Stewards of the Mysteries

       Why is it so important that we understand God’s mystery-plan? For one thing, it was said of the tribe of Issachar, that they had an understanding of the times. Good for them. So what? “To know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chron. 12:32). In terms of what? The context of the passage is when King Saul had been told that God had rejected him as king. Samuel the prophet had anointed David instead. Saul wasn’t buying any of this, so David was in hiding. In this governmental turmoil, the tribes needed to know what Israel should do.
      The New Covenant was set in motion through Jesus’s earthly ministry. It was established by His death on the cross. In effect, God’s agenda was no longer hidden, particularly as it relates to the Church and the new rules of engagement.
       Understanding God’s times and divine agenda enables us to know what we are to do in our own time. Uncertainly breeds fear. Understanding breeds comfort, hope, and victory—even now. For as Christ is in Heaven, so are we now on this earth (1 John 3:17).
         Because we are in Christ and charged with preaching the good news of the Gospel and making disciples, we are automatically also stewards of the mysteries. It is required of stewards to be found faithful (1 Cor. 4:1-2). It’s time for the mystery-plan to be understood and manifested.
         “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the 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, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith—to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen” (Romans 16:25-27). This series is designed to help you see the mystery from the first to the last book of God’s Word.
         John opened his gospel account by reminding us that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2). The mystery of God is the mystery-plan, leading to the restoration of all things. Through God’s Word, as manifested in the earthly ministry of Jesus, we can come to see the end from the beginning.
        It is clear that Jesus’ disciples understood very little about the mystery prior to the cross. They didn’t understand why He was leaving, much less that He would come back. On the night of His arrest, they all fled in a state of confusion. As we’ve seen, this is because the mystery had been hidden prior to Christ’s resurrection. His resurrection signaled that it was time for the mystery to be fully revealed.
     Though prophets, lawgivers, and psalmists had spoken their respective parts of the mystery, the various prophecies lay strewn throughout the Old Testament record like a jigsaw puzzle, jumbled and unassembled. No one could see how the pieces fit together, not even the prophets themselves.
     As we might imagine, these pieces did not come together overnight. It took some time to fully assemble the prophetic puzzle. The disciples’ encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus, and later again that same evening, gave them a noble start.
     The apostles perceived that a great mystery was beginning to unfold. As the Holy Spirit reminded them of what the Master had taught, Jesus’ words began to take on greater meaning. They remembered that He spoke of the mysteries of the kingdom. For example, after teaching a particular parable His disciples came to Him privately, asking, “What does this parable mean?” Jesus responded, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables” (Mark 4:10-12).
       The knowledge of the mystery was not for impatient bystanders or disinterested hearers, but for those who had a desire to seek out the truth. The parables were merely designed to whet their appetite for such choice morsels. Therefore, the secrets were only parceled out to those who were really hungry to know.
     So after the cross the disciples began to connect the dots, assemble the pieces, and comprehend the mystery. Quite remarkably, the prophetic puzzle (God’s plan) was fully assembled within the forty years that followed Jesus’ resurrection. Scholars generally agree that most of the New Testament was written and already in circulation prior to the destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70 AD. Only the three letters of John, along with the book of Revelation, are generally assigned to the latter part of the century, between 85 and 95 AD. In other words, the mystery was fully revealed and understood by the first-century apostles. 
      The Chronos Lesson: Since the mystery of Christ also concerns His second coming, these foundational apostles eventually understood the secret things concerning His return at the end of this age. The truth is the first-century apostles had a much better grasp of end-time prophecy than our generation has exhibited up to this time! And with Christ’s return so near, it is time to retrieve what has been lost.
      The Holy Spirit entrusted the first-century apostles with these revelations and they were faithful to record them as part of the New Testament record. Unfortunately, as the apostles passed off the scene, and in the centuries that followed, corrupt teachings infiltrated the Church. As a result, we lost sight of certain aspects of the mystery as it was revealed to these early apostles. 
      As it stands right now, we have a confusing assortment of views and interpretations concerning the end times. We are not unlike the perplexed disciples who made the journey to Emmaus on the day of Jesus’ resurrection. But they were not without hope, for the appearance of an unperceived Stranger on the road banished their confusion by the journey’s end (see Luke 24:13-45). By the end of the day, the Church was in one accord. If God could do it then, He can do it now if we honestly seek the truth and lay aside our preconceived, man-made views.