Ephesians 2:6 tells us that all believers reign together in Christ in the “heavenly places.”  The book of Ephesians mentions these heavenly places five different times (Eph. 1:3, 1:20, 2:6, 3:10, and 6:12).  Here are some observations I have made about these places:

1 . The heavenly places are the spirit realm where all spirits dwell. The triune God dwells there (Eph. 1:20); the angels and the demons dwell there (Eph. 6:12); and all human spirits are there too.

2. Since both God and Satan dwell in the heavenly places we know that it is a place of both good and evil, where both light and darkness exist.

3. It is the place where Christians are reigning with Christ (Eph. 2:6), taking authority over sin, Satan and the demons, because they trust in Him and remain in His domain of light.

4. Likewise, it is also the place where many (non-Christians) are held captive to sin because they harbor sin and choose to dwell in darkness under Satan’s rule. For the Bible tells us that when Satan and one-third of the angels rebelled against God, they were allowed by God to live and rule in their own domain of darkness on this earth, and to hold captive all who harbor sin (Rev. 12:4, Eph. 6:12, 2 Tim. 2:26, 2 Cor. 4:4).

5. It is the place where there are great spiritual blessings. Ephesians 1:3 tells us that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.  But we are privy to them only if we abide in Him, and thus remain in His domain of light.