forever remember that He snatched us from our original father and spiritual ancestor, the devil. There is more in the Scriptures about our future relationship with Christ than our future relationship with the Father, yet we do know that it was the purpose and will of the Father to send His Son to save us from our sins, as it is written “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (Jn 3-16), and how grateful we are for His love. If the Father didn’t love us, the love of Christ would mean nothing, which means no one would be going to heaven.

Eph 1,6-9 

(249ga) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> God’s perception of wealth >> Our blessed hope of eternal life -- These verses go with verses 18-23

Eph 1-6

(81j) Thy kingdom come >> Pray without ceasing >> For the Church -- This verse goes with verse 15&16

(234a) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> God chooses us as we seek His glory >> As we submit to Him -- This verse goes with verse 12

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

7-9 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him

Eph 1,7-9

(113i) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Anoint with oil – This grace through the blood of Christ, which forgives our trespasses God has lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight. This lavishing of His grace through His blood refers to the anointing. This anointing establishes wisdom and insight into the knowledge of God. Some might argue that it doesn’t refer to the anointing at all, that it only refers to our forgiveness. It does refer to that, but our forgiveness was paid in full by the blood of Christ. First, what is God smearing (lavishing) on us; second, why do we need God to smear us to be forgiven? And third, I thought our forgiveness pertained to the Holy Spirit who resides within us, not something that goes on our extremities. That which is outward pertains to our deeds. God gives us an anointing to do His will, but before we can do His will we must first know His will. Therefore, God anoints us to know and do His will, and this is how God defines our salvation.

Eph 1-7,8

(37g) Judgment >> Judgment of God >> Redemption of man >> His blood is the gift of His grace

(120g) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Forgiveness >> Forgiveness is an act of mercy >> We have forgiveness through the blood of Christ – Paul addressed the subject of forgiveness through the blood of Christ in Romans and Galatians, but to the Ephesians he was able to simply state the fact, because they were well educated and understood spiritual things, perhaps like no other church of his epistles. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was clearly to a very mature church, though they had their minor problems. Paul didn’t have to explain everything in detail like he did for other churches, yet we have become the beneficiaries of their immaturity in that we have had the basics of our faith explained to us.

(207j) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Salvation verses >> The generosity of God’s salvation >> Salvation is the gift of God -- These verses go with verses 13&14

Eph 1,8-11

(91b) Thy kingdom come >> The called >> God’s purpose is an inherent component of His calling >> God’s eternal purpose -- These verses go with verse 5. Attaining the knowledge of our calling and then walking in it is so valuable that it cannot be overstated or really even put into words. How valuable is it to know God’s purpose and calling? It is indispensable, making everything else peripheral! In Rev 2-17 is says, “To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.” Christ will give us a new name that will redefine us, that only He and the one who receives it will know, and this is how we will identify with God, while other people, our brothers and sisters in heaven, will know us in other ways. Since nobody else knows our name that God has given us it could be rightfully said that everybody knows a rendition of us, but nobody knows us like Jesus. To know our purpose and calling from God is in part to know our heavenly identity.

(117gb) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Eyes of your spirit >> Vision >> Real-eyes God’s purpose for the Church >> Understand Jesus' exalted position with the Father -- These verses go with verses 18-23

Eph 1-8,9

(78m) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind >> God renews your mind by His Spirit -- These verses go with verses 15-23

(89g) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Wisdom is the key that unlocks the mysteries of God

(230j) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery of godliness >> Mystery of the trinity >> Word of God is the mystery godliness – He gives us His anointing so we can understand the mystery of His will, and the evidence of understanding His will is His forgiveness, the salvation of our souls. This grace gives us power to understand God through the Holy Spirit, whom the Father smears on His beloved. To receive this substance empowers us not only to know the will of God, but also to do it. For in so doing, we are protected from the power of the evil one. Moreover, all the spiritual blessings in heaven and all the promises of God become within our grasp on that trail of good works. This is the will of God, the narrow way. It is a way that only you and God know. No one can explain your narrow way for you; you must find it on our own. Your fellow brother and sister in Christ have their own trail of good works that they must discover from the wisdom and insight that God gives us through His anointing.

