Lesson for May 16, 2021
The Book of Ephesians
Chapter 4:7-10
“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore, it says, ‘When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.’ (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)” Grace is all that God is free to do for mankind on the basis of the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. Grace is undeserved mercy and unmerited favor. Grace is the title of God’s plan and His policy for mankind. It is this grace of God that given to every believer to enable them to execute the Protocol Plan of God and glorify God to the maximum. God’s grace is given to us in the measure that He gave His grace to His Son Jesus Christ. God has provided something for the royal family, something that is very special, something that makes all of the difference as far as your life on earth is concerned, and something that says in effect that you should have heaven on earth – grace. You will have heaven on earth if you reach spiritual maturity and super-grace. (Romans 8:32)
When He ascended on high refers to the ascension of Christ as a part of His victory of the Angelic Conflict resulting in the glorification of Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father as the unique Person of the universe. The resurrection body of Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven after His death on the Cross. (John 20:17) Once arriving in Heaven, Jesus Christ was seated at the right hand of the Father. This is called the session of Christ. (Psalm 110:1; Romans 8:34; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3,13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; I Peter 3:22) The ascension and session of Christ formed the basis of victory in the Angelic Conflict. (Hebrews 1:3-13) The ascension and session of Christ began a new intensified stage of the Angelic Conflict. (Ephesians 1:20-22; 4:7-10) The ascension and session of Jesus Christ begin Operation Footstool where the enemies of Christ become His footstool, a metaphor for their defeat and destruction. (Psalm 110:1, Luke 20:42,43; Acts 2:33,34; Hebrews 1:13)
The Second Coming of Christ will conclude Operation Footstool. (Daniel 7:13,14; Zechariah 13:2; Colossians 2:15; Revelation 20:1-3) The ascension and session of Christ completes the glorification of Christ in His Hypostatic Union. (Acts 2:33; 5:31; Philippians 2:9; I Peter 3:22) The ascension and session of Christ explains the uniqueness of the Church Age and the importance of having a royal family in this dispensation only. (John 7:37-39) The ascension and session of Christ is the key to victory in the Angelic Conflict. (Hebrews 1:4) The ascension and session of Christ after resurrection make possible the priestly function of Christ as High Priest in praying for all members of the Royal Family of God on earth. (Hebrews 7:25)
The ascension of Christ interrupted the Age of Israel and the Church Age began a few days later. His triumphal procession began in Hades where He descended after physical death on the Cross. It was at that time that He announced to the Old Testament believers and to fallen angels that He had won the victory over Satan. These believers were in a compartment of Hades called Paradise and are called “captives” in these verses because they did not have a resurrection body and will not have until the Second Coming of Christ, which is at the end of their Age. These believers went to Heaven with Jesus in a triumphal procession as “ captives.” (Psalm 68:18) The fact that Old Testament saints resided in this place is verified by Luke 16:10-31, 23:39-45; Matthew 27:52,53. Paradise now resides in Heaven according to II Corinthians 12:1-4. The activity of Christ in Hades is covered in I Peter 3:18-22.
(Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) After the reference of an Old Testament scripture, a parenthesis is used to explain what is meant in relation to the Ascension. The significance of the ascension is in view. When the body of Jesus Christ was in the grave and the human spirit of Jesus Christ was at the right hand of the Father, His soul descended into Hades. (I Peter 3:18-22; Luke 16:10-31; 23:39-45) Jesus Christ’s body went into the grave. (Luke 23:53) His spirit went into the presence of the Father. (Luke 23:46) And His soul descended into Hades (the lower parts of the earth).(Psalm 16:10; Luke 23:43; Acts 2:27)
So that He might fill all things means three things. Fill is the Greek word “pleroo” meaning to fully possess, to fill up a deficiency, to fill up with a certain quality and to fully influence. This is the same word used for the filling of the Holy Spirit, but it is used a little differently here. When Jesus ascended into Heaven and was seated at the right hand of the Father, it meant that He had completed the plan of salvation for mankind. Once a person enters that plan by faith in Jesus Christ, magnificent things become potential for believers that were not potentials in other ages. First, fantastic blessings are available to believers to a much greater degree if they advance in the Christian Way of Life. The ultimate in spiritual advance is to be fully possessed by God and His Word.
