The Fullness of Times
NKJ Ephesians 1:7-10 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth.
“THE FULLNESS OF THE TIMES” IS ANOTHER GREAT MESSAGE from the great book of Ephesians. I believe you will find there is real comfort in the meditative understanding of this excellent message from God’s Word…
THIS IS A MESSAGE ABOUT THE FUTURE…
“WHEN PAUL WROTE EPHESIANS, HE WAS UNDER HOUSE ARREST and constant guard in Rome. Even so, his heart and mind looked to the horizon and beyond it to God’s planned future in Christ. Consider how close are our horizons most of the time; how shortsighted and petty our daily concerns usually are! …Let us turn our near focus and look at our lives and the future with Paul’s perspective to an eternity when the here and now will pass away and Christ will unite us under His mighty and glorious rule.” – Garner…
DURING THIS TIME IN GOD’S INCOMPARABLE WORD, MAYBE WE CAN TRY TO adjust our usual human focus on self and our earthly perspective, and try to see things as we really should see them, through the lens of Scripture and the sure promises contained therein. As you know, we are God’s children and one day this world is going to end and we are going to live with Him forever in heaven. I hope you will join with me in this study and seriously, positively, and thankfully consider the end of this world as we know it…
NAS 2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
“THE FULLNESS OF THE TIMES” IS A MESSAGE ABOUT THE DAY WHEN God is going to bring history to an end… Though that thought may not be at first comforting to you, it really is a comforting thought, because when you consider the end of world history you realize it is the beginning of heavenly eternity for us…
I WOULD LIKE TO ADD A CLARIFYING NOTE TO THAT FOR THE BELIEVER, eternity actually begins the moment we accept Christ by faith as our Savior. When the Bible is carefully studied, it may clearly be seen that eternity is ultimately more a kind word than a time word. That is to say, eternity is more about quality of life than it is duration of life…
JOHN IN HIS GOSPEL USES PRESENT TENSE VERBS when he talks of the believer and eternity…
NAS John 6:47 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.
NAS John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life…
JOHN 5:24 GOES ON TO SAY, “and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life”… “Has passed” is past tense (specifically the perfect tense, which indicates completed past action with ongoing results); we have already passed into everlasting life…
SO, WITH THESE WORDS IN MIND, I HOPE YOU WILL CONSIDER WITH ME the future. I believe it will throw our daily worries into their proper perspective and will make us more grateful than ever that we are “in Christ”…
“IN HIM,” V. 7 SAYS. THAT IS, IN “THE BELOVED,” THAT IS, IN JESUS CHRIST. That little word “in” denotes the spiritual sphere in which we exist as Christians. “We should take great comfort in knowing that we are in Christ; we are in all that Christ is. The little word ‘in’ here indicates “an internal, intimate relationship.” – Hoehner…
WE ARE “IN CHRIST.” We are “in Him,” in all He is, now and forever. When “The Fullness of the Times” comes, because we are “in Christ,” we will already be in heaven, having been raptured and snatched away from the world’s inevitable end. Every day of our lives we should thank God for that remarkable fact…
SCHOLARS DEBATE THE PRONOUNS IN CHAPTER 1. The “Him”s and the “His”s sometimes refer to God the Father and sometimes they refer to God the Son. Some of them are relatively easy to figure out, but others are almost impossible to determine with certainty. Whenever I come across this difficulty in my studies of the N.T., I have come to see it as a beautiful indirect grammatical proof of the deity of the Lord Jesus and the reality of the Trinity. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are all distinct persons of the Godhead, but they are also all God. It should be expected, I think, that there are often difficulties in distinguishing them clearly…
VERSES 3-6 FOCUS MAINLY ON THE WORK OF GOD THE FATHER, while vv. 7-12 focus on God the Son. In vv. 13-14, the focus turns to God the Holy Spirit…
CHAPTER 1 OF EPHESIANS, AMONG OTHER THINGS, TELLS US OF the wonders of what God has done for us in salvation… You may remember from a previous blog that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing (v. 3). God has chosen us in Christ (v. 4). He has made us holy and blameless (that does not mean that we are perfect in this world) in His sight (v. 4). God has also predestined us, that is, He has preordained the boundaries of our lives so that through our life’s experiences He is conforming us into the image of Christ (v. 5; cf. also 2 Cor 3:18). He has adopted us as sons and daughters; we are permanent parts of God’s family (v. 5). All this He has done for us according to His good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glory, which He has freely bestowed on us in His beloved Son (v. 6). In addition, He has redeemed us, and forgiven us in Christ, and given us the wisdom and insight to be able to discern His will (vv. 7-9). And now we come to v. 10…
ALL THIS HAS BEEN DONE FOR US…
NAS Ephesians 1:10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth.
