Tell me a mystery

In the New Testament, the word “Mystery” (mystērion) means a hidden or secret truth, something that is undiscoverable except by divine revelation. This is a truth that cannot be understood through philosophy, through mental powers or any natural ability. The book of Colossians tells us that the Divine MYSTERY is CHRIST (Messiah). The Christ was a truth that was hidden through the ages and generations until God, in His Grace, chose to make it known to mankind by Divine Revelation. In Jesus Christ, we see the majestic secret of God with man, the riches of God’s glory, wisdom, and grace. The Old Testament prophets longed to see the Messiah, but did not because God controls the timing. Jesus Christ came to the earth at the PERFECT time in HIStory.

Matthew 13:17: “For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Salvation (saving man from eternal destruction) is not merely a redemptive act for mankind, Salvation is a PERSON, Jesus Christ. Jesus IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE. Jesus Christ IS Eternal life and there is no life outside of Jesus Christ. The soul who sins will die. Death is to be eternally cut off from our Creator, the only source of LIFE. But the MYSTERY of THE CHRIST can only be revealed to humanity by God’s Holy Spirit through Divine Revelation. This means that if you are able to understand and receive God’s Messiah into your heart, then it was God Himself who revealed this truth to you. If God had not revealed the Messiah to you, then pretty much everything written in this blog would seem like gibberish. Let that sink in for a moment. If you understand that Jesus Christ IS God’s Anointed One, His Messiah, then God Himself revealed the DIVINE MYSTERY of THE MESSIAH TO YOU directly into your heart. The Great God of HEAVEN, CREATOR of ALL THINGS has called you BY NAME!

Matthew 16: 15: And He (Jesus) continued by questioning them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.” ” ¹⁷ And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 

Jesus’ Christ’s incarnation (virgin birth) is a MYSTERY.

How the Holy Spirit caused the virgin Mary to conceive a child without human agency is a Divine Mystery that we cannot fully comprehend. Because of Jesus’ Divine conception, He was born without the sin nature and therefore the only one capable or qualified to be the substitute for sinful mankind. The fact that the Great God and Creator of the Universe would be willing to clothe Himself in humble flesh, even sinless flesh, in order to keep His Word intact while making a way for fallen mankind to be back in relationship with HIMSELF is a GREAT MYSTERY.

Christ’s death is a Mystery.

Jesus took the cup of wrath that we ought to have drunk forever and drained it dry. He bore our punishment in His death. He redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. Even the WAY that Jesus died was pre-planned in that God Himself tells us in His Word that cursed is the man who hangs on a tree (Deut. 21:22-23). Jesus wasn’t stoned to death (as was common in His day)…He hung on a CROSS, a wooden beam. Jesus had to be made a curse so that ALL of our sin would be condemned. Moreover, He has made everything right and safe for us with God by making an end of sin and granting us everlasting righteousness on our behalf with the Father. The finished work of Jesus Christ is a grand mystery. Jesus Christ is all my righteousness. He is all my salvation and all my desire!!!

Christ’s Resurrection is a DIVINE MYSTERY

If Christ’s incarnation (virgin birth) and His death are both Divine Mysteries, consider His Resurrection, another GREAT Mystery! Jesus Christ bore our sin and buried it with Him in the tomb, thus condemning sin for all time; however, the grave could not hold Him nor could death keep Him. Most people do not realize that the sin that they cling to is the very thing that sickens our bodies and minds, that causes us pain and suffering, and that will ultimately result in our death. This does not mean that every sickness can be directly attributed to an individual’s sin. What this does mean is that our COLLECTIVE SIN causes our COLLECTIVE sickness, suffering and death. But Jesus Christ, the SINLESS LAMB OF GOD, rose from the grave and because He rose, so shall we!

Christ’s offer of SALVATION for JEWS & GENTILES is a GREAT MYSTERY

Another GREAT MYSTERY is that Salvation, God’s plan of Redemption through the Messiah Jesus Christ, is available not only to the JEWS but also to the GENTILES (non-Jews). This may sound strange because most people don’t think about God’s Messiah being a Jewish Messiah. However, that is exactly who Jesus is…a Jewish Messiah. God tells us in His Word that the Messiah would come through God’s chosen people, the Jews. Even the 12 Disciples, who were all Jewish, were shocked and surprised to discover that the Messiah was not only for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles. Prior to this DIVINE REVELATION, even the 12 Disciples did NOT realize that the Gentiles could receive Salvation…but God continues to REVEAL HIS DIVINE MYSTERIES for ALL MANKIND.

One may wonder why it is that the vast majority of Jewish people do NOT recognize Jesus as their Messiah? It is because God partially blinded their eyes until the fullness of the Gentiles could come into the kingdom of God.

