Ephesians Series: Ephesians 1:21a-The Extent of Jesus Christ’s Sovereign Rulership in Relation to Every Human and Angelic Governmental Authority

Ephesians 1:15 For this reason, after I myself heard about the faith among each and every one of you in the one and only Lord Jesus as well as you are practicing divine-love, which is on behalf of each and every one of the saints, 16 I never permit myself to cease regularly expressing thanks to the one and only God because of each and every one of you. I do this while disciplining myself to make it my practice of remembering each and every one of you during my prayers. 17 I make it a habit of occupying myself with praying that the God, that is, the glorious Father of the one and only Lord ruling over each and every one of us as a corporate unit, who is Jesus Christ, would cause each and every one of you to receive divine wisdom, specifically, divine revelatory wisdom provided by the one and only Spirit with respect to an experiential knowledge of Himself. 18 Namely, that the eyes of your heart are enlightened in order that each and every one of you would possess the conviction of what constitutes being the confident expectation of blessing produced by His effectual call, what constitutes His inheritance, which is characterized by glorious wealth, residing in the person of the saints. 19 Also, what constitutes being His incomparable, great power on behalf of each one of us who believe which is equivalent to the exertion of His sovereign, omnipotent power to overcome. 20 This He caused to enter into the state of being exerted on behalf of the incomparable Christ. Specifically, by causing Him to be raised out from the dead ones. Then, by causing Him to be seated at His right hand in the heavenlies 21 above each and every sovereign ruler, authority, power exercised, dominion as well as each and every designated rank, by no means only during this age but in fact also during the one certain to come. (Lecturer’s translation)

Ephesians 1:21 is composed of three prepositional phrases.

The first hyperanō pasēs archēs kai exousias kai dynameōs kai kyriotētos kai pantos onomatos onomazomenou (ὑπεράνω πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ δυνάμεως καὶ κυριότητος καὶ παντὸς ὀνόματος ὀνομαζομένου), “above each and every sovereign ruler, authority, power exercised, dominion as well as each and every designated rank” is modifying nominative masculine singular aorist active participle conjugation of the verb kathizō (καθίζω), “specifically, by causing to be seated,” which appears in Ephesians 1:20.

Therefore, the first prepositional phrase and this verb assert that the Father caused His Son, Jesus Christ to be seated at His right hand in the third heaven above each and every sovereign human and angelic ruler, each and every human and angelic governmental authority, each and every human and angelic power exercised, each and every human and angelic dominion as well as each and every designated rank in both the human and angelic realm.

The last two prepositional phrases help to form a correlative clause ou monon en tō aiōni toutō alla kai en tō mellonti (οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι), “by no means during this age but in fact also during the one certain to come.”

They are modifying the first prepositional phrase and the verb it is modifying.

Therefore, this verb in Ephesians 1:20 and these three prepositional phrases in Ephesians 1:21 assert that the Father caused His Son, Jesus Christ to be seated at His right hand above each and every sovereign ruler, authority, power exercised, dominion as well as each and every designated rank in both the human and angelic realm, by no means during this age, but in fact during the one certain to come.

Therefore, Ephesians 1:21 is asserting in emphatic terms the extent to which the Lord Jesus Christ rules over every creature from the right hand of God the Father as well as the duration in which He will rule.

Thus, it not only emphasizes His sovereign authority over each and every human and angelic being who has been delegated governmental authority by the Father but also the duration of time in which He will reign.

The term “sovereignty” connotes a situation in which a person, from his innate dignity, exercises supreme power, with no areas of his province outside his jurisdiction.

As applied to the Lord Jesus Christ, the term “sovereignty” indicates His complete power over all of creation and every creature including every moral rational creature (human and angelic being), so that He exercises His volition or will absolutely, without any necessary conditioning by a finite will (volition) or wills (volitions).

Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ exercises His volition absolutely without any necessary conditioning by the volition of His creatures whether human or angelic beings, which constitutes His sovereignty over them.

Now, in Ephesians 1:21, the noun archē (ἀρχή), “sovereign ruler” refers to any human or angelic governmental rulers who possess sovereignty over nations in the human realm and angelic realm.

Thus, it refers to the highest rank of angels in both God and Satan’s kingdom as well as the highest rank of governmental civil authorities in the human race who God has delegated authority to function in a sovereign ruling capacity in the human and angelic realms.

