Ephesians 4:8
What is he concluding or explaining?
Explains why Christ had right to give gifts = He was the Victor.
Gifts are free but it cost something
to give them to us to this parenthesis should be a powerful motivator for
us to all use our spiritual gifts. We need to remember what if cost our
Lord to make them available to us. To not use them as one pastor phrased
it is to spite God's gift to us. We will be held accountable for how we
used our gifts.
How does he illustrate from OT?
Quotes Ps 68:18
Note there is some variation -
specifically the OT says "received gifts" and NT says "He gives gifts").
The point is you have to receive something to have something to give.
Christ received the gift from His Father and gave it to us. For example...
Acts 2:33 "Therefore having
been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the
Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this
which you both see and hear. (referring to the promised gift of the Spirit
- compare John 7:37-39, John 16:7, Luke 24:49, and even the OT promise
included in the promise of the New Covenant in Ezekiel 26:27).
What was Ps 68 about?
Song of God's victory. Many think historically it was written by King
David's at the time he captured Jerusalem but clearly Paul shows that it
had a greater prophetic (messianic) fulfillment.
What does this Messianic Psalm teach?
Christ ascended - after His victory on Cross
He led captives a host of captives
He gave gifts to men (The Holy Spirit Who then distributes the gifts as He
wills).
Note:
Regarding "Let captive a host of captives" Some think that Hades (the
place of the dead which corresponds to the OT word Sheol) was divided into
2 compartments (as suggested by the passage in Lu 16:19-32. This
compartmentalization had been taught by the pagan Greeks, in the
apocryphal book of Enoch and by Jewish tradition). There is no consensus
among conservative evangelical scholars as to whether Hades had 2
compartments. However, this teaching was widely held by the early church
fathers who also taught that after His death Christ descended to Hades and
that He set free the OT believers from the "cool" side of Hades (cf Luke
16:19-32). This teaching became incorporated into the Apostle's
Creed but again to be fair and balanced, we must realize that there is no
absolute consensus on these issues. This is not an issue that determines
our salvation so we have to remember Paul's exhortation to be diligent to
preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We can agree to
disagree amicably and we can look forward to the glorious day when faith
becomes sight and we no longer look through a mirror dimly! There is an
interesting passage from Psalms one of the sons of Korah writing that...
Psalm 49:15 But God will redeem
(release upon payment of ransom price) my soul from the power (hand) of
Sheol (Lxx = Hades); For He will receive me. Selah. (Comment: One might
use a passage like this to support that when Christ paid the ransom on the
Cross, it was then that the souls of the righteous were released from the
power of Sheol/Hades. Alternatively one could still say that when the OT
saint died, he got "credit" for the ransom payment and was released from Sheol's power so that he did not even have to go there. So it still does
not resolve the issue of whether OT saints went to Sheol when they died or
went to be with God immediately.) Compare the interesting passages
below...
Psalm 86:13 For Thy
lovingkindness toward me is great, and Thou hast delivered (Lxx translates
with
rhuomai
= deliver out of great
danger) my soul from the depths of Sheol.
(Brenton's translation of the
Septuagint - LXX)
Psalm 94:17 If the Lord had not helped me, my soul had almost
sojourned in Hades.
In view of the fact
that Hades is used in the Greek Septuagint to translate the Hebrew
word Sheol in the OT, if you want more insight consider studying
all of the OT passages that utilize Hades for Sheol.
Ephesians 4:9;
4:10
How does Paul explain He ascended?
First He descended
To lower parts of earth
What are the 2 (there are more than 2) most common
interpretations of "to the lower parts of earth"?
1) Lower, earthly region = to the earth = incarnation
Note the NIV rendering (remember the
NIV is in part a paraphrase so the way it is rendered will
be reflective the translator's favorite interpretation - just another
reason to consider using a more literal version like NASB, ESV, NKJV,
KJV!) Here is the NIV...
Eph 4:9 (What does "he ascended" mean
except that he also descended to the lower,
earthly regions?
Notice how the
translators have added a
comma (not in the original
Greek). By adding the comma how does it affect your interpretation?
Clearly it favors a descent from heaven to earth in terms of incarnation
and doesn't leave much room for interpreting it as #2. I'm not saying the
NIV is wrong, but I am saying that it lends a definite bias to the passage
and you as a good Bereans need to be aware of that fact ("caveat emptor"!)
Another paraphrase (which I think is overall one of the better paraphrases
available - but only as an adjunct to a more literal rendition) is the New
Living Translation which overtly interprets the passage for the reader.
Here is the NLT rendering...
Eph 4:9 "Notice that it says "he
ascended." This means that Christ first came down to the lowly
world in which we live." (NLT)
2) Below the earth = To Hades (as
discussed above)
1 Peter 3:19
What did Jesus do in
context of His crucifixion?
Jesus in spirit made proclamation to spirits in prison – suggests Christ
descended to Hades. But does it say "Hades"? No, it doesn't so this
passage is (voluminously) debated as to what Peter meant. Remember every
passage has only one legitimate interpretation (many applications) even if
we don't all agree. Those who advocate that Christ descended to Hades
after His death and burial, utilize this passage to support their
interpretation. Again this is one of those areas that we seek to be
diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit!
