There are 22 verses in the New Testament where Paul references a mystery of God in the context of something formerly hidden but now revealed by God for all to know and understand. These 22 verses contain 7 Mysteries in the Old Testament, six that Paul reveals to Christians in the Church Age and one that John exposes in Revelation. Almost all of these mysteries deal with the Church Age, also known as the age of grace.
When Old Testament prophets got a glimpse of the future, they usually saw the suffering Savior followed almost immediately by the reigning King. However, they didn’t realize there was a valley between those two points in time that would span over 2,000 years! The events that occur in that “valley” are the mysteries that are revealed in the New Testament to Paul and John.
The Mysteries are as follows:
- The Mystery of the Gospel
- The Mystery of the Indwelling Christ
- The Mystery of the Church
- The Mystery of the Rapture
- The Mystery of Israel's Partial Blindness
- The Mystery of Iniquity
- Mystery Babylon The Great
I want to take a brief look at these mysteries and see what it was that God kept secret in the Old Testament, and see what they mean for us today.
The Mystery of the Gospel
This mystery is also called the mystery of godliness. Paul tells us what constitutes the gospel in I Corinthians 15:1-4, which is the person of God manifested in the flesh—the physical birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The mystery also includes his ascension into heaven.
1 Timothy 3:16- And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Ephesians 6:19- And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
Colossians 2:2- That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
Colossians 4:3- Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
Romans 16:25-27- 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: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
The mystery is not that God was going to send the Messiah as a human to the earth. The Jews were constantly looking for their Messiah. The mystery was in the fact that He didn't come to reign as king, but to die as the sacrifice for sin. The Jews had been watching for their Messiah, but their expectation was that He would wipe out their enemies and reign in Jerusalem. The mystery was a whole section of history where He dies for sin, ascends to heaven, and the church is created by believers in His death, burial, and resurrection.
I 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.
When Christ died he accomplished a few things. He paid the eternal payment for mankind's sin debt for all who call out to Him for salvation. He eternally damned all those who would reject Him as their Savior. And, he sealed Satan's defeat and his doom to outer darkness.
Had the devil known what all would have been achieved by Christ's death on the cross, he never would have allowed Him to be crucified.
But, not only was Jesus Christ's death prophesied in the Old Testament (notably in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22), but also His resurrection was prophesied. Even though Christ told His disciples these things would happen, they just couldn't understand it! And the sentiment was the same with those who read the Old Testament- no one could comprehend that the God of Creation would come to die for mankind only to resurrect back to life three days later.
This means that we can have our sin debt completely forgiven by God if we accept the payment that Jesus Christ made on Calvary for our sin, and we confess that we believe that He is God who came in the flesh, died for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day.
The Indwelling Christ
When you accept Christ as your Savior, the Holy Ghost seals you and takes up residence within you. You are no longer your own, you've been bought with a price- the blood of Jesus Christ- and you are kept by God from damnation.
I Corinthians 6:19- What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
Colossians 1:26–27- 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:
Galatians 2:20- I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Romans 8:11- But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
This mystery overlaps with another mystery, the rapture. Because you have been sealed, you inherit the promises of salvation. What are they? That your soul will go to heaven when your body dies. That, one day, your body will be taken to heaven and rejoined to your soul for eternity. And that you will get a place in New Jerusalem with Christ in the ages to come.
The Mystery of the Rapture
The rapture is what we call the event where living and deceased believers are gathered up to meet Christ in the air to go to heaven with Him before the Tribulation period.
1 Corinthians 15:51–52- Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Ephesians 4:30- And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Ephesians 1:13-14- In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Romans 8:11 (above) also references this event. We are sealed until the day of redemption. In the Old Testament the spirit of God would come on a man and then leave him once the task had been accomplished; that's why David prays, "take not thy spirit from me".
The mystery has to do with God's spirit remaining with us until the rapture takes place. The spirit indwells us and, just as Christ was physically raised from the dead, so then all those who have put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will be raised to sit with Him in heavenly places.
The Mystery of the Church
The church is a group of believers, both Jewish and non-Jewish (Gentile), from the time of Acts until the rapture, that are united equally into one "body" through their faith in the Gospel.
