The Mystery

The Mystery

So what is this Age of Grace, this Administration of the Mystery, this time in which we live? What is so special about it? What sets this administration apart from all the others? Corinthians has some intriguing information.

1 Corinthians 2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect [mature]: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

The princes of this world refers to the god of this world and his devil spirits. We don't speak their horseshit, like climate change and homosexuality, because the wisdom of this world comes to nothing.

1 Corinthians 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

Here we find a reference to the mystery, often referred to as the great mystery or the hidden. A mystery is something that is hidden. If something is hidden, we don't know about its existence. From this we also learn that the mystery was ordained by God for our glory, it was for our benefit.

1 Corinthians 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

Had the god of this world and his devil spirits known the mystery, they would not have murdered Jesus Christ. They didn't know anything about it because it was hidden. God kept the mystery a secret. No one knew anything about it, not even the god of this world. No one knew anything about it until God revealed the mystery to the apostle Paul.

Romans 16:25,26 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

Peter refers to the Administration of the Mystery, the age of Grace in one of his epistles.

1 Peter 1:10,11 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched [exereunaō] diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:

Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

This Greek word exereunaō is only used once in the bible. Thayer defines it as to search out diligently, while Bullinger defines it as to explore, to search diligently. As it is only used once in the bible, we really need to look at ancient Greek literature to get a taste for the word, and there we find it used in reference to dogs sniffing out game. Dogs are used to flush out birds such as grouse and pheasant. The dogs sniff around and follow scent until they flush the birds out. That's this word exereunaō.

The old testament prophets, such as Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah and Isaiah, sniffed through the scriptures on the scent of this hidden mystery. They searched the scriptures diligently and prophesied of it, knowing there was something between the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. They knew there was something missing and they searched diligently through the old testament scriptures to try to flush it out. However, they didn't find it because it was hidden. Peter tells us that in addition to searching they also enquired about it, they asked God about it. Here's the record of Moses doing just that.

Exodus 33:18,21-23 And he [Moses] said, I beseech thee [God], shew me thy glory.

And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock:

And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by:

And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

The back parts of God here refers to the understanding of the old testament scriptures, while his face refers to the hidden time period of the grace administration which Moses knew was sandwiched between the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. Moses knew there was something hidden and asked God to reveal it to him, but God told him that knowledge was not available. In the context of the mystery being hidden, look what Corinthians says about it.

1 Corinthians 2:8,9 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

The knowledge of the mystery was not seen by any eye, it was not heard of by any ear, in fact it never even entered into the wildest imaginations of man's heart. The revelation of the mystery, the revealing of what it actually is, was something Jesus Christ discussed with his disciples.

John 16:12,13 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

Howbeit when he [it], the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Jesus Christ told his disciples that the spirit of truth was coming and that when it came, it would guide them into the all truth. The spirit of truth is a reference to the gift of holy spirit which came on the day of Pentecost. This prophecy regarding the all truth was fulfilled when God revealed the mystery to the apostle Paul. Before God revealed it to Paul, it was not available to know about it because it was a mystery, it was hidden. Even angels wanted to look into it.

1 Peter 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed [the mystery] ... which things the angels desire to look into.

So what is the mystery? Well, we know that if the devil and his ruling spirits had known about it, they would not have murdered Jesus Christ. So whatever it is, it must be something astonishing. As the mystery has now been revealed in the all truth given by revelation to the apostle Paul, let's discover what it is. Moses and all the other old testament prophets couldn't find it, but it's there for us to discover.

Ephesians 3:2-4 If ye have heard of the dispensation [oikonomia - administration] of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge [sunesis] in the mystery of Christ)

The revelation of the administration of the grace of God was given to Paul, which he mentioned previously in few words back in Romans 16 which we've already looked at. It is only by reading Paul's epistles that the understanding of the mystery comes. You can read the old testament scriptures exhaustively and you will never find the mystery in them. Why? Because it was hidden from old testament eyes. God had to keep it a secret so the devil wouldn't know of his plans. Had the devil suspected anything about it, he would not have crucified Jesus Christ.

This word knowledge, sunesis in the Greek, is defined by Thayer as a running together, a flowing together with, and it was used in Greek literature of the confluence of two rivers, the place where two rivers joined and flowed together. As we read Paul's epistles with a background understanding of the old testament scriptures, knowledge will flow together in our minds as the two meet.

Ephesians 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

The knowledge of the mystery was not made known to anyone before this administration. The old testament prophets searched diligently for it, but it was hidden, it was a secret, it was a mystery. God revealed it to Paul and here it is written in Ephesians.

Ephesians 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

This is what the mystery is, a concise definition of it, but it encompasses everything within the gift of holy spirit and what it means to us. To be fellowheirs with Christ, of the same body, and partakers of the promise encompasses being born again, having the seed of God born within us, having the gift of holy spirit, having eternal life. It is everything being God's child means. It is the ability to walk by the spirit with Christ as our head. In this administration it is available to become a new creation, a child of the creator with his spiritual incorruptible seed born inside us. And it is not just exclusively available to Judeans, it is also available to Gentiles, to anyone anywhere on earth regardless of ethnic, cultural, religious, or educational background.

Ephesians 3:7,8 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable [untraceable] riches of Christ;

The mystery was unsearchable, untraceable, untrackable through the old testament, but it was revealed to Paul, and he revealed that information to us in his epistles which make up the all truth spoken of by Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:25-27 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation [administration] of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;

Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

It is the Christ in you, the Christ in me that was hidden, and of which the devil suspected nothing. In the old testament, men and women had no spirit, they were dead. In this administration, men and women can be raised from the dead with power to operate the gift of holy spirit, walk with Christ as their head, and raise more people from the dead.

Ephesians 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Every time we get someone born again, we raise them from the dead. These are the greater works that Jesus Christ referred to back in John 14:12. We really can do greater works than Jesus Christ did. Jesus Christ could not raise anyone from the dead and give them eternal life. We can. 

When the devil and his spirits orchestrated the murder of Jesus Christ they had no idea what was coming. If they'd had even an inkling, they would not have crucified him. When Jesus Christ was alive and had the full measure of the spirit that was available then, he could only be in one place at one time. Now, in this Age of Grace, the Administration of the Mystery, everyone who is born again has Christ in them. The god of this world would rather have had Jesus Christ the son of God on earth by himself than have you and me walking around raising people from the dead. Man, the power and authority we have if we only knew it.

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