Mysteries In Tne New Testament
Uplook2 – March 2024 — Grace & Truth Magazine
Mysteries In The New Testament
The Holy Spirit led Matthew to write the gospel about the King after God’s heart, His beloved Son, about whom He said, “I am well pleased” (Mt. 3:17 NKJV ). This King proved His qualifications in many ways, but His own, the people of Israel, rejected Him – their Messiah. Therefore Matthew focused on major dispensational events as God turned His attention to the nations.
Luke’s record in Acts 13:14-48 as to Paul’s speech in a synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia, in present day Turkey, helps us to better understand the change in focus of God’s attention. The apostle spoke about Israel’s history and the coming of the Messiah. Paul also told about the Lord’s life, ministry, work on earth, and how His own people rejected Him. Apart from a few faithful disciples, Israel’s hardening had increased (see Isa. 6:9-13; Acts 7:51-53), as the Jewish leaders even became guilty of blasphemy (Mt. 12:24-32). The nation He had chosen had rejected Him. After this rejection, God sent the good news to the other nations.
God’s plans for Israel, His earthly people, will be carried out in a future day, bringing blessings to it and all the nations, as we read in Romans 9–11. These chapters explain that God’s sovereignty does not set aside human responsibility. But in His moral government God will, in a time to come, deal with Israel’s hardening and lead them to true repentance. Yet, during today’s present period of grace, God is calling out from among Jews and Gentiles a people for Himself (Rom. 1–8).
Because His own people followed their leaders who rejected Him, the Lord Jesus left them and “went out of the house and sat by the sea” (Mt. 13:1). In type, the house speaks of the nation of Israel, while the sea is a picture of the Gentile nations. Multitudes came to Him, and He started to speak to them in parables, which was a new development as He had not spoken in that way before.
A parable is a story that has a moral or spiritual meaning which is hidden from those who have no heart to know it. He spoke in this manner about the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven and explained those mysteries to His disciples in private. Why in private? He said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (v.11). Mark quoted the Lord’s statement as follows, “To you it has been given to know the mystery1 of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables” (Mk. 4:11). In other words, only to true disciples was it given to know God’s thoughts, which is a basic principle in Scripture: “Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).
Many religions and organizations are entangled, or entwined, in mysteries and mysticism without being able to give useful explanations. The New Testament, however, uses the term “mystery” as a secret that God revealed in His Word to His people, indicating the certainty and means of its fulfillment. “Mystery” is sometimes used in the Bible in a general sense (see 1 Cor. 13:2, 14:2), but it mostly refers to specific secrets God has revealed in the Bible.
The Mystery Introduced
The first few times the New Testament uses the word “mystery,” the word relates to “the kingdom of heaven” 2 (Mt. 13:11) – a realm where God’s rights are respected and honored. It is also called “the kingdom of God” (Mk. 4:11; Lk. 8:10). The kingdom itself is not a mystery, for the Old Testament announced it in Psalm 2, Isaiah 32 and elsewhere. However, the way the Lord presented it was new. It was only given to His disciples to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, because His people had rejected Him and hardened themselves since Isaiah’s days (Isa. 6:9-13). This sad condition continued (Acts 7:51-53). Indeed, the Old Testament foretold the rejection of the Messiah, as we see in Isaiah 49, but it did not describe the new things God would introduce and how He would do so.
The Lord’s parables showed His disciples new things that were going to happen, giving an overview as well as a preview. However, these new things would only take place after Messiah’s sufferings, death and resurrection, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the Lord Jesus having been “crowned with glory and honor” (Heb. 2:9) at God’s right hand. Even though the Lord is there, He is inseparably linked with the believers on earth. This whole concept was unknown in the Old Testament, but some of it can be seen in certain types. Only with the light of the New Testament can we understand these things in the Old Testament.
In the context of this new development, the exalted Lord Jesus called from heaven, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). Saul was physically persecuting followers of the Lord, not the Lord. Therefore, we see in the “Me” of this question an indication of the union between Him, the glorified Messiah, and the believers on earth, just as a head is inseparable from its body. In Romans, Paul explained God’s salvation as coming to all who believe. While closing his letter, he briefly mentioned the link with God’s eternal plan, later unfolded in Ephesians and Colossians. “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith – to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen” (Rom. 16:25-27). Remarkably, this marvelous revelation was made in the context of a doxology, bringing praise and glory to God! In other words, the revelation of this mystery leads to God’s everlasting praise here on earth and continuing forever in heaven.
God’s Counsel And His Ways
That mystery is part of God’s eternal counsel (Eph. 3:2-11; Col. 1:26-2:3). God entrusted Paul with a special stewardship to make known things that had been hidden in God from before the world’s foundation, according to His will (Eph. 1:9). This mystery is called “great,” for it relates to Christ in heaven and His Assembly on earth (5:32). Interestingly, the word “assembly,” ecclesia in Greek, is derived from the verb “to call out.” It means a company of people who have been “called out” – of this world, of Judaism, of Paganism and of more. Not only are the people of the Assembly called away from such things, but first they are called to Him and for Him, forever His.
