Wednesday Bible Study: The end of all things- Ephesians

This (Ephesians 6) is so far the most packed chapter- in a mere 24 verses- we've faced in this journey.  It divides into four sections (or 3 and a subsection), and even trying to address them all is going to be a job.


The first section actually begins in the previous chapter, at 5:22, and is a catalogue of humility, if you will.  He takes the three great subordinate/authority relationships of the day- wife/husband, child/parent, and slave/master- and explains what the attitude of each should be.  In the first, he councils the wife to 'submit' to the husband, but gives the husband a far higher bar- to love her as Christ loves the Church.  In the second, the child gets a "what's in it for me" moment- the promise of a long happy life IF they obey and honor the parent.  The parent, on the other hand, is to instruct, but not discourage in discipline.  The slave (worker) is told do his job sincerely, and not as a suck-up who then talks behind the boss's back (which is a good modern translation of the text IMHO).  The Master (boss) on the other hand is specifically told to quit threatening, remembering how HE would want to be treated before his heavenly Master.

I skip ahead to the the third (or 3 and 3 A), which is reminding them of the absolute necessity of prayer- both for God's aid to themselves and for all men, particularly the leaders like Paul.  He finishes off by showing his care back to them- by sending Tychicus to let them know how he is doing.


The meat, like any good sandwich, is in the middle.  Most of you have heard the following passages:

Eph 6:10  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 
Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 
Eph 6:12  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 
Eph 6:13  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 
Eph 6:14  Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 
Eph 6:15  and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 
Eph 6:16  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 
Eph 6:17  and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God... 

Now, that's from the ESV for readability; you might recognize 6:12 more in its KJV form:

Eph 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. 

This is partially where we get our "Classifications of Angels" - Principalities, Powers, and Rulers.  And actually it is a classification of the Fallen Angels, the daemonic world we face.  Breaking it down from the original, we get:

Principalities- those that hold themselves the first, the beginning of things.  Think extreme pride.

Powers- this works out to be extreme privilege IN PUBLIC.  So pride before God, then pride before men.

Rulers- this actually traces down to World Rulers in the Shadows- the manifestation of Satan in the physical world.

Spiritual wickedness- 'ethereal depravity', Satan manifested in the spiritual world.

But then Paul goes on to list what we have on OUR side- the Whole Armor of God.  What I DIDN'T know, until I read this passage in the LITV (Literal Translation), almost all of these parts Paul drew from the Prophetic Word, but not just that- each is an attribute of Christ in His Second Coming:

The Belt of Truth- from Isaiah 11:5- "Righteousness encircles His loins"

Breastplate of Righteousness- Is 59:17- "wears Righteousness like armor"

Shoes of the Gospel of Peace- Is 52:7 "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, making peace heard; who brings good news, making salvation heard; who says to Zion, Your God reigns! "

Helmet of Salvation: a direct quoting from Is 59:17 again.

The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God- this one gave 2 passages:  Is 49:2, "He made My mouth like a sharp sword", and Hosea 6:5, "I have slain them by the Word Of My Mouth".

The shield of faith, though, did not have such a reference, though I found one in Psalms 5:12:

Psa 5:12  For You; O Jehovah, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield. 

And 'favor' has to do with a translation that means "having satisfied a debt"- which of course is Christ's death on the Cross, which unites the redemption in our rear-view mirror with faith and hope of His return in the future.  In other words, then, we fight fight the control of Satan in THIS world with the sure promise of Christ's return.  Taken this way, it seems to me an easier and more effective way to remember this passage in times of temptation and disaster.