Ephesians 4.10b-Jesus Christ is Bringing to Completion Every Animate and Inanimate Object in Creation
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday January 30, 2025
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 4:10b-Jesus Christ is Bringing to Completion Every Animate and Inanimate Object in Creation
Lesson # 222
Ephesians 4:7 Now, however, to each one of us grace was given corresponding to the incomparable Christ’s proportionate gracious giving. 8 Therefore, it says, “When he ascended to the highest place, he captured captives. He generously gave gifts to certain members of the human race.” 9 In other words, what is the meaning of the statement, “he ascended?” Namely that, he also descended into the lower regions, which are part of the earth? 10 He, the very one who has descended is the one who also has ascended above each and every one of the heavens in order that He would enter into the state of bringing to completion each and every animate and inanimate object. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 4:10 is composed of the following:
(1) emphatic declarative statement: ho katabas autos estin kai ho anabas hyperanō pantōn tōn ouranōn (ὁ καταβὰς αὐτός ἐστιν καὶ ὁ ἀναβὰς ὑπεράνω πάντων τῶν οὐρανῶν), “He, the very one who has descended is the one who also has ascended above each and every one of the heavens.” (Lecturer’s translation)
(2) purpose clause: hina plērōsē ta panta (ἵνα πληρώσῃ τὰ πάντα), “in order that He would enter into the state of bringing to completion each and every animate and inanimate object.”(Lecturer’s translation)
The hina (ἵνα) purpose clause presents the purpose of the Lord’s ascension and states that the purpose of His ascension to the right hand of His heavenly Father was to bring to completion each and every animate and inanimate object in the sense redeeming them from the curse of sin and Satan.
As was the case in Ephesians 1:23, the verb plēroō (πληρόω) here in Ephesians 4:10 pertains to causing something to be brought to completion, or to complete an activity.
In both verses, the referent of the masculine singular form of this verb being Jesus Christ.
Therefore, in both verses, this verb speaks of Jesus Christ bringing to completion every animate and inanimate object in creation in the sense of redeeming it from the curse of sin and Satan.
As was the case in Ephesians 1:23, the articular accusative neuter plural form of the adjective pas (πᾶς) here in Ephesians 4:10 is the accusative direct object of this verb and pertains refers to the totality of inanimate and animate objects that are contained in the first, second and third heavens and the earth.
In other words, this adjective pertains to the totality of animate and inanimate objects that are contained in creation, which would include all marine life, bird life, terrestrial life, human beings and angels.
As was the case in Ephesians 1:23, the adjective pas (πᾶς) here in Ephesians 4:10 is used in a distributive sense which emphasizes that “the totality of” inanimate and animate objects that are contained in the three levels of heaven “without exception” being brought to completion by the Lord Jesus Christ.
In both instances, the word refers to the totality of animate and inanimate objects that are contained in the first, second and third heavens and the earth: (1) Stars, satellites, and planets that compose the stellar universe. (2) Earth’s sun and moon. (3) Vegetation on the earth (4) Marine life (5) Bird life (6) Terrestrial life. (7) Human beings (8) Angels.
This adjective would include the orderly arrangement of the heavens and the earth and all things in their complex order and composition as created by God, created in perfect order and subject to the laws God established to govern its operation (Matt. 13:35; John 21:25; Acts 17:24).
Therefore, the hina (ἵνα) purpose clause here in Ephesians 4:10 presents the purpose of the Lord’s ascension and asserts that its purpose was to bring to completion each and every animate and inanimate object and this speaks of Jesus Christ redeeming all of creation from the curse of sin and Satan.
In other words, by ascending to the right hand of the Father, Jesus Christ assumed sovereign rulership over every creature and all of creation.
He also received the title deed to planet earth, which makes Him the rightful ruler of the earth and consequently, at His Second Advent He will remove Satan and the members of his kingdom as rulers of the earth.
Thus, Jesus Christ will redeem all of creation from the curse of sin and Satan at His Second Advent, which will not only terminate the seventieth week and the Times of the Gentiles but also terminate Satan’s rulership over the earth.
