to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, in him;
Parallel translations
- KJV That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
- BSB as a plan for the fullness of time, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ.
- NKJV that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.
- NASB regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.
- NLT And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God's plan, for the fullness of time, is to unite all things in heaven and earth under Christ as head. It reveals Christ as the goal and center of cosmic history.
Overview
This verse states the grand aim of God's mystery: at the appointed climax of history, to 'sum up all things in Christ.' The fractured cosmos — heaven and earth — will find its unity and rightful head in the exalted Son. This cosmic Christ-centeredness frames the whole letter and anticipates the reconciliation Paul describes in later chapters.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 28
- Col 1:20and through him to reconcile all things to himself, by him, whether things on the earth, or things in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of his cross.
- Phil 2:9–10Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name;
- Gal 4:4But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law,
- Dan 2:44In the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall its sovereignty be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
- Mark 1:15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and God’s Kingdom is at hand! Repent, and believe in the Good News.”
- Heb 1:2has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.
- Isa 2:2–4It shall happen in the latter days, that the mountain of Yahweh’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it.
- Col 1:16For by him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and for him.
- 1 Pet 1:20who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in this last age for your sake,
- Mic 4:1–2But in the latter days, it will happen that the mountain of Yahweh’s temple will be established on the top of the mountains, and it will be exalted above the hills; and peoples will stream to it.
- Rev 5:9They sang a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the book, and to open its seals: for you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood, out of every tribe, language, people, and nation,
- Eph 1:22He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly,
- Rev 19:4–6The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying, “Amen! Hallelujah!”
- Eph 3:15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
- Dan 9:24–27Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to finish disobedience, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.
- Amos 9:11In that day I will raise up the tent of David who is fallen, and close up its breaches, and I will raise up its ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old;
- Gen 49:10The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs. To him will the obedience of the peoples be.
- Heb 12:22–24But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable multitudes of angels,
- 1 Cor 11:3But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
- Eph 2:15having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace;
- 1 Cor 3:22–23whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All are yours,
- Matt 25:32Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
- Heb 11:40God having provided some better thing concerning us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
- Mal 3:1“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, behold, he comes!” says Yahweh of Armies.
- Col 3:11where there can’t be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondservant, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all.
- Rev 7:4–12I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel:
- 1 Cor 10:11Now all these things happened to them by way of example, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come.
- Heb 9:10being only (with meats and drinks and various washings) fleshly ordinances, imposed until a time of reformation.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Every spiritual blessing is 'in Christ,' the head over all things for the church, in whom Jew and Gentile are made one new man by his blood.
How Ephesians 1:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.