“WITH A VIEW TO” TELLS US THAT THE VERSE IS SPEAKING OF FUTURE things…
“GOD REDEEMS MEN AND WOMEN IN ORDER THAT He might gather everything to Himself. The time of that gathering will be the millennial kingdom, which will be an administration (or dispensation – NKJ) suitable to ‘the fullness of the times.’ When the completion of history comes, the kingdom arrives, eternity begins again, and the new heaven and new earth are established, there will be a ‘summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth.’” – MacArthur…
LISTEN TO V. 10 IN TWO OF THE MORE INTERPRETIVE TRANSLATIONS…
NIV Ephesians 1:10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
NLT Ephesians 1:10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ– everything in heaven and on earth.
“JESUS CHRIST IS THE GOAL OF HISTORY; history finds its resolution in Jesus. The paradise that was lost in Adam will be restored in Christ.” – MacArthur/TAR…
IT WOULD BE GOOD IF WE PAUSED A MOMENT AND ALLOW ALL THIS TO settle in our minds… The language and the resulting concepts of the language are almost too much to take in. Can you again get a sense of the wonder of this chapter? It’s something else, isn’t it?…
EPHESIANS 1 MAY WELL BE THE DEEPEST, MOST PROFOUND CHAPTER in the N.T. It is theologically all-encompassing…
LET ME GO BACK FOR A MOMENT TO V. 9, where Paul talks about “the mystery of God’s will.” A mystery in the Bible is a previously hidden truth that later becomes known through God’s revelation. The Church, for example, was a mystery in the O.T. that was revealed in the N.T.… “This mystery (unveiled truth) in v. 9 – we may gather from the context – is God’s good pleasure to purpose in Christ to bring all things in heaven and on earth under His headship in the consummation of time.” – Bible Knowledge Commentary…
THROUGH GOD’S GRACE WE ARE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THIS; we have been given wisdom and insight that the unsaved person does not possess, regardless of how intelligent that person may be…
GOD MADE KNOWN TO US THE MYSTERY OF HIS WILL “with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ”…
STAY WITH ME AS I TRY TO EXPLAIN THIS in terms we can better understand. This is not the easiest verse to come to grips with…
THE WORD “ADMINISTRATION” IS THE GREEK WORD οἰκονομία (oi-ka-na-mee-a)… It is also translated “dispensation.” The word is used 9 times in the N.T.: 3 by Luke and 6 by Paul; 3 times in Ephesians. The word must be evaluated in each context in order to determine its meaning. It literally means management, responsibility of management, management of a household (BDAG). I like the word “arrangement” also as a definition, especially here in v. 10…
ONE WRITER SAID, “THE GREEK WORD οἰκονομία (oi-ka-na-mee-a) in Ephesians 1:10 is God’s master plan. It is simply synonymous with μυστήριον (mu-stay-pr-on), mystery, in v. 9.” (Lincoln)…
“IN THE GREEK WORLD οἰκονομία (oi-ka-na-mee-a) WAS USED REGULARLY FOR God’s ordering and administration of the universe.” – Lincoln…
GOD CREATES, GOD ARRANGES OR ORDERS, AND GOD SUSTAINS. Everything about this passage speaks of God’s sovereign control…
AS I SEE IT, PAUL IS SAYING THAT GOD IS ARRANGING HIS “PLAN of salvation (“the mystery of His will” – TAR) and bringing it to reality through Christ in the fullness of times.” – BDAG…
THIS ARRANGEMENT WILL BE REALIZED IN THE FUTURE MILLENNIAL kingdom here on earth, the 1,000-year period following the horrible 7-year Tribulation…In the millennial kingdom “the times” that Paul speaks about in v. 10 will be fulfilled. At that end time all things both spiritual and material will be under Christ and His rule…
NAS 1 Corinthians 15:27 For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him.
THIS VERSE IS A LITTLE EASIER TO UNDERSTAND IN THE NLT TRANSLATION…
NLT 1 Corinthians 15:27 For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.)
