The Aaron Papers  www.the-aaron-papers.net 

A SYSTEMATIC STUDY IN BIBLICAL THEOLOGY

CHAPTER III 

-THE MYSTERIES OF GOD-

MANY of God's truths are hidden in Mystery, and only when we allow the Scriptures to interpret the Scriptures can we hope to gain real insight into these truths.  And it is very important that we understand these details concerning the mysteries of God: A mystery is something unexplained, unknown, or kept secret.  Then only through God's divine intervention, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can we ever hope to fully understand these mysteries.

Mat.13:11—“Jesus told His disciples this fact: Unto you it is given  to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but unto them it is not given.”

Mat.13:34 and 35 /Ps.78:2—“All these things Jesus spoke in parables unto the multitudes, and without a parable He spoke nothing unto them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets, saying: I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.”

Mk.4:11; Lu.8:10—“Jesus also told His disciples this: Unto you is given the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, but unto them that are without, all things are done in parables.”

Ps.78:2a—“I will open My mouth in parables”, is the prophecy that directed the described actions of Jesus.  To those who are outside of His elect inner circle, all of God's truths are still mysteriously hidden in parables.

Rom.16:25 and 26-paraphrase—“Now to Him (God) that is able to establish you (through the Holy Spirit) according to my (Paul's) gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept in silence through times eternal, but now is manifested, and (as confirmed) through the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the Eternal God, is made known unto all the nations unto obedience of faith.”

The Gospel = The door of salvation is now open to all. 

Dispensation defined (Webster's)  4. In theology. (a) The ordering of events under divine authority.  Strong's concordance.  Greek word (oikonomia)  Dispensation, Administration, Management system.

Eph.1:9 and 10—“Making known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself unto a dispensation of the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, things in heaven, and the things upon the earth...”

This is the dispensation of the fullness of times.  Now the definition of this particular mystery of God, is to sum up [bring together into one] all things in Christ.  Then this is basically manifested in the removal of the distinction that had previously existed between the Circumcision and the Uncircumcision.  When God placed the visible Circumcision on an absolute level with the Uncircumcision, He was able to open wide the door of salvation to every peoples, tribe, tongue, and nation.  The MYSTERY is—that all have now become equally welcome into His Abrahamic Covenant; which is the basic universal gospel message; which is, in all reality, THE GOSPEL.

Heb.9:26b—“But now once at the end (consummation) of the ages has He (Jesus) been manifested.”

Eph.3:9 and 10—(That is) “To make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery which for ages has been hid in God.  To the intent that now unto principalities and powers in the Heavenlies, might be made known through the Church, the manifold wisdom of God.”

Unto principalities and powers in the Heavenlies, God's hidden wisdom is now being made known through the Church.  The evidence that this is God’s dispensation, is the continuation of the Church through these nearly two thousand years.

1Cor.4:1—“Let a man so account of us (in the Church), as ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.”

Col.2:2 and 3—“That their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love, unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding.  That they may know the mystery of God and Christ, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden.”

We can now understand that the mystery of God and Christ contains all of the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  And understanding these mysteries gives each of us comfort and assurance.  These Scriptures clearly foretold this hidden mystery: The gospel message, in fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, was always intended to reach out to all of God’s creation.

(Remember): “The Scriptures foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel before unto Abraham saying, in you shall all the nations be blessed.” (Gal.3:8)

The justification of the Gentiles by faith, is in fact, the dispensation of God's unfavored grace toward all peoples.  The Church of Jesus Christ is the final open door that will ever be available for entrance into God's Eternal Kingdom. The finished work of Christ is the open door for all—past, present, and future.

“But we speak God's wisdom in a mystery, even the wisdom that has been hidden, which God foreordained before the worlds unto our glory.  Which none of the rulers of this world have known.  For if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, and which entered not into the heart of men, whatsoever things God prepared for them that love Him.  But unto us, God revealed them through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” (1Cor.2:7-10)

All of these things, before the worlds, were an inclusive parts of God's divine plan: Which things, even at that ancient time, God had foreordained for our future understanding of His elect.

