There are many mysteries in the Bible.
Jesus spoke of two,
and both Paul and John wrote about mysteries.
So what are the mysteries in the Bible?
And are they completely revealed to us today?
Or do some remain a mystery?
The Kingdom Mysteries Revealed by Jesus
1. The Mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven
Mat 13:11 …it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven…Many Bible readers fail to recognize that these are two very different kingdoms. The Kingdom of Heaven, which both John the Baptist and Jesus proclaimed to be “at hand” [near].
It was a literal, physical kingdom, and in a literal, physical kingdom, the king dwells with his people and sits on a throne in a palace.
Why was the Kingdom of Heaven proclaimed to be near?
Because Jesus, the King of the Jews, was
dwelling on earth with God’s people.
However, Jesus never sat on a throne in a palace.
But had the Jews
received
Him as King and Messiah,
the Kingdom would have been set up and
Jesus’ throne
would have been in Jerusalem.
But because they rejected Jesus,
the Kingdom of Heaven will not happen
until the Church has been raptured and the
seven years of tribulation take place;
then a 1,000-year reign of Christ will commence on earth.
Jesus will sit on the throne of
David in Jerusalem
(just as the angel promised Mary that her son would do — Luke 1:32).
2. The Mystery of the Kingdom of God
Mark 4:11 …Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God…The other kingdom Jesus spoke of, the Kingdom of God, is here on earth now, yet it is not seen in the physical realm.
It is a spiritual Kingdom.
Of this Kingdom also, Jesus reigns as King, sitting on the “throne”
of the hearts of all who belong to Him.
King Jesus reigns through the
power of the indwelling Holy Spirit
in this spiritual kingdom He spoke of and about
which Paul wrote.
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Luke 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold,
the kingdom of God is within you.
Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
SummaryJesus differentiated these as two separate mysteries of two separate kingdoms. It is helpful when we read the Bible that we do the same.
We must understand that when the Kingdom of Heaven
(God’s dwelling place)
is here on earth during the Millennial Reign.
Righteousness will flow as a mighty stream (Amos 5:24); and “every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together…”
(Isaiah 40:4-5).
That has not yet happened…but one day, it will. Until then,
we live in the Kingdom of God.
May we serve our King with gladness (Psalm 100:2),
and come into
His gates with thanksgiving, and bless His name (Psalm 100:4)
Read more about these two kingdoms:
How Are the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven Different?
What is the Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven? A Simple Chart
Paul Revealed Nine Mysteries
1. The Mystery of Godliness
1 Tim 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.
The mystery of godliness is a reference to the power that enables a Christian to live a god-honoring life in this world. We should all seek to have godliness exhibited in our lives. This world is not our home. It opposes God and His will and ways. Our home is in Heaven (Phil 3:20),
and yet we remain here.
Therefore,
we must not conform to this world
(Ro 12:2).
So what is the mystery of godliness? It was exhibited when the Son of God came to earth, took on flesh, lived His life honoring His Father, preached the will and ways of God, and surrendered Himself to God’s will. That’s the godliness we seek. And thank God, Jesus has given us the Power to have such godliness. He has given us the Holy Spirit to indwell us and give us the strength to overcome the world just as He overcame the world.
When we think we are not able to do something, or when we feel we can’t overcome something, and then when we find the strength to do so, we should marvel at the great mystery of godliness. That is the Spirit’s work in us. He leads us, guides us, convicts us, cleanses us, and comforts us in all we do. He sanctifies us…until we go home.
2. The Mystery of Israel’s blindness
Rom 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.
The mystery of Israel’s blindness is that
God has hidden from their sight that which they have chosen not to see
(Luke 19:42) — but only for a time.
When “the fulness of the Gentiles be come in,” God will turn His face to the Jewish people and reveal Himself to them (just as prophesied) and their blindness will depart them and a believing remnant will see their God.
This is why Paul said that this blindness is only “in part.”