When we compare the various Scriptures about God’s mystery we learn that God’s ways lead to the fulfillment of His counsel, or plan. In God’s wisdom He used Israel’s disobedience to bring in something better, that is, to those who believe. Israel’s unbelief caused them to stumble, as the humility of the Servant offended them. They wanted a glorious, powerful Messiah, not a humble and seemingly weak One. We read: “For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Rom. 11:25).
Romans 9–11 explains how God’s ways are unsearchable and yet will lead to the fulfillment of His plan, which is a mystery in itself. Paul’s conclusion was: “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (11:36). God is the Source of these plans, He is their divine Cause as well as the Worker and the Means, making His thoughts come to fruition. Also, He is the Purpose and Object of His plans, which are glorious. “To Him be glory forever.” Paul added, “Amen” – so be it!
The Mystery About Israel
Romans is a doctrinal epistle about God’s righteousness. God is right,3 including when He condemns the sinner. He is also right when He justifies, or declares righteous, the sinner who repents, making him an instrument fit for the Master’s use. Brought into a new position and a blessed relationship with God “in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:2), we also learn that God’s salvation in grace, reaching out to Jews and Gentiles, does not annul His plan for His earthly people Israel. God has not set Israel aside forever or replaced it by the Church. He is today focused on saving lost sinners, whether Jew or Gentile, who repent. His plan for Israel will be fulfilled in a future day, in His time and ways.
An important distinction exists between those chosen from before this world’s foundation (Eph. 1:4-6), known as the Church, on the one hand, and God’s earthly people Israel on the other. The believers God is taking during the period of grace, according to His eternal plan, belong to His new testimony which started at Pentecost (Acts 2) and will be completed at the rapture (1 Th. 4:16-18). Paul explained, especially in Ephesians 3, God’s eternal counsel as with the Church.
Romans 9–11 describes God’s perfect and right ways to fulfill His sovereign plans for and with His chosen people Israel since this world’s foundation – not from before its foundation. In these chapters we see that nobody can change God’s sovereign plans (Rom. 9), while at the same time He maintains human responsibility (Rom. 10), with the final results described in Romans 11. All glory and honor go to God, today and forever (vv.32-36). The next section, Romans 12–16, shows how God’s righteousness is being displayed in the lives of those He has redeemed but are not part of God’s plan for Israel.
The Mystery Of God Properly Received
“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God” (1 Cor. 2:1). Some manuscripts of the Greek text read “mystery” instead of “testimony,” but either way, it was brought by Paul, God’s special envoy and chosen instrument to the Corinthians. The features Paul showed as a faithful servant qualified him for this task, which should have been evident to the saints in Corinth. He experienced a similar treatment as his Master had faced. Both were rejected by their own people, who were offended by their humility and the simplicity of the message given.
“We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him’” (2:7-9). These hidden things of God were foreordained (v.7) from before the ages, having been prepared (v.9) for those who love Him and revealed (v.10) through the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, these things are freely given (v.12) by God, communicated and received through spiritual means (v.13). They are discerned by those who have the right spiritual condition and the mind of Christ (vv.14-16). All these points are part of God’s wisdom (v.7).
God reveals things in view of a response. Therefore I like to link this revelation with what we read later in 1 Corinthians: “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (11:23-26).
“Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (4:1). The apostle saw himself and his coworkers as servants of Christ (literally: attendants, assistants) and, as responsible stewards or administrators, required to be faithful in taking care of their Master’s interests. As Paul referred to “the mysteries of God,” he included all the secrets God had revealed to him, and he was privileged to share with the believers, including you and me today. One of these mysteries is the rapture of all the believers (1 Th. 4:16-18). “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in a moment,4 in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed … Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:51-52,58).
The Mystery Of God’s Will
Besides the mystery concerning the rapture of the believers, God revealed to Paul details about His called-out people, “the Church of the living God” (1 Tim. 3:15-16). Ephesians gives us many details, “having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself” (1:9). In chapter 1 we learn how:
- God the Father is involved, making the plans.
- God the Son, in His life and work on earth including the cross, laid the foundation needed to fulfil those plans, now working in and from heaven.
- The Holy Spirit is involved in applying the results in our lives, working in us to be instruments fit for the Master’s use.
The apostle Paul added, “By revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) … and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ” (3:3-4,9). Through three keywords in verse 6, the apostle summarized that the believers taken from among the Gentiles are joined together with the believers from among the Jews as “fellow heirs,” “of the same body” and joint “partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel.” Amazing!
