What does the dispensation of the fullness of times mean in Ephesians 1:10?
The dispensation of the fullness of times refers to the final thousand years of human history—the millennial reign, the thousand-year reign of Christ. In that administration, God will gather together in one all things in Christ. The passage stresses the position of believers 'in Christ,' a phrase repeatedly used in Ephesians.
Les explains that the dispensation, or period of time, or administration, of the fullness of times is that final thousand years of human history, which he constantly refers to as the millennial reign, the thousand-year reign of Christ. In that dispensation, God will gather together in one all things in Christ. Les also notes the recurring phrase 'in Christ' in Ephesians—used about ninety-six times—as a reference to the believer's position in Christ. When asked how we know we are in Christ, since we do not feel or look different, the answer is by faith: when we believed, we became members of the Body of Christ and were baptized into it, or placed into it, by a work of the Holy Spirit.
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: