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praying for others.  Let us each one be `fully persuaded in his own mind', and
then, seeing our ministry, `fulfil it' (Col. 4:17; 2 Tim. 4:5).
Before detailing the ministry which was given by Christ to the church of
the One Body, the apostle makes a reference to Psalm 68:18.  We have not here in
Ephesians 4:8 a strictly literal quotation either of the Hebrew or the Greek of
the LXX.  The sense of the passage is preserved, and this manner of reference
makes us feel that Paul wished to take a thought from the Psalm rather than
intend us to understand that he taught that this Psalm was strictly prophetic of
the ascension of Christ and the gift of apostles, prophets, etc.  The `ascension
on high' of Psalm 68:18 has reference to the `hill of God ... an high hill as
the hill of Bashan' (verse 15); the ascension of Ephesians 4 as we shall see, is
beyond computation in vastness.  The apostle decides for us just what part of
this quotation he intended to be prominent, for in verse 9 he lifts it out for
further consideration:
`Now that word "He went up" what saith it, but that He first came down to
the earth below' (Conybeare and Howson).
What does it imply?  If the Scripture declares that Christ ascended, He
must have previously descended first to the lower parts of the earth.  Many old
expositors interpret this descent of the Lord as a descent into hell.  Others
understand it to refer to the grave.  Bloomfield, Conybeare and Howson and many
others see in the expression `the lower parts of the earth', `the lower parts,
namely, the earth'.  Dr. Bullinger in Figures of Speech, places the expression
under the `Genitive of Apposition', `the lower parts, that is to say, the
earth':
`He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all
heavens, that He might fill all things' (Eph. 4:10).
Have we appreciated as we should the fact of the ascension and its bearing
upon the church of the dispensation of the Mystery?  Christ risen is not
sufficient.  Israel's King must be Christ risen, for Psalm 2:7 declares the
decree:
`The Lord hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten
Thee'.
In Hebrews 4:14 the apostle tells us that Christ `passed through the
heavens' dierchomai; in 7:26 he says of Him, `made higher than the heavens'
hupseloteros.  These passages, together with that of Ephesians 4:10, give us
some idea of the magnitude of that ascension.
Paul has a purpose in his statement as we may well believe.  What is it?
Christ ascended up far above all heavens `that He might fill (pleroo, cf.
pleroma) all things' (ta panta, the all things).  We cannot avoid the reference
back to Ephesians 1:20-23:
`Seated at His own right hand ... far above all ... and gave Him (as) Head
over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness (pleroma) of
Him that filleth (pleroo) the all things (ta panta) with all' (Author's
translation).
This reference does something else for us.  It explains the meaning of
Ephesians 4:7 `the gift of Christ'.  We did not discuss the question earlier as
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