Eph 1-9

(216j) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> God’s will over man >> God Is Independent Of His Creation >> You cannot control God’s desire for you >> man is not in control of his own destiny

(231f) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Mystery of godliness >> Revelation of Jesus is the mystery of the kingdom >> Jesus reveals the mystery of the kingdom – The way of making known to us the mystery of His will is something that very few Christians understand. People will automatically go to the Bible to discover the mystery of His will, paging to this chapter where Paul has written about it, but God does not reveal the mystery of His will merely by reading about it, for it can only be revealed through the Spirit. There are two wills integrated into one from God. One aspect of his will is common to us all, that we be born-again and walk in faith with the outcome of producing the fruit of the Spirit. The other is unique to each person, which is the part that is truly mysterious. That which He has prepared from the foundation of the world is our purpose for being born, going back to Eph 2-10, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” This is a reiteration of Eph 1-8,9.

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him 

Eph 1-10

(44e) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Transformed >> Completed by God – Among other things, this verse refers to the moment that Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb, the fullness of the time. The conception of Jesus Christ in Mary’s womb was the summing up of all things in heaven and on earth. Had the Father not overshadowed Mary and the Holy Spirit not conceived a Son in her, Jesus could not have been born. The birth of Christ we celebrate every year at Christmas, but what is even more important was His conception. This was God’s will, like the leper who said to Jesus, “If You are willing, you can make me clean,” and Jesus answered Him, “I am willing, be cleansed” (Mat 8-2,3). When the Father overshadowed Mary, He was saying to the human race, “I am willing, be cleansed.” When He said that, it indicated that he was willing to suffer for us, knowing it would cause unimaginable suffering not just for Christ but also for His Father, who took it personally what happened to Jesus, and He takes it personally what happens to us. He is beside us suffering with us. The Bible calls the Holy Spirit the comforter. We should understand that the Holy Spirit is not just the Spirit of Jesus but also the Spirit of the Father. The Holy Spirit is actually God’s soul, and He dwells in us and He experiences everything we experience, both the evil and the good. This is why we Christians hate to sin, because we are dragging the Holy Spirit through the mud.

(68a) Authority >> Doing God’s work under His authority >> Ministry of helps >> Help God’s people

(191g) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Result of putting off the old man >> Set apart >> God sanctifies us by His doing – The will of God is a mystery to the world, but to us it is a revelation, and the will that He has revealed to us according to this passage is in reference to saving a people out of the world for His own possession, who are zealous for good works (Tit 2-14). We understand that the grace of God is the summing up of all things in heaven and on earth in the grace of God that was meant for sinners. God is building an eternal kingdom that will never end, and He is basing His kingdom on the solid foundation of the cross. He wants to build His eternal kingdom around the saints whom he personally has forgiven, so they exist and belong in His presence as a result of His own doing, that no one may have reason to boast. Eternity is a long time, and the cross will forever be the center of His kingdom. As His kingdom grows around the cross, all might understand that God’s character, His humility, gentleness and all the fruits of the Spirit, mean more to Him than His power as the creator. For us to remain humble before God will ensure the integrity of His kingdom throughout all eternity.

(215d) Sovereignty >> God controls time >> God’s timing >> Fulfillment of God’s time >> Completion of a period of time – We know God is an eternal being; He always was and He always will be; He thinks in terms of eras. With the fulfillment of an area comes the creation of a new age, being the cycle that God has used since Adam (and probably before that). There was an age that lasted until Noah and his flood, then the age of Abraham came into view until Moses, then the age of the kings took Israel to the time of Christ, and we have followed Him for the last 2000 years in the new covenant age of grace, which is just about to close and open a new age of Millennium. Our minds are either in the past or in the future. God is a planner too; He thinks about the future, but He also lives in the moment. The present moment is more important than any other moment because it is always current, and God has demonstrated His value of the present when He told Moses His name, “I AM,” meaning He lives moment by moment throughout eternity. For example, the Father views the second coming of Christ according to the clock, and the time hasn't yet come. People can set their dates, and those dates will come and go. If it is not the date that God has set, they will be wrong, and if they do somehow pick the right date, it would by coincidence. God has simply not given us enough information to accurately predict the day of his return. Why would He want us to know the day of His return? Nothing but evil would come of it! It just goes to show the simplicity of God. He doesn’t have headaches from all the works of men, because he reduces everything to a single moment, and then refuses to tell us which one.

