Ephesians 3.21c-The Extent of Time in Which Glory Will Be Given for the Benefit of the Father
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Saturday September 28, 2024
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 3:21c-The Extent of Time in Which Glory Will Be Given for the Benefit of the Father
Lesson # 190
Ephesians 3:20 Now, on behalf of the one who for His own glory possesses the ability to accomplish infinitely beyond anything that we at any time could urgently request for the benefit of ourselves or at any time could imagine. This corresponds to His power, which for His own glory is working within each one of us. 21 For the benefit of Himself alone, glory will be given because of the church specifically because of the church’s faith at justification and union and identification with the Christ, who is Jesus throughout all the generations without exception, that is, throughout eternity, during these ages. Amen. (Lecturer’s translation)
The third and final prepositional phrase, which modifies the elliptical declarative statement in Ephesians 3:21 is eis pasas tas geneas tou aiōnos tōn aiōnōn (εἰς πάσας τὰς γενεὰς τοῦ αἰῶνος τῶν αἰώνων), “throughout all the generations without exception, that is, throughout eternity, during these ages” (Author’s translation), expresses the extent of time in which the Father will receive glory from the church in the form of adoring praise, honor, recognition and worshipful thanksgiving.
In this prepositional phrase, the noun genea (γενεά) pertains to the generations of human beings living after the last days, which began with the First Advent of Jesus Christ and will end with His Second Advent.
Thus, the referent of this word is the dispensations after the church age, seventieth week of Daniel and Second Advent of Jesus Christ, which would include the millennial reign and eternal state.
This noun genea (γενεά) is modified by the accusative feminine plural form of the adjective pas (πᾶς), which not only pertains to these future generations in their totality but also to these future generations in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions.
This expresses the idea of “all” the generations in the future “without exception.”
The articular construction of the noun genea (γενεά) indicates that the adjective pas (πᾶς) receives greater emphasis than the noun genea (γενεά).
The noun genea (γενεά) is the object of the preposition eis (εἰς), which functions as a marker of an extent of time.
Therefore, this prepositional phrase eis pasas tas geneas (εἰς πάσας τὰς γενεὰς) expresses “the extent of time” when the Father will receive glory in the form of adoring praise, honor, recognition and worshipful thanksgiving.
Thus, indicates that the Father will receive this adoring praise, honor, recognition and worshipful thanksgiving “throughout” every single one of the generations after the last days.
In this final prepositional phrase, we have the articular genitive masculine singular form of the noun aiōn (αἰών) followed by the articular genitive masculine plural form of this word.
However, the former means “eternity” whereas the latter means “ages.”
However, they both speak of the concept of eternity in relation to the future ages after the completion of the last days.
Both are used with the preposition eis (εἰς) to express the concept of eternity and literally means “namely, throughout eternity, during the ages.”
The articular use of the noun aiōn (αἰών) when it is used the first time is monadic, which means it identifies this word as “one of a kind” and therefore, the referent of this word is “unique.”
This indicated by the word’s genitive adjunct tōn aiōnōn (τῶν αἰώνων), which indicates that the entire expression tou aiōnos tōn aiōnōn (τοῦ αἰῶνος τῶν αἰώνων) contains a monadic idea.
Therefore, this entire expression indicates that eternity is distinct and unique from the generations before the completion of the last days and from the generations prior to the last days going back to the creation of mankind in the Garden of Eden and the fall of Adam and Eve.
The first use of the noun aiōn (αἰών) functions as a genitive of apposition or epexegetical genitive, which means that the word is defining or making explicit the referent of the articular accusative feminine plural form of the noun genea (γενεά), “generations,” which we noted is modified by the accusative feminine plural form of the adjective pas (πᾶς), “all…without exception.”
Thus, the former defines or identifies the referent of the latter as those generations after the completion of the last days, which would be the millennial reign of Jesus Christ and the eternal state.
In other words, eternity in relation to the future after the completion of the last days.
The articular genitive masculine plural form of the noun aiōn (αἰών) functions as a genitive of time, which indicates that the Father will receive glory “during” eternity future or in other words “during” the ages subsequent to the conclusion of the last days, which would be the millennial reign and eternal state.
