“in heaven and on earth and under the earth”….that’s an odd phrase, don’t you think?. What does “under the earth” mean, especially in light of the other two phrases with which it appears (in context, so to speak.) Is this a reference to people who have died and are buried? Is it a metaphorical reference to those who are in hell? Or…could it be that those who are in Christ are either “in heaven” or “on the earth” (but not actually under the authority of those principalities of the earth…like a similar phrase “we are in the world but not of the world”) Does “on the earth” mean something similar….a reference to believers who have transcended the things of the world and who are already living in “eternal time” though not yet in heaven…and those “under the earth” are those who have not yet believed in Christ or are not yet fully living into the reality of submission to Christ in all areas of their lives? Could it be that such “under the earth” people are still under the spell and deception of the principalities of the world? Just pondering this morning as I meditate on one of my morning devotionals…….
