This topic was chosen by one of my generous supporters. If you’d like to choose a future article, or just support this ministry, click this link.
One of the greatest moments in a book or movie is the reveal. It’s that plot twist toward the end when the author shows something about a character that had been hinted at and referenced from the beginning of the story, but only now does it come together. Our jaws hang open, we collectively mutter “No way…,” and we smack our foreheads as we wonder how we could have missed it all this time. Of course, the greatest plot twist of all time is when God revealed that all history had been pointing to Jesus Christ.
The mystery revealed
that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 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 (Ephesians 3:3-5)
Paul regularly makes mention of this “mystery” that has now been revealed. This is a topic that could probably span several articles, so let’s take a quick crash course and, if readers so desire, we can dig deeper into each one in its own article.
Paul sums up this mystery in his next sentence:
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 (Ephesians 3:6)
We can become so accustomed to the gospel that we don’t realize how incredible it is, nor how radical it would seem to those who thought the works of Judaism was the true way to Heaven. Although Hebrews 11 is very clear that it’s always been faith that saves a person, people always thought it was their obedience and good works that got them to Heaven. That’s why the Pharisees, who by all evidence would be seen as paragons of holiness even today, are called out by Christ so regularly. They were believing a false gospel that stood in direct opposition to the grace of God.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
Through Christ, God has revealed that not only is salvation a free gift, but it’s a free gift for all. Where Israel once thought they held the keys to the kingdom of Heaven, Christ has shown that it’s not our ancestry that makes us worthy. Nothing makes us more worthy of forgiveness than another. We are saved by grace through faith, not through our heritage.
Again, this was completely unheard of when at that time. People in that day didn’t have the benefit of our hindsight and centuries of study. People were raised to believe that God wanted them to “do this, don’t do this,” and that through those works they would get an eternity with Him. To suddenly learn that those works and rituals were only a picture of something greater would have completely shifted everything a person believed.
Pictures of the ultimate
The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
Cursed are you more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you will go,
And dust you will eat
All the days of your life;
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.” (Genesis 3:14-15)
God spent the entire Old Testament pointing to the salvation offered through Christ. Even before the fall of Adam and Eve, even before He spoke reality into existence, He knew Christ would come to die for God’s broken creation. As we trace back through God’s word, we can clearly see that God has had this bigger view in mind. Let’s look at a few of those instances.
Jesus is king
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. (1 Samual 8:4-7)
Christ is called the “King of kings.” God had commanded Israel to have no king over them, knowing the future king that was coming. However, Israel did what we all do and chose to follow the world over the things of God and insisted on having a human king to rule over them. Although this didn’t surprise God or throw a wrench in His plans, it nevertheless led to great suffering for them as they waiting for their true King to arrive.
Marriage and Christ’s bride
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:31-32)
The greater context of this is Ephesians 5:22-32 where Paul is discussing marriage roles. Yet he isn’t just discussing this in a practical sense, but reveals that marriage was created by God with a far greater purpose than ever imagined. Even before the fall, God instituted marriage because it would be a picture of Christ and His church.
This is why Paul calls the husband the head, because husbands represent Christ. Likewise, a wife is called to submit as a picture of how the church submits to Christ. This also explains why God hates adultery and divorce so very much. It’s not just about the pain it causes those involved, but because it completely taints the greater purpose of marriage that points to the wonderful, sacrificial union between Christ and His bride.
Promises for all
And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” (Genesis 12:2-3)
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 which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith (Romans 16:25-26)
Abraham, and indeed all of Israel, had a very narrow view of God’s blessings. Based on the depravity of the nations around them, there was an assumption that this little nation, this pocket of people who were chosen by God, would be the inheritors of His blessings. When God made promises of future blessings, they had a very nationalistic idea of what that meant.
Although not all of Israel’s promises are for us, we are indeed an adopted part of Abraham’s family. We aren’t some “Plan B” after Israel kept rejecting God, because God has always had us in mind. God’s promises to send a king and redeemer weren’t just meant to rescue a nation, but an entire world.
We can see this clearly demonstrated in many of Christ’s teachings as He talks about grafting branches and cutting away the dead ones. Many of Christ’s more confusing words can be better understood when we remember that He was overturning centuries of mysteries and poor theology. Israel had become isolated in their thinking, and Christ had finally come to offer salvation to all.
An amazing mystery
There is so much more that could be said about how incredible it is that God has always had Christ in mind as He set Old Testament laws and dealt with His people. God has never been scrambling to deal with sinners messing up His plans – He knew what would happen from the beginning. And that’s saying nothing of all the prophecies that were made that very obviously pointed to Jesus Christ.
Today, we can easily take for granted just how marvelous our salvation is. All of history, God’s every interaction and decision, has had a greater view of Jesus Christ in mind. God did all of this not because we deserve it, but because He is filled with mercy and grace.
He could have left us to rot in the sin we choose every day. Instead, He chose to make a world that would hate Him, send His son into that world to be slaughtered by the very people He made, and redeem those same people who were more than happy to live as God’s enemies. When we wonder what makes God so worthy of praise, we need only look at the centuries He spent preparing the world to receive its savior so that we could be called children of God.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6)
