Which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 1:20-23 NKJV

1:20 (revisited) – 21

Jesus was raised from the dead physically, and He is seated in the heavens physically. Far too often Christians understand the heavens as merely a mystical and ethereal place. Yet the heavens are much more. Like earth, the heavens exist in a real, physical manner. It has both spiritual and elemental components. Earth has inhabitants such as humans and animals, as well as various orders such as culture and government. The heavens are filled with a whole host of inhabitants and powers just like the earth, and far above both the heavens and earth is a throne upon which the God of the whole universe sits. This throne is real and so is the One sitting on it. We cannot see heaven yet, because it is in a different realm, but one day both realms, the heavens and earth, will be joined together in Christ.

Jesus stands alone as the inheritor of both the heavens and earth in all of their fullness. Just as the dominion of God and the dominion of man have been brought together into one person (the God-Man Jesus) both realms which He is given dominion over will also be joined together in perfect unity under Jesus’ leadership.

Reflecting on these truths allows us insight into the gift giving nature of the Father. All things belong to Him and He freely gives. Jesus is a pure reflection of the Father, and to us He gives just as His Father gave to Him. Because of this, all that Jesus will possess in dominion He will also share with us.

1:22

All things (as in everything that has ever or will exist) have been put under Christ’s feet. This is another part where grammar is very important. Our context comes from the previous verse, which explains Christ is exalted not only in the present age but also in the one to come. The phrase “He put” denotes a past action, but one that could also be repetitive in nature. It is also written in the third person, which means God is essentially narrating the life of Christ to us as He is living it from the throne. “He put” in this context, reveals to us that every enemy is being placed under Christ’s feet every day. The Father is continually “putting” every enemy beneath His feet in perpetual faithfulness, and will continue to do so until every last enemy falls beneath Christ’s feet. We will revisit this idea later in Ephesians.

That which He has done, He is doing, and He will continue to do. In every circumstance, whether blessing or conflict (both in the heavens and on earth), Christ is being exalted and all dominion is being actively and progressively subjected to His rule and His will.

Going one step further, Christ was given as head (absolute supreme authority) over all of these things to (or, for the benefit of) the Church. This means that the community of Jesus’ disciples is given authority over all that which the head, Christ, has ordained both in the present age (before the return of Jesus) as well as the next age (which begins at His return to earth).

It is important here to note again the importance of where we are living in the prophetic timeline of God. With Psalm 110 as our guide, we see that even full authority has its limits prior to the age to come. We need to ask the questions, “what authority does Jesus have now as He awaits the coming promise of the Father?”, and “what authority will Jesus have when He receives the full promise of the Father at His return?” Answering these questions rightly will provide us with better insight into the authority we have today as well as the hope of things to come.

Please forgive the redundancy, but let me say it another way: For us to walk in the authority presented to us in this age we must determine what we’ve been given authority over in Christ at this present time. It requires us to pursue wisdom (hence Paul’s prayer), being careful to understand the times and seasons. We have been given great authority, however we cannot supersede Christ’s authority by attempting to take dominion over that which is destined for a future age. As we continue, we will see that Ephesians gives us a lot of insight into the scope of our authority in Him today.

1:23

Collectively, the body of Christ is the living substance and spiritual evidence of Christ on earth until His physical return. He is our head (spiritual leadership) and we are His body (effective earthly witness). He wills and we fulfill His will.

This reality is both an encouragement but also an insight into the severity of God.

It is an encouragement because when we are walking in the will of God as His disciples, we are quite literally ushering in and effecting His promises on earth. We have been invited into fellowship as willing participants and witnesses to His love, glory, and power.

It is severe because those who proclaim Christ but yet do not obey His commands will eventually become like severed limbs which are useless and dying. God, in His great kindness and mercy, is very long suffering with us and always desires to restore us. Nevertheless, anything that is not knit and joined together to the body and the head will one day rot if it is not restored to the body’s bloodstream, and able to serve its proper function. These realities have real life implications which we will begin to see in chapter two.