church mystery
Key 8: The Mystery of the Church.
THE CHURCH WAS A MYSTERY in the Old Testament. The Old Testament prophets saw Christ's first Coming as the Suffering Servant and His Second Coming as King of Kings (and a time of Tribulation just before that) after which the vision of the Old Testament prophets will be fulfilled and God's Kingdom established, but they could not see into the GAP in between - the present Age. They saw Christ would first come and suffer for our sins but it was not clear to them that the Kingdom (Glory) would be postponed for a long time (1Peter 1:10-12). We now know this GAP is about 2000 years long and that God raised up a new group called His CHURCH to be His witness for this Age. However it is clear that the Church was not explicitly mentioned in Old Testament prophecy (it is in the Types, Shadows and Feasts). She was hidden to the Old Testament eye.
The CHURCH was not seen or mentioned by the Old Testament prophets. God kept the CHURCH hidden (the prophets saw some events related to Israel at the start and end of this time but not the Church itself. Only when it was clear that Israel was rejecting Christ, was it revealed (by Jesus) that there would be an extended period between the two Comings of Christ and that the responsibility and anointing to guard and spread God's Word would be passed from Israel to the Church for that time. So only when it was clear that Israel was saying 'NO' did God reveal the MYSTERY of what would happen between His two Comings.
The Mystery was that there would be a 2000 year GAP and that the CHURCH would fill that gap. The present Church-Age was a Mystery (Secret) hidden in God, but now revealed in the New Testament.
One reason that the Church Age was a MYSTERY, only revealed to the apostles when Israel’s rejection was clear, is that it can only happen if Israel is cut off and the Kingdom is postponed as Romans 11 makes clear. So, if God revealed it in advance, He could not have made a ‘bona fide’ (genuine) offer of the Kingdom to Israel at Christ’s First Coming. And when He did start to reveal it, it was only secretly to His disciples (mostly through parables - see Matthew 13). Thus it was explained in a way that the leaders could not understand so that the offer was not compromised (Matthew 13:10-17). So the Church-Age from Pentecost to the Rapture was a mystery hidden in God. (The CHURCH was BORN at PENTECOST - Acts1:5;11:15,16). Thus ‘Mystery’ is a key word in the New Testament.
The ‘mysteries’ refer to things revealed in the New Testament that were hidden in God in the Old. The word ‘Mystery’ means ‘a Secret’ - a word that was used by secret societies having special knowledge possessed only by the initiated members. A mystery was something known to those on the inside but not to those on the outside. Until AD 33 the mystery was hidden in God; that is, the ‘society’ was the Triune God but now in the Church Age all believers are welcomed into the fellowship of this mystery and can learn the Divine secrets! For believers, a New Testament mystery is a secret revealed.
The Mystery was revealed first by Jesus where He revealed the Mystery Kingdom in parables (Matthew 13).
“All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world” (v34,35).
He prophesied how the KINGDOM would progress IN THE PRESENT MYSTERY AGE. He also predicted that the Holy Spirit would reveal more to the apostles (John 16:12,13).
The full revelation of MYSTERY was given to the Apostle Paul who was especially chosen to reveal the Mystery: “He is able to establish you according to my gospel and preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations” (Romans 16:25-26).
“I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfil (complete) the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:25-27).
“ I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles - if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 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, of the same body, partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all 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” (Ephesians 3:1-10).
Anything called a ‘mystery’ in the New Testament is something not revealed before the Church Age. The heart of this mystery is the nature of the Church: “That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel” (Ephesians 3:6). The Mystery is not Gentile salvation which happens in every age but that there would be a body of people (distinct from Israel) called the Church where Jew and Gentile have an equal place in one body. Moreover, it would be the BODY and BRIDE of Christ, actually in union with and indwelt by Christ (us in Christ and Christ in us) possessing every New-Covenant blessing (Coloss 1:27, John 14:20).
The mystery was not Messiah’s death but it was that Israel would be hardened and cut off, that the Kingdom would be postponed and a new Body would be formed IN CHRIST (where Jew and Gentile, male and female were equal) which would be entrusted with the WORD of GOD and its propagation in this present age instead of Israel. These developments were no surprise to God - they were all in His eternal plan and purpose. Part 2 has more on the Mystery.
Therefore we now have this order of events:
- THE FIRST COMING OF CHRIST
- THE CHURCH AGE
- THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
- THE MILLENNIUM