Category: heavenly kingdom

The Fulness of Him That Filleth All in All #5

Sunday, May 3, 2026

“Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all…” (Ephesians 1:23 KJV).

What is the definition of this obscure expression, “the fulness of him that filleth all in all?”

“Fulness” can be defined as “that which has been filled.” Once filled, the fulness can then become the complement or completion of whatever or whoever filled it. Here is our function as the members of the Church the Body of Christ. Filling us with His life, Christ can serve as our Head/Leader/Director. We are thereby rendered fit to achieve Father God’s eternal purpose—exalting His Son, Jesus Christ, in the heavenly places in the ages to come!

“But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:…” (Ephesians 4:15). “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body” (Ephesians 5:23). “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” (Colossians 1:18). “And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God” (Colossians 2:19).

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). Father God has assigned Christ to be the Head of Heaven’s governments positionally (cf. Colossians 2:10). This is for our benefit (Ephesians 1:20-23), for He as our Head can now link us to an heavenly inheritance. He profits as well. Our participation in those heavenly realms make Him the Head of Heaven’s governments practically.

“Him that filleth all in all” is this. Christ fills “all” (first “all”) members of His Body with His life. Then, He fills the offices of Heaven’s government with those members. Finally, they (“in all” those heavenly places) fill Heaven with Christ’s life!

The Fulness of Him That Filleth All in All #4

Saturday, May 2, 2026

“Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all…” (Ephesians 1:23 KJV).

What is the definition of this obscure expression, “the fulness of him that filleth all in all?”

The Church the Body of Christ is Christ’s “fulness,” for He needs us to accomplish Father God’s will in the heavenly places. After He fills us with His life, we individual believers fill the heavenly places with that very life.

“In all” of today’s Scripture is a prepositional phrase highlighting our occupation of all heavenly governmental offices (“all things”). “That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:…. And [Father] hath put all things under his [Son’s] feet, and gave him to be the head over all things [governmental offices in the heavens—all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named; verses 20,21] to the [advantage of the] church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (Ephesians 1:1,22,23).

“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Philippians 3:20,21). “He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things [all governmental offices].)” (Ephesians 4:10).

“For by him [God the Son, Jesus Christ] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 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. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven” (Colossians 1:16-20).

Let us summarize….

The Fulness of Him That Filleth All in All #3

Friday, May 1, 2026

“Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all…” (Ephesians 1:23 KJV).

What is the definition of this obscure expression, “the fulness of him that filleth all in all?”

Read carefully the wording of Ephesians 1:22,23, today’s Scripture with the prior verse: “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” Obviously, “the fulness of him that filleth all in all” is a title of the Church the Body of Christ.

“Fulness” (a variant spelling of “fullness”), of course, is the state of being full or complete. The Church the Body of Christ is the Lord Jesus Christ’s “fulness,” or what completes Him, as in a complement. Some Bible readers needlessly struggle to understand this (“How could Jesus be ‘incomplete’ without us?!”), but, as long as we are mature saints, it really is not complicated. In order to facilitate His exaltation in the heavenly places, He needs the Church which is His Body. That group is an extension of His own influence as the God-Man, we as individuals being vessels of His life. As we govern the heavenly places in eternity future, so He reigns in and through us.

The “filleth all” links to Father God’s plan to fill us with Christ’s life, Father God’s very life, which the indwelling Holy Spirit makes real in our life. “In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation [dwellingplace] of God through the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:21,22). “…[T]o be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith;… that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:16,17,19). “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:…” (Ephesians 4:13). “…[B]ut be filled with the Spirit;…” (Ephesians 5:18). “When Christ, who is our life,…” (Colossians 3:4).

Let us now break down “in all….”

The Fulness of Him That Filleth All in All #2

Thursday, April 30, 2026

“Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all…” (Ephesians 1:23 KJV).

What is the definition of this obscure expression, “the fulness of him that filleth all in all?”