The partial blindness of the Jews so that salvation could come to the Gentiles is ANOTHER a GREAT MYSTERY of God! Notice that the partial blindness of the Jews (National Israel) will not last forever. It only lasts “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in”. What does this mean? Most scholars take it to mean that once the Church Age (age of Grace) is over, God’s focus will once again be on Israel. Once the Gentile Christian Church (a MYSTERY until it was REVEALED to the Apostle Paul) reaches its total number, total diversity, and total maturity, then God’s focus will be on Israel and the Jewish people.

Romans 11:25: For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery— so that you will not be wise in your own estimation— that a partial hardening (blindness) has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in;

Acts 11:17: Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” ¹⁸ When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”

Ephesians 3:^4: y referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵ which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; ⁶ to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel

CHRIST in us, a GRAND MYSTERY!

One of my FAVORITE MYSTERIES of the Bible is CHRIST IN US, the HOPE OF GLORY! This is a VERY EXCITING TRUTH. Let’s unpack it a little. The Bible tells us that when we BELIEVE in the finished work of the LORD JESUS CHRIST on the Cross, God literally comes to dwell inside of our hearts. How does He do this? Through His Holy Spirit, His Ruach Hakodesh. It’s as though God literally breathes His Breath of life into our nostrils, bringing our dead spirits to life. His Life, His Holy Spirit then takes up residence in our hearts.

Ephesians 3:17: so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Many of us seek God “Out there”…but when we believe in Christ, He is closer to us than our next breath. ” The indwelling of Christ constitutes “the hope of glory” for every believer. Jesus is the Shekinah glory of God, and He shines in our hearts so that we see the glory of God in the face of Christ.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit, “Christ in you” is an amazingly AWESOME GIFT from GOD! When we receive Christ literally into our hearts, God moves us out of the kingdom of darkness and into the Kingdom of God which is the Kingdom of Light.

Colossians 1:13: For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

This means that the kingdom of darkness, satan’s kingdom no longer has dominion over us. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they lost dominion over the Earth, transfering it to Satan. Reversing those consequences cost God the life of His Son (Romans 8:19-21). The Book of Revelation is partly about God’s move to repossess that which He has redeemed. However, during this current age, every soul who has NOT received God’s Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, falls under the dominon of satan’s kingdom of darkness.

Do unbelievers REALIZE that they are part of Satan’s kingdom of darkness? Not at all. It is as though a dark cloak is veiling their eyes and they cannot see the truth. Sin seizes every opportunity to deceive man and creates a powerful rebellion in our hearts. The natural man is an enemy of God, hating the ways of God. Jeremiah said, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9). Our thoughts and attitudes are radically depraved and these lead us to sinful behaviors. This is the natural position of our SIN NATURE and the only position of an unregenerate heart. But because sin is so deceitful, we cannot know this until we are saved and born again with God’s Holy Spirit indwelling.

Romans 7:11: for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.

2 Peter 2:17: These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. ¹⁸ For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, ¹⁹ promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.

We get a strong warning in 2 Peter 2 about people who are false teachers, false “prophets” who draw people AWAY from the truth. Like Satan, his minions often masquerade as angels of light! When reading these passages my mind immediately goes to the angry riots that are being encouraged by reckless politicians, mainstream media, and the entertainment industry. There are people out there who, in the “name” of “anti-racism” are commiting horrible acts of violence against police, business owners and the like. They “justify” their violent actions through catch phrases like “social justice” or “Be the change”. They are now demanding cities disband the police. Some even think that God Himself promotes such a thing (lawlessness) and decieve others into agreeing with this warped theology. Many of these people are the same ones who march in the gay pride parades, calling those with traditional Biblical values “narrow minded” or “bigots”. They accuse people of ‘hatred’ and ‘racism’ while they are destroying business (many are minority businesses) and wrecking lives. (Who is the accuser of the brethren? – satan..Rev. 12:10) These people are being deceived by satan to follow his globalist antichrist agenda, and they are also deceiving the masses of people that enjoy being angry or filled with rage, those who enjoy an excuse to spew hateful words or commit criminal acts.

2 Thessalonians 2: 11: For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, ¹² in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

False teachers, including the media, government officials, and false “Christian” leaders, are like dried-up watering-places in the desert, which entice and mock the thirsty traveller; leading him into danger by drawing him AWAY from places where there is water. These mists promise refreshment to the thirsty soil (Genesis 2:6); but there is no refreshment in what they offer! They promise FREEDOM, EQUALITY, and SOCIAL JUSTICE; however, they are actually drawing people deeper into slavery to sin. Such is the kingdom of darkness in which we were ALL residents UNTIL the Holy Spirit came to dwell within our hearts.

When we receive the Christ into our hearts, God TRANSFERS us from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of God. All true believers, though they physically reside on earth, are already spiritually residents of the Kingdom of God (Heaven).