“The apostle Paul was given the dispensation of that grace of God to the Church: And that, by revelation, the mystery was made known to him (Paul).  That when we read, we can perceive his (Paul's) understanding in the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known as it has now been revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets, in the Spirit: To witness, that the Gentiles are fellow-heirs, and fellow-members of the body, and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.” (Eph.3:2-6)

We are reminded again that this is the dispensation of grace: And that this revelation of the mystery comes only through God’s Holy Spirit.  The main point of this revelation is the total equality that now exists among all of the world's peoples who have now been brought into God's family.

Paul also desired prayer from the saints—That he would make known with boldness the mystery of God. Ref. Eph.6:19  The Apostle Paul's desire, was as ours should be as well: That we too would make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.

(Paul writes)—“I was made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which was given me to you-ward, TO FULFILL THE WORD OF GOD, the mystery which had been hid for ages and generations: But now has been manifested to His saints, to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: (And) admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ;” (Col.1:25-28)

These Scriptures directly point out, that this is the dispensation of God: Which was given to us in the Church, to fulfill the word of God.  It should now be clear that this dispensation of God's unfavored grace is the final dispensation: And for us to look beyond this time for something more, for another time for salvation, is highly speculative.

“This mystery is great, but I speak in regard of Christ and of the Church.” (Eph.5:32)

There is a time in the future when the mystery of God will be finished.  Rev.10:7—But in the day of the voice of the seventh angel (trumpet), when he is about to sound, then is finished the mystery of God.  I do believe that, at this future point in God's table of time, all of the inhabitants of the entire earth will then know this absolute—that our God is GOD.    -AMEN-

Now because of the tremendous controversy that surrounds this dispensation of grace, an attempt to remove some of the confusion is absolutely necessary.  We must, at this juncture, again review what is generally meant by the term MYSTERY.

1. We read in Rom.16:25 that the gospel message is "according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept in silence through time eternal."  That even though the same gospel benefits were available in the institution of the Abrahamic Covenant, they were not fully comprehended. 

2. The apostle Paul writes in Eph.1:9—"Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ."

3. Now in Eph.3:3 and 4 Paul reminds us: "By revelation He made known to me the mystery [as I wrote before in few words, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ], which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel." 

4. Col.1:25-27 adds: The glory of the mystery - is Christ in you.  

By the Scriptures, the word "MYSTERY" would first be defined as THE DISPENSATIONAL CHANGE IN GOD'S SALVATION PROGRAM—which is simply THE GOSPEL: Where the door of salvation has been opened to all of the peoples of the entire earth.  The gospel message is the glorious fact that God has eternally removed all distinction in peoples: Which now, as God had promised to Abraham, makes the family of God all-inclusive. Now the book of Romans is devoted entirely to the explanation of this very complicated issue—Which is, in its most basic sense, the removal of all distinction of peoples when considering God’s universal reconciliation.  Then more specifically, the bringing together of the Jews and the Gentiles—the Circumcision and the Uncircumcision, into one unified body in the holy priesthood of God.  That is, the calling in of the former being visible and the election of the latter being invisible.  We must understand that God’s peoples have a complex definition—where one characteristic is visible and the other characteristic is invisible.

5. Col.2:2 tells us—“The mystery of God contains all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” 

6. Eph.3:9 and 10a adds—“To make all people 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: To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the Church.”

7. “For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bone... This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.”  Eph.5:30 and 32

The MYSTERY is the full manifestation of the good news—that God had always intended to include all of the Nations in His Covenant of Grace.  That God has now expanded His salvation program to include all peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations equally.

THE VISIBLE MYSTERY IS THE GOOD NEWS—THE GOSPEL – THE INVIAIBLE MYSTERY IS THE GOSPEL OF OUR HIGH PRIESTS—THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.