EPHESIANS: LIVING
IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR HIGH CALLING
Part I: Our High
Calling In Christ, Ephesians 1:1-3:21
B. God's Astounding
Process Of Qualifying Us For The Millennial Kingdom
(Ephesians 1:7-13a)
I.
Introduction
A.
After
describing the astounding goal of our high calling of God in Christ in
Ephesians 1:1-6, Paul described in Ephesians 1:7-13a the astounding process by
which God qualifies us believers for His Messianic Kingdom.
B.
We view
this passage for our insight and edification (as follows):
II.
God's Astounding Process Of Qualifying Us For The
Millennial Kingdom, Ephesians 1:7-13a.
A.
Referring
to God's Beloved Son in Ephesians 1:6b ESV, NIV, the Apostle Paul added that
positionally in Christ we believers have redemption through His blood, that is,
through His substitutionary death for us on the cross. The word rendered "redemption" is
the Greek term apolytrosin,
the release or deliverance from a state of slavery, which in this context means
release from bondage to sin, Eph. 1:7; Bib. Know. Com., N. T., p. 618.
B.
Paul
"further defined" this redemption as "the forgiveness of
sins," the believer's immediate release from the hold of sin the instant
he trusts in Christ, Ibid.
C.
As a
consequence of this release from bondage to sin through the substitutionary
death of the Son of God on behalf of the sinner who is saved by grace through
faith, Paul described how God graciously decided to install the believer in
Christ into His future, blessed Millennial Kingdom, Ephesians 1:8-10 (as
follows):
1.
God has
made known to us who have been released from sin's power and forgiven our sins
the formerly hidden blessings of His will in line with His good pleasure that
He purposed in Christ, Ephesians 1:8-9.
2.
That
purpose was to be implemented literally "unto the dispensation of the fullness
of the times" where the term "dispensation," oikonomia, is an
"administration" of the "fullness of the times" of the Millennial
Kingdom when God's purposes will be fulfilled, Ephesians 1:10a; Ibid.
3.
At that
age of the Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 20:1-6), all things spiritual and
material will be under Jesus Christ and His reign on the earth, Ephesians
1:10b; 1 Corinthians 15:27; Colossians 1:20; Ibid. "This does not suggest that everyone
will be saved," but that "sin's disorder will be removed and
universal peace will be established," Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:1-10; Ibid.
4.
Then, to
complete the gathering of all things spiritual and material under Christ's
headship in His coming Kingdom, God has appointed believers in Christ to
participate in His Millennial Kingdom, Ephesians 1:11:
a.
The King
James Version phrase "we have obtained an inheritance" translates the
single Greek verb eklerothemen
that in this context means "we were appointed or obtained [something] by
lot," Ibid.
b.
Since
Paul refers to "we, who were the first to hope in Christ," he likely meant
Jewish believers, for the Gospel was to the Jew first and then to the Gentile,
Ephesians 1:12a; Romans 1:16. Thus, Jews
who believed in Christ will be trophies of the grace of God by being included
in the Millennial Kingdom, of necessity being resurrected or translated at the
rapture to enter that Kingdom, Ephesians 1:12b.
c.
However,
Paul added that his readers, many of them Gentiles, would also be included in
Christ's Kingdom by having believed the Gospel of salvation, Ephesians
1:13a. God had determined that not only
Jews, but also Gentiles who have trusted in Christ will participate in Christ's
Kingdom, going through the rapture of the Church to qualify to participate in
that era of great blessing! (Ibid., p. 618-619)
Lesson: According
to the good pleasure of God's will, He has determined that in Christ's coming Millennial
Kingdom, all things spiritual and material will come under Christ's
headship. Accordingly, God has arranged
that in Christ's work of the cross to provide redemption and forgiveness of
sins, effectively liberating all who believe in Him from the power and stain of
sin, and to qualify them, Jew and Gentile alike, to participate in Christ's
coming Millennial Kingdom all to the praise of the glory of God's infinite
grace. Accordingly, we believers in
Christ MUST participate in the rapture of the Church either to be resurrected
from the dead or to be translated into glorified bodies, only to return with
Christ at His Second Coming to earth to enter into His Millennial Kingdom!
Application:
(1) May we realize that God the Father has planned from eternity past to send
His Beloved Son to the cross to provide redemption and forgiveness for us who
believe in Christ. He has then directed
that we participate in Christ's Millennial Kingdom by means of the rapture that
we might exist as trophies to the glory of God's unmerited favor. Thus, we must eternally thank and praise God
for His goodness to us! (2) May we also
realize how blessed we are to have such a destiny so as to make our central
focus in this life our eternal future with Christ.