(237d) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> The rapture >> Receiving the kingdom in God’s time – Mankind never saw Jesus coming; Israel never did. Jesus was predestined to visit mankind exactly when He did. It was a time in God’s mind that was one of the most special times in all eternity, but mankind was thinking about something else, showing the difference between God and man. God thinks differently than we do; the things man considers important God considers just plain stupid, and the things He thinks are important man considers foolishness. The days that Jesus was on the earth was a time when the clock literally stood still. History is remembered in terms of BC and AD (Before Christ and After Death), but while He was alive time stopped. It was as though nothing else happened while Jesus tread the earth, and the things that did happen no one was able to talk about them in terms of time. No one has ever heard the expression, “eight years after birth” or “five years before death.” There was no history of mankind while Jesus was alive that could be plotted on a universally accepted timeline. No doubt things happened, but we are not able to talk about them in terms of time, because time stopped while Jesus inhabited human flesh. Those days were the fullness and the summing up of all things in Christ, things both in heaven and on earth; everything culminated between Jesus’ birth and His death on the cross, and the moment He breathed His last, the second-hand began ticking again.

11&12 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

(36h) Gift of God >> Inheritance >> We are heirs according to the will of God

(90k) Purpose (Key verse)

(218k) Sovereignty >> God overrides the will of man >> The elect >> Man is a spectator of his own salvation >> We are chosen before the foundation of the world -- This verse goes with verses 4&5. The kingdom that we are inheriting is predestined to us by the knowledge and power of God, as He works all things after the council of His will. It seems that God has no control of this world, but He knows exactly what He is doing and He knows those who belong to Him, and He has prepared a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works. God sets us free to fulfill His purpose and calling that He has prepared for us. He predestines many things, for example, prophecy to occur; we can read it and be sure it will happen, and He has predestined us to fulfill our calling, but we must wait to the end of our lives to discover whether we personally were predestined. We don't know if God has predestined us to obey Him until we actually do it.

Eph 1-12

(50d) Judgment >> Last Days >> Jewish Led endtime revival >> Jews lead the world into revival >> Leading the harvest at the end of the age – There have been efforts to resuscitate the gospel with flickering flames of revival disbursed throughout the age of grace; overall, millions of people have been saved over the centuries among the billions who lived. There are more people alive today than any other time in human history, about as many as that lived up-to the eighteenth century. God intends to make the last generation special and unique, accomplishing the very thing He did in the first century by reaching the world with the gospel. Just as the Jews did it in the first century, so they will do it again in the last century. Although the Jews as a whole rejected the gospel, the remnant who believed in Jesus changed the world, and it will happen again in the last days in much the same way. God’s people according to the flesh will come to a revelation of Jesus Christ and God will empower them with a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit than He gave in the first century. To the degree that there are more people living in the world today than were in the first century is the degree of greater anointing God will unleash on his people to perform His work in the last days to usher in a catch of fish greater than the first, also like Samson, who killed more of his enemies at the end of his life than throughout his life. If the first generation was special and unique, then the last generation is too, but by a far greater magnitude.

(234a) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> God chooses us as we seek His glory -- This verse goes with verse 14

(250h) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >> The first is a precondition for what comes after it (Cause and effect) – Jesus was the first fruits of the resurrection, and Paul’s generation was the first to hope in Christ, the first fruits of His sacrifice, and the first fruits of Christ coming to dwell in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, saving us from our sins. Paul along with his generation proved that they were a special and unique people by reaching the known world with the gospel of Christ. There has never been a more complete outreach of the gospel in evangelism since the first century. That was partly due to what Jesus said about His time, “Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest” (Jn 4-35). During the second century the gospel began to slow, and by the third century it stagnated into Catholicism, but when Christianity first was born, none of the doctrines were tainted; signs, wonders and miracles confirmed the word of God and helped people believe the message of the cross. Then disobedience infiltrated, and the doctrines of the faith were tweaked, then turned, and then distorted; miracles ceased and the gospel fell silent. Paul’s generation who was the first to hope in Christ were to the praise of his glory; therefore, how much more will the last generation of believers be to the praise of His glory? God will magnify His name and all mankind will come to the realization that God is God and that there is no other; and He created the heavens and the earth and all living things, and He created man that we should glorify and worship Him; that is the purpose of our existence.

