In the Heavenlies By C. Donald Chrysler B.S., M.A. - January 2019
In his letter to the believers in Ephesus, Paul writes that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). These “spiritual blessings,” from salvation to being seated with Christ in the heavenlies, are enumerated throughout the book of Ephesians. The heavenlies are further described in chapter one, verse twenty, where God raised Christ from the dead and seated Him “at his right hand in the heavenlies.” What God is telling us here is that, in His sight, we believers are already positionally seated with Christ in the heavenlies!
In II Corinthians 12:2-4 Paul tells of his spiritual experience when the Jews stoned him at Lystra some fourteen years earlier (Acts 14:19). He tells us he was “caught up to the third heaven… into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” The first heaven is the heaven of the birds. The second heaven is the heaven of the stars, and the third heaven is the heaven of God.
Even though Paul was not allowed to reveal what he heard, he gives us a clue in I Corinthians 2:9. He writes, “…Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love him.” According to this verse, mortal mankind is not capable of comprehending neither the breadth nor depth of the believer’s spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. Imagine the most beautiful, glorious, magnificent paradise you can think of and be sure that the heavenlies will be far greater than that.
All believers in Christ, since Paul's declaration of the “dispensation of the grace of God” (Ephesians 3:2) are recipients of this heavenly destination. This stands in contrast to the destiny of all the Old Testament and Four Gospels saints. Their blessings are all earthly. Abraham’s promise of the land, David’s promise of the Kingdom and Christ’s promise to the twelve Apostles, that during the coming Kingdom they “shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel,” are earthly promises and will come to fruition here on earth. Today, when sinners turn to Christ as Savior, they are baptized into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:13). They are prepared to spend eternity with Christ, the Head of the Body, in the heavenlies for all eternity.
In II Corinthians 12:2-4 Paul tells of his spiritual experience when the Jews stoned him at Lystra some fourteen years earlier (Acts 14:19). He tells us he was “caught up to the third heaven… into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” The first heaven is the heaven of the birds. The second heaven is the heaven of the stars, and the third heaven is the heaven of God.
Even though Paul was not allowed to reveal what he heard, he gives us a clue in I Corinthians 2:9. He writes, “…Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that love him.” According to this verse, mortal mankind is not capable of comprehending neither the breadth nor depth of the believer’s spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. Imagine the most beautiful, glorious, magnificent paradise you can think of and be sure that the heavenlies will be far greater than that.
All believers in Christ, since Paul's declaration of the “dispensation of the grace of God” (Ephesians 3:2) are recipients of this heavenly destination. This stands in contrast to the destiny of all the Old Testament and Four Gospels saints. Their blessings are all earthly. Abraham’s promise of the land, David’s promise of the Kingdom and Christ’s promise to the twelve Apostles, that during the coming Kingdom they “shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel,” are earthly promises and will come to fruition here on earth. Today, when sinners turn to Christ as Savior, they are baptized into the Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:13). They are prepared to spend eternity with Christ, the Head of the Body, in the heavenlies for all eternity.
Photo by A. Chrysler
Note: Scripture verses quoted here are from the King James Bible.
*Earnest R. Campbell (1986), A Commentary of Ephesians.
*Earnest R. Campbell (1986), A Commentary of Ephesians.