(Read more: What Does the Fullness of the Gentiles Mean? Romans 11:25)
3. The Mystery of His Will
Eph 1:9-11 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
The mystery of God’s will
is that
He will work all things out
according to His perfect purpose and plan
(Ro 8:28),
but also in
His perfect timing and perfect way.
While much is revealed to us
about God’s plan to make all things new,
there still remains a mystery.
But it is a mystery with a guarantee of completion.
4. The Mystery of God and Christ
Col 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 acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
This mystery of God the Father
and
Christ the Son
was not easy for the people at the time to comprehend.
It was the
incarnation of Jesus into human flesh
that brought the
fullness of the Godhead,
and the
divine wisdom and knowledge of the Godhead,
into our world.
And in His earthly ministry,
Jesus revealed truths about God being Triune,
yet One.
5. The Mystery of The Faith
1 Tim 3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith
in a pure conscience.
"The faith,”
in this context, is linked to
the gospel
Therefore,
"the faith”
can be understood broadly to mean
the
whole of the doctrines
of
the New Covenant or more specifically as
the good news, i.e. the
gospel of saving grace
in
Jesus Christ,
upon which
every doctrine of the New Covenant lies.
The passage in 1 Timothy 3 requires bishops (deacons)
to hold to this mystery of faith
with a pure conscience.
(1 Tim 3:1-9),
as should all Christians.
In doing so,
we honor the One
who died that we might live, and we are to
be a strong testimony
of His
saving grace to a lost world.
6. The Mystery of Christ and the Church
Eph 5:32
This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
This mystery of which Paul spoke
concluded his teaching
on the biblical relationship between a husband and wife
(Eph 5:22-32).
The lesson put forth is of a created order of the man,
who was created first out of the dust of the earth,
followed by the woman who was created next from the rib of man
(out of his side).
Created to be a helper to man,
this passage tells us that the
created order says
a wife is to submit to her husband’s headship.
However,
it begins first with the sacrificial,
uncompromising love
that a husband is to have for his wife and to give to her.
As Paul
concludes his teaching, he tells us that he is really
speaking of spiritual things.
The “great mystery”
is that this lesson is really about the relationship between
Christ and the church.
As the bridegroom, Christ loves His betrothed bride
(read: Are we the Bride of Christ now, or is that future?)
with a
sacrificial, undying, unrelenting, never-failing love,
and so
His bride should willingly submit to Him.
7. The Mystery of Christ
Eph 3:3-6 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 fellow-heirs, and of the same body,
and partakers of
his promise in Christ by the gospel:
Col 1:26-27 Even the mystery
which has 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:
Paul clearly defined this mystery as something that
God had planned from ages past but had not revealed.
The mystery of Christ is the mystery of the
indwelling Holy Spirit
being given to all people
(Jews AND Gentiles) who come to Jesus in faith.
This is the power of the
resurrection
(Phil 3:10),
and it is given to all believers to equip them to live a godly life and to
share the gospel message
(Col 4:3).
8. The Mystery of Iniquity
2 Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work…Notice this is not the mystery of sin but of iniquity. Sin is a moral failure in breaking God’s commandments. Iniquity is moral uncleanness.
It is what we are born in,
stained by the sin nature that we inherited from our father, Adam. It is the uncleanness of an unregenerate heart.
And it is incomprehensible to us just how grievous it is to God.
And it is only by
the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit
that we can be
victorious over iniquity
(sins and transgression, too.)
Read Sin, Iniquity and Transgression? How are they different?
9. The Mystery of The Rapture
1 Cor 15:51-53 Behold, I show 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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
Paul is telling us that not all will sleep (die) but some will be changed (glorified) at the time of Christ’s coming for His bride. Jesus is called our blessed hope, whose glorious appearing we watch for (Titus 2:13). His glorious appearing is most commonly called the Rapture and it will be the time when Christians in the grave will be bodily raised, and those still alive will be caught up to Heaven to be with the Lord:
1 Th 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
As seen, many of Paul’s “mysteries” overlap.
That should be of no surprise since, in all of his epistles,
Paul writes of the same things.