13&14 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation -having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.

Eph 1,13-23

(228l) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> God works the victory in your life -- These verses go with verses 3&4

(7e) Responsibility >> Protecting the gospel >> God defends His own word – If God saved us based on the merit of repeating the sinner’s prayer or some other activity, He would be expecting a lot from us to hold on to that experience and to keep it meaningful for the rest of our lives. However, He gives us something to help us through life, and to help us hold on to the promise we made to serve Him—the Holy Spirit. These verses say that He seals us in Him, which acts as a pledge of our inheritance. Thus, in protecting us, He protects His word, and His investment in us regarding His cross.

(28a) Gift of God >> God is our advocate >> The protector of our faith

(35f) Gift of God >> God gives Himself to us >> Father sends the Holy Spirit

(36g) Gift >> God opens His home to us >> Inheritance >> We heirs through faith

(79i) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word >> Practice listening to God’s word >> The word you heard perfects God’s work in you

(111b) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit and evangelism

(132c) God Gives His Spirit as a Pledge (Key verse)

(132d) Temple >> Your body is the temple of God >> Holy Spirit is in God’s people >> God gives his spirit as a pledge >> His Spirit is a seal – Many people use this verse to support their doctrine of “once saved always saved.” In some ways this seal resembles the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in that God commanded Adam not to eat its fruit, so He has commanded us not to break the seal, for we cannot be resealed. A person who was once saved and then broke the seal means they are barred from having faith in God that leads to salvation. There are many people who call themselves Christians who have never experienced a change in lifestyle, because of their doctrines of easy-believism. Leading a decadent lifestyle does not break the seal, but the unbelief it produces does. There are various levels of unbelief, such as doubt and ignorance, but then there is unbelief in the full knowledge of the truth. This is the one that breaks the seal. The seal of the Holy Spirit as a pledge of our inheritance is like hot wax, the signet ring stamped on a letter in the olden days guaranteeing that it hadn’t been opened, so when the letter arrives at its destination, the receiver can be sure that He is the first to read its contents. It is actually very easy to break the seal; in fact, the carrier was required to take special precaution to protect the letter from undue wear and tear, since if the seal were accidentally broken the carrier would be held responsible and punished usually by death. The same concept applies with the seal of the Holy Spirit. Many people who believe in eternal security flip the page to Ephesians chapter one that talks about predestination and the seal of the Holy Spirit as a pledge of our inheritance. They put these two together and say that we are predestined by God and also sealed, so that it is impossible to lose our salvation based on those two counts, but a better way of putting it is that we cannot break the seal without losing our salvation. John Calvin got the idea of irresistible grace, which in no way corresponds with Scripture; the man was a heretic, though he is considered by many to be the leading authority on the subject of predestination. 

(205c) Salvation >> Salvation is based on God’s promises >> According to promise >> Promise of the Holy Spirit – This seal of the Holy Spirit is a pledge of our inheritance, meaning what God has given us is only the tip of the iceberg. Some people experience Him as a wonderful and a very powerful influence in their lives; imagine going to heaven and receiving a new body that can properly house the Holy Spirit, and then receiving the fullness of Him who fills all in all, what kind of high that will be. I'm looking forward to it. 

(207j) Salvation >> The salvation of God >> Salvation verses >> The generosity of God’s salvation >> Salvation is the gift of God -- These verses go with verses 7&8

(213i) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >> His will becomes our will >> We are God’s property

(226d) Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >> Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven >> Reserved in heaven >> Our inheritance is reserved in heaven -- These verses go with verse 3

Eph 1-13

(107k) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> hearing from God >> The Bible will lead you to truth >> The Scriptures are factual

(109c) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelations of the Holy Spirit >> Things revealed by the Spirit

Eph 1-14

(234a) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> God chooses us as we seek His glory >> As we submit to Him -- This verse goes with verse 6