Ephesians is advanced doctrine, far more complex than (basic, fundamental, elementary) Romans: Ephesians truth builds and expands upon Romans truth. The theme of Ephesians is the Church the Body of Christ, an entity or group formed via the Gospel of Grace presented in the first five chapters of Romans and whose conduct or lifestyle operates according to Romans chapters 6–8 and chapters 12–16. Ephesians amplifies Romans’ individual issues and renders them into corporate issues: Ephesians underscores how Father God is creating and maintaining a people whom He has designed to serve Him in the heavenly places in the ages to come.

We reiterate. Ephesians has the Church the Body of Christ as its primary theme. Today’s Scripture and the verse before it read, “…the church, which is his body” (Ephesians 1:22,23). Here is the “one body” of Ephesians 2:16 and Ephesians 4:4, “the church” of Ephesians 3:10,21. Such is “the body of Christ” of Ephesians 4:12, “the body” of Ephesians 4:16, as well as “the church… the body… the church… the church… a church… his body… the church” of Ephesians 5:23-27,30,32. This “body” is a group of believers God is “calling out” from the people of the world using Paul’s Gospel of Grace. (“Ekklesia,” here translated “church,” is defined as “called-out assembly;” “church” means “belonging to the Lord.”)

The church of this present dispensation is Christ’s “body” because all its members (individual Christians) work together under one Head (Christ; see Ephesians 4:15), just as our physical body has many members (body parts) managed by one brain. See 1 Corinthians 12:12-14: “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.”

We are closer to deciphering the enigmatic vocabulary of today’s Scripture….

Not Thy Righteousness, But Their Wickedness #10

Sunday, April 19, 2026

“Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Deuteronomy 9:5 KJV).

May we have the proper perspective of wickedness versus righteousness….

On the one hand, there is “righteousness” or “right standing before God, the condition of justification.” On the other hand, there is “wickedness,” or “the condition of being evil or morally wrong” (interestingly, the root “wicked” is derived from “witch!”). Every human, except the God-Man Jesus Christ, is born in wickedness rather than righteousness.

Ephesians chapter 2 reviews this individual history of believers in Christ: “[1] And you hath he [Father God] quickened [given life to], who were dead in trespasses and sins; [2] Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [Satan], the spirit [attitude/mentality] that now worketh in the children of disobedience [unbelievers, lost people]: [3] Among whom also we all had our conversation [manner of living] in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”

“God’s Grace Factory”—as it has been so aptly titled—removed us from such a wretched, wicked position in Adam and placed us into a glorious, righteous position in Christ: “[4] But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, [5] Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved; ) [6] And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: [7] That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast. [10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

This is not our righteousness, but God’s righteousness….

Not Thy Righteousness, But Their Wickedness #9

Saturday, April 18, 2026

“Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Deuteronomy 9:5 KJV).

May we have the proper perspective of wickedness versus righteousness….

“Behold, he [God] putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight” (Job 15:15). “Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight” (Job 25:5). “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 [heavenly] places” (Ephesians 6:12). The Scriptures declare how Satan has defiled outer space with his plan to “worship and serve the creature more than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). Such polluted Heavenly Places will not be cleansed until the ages to come.

Here is the ultimate removal of evil from the Heavenly Places, which realm we subsequently occupy as members of the Church the Body of Christ: “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7-9).

“And [Father God] hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6,7). God in His grace wanted to save (rescue, deliver) people from sin, so Christ died for those sins. This bridges the gap between us and God, qualifying us believers to receive “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

To repeat, this is not because of our righteousness, but God’s goodness and the fallen angels’ wickedness….

Not Thy Righteousness, But Their Wickedness #8

Friday, April 17, 2026

“Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Deuteronomy 9:5 KJV).

May we have the proper perspective of wickedness versus righteousness….

It was the Gentiles’ wickedness in the land on Earth, not Israel’s righteousness out of the land, that caused Israel to inherit that land; remember, Israel did not naturally have righteousness anyway. In an interesting parallel, it is the angels’ wickedness in the Heavenly Places, not our righteousness on Earth, that results in we (the Church the Body of Christ) inheriting those Heavenly Places; remember, we did not naturally have righteousness either.

