Paul tells us in this passage that Christ came and preached to those who were far away and to those who were near. What an amazing God we serve, in that He came to die for us, and to send people out to proclaim the glory of salvation through faith in Christ. Ephesians 2:17 is a clear allusion to an Old Testament passage, so in this lesson we also look at how New Testament authors use the Old Testament, which dramatically helps us to better understand several passages of Scripture.