This shows the
consistency and the cohesiveness
of the doctrines of our faith.
Some of the mysteries of which Paul wrote , are no longer mysteries --
or at least they are understood to some extent.
As Paul wrote to the Corinthian church:
1 Cor 2:9-12 …as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him. [mysteries we have not seen, heard or understood]
But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit:
for the Spirit searches all things,
yea, the deep things of God.
For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knows no man,
but the Spirit of God.
Now we have received,
not the spirit of the world,
but
the spirit which is of God;
that we might know the things that are
freely given to us of God.
John Wrote of Three Mysteries
1. The Mystery of the Seven Stars & Golden Candlesticks
Rev 1:20a
The mystery of the seven stars which thou
sawest in my right hand,
and the seven golden candlesticks…
The Lord is so good.
The Book of Revelation
is the
revelation of Jesus Christ,
which God Him to show His servants….that includes us.
The book tells about Jesus in His glorified being and of God’s final judgment on the world and fulfillment of His promises to make all things new. Jesus told John to write what he saw.
And John saw many things
that were not
clear in his understanding.
But in many cases,
Jesus revealed to him their meanings.
For example,
Jesus told what was the mystery
of the seven stars:
Rev 1:20b …The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. Reading further we learn
the message Jesus had for each of the churches was
shrouded in mystery.
It was the same message of redemption
Paul and the other
New Testament writers preached;
and Jesus gave the same warnings about falling away and
the same admonition to
remember, repent, and return.
2. The Mystery of Babylon the Great
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written,
MYSTERY,
BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
What
John saw
was certainly mysterious,
but Jesus revealed to him the origin of an evil “harlot” that will
come out of the
mystery “city of Babylon.”
This is, of course, prophecy and is yet to be fulfilled.
or is it?
Therefore, we can only study the
“clues” that Jesus gave to understand these words.
While Babylon was an ancient city on the Euphrates River,
the name here seems to
be a symbolic reference to Rome
(Rev 17:9, 1 Pet 5:13)
from which will rise up a “church”/religious system
during the Tribulation
(it is not the church of Rome today).
It will be a universal church, as well as a political and commercial system reminiscent of the ancient Roman Empire.
The Antichrist will be the leader of this system.
So the name “Babylon the Great” represents both a place and a system
much like “Wall Street” represents both a place and system.
3. The Mystery of the Woman
Rev 17:7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel?
I will tell thee the mystery of the woman,
and of the beast that carrieth her,
which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
The mystery of this harlot is
two-fold:
Summary: The first mystery that Jesus gave to John
(the seven stars)
is
fully understood as it relates to the time in which we live,
the time of the Church and
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who
explains all things.
The second and third mysteries remain mysteries still…at least in part.
While God is gracious and has revealed much for our understanding, these mysteries are yet future and should not be a focus of our daily lives.
We will not be present when they are revealed.
Instead,
we will be in Heaven with the Lord
as promised
in the
revealed mystery of the Rapture.
We will watch as all the
events of the Tribulation unfold and then these
mysteries will become clear
in our understanding.
In Conclusion
Until the time when Jesus comes for us, we should echo the words of the prophets when they did not understand the mystery of future events:
“Oh Lord, thou knowest.” (Jeremiah 15:15, Ezekiel 37:3).
And, we should keep looking up (Luke 21:2) and always be
sharing the good news of Jesus Christ
(Mark 16:15).
After Jesus had declared that He would build His church
on the
truth
of Peter’s noble confession,
He went on to
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven;
whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”
( Matthew 16:19 ).
Later, addressing all the disciples, our Lord repeated the words,
“Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”
( Matthew 18:18 ).
Jesus gave Peter “the keys of the kingdom of heaven,”
not the keys to heaven.
A key was a badge of authority
( Luke 11:52 ),
and then as now was used to
open doors.