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

15-17 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

Eph 1,15-23

(34a) Gift of God >> God’s generosity >> Believer owns everything >> Jesus belongs to us

(38f) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> God judged the world, the flesh and the devil – The point that Paul was making in Ephesians chapters 1&2 is that God judged the world, the flesh and the devil through Christ. Afterward He ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit, so everybody who receives Him becomes a member of His True Church, and He uses us to complete the next phase of God’s defeat over Satan. God first used His Son who died in a body of sinful flesh, though he never committed a sin and thus defeated the Law of sin and death, which states that if a person sins, he must die, but there was no clause for the person who died without sin. There was never a need for such a clause because there was never a person who died without sin, until Jesus. Now God is calling His people, the Church, to defeat the Law of sin and death through repentance and faith in Jesus’ victory over sin. In doing so, we spread the gospel to more and more people, who are being saved and joining the True Church and in turn doing their part to promote the Kingdom of God in this world. When the time is right, Jesus will return to the earth to end the reign of mankind who has controlled the earth for the last six thousand years. For the next and last Millennium Christ will become king of the earth, and He will show mankind how to establish a kingdom made of sinful flesh that will flourish for a thousand years, something that man has never been able to do, for throughout time kingdoms have come and gone, all because of sin.

(46c) Judgment >> Spiritual warfare >> Subjecting your flesh >> Knowledge is our weapon – We can seek God with all our heart, but if He does not reveal Himself to us, then there is something else wrong. Some have sought God with all their hearts and nothing came of it. God is all about the heart, and He knows what is in us. He knows when a person is being honest and sincere, and He knows when a person’s heart is not with Him. The state of our heart is what determines whether we are able to receive from Him or not. 

(78m) Thy kingdom come >> Renewing your mind >> God renews your mind by His Spirit -- These verses go with verses 8&9

(80i) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word to minister to God >> To know Him – Jesus said to His disciples that they would be seated on thrones (Mat 19-28). God doesn’t give His authority to just anybody, but only to those who have been perfected through trials and tribulation. There will be thrones upon a throne, depicting a hierarchy of authority. Although Jesus was referring to the Millennium, which by definition is only temporary, yet the millennial age will model after the heavenly kingdom that God will build in eternity. Jesus is sitting at the right-hand of the Father on His throne, and we are the body of Christ (Rom 7-4; 1Cor 10-16; Eph 4-12). Collectively then, we represent Jesus Christ, not only in this life, but also in the one to come. This is a level of authority that God has never delegated to any creature before us to our knowledge, not even to the angels. God will give us authority to pass judgment on His creation for all eternity. He will create a new Adam and Eve, who will reproduce throughout all eternity, and there will be no sin and no death and no tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and we will rule over them by the authority of Christ, who is under authority of the Father, so whatever we say is what Christ would tell them.

(116b) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through worship >> In prayer

(247a) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> God’s interests >> God is interested in His people >> God is interested in the Church

Eph 1,15-20

(156h) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of salvation >> Understanding wisdom is evidence of salvation

Eph 1,15-19

(89h) Thy kingdom come >> Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom >> Wisdom of the Spirit

(109h) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit the teacher >> Spirit teaches us about the word of God >> Spirit teaches us about Jesus – The “Spirit of wisdom and of revelation” is another example of how the Holy Spirit works with the word of God, which the Bible repeats many times. In this case Paul is praying that God would work His wisdom into the Church and reveal to us the “hope of His calling.” This hope will never end. He has things in store for us that are so far beyond our imagination that it was pointless to even mention them. So long as we are in the flesh, we will be limited to our understanding of God, but when we receive our resurrected bodies, comprised of the substance of heaven, we will be able to understand the knowledge of God in its fullness. Our comprehension will increase when we physically experience heaven. To possess our resurrected bodies is to experience a mind that is capable of understanding the thoughts of God, which is incomprehensible. For now He has given us what we need to know, and what He has already told us is amazing, including this passage, for it is here (and continued into the next chapter) where he tells us that God has raised Christ and seated Him on His throne at His right-hand, and will raise us and seat us next to Christ at His right-hand, “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named.”