This word is modified by the adjective pas (πᾶς), “each and every” which is emphasizing that there is absolutely no human or angelic sovereign governmental ruler which is not subjected to the Lord Jesus Christ who sits at the right hand of the Father.

The noun archē (ἀρχή) is the object of the improper preposition hyperanō (ὑπεράνω), “above,” which is marking the superior authority or rank of the Lord Jesus Christ in relation to each and every human and angelic governmental sovereign ruler.

It is expressing the idea that His sovereign authority is superior in relation to them or in other words, His rank is superior to their rank.

The noun exousia (ἐξουσία), “authority” speaks of the various ranks of human and angelic governmental authority but who are subordinate to the archē, “sovereign rulers.”

This word is also modified by the adjective pas (πᾶς), “each and every” since the word not only pertains to totality but is also used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions.

Therefore, this word would indicate that there is absolutely no human or angelic governmental authority, who are under the authority of the archē, “rulers,” who is not subjected to the Lord Jesus Christ who sits at the right hand of the Father.

Also, the noun exousia (ἐξουσία) is also the object of the improper preposition hyperanō (ὑπεράνω), “above” which is marking the superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ’s authority or rank to rule in relation to each and every human or angel being, who He has delegated governmental authority in the human and angelic realms.

In Colossians 2:10, Paul mentions Jesus Christ as possessing authority over these rulers and authorities. In Colossians 2:15, Paul teaches that Jesus Christ disarmed these rulers and authorities.

The noun dunamis(δύναμις), “power exercised” refers to the exercise of human or angelic governmental authority, both sovereign governmental authority or those individuals whose authority is subject to a sovereign ruler.

This word is also modified by the adjective pas (πᾶς), “each and every” emphasizing that there is absolutely no human or angelic governmental authority, which is exercised, which is not subjected to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The noun dunamis(δύναμις) is also the object of the improper preposition hyperanō (ὑπεράνω), “above” which is marking the superiority of the exercise of the Lord Jesus Christ’s authority and rank in relation to each and every human or angel being who He has delegated governmental authority to exercise in the human and angelic realms.

The noun kuriotēs(κυριότης), “dominion” refers to the “dominion or jurisdiction” over a nation and which dominion or jurisdiction is exercised by one who is in a governmental ruling position.

The emphasis with this word is upon the dominion or jurisdiction itself in which a governmental ruler or authority exercises authority over rather than upon the authority exercised by the governmental ruler or authority. In other words, it speaks of the actual realm in which these sovereign governmental rulers and authorities rule over.

So therefore, this word speaks of the “dominion” or “jurisdiction” of those who possess “sovereign governmental authority” in the human and angelic realms, which we noted are described by the noun archē (ἀρχή), “sovereign ruler.”

It also speaks of the “dominion” or “jurisdiction” of those who possess governmental authority in the human and angelic realm that is subordinate to those who possess sovereign governmental rulership in the human and angelic realms, who are described by the noun exousia (ἐξουσία), “governmental authority.”

This word kuriotēs(κυριότης) is also modified by the adjective pas (πᾶς), “each and every” emphasizing that there is absolutely no dominion or jurisdiction in the human or angelic governmental realms, which is exercised, which is not subjected to the Lord Jesus Christ who sits at the right hand of the Father.

The noun kuriotēs(κυριότης) is also the object of the improper preposition hyperanō (ὑπεράνω), “above” which is marking the superiority of the Lord Jesus Christ’s dominion or jurisdiction in relation to each and every human or angel being who He has delegated authority to exercise governmental authority in the human and angelic realms.

The noun onoma(ὄνομα), “rank” is used of the title bestowed on a human or angelic governmental authority, which indicative of their rank or office.

It too is modified by the adjective pas (πᾶς), “each and every” emphasizing that there is absolutely no human or angelic title or rank, which is not subjected to the Lord Jesus Christ who sits at the right hand of the Father.

This word is also the object of the improper preposition hyperanō (ὑπεράνω), “above” which is marking the superior rank and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ in relation to each and every title or rank in the human and angelic realm, who He delegated governmental authority to exercise and is expressing the idea that He is sovereign over them.

The verb onomazō(ὀνομάζω), “designated” speaks of the act of an unidentified human or angelic being having been designated a particular rank or title, which is indicative of their position or status within a particular government, whether human or angelic.

This reference to Jesus Christ’s possessing a superior rank in relation to every human and angelic governmental ruler or authority in Ephesians 1:21 is echoed in Philippians 2:9-11.