The two-fold use of aiōn (αἰών) appears in other places in the Pauline corpus and emphasizes the concept of eternity (cf. Heb. 1:8; Ps. 45:6 [44:6]).
Romans 1:24, “Therefore, God gave them over in the lust of their hearts to impurity, namely, they degraded their bodies between themselves 25 who indeed by virtue of their evil character exchanged the truth originating from God by means of the lie. Furthermore, they worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is worthy of praise and glorification throughout eternity. Amen.” (Author’s translation)
Romans 9:5, “To them belong the fathers and from them, the Christ with respect to human racial descent, the one who is, as an eternal spiritual truth, God over each and every living and non-living thing, worthy of praise and glorification throughout eternity. Amen!” (Author’s translation)
Romans 11:36, “Because each and every thing, as an eternal spiritual truth, exists because of Him as their source and through Him and for Him. Glory (in the sense of adoring praise and worshipful thanksgiving) will be directed towards Him throughout eternity. Amen!” (Author’s translation)
Romans 16:25 Now, to the One who is, as an eternal spiritual truth, always able to strengthen each and every one of you without exception according to my gospel namely, publicly proclaiming as a herald in a dignified and authoritative manner Jesus, who is the Christ on the basis of receiving revelation concerning the mystery, which has been concealed from eternity past. 26 But now has been manifested. Indeed, through the prophetic Scriptures according to the decree of the eternal God has been fully made known publicly and explicitly for the benefit of all the Gentiles for the purpose of obedience produced by faith. 27 To the unique, wise God through Jesus Christ, to whom, will be directed glory (in the sense of adoring praise and worshipful thanksgiving) throughout eternity. So it will be. (Author’s translation)
Second Timothy 4:18 The Lord will, as a certainty, for His own glory, rescue me from each and every kind of evil act. Indeed, He will, as a certainty bring me safely into His kingdom, which is in heaven. Who will, as a certainty be the recipient of glory in the form of adoring praise and worshipful thanksgiving forever and ever. Amen! (Author’s translation)
This repetition of the noun aiōn (αἰών) to express the concept of eternity occurs regularly in the Pauline corpus and in Revelation (cf. Heb. 13:21; 1 Pet. 4:11; 5:11).
This using of repetition is a Hebrew idiom indicating a superlative (e.g., Holy of Holies = the most Holy Place), thus this prepositional phrase means “forever and ever.”
This construction stresses most emphatically the concept of eternality.
In the Epistles this repetition of the word falls only in the context of praise to God and Christ (Gal. 1:5; Eph. 3:21; Phlp. 4:20; 1 T. 1:17; 2 T. 4:18; Heb. 1:8; 13:21; 1 P. 4:11; 5:11).
Paul concludes his doxology in Ephesians 3:20-21 with the interjection amēn (ἀμήν), “Amen,” which expresses a strong, emphatic affirmation of the preceding assertion that glory will be given for the benefit of the Father throughout the generations, that is, throughout eternity.
In other words, during the future ages subsequent to the conclusion of the last days because of the church and specifically because of the church’s faith in Jesus Christ at justification and their union and identification with Him.
Therefore, Paul emphatically asserts in Ephesians 3:21 that for the benefit of the Father alone, glory will be given throughout all future generations, that is, throughout all of eternity or in other words, during the ages following the last days.
The reason for this praise is because of the church and specifically because of the church’s faith in Jesus Christ at justification and their union and identification with Him.
In other words, the church will praise throughout eternity because of their so great salvation, which was accomplished through Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial resurrection and session at the Father’s right hand and was appropriated by the members of the church at justification.
Simultaneously, they were placed in union with His Son and identified with His Son in crucifixion, death, burial resurrection and session at the Father’s right hand through the baptism of the Spirit.
Paul then concludes his doxology in Ephesians 3:20-21 with a strong, emphatic affirmation of this emphatic, elliptical assertion.
As we noted in our study of Ephesians 3:20, the apostle Paul’s doxology in Ephesians 3:20-21 along with the contents of Ephesians 1:3-14 serve as bookends for the first three chapters of this epistle because they both praise the Father for His work through both His Son and the Holy Spirit in providing the church their so great salvation and sanctification.