Ephesians

Ephesians 1:21

far above every rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

Kayode Crown

27 Mar 2026 — 4 min read

Photo by Ian / Unsplash

far above every rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

Paul is giving us an idea of what the heavenly realms that he mentioned in the previous verse mean. Where exactly are the heavenly realms? It is far above whatever height you can conceive or have heard about.

When he said "every", we need to pay attention, as it indicates that what is being mentioned is a very comprehensive dominion. So we begin to understand what Paul meant when he mentioned the power of the resurrection (Ephesians 1:19-20).

This is the second Adam. 1 Corinthians 15:45

While the first Adam was made from the dust and raised up from the ground with the breath of God, so too was the last Adam, Jesus, raised from the grave with the breath of God.
While the first Adam was given dominion over the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and the animals on the ground (Genesis 1:26–28), this focus verse tells us that Jesus was raised far above every rule, authority, power, dominion, and every name that is named.

The point is, there is nothing escaping His dominion, unlike the first Adam's limited dominion.

That is powerful, right? We cannot help but be amazed by the surpassing glory of the Son of God!

Every kind of rule, authority, power, and dominion has different limits. But one whose rule, authority, power, and dominion does not have a limit is Jesus.

Let that sink in.

And not just in this age, meaning in this time period, but also in the one to come. There is no escaping Him, like there is nothing escaping the rays of the sun.

Yet its voice echoes throughout the earth;
its words carry to the distant horizon.
In the sky he has pitched a tent for the sun.
Like a bridegroom it emerges from its chamber;
like a strong man it enjoys running its course.
It emerges from the distant horizon,
and goes from one end of the sky to the other;
nothing can escape its heat. (Psalms 19:4-6)

How does that make you feel, the surpassing dominion of your Lord, those of us who have come to Him for refuge? It makes you feel secure.

He, the very one who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things. (Ephesians 4:10)

Wonderful! Though you cannot see him, that is who your Lord is.

Though there are still rulers, authorities, powers, and dominions in different spheres now (Ephesians 1:20–22; Colossians 1:16), a day is coming when Christ will bring an end to every rule, every authority, and every power, and then hand the kingdom over to God the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24–28). Glory to His name. Halleluyah.

Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he has brought to an end all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. (1 Corinthians 15:24-25)

So this focus verse tells us that there are still rules, authorities, power, and dominion, all vying for our subjection, but not for long.

Later in this letter, Paul will write that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but "against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens" (Ephesians 6:12).

In a way, we are living in a period of tension, at the same time under the rule of God, whom we have bowed down to as our Lord, and we are struggling against those in different spheres who seek our subjection.

I see it as them wanting to eat us up; they have an insatiable need to devour people.

Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

Every illustration that paints the devil as a toothless lion is misrepresenting the scriptures, in my opinion. The struggle is real.

Jesus hinted at this same struggle in the parable of the sower, where He said that some hearts bear no fruit because, as soon as they hear the word, Satan comes and snatches away the word that was sown in them (Mark 4:15).

And we should not think that it is just about people becoming believers. Because we depend on the word all lives, it tells us that you can hear the right word, and the fruit will not show. Why? Because even if in a limited sense, the devil wants us to be under His rule, so he snatched up the word, not allowing it to bear fruit.

If satan cannot have us in whole (and he cannot since we are saved, we now belong to Christ), he doesn't mind having us in part. So the struggle continues. We need to be keenly aware of it so that the enemy will not take advantage of that ignorance.