Heavenly Places

 March 12, 2022

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” —Ephesians 1:3 

“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His 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 age but also in that which is to come.” —Ephesians 1:15-21 

When I think of “heavenly places,” images of saints and angels bowing before God’s throne in worship come to mind. All is gloriously bright and colorful, a scene of immense beauty and joy. The blessings that come from such a place are able to lift the spirit from despondency to ecstasy, and to fill every empty heart with joy. It is where Christ reigns supreme, the place of origin of all spiritual blessings. All is wonderfully perfect.

St. Paul reveals a great truth the next time he uses this phrase—that we are seated with Christ, ie, the same authority he holds, he confers upon us. How amazing is that? We get to sit on the throne with him! 

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” —Ephesians 2:4-7 

The next time he uses this phrase, it takes on a subtle new connotation. Heavenly places are not only populated by the saints and angels, but by what he calls “principalities and powers,” which we later learn are not the best of spiritual company. Amazingly enough, God gives us the responsibility and privilege of letting these principalities and powers God’s plan to redeem the world through Jesus Christ, which must be a bit discouraging to them.

“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,” —Ephesians 3:8-11 

The last time Paul uses these words is when he speaks of spiritual warfare:

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” —Ephesians 6:11-12 

These heavenly places are not the same as “heaven,” but are the spiritual realms where our prayers are operative. It’s like a parallel universe where the connecting portal is prayer. In that realm, we have authority in Christ, and through our prayers engage the very powers behind powerful individuals, corporations, organizations, and nations. In these encounters, we experience the blessings of Christ’s presence, his wisdom, hope, and inheritance. It is a great place to be, but it requires a willingness to engage in a spiritual encounter that can be exhausting. But it is also exhilarating, and that is worth my gratitude and praise today.