Peter used the keys Christ gave him
to open the door to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost ( Acts 2 ), to the Samaritans after the preaching of Philip ( Acts 8:14-17 ), and to the Gentiles after the Lord had sent him a vision and an appeal from Cornelius ( Acts 10 ).
The concept of “binding and loosing” found in Matthew 16:19 and Matthew 18:18 was commonly used among the Jewish people
in relation to the authority
of the rabbis to forbid and permit certain practices. Jesus gave Peter and the apostles authority over both the doctrine and practices of the first-century church.
Through the leading of the Holy Spirit,
they would be given wisdom to know what to forbid and
what to permit.
This authority, not on exactly the same level as during the apostolic era, still resides in the leaders of the local church. They may not receive the same kind of
supernatural guidance as the apostles did,
but they possess the entire
New Testament
along with the direction of the Holy Spirit.
2 Therefore, when church leaders
discipline a church member
who promotes
incorrect doctrine
or is involved in
evil behavior,
they act with divine approval.
They are carrying out
God’s will,
and what they do is ratified in heaven.
Since their authority is not ultimately derived from their personal qualities or their office but
from Scripture and the instruction
of the Holy Spirit,
they should
exercise it humbly and prayerfully.
Jesus spoke of two,
and both Paul and John wrote about mysteries.
So what are the mysteries in the Bible?
And are they completely revealed to us today?
Or do some remain a mystery?
The Kingdom Mysteries Revealed by Jesus
- Kingdom of Heaven
- Kingdom of God
1. The Mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven
Mat 13:11 …it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven…Many Bible readers fail to recognize that these are two very different kingdoms. The Kingdom of Heaven, which both John the Baptist and Jesus proclaimed to be “at hand” [near].
It was a literal, physical kingdom, and in a literal, physical kingdom, the king dwells with his people and sits on a throne in a palace.
Why was the Kingdom of Heaven proclaimed to be near?
Because Jesus, the King of the Jews, was
dwelling on earth with God’s people.
However, Jesus never sat on a throne in a palace.
But had the Jews
received
Him as King and Messiah,
the Kingdom would have been set up and
Jesus’ throne
would have been in Jerusalem.
But because they rejected Jesus,
the Kingdom of Heaven will not happen
until the Church has been raptured and the
seven years of tribulation take place;
then a 1,000-year reign of Christ will commence on earth.
Jesus will sit on the throne of
David in Jerusalem
(just as the angel promised Mary that her son would do — Luke 1:32).
2. The Mystery of the Kingdom of God
Mark 4:11 …Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God…The other kingdom Jesus spoke of, the Kingdom of God, is here on earth now, yet it is not seen in the physical realm.
It is a spiritual Kingdom.
Of this Kingdom also, Jesus reigns as King, sitting on the “throne”
of the hearts of all who belong to Him.
King Jesus reigns through the
power of the indwelling Holy Spirit
in this spiritual kingdom He spoke of and about
which Paul wrote.
Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Luke 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold,
the kingdom of God is within you.
Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
SummaryJesus differentiated these as two separate mysteries of two separate kingdoms. It is helpful when we read the Bible that we do the same.
We must understand that when the Kingdom of Heaven
(God’s dwelling place)
is here on earth during the Millennial Reign.
Righteousness will flow as a mighty stream (Amos 5:24); and “every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all flesh shall see it together…”
(Isaiah 40:4-5).
That has not yet happened…but one day, it will. Until then,
we live in the Kingdom of God.
May we serve our King with gladness (Psalm 100:2),
and come into
His gates with thanksgiving, and bless His name (Psalm 100:4)
Read more about these two kingdoms:
How Are the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven Different?
What is the Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Heaven? A Simple Chart
Paul Revealed Nine Mysteries
- Godliness
- Israel’s blindness
- His Will
- God and Christ
- The Faith
- Christ and the Church
- Christ
- Iniquity
- The Rapture
1. The Mystery of Godliness
1 Tim 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.
The mystery of godliness is a reference to the power that enables a Christian to live a god-honoring life in this world. We should all seek to have godliness exhibited in our lives. This world is not our home. It opposes God and His will and ways. Our home is in Heaven (Phil 3:20),
and yet we remain here.
