Tag: anabaino

Ephesians 4:8 – Moving Day

Posted on by Will

Therefore He says: "Having ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men."

Truth to Learn

Jesus Christ moved Paradise and gave all Christians gifts.

 

Behind the Words

The word “says” is from the Greek verb legō, which literally means “to lay forth,” that is, “to express something in words.” There is no subject given in the Greek text, so scholars are split between “He [God] says” and “it [Scripture] says.”

“Having ascended” is translated from anabaino, which means “to go up.” It is expressed as an aorist participle, so it could be translated “having gone up.”

“On high” is from eis hupsos. A literal translation of these two words would be “into elevation,” or “into the heights.”

The words “he led … captive” are translated from the verb aichmalōteuō, which is based on aichmalōtos, meaning “a captive of war.” The verb form, aichmalōteuō literally means “to captivate” or “to lead away captive.”

“Captivity” is from the noun aichmalōsia, which is also based on aichmalōtos. This form of the word refers to “the condition, or state, of being a captive.”

 

Meaning Explained

Paul has been talking about all of us fulfilling our calling with special attention to maintaining the unity of the church. He is now going to talk about some of the gifts that God gives to us which enable us to perform our function within the body of Christ. In today’s verse Paul tells us when those gifts were bestowed by God.

In order to fully understand, however, we need to do a quick mini-lesson about Hell. In the Old Testament it is most often referred to as sheol, the place of the departed dead. In the New Testament it is referred to as hades. From Numbers 16:33 we learn that sheol is in the center of the earth. And, from Luke 16:22, 23 we learn that there are two different areas of hades, the place of torment (where the rich man was) and a place of rest (where Lazarus was). In the Old Testament, the unrighteous people went to the place of torments and the righteous (like Abraham and Lazarus) went to the place of rest.

Hang-in with me now. On the cross, Jesus told one of the thieves crucified beside Him that on that very day they would both be in Paradise, that is, the place of rest where Abraham was. However, in 2Corinthians 12:4 Paul tells us that he was caught up into Paradise. In fact, a close reading will show us that in this verse Paradise is up at the third heaven (God’s throne room). So, at some point in time Paradise moved.

That movement of Paradise is what Paul is describing in today’s verse. When Christ died, he went down to sheol (hades). However, when He rose from the dead he “led captivity captive.” In other words, Christ took Paradise out of sheol (hades) and took it and all the righteous dead “up to” the third heaven (2Corinthians 2:2).

At that same time, Paul tells us here, Christ gave gifts to men.

 

Application

You and I have special gifts (spiritual gifts or abilities) given to us by Jesus Christ. These gifts are what enable us to serve Him effectively in the local church.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

1 Corinthians 2:9 – They Can’t Understand

Posted on by Will

But as it is written: "eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him."

Truth to Learn

Natural man can’t understand the mystery of salvation.

Behind the Words

The words “it is written” are translated from the Greek verb graphō, which literally means “to grave,” that is, to carve or to write. It is written here in the perfect tense, so it means “it was written in the past and, therefore, it is written (as a confirmed statement of fact).”

“Seen” is from a form of the verb horaō, which means “to see” or “to perceive.”

“Heard” is from akouō, which means “to hear something.” It is often used metaphorically, as it is here, to refer to someone understanding the truth of what is said.

The words “entered into” are from the verb anabainō, which literally means “to go up.”

Eis is the word translated “into.” It literally means “into.”

The word “prepared” is translated from hetoimadzō. This verb means “to make ready” or “to prepare.”

Meaning Explained

Today’s verse is one that is often misunderstood. Many people think that it is a reference to the things in heaven which God has prepared for believers. This is precisely the problem that occurs when we quote verses out of context. If we look carefully at the context of this verse, we learn that Paul is not talking about heaven, but about something entirely different.

Upon looking at the preceding verses, we see that Paul is talking about the mystery of God’s wisdom regarding the gospel. He even contrasts that mystery with the secrets of some false religions. The difference between the mystery of God’s wisdom and the secrets of the mystery religions is the fact that this mystery is now openly revealed. In tomorrow’s verse, Paul will tell us that the things spoken of in today’s verse have already been revealed by the Holy Spirit.

The glories of heaven had not yet been fully revealed. There is a brief description of the heavenly scene found in Revelation chapters twenty-one and twenty-two, but the book of Revelation had not yet been written when Paul wrote these words. So, Paul is not referring to heaven in today’s verse; he is talking about the wonder of salvation through faith and the glorious fellowship we have with God as a result.

He tells us three things about the mystery that is now revealed. The first is that the eyes of natural man have not perceived it, the ears of natural man have not understood it, and the deepest part of natural man’s being (the heart) has not received it. The reason that the natural man (one who has not accepted the gospel message by faith and, therefore, does not truly love God) is explained by Paul in tomorrow’s verse.

Application

The gospel message and fellowship with God cannot be grasped by human intellect alone. This understanding only comes once we have believed God’s truth about what Jesus Christ did on the cross. We can’t logically argue anyone into believing. We can only witness and pray. The rest is up to God.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2013 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 4:8 – Moving Day

Posted on by Will

Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men."

Truth to Learn

Jesus Christ moved Paradise and gave all Christians gifts.

Behind the Words

The word “says” is from the Greek verb legō, which literally means “to lay forth,” that is, “to express something in words.” There is no subject given in the Greek text, so scholars are split between “He [God] says” and “it [Scripture] says.”

“When He ascended” is translated from anabaino, which means “to go up.” It is expressed as an aorist participle, so it could be translated “having gone up.”

“On high” is from eis hupsos. A literal translation of these two words would be “into elevation,” or “into the heights.”

The words “he led … captive” are translated from the verb aichmalōteuō, which is based on aichmalōtos, meaning “a captive of war.” The verb form, aichmalōteuō literally means “to captivate” or “to lead away captive.”

“Captivity” is from the noun aichmalōsia, which is also based on aichmalōtos. This form of the word refers to “the condition, or state, of being a captive.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has been talking about all of us fulfilling our calling with special attention to maintaining the unity of the church. He is now going to talk about some of the gifts that God gives to us which enable us to perform our function within the body of Christ. In today’s verse Paul tells us when those gifts were bestowed by God.

In order to fully understand, however, we need to do a quick mini-lesson about Hell. In the Old Testament it is most often referred to as sheol, the place of the departed dead. In the New Testament it is referred to as hades. From Numbers 16:33 we learn that sheol is in the center of the earth. And, from Luke 16:22, 23 we learn that there are two different areas of hades, the place of torment (where the rich man was) and a place of rest (where Lazarus was). In the Old Testament, the unrighteous people went to the place of torments and the righteous (like Abraham and Lazarus) went to the place of rest.

Hang-in with me now. On the cross, Jesus told one of the thieves crucified beside Him that on that very day they would both be in Paradise, that is, the place of rest where Abraham was. However, in 2Corinthians 12:4 Paul tells us that he was caught up into Paradise. In fact, a close reading will show us that in this verse Paradise is up at the third heaven (God’s throne room). So, at some point in time Paradise moved.

That movement of Paradise is what Paul is describing in today’s verse. When Christ died, he went down to sheol (hades). However, when He rose from the dead he “led captivity captive.” In other words, Christ took Paradise out of sheol (hades) and took it and all the righteous dead “up to” the third heaven (2Corinthians 2:2).

At that same time, Paul tells us here, Christ gave gifts to men.

Application

You and I have special gifts (spiritual gifts or abilities) given to us by Jesus Christ. These gifts are what enable us to serve Him effectively in the local church.

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.