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CHAPTER VIII

String 7: Mystery Revealed

MYSTERY is that which is kept a profound secret.

It is something unknown, except to certain ones, being kept carefully and continuously concealed from all others. Jehovah being all powerful can hide or keep secret from every creature, earthly or heavenly, any part or all of his great plan and reveal or make it known at such time as might please him. One feature of his great plan he did keep secret for ages and it is still a secret to all except a few.

299 When Jesus was on earth he taught the people in parables or dark sayings. His disciples came to him and asked: "Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." (Matthew 13:10, 11) It will be observed that he did not say, 'You now know the mysteries of God'; but that it was given them to know those mysteries. Not even his disciples understood him in many things when they were with him. On the last night before his crucifixion he was instructing them in various things that would be helpful to them in the days to come. On that occasion he said: "When he, the spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak and he will show you things to come." (John 16:13) The spirit of truth here mentioned is the holy spirit, the

spirit of God, the invisible power operating upon the minds of those who are in covenant relationship with God. Jesus here used the masculine pronoun in speaking of the holy spirit.

300The holy spirit was given to the disciples at Pentecost, that is to say, fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus. "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the holy spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:1-4) The King James Version of our Bibles translates the word here holy "ghost", but there is no warrant for such a translation. It comes from the word which means spirit.

801It was at Pentecost that for the first time God's great mystery began to be understood by the disciples. The mystery of God has been a stumbling block to both Jews and Christians so-called; but in God's due time he will make known to all the secret of his mystery and then all rightly exercised by this will rejoice with exceeding joy.

302The mystery is the Christ, the great one through whom redemption, deliverance and blessing will ultimately come to all mankind who receive Christ and obey him. God foreshadowed his mystery for ages by the use of various men. Yet all of that time he kept it secret.

903 Death has been and is the great enemy of man. Death is the very opposite of life. The greatest desire of man is and always has been to have life everlasting in happiness. From the time of his expulsion from

Eden man has been looking for something upon which to fasten a hope for life and happiness. Satan was the cause of death, and when God pronounced the sentence in Eden he said that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head. This statement was in the nature of a promise, but it could not then be understood. Since Pentecost some have understood the meaning of these words to be an assurance that in God's due time the seed of promise, the seed of the woman, will destroy Satan, who has the power of death. Nearly two thousand years rolled by after this statement before anything further was promised.

304Then unto Abraham Jehovah called and made him the promise: "In thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed". This was another reference to the mystery; but that promise was not understood in its proper light. Abraham believed God would bless the human race, but he did not understand just the manner in which it would be done. At the time of this promise Abraham had no children. Several years more passed and then Isaac, Abraham's first legitimate son, was born. Abraham believed that his natural seed, his son, would be the ruler through whom the blessing would come to the people; but his son Isaac was merely a type of the mystery, God using him to foreshadow the greater one. This promise was renewed to Isaac and to Jacob, and at the death of Jacob his descendants, who of course were descendants of Abraham, were organized into twelve tribes, forming the nation of Israel, and were thereafter recognized as God's chosen nation. (Genesis 49:28; Deuteronomy 26: 5) Then it was that the faithful believed that God's promised blessings would come through this nation, his chosen people. But in time they became slaves to the Egyptians and their hopes were almost blasted. They were sorely oppressed in

Egypt when God sent Moses to be their deliverer and to lead the people of Israel out of Egyptian bondage. Moses was also a type foreshadowing the great One. (Acts 3:22) Moses died and the promised blessing had not yet come. The prophetic statement made by Moses that God would raise up unto Israel one like unto himself led the prophets to understand that there would be a great one raised up from the nation of Israel who would be the deliverer and blesser of mankind.

305 Joshua followed next in line after Moses. His name signifies savior or deliverer. But he also was only a type of the great Deliverer.

306Then David became the king of Israel. His name means beloved one. The Jews had hoped that he would be the great deliverer, but in his old age he abdicated the throne in favor of Solomon, and yet the blessing did not come. Solomon became the most famous man in the world for riches and wisdom, and the hopes of Israel were centered in him, only to be disappointed. David and Solomon were also but mere types foreshadowing the coming of the great Deliverer.

307The nation of Israel degenerated and under the reign of Zedekiah, their last king, they fell into captivity to the Babylonians and they continued subject to other nations until they were finally driven out of Palestine.

308 Moved by the holy spirit of God operating upon their minds, the holy prophets testified of the coming of this great Deliverer, both of his sufferings and of his glory that would follow; but they did not understand. The matter was a mystery to them. (1 Peter 1:11) Even the angels of heaven sought to look into it, but they were not permitted. God's purpose was to keep the matter secret until his own due time to reveal the great truth.

309Then came Jesus, whose coming was announced by John the Baptist; and he was pointed out as the one who would take away the sin of the world. He chose his disciples and they walked with him, and he taught them for three and a half years; yet they did not understand the great mystery. They expected Jesus to be made an earthly king and hoped that they might be with him in the kingdom, probably in his cabinet, because he was asked if one might sit on his left and the other on his right hand in the kingdom. They expected him to make Israel a great nation and believed that through that nation other nations would be blessed. When he was put to death they were greatly disappointed, mystified, and in great distress. (Luke 24:21) Even after his resurrection they did not understand his mission, and this is shown by their words to him on the day that he ascended into heaven. "When they were therefore come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the holy spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight."-Acts 1: 6-9.

810In obedience to the command of Jesus, these faithful disciples went to Jerusalem to the place known as the upper room, and there waited. Ten days passed and then it was that the holy spirit, the invisible power of God, was visited upon them; and true to his promise, the disciples began to understand.

311 Jesus had now ascended on high and presented the