DIVINE COUNSELS IN A PAST ETERNITY OUR INHERITANCE—THE RULE OF THE UNIVERSE WITH CHRIST
The last four blessings introduce a new series of things revolving around "the inheritance." First we are introduced to the sweeping thought that Christ in Manhood will head up a government of the entire universe ("all things...in heaven...and on earth"). Secondly because of our union with Christ we will share in this divine administration. Thus does Paul unfold one of the richest truths in the Bible and gives us the great key to the intelligent understanding of Scripture. Our shared rule with Christ will be in glorified bodies. While we wait for these bodies we are given the Holy Spirit of promise. He is presented in two ways as the seal (the spring, energy and liberty of eternal life in the soul) and as the earnest (the pledge that our bodies, which are now purchased, will eventually be redeemed that is, changed into bodies like Christ's own glorious body). Once we receive our glorified bodies the exceeding greatness of God's power will be exerted to give us the kingdom (this is the subject of the Book of Revelation).
Here is a quotable quote from J.B. Stoney, which shows how he lived in the good of the inheritance awaiting believers "I do not go about the world as one deprived of the earth, but as one waiting for my time and turn to have and enjoy it. I am more than an heir-apparent because I have the earnest, and therefore a sensible participation of the property I shall enter on by and by."*1
The Inheritance—Christ's and Ours
God has never forgotten the way man treated the rightful Heir in this world. His own people the Jews understood well enough that He was the lawful Heir to the inheritance even if they misjudged the vastness of the inheritance, confining it in their thoughts to Israel. They said "this is the Heir; come let us kill Him, and the inheritance will be ours" Mark 12:7. They were wrong in thinking they could obtain an inheritance in the kingdom of God by evil deeds. They rejected Him as Heir twice first by crucifying Him on earth, although the title above His cross proclaimed Him their King secondly by rejecting Him in heaven after His resurrection and ascension Acts 7:51-60. As for the Gentiles, nation has lifted up sword against nation ever since, seeking world dominion the Gentile idea of-the inheritance. Only recently have they been more audacious, exalting themselves to the heavens in defiance of Psa. 115:16, landing on the moon and exploring the planets. One wonders if the seed of space travel wasn't planted in the minds of the Gentiles by Satan, who understands only too well the unrestricted scope of the inheritance. For the inheritance consists of the entire created universe. Scripture has no word for the universe it always uses the expression "the heavens and the earth" instead see Gen. 1:1. In this way these two separate spheres of creation can be both combined and separated in our minds depending on what God would teach us. Here the two spheres which were separated by sin are brought together under Christ. Because we are now sons God is willing to share His deepest secret with us the secret of His will for who would hide a 'secret from his son? This mystery (secret) of His will is in two parts, the first of which we will consider now. It is God's answer to man's humiliation of His Son. He is determined to reverse man's judgment on Christ. "What shall be done to the man whom the King delighteth to honor" Esther 6:6. The answer is found in v. 10. Christ's kingdom will last one thousand years,*2 during which time the devil will be chained see Rev. 20. This is the period of time envisaged in the expression "the administration of the fullness of times." But the sway of Christ is not confined to the earth during that period "both which are in heaven and which are on earth." Jacob's ladder is a figure of the closeness of heaven and earth in the coming kingdom. Joseph ruling over Egypt is a figure of Christ's earthly glory. Pharaoh said to Joseph "only in the throne will I be greater than you" Gen. 41:40. All must bow the knee to Christ. The character of the fourth blessing then, is that we see the final triumph of our Lord and Savior, the principles for which we stood while identified with Him in His rejection, and the public overthrow of evil by good.
The fifth blessing is that we share in Christ's inheritance. We have pointed out that the secret of God's will is in two parts. The first part is that the inheritance belongs to Christ; the second part is that we share it with Him "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." There will be a divine government in the millennial kingdom with Christ in Manhood heading it and the Church sharing it with Him. It is the will of God that the glory of the exalted Man on His throne who fills the heavens shall fill the earth also. Christ's administration will be universal in range heaven and earth something unknown to the prophets*3 The Apostle tells us that we shall judge angels 1 Cor. 6:3. And there will be rewards in the kingdom, based on faithfulness in service here. Laodicea was unfaithful and gets the minimum reward in the kingdom to sit with Christ on His throne which Eph. 1:10, 11 guarantees to every believer. The good servant receives authority over ten cities Luke 19:12-27 an important position of administration in line with his faithful administration of divine things on earth while the King was rejected. He will be an official of standing in the kingdom.
