1

The Book of Ephesians

and The Glorious Church
Part 2
Ephesians 1:4 and 1 Cor 2:6-8

NAS95S
Eph. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in
Christ,
Eph. 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we would be holy and blameless before Him.
In love
Eph. 1:5 1He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to
Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
Eph. 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed
on us in the Beloved.

Since man fell from the glory man could not stand in the Presence of God.

God devised an elaborate plan so that He could dwell among men in the Shechinah
in the Tabernacle and in the Temple in O.T. times.

But from before the katabole (overthrow) of the world (the judgment of Satans
earthly kingdom), God had a plan in place to prepare a people who could stand
before Him, in His Presence, forever.

Heb. 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead
works to serve the living God?

God knew man would be tempted and fall. But if One would go and live a sinless life,
required by a Just One, that earthen vessel in which He lived could be broken, and
the Life that is in His Blood could be poured out for all mankind.

Somewhere in a great Eternal Moment, the Anointed One, offered Himself through
the Great Eternal Spirit, The Holy Spirit, to the Father God. He offered to humble
Himself and live in a mans Body without spot, then to offer His Blood to purge the
sins of the world.

The Mystery of the Ecclesia
The Church

The New Testament calls Gods plans mysteries.

Some of the mysteries the New Testament speaks about are: the mystery of Israel
(Romans 11:25, 26): the mystery of iniquity (2 Thess. 2:7); and the mystery of the
church (numerous references).

The Companion Bible says: The English word mystery is a transliteration of the
Greek word musterion, which means a sacred secretsomething concealed that can
be revealed.1

God concealed His plan for the church throughout the O.T. Prophets prophesied
about it, while they wondered of what, and of whom they were speaking. Even the
Gospel writers did not grasp the mystery. It was not until a man named Paul came
along that God revealed what He had concealed, the mystery of the church.

The Holy Spirit through Paul refers to it as:
the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began (Romans 16:25)
the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God(Eph.
3:9).


Brim note: When I heard Satan, with fallen the man cringing behind him, mock God
saying, What-are-you-gonna-do now? What-are-you-gonna-do-now?

I saw, with emphasis upon the fact, that God did not answer Him.

I knew it was purposeful.

I saw, as it were, a door in the midst of God marked Top Secret.

God did not open that door then to Satan.
God did not open that door throughout the Old Testament.
God did not open that door throughout Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.

Pauls Revelation

When Jesus was about to go to His Passion, He said to His disciples, I have yet many
things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now (John 16:12).

KJV
John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you
into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear,
that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
John 16:14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it
unto you.
John 16:15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he
shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
John 16:16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while,
and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.


One of the most important things the Holy Spirit would reveal, was the hidden
mystery of the church.
It was not revealed in the O.T.
It was not revealed in the Four Gospels.

It was revealed first, to the Apostle Paul.

(During 17 years easily traceable in Galatians 1:122:2


?

Arabia [1:16,17]


3 yrs
Damascas [1:17,18]


15 days
Jerusalem [1:18]


14 yrs
Syria, Cilicia [1:21, 2:7]










17 Years Plus

And it is revealed in the Epistles to the Church.
All the Bible is for the Church.
But not all the Bible is about the Church.
The N.T. Epistles are to, for, and about the Church.

Brim Note: The Holy Spirit recently drew to my attention Psalm 25:14 in the
ArtScrolls Hebrew to English translation, The secret of HASHEM (LORD) is for those
who fear Him, and His covenant is to let them (cause them to) know.

Gods covenant was to reveal this mystery (secret). God through the Holy Spirit
caused Paul to know it. He made it known to Paul. And He causes us to know
through the Pauline revelation.

The Hidden Wisdom

The Holy Spirit through Paul refers to it as:
the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began (Romans 16:25)
the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God (Eph.
3:9).

What a hiding place! Hidden in God!