Therefore,
we must not conform to this world
(Ro 12:2).
So what is the mystery of godliness? It was exhibited when the Son of God came to earth, took on flesh, lived His life honoring His Father, preached the will and ways of God, and surrendered Himself to God’s will. That’s the godliness we seek. And thank God, Jesus has given us the Power to have such godliness. He has given us the Holy Spirit to indwell us and give us the strength to overcome the world just as He overcame the world.
When we think we are not able to do something, or when we feel we can’t overcome something, and then when we find the strength to do so, we should marvel at the great mystery of godliness. That is the Spirit’s work in us. He leads us, guides us, convicts us, cleanses us, and comforts us in all we do. He sanctifies us…until we go home.
2. The Mystery of Israel’s blindness
Rom 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.
The mystery of Israel’s blindness is that
God has hidden from their sight that which they have chosen not to see
(Luke 19:42) — but only for a time.
When “the fulness of the Gentiles be come in,” God will turn His face to the Jewish people and reveal Himself to them (just as prophesied) and their blindness will depart them and a believing remnant will see their God.
This is why Paul said that this blindness is only “in part.”
(Read more: What Does the Fullness of the Gentiles Mean? Romans 11:25)
3. The Mystery of His Will
Eph 1:9-11 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
The mystery of God’s will
is that
He will work all things out
according to His perfect purpose and plan
(Ro 8:28),
but also in
His perfect timing and perfect way.
While much is revealed to us
about God’s plan to make all things new,
there still remains a mystery.
But it is a mystery with a guarantee of completion.
4. The Mystery of God and Christ
Col 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 acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
This mystery of God the Father
and
Christ the Son
was not easy for the people at the time to comprehend.
It was the
incarnation of Jesus into human flesh
that brought the
fullness of the Godhead,
and the
divine wisdom and knowledge of the Godhead,
into our world.
And in His earthly ministry,
Jesus revealed truths about God being Triune,
yet One.
5. The Mystery of The Faith
1 Tim 3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith
in a pure conscience.
"The faith,”
in this context, is linked to
the gospel
Therefore,
"the faith”
can be understood broadly to mean
the
whole of the doctrines
of
the New Covenant or more specifically as
the good news, i.e. the
gospel of saving grace
in
Jesus Christ,
upon which
every doctrine of the New Covenant lies.
The passage in 1 Timothy 3 requires bishops (deacons)
to hold to this mystery of faith
with a pure conscience.
(1 Tim 3:1-9),
as should all Christians.
In doing so,
we honor the One
who died that we might live, and we are to
be a strong testimony
of His
saving grace to a lost world.
6. The Mystery of Christ and the Church
Eph 5:32
This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
This mystery of which Paul spoke
concluded his teaching
on the biblical relationship between a husband and wife
(Eph 5:22-32).
The lesson put forth is of a created order of the man,
who was created first out of the dust of the earth,
followed by the woman who was created next from the rib of man
(out of his side).
Created to be a helper to man,
this passage tells us that the
created order says
a wife is to submit to her husband’s headship.
However,
it begins first with the sacrificial,
uncompromising love
that a husband is to have for his wife and to give to her.
As Paul
concludes his teaching, he tells us that he is really
speaking of spiritual things.
The “great mystery”
is that this lesson is really about the relationship between
Christ and the church.
As the bridegroom, Christ loves His betrothed bride
(read: Are we the Bride of Christ now, or is that future?)
with a
sacrificial, undying, unrelenting, never-failing love,
and so
His bride should willingly submit to Him.
7. The Mystery of Christ
Eph 3:3-6 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 fellow-heirs, and of the same body,
and partakers of
his promise in Christ by the gospel:
Col 1:26-27 Even the mystery
which has 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:
Paul clearly defined this mystery as something that
God had planned from ages past but had not revealed.
The mystery of Christ is the mystery of the
indwelling Holy Spirit
being given to all people
(Jews AND Gentiles) who come to Jesus in faith.
