The Beginning vs. The End of the Age of Mystery

 

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