Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Seven Mysteries

Note: All Scripture quotations found in this article are from the text of the Authorized King James Version of the Bible.

This will be a short article covering the seven mysteries found in the King James Bible. A good steward of the word of God will be aware of these seven mysteries found in the Pauline Epistles that apply to the Body of Christ and teach them. Some of these will be hard to understand, but that is why they are called mysteries. Our job is to believe them even if we do not fully understand them.

1 Corinthians 4:1 "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful."

1. The Mystery of Godliness

1 Timothy 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."

This mystery reveals that Jesus Christ was God manifest in the flesh. This teaches that God came to this earth as a baby with the mother being a virgin. Jesus was fully God, fully man and lived a sinless life while on this earth.

2. The Mystery of the Indwelling Christ

Colossians 1:27 "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:"

This teaches that Jesus Christ is inside the Born Again man. It is such a mystery that a sinless Saviour would dwell within our wicked bodies. Every Christian should consider this mystery and realize that Jesus should be King over our body, not ourselves. This thought should also keep us from sinning knowing that He is inside us. Every believer has two natures, the flesh and the spirit.

3. The Mystery of the Body of Christ

Ephesians 5:32 "This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church."

Ephesians 3:1 "For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5 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;"

This mystery tells us that anyone who is saved is in the Body of Christ, which is the Bride of Christ (Rev. 21:9). After the Rapture and the Judgment Seat of Christ, the Body of Christ, who is the Bride will meet her Bridegroom Jesus Christ at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9). Right now, the Body of Christ is called a chaste virgin (2 Cor. 11:2) because the marriage has not yet happened. Although the marriage has happened spiritually already (1 Cor. 6:17), it has not happened bodily (2 Cor. 5:6-8).

4. The Mystery of the Blindness of Israel

Romans 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. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. 30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:"

This mystery deals with the blindness of Israel as a nation and their restoration in the future during the Millennium. The mystery revealed is that God is not through with Israel. God will take the wandering Jews and bring them back to Palestine, which He has already done and convert them to Jesus Christ during the Tribulation. They will then get all of their land back in the Millennium.

5. The Mystery of Iniquity

2 Thessalonians 2:7 "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way."

This mystery is talking about the Antichrist that will reign during the Tribulation (2 Thess. 2:2-8). This man's number will be 666 (Rev. 13:18). He will talk about peace and his salute will be the two-finger peace sign. He will be a Roman Catholic Pope (Zech. 11:17) and he will be of Jewish decent, Syrian through Ham (Dan. 11:37, Isa. 14:25, Rev. 13:2, Jer. 13:23). There is more information about this man in the Bible than any other man, besides Jesus Christ. If anyone wants more information about this man, go to my article titled "The Antichrist".

6. The Mystery of the Rapture

1 Corinthians 15:51 "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 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. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"

This mystery deals with the disappearance of the Body of Christ at the end of the Church Age, before the Tribulation. There will be two types of people that go up in this rapture, the saved dead and the saved that are still alive. The saved will get glorified bodies and go up to meet Jesus and it will happen "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye."

7. The Mystery of Babylon the Great

Revelation 17:5 "And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

This is a mystery concerning a woman that rides on a beast that has seven heads and ten horns. The woman is a city that reigns over the kings of the earth (Rev. 17:18). The seven heads of the beast are seven mountains (Rev. 17:9). She has a golden cup and wears purple and scarlet (Rev. 17:4). She is said to be the mother of all harlots. She will go along with the world to get the world's favor (Rev. 17:6). The city is said to be filled with the blood of martyrs of Jesus Christ (Rev. 17:6). Anyone who has studied history would know that this city is Rome. Her religion will be Roman Catholic, hence the blood of the martyrs and everything else mentioned above.