Eph 1-15,16

(81j) Thy kingdom come >> Pray without ceasing >> For the Church -- This verse goes with verse 6

(222k) Kingdom of God >> The elusive Kingdom of Heaven >> Do not give what is holy to dogs >> Give to him who has >> Whoever has shall more be given – What does Paul desire for the Church? He asks God to give the saints a Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. That is what Paul wants for the Ephesians, who are mature. For a less mature church like the Corinthians he may have prayed that they quit sinning, but for the mature he wants God to open their eyes, so they may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance, etc. It would appear they already have these things by evidence that they understand what Paul is saying. This is according to the word of Christ, “For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him” (Matt 25:29). The book of Ephesians delves into the very deep things of God, proving that the Ephesians were a highly mature church. So, Paul is praying for more of what they already have. The Kingdom of God works as a snowball effect, that is, on an exponential scale. The world works by the same principle. As the little snowball makes its way down the mountainside, it picks up more snow, speed and momentum, just like it is easier to make money if you already have money. A person who has millions of dollars can make thousands of dollars just on the interest; he doesn’t even have to work for it. In Paul’s mind, the Church should not go on to perfect other things, but it’s better and easier to perfect and mature in the areas that are already mature. The more you have the more you can expect to receive, and the less you have the less you can expect to receive. Who is in charge of how much you have? You are!

Eph 1-15

(36a) Gift of God >> Gifts from the Holy Spirit >> To him who has shall more be given

(131l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Having soul ties

(142k) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> Having a reputation for knowing God >> known as being intimate with God

Eph 1,17-23

(108h) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Revelation of Jesus Christ >> Spiritual revelation >> Revelation of His identity – This is knowledge from God that we understand by the Spirit in order to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil, and the best way to ask God for a revelation of these things is through memorization of Scripture. These words should be always on the tip of your tongue, that we be ready and able to repeat them verbatim at a moment’s notice, until they become part of us, that there be no difference between us and the truth we believe. The Church is the revelation of Jesus Christ to the world as we speak the oracle of God that flows from us, which has become our identity.

Eph 1-17

(110k) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Spirit and the word >> Spirit of revelation >> Effect of the spirit on the word – The manner in which God has given the Church to promote the Kingdom of God in this world is by revelation of the Spirit. Apart from a revelation of Jesus Christ, man has no power to promote the Kingdom of God; he cannot do it believing in a set of facts only. We must understand God through the Spirit; we must receive a revelation of His truth before we can accomplish anything for Him, who works exclusively through His Spirit. If man will do anything for God, he must do it through the Spirit of God, and the manner in which we cooperate with Him is by revelation of His truth. We speak the oracle of God through a faith that is greater than ourselves, a faith that God has given us.

18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 

(34dd) Gift of God >> Believer owns everything >> The divine nature belongs to us

(35h) Gift of God >> God gives Himself to us >> The anointing

(39ib) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death >> Jesus defeated Satan’s authority >> Church has inherited Jesus' authority – In the Millennium the earth will belong to Christ, but we cannot say that now. As for us, maybe we own a tract of land and we can stand on it and say this little parcel belongs to me, but the only reason we own it is because the governments and authorities of this world say we do, and there are terms and conditions appended to that ownership, meaning that we own it through them. If we don’t own any land now, in the Millennium we will. Everyone will be an owner of land. That is the whole point of the Millennium; it is the whole concept of the earth being given to the saints. The Millennium will be established on this present earth, and after the thousand years are completed, God will destroy this present universe including this present earth, and He will recreate a new heavens and a new earth, and the children of God will inherit these things through Christ. In that day it won’t be said that we own a tract of land; rather, we will own the entirety of the universe, including the earth (Mat 5-5), “To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1Pet 5-11).

(40d) Judgment >> Jesus judges the world through His own death

(66a) Authority —Key verse for the entire chapter – There is a near endless supply of references about God delegating authority to His creation. The Bible teaches that the Father has delegated all His authority to Christ, and that Christ in turn has delegated all His authority to the Church. God's authority does not come from His vastness or His infinite power, but originates from His righteousness and honor as a servant. He proves to His creation that He is a competent judge by virtue of His wisdom, which acts as a measure of His authority. Those who study this chapter will better understand how to walk in the power of God by submitting to His authority, and by observing that those who receive His authority delegate it to others.