Acts 2:27,31: What does Peter teach regarding Hades in his first
sermon?
God will not abandon (leave) Jesus soul to Hades. Remember that Hades
means (NIV translates it as grave)
Here are the verses
compared in a more literal translation (NAS) and a paraphrase (so called
dynamic paraphrase, the NIV)...
NASB...
Acts 2:27 BECAUSE THOU WILT NOT
ABANDON MY SOUL TO HADES, NOR ALLOW THY HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY.
Acts 2:31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the
Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh
SUFFER DECAY.
NIV...
Acts 2:27 because you will not abandon
me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
Acts 2:31 Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the
Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body
see decay.
What difference
do you observe between the two translations?
The NAS transliterates the Greek word, while the NIV offers its
interpretation as the "grave" here implying simply the place the
dead are laid to rest (Christ's tomb in this case). While the NIV may be
correct, the transliteration as "Hades" leaves open the option of a place
separate and distinct from the grave. As discussed below Hades seems to
have three primary meanings in Scripture - the unseen world of the dead,
as a metonym for death or as the place in the earth the dead are laid to
rest, specifically the grave. Sometimes the context of the passage allows
a clear distinction in the intended meaning, but other times the passage
is not quite so clear.
Excursus
on Hades: Definition
Hades is not
an easy word to define and a brief study of conservative commentaries and
lexicons will reveal that there are several areas in which there is no
clear consensus. As the best resources for arriving at a definition of
Hades are the Scriptures themselves, the diligent study is advised to
compare the "definition" (probably "description" would be a better term)
with the 117 uses in the Scripture (see below for list of verses). With
that caveat below is a brief summary of hades.
Hades (86)
(hades)
is the transliteration of the Greek word Hades (from a = negative +
eido = to see)
literally means "not seen" or "unseen".
In Homer hades is spelled
Haides and means obscure, dark, invisible. As discussed below from Luke
16:23 we discover that Hades is the region of departed spirits of
unbelievers. Hades is used in the Septuagint where it translates the
Hebrew words for Sheol and for death, once for silence (Ps
94:17, 115:17). In some of the OT passages where Hades is used for Sheol,
the context suggest that the intended meaning is the grave.
Hades is the NT term
which equates with the OT Hebrew word Sheol.
Hades was the name
of Greek god of underworld and then the term for the underworld itself.
Hades is pictured as
a prison for which Jesus holds the keys (Rev 1:18).
The reader is
strongly advised to do his or her own study of the word Hades as it is
used in Scripture and let that study guide the use of the definition in
the various lexicons. For example, Vines is a respected conservative
lexicon widely used by laymen to aid Greek word study and it has the
following entry which I have added a few notes to to explain the lack of
consensus among the lexicons and dictionaries on the meaning of hades...
Hades, the region of departed
spirits of the lost (but including the blessed dead in periods preceding
the Ascension of Christ) (Ed note: Not all conservative
commentators would agree with that statement)... It corresponds to “Sheol”
in the OT. In the AV of the OT and NT, it has been unhappily rendered
“Hell,” e.g., Ps 16:10; or “the grave,” e.g., Ge 37:35; or “the pit,” Nu
16:30, 33; in the N.T. the Revisers have always used the rendering
“Hades;” in the OT they have not been uniform in the translation, e.g., in
Isa. 14:15, “hell” (marg., “Sheol”); usually they have “Sheol” in the text
and “the grave” in the margin. It never denotes the grave (Ed note:
many would disagree with this statement, e.g., the NIV translates it as
"grave" in Acts 2:27, 31 and respected commentators like John MacArthur
state that in these verses it is "the NT equivalent of the OT grave or
Sheol...here it refers to the general place of the dead" [Ref]),
nor is it the permanent region of the lost; in point of time it is, for
such, intermediate between decease and the doom of Gehenna. (Vine,
W E: Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words.
1996. Nelson)
Here are all the
occurrences of Hades in the Bible, most (107) being in the
Septuagint - LXX
(Gen. 37:35; 42:38;
44:29, 31; Num. 16:30, 33; Deut. 32:22; 1 Sam. 2:6; 1 Ki. 2:6, 9, 35; Est.
3:13; Job 7:9; 11:8; 14:13; 17:13, 16; 21:13; 26:6; 33:22; 38:17; Ps. 6:5;
9:17; 16:10; 18:5; 30:3; 31:17; 49:14-15; 55:15; 86:13; 88:3; 89:48;
94:17; 115:17; 116:3; 139:8; 141:7; Pr 1:12; 2:18; 5:5; 7:27; 9:18; 14:12;
15:11, 24; 16:25; 27:20; 30:16; Eccl. 9:10; Cant. 8:6; Isa. 5:14; 14:9,
11, 15, 19; 28:15, 18; 38:10, 18; 57:9; Ezek. 31:15-16; 32:27; Hos. 13:14;
Amos 9:2; Jon. 2:2; Hab. 2:5) A majority (about 61) of these uses of
Hades are to translate the Hebrew word Sheol (7585),
and some uses translate other Hebrew words such as death. One of
the common OT meanings of Sheol was in reference to the place of the
departed dead.