1 CORINTHIANS 15:27 IS AN INDIRECT QUOTE FROM PSALM 8:6…
NAS Psalm 8:6 Thou dost make him to rule over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet,
“THAT WHICH IS BEING ADMINISTERED IS, LITERALLY, THE FULLNESS of the times (plural). ‘The times’ refers to periods of time under God’s direction.” – Lincoln…
“EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN HISTORY IS DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY under God’s sovereign direction. God has ordered everything in such a way that it culminates in the achievement of His purpose.” – Lincoln…
PAUL ALSO REFERS TO THIS FULFILLMENT IN COLOSSIANS 1:20…
NAS Colossians 1:20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
THIS IS THE END OF TIME AS WE KNOW IT…
“THE FULLNESS OF THE TIMES” IS THE SUMMING UP OF ALL THINGS in Christ…
“FULLNESS” IS THE GREEK WORD πλήρωμα (play-ro-ma)… It literally means the filling up of something…
“PAUL SAYS THAT GOD’S PURPOSE IN HISTORY WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED WHEN ‘the times will have reached their fulfillment.’ He is talking about the cycles of history. Historians tell us that history moves in cycles. There are times of peace and prosperity which lead to a time of apathy and lethargy; this foments calamity and uncertainty, producing a time of rebellion and revolution; these changes bring us back to peace and prosperity- and the cycle begins all over again. These cycles are called ‘seasons’ in the Bible.” – Steadman…
“PAUL IS TELLING US THAT a time will come when the seasons have been completed and the cycles will be ended. At that point, God will have fulfilled His promise to tear down the old creation, destroying it utterly, while building up the new.” – Steadman…
NAS 2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
THIS WORLD MUST BE DESTROYED BECAUSE IT IS CORRUPTED BY SIN…
“SUMMING UP” IS THE GREEK WORD ἀνακεφαλαίομαι (a-na-ke-fa-lay-o-my)… It means to sum up, to gather up. The word is used by Paul in v. 10 to describe the summing up of all things in Christ. All things! That is an astounding thought, is it not? And yet when we remember that Christ is the Agent of creation, it comes across as fitting, as right. How could it be any other way?…
NAS Ephesians 1:10 …the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth.
“THE PURPOSE IS TO SUM UP ALL THINGS IN CHRIST. Christ sums up the cosmos as its representative. God achieves His purpose for all things through what He accomplishes in the one incomparable Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the one in whom God the Father chooses to sum up the universe, in whom He restores the harmony of the cosmos.” – Lincoln…
I SAID AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS BLOG THAT I believe an understanding of this passage will bring comfort to you. Let me try to be more specific as we close…
WE LIVE IN TIMES THAT ARE NOT ONLY TROUBLING, BUT are often terrifying… Knowing that God has a plan in and for all this madness is a comfort to us. It is not just a comfort; it is the only comfort…
THIS IS AN ADMITTEDLY DIFFICULT BUT IMPORTANT QUESTION TO ASK ourselves, the answer to which reveals volumes about us and our real worldview: Have I yet come to the realization that the only ultimate answer to every troubling and perplexing question about the future is Jesus Christ? This blog from Ephesians 1 is a message about the future; and the future is Christ…
“THERE IS NO ASPECT OF THE UNIVERSE WHICH IS OUTSIDE THE SCOPE of God’s redemptive purpose in Christ – ‘things in the heavens and things upon the earth’ – that means everything included. We and our lives are included in this universal scope. As part of God’s will for the future we are thereby given grounds for overcoming any sense of weakness and insecurity in the face of hostile forces, both earthly and cosmic.” – Lincoln (rewritten in great part by TAR)…
SOME TIME AGO I GOT AN E-MAIL FROM ONE OF MY FORMER STUDENTS, who asked me if I had been listening to David Jeremiah’s radio broadcast at the time about “The Coming Economic Armageddon.” My student asked me what I thought of it. He said he thought it was kind of frightening. I wrote him back that he was right: it is frightening. It is indeed frightening to honestly contemplate the inevitable future of our world as it is without Christ. Pastor Jeremiah was pulling no punches; he was telling it like it really is, I believe. Any thinking adult person in the United States today should know that we – and the world in great part – are in deep, deep financial trouble, and that is probably putting it mildly. Facing the reality of our world cannot help but make us deeply anxious about our tomorrows. But facing the reality of our world is also an excellent opportunity for us to draw closer to God. The reality of this world forces us to see the limitations of materialism and the world’s desperate need for a Savior. The future is frightening, unless you have a Savior. A blog like today’s reassures us that God is in control. He is working out His perfect plan until “The Fullness of the Times” when He will gather everything up in Christ…
PASTOR MATT’S CURRENT SERMONS FROM REVELATION in great part deal with the same futuristic scenario as the one envisioned and sketched out by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:10…
IF YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD, contemplating the future before us will surely scare you. even Christians – mainly because we too are human – can be forgiven for sharing in some of that deep anxiety I mentioned above. When we do, I suggest that it is an especially opportune time to meditate upon this passage in Ephesians, to take heart on knowing that “all things” are in His loving and omnipotent hands. Jesus Christ is the only help because He is the only one able to help…
LET’S END OUR TIME TOGETHER IN GOD’S WORD BY FOCUSING ON JESUS… He is everything. With Him we need have no fear. Without Him there is nothing but fear. Thank the Lord for saving us! Thank the Lord for His Word in Ephesians 1:10! Thank the Lord for gathering all things up in Christ! Thank the Lord for Jesus!…
NAS Ephesians 1:22 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 fulness of Him who fills all in all.
FOCUSING ON JESUS UNFAILINGLY RESULTS IN COMFORT… PRAISE THE MATCHLESS NAME OF JESUS!…
– Professor Thomas A. Rohm