(66d) Jesus’ Authority (Key verse)

(66a) Authority >> Lordship of Christ >> He is Lord over all creation >> over life and death – Jesus possessing all power and authority in heaven and on earth (Mat 28-18) is the result of His physical ascension, but what we need to understand is that He possessed these things before He took on human flesh. When He ascended to the Father, He resumed His position with His Father after heaven itself was raised to new heights of glory. Whatever position Jesus has with His Father in the ages to come, we will sit alongside Him. That doesn’t mean we can club people over the head because we have authority from God; rather, He has given us authority to be like His Son.

(67b) Authority >> Jesus at the right hand of the father >> He is above all other authorities – Christ has given us authority even in this life. Jesus said, He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me (Mat 10-40). God has already placed us in a hierarchy of authority in this life, which can best be seen in the ministry of evangelism. God is calling us to use our authority to preach the gospel and promote the Kingdom of God and save as many souls as possible. To the degree that God has put all things in subjection under the feet of Christ, so He has also placed all things in subjection under our feet. Heb 2-8,9 says, “You have put all things in subjection under His feet. for in subjecting all things to Him, he left nothing that is not subject to Him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to Him. But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus.” Being in a position of submission is also how we receive authority from God, which is something that Lucifer didn’t understand, so if we are not in submission to Christ, neither do we have His authority.

(114i) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Jesus does God’s work >> All His works are what the Father does

(117f) Eyes Of Your Spirit (Key verse)

(117gb) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Eyes of your spirit >> Vision >> Real-eyes God’s purpose for the Church >> Understand Jesus' exalted position with the Father -- These verses go with verse 5. God enlightens us by faith, a spiritual understanding that we use to believe in Him. Without this we are powerless to do anything in a world of unbelief. Not beliefs in a set of facts but a God-given faith, He has given to overcome the world (1Jn 5-4). The things that Paul itemized in the following verses are what we believe by the Spirit that overcomes the world, the flesh and the devil. God raised His Son from the dead and seated Him at His right-hand in heaven. In any and every age, Jesus Christ will be far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named.

(118b) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Eyes of your spirit >> Seeing through the eyes of your spirit >> Everything you can see you can have

(137a) Temple >> Building the temple (with hands) >> Jesus is the foundation >> Jesus is head of the Church

(214a) Sovereignty >> God is infinite >> Jesus owns you >> God owns everything

(227h) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> Depending on Jesus to impart His gifts into us >> He gives us what we give to each other – Receiving a Spirit of wisdom and revelation is not just about knowledge, but it’s like currency that you can exchange for the power of God in order to walk in the gifts of the Spirit. With these tools we can perform the will of God in any way that He chooses, maybe not in every way that we choose. We can’t use the power of God to do whatever we want with it, at least not for long. Whatever God calls us to do, we can apply it to our circumstances to achieve God’s intended results. This is exactly what He wants; these are the works that God has prepared for those who love Him and walk on His trail of good works.

(237h) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The Church is transferred to the kingdom >> The ascension >> Jesus’ ascension – One of the main tenets of the Apostle’s Creed is the resurrection. Jesus said, where I go you cannot come, but you will come later (Jn 13,33-36), referring to His resurrection and subsequent ascension. We will follow Jesus in His ascension. Paul speaks about a spiritual ascension of the Church at the same time that he speaks about Jesus’ physical ascension. The notion of a spiritual ascension is complicated for many because it is completely unknown to the Church, but when we read the Scriptures, there are many passages that testify of this ethereal concept. This and another passage comes closest to directly articulating the idea of a spiritual ascension aside from the physical ascension (the First Resurrection and the Rapture). Col 3,2-4 states, “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” We have died to self and our life in God is hidden from the world, and we will be revealed with Him at His second coming, not in the Rapture, but before that, in the Great Endtime Revival. In the book, Temple of God Made without Hands states on page 192, “As the Holy Spirit came down to us, God raised us up with Him in the same way that Jesus is the Spirit who is in us as the Spirit is Jesus who is with the Father. If Christ is with the Father and in us, then we are with the Father through Christ [both] in heaven and on earth at the same time.” Ephesians chapter two continues speaking about this subject. We will be revealed in the flesh with Christ during the Great Endtime Revival, and then we will partake of the Rapture.

