Ephesians 3.15b-Every One of God's Moral Rational Creatures Owe Their Existence to Him and Are Under His Soverign Authority
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday August 15, 2024
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 3:15b-Every One of God’s Moral Rational Creatures Owe Their Existence to Him and Are Under His Sovereign Authority
Lesson # 171
Ephesians 3:14 For this reason, I make it my habit of bending my knees in the presence of the Father 15 from whom each and every family located in the heavens as well as located upon the earth is designated a name. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 3:15 is composed of the declarative statement ex hou pasa patria en ouranois kai epi gēs onomazetai (ἐξ οὗ πᾶσα πατριὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ὀνομάζεται), “from whom each and every family located in the heavens as well as located upon the earth is designated a name.”
It is composed of the third person singular present passive indicative conjugation of the verb onomazō (ὀνομάζω), “is designated a name,” which is modified by three prepositional phrases.
The first of these is ex hou pasa patria (ἐξ οὗ πᾶσα πατριὰ), “from whom each and every family,” the second is en ouranois (ἐν οὐρανοῖς), “located in the heavens” and the third is epi gēs (ἐπὶ γῆς), “located upon the earth.”
This statement is modifying the articular accusative masculine singular form of the noun patēr (πατήρ), “Father,” which appears at the end of Ephesians 3:14.
So therefore, the contents of Ephesians 3:15 and the syntax of this verse make clear that it is a description of God the Father asserting that each and every family located in the heavens as well as those located upon the earth is designated a name, which originates from Him.
The second prepositional phrase en ouranois (ἐν οὐρανοῖς), “located in the heavens” contains the noun ouranos (οὐρανός), which refers to all three levels of heaven, which is the earth’s atmosphere, the universe and the throne room of God.
This word is object of the preposition en (ἐν) which functions as a marker of location indicating that the name of each and every family “located in” the first, second and third heavens originates from God the Father.
Now, the noun ouranos (οὐρανός), “the heavens” is referring to all three levels of heaven.
The original language of Scripture teach that there are three levels of heaven.
This multiplicity of heavens is indicated in Ephesians 4:10 and Hebrews 4:14 where our Lord at His ascension is said to have “passed through the heavens” (accusative masculine plural noun ouranos).
The first and second heaven are not specifically mentioned but the third heaven is discussed in 2 Corinthians 12:2.
Logically speaking, it is evident that there cannot be a third heaven without also a first and second heaven.
The first heaven is the earth’s atmosphere which surrounds the earth (Mt. 6:26; 8:20; 16:2-3; 24:30; Mk. 4:32; 13:27; Lk. 8:5; 9:58; 12:56; 13:19; 17:24; Acts 1:10-11; 4:24; 10:11, 12; 11:6).
The second heaven is the stellar universe or space which consists of a vast array of stars, moons, suns, galaxies and solar systems (Mt. 24:29; Mk. 1:10; 13:25; Lk. 11:16; 17:29; 21:26, 33; He. 11:12; R. 6:13-14).
The third heaven was also created by the Lord Jesus Christ (Psa. 102:25; 115:15; 124:8; 134:3; Isa. 45:12; 51:13; Jer. 32:17; Zech. 12:1; John 1:3; Col. 1:16-17; Heb. 1:10).
He will also be the Creator of the new heavens and new earth (Isa. 65:17).
The Scriptures teach that the third heaven is the abode of the Trinity (Gen. 14:19, 22; 23:3, 7; 1 Kings 8:30, 49; 2 Chron. 6:21, 30; Neh. 1:4-5; 2:4, 20; Psa. 11:4; 20:6; 33:14; 103:19; Isa. 63:.5; 66:1; Matt. 5:34; Luke 16:9; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:11; 7:56; 2 Cor. 12:2; Heb. 2:10; Rev. 19:14).
The inhabitants of the third heaven: (1) The Trinity (2) Elect Angels (3) OT saints (4) The dead church age believers (5) Fallen Angels.
The third and final prepositional phrase, which is found in Ephesians 3:15, which is epi gēs (ἐπὶ γῆς), “located upon the earth” contains the noun gē (γῆ), which is used in a cosmological sense.
The articular construction of this word ge is generic meaning it is distinguishing planet earth from these three levels of heaven.
Specifically, it is distinguishing all God’s moral rational creatures living on the earth with those living in all three levels of heaven.
This noun is the object of the preposition epi (ἐπί) which is a marker of the location indicating that the name of each and every family located “upon” the earth originates with God the Father.
These families as we noted would include both human and angelic beings and specifically both unregenerate and regenerate human beings and elect and non-elect angels.
These families would include both human and angelic beings and specifically unregenerate and regenerate human beings as well as elect and non-elect angels.
Regenerate human beings who have died are located with Jesus Christ at the throne room of God (cf. 2 Cor. 5:1-10; John 14:1-3; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Rev. 19:1-10).
Angels including Satan and his angels currently have access to all three levels of heaven.
They have access to the throne room of God (Job 1-2; Zech. 3:1-10; Rev. 12:1-10) as well as the stellar universe and the earth’s atmosphere (Dan. 10; Eph. 2:1-2; 6:10-12).
Both elect and non-elect angels have access to all three levels of heaven.
Also, the angels who followed Satan in his rebellion against God and who possessed the bodies of unregenerate men during the antediluvian period are presently imprisoned in Tartarus, which is underneath the earth (cf. Jude 6; 2 Pet. 2:4-5).
Lastly, there is another group of evil spirits who are currently imprisoned in the Abyss, which is the place of imprisonment for those evil spirits who follow Satan and who violated certain rules for angelic creation.
They are scheduled for release during the tribulation period but will eventually experience eternal condemnation in the lake of fire (Lk. 8:30-31; Rom. 10:7; Rev. 20:1-3).
In Scripture, when God named the first human being Adam, it signified His authority and rulership over him.
Also, when Adam named the first woman Eve, it too signified his authority and rulership over the woman.
Throughout Scripture, when a parent names a child it signifies their authority and rulership over that child.
The only exception is Jesus Christ because Joseph and Mary did not name their firstborn son, but rather they received this name from the elect angel Gabriel, who was sent by the Father to name their firstborn son, Jesus (Matt. 1:21; Lk. 1:31).
Therefore, when Paul asserts in Ephesians 3:15 that every family among the angels and human beings who are located in the first, second and third heavens as well as those located upon the earth received their name from God the Father, he means that the Father is the ruler over each of each member of the human and angelic races.
This assertion also means that each and every angelic and human being owes their existence to the Father.