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blessing was THERE where the exalted Christ now sits "far above all heavens", yet this
is what we are now to learn.
The expression en tois epuraniois occurs five times in Ephesians as follows:
A | 1: 3. "In heavenly places."
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Dispensation of fullness of times.
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Mystery of His will.
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The purpose in Himself.
B | 1: 20. "In heavenly places."
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Principality and power.
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Power, strength, might.
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Power inwrought.
C | 2: 6. "In heavenly places."
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Quickened \
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Raised
} together.
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Seated
/
B | 3: 10. "In heavenly places."
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Dispensation of the grace of God.
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The Mystery.
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The purpose of the ages.
A | 6: 12. "In high places" (A.V.).
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Principality and power.
"heavenly places" (R.V.).
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Strong, power, might.
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Power worked out.
We will not attempt to examine these references here, but each one will come before
us in its turn, and will be given the attention that such a revelation of grace demands. We
have been concerned in this study to establish two related things:
(1)
That "in heavenly places" refers to a sphere, a place, a condition that answers the
question WHERE?
(2)
That "in heavenly places" is unique, and is found only in the Epistle to the Ephesians.
The mystery, concerning which Ephesians was written, is the only calling of believers
that goes BACK so far, even to "before the foundation of the world" (an expression that
awaits examination), it is the only calling of believers that goes UP to where Christ
ascended when He passed through the heavens, when He ascended up "far above all
heavens". If these two features alone do not make the calling of the Church of the One
Body UNIQUE, language is emptied of its meaning, and all our attempts to let the
scriptures speak for themselves is so much waste of time. If "unique" means, "having no
like or equal; unmatched, unparalleled, unequalled; alone in its kind in excellence",
these references to the phrase en tois epouraniois do most certainly indicate a sphere of
blessing "unparalleled, unmatched, unequalled" in all the annals of grace or glory.
The reader may wonder why all this "proof" is necessary for a matter so obvious. If
so he has probably been spared the pain of reading the futile efforts of some of God's
own children, who, to substantiate their own ideas based largely upon a misunderstanding
of the epistle to the Hebrews, would drag the church down from its destined place, and
more terrible to relate, in doing so drag down the exalted Lord at the same time. The
Church of the One Body, and Christ the Head are raised and seated together. Whom God
hath joined together let no man put asunder.