"who can make war with him?" (Rev. 13: 4), and so this monster can pose as the "prince

of peace" and offer to solve the problems of the nations, torn, impoverished and wearied

by war and the intolerable burdens that result because of it.

Verse 3 continues "Among whom also we all had our conversation (manner of life) in

times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and

were by nature children of wrath, even as others".

By `flesh' Paul means the unregenerate nature of man, and we must remember that

this can manifest itself in respectable ways as well as the more gross acts of sin. There is

even such a thing a `religious flesh'. Some unsaved people are temperamentally attracted

to outward forms of religion--specially those that appeal to the senses, but such are as

much in spiritual darkness as the atheist and the libertine. The fact remains that all who

are out of touch with Christ are under the control of the spirit called Satan, the great

enemy of God, whatever their manner of life is.

Now in the abundant mercy of God comes the great reversal. The word `but' indicates

a sweeping change. "But God, Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He

loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ" (4).

The word translated `quickened together' is a word not found in secular Greek, only in

early Christian writers and it is very likely that it was coined by Paul himself to express

the truth of the identification of the believer with the Lord Jesus. When He was made

alive in resurrection, in God's plan, the believer was made alive too! The wonder of it all

constrains the Apostle to magnify the grace of God that has made this possible, and he

slips in one of his characteristic parenthesis--("by grace ye are saved") and then adds the

topstone of revelation: "and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in

heavenly places IN Christ Jesus."

Let us not hurry, for here we have truth connected with a company of God's redeemed

children that is unique in the realm of Scripture. Israel were indeed a favoured nation

with all the blessings given to them (Rom. 9: 3-5), but not in their wildest dreams would

any Jew have imagined that they were to be blessed in the highest heavens where God is

enthroned! This is the apex of revelation so far as the redeemed are concerned and God

has made it known for the appropriation by faith by His children. Yet how few know or

rejoice in such riches of grace and glory! Let us note the exact wording. Many misquote

Eph. 2: 6 as though it read seated together with Christ in the heavenly places. It actually

reads IN Christ, not WITH Christ. In other words it is positional, in our standing in

Christ. Just as II Cor. 5: 17 states: "if any man be IN Christ, he is a new creation", and

we could not change this to read "if any man be with Christ, he is a new creation", so in

this passage of Ephesians, we are not WITH Christ until our hope is realized, and we are

manifested WITH Him in glory (Col. 3: 4).

Even the height of glory made known in Eph. 2: is not the end, for verse 7 goes on to

says: "that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His

kindness toward us in Christ Jesus". Note the word ages in the plural which tells us that

the Millennium is not the last age, as some expositors imagine. Just how many ages there