Here are the 10 NT
uses (Matt. 11:23; 16:18; Lk. 10:15; 16:23; Acts 2:27, 31; Rev. 1:18; 6:8;
20:13-14)
Mt 11:23 "And you, Capernaum,
will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You shall descend to Hades; for
if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have
remained to this day. (Comment: The inhabitants would go down to
hades, the place of the wicked dead.)
Mt 16:18 "And I also say to you
that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the
gates of Hades shall not overpower it.
Luke 10:15 "And you, Capernaum,
will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to
Hades!
Luke 16:23 "And in Hades he
lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away, and
Lazarus in his bosom. (Comment: Many interpret this passage as
supporting the teaching that there are 2 compartments to
Hades/Sheol. This may have been the arrangement before the time of the
Cross, but note that if that is so in this verse we read "in Hades"
contrasted with "far away". The question is this - is "far away" another
side of Hades? It could mean that, but one wonders why the Spirit did not
inspire Luke to record something like "far away"...on the other side of
Hades? In other words, the location of "far away" is not unequivocally
stated. And this is one reason many writers are not dogmatic about the
compartmentalization of Hades. See
note above
for interesting OT uses of Hades for Sheol - the question is do these
passages suggest that there were 2 compartments to Sheol/Hades? After
considerable study on this subject, I cannot offer a dogmatic statement,
which can be supported from Scripture.)
Acts 2:27 BECAUSE THOU WILT NOT ABANDON
MY SOUL TO HADES, NOR ALLOW THY HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY.
Acts 2:31 he looked ahead and spoke of
the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES,
NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY. (Comment: Although Vines stated
categorically that Hades never means grave [see above] the context of this
verse stating "nor did His flesh suffer decay" certainly seems to indicate
that here hades represents the place of burial, the grave. The respected
Bible Knowledge Commentary adds "The word translated grave in verses 27
and 31 is hades, which means either the grave (as here) or the underworld
of departed spirits.[Ref])
Rev 1:18 and the living One; and I was
dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and
of Hades.
Rev 6:8 And I looked, and behold, an
ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was
following with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the
earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the
wild beasts of the earth.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead
which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them;
and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 And
death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second
death, the lake of fire. (Comment: Hades is the intermediate state
between death and the ultimate hell, Gehenna = second death = lake of
fire = hell. Note unfortunately KJV often translates Hades as Hell
which confuses the issue for the ultimate, final hell is gehenna not
hades.)
Mt 16:18: What is the relation of Hades to the body of Christ, the
church?
Gate of hades will not prevail – the meaning debated.
Death will not
prevent the work of the church, the living orgasm representing the body of
Christ, composed of all believers since the birth of the Church in Acts 2.
Death (Hades) has in
fact been conquered (see notes
Hebrews 2:14;
2:15)
by Christ at Calvary.
Death no longer has
a sting for believers who compose the body of Christ, the Church.
Therefore Hades which symbolizes the place of the unbelieving dead cannot
prevail against those who are in the body of Christ, the Church.
Rev 1:18: What is the relation of Jesus and Hades?
John records Jesus declaration that He is...
"the living One; and I was dead, and
behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of
Hades."
Keys speak of
Christ's authority over the power of life and death - to grant entrance
and release in regard to Hades. Today the gospel of Jesus Christ
represents Christ's gracious offer (as proclaimed through His servants,
the saints) to take by grace through faith the "key" from Him which
releases the repentant, believing sinner from relegation to Hades at the
time of physical death. Instead the believer is now set free from fear of
Hades
Lu 16:23
Not a parable (although many commentaries call it such) and so one can
glean several facts that relate to the place called Hades. Those who say
it is a parable however would disagree that one can draw significant
conclusions regarding the afterlife from Luke 16:19-32.
With that caveat and understanding what are the observations one can
make from Luke 16:19-32?
Rich man in hades = Unbeliever
In torment
Saw Abe far away Conscious exist
No 2nd Chance
No communication with the living.
Our Lord conclusively teaches here that there is no possibility of
repentance after death.
The state of human
beings in Hades is immediate and irreversible after death, although it
does not constitute the eternal state, for Hades itself later becomes the
exclusive place for unbelievers. It is cast into the lake of fire (see
below Rev. 20:14),
Rev 20:13-14: What do you learn about Hades?
Death & Hades had dead in them and were both thrown into Lake of Fire, the
Second Death. Hades thus is a temporary holding tank for the unbelieving
dead. If someone refuses Christ's free gift of salvation by grace through
faith in this life, they go immediately to Hades when they die, where they
will await their final judgment at the time of the Great White Throne
described here in Revelation 20:11-14.
Ephesians 4:10 What is Paul's main point? What does it mean?
That Christ might fill all things.
What does this
mean?
There is not a consensus but if one fills all, it would be tantamount to
being over all or in control of all and seems to speak of our Lord's
sovereignty over all things in all places for all times.