In-fact, we are told that believers have been raised with Christ and are are seated WITH HIM in HEAVENLY PLACES.

Ephesians 2:4: But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 

When we live our lives IN CHRIST and CHRIST IN US, we are afforded all of the benefits of being Kingdom residents. As we draw closer to our Savior, the veil of deception that is over the eyes of ALL unbelievers AND those who are “Christian in name only” is LIFTED from our eyes, and we can see the world for what it truly is…the domain of satan.

To be “in Christ” means we believe in Jesus’ atoning work on the Cross and have accepted His sacrifice as payment for our own sin. Our rap sheets contain every sinful thought, attitude or action we have ever committed.  No amount of self-cleansing can make us pure enough to warrant forgiveness and a relationship with a holy God (Romans 3:10-12). When we accept His sacrifice on our behalf, He switches accounts with us. He exchanges our list of sins for His perfect account that is totally pleasing to God (2 Corinthians 5:21). A Divine Exchange takes place at the foot of the cross: our old sin nature for His perfect one (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is what it means to be “in Christ”. At the same time, Christ will literally dwell in us through His Holy Spirit, Christ in us.

Ephesians 1:3: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Those who have received Jesus Christ into their hearts, who have received His atonement for their sin, are crucified with Him, raised with Him and seated with Him in Heavenly places. What does it mean to be crucified with Him?

Being crucified with Christ means that we are no longer under the penalty of the law. When Christ was crucified, it was as if we were crucified with Him. This means the penalty for breaking the law was fully paid just as surely as if we had been crucified for our own sins. When we are “crucified with Christ”, the Holy Spirit changes (and continues to change) us in our inner man and we rise up with Him with a new nature. This new nature is one in which the sin nature that is still present in our flesh no longer has dominion over us. The kingdom of darkness and all of its deception no longer has dominion over us! Now, based on our union with Christ, we have access to His POWER and His WISDOM through the Holy Spirit to live in a way that pleases God.

Gal. 2:20: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Our union with Christ will lead us away from deception and into all truth. This is the work of the Holy Spirit that goes on in a believer’s life forever.

• Christ in you is His sovereign rule in our life. We find our FREEDOM by being in SUBMISSION to His sovereign hand over our lives.
• Christ in you means His POWER in you. We were without spiritual strength until Christ came into our lives. We were dead in trespasses and sins. Now our spiritual victory is guaranteed. Believers have been given the authority in Christ to bind and cast out demons in the Name of Jesus.
• Christ in you means His power is bringing every thought into captivity to Himself.  When we put our faith exclusively in Jesus Christ’s FINISHED work on the Cross, then God’s Holy Spirit will subdue our sin nature and help us to have victory over sin.
• Christ in you offers the potential for Spiritual Gifts such as faith, healing, the working of Miracles, wisdom, mercy, and prophetic insight.
• Christ in you means HONOR and GLORY. He glorifies the place where He dwells even for a moment. If Christ comes into your heart His whole court comes with Him! Rejoice for you have Him as a holy guest. People who value and love Him cannot be happy without Him.
• Christ in you means His filling you with His wonderful presence. 
• Christ in you TRANSFORMS your person until you become LIKE Christ. When Christ enters into our lives and we yield to His presence (this is very important), He transforms, elevates us to His likeness. The apostle Paul declared, “I live, yet not I, Christ lives in me.” When Christ enters in He sanctifies us, and sets us apart for His glory.

The Best Mystery is YET TO COME – TRANSFORMED bodies into the LIKENESS of CHRIST

No more aging, no more sickness, no more suffering, no more death! Our physical bodies TRANSFORMED to display the glory of God! This is a DIVINE MYSTERY that is soon to be fulfilled at the end of the age! Let’s keep this in mind as things on this earth get worse and worse…God has a PLAN to give us a FUTURE and a HOPE!

 Philippeans 3:20: For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; ²¹ who will TRANSFORM the BODY of our humble state into conformity with the BODY of HIS GLORY, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

1 Corinthians 15:51: Behold, I tell you a MYSTERY; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1 John 3:2: Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. ³ And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Col. 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with Him in glory.“

We shall have GLORIFIED BODIES just like the resurrected body of Christ when He appears in glory. The Holy Spirit, who has already TRANSFORMED the believer’s heart, will soon transform our BODIES through HIS DIVINE POWER so as to FULLY UNITE the BELIEVER with CHRIST. What a GLORIOUS day this will be!!!

“He who has come to live in our hearts, and reigns as our bosom’s Lord, makes us glorious by His coming,” declared Spurgeon.

When Jesus returns to this earth to set up His MAGNIFICENT Kingdom He brings countless blessings with Him. The Lord Jesus Christ entered into a covenant with God the Father to bring His people home to glory. He who pledged to bring every sheep of His flock safe to His Father’s right hand will not fail. He has never failed one of His covenant promises. He never will.