(245h) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Literal manifestations >> Manifestation of God’s righteous judgment >> The resurrection is a manifestation of His life 

(249ga) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> God’s perception of wealth >> Our blessed hope of eternal life -- These verses go with verse 3

(253i) Trinity >> Relationship between Father and Son >> Father and Son glorify each other >> Son glorifies the Father in all things given to Him

Eph 1-18

(35c) Gift of God >> God is willing to Give >> God’s immeasurable generosity

(91f) Thy kingdom come >> The called >> Walking along the narrow way >> Walking in God’s calling is to fulfill His purpose

(121d) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Hope >> Expectation >> Hope is the expectation to receive >> God initiates His interest

KJV    NAS  /  Navigation Bar

19-23 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Eph 1,19-23 

(38d) Judgment >> Jesus defeated death (Satan) >> Resurrection brings about judgment – God destroyed the power of Satan through the cross, so that the kingdom of darkness is now subject to Christ. Satan now serves Christ after God raised Him far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. Any spirit that would lie to you and claim that it is immune to the power of Christ or would resist the name of Jesus is attempting to deceive you.

Eph 1-19,20

(113k) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> The anointing >> Resurrection power – The Church today is striving to do the will of God apart from the anointing and acting just like the disciples before Pentecost. The disciples had an excuse, Pentecost had not yet come, but what is our excuse? The Church does well to give relief to natural disaster victims, and these works are blessed of God and they accomplish much, but they cannot accomplish anymore than the food, clothing, etc. they give and the material and labor they donate to rebuild their houses and towns. However, with the anointing comes the word of God that is both timely and powerful and endowed with His Holy Spirit. A word spoken through the anointing can accomplish more than a whole crew of construction workers can build in a month. The anointing brings conviction, faith and strength of heart and mind to those who hear it, who are enabled to respond to the word of God and be saved, but without the anointing it is just men and women spouting Bible passages. The anointing furnishes proof that the person who walks in the anointing is obeying the Holy Spirit. A person can receive an anointing such as the apostles at Pentecost, but if they don’t obey the Holy Spirit, the anointing will erode to nothing through disobedience, and God will not be able to work with him. We must be responsible and nurture the anointing as good stewards of the grace of God, and the way we nurture the anointing is by listening for the Holy Spirit and doing what He says.

Eph 1,20-23

(98f) Thy kingdom come >> Endurance (Thorn in the flesh) >> (Faith à Suffering à Glory of Christ) >> The cross – These miracles that God calls us to perform are a byproduct of raising Jesus from the dead and seating Him at the right hand of the Father in heaven. The cross of Christ is at the center of God’s grace that He endows upon us. It is the basis of His forgiveness and His power that we use to endure our suffering. The work of His cross is what makes the hope of heaven possible, upon which He will build His everlasting kingdom. The cross that Christ endured 2000 years ago is at the center of the universe, in fact; it is at the center of God Himself, and it should be at the center of our own hearts. It would behoove us to build our lives around the cross. 

Eph 1-21

(67l) Authority >> Jesus delegates authority >> Name of Jesus is above every name

(142a) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Old Testament bears witness to the new >> Prophesy about the dispensation >> The end times – The teachings of the coming kingdom were in the prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and some of the Minor Prophets: Daniel, Joel and Zechariah. Some passages written in these books pertained to Jesus and the age of grace (mostly in Isaiah), while other passages referred to the coming Millennium, and still others spoke about a kingdom that would reside in eternity. All three kingdoms were intermingled with each other, making it difficult to determine what age to which the writer was referring. All the prophets of the Old Testament did this for one good reason, though they spoke about different times and epochs, they were writing about only one kingdom, for the man whom God chose, Abraham, became the Kingdom of Israel, and the kingdom that Jesus started in the age of grace will become the kingdom that will reign in the Millennium, and the Millennium will become the seed of an eternal kingdom that God imagined before time began.

Eph 1-22,23

(136i) Temple >> Your spirit is the temple of God >> The body of Christ >> Body of Christ is the Church

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