Ephesians 3:1–6- For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, If ye have heard of the dispensation 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 in the mystery of Christ) 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; That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
Ephesians 5:25–32- Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Col 1:24-28- Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation 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: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
If you read through the genealogy of the kings, you'll find there are a few places where a Gentile woman marries into the family. This isn't a random instance. A few of the prophets even married Gentile women. God recorded these occurrences in the Old Testament for a reason- the Gentiles are going to get a chance to join God's family.
The Jewish people thought very ill of the Gentiles. No way would they have ever considered allowing them in on the promises of God. But God opened the door to whosoever would believe regardless of their race.
The Mystery of Israel’s Partial Blindness
The Mystery of Israel’s Partial Blindness
The concept that Israel would experience a temporary spiritual blindness, which allows the Gospel to spread to the Gentiles until the "fullness of the Gentiles" has come.
Romans 11:25- For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
Romans 11:13,1523-24- For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office: For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
When the Jews rejected their Messiah, and when they rejected Paul's preaching to the, God blinded the nation of Israel. It was a temporary thing to accomplish God's purpose. He did it to provoke them. God wants them to get jealous and seek Him!
Acts 13:46- Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
Romans 11:11- I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
Romans 10:19- But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you.
The church age is a time when God is dealing with both Jew and Gentile. The fullness of the Gentiles began nationally with the Babylonian Captivity, and began personally (for individuals) with the rejection of Paul's preaching by the Jewish leaders.
This is only a momentary time frame. Once the rapture occurs, God will turn His attention back to the nation of Israel. That doesn't mean that Gentiles can't seek after God, it just means that God's focus will be on getting the Jews to accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
The Mystery of Iniquity
This mystery opens upon the close of the Church Age. The kingdoms of this world are under the control of Satan, and therefore all governments will see a decline because of the ongoing, unseen spiritual force of evil that is actively at work in the world. The sole purpose is to culminate a society in which the people of this world accept the appearance of the Antichrist as that of the Messiah.
2 Thessalonians 2:7-10- For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4- Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Daniel 9:26b-27- and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Daniel 11:31-34- And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.
Daniel 12:11- And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
Mark 13:14,19- But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
Jeremiah 30:7- Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.
We call this time period the Tribulation. Jeremiah referenced it as the time of Jacob's trouble. The entire world will reel from the wrath of God poured out on creation; and Satan will also be wreaking havoc on mankind during this time.
Just as Jesus Christ was God manifest in the flesh, so the AntiChrist will be Satan manifest in the flesh. This is the mystery of iniquity! Iniquity is a noun that refers to gross immorality, gross injustice, or a wicked act. I can't think of a more accurate description of the Antichrist!
Mystery Babylon
Mystery Babylon
Our last mystery was revealed to the Apostle John while he was on the isle of Patmos. The symbolic depiction of a corrupt, end-times system that opposes God, and exalts the AntiChrist. This system is a mystery because it has always had some existence throughout history.
Revelation 17:5- And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.Revelation 18:3- For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
This system can be traced back to Babel and Nimrod (and possibly before that time). It's a religion that appears holy but is actually evil. God states that this religious system is responsible for all murders and death. John probably saw religions like this during his lifetime, and yet he still marveled at it. Why? Because John knew Jesus and Mary personally. John marveled that anyone could worship Mary, she’s just a human woman used by God to birth the Savior. He could see that the portrayal of Christ was erroneous. John couldn’t see what religion would do to Christianity to corrupt it after 2,000 years; he is just seeing the end result of that corruption.
When Jesus speaks to the religious leaders of His day, it sounds like He's talking to the Roman Catholic Church- call no man your father. Paul warns against the doctrine of devils which the Roman Catholic Church enforces- Forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from eating meat.
There is a deceptive religion out there that claims to be founded by Jesus and His disciples, but in reality it is founded by Satan. And in Revelation it is identified as having a golden cup as a symbol, colors of scarlet and purple, and has a headquarters that is a city built on seven hills. The mystery is how many people are misled by this system.
There may be many other mysteries in the Bible, but these are the ones that are called out. Paul instructs Christians to study, and God states in the Old Testament that it is the honor of kings to search out a matter. Those who wish to be wise would do well to search the Scriptures and find what God has "hidden" from those who profess to be knowledgeable and yet are arrogant fools!
