The Beginning vs. The End of the Age of Mystery
Col 2:2: "...to the full
understanding of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ"
Eph 6:19: "...to make
known with boldness the mystery of the gospel"
Col 1:26-27: "...Christ
in you, the hope of glory"
Col 1:26: "the mystery
which has been hidden from ages and from generations..."
Item |
Beginning of the Age of Mystery |
Relevant Scriptures |
End of the Age of Mystery |
Relevant Scriptures |
Meaning |
Beginning with
Christ's incarnation, when God started to gradually reveal His hidden plan |
1 Tim 3:16: "Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in
the flesh..." |
When the
seventh trumpet sounds, all mysteries of God will be completed, ended, and
pass away, entering into the age of manifestation |
Rev 10:7: "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is
about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished..." |
Timing |
The incarnation
of Christ |
1 Tim 3:16; Gal 4:4:
"But when the fullness of the time had come,
God sent forth His Son, born of a woman..." |
When the
seventh trumpet sounds |
Rev 10:7; Rev 11:15:
"Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were
loud voices in heaven, saying..." |
Distinction |
Initiated all
mysteries related to Christ, the church, and God's eternal economy |
Rom 16:25: "...according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret
since the world began..." |
Concludes all
mysteries, "sealing up vision and prophecy" |
Dan 9:24: "...to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most
Holy" |
Examples |
The revealing
of mysteries including Christ Himself, the church, the kingdom of heaven, the
gospel, and Christ's indwelling |
Eph 3:4-6: "...the mystery of Christ...that the Gentiles should be
fellow heirs...of His promise in Christ" Matt 13:11: "...the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven..." |
The
resurrection and transformation of the saints as the final mystery to be
revealed |
1 Cor 15:51-52: "Behold, I tell you a mystery...in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet" |
Key Features |
Things hidden
throughout the ages begin to be revealed |
Rom 16:25, Eph 3:5: "which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men..." |
God's mystery
is completed, and God's wrath comes upon the earth |
Rev 10:7: "the mystery of God would be finished..." Rev 11:18: "...Your
wrath has come..." |
Comparison with Adjacent Ages |
Before: From
Adam to Moses, and from Moses to Christ, everything was revealed and
manifest, without mystery |
Rom 5:14: "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses..." Gal 3:24: "Therefore
the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ..." |
After: In the
Millennial Kingdom and New Heaven and New Earth ages, everything will again be
manifest, with no more mysteries |
Rev 20:4: "...they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years" Rev 21:5: "Behold, I make all things new!" |
Interrelationship |
The age of
mystery is a special stage in God's revelation of His eternal economy,
forming a complete process from beginning to end |
Eph 1:9-10: "...having made known to us the mystery of His will,
according to His good pleasure...that in the dispensation of the fullness of
the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ" |
The beginning
and end constitute a complete cycle: from manifestation → mystery → back to
manifestation |
1 Tim 3:9: "holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience" Rev 10:7: "the mystery of God would be finished" Rev 10:7: "the mystery of God would be finished" Dan 9:24: "...to seal up vision and prophecy" |
Core Content |
Christ's
incarnation initiated the revealing of God's mysteries |
1 Tim 3:16: "God was manifested in the flesh..." |
The seventh
trumpet ends the mysteries, completing God's economy |
Conclusion:
l The table above presents a
comprehensive analysis of the beginning and end of the
Age of Mystery. This unique age began with
Christ's incarnation (1 Timothy 3:16) and will
conclude with the sounding of the seventh trumpet (Revelation 10:7). Before this age (from Adam
to Christ) and after
it (in the Millennial Kingdom and New Heaven and New Earth), everything
is manifest and clear without mystery. However, during this current age,
God has been progressively revealing His hidden plans
concerning Christ, the church, the kingdom of heaven, the gospel, and Christ's indwelling, which were all mysteries hidden throughout previous ages.
l The Age of
Mystery will culminate with the final mystery of the saints' resurrection and
transformation at the last trumpet. At that time, all mysteries
will be completed and "sealed up," and God's eternal economy will move into its next phase where all things are once again manifest. This forms a complete divine cycle from manifestation to mystery
and back to manifestation, revealing the progressive
nature of God's eternal plan.
*Please refer to the July
2024 Anaheim, California, USA training Experiencing, Enjoying and Manifesting
Christ (II) Week 21 The Mystery of the Church
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