When I first really saw the following passage I saw where the mystery led

1Cor. 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not
the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to
nought:
1Cor. 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden
wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

When did He ordain the plan?
Before the world!
For what purpose?
Unto our glory! Hallelujah!
Consider how strong this verse is in The Amplified Bible.2

1Cor. 2:6 Yet when we are among the full-grown (spiritually mature
Christians who are ripe in understanding), we do impart a [higher] wisdom
(the knowledge of the divine plan previously hidden); but it is indeed not a
wisdom of this present age or of this world nor of the leaders and rulers of
this age, who are being brought to nothing and are doomed to pass away.
1Cor. 2:7 But rather what we are setting forth is a wisdom of God once
hidden [from the human understanding] and now revealed to us by God
[that wisdom] which God devised and decreed before the ages for our
glorification [to lift us into the glory of His presence].

To lift us into the Glory of His Presence! Hallelujah!
Therefore qualifying us to fulfill Ephesians 1:4.

KJV
Eph. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
Eph. 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that
we would be holy and blameless before Him.

Now back to our First Corinthians passage:

KJV
1Cor. 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden
wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
1Cor. 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known
it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

The Father of Glory (Eph 1:17), sent the Lord of Glory to lift up the man who had
been crowned with the Glory, but had fallen from the Glory, back into the Glory of
His Presence!

The Bible can indeed be called, The Story of the Glory!

If Satan had seen the plan, he never would have lifted Gods spotless Lamb to the
altar of the Cross where His innocent Blood could be shed to cleanse man to once
again stand in the Glory of Gods Presence.

The Process of Glorification

The crux of the mystery is stated succinctly in Colossians 1:26, 27:

Col. 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from
generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col. 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of
this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Imagine Satans dismay when the first man was born again!

When he saw that the Anointed One came to take up abode inside the man, and to
become his hope of glory, I can picture the devil replacing his What-are-ya-gonna-
do-now? chant with a cry of Curses! Foiled again! and falling over backwards.

Ever since Jesus arose from the dead and His blood was accepted by the Father,
when a person believes in his heart that Jesus died on the Cross and that God raised
Him from the dead, and confesses with His mouth the Lord Jesus, he is saved. He is
born from above. He is born again. He is a New Creation.(Ro 10:9,10; 2 Cor 5:17).

At ones new birth, the process of glorification begins and progresses according to
the plan. Believers are to we look into Gods Word for His glory and yield ourselves
to the Holy Spirit.

2Cor. 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
2Cor. 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them
which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the
image of God, should shine unto them

2Cor. 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath
shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ.
2Cor. 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of
the power may be of God, and not of us.

At ones new birth, the Creator who said, Light be in the darkness of Genesis 1,
says to the darkened and dead spirit of man, Light be, and the work of glorification
is begun which is to end in complete glorification throughout Eternity in the
Presence of the Father.

At the New Birth, the creation of the New Creation Man, the Glory of God enters
mans heart, his spirit. At the New Birth man has within him all the Glory of God, the
Presence of God that he can abide. (Thats why hope of glory.)

That Presence is to grow and overtake Him, spirit, soul, and body, as He yields to the
plan to reflect the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ.

That knowledge of the Glory of God is revealed in the mirror of Gods Word and the
desired effect is brought about by the Holy Spirit as He changes the believer into the
very image of the Master. The Glorified Body of Christ becomes a Bride fit for Him.
(Genesis 2:18). The Glorious Church. (Eph 5:27.)

This passage speaks of the believers open, unveiled, face when one reads the Word.

2Cor. 3:18 And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to
behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are
constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing
splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the
Lord [Who is] the Spirit.

Example: When I first worked for Kenneth E. Hagin, I often needed to talk to him
about something. He was on the road ministering. So I saved my questions to ask
him when he came in. But, when he walked into my office, I became tongue-tied. It
seemed to me like God walked in. I beat myself up, thinking, Hes not God. Why am I
acting like this? As I grew in the revelation of the Glory, the Lord explained it to me.
He made me to know, Some people have yielded to the plan. They have been
changed from glory to glory until they are carriers of a higher degree of glory than
others. I.e. a higher degree of the presence of God.


1 The Companion Bible (Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids, MI 49501) Ap. 193, 211.
2 The Amplified Bible (The lockman Foundation, LaHabra, CA, 1958, 1987)