I see
the following passage as saying that Christ ascended with paradise and the Old
Testament saints. When do you think that
Christ transferred paradise from the heart of the earth where it was in his
day, to the third heaven where it is now according to 2 Corinthians 12:2, 4?
Ephesians
4:8-10
Wherefore
he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and
gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what
is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the
earth? He that descended
is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might
fill all things.)
I see that happening before Paul was saved –
before he was given the doctrine contained in the book of Ephesians which is
part of the revelation of the mystery of Christ given to the Apostle Paul.
Romans 16:25
Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and
the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the
mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
Paul calls it the dispensation of the grace of
God.
Ephesians 3:2
If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is
given me to you-ward:
The doctrine in Ephesians wasn’t made known
until years into the Apostle Paul’s ministry.
The body of Christ was a mystery.
Ephesians 3:5-7
Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as
it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; That
the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers
of his promise in Christ by the gospel: Whereof I was made a minister,
according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working
of his power.
Paul was the first member of the body of
Christ.
1 Timothy 1:15-16
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that
in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a
pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
The doctrine of Ephesians came approximately
30 years after Paul’s salvation. Paul’s
13 books are broken up into three groups. The books of Galatians, I and 2
Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Corinthians and Romans, are called the ‘acts’ epistles
of his early ministry. There are three ‘prison’
epistles: Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. Those complete the revelation of the mystery. Lastly we have the “pastoral” epistles of 1
and 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon.
By the time Paul wrote the book of Ephesians,
Christ had already ascended with paradise.
So what is happening in Ephesians 4?
Ephesians 4:8
Wherefore
he saith [Paul is quoting Ps. 68:18], When he ascended up on high, he led captivity
captive, and gave gifts unto men.
That corresponds with what Paul says in
Colossians about the heavenly places.
Colossians 2:15
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them
openly, triumphing over them in it [the cross].
Most
people think that ‘he led captivity captive, and gave
gifts unto men’ has to do with his ascending with paradise, but that
is not what Paul is talking about. He is
not referring to the time when the Lord took the Old Testament saints up to the
third heaven. Paul’s message is the
mystery of Christ, the body of Christ and the dispensation of grace.
Ephesians
and Colossians are sister epistles. If you want light on Ephesians you go to
Colossians and vice versa. Ephesians
focuses on the church the body of Christ and our calling for the heavenly
places.
Colossians 1:24
Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is
behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which
is the church:
Ephesians 2:6
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus:
Colossians
focuses on Christ as the head of the body and his ministry in the heavenly
places through us.
Colossians 1:18
And he is the head of the
body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in
all things he might have the preeminence.
Why did Paul quote Ps. 68:18? Because that is a messianic psalm about the
victory that the Lord Jesus Christ has over his enemies in the earth in the
Prophetic program. Those who have Israel
in lawful captivity (the Antichrist, Satan and his cohorts) will be defeated
and destroyed. God will spoil them: take
from them and give to Israel. That will happen
in the earth when Christ returns to fulfill prophecy, destroy the enemies of
Israel and establish his earthly kingdom and give it to his people Israel and
the Old Testament saints.
2 Peter 1:11
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you [Kingdom saints] abundantly into the everlasting
kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The same is true for the heavenly places. The body of Christ will take them over.
Ephesians 2:6
And hath raised us up together, and made us [the body of Christ] sit together in heavenly places
in Christ Jesus:
A majority of the heavenly places is now being
usurped by Satan and his angels.
Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places.
We battle against Satan and his angels. That is what he is talking about in Ephesians
4:8 when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive. That is not about taking the Old Testament
saints with him to paradise. Paul is not
dealing with that event which already happened in prophecy sometime between the
time that Christ descended into paradise and the time that Paul was caught up
into the third heaven. Colossians gives
some light on this.
Colossians 2:15
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them [Satan and his unholy
angels] openly, triumphing
over them in it.
This is what he is talking about when he led captivity captive. In the Old
Testament when a king would conquer his enemy, he would parade the enemy leader
and his people through the streets and make a show of them openly to humiliate
them. Spiritually speaking, that is what
the Lord Jesus Christ did to Satan and his angels through the cross.
1 Corinthians 2:7-8
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom,
which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world
knew:
He is not just talking about
human princes, but also Satan and his angels (John 12:31).
for had they known it [the mystery of how God would reconcile the heavens back unto
himself through a new agency called the church the body of Christ], they would not have crucified the Lord of glory
[Christ].
But
through the cross he spoiled principalities and powers,
he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
He spoiled them. That is
why he said in Colossians:
Colossians 2:8
Beware lest any man spoil you [believers] through philosophy and vain deceit,
after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after
Christ.
Don’t let someone come to you with anything as
the power of Almighty God but the “preaching of the cross.” It is the message of grace given to the
Apostle Paul.
1 Corinthians 1:18
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish
foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
Galatians 6:14
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
I want you to understand that there is a
difference between the time that Christ ascended with paradise
and the actual time that he took captivity captive. The one who held Israel in lawful captivity
was Satan.
Isaiah 49:24
Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive [Israel] delivered?
Israel was under the penalty of the law and
Satan had them in captivity. He spoiled
them. Satan wants to be like the Most
High God, possessor of heaven and earth.
Genesis 14:19
And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God,
possessor of heaven and earth:
Isaiah 14:14
I [Lucifer/Satan]
will ascend above the heights
of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Therefore Christ spoiled Satan and his angels
in the heavenly places through the cross.
The theme and context of the book of Ephesians is the heavenly places,
not the earth.
So he led captivity captive in Ephesians 4:8 is the same
thing as spoiled
principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them
in it in
Colossians 2:15.
Hopefully this
helps!
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