Good afternoon! (or good whatever-time-you-check-your-email!)

Today’s newsletter will expand just a bit on this week’s episode. But first, I wanted to let you know that there’s a new article posted on the website. It merges an earlier episode and newsletter I’ve written before and catalogues all the giants listed in Scripture.

If you’ve followed the podcast for a while, this probably won’t be new information for you, but I thought it would be helpful to have it all (both individuals and the 5 tribes of the giants) available in one place.

Everywhere in Ephesians

On Wednesday, we started a journey into “the Heavenly Realms” of Ephesians. We all know this verse:

Ephesians 6:12 - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

That word “the heavenly realms” is “Epouranios” in the Greek. It appears 18 times in the New Testament.

Depending on which translation you use may affect how it is rendered, but you frequently see it as “heavenly realms,” “heavenly places” or “celestial.”

On Wednesday’s episode, I covered all 5 places this word shows up in Ephesians itself.

From that book, we concluded that Paul was using the word to refer to the spiritual realm. This includes heaven itself, which is the place of God’s throne. But it also refers to the spiritual “atmosphere” above our heads where angels and demons inhabit. This region is where supernatural beings do battle, such as what we see in Daniel 10. (I did an episode on this passage right here.)

Where else does the Bible speak of Epouranios?

Everywhere else in Paul’s letters

As I said in this Wednesday’s episode, the way to best understand a word in the Bible is to first check how the author uses that same word within the same book. This is what you should give the greatest weight, and that’s what we did with our time on the latest episode.

The second thing you can explore (if necessary, and if applicable) is how that same author uses that same word in other books. So let’s look at Paul’s other letters.

I Corinthians 15:40 -There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.

Right here we see it rendered celestial. Also, it’s used here as an adjective (or descriptive word), not a noun (or place).

I Corinthians 15:48 - As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

One thing we learn right here is that celestial/heavenly bodies have everything an earthly body has- and more. To put it another way: supernatural bodies can do everything a natural body can do. Jesus had a natural body, but when he was given his glorified/resurrected body, it could do everything his natural body could do- and more.

I am sure we’ll do an episode one of these days about the glorified body of Jesus. it was capable of some pretty weird things.

But one takeaway I’d mention here is in regard to the Sons of God creating “human bodies” to mate with women. This sounds impossible to many people, but I Corinthians 15:35-49 makes it clear that a spiritual body can do everything a natural body can do.

Philippians 2:10 - That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

What I found most interesting about this one is that there are three regions mentioned: the heavenly realms (epouranios), the earthly realm, and the underworld.

That this means is that the regions “under the earth,” or hades/hell, or Sheol, or the underworld, are distinct from epouranios.

This might sound obvious, but I make that point because we can’t say that epouranios simply means “the spiritual realm.” Hell is part of the spiritual realm, too, but it’s not epouranios.

II Timothy 4:18 - And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

And then a large part of the New Testament’s epouranios come up in Hebrews, which may or may not have been written by Paul. Most say yes; I say no; but regardless, Hebrews is close enough in genre to Paul’s other epistles that we’ll include those references here.

Hebrews 3:1 - Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Hebrews 6:4 - For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,

Hebrews 8:5 - Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

Hebrews 9:23 - It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.

Hebrews 11:16 - But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Hebrews 12:22 - But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

Hebrews usually speaks of epouranios as referring specifically to heaven (God’s home), which I think of as the “third heaven” (II Corinthians 12).

But in Paul’s letters, epouranios generally refers to the realm that angels/demons inhabit in the spiritual atmosphere, which I define as the “second heaven.” (I think we’ll have to do an episode on “the three heavens” sometime soon, too!) Unlike the third heaven, the second heaven is a spiritual battle full of conflict between angels and principalities.

These seem to be the only two ways in which that word is used, though. Again, hell is excluded.

Everywhere else in the New Testament

Finally, we’ll observe anywhere else the word epouranios comes up in the New Testament outside of Paul’s writings, and the only other two places are in the words of Jesus.

Matthew 18:35 - So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

John 3:12 - If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

Like Paul, Jesus tends to use this word as an adjective. However, when speaking of Heaven (which He does more than 100 times), He tends to use the word “ouranos” (such as, “Our Father which art in heaven…”).

And that’s a wrap on epouranios. Tune in this coming Wednesday for a packed episode on the principalities and powers of Ephesians 6:12. I’ll be breaking down the hierarchy of power in Satan’s Kingdom and the ranks of his spiritual minions.

You won’t want to miss it, because if we wrestle against these guys, it would be a good idea to know who they are.

Have a weird one!

-Luke