Mysteries Revealed

I don’t know any­one who does not enjoy a sus­pense­ful mys­tery. If the novel or movie is a really good one, the final “who­dunit” ques­tion is not answered until the last scene. Sometimes, the viewer may even be left guess­ing.

The dic­tio­nary defines mys­tery as “any­thing kept secret, unex­plained, or unknown.” Another def­i­n­i­tion is, “any truth that is unknow­able except by divine rev­e­la­tion.” The sec­ond is a more bib­li­cal def­i­n­i­tion. In the Bible, a mys­tery is revealed only to the “ini­ti­ated” or those “born again.” It is a truth, once hid­den but now revealed. In the New Testament a mys­tery is some­thing that can­not be under­stood with­out rev­e­la­tion from the Spirit of God.

The Bible is full of mys­ter­ies. God Himself is mys­te­ri­ous. We know only that which God has cho­sen to reveal about Himself (Luke 10:22). The Kingdom of God is a mys­tery (Mark 4:11 NKJV). This is one rea­son why Jesus spoke in para­bles.

Paul, in Ephesians 6:19 NKJV, refers to the Gospel as a mys­tery. In Romans 16:25–26 NKJV, he says that the mys­tery of the Gospel has been “kept secret since the world began.” Although Old Testament Scripture speaks of it, the Gospel was hid­den from most peo­ple until the rev­e­la­tion of Jesus as the Christ. The mys­tery of God is that He has hid­den all wis­dom and knowl­edge in Christ. True wis­dom and knowl­edge are found only in Christ who is their source (Colossians 2:2–3).

Marriage between a man and a woman is a mys­tery. It rep­re­sents on earth the divine rela­tion­ship between Christ and the church. Scripture says of mar­riage: “This is a great mys­tery, but I speak con­cern­ing Christ and the church.” The two (Christ and the church) becom­ing one (Ephesians 5:31–32 NKJV).

What hap­pens to our phys­i­cal bod­ies when Christ returns at the res­ur­rec­tion is a mys­tery, now revealed. We will be raised, and our bod­ies will take on immor­tal­ity and become imper­ish­able (I Corinthians 15:51–53 NKJV). However, it is not known “what we shall be” when Christ is revealed, but “we shall be like him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2 NKJV).

The mys­tery of the unit­ing of both Gentile and Jew as one body—and as joint heirs in Christ—is now revealed through the gospel (Ephesians 3:6). Israel’s sal­va­tion is a mys­tery. At this time in sal­va­tion his­tory, Gentiles are being saved and most Jewish hearts are hard­ened to Messiah. There will, how­ever, come a time when “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:25–27).

The great­est mys­tery of all is “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26–27). Jesus, the vis­i­ble image of the invis­i­ble God, the cre­ator of all things lives in you (Colossians 1:15–16, 19). Mystery revealed! God in His full­ness liv­ing in Christ!