The verses above show us that God has an eternal plan (Eph. 3:11). This plan is the mystery of His will (1:9). It is something unknown to man. God’s eternal will is that all things in the heavens and on earth be headed up in Christ (v. 10). In other words, Christ is to be the Head over all things. When this happens, everything in the universe will express the Lord. This is God’s eternal will.
God’s mystery was kept in silence in the times of the ages (Rom. 16:25). This mystery was hidden in God’s heart and was not revealed to anyone. In the past generations, God did not tell anyone the reason He created all things (Eph. 3:5a, 9).
However, this mystery has been manifested (Rom. 16:26). God revealed this mystery to Paul. He also revealed it to the holy apostles and prophets (Eph. 3:3-5), and He enlightens all concerning it (v. 9).
What is God’s mystery? Colossians 2:2 says that God’s mystery is Christ. Hence, the mystery of God is Christ. God’s will is for Christ to be the centrality of all things and for all things to be subject to Christ so that He may be Head over all things. Colossians 3:11 says, “Christ is all and in all.” Colossians 1:18 says, “That He Himself might have the first place in all things.” Concerning this mystery Ephesians 3:6 says, “That in Christ Jesus the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the Body and fellow partakers of the promise through the gospel.” God is always working towards this goal. In the fullness of the times (1:10), He will head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth. (The word “times” in the original Greek means “ages.”) This means that all things will be gathered together in one place and will be crowned with the name of Christ.
The book of Ephesians tells us what the Lord has obtained and will obtain from the time of His resurrection until the time of the new heaven and new earth. This is why it speaks of the Lord being the Head over all things in the heavens and on the earth; it does not speak of Him being the Head of all things under the earth, because by then there will no longer be anything under the earth. The book of Philippians tells us what He has obtained from the time of His resurrection until His second coming. This is why it says that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are “in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (2:10). Today there are many things under the earth that are still unsettled.
God’s goal is twofold: First, it is for all things to manifest Christ. In other words, it is for Christ to be Head over all things. Second, it is for man to be like Christ, to have His life and His glory. Today many believers on earth are lacking in Christ, and many things are manifesting Satan. But God will eventually reach His goal. One day, all things will manifest Christ. We have to pray that we will gain more Christ and manifest Him more so that God’s will can be fulfilled soon.