The book of Ephesians is so full of mystery. God made available to humanity the endowment of every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, available through Jesus Christ alone, empowering the walk of the revelatory and victorious life for every believer. 

It is powerful to see how Paul was under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, strengthened to scribe while suffering in prison (in chains), revealing the Gospel of Christ’s redemption available to all. Paul, in so many of the 14 books he authored in the New Testament, was empowered to release more and more mysteries of Salvation, the magnificent nature of God, and of the extraordinary Kingdom life to those who surrender to God. Given the depth of such a list, add to it how amazing it is that Paul describes us as a picture of heavenly realities. One example is marriage. But let’s continue for now… We would say that Paul paid a costly price for his passion to love and obey Christ amid such personal hardships and suffering; however, Paul would not agree. He would remind us of the ultimate price Christ followed through with, and hold the life of Christ up as the standard by which to live. 

A magnificent part of the fulfillment of Salvation revealed in Ephesians is the expression and will of God found through His response to Christ as He completed His earthly calling. God directs Paul to reveal a deeper understanding of God’s strength, found in His might toward His Son, Jesus. His Father not only released Jesus from death by the power of His resurrection through His Holy Spirit, but also raised Him far above all government, authority, powers, and lordship, placing all under His feet. There is no name on earth or above the earth, in this age or in the one to come, that will override the Lord Jesus Christ. Through Paul, God provides awareness not only of God’s will, pleasure, and the richness of His grace toward His Son, but also of our profound identity in Him and the many dimensions of the heavenly realms available to us here on earth and throughout eternity. Even as the lower atmospheres are governed by the prince of the air, remember that all are under the rule, authority, power, and dominion of Jesus Christ.

The question is, “Why did God, in a book that deals so much with the identity of His Son and His earthly family, see it important to include the dimensions of warfare?” Why, in the midst of revealing the mystery of marriage, the command for children to honor their parents, the welcoming of Gentiles into the faith, the inheritance of the faithful believers, and of Christ’s, etc., did God include the need for the armor of God? It is because God’s Kingdom is ruled by Him and His Son. There is a government. The Kingdom of God operates under a protocol. The character of God is made available to those in the Kingdom who yield and strive to become like His Son, each following the instructional protocol found in scripture and being guided by His Spirit. There is authority, power, and Lordship all needed to be understood, as we, His citizens, pursue excellence within His realms. It is important to understand the angelic help afforded us as much as it is important to understand our place and responsibilities. The hierarchy of heaven is holy, true, just, right, and all things found in God’s Goodness.  

God equips His family through incredible communication and provision made by His hand to each who accepts. The battle against such a family receiving His invitation into adoption enrages the powers of darkness and is resisted by the “flesh.”  The systems of hell are raging with hate, violence, anger, torment, all things of darkness against the heirs of salvation, yet God has prepared the highway on which all can walk in succession to His Son. The path into accepting and maturing as sons of God, one learning to love God and one another, walking in obedience to the Word of God, is the theater of war. 

Why did God intermingle all such topics together in one scroll? God’s mercy is overwhelmingly His love. God knows His systems, which He designed and created, placing all things good into rhythm with His will. The mysteries of the angelic, the extraterrestrial creatures, and God’s Council, consisting of the heavenly Sons of God, are available to those who seek knowledge and understanding in righteousness. God is all-knowing and aware of the systems of the condemned kingdom of darkness and is passionate for His family to be aware of the battle, whether unseen, seen, or sensed; the powers of darkness that are motivated by the goal of hindering God’s children from accomplishing the work God requires. We are Christ’s inheritance, and God desires to present His Son with the fullness of His inheritance. 

Paul knew very well of the resistance and did all he could, whether free, imprisoned, in provisional lack, or in plenty to fulfill the work God required of him, his required portion which would be presented to Jesus as His inheritance. Paul encountered the Messiah and was mantled with the fear of the Lord, which, for him, was the beginning of wisdom, empowering him to accomplish all that was placed before him. Paul wanted us to understand that resistance would be the “norm” for anyone desiring to walk in the manner worthy of our calling in Christ Jesus. For Paul said, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 

Whomever it is that God has required us to interact with, know that there will often be warfare; the harassing temptation will be for us not to fulfill the character of the Holy Spirit meant to be displayed towards that person. Why else would God design a book filled with instruction dealing with relationships with bosses (masters), husbands, wives, children, Jews, and Gentiles, etc? Most of our warfare is with those we are called to be surrounded by. 

In the book of Daniel, it is clear that throughout every resistance he faced, God empowered him to walk in the “fruit of the Light,” for the decisions Daniel made manifested righteousness, truth, and the goodness of God. (Ephesians 5:9)

During the season of Passover, Daniel chose to fast for 21 days, knowing that his trust was in God and that his hunger was to hear from God. The powers of the air, the lower atmosphere, were released against Daniel’s nation (God’s people and their King Cyrus’ decree) through resistance by accusation, which demanded a verdict. The enemies of God, those who hated the thought of a temple being built for God, brought claims against the builders, those who were newly released from seventy years of captivity. To deal with such claims, a judicial action was necessary. 

While in Turkey not too long ago, while walking the rocky antiquities roads of the city of Ephesus, the amazement was due to the religion of the intellect, the feasting on immorality, the defilement of the innocent and defenseless found within the temple pillars of their goddess diana, and the rebellion towards the Holy Spirit. An apostle of Christ who had done no wrong in the eyes of God was beaten and disfigured, yet those who exploited young boys and girls, men and women, were worshipping the seed of the flesh bound by hell. This explains the territorial atmospheres open over the region at the time. Baal was prominent and submitted to by those spiritually blinded.

Paul, with every chance he was given, preached the truths of “The Way”—God’s way of truth of the gospel, God’s love, the heavenly realms, and the waging war against a holy life, and the power available to overcome. 

Paul proclaimed that the result of tribulation would be the revealing of God’s glory. Paul understood that Christ Jesus was over all rulers, authorities, powers, and dominions, and, in that understanding, he was empowered to function on earth amid the weight of deception around him. We trust, having experienced Jesus and knowing that God has placed His Son as the one whose government rests on His shoulders; He is the victorious champion of all champions; He is our Lord and King. 

(*Scriptures mentioned or written into the writings are from the NASB and Wuest translations.)