Ephesians 1:19 - 23; The Wondrous, Matchless Glory of Christ and His Body:

Paul prayed for the Ephesians, Ephesians 1:1515 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

and his prayer was for all true believers ever since. We covered the first part of his prayer in our last study, Ephesians 1:16 - 1816 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

. As we continue his prayer in verse 19 we must go back and keep in mind that he is praying that “the eyes” of the believer’s “understanding being enlightened,” Ephesians 1:1818 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

a. The Greek word translated “eyes” is ophthalmos (G3788) found 102 times in the New Testament (NT) where it is translated “eye/s” 101 times and “sight” once in the passage: “And when He (The Lord Jesus Christ) had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight.” Acts 1:99 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

. So here, sight is used literally, when the believers could no longer see Him as He ascended into the clouds. Thus the word “eyes” is used figuratively as when we say to someone “do you see what I mean.” We are not asking if they actually see what we are talking about, but rather, do they mentally understand our words. It refers to our mental eyes, not our literal ones.

The word translated “understanding” is also interesting. It is from the Greek word dian’oia (G1271) found 13 times in the NT where it is translated “mind” 9 times “understanding” 3 times and “imagination” once. Strong defines it as: “properly the faculty (mind or its disposition), by implication its exercise: - imagination, mind, understanding.” Dian’oia is translated “mind” in Ephesians 2:33 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

: “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” Ephesians 2:3.

It’s mind boggling to think about Our Lord Jesus Christ ascending into the heavenlies to a place that must be further away than our galaxy in His glorified Body that survived the trip with no space suit or space craft. It’s also amazing that all true believers for the last about 2000 years will met Him in in the air someday in bodies changed like His and accompany Him to the place where He abides in the heavens:

“And what is the exceeding greatness of His (God the Father’s) power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His (God the Father’s) mighty power, Which He (God the Father) wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.” Ephesians 1:1919 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

- 2319 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

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Contemplate Almighty God’s Power. The Greek word for power in the first phrase of Ephesians 1:19 is “dynamos” (G1411) from which our English word dynamite comes. It occurs 120 times in the NT translated “power” 77 times; “mighty work” 11 times; “strength” 7 times; “miracle” 7 times; “might” 4 times; “virtue” 3 times; “mighty” twice and with other various words 9 times. Whereas dynamite is limited in it’s inherent power, God’s Power is not limited. It is “natural capability, inherent power, capability of anything, ability to perform anything. The Power of God is the power which manifests in all the modes, especially in His redeeming work, where God is at work, revealing and carrying out the plan of salvation.”

The 2 English words translated “mighty power” in the last part of Ephesians 1:19 are translated from 2 Greek words, “kratos” and “ischus.” Kratos (G2904) is found 12 times in the NT translated “power” 6 times, dominion 4 times, strength once and “mightily” with G2596 once. “Ischus” (G24879) is found 11 times in the NT and is translated “strength” 4 times, “power” twice, “might” twice, “ability” once, “mightily” (with G1722) once and “mighty” once here in Ephesians 1:19. These two words together describe the strength, power in effect, ability to exercise control.

It was this “mighty power” that God the Father wrought in Christ when He raised Him (Christ) from the dead and set Him at His own Right Hand in the heavenlies, greater and higher than any other power whether in heaven (angels) or earth (any earthly magistrates, Kings, leaders of any kind) and anyone during any age, whether this age or any in the future. Further more, God has placed everything under The Lord Jesus Christ’s feet and made Him to be Head of all things to the Church, which is His (The Lord Jesus Christ’s) Body, which is the fulness (made replete, completed, filled up of Him that filleth (made complete, accomplished, perfected) of anything in the universe, Ephesians 1:20 - 2320 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

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Quoting from “The Complete Bible Commentary,” page 921: “Without the Head the body would be incomplete. The church (The Body of Christ composed of all true believers over the last 2000 years) will complete His (The Lord Jesus Christ’s) glory in that wondrous realm far above all heavens which He is to fill fully. This is the mystery, the great secret hidden in God and never revealed in the scriptures until this epistle is reached. It may, therefore, be justly stated to be the most wondrous book in the Bible. To be a member of that glorious company, Christ's Own Body and as such, sharing in Him and with Him His exaltation above all worlds, was the apostle Paul's ambition; and for it he willingly surrendered the glories attaching to the earthly kingdom promised to the Hebrew Church.”