The “Second Advent” of Jesus Christ is taught in both the Old and New Testaments (Deuteronomy 30:3; Psalm 2:1-9; 24:7-10; 96:10-13; 110; Isaiah 9:6-7; 63:1-6; Jeremiah 23:1-8; Daniel 2:44-45; 7:18-27; Zechariah 12; 14:1-9; Matthew 19:28; 24:27-31; Mark 13:24-30; Luke 12:35-40; 17:24-37; 18:8; 21:25-28; Acts 1:10-11; 15:16-18; Romans 11:25-27; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2:8; 2 Peter 3:3-4; Jude 14-15; Revelation 1:7-8; 2:25-28; 16:15; 19:11-21).
At that time, He will destroy the Tribulational armies, have Antichrist and the False Prophet thrown into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 19:11-19), will imprison Satan and the members of his kingdom for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-3) and will establish His millennial reign on planet earth (Rev. 20:4-6).
At that time, the Lord and His armies will orbit the earth before landing on the Mount of Olives, which was the site of His Ascension (Acts. 1:9-11).
There will be a great earthquake when our Lord’s foot touches the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:1-8) and will be a unique day having neither day nor night (Zech. 14:7).
The Lord Jesus Christ describes the Tribulation period in detail and His Second Advent in Matthew 24:29-31 and Luke 21:25-28.
The Second Advent of Jesus Christ will usher His millennial reign when He and His bride, the church will rule over all creation for a thousand years.
During the millennial reign of Christ, Satan and the members of his kingdom will be incarcerated for a thousand years.
Israel will be regathered and the four unconditional covenants that the Lord established with the nation will be literally fulfilled and there will be perfect social, economic, environmental and political conditions during the millennial reign of Christ.
During this time, God will make a display of the absolute authority of divine government through the rule of the Messiah.
The church age believer’s union and identification with Jesus Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the Father’s right hand is extremely important because it is related to the Father’s purpose in restoring the human race to rulership over the earth.
By seating His Son, Jesus Christ and His bride the church at His right hand and placing every animate and inanimate object under their authority, the Father restored humanity to its original position, namely rulership over the earth.
This restoration of humanity to rulership over the earth is prophesied about in Daniel 7:14.
Also, the title deed to the earth that is mentioned in Revelation 5 is related to the rulership of the earth.
In this chapter, this title deed to the earth was sealed with seven seals, which no one moral rational creature in creation was able to open except Jesus Christ.
Genesis 1:26-30, Psalm 8 and Hebrews 2:7-8 teach that mankind was designed to rule over the works of God’s creation.
Adam was created and designed in the image and likeness of God in order that he might exercise sovereign authority over all creation.
So Adam was created and designed in the image and likeness of God in order that he might exercise sovereign authority over all creation (Psalm 8).
However, the rulership of the creation was lost by Adam and the Woman in the Garden of Eden when they disobeyed the Lord’s prohibition to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3).
Satan usurped the rulership of the first Adam over the earth when he deceived the woman into disobeying the Lord’s prohibition to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and getting Adam to do so as well.
However, the Last Adam, the God-Man, the Lord Jesus Christ has regained that rulership over the earth with His obedience to the Father’s will in going to the cross in order to suffer the wrath of God as a substitute for all of sinful humanity (Rom. 5:12-21; Hebrews 2:6-9).
That Satan is the temporary authority over the earth is indicated in that 2 Corinthians 4:4 says that he is the “god of this world.”
The Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the cross gained the rulership of the earth back for mankind according to Philippians 2:5-11 and Hebrews 2:9.
In Hebrews 2:6-8a, we have the record of God’s purpose for mankind decreed whereas in Hebrews 2:8, we have this purpose delayed due to the Fall and in Hebrews 2:9, 14 and 17 we have this purpose accomplished through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 8 teaches that all things are not in subjection to the members of human race.
However, verse 9 does asserts that Jesus was crowned with glory and honor as a result of His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross.
Now, the church is the bride of Christ according to Ephesians 5:32.
So therefore, a comparison of Ephesians 5:32 with Ephesians 2:6, and Colossians 3:1-4 implies that the Lord Jesus Christ and His bride, the church will restore humanity to its rightful place as rulers of the earth.
In other words, the mystery of the Father’s will is tied to the millennial reign of Christ because it reveals that the church will be the bride of His Son and together the two will restore humanity to rulership over the earth.
The church’s union and identification with Christ in His crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection and session at the Father’s right hand is the means by which the Father is providing a bride for His Son and restoring the human race to rulership over the earth.