This is the power of the
resurrection
(Phil 3:10),
and it is given to all believers to equip them to live a godly life and to
share the gospel message
(Col 4:3).
8. The Mystery of Iniquity
2 Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work…Notice this is not the mystery of sin but of iniquity. Sin is a moral failure in breaking God’s commandments. Iniquity is moral uncleanness.
It is what we are born in,
stained by the sin nature that we inherited from our father, Adam. It is the uncleanness of an unregenerate heart.
And it is incomprehensible to us just how grievous it is to God.
And it is only by
the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit
that we can be
victorious over iniquity
(sins and transgression, too.)
Read Sin, Iniquity and Transgression? How are they different?
9. The Mystery of The Rapture
1 Cor 15:51-53 Behold, I show 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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
Paul is telling us that not all will sleep (die) but some will be changed (glorified) at the time of Christ’s coming for His bride. Jesus is called our blessed hope, whose glorious appearing we watch for (Titus 2:13). His glorious appearing is most commonly called the Rapture and it will be the time when Christians in the grave will be bodily raised, and those still alive will be caught up to Heaven to be with the Lord:
1 Th 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
As seen, many of Paul’s “mysteries” overlap.
That should be of no surprise since, in all of his epistles,
Paul writes of the same things.
This shows the
consistency and the cohesiveness
of the doctrines of our faith.
Some of the mysteries of which Paul wrote , are no longer mysteries --
or at least they are understood to some extent.
As Paul wrote to the Corinthian church:
1 Cor 2:9-12 …as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him. [mysteries we have not seen, heard or understood]
But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit:
for the Spirit searches all things,
yea, the deep things of God.
For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knows no man,
but the Spirit of God.
Now we have received,
not the spirit of the world,
but
the spirit which is of God;
that we might know the things that are
freely given to us of God.
John Wrote of Three Mysteries
- The Seven Stars & Golden Candlesticks
- Babylon the Great
- The Woman
1. The Mystery of the Seven Stars & Golden Candlesticks
Rev 1:20a
The mystery of the seven stars which thou
sawest in my right hand,
and the seven golden candlesticks…
The Lord is so good.
The Book of Revelation
is the
revelation of Jesus Christ,
which God Him to show His servants….that includes us.
The book tells about Jesus in His glorified being and of God’s final judgment on the world and fulfillment of His promises to make all things new. Jesus told John to write what he saw.
And John saw many things
that were not
clear in his understanding.
But in many cases,
Jesus revealed to him their meanings.
For example,
Jesus told what was the mystery
of the seven stars:
Rev 1:20b …The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. Reading further we learn
the message Jesus had for each of the churches was
shrouded in mystery.
It was the same message of redemption
Paul and the other
New Testament writers preached;
and Jesus gave the same warnings about falling away and
the same admonition to
remember, repent, and return.
2. The Mystery of Babylon the Great
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written,
MYSTERY,
BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
What
John saw
was certainly mysterious,
but Jesus revealed to him the origin of an evil “harlot” that will
come out of the
mystery “city of Babylon.”
This is, of course, prophecy and is yet to be fulfilled.
or is it?
Therefore, we can only study the
“clues” that Jesus gave to understand these words.
While Babylon was an ancient city on the Euphrates River,
the name here seems to
be a symbolic reference to Rome
(Rev 17:9, 1 Pet 5:13)
from which will rise up a “church”/religious system
during the Tribulation
(it is not the church of Rome today).
It will be a universal church, as well as a political and commercial system reminiscent of the ancient Roman Empire.
The Antichrist will be the leader of this system.
So the name “Babylon the Great” represents both a place and a system
much like “Wall Street” represents both a place and system.
3. The Mystery of the Woman
Rev 17:7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel?
