Lessons

The Twofold Purpose of The Mystery – Part 7. From the beginning of time, God had hidden the Mystery in Himself. God is outside of time but since He is the creator of all things, He hid this body of truth before creation of the Earth and before the beginning of the ages. Colossians 1:15-16 (KJV) tells us that Christ “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him:”. Further, when we read verse 20, we find that “… having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” “The all things” refers to only the good things that God has created (as opposed to universal reconciliation). There are things in heaven and earth that are reconciled by Him and the cross. We haven’t seen this yet but we have proof through the resurrection of Christ. God has demonstrated His victory in Christ and this is a good thing because we are in a spiritual warfare. The Mystery incorporates the mystery of Christ (which can be found in Genesis) but it was hidden in a sphere where He resides, far above all things. If God had the power to create all things He also had the power to keep this Mystery secret! When we read in Ephesians 3:10 (KJV) “To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,” we see the reference to God’s intent. How can we learn this intent? God had a specific plan in this body of truth. If we look at passages in scripture regarding “intent” we see in John 11:14 -15 that he uses the death of Lazarus to achieve His intent that nonbelievers would believe in Christ. Hebrews tells us that those who come to God must first believe that He is God. God’s intent is that we believe and not act as unbelievers, which we see in 1 Corinthians 10:6. Further we learn in 2 Kings 19:10 an example that demonstrates an intent to destroy those that serve the enemy. Perhaps God’s intention in Ephesians 3:10 is that now the manifold wisdom of God is revealed. This isn’t the manifold love, or the manifold grace, but the manifold wisdom of God. What is God’s manfold wisdom? The lesson on October 22, 2006 is the 7th lesson in this series