The Fullness of Time

Ephesians 1:10 “…as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

 Is there a plan with a specific time frame? This is a crucial question. Paul explained how Jesus was revealed to the Jewish/Roman world and to the remaining world (gentile nations) through his and others' ministries. Jesus came to restore the relationship between all people and God, not just Jews. Although Jesus was a Jew, He came for all mankind, not just His extended family of origin. It is easy to see Jesus as the Jewish Messiah and not the savior of the entire world, but that misses the purpose of His coming.

God's ultimate plan is to unite all things in Him. What things? Religion, governments, arts, finance, media, family, education... There is a movement called the "Seven Mountains Mandate" that embraces this belief that all these things will be united in Christ. However, the key...it is in Christ. Our role will be to reach out and pray for people who are lost and share the good news of freedom in Jesus Christ to those who work and operate in these different influence centers. We should not seek to take control but release control to Jesus Christ. The gospel is a preserving force to our society, which is why it and we are known as salt and light.

In the verse at the top of this page, Paul talks about unifying things in heaven and on earth. He refers to three rebellions noted in Genesis and Deuteronomy, which is why unification is required:

       1. The fall in the Garden of Eden when mankind disobeyed God and sin entered the earth. (Genesis 3:1-24)

       2.  The fall of the Angels who came to earth, sinned by procreating with human women, and taught mankind forbidden arts. (Genesis 5:1-4)

       3.  The fall of the sons of God who were appointed over the nations and rebelled against God. (Deuteronomy 32:7-9)

Bringing heavenly chaos back into unity with God's design and matching earthly chaos with God's design involves timing. God's human imagers can partake in this process by aligning themselves with God's purposes, responding to His calling and allowing Him to transform them into sons and daughters of the living God. It's not about what they do for God, but rather what He does in them. It involves a renewing of the mind, a metanoia, similar to a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, a new creature in Christ.

Personal transformation is not just limited to physical changes, but it also has a remarkable impact on the spiritual realm. In fact, it can send shock waves throughout the entire created order. The words of Paul highlight this truth, as he mentions the far-reaching effects of our transformation in Romans 8:19-22 ESV “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.”

Although there are still principalities and powers that govern various nations, they have been informed that Jesus Christ has already defeated them, and their time is running out. Our role is not to confront them, as they have already been made aware of their defeat. Our role is to continue the process of transformation so that we may become more Christlike. We must always remember that the battle belongs to the Lord, not us. They will have their day of defeat and dethronement; we must stay the course and not be distracted by the enemies of God. We will be promoted to our positions of authority over the nations soon enough, but we must remain focused on Him who is the savior from ourselves, and not stand in the way of our great king Jesus from transforming us into His likeness.

Becoming united with Christ is the ultimate plan. When it says “united with all of creation,” it means more than just the ways we have created to communicate or govern one another. It includes all of creation, the entire created order. God's original intention for us was to become one with Him and all of His creation, both natural and spiritual. Adam couldn't find a companion among the creatures God had made, so God took a part of man and created woman. This way, together they both could complete each other and humanity and creation could be restored to wholeness. God's desire is for His children to be made whole once again, united with all of  His creation. As Paul indicated in Ephesians 5:31-32 It is the perfect analogy of Christ and the Church.

The timing of Jesus' return is a topic of interest. According to the Bible, Jesus will come back to earth and rule in Eden, also known as “the new Jerusalem which comes down from heaven,” as described in the book of Revelation. The Father will choose the day for Jesus' return, which will be at the fullness of time. Similarly, there was a day and a specific hour when we became aware of the grace of God in our lives, which compelled us to believe in Jesus and put our full trust and confidence in His promises. It is God's love that compels us to fully trust Him. 

Stephen Barnett