I will tell thee the mystery of the woman,
and of the beast that carrieth her,
which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
The mystery of this harlot is
two-fold:
- First, the harlot’s identity is somewhat of a mystery. The passage does give clues, and many have understood those clues to be pointing to the leader of the future “church” (or religious system) in the Tribulation. John saw a woman with seven heads that represented seven mountains on which the woman sat (Rev 17:9) These seven mountains represented seven kingdoms, “five of which have fallen, one that is, and one that is to come” (Rev 17:10). Jesus revealed much more, but that description is sufficient for our purpose here.
- Second, the harlot’s purpose is somewhat of a mystery. Understanding how this “woman” will be an instrument in God’s hands requires studying the entire book of Revelation and understanding Old Testament prophecies of the seven-year period of Jacob’s trouble (Jer 30:7), known as the Tribulation.
Summary: The first mystery that Jesus gave to John
(the seven stars)
is
fully understood as it relates to the time in which we live,
the time of the Church and
the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who
explains all things.
The second and third mysteries remain mysteries still…at least in part.
While God is gracious and has revealed much for our understanding, these mysteries are yet future and should not be a focus of our daily lives.
We will not be present when they are revealed.
Instead,
we will be in Heaven with the Lord
as promised
in the
revealed mystery of the Rapture.
We will watch as all the
events of the Tribulation unfold and then these
mysteries will become clear
in our understanding.
In Conclusion
Until the time when Jesus comes for us, we should echo the words of the prophets when they did not understand the mystery of future events:
“Oh Lord, thou knowest.” (Jeremiah 15:15, Ezekiel 37:3).
And, we should keep looking up (Luke 21:2) and always be
sharing the good news of Jesus Christ
(Mark 16:15).
After Jesus had declared that He would build His church
on the
truth
of Peter’s noble confession,
He went on to
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven;
whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”
( Matthew 16:19 ).
Later, addressing all the disciples, our Lord repeated the words,
“Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”
( Matthew 18:18 ).
Jesus gave Peter “the keys of the kingdom of heaven,”
not the keys to heaven.
A key was a badge of authority
( Luke 11:52 ),
and then as now was used to
open doors.
Peter used the keys Christ gave him
to open the door to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost ( Acts 2 ), to the Samaritans after the preaching of Philip ( Acts 8:14-17 ), and to the Gentiles after the Lord had sent him a vision and an appeal from Cornelius ( Acts 10 ).
The concept of “binding and loosing” found in Matthew 16:19 and Matthew 18:18 was commonly used among the Jewish people
in relation to the authority
of the rabbis to forbid and permit certain practices. Jesus gave Peter and the apostles authority over both the doctrine and practices of the first-century church.
Through the leading of the Holy Spirit,
they would be given wisdom to know what to forbid and
what to permit.
This authority, not on exactly the same level as during the apostolic era, still resides in the leaders of the local church. They may not receive the same kind of
supernatural guidance as the apostles did,
but they possess the entire
New Testament
along with the direction of the Holy Spirit.
2 Therefore, when church leaders
discipline a church member
who promotes
incorrect doctrine
or is involved in
evil behavior,
they act with divine approval.
They are carrying out
God’s will,
and what they do is ratified in heaven.
Since their authority is not ultimately derived from their personal qualities or their office but
from Scripture and the instruction
of the Holy Spirit,
they should
exercise it humbly and prayerfully.
- The two expressions “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven” actually have the same basic meaning. They should be understood within the context of the passages in which they are found. They can be used in a number of ways. They can refer to the universal sense of the entire creation, which is ultimately under the control of God. They can refer the mediatorial kingdom of Jesus Christ, which will come into being when Jesus returns triumphantly to reign directly over the earth. And, finally, they can refer to the kingdom of God, which is already present in the hearts of believers who have yielded themselves to Jesus Christ as Lord. Hebrews 12:22-24 expresses the reality of God’s present kingdom:
- “You have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” Back To Article
- The authority of the apostles and their chosen successors was basic to the survival of the early church. However, after centuries passed and the canon of Scripture along with the doctrinal foundation of the church had become firmly established, it was necessary to return to the Scriptures themselves as the primary source of authority.