I am memorizing the first chapter of Ephesians right now. For the past year, I have been reading (and memorizing) out of the Wuest New Testament, a translation based on the Greek language.
making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
According to the Wuest translation, Ephesians 1:9-10 reads,
having made known to us the mystery of His will according to that which seemed good to Him, which good thing He purposed in himself, with respect to an administration of the completion of the epochs of time to bring back again to their original state all things in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him,
While there are so many things to point out, I only wanted to address one (or two).
The NIV makes it sound like God’s will is still a mystery to us, but more and more of it is revealed to us as we approach the end of time and that’s part of His plan. It seems so passive!
BUT... that’s not what Paul wrote or meant!
The Wuest verifies that God’s will has been made known to us and is no longer a mystery to us (other Scriptures buttress this truth). He made it known to us because He is considering that the end of time is approaching (when people are revealed to be found in Christ or not). Since He wants for none to perish, He has revealed His will, so that we can actively evangelize and make disciples.
I have no idea if I clarified that well. Basically, it’s about enlarging the Kingdom, which Satan hates. And God has empowered and equipped us to do it, now. We have the Spirit and fullness NOW. Pentecost has already happened! There is no more waiting!