We are blessed because God is our Father and we are His sons. "He that spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things" Rom. 8:32. So God our Father gives us a son's inheritance an inheritance such as a rich father would give his sons. Stupendous as this thought is, it must be kept in focus. The inheritance is dwarfed by the first three blessings since they reveal the innermost thoughts of God. Throughout eternity what we are in Christ, our place before the Father, and our relationship to Him as His sons, what Christ is to us, and our acceptance before our God and Father these are the things which will make our joy overflow in a way that our universal sway with Christ will not. For after all we only inherit because we are predestinated to sonship (predestination in Scripture is always to a state or condition not a choice of persons as frequently misunderstood). Here we are predestinated to both sonship and an inheritance. It is because we are predestinated to sonship that we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel of His will. This expression "the counsel of His own will" terminates the revelation of the divine counsels which began in verse 4. Thereafter two additional blessings follow the seal and earnest of the Spirit necessary as the assurance that God's purposes toward His sons and heirs will be carried out.
The sixth blessing belongs first of all to the Jew "who first trusted in Christ" followed by the Gentiles who also trusted in Him after they heard the word of truth, the gospel of their salvation. Combining both Jew and Gentile then, all men who hear and believe the gospel are sealed by "that Holy Spirit of promise." He is called the Holy Spirit of promise because of the Lord's words "behold I send the promise of My Father upon you but stay in the City until you have been clothed with power from on high" Luke 24:49. These words were fulfilled on the day of Pentecost when believing Jews were sealed with the Holy Spirit see Acts 1:4; 2:33. Later believing Gentiles were sealed. The Holy Spirit Himself is the seal, for He dwells within us. Until the blood was shed to cleanse us from our sins the Spirit could not seal us. He sealed Christ who never sinned. Now He seals us as a witness that our sins are put away. We have "redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace" verse 7. Secondly we have the inner consciousness that this is so. The indwelling Spirit is the springing well of John 4:14, springing up into everlasting life. The story of Paul, Silas and the Philippian jailer in Acts 16 illustrates how men sealed by the Spirit manifest this truth in their lives when everything seems about to crush them.
The seventh blessing the Spirit as the earnest or pledge pertains to our bodies as the seal pertains to our souls. While we have the present salvation of our souls we have only the promised salvation of our bodies which suffer disease and death like others. This distinction is clearly maintained in our chapter. The redemption mentioned in verse 7 pertains to the soul "the forgiveness of sins"; the redemption in verse 14 pertains to our bodies "the purchased possession." The precious blood of Christ was the purchase price.
All that barred the way to the Ephesians obtaining the inheritance was their present bodies. These had once been controlled by Satan 2:1-3 but now were sealed by the Holy Spirit. What a paradox to have eternal life in the soul and yet corruptible bodies in which we suffer pain, anguish, exhaustion, thirst, hunger, and eventually death. We can never claim our inheritance in such bodies "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption...for this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality" 1 Cor. 15:50, 53. "For we know that the whole creation groans together and travails in pain together until now and not only that but even we ourselves who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, we also ourselves groan in ourselves awaiting adoption, that is, the redemption of our body" Rom. 8:22, 23. The redemption of the body the raising or changing it into a body of power and glory like the body of the Lord Himself, does not take place until the second coming of Christ. We cannot possess our inheritance, nor can the groaning of creation cease, until that event. In the meantime the Spirit is the pledge of our future likeness to Christ in glory 2 Cor. 5:1-5.
It is beautiful to see that all the mentions of praise in Ephesians are in the first chapter "to the praise of the glory of His grace" 1:6; "to the praise of His glory" 1:12 and 1:14. It is even more beautiful to note that it is the revelation of the mind of God given us in these verses which is the basis of all praise. This praise, then, flows naturally into the apostle's first prayer "wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. "The first of two apostolic prayers follows. We will, however, defer consideration of it until we have first examined the way in which the Apostle takes up any challenges man might make to the revealed mind of God, and disposes of them. This is the subject of our next chapter.