All believers are deficient of spiritual things when they first trust Jesus Christ as Savior. This deficiency can be changed to being sufficient if they allow God the Holy Spirit to teach them accurate Bible doctrine through the ministry of a pastor-teacher. As a “babe” in Christ, we all begin in a state of deficiency. However, we do not have to remain there for very long if we begin to learn and apply Bible doctrine. When this occurs, God is able to pour out greater grace blessings into our lives.
Advancing believers become filled with the highest quality of spiritual and material things. Jesus Christ “unlocked the door” to grace living and greater blessings for each believer. However, every believer does receive greater grace blessings automatically. These greater grace blessings are given on the basis of capacity to receive them. No capacity means no greater grace blessings. God is waiting to give us these things, but it demands consistent positive volition toward Bible doctrine. The potential is not fully realized until a believer reaches spiritual maturity. Only when believers begin to grow spiritually is the influence of God upon their lives realized. If a believer is learning Bible doctrine and utilizing it on a consistent basis, then they are being fully influenced by that doctrine. When an advancing believer is being fully influenced by the Bible doctrine in their soul, they are not being influenced by Satan’s world system and its human viewpoint.
Once the humanity of Jesus ascended and was seated at the right hand of God the Father, He became our royal high priest, forever. Hebrews 5:10, “Being designated a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.” In order to become our High Priest, Christ had to become true humanity. Our High Priest, Jesus Christ represents us before God as our mediator. (I Timothy 2:5-6) As believers in the Church Age, we belong to His priesthood (the Royal Priesthood). (I Peter 2:9)
Our royal priesthood is far superior to any that existed in the past. (Hebrews 7) As our High Priest, Christ demonstrates His victory over Satan in the Angelic Conflict. (Hebrews 4:14-16; 6:17-20) The priesthood of Christ is the reality of those priesthoods that previously existed in the Old Testament. Just as the rituals and the sacrifices were images of the real things which were to come in the future, the royal priesthood of Christ is the realization of those images. (Hebrews 8)
Jesus Christ Who is a king, a prophet and a priest in His humanity did not ask for the position of High Priest. He was born of the linage of David and was therefore in the line of Judah. There was no priesthood of any kind in the family of Judah; the tribe of Levi had all of the priests. Jesus Christ is the only priest in all of Israel’s history Who is from the tribe of Judah Who is a bona-fide king and at the same time a priest. He will be the High Priest of Israel during the Millennium even though He is from the tribe of Judah.
Hebrews 5:5-6, “So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He Who said to Him, ‘Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee”; just as He says also in another passage, “Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.’” We have a quotation from Psalms 2:7, “Thou art my Son…” indicating that when this was written about Jesus Christ, He was not yet humanity and could not yet be our High Priest. So, first Jesus had to be born as a human being before assuming the role of our High Priest and fulfilling God’s divine decree from eternity past.
We also have a quotation from Psalms 110:4, “Thou art a priest forever…” derived from the Hebrew verb “kun,” which means to stand up. A “kohen” in Hebrew was the priest who stood up at the altar, stood up for the people, stood up and talked, stood up for what God commanded, stood up and represented the people to God. So, the humanity of Christ did not assume the role of High Priest by His own volition, He was appointed by God the Father.
According to the order of Melchizedek means in the same manner of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was an actual person, a Gentile, who ruled a great city called Salem, the ancient Jerusalem. He functioned as a priest under the family priesthood, and he was a contemporary of Abraham and not a theophany (an appearance of Christ in the Old Testament before becoming humanity) of Christ.
The very fact that in the divine decrees God the Father said Christ was a priest forever indicates that the Father intended to raise Christ from the dead. So, physical death did not hinder the priesthood of Jesus Christ. Physical death terminates the priesthood for everyone except Jesus Christ, and the fact that He would be a priest forever is the prophecy of the Resurrection. Jesus Christ continues to function as High Priest, forever.