A “mystery” in Scripture is not something mysterious and enigmatic, but an open secret, which, before it was revealed, was unknown by men (Deut. 29:29). “The mysteries of God” (1 Cor. 4:1; 13:2; 14:2) are certain lines of truth that God did not make known to men until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the sending of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 16:25; Eph. 3:5; Col. 1:26). Essentially, they constitute the Christian revelation of truth. The apostles were the “stewards” of these mysteries, and thus they were responsible to make them known to the church (1 Cor. 4:1). The Christian revelation of truth has been delivered through the apostles “to the saints.”
There are a number of references to these “mysteries” in the New Testament. The word in the Greek text (musterion) appears 27 or 28 times, and it has led Bible teachers to categorize them. The difference of opinion as to how many there really are stems from the fact that some of the references are speaking of the same mystery, but with slightly different wording. Most say that there are ten. These are:
The Mysteries of the Kingdom
(Matt. 13:11; Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10)
The Lord indicated to His disciples that there are several “mysteries” in connection with the kingdom. He was alluding to a subset of ten similitudes outlined in the Gospel of Matthew, which are a special kind of parable that begins with the phrase, “The kingdom of the heavens is like unto....” (Matt. 13:24,31,33,44,45,47; 18:23; 20:1; 22:1; 25:1). These similitudes describe the unusual form which the kingdom would take in this present day when the King is rejected and visibly absent from this world. These parables serve a twofold purpose. They give an understanding of these things regarding the kingdom to those who have received the Lord, but they also work to conceal the truth from those who have not believed on Him (Matt. 13:10-17). These “mysteries of the kingdom” show us truth that was unknown in Old Testament times, but is now open to all who believe.
The Mystery of God’s Will Concerning Christ and the Church
(Rom. 16:25; Eph. 1:9-10; 3:3-4,9; 5:25-32; 6:19; Col. 1:26-27; 2:2-3; 4:3)
This mystery is said to be “great” because it is the jewel of all the mysteries and is something that is near to the heart of God (Eph. 5:32). It discloses the truth of Christ and the church and presents God’s great purpose to display the glory of this relationship before the world in a coming day.
The truth disclosed in this mystery has been “hid” in God’s heart from the foundation of the world (Eph. 3:9). The secret which has now been made known is that God will display Christ’s glory before the world through a specially formed vessel of testimony — the church, which is His body and bride (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-32; Rev. 21:9-22:5). This display will be in two spheres (heaven and earth) and will take place in “the dispensation of the fullness of times,” which is the millennium (Eph. 1:10).
The Mystery of the Faith
(1 Tim. 3:9)
This refers to the special revelation of truth that has been revealed through the coming of the Holy Spirit. It entails the specific blessings of the believer in connection with Paul’s doctrine and the ordering of the Christian’s conduct in accord with the present dispensation (1 Tim. 1:4 JND). All this was unknown in Old Testament times.
The Mystery of Godliness
(1 Tim. 3:16)
This refers to the secret of godly living. Paul told Timothy that if he wanted to know “how one ought to conduct oneself in God’s house” (1 Tim. 3:15), all he needed to do was to look at the Lord Jesus and His perfect pathway in this world. Thus, the secret of being godly is to be acquainted with the walk and ways of Christ and to emulate them.
The Mystery of the Glorification of the Saints
(1 Cor. 15:51-57; 1 Thess. 4:15-18)
This refers to the revelation of truth concerning “life and incorruptibility” being brought to light through the gospel (2 Tim. 1:10 JND). Resurrection itself was not a secret; Old Testament saints knew that God would raise the dead. It is the manner in which they would be raised and the condition into which they would be changed that they did not know, nor did they know when this would occur.
These things have been brought to light through the gospel and are an open secret in the New Testament.
The Mystery of the Stars and Candlesticks
(Rev. 1:12,20)
This refers to the responsibility that elders/overseers have (in the local assemblies where they reside) to order the assembly according to the mind of the Lord in doctrine and in practice. In interpreting what John had seen in the first vision of the book (Rev. 1:12-16), the Lord explained that “the seven golden candlesticks” are the local assemblies set in the earth as a public witness for Him. He also said that the seven “stars” are the “angels” of those assemblies. As “stars,” the elders in these assemblies were to provide light, wisdom and guidance for the various situations that the assemblies would face.
The Mystery of the Olive Tree
(Rom. 11:25)
This mystery has to do with dispensational truth. The dispensational truth in connection with “the olive tree” refers to the suspension of the legal dispensation wherein God has been dealing with Israel, brought about through the Jews’ rejection of Christ. During the suspension, God has reached out to the Gentiles and has brought them into a place of favor and testimony in the world.
The passage goes on to mention that the mass of the Gentiles, who will embrace this privilege merely outwardly, will prove themselves to be unbelievers. They too, as branches, will be “cut off,” and God would take up with the natural branches (Israel) and graft them in again (Rom. 11:18-24). Paul adds that this re-grafting would not take place “until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in” (Rom. 11:25).
The Mystery of Iniquity [Lawlessness]
(2 Thess. 2:7)
This “mystery” has to do with the spirit of disobedience stirring in the Christian profession and in the world generally. It refers to the working of the human mind in opposition to the will of God in all things, divine and secular, through the influence of the devil. The secret working of lawlessness is something that was going on in the apostles’ day, and it would continue to grow until it would be fully displayed in the apostasy of “the man of sin” (the Antichrist).
The Mystery of Babylon, the Mother of Harlots
(Rev. 17:5)
This mystery reveals that after the true church is called away from the earth at the rapture, the false church of merely professing believers (which will be left behind) will be headed up by the Roman Catholic system. It will have the character of religious confusion and blasphemy for which secular Babylon was known; hence the same title is given to that system. The false church will use its money and influence in the political arena to unite the nations in Western Europe into a ten-nation confederacy (Rev. 6:1-2; 17:12-13). This is really a revival of the Roman Empire (Dan. 2:40-43; 7:7-8; Rev. 17:7-11). Thus, the Church of Rome in its ecclesiastical corruption will control the Western superpowers, as depicted in the woman riding the beast (Rev. 17:1-4).
The Mystery of God
(Rev. 10:7)
This “mystery” is not the same as “the mystery of God” in Colossians 2:2, which is an aspect of the mystery of Christ and the church. The “mystery” in Revelation 10 has to do with the secret of God’s ways with men finally being made plain. For thousands of years God has allowed evil men to continue in their wickedness and seemingly to get away with it. However, when Christ publicly intervenes at His appearing and judges this world in righteousness (Acts 17:30-31), the mystery of God will be “finished [completed].” That is, when God brings His judgments upon the earth, this mystery will become an open secret, and the rightness of all His dealings through the ages will be seen. Thus He will be justified in it all. While all the previous mysteries have been disclosed to us now and are opened secrets, we must wait for this last mystery to be disclosed — which will happen when the Lord appears.
B. Anstey (adapted)