Colossians 1:16-20: “For by him [Jesus Christ] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 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. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”

Whether Heaven or Earth, creation is currently in rebellion against its Creator. Satan’s sinful plan has been put into effect quite masterfully. So as to bring Earth back to Himself, Father God wisely creates the nation Israel to glorify Jesus Christ in the Earth. From Paul’s ministry, we learn how Father God prudently creates the Church the Body of Christ to glorify Jesus Christ in the Heavenly Places, thus bringing the Heavenly Places back to Himself. In the ages to come, Satan’s work in both realms of creation is overthrown, undone, reversed. For this to be to God’s glory, whether in Heaven or in Earth, it must be God’s righteousness alone and never, ever man’s….

A Hope Reserved for Israel in Heaven? #14

Friday, February 13, 2026

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,…” (1 Peter 1:3,4 KJV).

Perhaps we can search the Scriptures to resolve an apparent contradiction, thereby perfecting that which is lacking in superficial readers….

“Which [mighty power] he [Father God] wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (Ephesians 1:20-23). It was to our benefit (advantage) as members of the Church the Body of Christ that Father God granted the Lord Jesus Christ governmental authority in Heaven: after all, we will share that authority throughout the endless ages to come.

“And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6,7). We even have resurrection (glorified) bodies to function in outer space! “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:…” (2 Corinthians 5:1,2). “For our conversation [lifestyle reflecting citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself” (Philippians 3:20,21).

As in Revelation 12:7-12, Satan and his angels will be thrown out of Heaven so we can be permanently installed, with that kingdom of God spreading to Earth for believing Israel’s sake (Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2), thereby achieving Ephesians 1:9,10!

A Hope Reserved for Israel in Heaven? #13

Thursday, February 12, 2026

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,…” (1 Peter 1:3,4 KJV).

Perhaps we can search the Scriptures to resolve an apparent contradiction, thereby perfecting that which is lacking in superficial readers….

Since creation is divided into Heaven and Earth (Genesis 1:1), and Satan has corrupted both spheres with sin (Job 15:15; Job 25:5; Luke 4:5-7; 2 Corinthians 4:3,4), Father God has a plan to end the rebellion and bring Heaven and Earth back under the Headship of Jesus Christ the Creator.

“For by him [Christ] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 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. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven” (Colossians 1:16-20). “[Father God] Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:…” (Ephesians 1:9,10).

As long as we see this overall picture of “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), we will not be confused. Israel is God’s earthly people, destined to be filled with Christ’s life on Earth. We the Church the Body of Christ are His heavenly people, ordained to be filled with Christ’s life in Heaven: therefore, Father has blessed us with “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

Let us conclude this devotionals arc….

A Hope Reserved for Israel in Heaven? #12

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,…” (1 Peter 1:3,4 KJV).

Perhaps we can search the Scriptures to resolve an apparent contradiction, thereby perfecting that which is lacking in superficial readers….

In his farewell sermon, Moses counseled Israel to obey the LORD to receive the blessing, “That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land [on Earth!] which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth” (Deuteronomy 11:21). Notice the comparison to an heavenly Earth.

Genesis 1:1 declares, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” From verse 2 onward, the Bible’s focus is “the earth.” The LORD God labors to make Himself a home with mankind on Earth (check Psalm 132:5,10-14), which encompasses the Davidic Covenant of 2 Samuel 7:12-17 (cf. Luke 1:31-33). Recall again how God’s earthly kingdom loops all the way back to Adam and reaches all the way into the future to Christ’s Second Coming (Matthew 25:34; Acts 3:20,21). Jesus’ return and subsequent kingdom is Earth-oriented: “Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth…. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (Daniel 2:35,44).

However, beginning in Acts chapter 9 with Paul’s salvation and commissioning, God shifts from restoring Earth to Himself, to restoring Heaven to Himself, for both realms must be brought back to the Creator God to achieve His eternal purpose….