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Daily Devotions

Ephesians

Ephesians 
Day 
Day 159

"To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the Church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places."

Text: Ephesians 3:10

A GREATER AUDIENCE IN VIEW

What did God have in mind when He hid the mystery of “the unsearchable riches of Christ”? From a careful reading of the text above, God obviously had a greater audience in mind. That “audience” of course encompassed Jews and Gentiles. But there was a greater audience intimated in this text.

The principalities and powers in the heavenly places…
EPHESIANS 3:10

ATTEMPTING TO FATHOM THE BIG PICTURE

How should we understand the above text? It might be helpful if we were to attempt to paint the big picture.

1. Principalities and powers

These would obviously be a reference to angelic beings. There were essentially only two kinds:-

a) Angelic beings who were faithful to God
b) Angelic beings who had fallen from grace (Satan and his demons)

2. The battle for the souls of men

a) Satan’s attacks against men
i) The fall of Adam.
ii) He continued as “the prince of the power of the air” to influence mankind.
iii) By and large, his reign has been effective though devastation.
b) God’s plan to thwart the evil designs of Satan
i) He has to design a plan involving a second Adam.
ii) That second Adam was the Lord Jesus Christ (Cf. Romans 5).
iii) He would have to undergo much suffering before he could effect God’s redemption plan.
iv) The culmination would be the creation of “the church”- the Body of Christ.

3. Not even Satan could fully fathom how Christ could fulfil this hidden plan of God

The following comment from Paul in another epistle he wrote explains this idea further.

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery,
the hidden wisdom which God ordained before
the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers
of this age knew; for had they known,
they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
1 CORINTHIANS 2:7-8