That is why Paul wrote: “This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church” (5:32). This new unity is incredible, as is what it implies: the love-relationship between our Redeemer and His Bride. The amazing reality of the one Body taught in Ephesians 3 was part of the tremendous revelations that God had entrusted to Paul, for which he was suffering as “the prisoner of Christ Jesus” and “the Lord” (3:1, 4:1). He asked the saints to pray for him, “that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel” (6:19). Here we have the same word “mystery,” or secret, as used for the Body and for Christ’s relationship with the Church, because both are linked to the message of the gospel. It is through the preaching of the gospel that God is calling people to be saved and to introduce them into these sacred mysteries. Praise God!
The Mystery Of God Is Also The Mystery Of Christ
Paul described this mystery as something that had been hidden until now but made manifest to the saints through his God-given ministry. “God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). God’s purpose was, and still is, “that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ” (2:2). He continued, “In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words” (vv.3-4).
These precious things are under constant attack because the enemy does not want the believers to understand them, for this would lead the believers to worship the true and living God. Later, Paul asked the believers to pray for him, “that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains” (Col. 4:3). As these wonderful things have been revealed to us, together with the apostle we may bend our knees in worship, prayer and thanksgiving (Eph. 3:14-21).
The Mystery Of The Faith And Of Godliness
Paul instructed Timothy about the order that must be maintained in God’s house, with elders given by the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:28) and deacons chosen by the local assembly (6:3), “holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience” (1 Tim. 3:9). Today we are faced with similar challenges.
Paul gave Timothy further instructions what to do during his absence: “If I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory” (3:15-16). The word “godliness” is also translated as “piety,” a word that is linked with “the fear of the Lord,” which is needed to gain wisdom (Prov. 1:7, 8:13, 9:10).
During the present dispensation of the mystery of faith and of godliness, we also have “the mystery of the seven stars” (Rev. 1:20). It represents the believers seen in their responsibility and dependence on the Lord. During the same period of the Church on earth, until the rapture, the enemy works confusion and corruption. This is expressed in “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT” (Rev. 17:5) and “the mystery of the woman” riding the beast (v.7). Both mysteries represent the enemy’s efforts to oppose God and His testimony on earth.
The Mystery Of Lawlessness
The above testimony of true godliness and faith is in sharp contrast with what is going to happen in the Christian profession after the rapture, when true believers have been taken to be with Christ. Yet, we already see preceding signs. Read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-13:
Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
Great is our privilege that the Holy Spirit is with us while we are on earth! He will go up together with us when the Lord Jesus will call and lead us up (1 Cor. 15:51-54; Jn. 14:16-20).
The Mystery Of God
God’s dealings with humanity are beyond our understanding, but as true believers we are already privileged to have His thoughts revealed to us before the events occur. This does not mean that we fully understand them. Think of a mother working on a complex embroidery and her child on the floor looking from underneath at the confusing wires and threads. Similarly, our God has a beautiful plan that He is patiently working on and that will be completed in time and on time. Thus, “the mystery of God” will be completed. Praise God, who has shared these secrets with us before they happen.
As we think of our world now and then what is to come, we are reminded of a hymn written by James G. Deck (1802–1884), and the challenge it presents for us today:
Soon will the Master come: soon pass away Our times of conflict, grief, and suffering here; Our night of weeping end in cloudless day, And sorrow’s moment like a dream appear: Eternity with Jesus in the skies
How soon that Sun of righteousness may rise! We shall behold Him, whom not seen we love; We shall be with Him, whom we long to see; We shall be like Him, fit for realms above, With Him, and like Him, for eternity: Is now to sit at Jesus’ feet our choice?
How will fruition then our souls rejoice!
ENDNOTES
1.The terms “mystery” and “mysteries” occur numerous times in the New Testament. Some of those references, depending on translation, are: Mt. 13:11; Mk. 4:11; Lk. 8:10; Rom. 11:25, 16:25; 1 Cor. 2:1,7, 4:1, 13:2, 14:2, 15:51; Eph. 1:9, 3:3-4,9, 5:32, 6:19, Col. 1:26-27, 2:2, 4:3; 2 Th. 2:7; 1 Tim. 3:9,16; Rev. 1:20, 10:7, 17:5,7). The majority of references to “mystery” are in Paul’s writings.
2.The gospel of Matthew mentions “mystery,” its first use in the New Testament, to a Jewish audience. The gospel avoids mentioning God’s name because of Jewish concerns about using that name in vain.
3.Interestingly, when we count together all the words in Romans that have the basic root of “righteous” or “just,” including nouns, verbs, adjectives and their opposites, such as “unrighteous,” we find 77 occurrences. That is more than in any other New Testament book.
4. The word Paul used means “a point in time that is undividable,” for which reason he also used the expression “in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor. 15:52). Both terms imply the quick action and tremendous power the Lord will demonstrate for this operation (see Phil. 3:21).
By Alfred Bouter